6. That Ferris wheel is called what?

THE QUESTION: Disney California Adventure offers one of the most memorable panoramic reveals in any Disney Park: emerging from the densely forested Grizzly Peak, guests get a stunning glimpse across the choppy waters of Paradise Bay where an elegant Victorian boardwalk of criss-crossed Edison bulbs, clapboard siding, and turn-of-the-century towers await. A gleaming white wooden roller coaster darts along the shores, while an enormous Ferris wheel rotates along the water’s edge.

Of course, since this is Disneyland, that Ferris wheel is adorned with the giant, smiling face of Mickey Mouse presented in his classic “pie-eyed” style. Imagine your surprise when you check the park map to find that this colorful attraction is called… The Pixar Pal-a-Round?!

THE ANSWER: As part of Disney California Adventure’s never-ending metamorphosis, the park’s icon has been in a constant state of flux. When it opened in 2001, the park’s icon was meant to be the (aptly named) Sun Icon, a metal sculpture of radiating bronze spires. More fit for a mall than for a position opposite Sleeping Beauty Castle, the Sun Icon lost its duties to the faux Grizzly Peak. But the forced perspective mountain was oddly positioned (to benefit guests of the Grand Californian Hotel) and failed to resonate as a visual anchor.

In 2009, the “reimagined” Paradise Pier opened as the first step in the park’s rebirth. The “Sun Wheel” that once lorded over the lagoon had been a problem, representing all that guests disliked about the park. Its replacement was Mickey’s Fun Wheel, outfitting the classic amusement with the tried-and-true face of Mickey in a historic, pie-eyed form perfect for the pier’s new timeline. Even when the park’s real icon, the Carthay Circle Theater, joined in 2012, the silhouette of Mickey’s Fun Wheel was still used to instantly communicate Disney California Adventure and its new direction.

Then, in 2018, Imagineers swept through Paradise Pier with yet another reimagining. The curious result - Pixar Pier - mashes the Victorian styling with disconnected Pixar movies in “neighborhoods” dedicated to The Incredibles, Inside Out, Toy Story, and… well… other. Part of that last section includes the Ferris wheel. Though it continues to feature a ‘30s-style pie-eyed Mickey on its face, the wheel is curiously called the Pixar Pal-a-Round. 

Initial art suggests Disney planned to replace Mickey’s face with Pixar’s familiar “Luxo ball” (a yellow ball with a blue stripe and red star), but Disney’s research must’ve indicated that Mickey’s face was too beloved to lose. Even still, calling the ride “The Color Wheel” or “Disney’s Wheel of Color” might be a more logical (and less anachronistic) alternative. The unusual sight of classic Mickey looming over Pixar Pier is far from the weirdest inconsistency in the creatively questionable land, but it’s certainly the largest.

7. Why does Soarin’ Around the World end with Tinker Bell?

THE QUESTION: Whether you take the skies at Disney California Adventure, in Epcot’s The Land pavilion, at DisneySea’s Mediterranean Harbor, or from Adventure Isle at Shanghai Disneyland, Soarin’ is one of the most beloved Disney originals around. Originally the Lost Legend: Soarin’ Over California, the ride was the single, solitary hit of Disney California Adventure - a poetic, epic, aerial tour of the state’s valleys, beaches, snowy mountains, and cities. The oddly emotional attraction was even known to earn a tear or two as it presents the endless beauty of the Golden State.

Which made it kind of odd that the ride’s finale - over Disneyland, of course - ended with a CGI Tinker Bell dusting riders with pixie dust… a strangely silly ending to a ride rooted in reality, majesty, and emotion. The newer “Around the World” flight plan first debuted in 2016, trading California’s habitats for world landmarks both natural and man-made. The new film also gave each resort a personalized ending, soaring over Disneyland, Epcot, Shanghai, and DisneySea, respectively.

The finale fireworks scenes over Shanghai and DisneySea manage to be grand, epic, sparkling finales without Tinker Bell… but she’s there in the Disneyland and Epcot endings! While most Disney Parks fans are so used to Soarin’ they barely register it, a first-timer would probably be taken aback by suddenly seeing the CGI fairy flitting around the screen at the end of an otherwise-epic original attraction? 

THE ANSWER: More than likely, the inclusion of Tinker Bell in the original ride was simply meant to be a sweet and endearing cameo right as guests sail over Sleeping Beauty Castle (over which Tinker Bell famously ziplines in many fireworks shows) a la The Wonderful World of Disney. While Tink’s finale is admittedly strange at first sight, it helped cement the ride as distinctly Disney (in a disastrous park that was short on characters) and make the special flyover feel magical. Tink seems to have remained in the U.S. versions of the updated rides for the same reason.