Mickey Rides the Red Car

Mickey, newly arrived in Southern California, takes in the sights and sounds of Hollywood Boulevard on his way to Buena Vista Street. At least, that's his backstory in the Red Car Newsboys show at DCA.

It's refreshing to see The Mouse portrayed as an average Joe instead of a global superstar, and it's one of the many charming elements that's begun forming DCA's unique atmosphere. After the park's original 2001 grating attempts to distiniguish itself by being "edgy" and banning Disney characters from the grounds, it turned out that presenting the characters in unexpected, period-appropriate roles was a much better way to go.

Photo by Lana Whitham

Heimlich in Hollywood Land

Everyone's favorite ravenous caterpillar winds his way (in several pieces) along Hollywood Blvd. during the Pixar Play Parade at DCA. This parade never fails to make me grin as it passes by. It's impressive and filled with ingenious costume and puppetry concepts, yet manages to feel completely casual, light-on-its-feet and unpretentious.

By the way, that's DCA's best shop in the background: Off the Page. Filled with Disney art prints, cels, books and collectibles, it also gives you a chance to commission a personalized character sketch from an on-duty Disney artist. You could request a drawing of anything from Mufasa to Mickey to...well, how about Heimlich?

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Seen through a thin web of overhead Trolley wires, the supernaturally twisted Tower of Terror rises above Hollywood Land at DCA.

It's the only ride at Disneyland resort that still scares me every single time I climb aboard. The anticipation during the story scenes--knowing what's coming--creates one of the most awesomely tense, nerve-wracking first moments of any ride I can think of.

And when the drops begin, the whole elevator cabin echoes with passengers' screams and laughter (a perfect combination of both) at an intensity you'll find nowhere else on property. This ride plugs directly into everyone's instinctive fear of falling, and somehow makes the sensation fun and terrifying at the same time. When it all finally ends, I always find myself grateful it's over, yet glad I went.

An import from Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida, DCA's version of ToT lacks the original's horizontal track Fifth Dimension corridor, opting instead for an extra scene inside the main drop shaft. I hope to someday try the Florida original to compare the adventures; I'm sure I'll be every bit as scared dropping faster than freefall on the East coast as on the West.

Photo by Lana Whitham

Inside The Red Car Trolley

DCA's Red Car Trolley plays a dual role: Equal parts attraction and street character. Today we're stepping inside one of these charmers for a look at the interior.

The trolleys have identical control panels in the front and back, as they do not loop around at each end of the trip: they simply reverse direction. According to the conductor on board, the trolleys draw a "small portion" of their power from the overhead wires.

What's a bit unexpected about the experience is how well the "act" works. You don't feel like you're on a theme park ride. You feel like you're on public transportation--if public transportation was incredibly clean, friendly, relaxed and full of Disney fans.

Some of the in-car advertising. Boy, that Hollywood Tower Hotel sure looks like a swell place!

These are all actual DCA destinations--and fun classic Disney tributes as well. The interior color scheme seems very relaxing, which pretty much sums up the whole Red Car experience. We'll have more trolley pics soon, with a look at the trip down DCA's Hollywood Blvd. In the meantime, have a great weekend!

A DCA Moment: Slinky Dog

This is why the parks rule: There simply aren't enough giant, good-humored, stretchy pull-toy canine hind legs high-fiving people in the real world.