Never Built Disney California Adventure
Pixar Pier was one of the biggest redesigns of a land in a Disney Park in recent history, but this land could have looked incredibly different if early concepts for the land were followed more precisely.
The original plans for the land had an area that was set to look very different than what ended up getting built in Disney California Adventure.
While both lands were structurally very similar, both reutilizing a large amount of infrastructure from Paradise Pier, how it reutilized the infrastructure was the major element that changed drastically through various versions of the plan.
One version of the original plans saw Mickey's Fun Wheel not only being transformed into the Pixar Pal Around but losing the iconic Mickey Mouse facade in the process, to be replaced by a Pixar ball emblem instead. This would have once again changed the logo of the entire park in a major way, something that had already happened through the redevelopment of Disney California Adventure
It also was set to include the Silly Symphony Swings as part of the remodel, leaving Paradise Gardens Park with one less attraction.
Another version of the concept art also saw the land getting an additional attraction, an Incredibles-themed Dumbo spinner that never got built, before the final version of the design was decided on. This version also would have seen a more pronounced pavement design than the actual land on opening day.
What ended up getting built was scaled back from some of the early concepts, but almost all Disney Parks projects are. Projects begin in a blue sky phase where things like budget aren't a main concern, but eventually, reality hits every project.
The project we got is still remarkably similar to the original vision, merely missing a few elements here or there where they had to be altered to make the entire project a reality.
Every little element of the land was faithful to the original vision, even if some parts of the vision were not realized.
There is always a chance Disney chooses to revisit lost elements of the land in the future. No good idea ever really dies in Disney, and oftentimes Disney can revisit ideas even decades in the future when the right concept comes along.
For now, we are left with the Pixar Pier that got built, which brought tons of Pixar stories to life in the parks for the first time.
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