ANAHEIM, Calif. - Strapped into our seats, the theater goes dark, we swoop into the air, and - zap! - we're IN an Imax film. Flying, as if borne by helicopter, but with music instead of engine noise. Sailing, airborne, over stunning scenery.
Everyone becomes Peter Pan as they skim over the Golden Gate Bridge, Yosemite National Park, Death Valley and Big Sur.
We can smell the pine forests, the orange groves, the salty sea spray. A soft wind blows in our faces.
We're Soarin' Over California.
It's a thrilling experience, the latest offering from Disney and the hottest attraction in the new Disney's California Adventure theme park, a neighbor to the old, and original, Disneyland.
Crammed onto 55 acres, where the old Disneyland parking lot used to be, it's the latest, and perhaps most ambitious, Disney expansion yet, costing $1.4 billion.
On a recent day, the wait for the ride was more than three hours because one of the two theaters was having technical problems, but people were waiting. In fact, Disney expects this to be the new park's perennial favorite and is hiring entertainers to keep folks in line from becoming too bored.
It may be a good idea to wait a while before visiting the latest incarnation of theme-park genius from the Imagineers (yes, they're really called that) at the Disney complex.
The official opening was Feb. 8, and the week preceding it was marked by glitches and fire alarms (mostly false) in the new Grand California Hotel and park.
If the new park replaces the old parking lot, where do visitors park? Not to worry. The new parking structure (said to be the largest in the world) offers rapid shuttle service to Disneyland, set on 85 acres, California Adventure and the also-new Downtown Disney, a "main- street" type setting lined with shops and restaurants that links the two parks and hotels.
Other highlights of the new park include "It's Tough to Be a Bug," a 3-D show replicated from Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., featuring all sorts of winged critters (a butterfly flaps its animated wings right in front of your face), and titillates several senses - smell and touch among them.
Another idea borrowed from the Orlando park is the Grizzly River Run ride. Round "rafts" are loaded with folks who don't mind getting a little wet and taken on an approximation of a white-water rapids ride. It should be popular on hot Southern California days.
Dominating the skyline of the park is Grizzly Peak, a faux-stone mountain roughly shaped like a grizzly bear, which reinforces the California theme.
For a good introduction to the park, take time to see the "Golden Dreams" film, which offers a succinct glimpse of California history, from prehistoric American Indian dwellers to modern Olympic athletes, and has a decidedly un-Disneylike scene of a Chinese laborer and his young son being blown to bits while helping to build the railroad. It offers a refreshing note of realism to what otherwise could be a saccharine promise that everyone's dreams come true here.
The new park has three areas - the Golden State area, which focuses on California experiences, the Paradise Pier area that replicates a boardwalk amusement park, and the Hollywood Pictures Backlot area. At the latter, one visitor said she stopped by the animation department out of curiosity and ended up spending a fascinating three hours there.
Barry Braverman, an Imagineering executive producer for Disney, says the intent was for "each part of the park to embody ... part of what we think of as the Callifornia adventure ... what draws people to California." He mentions the scenic beauty, the beach scene, the creative spirit.
In the new park, visitors can watch tortillas and wine being made, put their own voices to animation, take a thrilling roller- coaster ride that includes a 360-degree loop - appropriately called California Screamin'.
Birth of an idea
The California Adventure theme came after a lot of brainstorming, Braverman says. Original ideas included calling it Westcot (an echo of Epcot, at Disney World), but the creative team assigned to the project eventually decided to narrow the focus to California itself.
The concept embraced a diversity of cultures, geography and lifestyles. There were lush forests and vast deserts, immigrants from Asia and Mexico, among others. It has agriculture (orange groves, vineyards) and Hollywood.
"It would take you months to experience all of California. It would cost a lot of money and you might succeed, but here you get a taste of many things at once," Braverman says. "We don't pretend that this is a substitute for the real California."
The twice-daily parades at California Adventure are more reminiscent of a lively Chinese New Year's parade in San Francisco than a stroll down Mickey and Minnie Lane, typical of Disneyland. The new park feels more grown-up than Disneyland. The thrills are bigger, and some of the rides more sophisticated. One pre-schooler came out of "It's Tough to Be a Bug" crying. The in-your-face 3-D and other special effects frightened her. Older kids were delighted.
Teen-agers and adults probably will prefer the new park's rides, such as Soarin' and California Screamin', to old Disneyland's tamer ones (excluding the Indiana Jones ride, which is definitely for the hearty).
Though there certainly are attractions for younger children, they might in general be happier next door at Disneyland. There are fewer costumed characters at California Adventure - and those tend to be California-themed, too (i.e. chipmunks Chip and Dale).
What makes the park so accessible for visitors is that once you park your car, you can stay in a hotel, wander Downtown Disney to shop and dine, and visit both parks without ever getting back into your car.
It's likely that many families with a range of children will choose to take the smaller ones to Disneyland and let the older ones visit California Adventure on their own. Security is not very visible, but it's vigilant.
Be reminded though, that a boy fell from a ride in Disneyland a few months ago and suffered permanent damage. Even in Disneyland, kids need supervision.
Night life, too
Downtown Disney, where admission is free, is grown-up Disney.
Restaurants, and even a few bars, are designed to appeal to adults more than children. At ESPN Zone, fans can watch sports till their eyes glaze over. At the Rainforest Cafe, regular mock thunderstorms threaten to drench diners (but never do). At La Brea Bakery, adults can have a late-night dessert and latte, if they wish.
Walk down the street and hear blues, jazz and Latina music. Choose from Italian, Mexican and haute cuisine. And look at the people wandering the street - some are speaking foreign languages and wearing exotic garb.
It's a big world, after all. But you can find a microcosm of it here.
- Linda DuVal may be reached at 636-0371 or duval@gazette.com
Destination: Disneyland
GETTING THERE: The Disneyland Resort complex is about 30 miles south of downtown Los Angeles and 60 miles north of San Diego, just off the Interstate Highway 5 freeway at Katella Avenue or Disney Drive. Traffic can be difficult at any time of day, so get traffic updates at KNX-AM 1070 or KFWB-AM 980. Parking is $7 for cars, $8 for vans.
HOURS: Hours vary by season, park, day of the week and holidays. Generally, though, both California Adventure and Disneyland are open 10 a.m.-8 p.m. weekdays, and both open earlier and close later on weekends, depending on the day and park.
PRICES: Tickets for each park are $43 a day for adults and $33 for children ages 3-9, $41 for seniors 60 and older. Multi-day passports and combination passes are available at a discount. Three- day passes are $111 adults, $87 kids; four-day passes are $137 adults, $107 kids. Guests staying at any of the three Disney hotels can buy a two-park, multi-day ticket called "Ultimate Park Hopper Passport." They are available in three-day to six-day passports, depending on length of stay. For a three-day pass, prices are $116 adult, $92 kids; six-day passes are $185 adults, $145 kids. The passes provide unlimited visits to both parks with multiple early entry to Disneyland.
WAITS: The new FastPass reservation system allows guests to bypass most lines. Go to the first must-do ride and get your FastPass, which will give you a time to return for immediate (or close to it) boarding.
