There's no doubt in anybody's mind that Disney('s) California Adventure will be a better theme park by the middle of June. I'm really looking forward to the beautiful changes and additions.
But is that going to be enough
Remember - one of the main complaints about California Adventure was the abject stupidity and frankly cynical ploy of situating a California-themed park in, um, California.
That defect is going to remain. While the theme has been a tad diluted (it was never very strong to begin with), it is hardly gone - and, in fact, has been accentuated by the park's major change - the 1st entire re-do of a Disney theme park entrance - Buena Vista Street.
And while DCA has taken major strides in added attractions and especially in the Pixarification of the Park (
being directly across and merely 100 steps from Disneyland, it should by all rights be called Pixarland), many of the negatives about DCA remain. It's still got an odd layout of overly wide and shadeless, characterless, sprawling avenues and a generic feeling to its theme of sorta California-ish.
BUT it
is going to be so much prettier than it was in 2001. And it will have a decent number of fun attractions. And, of course, it's got lots of super popular PIXAR.
For a while in fact, it will be hard to see beyond the splendor of
Cars Land, Cars Land, Cars Land!!! (
Al's review, now that previews have let the cat out of the bag, or the car out of the garage as the case may be.). But once you look past all the fabulous changes ... take an objective look at DCA version 2.0 as a whole and not just as very much improved.

California Adventure WILL be better. But it will still be the California park
in California. Will the changes be enough to finally make DCA a successful Disney theme park ... or is it sadly no more than lipstick on a pig?