LOS ANGELES (dpa) – Some people think that the real California, with its penchant for shallow glitz, false emotion and quirky lifestyles, is quite bad enough.
In that case they had better stay well away from the fake Califonia presented in Disney’s newest tourist attraction: a 1.4 billion dollar theme park called California Adventure that purports to offer visitors the chance to see all the Golden State’s famous sites in one fell swoop.Set to open on February 8, the California Adventure will mix the usual cocktail of water rides, 3D films and roller coasters with a fake Golden Gate Bridge, a faux Hollywood backlot and an imitation amusement pier.If that does not satisfy the curiosity of the Disney tourists they will be able to climb aboard a ride called “soarin'” in which a long carriage is lifted 15 metres off the ground.It is propelled towards a giant dome-shaped movie screens to experience the exhilaration of a virtual flight soaring over the Golden Gate Bridge, buzzing fishermen on a river in a redwood forest, swooping into Yosemite Valley and hovering over other quintessential California vignettes – from rugged coastline to beaches filled with surfers and from orange groves to prestigious wineries.No visit to California is complete without a glimpse into Hollywood and the superficiality life of Los Angeles. The theme park thus includes a mock version of Hollywood, where people can dine on movie sets, and a “superstar limo” takes you on a ride. Elsewhere a mock California street will try to tempt visitors out of more money with a huge selection of shops, restaurants and entertainment centers.It might all sound like good fun, but for Disney the park is deadly serious. Disney hopes that the new theme park will buttress falling attendances at its venerable next-door neighbour, the legendary Magic Kingdom itself. The original Disney Land first opened to the public in 1955 and despite regular improvements is getting a little quaint and old fashioned.Attendances are far below those of the massive Disneyworld in Miami, where most guests visit for four or five days rather than the one or two days they spend at the world-famous theme park in Orange County, just south of Los Angeles.Among the tourists who come to Los Angeles, Disneyland is increasingly seen as only one of many options. Its competitors range from Universal Studios’ theme park just to the north, to the attractions of San Diego’s world-class marine park and zoo an hour’s drive to the south.Many visitors may be put off by the price. The new park costs 43 dollars, the same as Disneyland, though it offers just 25 rides compared to the 60 in the neighbouring park. This may seem excessive to tourists from overseas.But surprisingly, a major aim of the theme park is to attract local Californian families who are staying away from Disneyland because they’ve been there so often. Thanks to the state’s economic boom they still have plenty of spare cash in their pockets and Disney wants some of it.The tourists may also find California Adventure a good bargain. “If you’re from France or Uganda you could fly in to Orange County, do the park and go home content in the knowledge that you saw everything you needed to see about California,” wrote one reviewer.But Barry Braverman, the head of the creative team behind the new theme park, has a different idea. He wants his guests to leave California Adventure with a thirst for exploring the real adventure in America’s richest and most diverse state. “If we do our job right,” he said recently, “It’s a great marketing pitch for California.”
