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Disneyland Refurbs

New and Fresh at Disneylandยฎ Park

Guests visitingย Disneylandยฎ Park will notice new venues and shows and some new looks for some of their favorite attractions.

MatterhornTheย Matterhorn Bobsleds, a Disneylandยฎ Parkย landmark since 1959, just reopen following a five-and-a-half month refresh of the attraction. The mountain has new paint and โ€œsnow capsโ€ on the outside and some lighting changes inside. A new three-person bobsled will allow guests to be seated individually.

The mountain climbers will also return from theirย hiatusย this summer to thrill guests as they scale the Matterhorn slopes.

The weather will be changing inย Pixie Hollowย this fall when a new fairy arrives to visit Tinker Bell. Frost fairy Periwinkle, from the upcoming Disney video Tinker Bell: Secret of the Wingsย joins Pixie Hollow, but not without some changes. Tinker Bell’s snow-making machine will be added to help keep Periwinkle cool.

Additional new faces at Disneylandยฎ Parkย areย Merida, the adventurous heroine of the upcoming Disneyโ€ขPixar movie Brave,ย and her three bear cubs.ย Hailing from the Scottish Highlands, Merida will be visiting guests in an interactive meet-and-play experience near โ€œitโ€™s a small worldยฎ.โ€

Big Thunder Ranch JamboreeIn Frontierlandยฎ, the newly premieredย Big Thunder Ranch Jamboreeย brings music, dancing, crafts, pin trading and plenty of Disney characters (in Western wear) to the space previously known as Festival Arena. Guests may join in and kick up their heels with Billy Hill and the Hillbillies at an old-fashioned Cowboy Roundup or gather to enjoy live performances by visiting schools and community groups, presented by the Disney Performing Arts Program.


The west side of Main Street, U.S.A.ยฎ Areaย now features an array of refreshed shops and restaurants. All of their turn-of-the-century interiors are newly redecorated with period signs, lighting fixtures and woodwork.

  • Guests visitingย Carnation Cafรฉย can now enjoy indoor as well as outdoor seating. New menu items include apple-granola pancakes and huevos rancheros for breakfast, plus fresh fish and Walt Disneyโ€™s favorite beef-and-pork meatloaf for dinner. Beloved Carnation Cafรฉ cast member Oscar Martinez will continue to greet guests as he has for more than five decades!
  • Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlorย has expanded its scooping space and added registers, all the better to serve guests. The menu includes classic sundaes and new ice cream floats.
  • Theย Penny Arcadeย has returned with vintage games and silent movie Mutoscope viewing machines, plus the mystical fortune-telling Esmeralda and the classic Welte Orchestrion organ-and-percussion music machine, purchased for Disneylandยฎ Parkย by Walt Disney himself.
  • The expanded kitchen at theย Candy Palaceย allows guests to watch two kinds of candy being prepared at the same time. The Candy Palaceย is still making all the favorites like caramel and gourmet candy apples, toffee and fudge, and the extremely popular handmade candy canes made each holiday season.
  • Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafรฉ,ย which opened in early 2012,ย has become a popular stop for breakfast, lunch or dinner on Main Street, U.S.A.ยฎย Their menu features baked goods, sandwiches, salads and beverages and the whimsical dรฉcor of โ€œMary Poppinsโ€ adds to dinersโ€™ enjoyment.

Main Street Opera HouseIn theย Main Street Opera House, theย Voices of Liberty, an a cappella vocal group inspired by the popular Voices of Liberty at The American Adventure attraction in theย Walt Disney Worldยฎย Resortย in Florida will perform patriotic songs to entertain guests awaiting the โ€œGreat Moments with Mr. Lincolnโ€ presentation.

Lastly,ย Disneylandยฎ Park fans, dedicated gardeners and admirers of the Resort’s landscape will all want to experience theย Cultivating the Magic Tour, which explores Disneylandยฎ Parkย horticulture. Presented by a Resort Tour Guide, the tour explores landscaping highlights of the park from the โ€œFlower Mickeyโ€ at the Main Gate to the spectacular plantings in the Jungle Cruise and Storybook Land.

Five Years of Expansion at the Disneylandยฎ Resort

A wise man once said:

โ€œDisneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.โ€ – Walt Disney

This five-year expansion at Disneylandยฎย Resortย has shown that Walt’s vision is still alive in the Resort that started the Disney magic ย our families love. This timeline shows the additions thatย Disneylandยฎย Resort guests currently enjoy and a few more additions for the future.

2007
On Oct. 17, Disneylandยฎย Resortย announces expansion plans for this five-year project.

2008
Toy Story Mania!Toy Story Mania!ย opened on Paradise Pier at Disney California Adventureยฎ Park.

Also debuting in 2008:

  • Pixar Play Paradeย (Disney California Adventureยฎ Park)
  • New shows at Playhouse Disney ยญ- Live on Stage!ย (Disney California Adventureยฎ Park)
  • Innoventions Dream Home (Disneylandยฎ Park)
  • Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough (Disneylandยฎ Park)
  • Mark VII Monorail

2009
Grand Californian HotelThe first Disney Vacation Club property opens on the West Coast whenย Disneyโ€™s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa completes an expansion with 203 new guest rooms, a new pool and 50 two-bedroom equivalent villas.

Also debuting in 2009:

  • Magicalย fireworks spectacular (Disneylandยฎ Park)
  • Mickeyโ€™s Fun Wheelย (Disney California Adventureยฎ Park)
  • Blue Sky Cellarย (Disney California Adventureยฎ Park)
  • Pixie Hollowย  (Disneylandยฎ Park)
  • Splash Mountainยฎย Ghost Galaxy transformation during Halloween Time (Disneylandยฎ Park)
  • RIDEMAKERZยฎย and D Street open (Downtown Disneyยฎ District)

2010
World of ColorWorld of Colorย opens at Disney California Adventureยฎ Parkย to rave reviews and enthusiastic crowds. The breathtaking, nighttime spectacular weaves water, color, fire and light into a kaleidoscope of fantasy and imagination.

Also Debuting in 2010:

  • Silly Symphony Swingsย (Disney California Adventureยฎ Park)
  • Glow Fest / ElecTRONica (nighttime party for guests of all ages)ย (Disney California Adventureยฎ Park)

2011
The Little MermaidThe Little Mermaid ~Arielโ€™s Undersea Adventureย opens givingย Disney California Adventureยฎ Parkย a classic dark-ride attraction. At Disneylandยฎ Park, guests now enjoy more than 50 different adventures atย Star Tours โ€“ The Adventures Continue.

Also Debuting in 2011:

  • Goofyโ€™s Sky Schoolย (Disney California Adventureยฎ Park)
  • Phineas and Ferb Rockinโ€™ Rollinโ€™ Dance Partyย (Disney California Adventureยฎ Park)
  • Paradise Garden Grill and Boardwalk Pizza & Pastaย (Disney California Adventureยฎ Park)
  • New character shows at Disney Junior โ€“ Live on Stage!ย (Disney California Adventureยฎ Park)
  • Mickeyโ€™s Soundsational Parade brings the beats to the streetsย (Disneylandยฎ Park)
  • Disneyland Hotel Renovation brings themed suites and new pool and water play areas to the Resort.
  • Innovative Footwear store Sanuk opensย (Downtown Disneyยฎ District)

2012
Cars LandDisney California Adventureยฎ Park will hold a grand reopening on June 15th with the addition of two new lands,ย Cars Land and Buena Vista Streetย andย Carthay Circle Theatre. The town of Radiator Springs fromย Disneyโ—Pixar’s Carsย comes to life in Cars Landย whileย Buena Vista Street offers a nostalgic step back in time to 1920s Los Angeles, with the Red Car Trolley, Carthay Circle Theatre and a tribute to Walt Disney.

Disneyland guests enjoy changes and enhancements along Main Street, U.S.A., including the opening ofย Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafรฉ, filled with carefree scenes from the beloved movie,ย  โ€œMary Poppins.โ€ Other shops alongย Main Street, U.S.A. are also refreshed and the classicย Matterhornย mountain glistens with new paint as riders enjoy new bobsleds. Also in 2012, Downtown Disney adds the WonderGround Gallery and Earl of Sandwich (late summer 2012) to its array of shops and restaurants.

Also Debuting this year

  • ย 3 attractions in ย Cars Landย –ย Radiator Springs Racers,ย Luigiโ€™s Flying Tires, andย Materโ€™s Junkyard Jamboreeย (Disney California Adventureยฎ Park)
  • Red Car Trolley transporting guests downย Buena Vista Street
  • Mad T Party replaces elecTRONicaย (Disney California Adventureยฎ Park)
  • Ghirardelliยฎ Ice Cream & Chocolate Shopย (Disney California Adventureยฎ Park)
  • Meet and Greet with Merida from Disneyโ—Pixar film Braveย (Disneylandยฎ Park)
  • WonderGround Galleryย (Downtown Disneyยฎ District)
  • Opening of Earl of Sandwich later this summerย (Downtown Disneyยฎ District)
  • La Brea Bakeryยฎ andย LEGO Storeย remodel (Downtown Disney)
  • New segment in World of Colorย from Disneyโ—Pixar film Braveย and daytime fountain showย (Disney California Adventureยฎ Park)

With all these new additions to theย Disneylandยฎ Resort, now is the perfect time to visit!
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Silly Symphony Swings

Imagineers have revealed an attraction,ย Silly Symphony Swings, as part of the overhaul of Paradise Pier in DisneySilly Symphony Swings California Adventureโ„ขย Park. ย These swings replaced the Orange Stinger, a swing attraction that looked like a partially peeled orange.

Check out these photos of the completed attraction and some fun facts. The attraction officially opened June 11.

Hereโ€™s the symphonic scoop on the tuneful addition to Paradise Pier:

  • The attraction features 32 single-seat swings for guests, and eight pair of tandem seats for smaller riders and their responsible companion.
  • The name Silly Symphony Swings pays homage to one of Walt Disneyโ€™s greatest creations โ€“ a series of cartoon shorts, called โ€œSilly Symphonies,โ€ which historians say revolutionized animated films. Relying mostly on music to tell their tales, this series of cartoons was honored with multiple Academy Awards and introduced audiences to several beloved Disney characters, including Donald Duck. Walt Disney Studios produced 75 โ€œSilly Symphonyโ€ cartoons from 1929-1939. (โ€œThe Band Concertโ€ was not among these cartoons, but it was associated with them because of its similar style.)
  • Silly Symphony Swings Maestro MickeyStanding atop the crimson and cream-colored carousel canopy is a sculpture of Maestro Mickey Mouse, just as he appeared in โ€œThe Band Concert,” with a conductorโ€™s baton in hand and clad in his crisp, fire-engine red bandleaderโ€™s uniform.
  • The opening of Silly Symphony Swings in 2010 coincides with the 75th anniversary of the release of โ€œThe Band Concert.โ€
  • In addition to Mickey Mouse, โ€œThe Band Concertโ€ features several Disney character favorites, including a fife-playing Donald Duck, a flautist cow named Clarabelle and a clarinet-playing Goofy.
  • A wooden deck surrounds Silly Symphony Swings, allowing non-riders to watch the fun and enjoy a restful and shady spot amidst the excitement of Paradise Pier.
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