"From the jump, the concept didn't make a lot of sense. Why would Disneyland's second park focus on California when most of its visitors already lived there? Disney California Adventure is celebrating its 25th anniversary on Feb. 8. Today, it's the 11th most visited park in the world, with unique attractions in development. But in the beginning, it was nearly universally criticized, condemned by everyone from fans to theme park experts to Imagineers to members of the Disney family."
"It took years to right the ship, and to get attendance up to Disney's initial projections. Even if it took longer than anticipated to get there, Disney did accomplish its goal with DCA: turning the Disneyland Resort into a full-fledged vacation destination rather than a single-day stop on a trip. But to get to that point, it would cost billions of additional dollars, and more than one high-profile instance of company leadership making amends."
Disney California Adventure launched as a second park focused on California despite many visitors already living in the state. The park opened rushed and scantily financed, and a mix of bad luck and last-minute solutions made the initial concept thin and unappealing. Recovering the park required years of redesign and billions of dollars to increase attendance to initial projections. Ultimately the park succeeded in transforming the Disneyland Resort into a multiday vacation destination with new attractions in development. Early planning had included Westcot, a proposed West Coast EPCOT-style park with VenturePort, a World Showcase and a central SpaceStation Earth.
Read at SFGATE
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