|
Extreme Makeover: Theme Park Edition
We've also been following the saga of John
Lasseter's DCA Preview Center for over a year
now, as this is a little gem of a project that
is near to his heart. First slated for the empty
San Francisco row houses, then evicted from that
location when the Little Mermaid ride grew so
large that it needed all the space it could
grab. Then for a time the Preview Center was
planned for a tent out in the Esplanade, much
like the first DCA Preview Center back in the
late 1990's. But with plenty of construction
mess and crowd control problems coming soon to
the Esplanade, that idea was eventually nixed.
Then finally we let you know that the Preview
Center would be moving into the Seasons of the
Vine theater, making that show the first opening
day attraction to close in preparation for DCA's extreme makeover.
Seasons of the Vine theater.
And now we can tell you that the new DCA Preview
Center will finally open to the public the
second week of September, 2008. After a media
event that announces it, six weeks
from now visitors will be able to go in and get
a sneak peek at the first major phase of the DCA
makeover and expansion.
Partly because the space
is not very large, and also because the phases
further along in the project are still very much
in flux design-wise, the first offerings on
display will focus primarily on the Paradise
Pier remodel and the massive makeover to the
main entrance area. While the overall DCA makeover will be presented rather
vaguely at first, mainly via videos and pictures on the giant HDTV screen on one wall of the
center, the more detailed models and information
will be centered on the first areas to go under
the knife.
The Paradise Pier remodeling will be getting
underway at the same time as the preview center
opens, with the Sun Wheel the first pier ride to
shut down for its theme change in mid September.
The rest of the pier rides and the work on the
main entrance will begin later this year and
into the winter, and the initial preview center
artwork will all focus on changes that would be
coming to areas likely under construction on the
day park visitors were there.
Not quite the same angle, but you get the
idea; the pier area today (above)
and as shown in concept art afterwards (below).
The plan however is to not let the Preview
Center sit stagnant for very long. By May of
2009, just as much of the work on the southern
half of Paradise Pier is nearing completion, the
displays are planned to be updated and swapped
out to focus more on the new attractions coming
to the northern half of Paradise Pier, namely
Goofy's Sky School, the World of Color show, and
the massive Little Mermaid complex.
Then roughly
every 8 to 10 months the preview center displays
would be changed and updated to include the
Hollywood makeover, changes to DCA's major park
entertainment, the sprawling Cars Land addition,
and eventually the makeover of Condor Flats and
the new attractions coming to the Grizzly Peak
area beyond 2011. But at least by mid September,
DCA visitors can get a good look at the first
models and preview artwork on display.
A Bakery and some Boats
A look to the north of the Mickey and Friends parking structure reveals that
work has begun on the new bakery facility for the resort that we told you about
a few updates ago...
...and an even closer look reveals where they are storing the small world boats
during the rehab.
|
