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Disney California Adventure is pressing ahead with another radical transformation… And this one takes AWAY one of the park’s themed lands. The park opened in 2001 with three themed lands, each set in a cartoonish California of the 1990s. Puns ran rampant as the park tried to emulate real Californian locales with a hip, edgy, modern “Disney” twist.

Upon its grand re-opening in summer 2012, the park was (quite literally) transformed, debuting with two new lands and the rest re-districted and re-named. Prominently, the park’s all-encompassing “Golden State” land was sub-divided into re-themed and time-period-specific lands called Grizzly Peak, Pacific Wharf, and Condor Flats.

Standing out from its sisters, Condor Flats retained the old, “modern” style that California Adventure opened with. But that is about to change. And in the process, California Adventure is losing the Condor Flats themed land entirely, reducing the park from eight lands to seven.

Conflicting Stories

When the park opened, the Grizzly Peak area had originally been cast as an old rusted logging operation in California’s High Sierras taken over by an extreme sports company in the 2000s. With its new identity, the clock was turned back and the land became a 1950s National Park. In the style of Disneyland’s Frontierland, entering Grizzly Peak was now like traveling back in time to an idealized and very-much-alive grand redwood forest with park rangers, active waterwheels, and no rust in sight.

Another sub-area within the Golden State to earn official “land” designation in 2012 was Condor Flats. The one attraction in the land was the park’s only standout upon opening: Soarin’ Over California. The area was meant to resemble an old high-elevation desert airstrip taken over by a modern flight-testing center. However, the relatively small land bordering on the forested Grizzly Peak never quite gave the impression of being at a high-elevation, much less a desert.

Though Condor Flats was given full “land” status and some minor place making as part of the park’s re-opening, it still stuck out like a sore thumb for Disney fans – a last holdout of the “old” California Adventure, filled with modern-day architecture and an unspecified backstory, lodged between the elegant new 1920s Buena Vista Street and the beautiful 1950s Grizzly Peak.

Finally, 2015 will see Condor Flats given its facelift as promised during the park’s re-build in 2012. And to be born again, Condor Flats must disappear entirely!

 
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Comments

I didn't have any overwhelming feelings about condor flats, but I am always glad to see Disney aiming to stay ahead of the curve, so for that reason alone I am happy.

I would love to see a re-vamp for Hollywood land. It's definitely now the most disjointed area in the park, and really lacks a cohesiveness with the other lands. I think it's biggest problem right now is its lack of consistent time or place, it would be great to see them blend it more with the late 30's/ early 40's of Tower of Terror. That way there's also a wide representation of decades and time periods in California, ranging from turn of the century through the 20's and 30's to the 50's. It doesn't help that new additions like Frozen Fun just make it more of a disjointed mess.

always excited when the parks do something new because it's always so amazing. Makes a lot of sense and will be a better flow to the park plus look incredible. I can picture it already. Hopefully I can make it this year to see!

I anyways felt it was a bit out of place and never really fit with the park. I love the idea of it becoming part of the Grizzly Peak area. That area was so cool with how they did it and I can risky see and feel like it being an air strip in the mountains, more so than in the desert. I can't wait to see what it looks like this summer!

Another great plan! 7 is the number of completion in the bible n while I understand that may not be significant to Disney, it is significant to the Christian guests that frequent Disneyland n California Adventure. So, 7 lands in CA is complete n not lacking.

I love the idea of more shady trees coming to the former Condor Flats n so glad you aren't getting rid of my favorite ride, Soaring over CA. Can't wait!

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