This ride does the improbable: It makes me want to watch Cars again. And the long lines aren’t even a drag because the hangar set features a lot of fascinating information about California’s aviation history. It’s not a conventional thrill ride because your actual movements are minimal, but it’s as thrilling as almost anything else found in a Disney park. They even pipe in appropriate smells, like oranges when you fly over groves and salty ocean scents over the Pacific. You can’t see anything except the screen, and the entire experience is a surprisingly powerful simulation of flying over California.
It’s essentially just an IMAX movie that flies you over notable parts of California, except you’re sitting, with legs dangling, in seats that lift you up towards the screen and move slightly along with the images. Soarin’ Over California opened in 2001, along with the rest of the park, and it’s already a Disney classic. Here are the ten best attractions at California Adventure, based on a day I spent there in November 2014. If you’re dropping $96 for a ticket, though, you’re probably most interested in the rides. There are also areas devoted to A Bug’s Life and Cars, and the latter’s cartoonish take on Route 66 is delightful. Elsewhere the park recreates a Victorian-era boardwalk, pays tribute to California’s national parks, and houses a tribute to the state’s aviation history in a fake aircraft hangar.
Buena Vista Street feels as inviting as Disneyland’s Main Street USA, only the ersatz 1890’s midwestern vibe is replaced with cute approximations of Art Deco and Mission Revival Style. The California theme might seem odd for a park based in California (why bother with a fake Hollywood when the real thing is right down the freeway?), but it’s inspired some adorable architecture. The early reviews were harsh, but with a slight course correction (and a billion dollars in improvements) the new park has become a worthwhile addition to the classic Disneyland experience. That changed in 2001, when Disney’s California Adventure opened next door to Disneyland.
By the late 1990s it had four different Disney theme parks, while Anaheim, the home of the original, was still stuck at one.