Paradise Pier - Re-Imagineering and Expansion

Re-Imagineering and Expansion

As part of the Disney California Adventure Park $1.1 billion expansion project, Paradise Pier was re-themed to evoke the charm of Victorian seaside amusement parks of the 1920s. The first change was the addition of Toy Story Midway Mania!, which opened on June 17, 2008. The boardwalk games were then re-themed to incorporate more familiar Disney characters (completed on April 7, 2009), and the Sun Wheel was transformed into Mickey's Fun Wheel with a new color scheme, new lighting effects, and a "pie-eyed" Mickey Mouse face replacing the original sun face (completed on May 4, 2009). Following these changes, the Orange Stinger underwent extensive re-theming to become Silly Symphony Swings, based on Walt Disney's short film "The Band Concert". Silly Symphony Swings opened on May 28, 2010. Cosmetic changes have also been made to California Screamin': the Mickey Mouse silhouette was altered to represent a sunburst pattern, with the large Paradise Pier sign that once sat below now hanging above the loop.

Walt Disney Imagineering created World of Color, a new nighttime spectacular featuring fountains and projection effects, for Paradise Bay. An area on the northern waterfront was repurposed into a viewing area for the show, known as Paradise Park. World of Color premiered on June 11, 2010 and plays nightly.

After much anticipation, The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure—which replaced Golden Dreams—finally opened June 3, 2011. As of November 2010, Mulholland Madness was closed and reopened July 1, 2011 as "Goofy’s Sky School", based on Walt Disney's short film "Goofy's Glider". On the other side of Paradise Bay, Maliboomer was removed and replaced with a park.