Celebrating Buena Vista Street's First Year

During the amazing June 2012 relaunch of Disney California Adventure, most media coverage focused on Cars Land (we wished it a Happy First Birthday this past Saturday). The other new land, Buena Vista Street, took a stalwart back seat while performing its vital role perfectly.

One year and two days ago, Disney California Adventure gained something it never had before: a heart. That's what Buena Vista Street brought to the park.

Looking back at the Street's terrific first year at the resort, we're listing our Top Ten favorite elements the new land has brought to the reborn park.

1) A HOME BASE

When DCA opened in 2001, its entry area, Sunshine Plaza, greeted arriving guests with a hodgepodge of pop culture imagery, a miniature Golden Gate Bridge, and an odd-looking sun fountain. To many, it came across as sterile and cynical. Buena Vista Street took its cue from Disneyland's Main Street and transformed DCA's entry land into a welcoming trip back to an idealized Old Los Angeles. The relaxing, welcoming atmosphere, sparked with a theme of enterprise and enthusiasm, provides a perfect "home base" for a day at the revitalized DCA.

2) OSWALD

As you enter the park, you see Oswald before you see Mickey. That's a terrific bit of subtle history right there. Everyone knows the line, "It all started with a mouse." The mouse started because Walt lost the rights to his rabbit. Now the rabbit has come home, and his shop begins your journey into DCA, where, a short distance away, you will next encounter Walt and Mickey. I love this. And speaking of Walt and Mickey....

3) STORYTELLERS

The statue of young Walt and Friend greets guests at eye level. I've written a bit about this before, and I can't think of much else to say, except that it looks as if the two are ready to discover the park with us. The story begins...

Should the Treehouse Be Remodeled Again?

We're in Adventureland, looking up at the bridge leading to Tarzan's Treehouse, the clever 1999 remodeling of the beloved old Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse. It's well done, but has never seemed as compelling to me as it did in its original form -- because it no longer feels like a real, functioning home.

Tarzan didn't live in a treehouse in the film (except briefly as an infant). Filmgoers mainly know this place as the spot where Tarzan's parents were killed. In fact, the killer is actually right there in the treehouse in one of the story scenes.

Tarzan's a terrific and beautifully crafted film, but it hasn't "stuck" in the public consciousness as memorably as other Disney movies -- at least for the time being. The treehouse needs new tenants.

Adam and Andrew at The Disney Hipster Blog recently posted about the lack of a Jungle Book presence in Walt Disney World's Adventureland. Looking at Disneyland's similar under-utilization of a very popular and enduring set of characters, I think Mowgli, Baloo, Bagheera, Col. Hathi, King Louie, Kaa the Python, Shere Kahn and four harmonizing vultures would make awesome tenants for the Robinson's old digs.

Mowgli spent even less time in a treehouse (none) than Tarzan, but it wouldn't matter. Guests would line up for a Jungle Book encounter of any kind. And the music would be fantastic.

An Abominable Footprint

While strolling around the perimeter of Disneyland's Matterhorn, you're bound to come across this footprint casting that appeared in 1978 as the Matterhorn re-opened after a lengthy refurbishment.

The remodeling turned the mountain's interior (which previously had been one big open space with minimally-decorated beams, stairs and framework) into a maze of artificial ice caverns. The original single bobsleds were redesigned and coupled into two-car trains.

Best of all, the Abominable Snowman (unofficially dubbed "Harold") moved in, turning the unique roller coaster into a full-fledged Fantasyland adventure.

The footprint, with it's cartoon-like stylization, perfectly captures the spirit of the mountain's sole inhabitant (there are three abominable snowman figures on the ride, but they all represent the same guy pursuing you down the mountain). Unlike the Yeti in Animal Kingdom, which was designed to appear as much like a realistic beast as possible, Harold looks like a monster from a storybook -- a really good, scary storybook.

If fact, he'd look right at home stomping around Fantasyland looking fierce and reluctantly signing autographs. Come to think of it, why hasn't he ever appeared as a walk-around character?