Contributing photographer Jason of disneygeek.com sends us these photos from his trip to the parks on Friday, December 16, 2011. The main focus of Part 1 is to check in on the progress of Cars Land as well as Buena Vista Street. Part 2 will feature Disneyland and some of the holiday festivities.
I arrived at the Disneyland Resort right as the afternoon winds were kicking up.
Heading to DCA first to check out the construction progress. The facades on the West side of the street are slowly taking shape.
More framing going up.
The backside.
There were posted warnings that if the winds continue World of Color may be cancelled (it was not). Also surprising they were still passing out Fastpasses in the Yellow section for the first show, an indication that the park was not too crowded yet.
Everything looks so peaceful from this shot. (the winds were really howling at this point).
They were keeping everyone clear of the Christmas tree due to the winds.
Thanks to the winds it was fairly clear as you looked around from the Fun Wheel.
A wider shot of the Radiator Springs Racers area.. wow is it impressive!
The base of the radiator cap is moving along.
The RS can be seen now.
The arch by the Wharf is just about painted. Also there is now a tree there.
The Curios store signage is up now.
The courthouse/firehouse looks great!
Over to the Flying Tires area. Looks like the lights are going in (you can see them strung in the background as well as the lifts).
Ramone’s sign is up.
The Cozy Cones are inching along. Also the backstage fence behind them looks to have been painted.
Behind the cones it is hard to tell what is going on.
A look at Mater’s, notice there is a tractor out (about the middle of the shot). Also more props near the shack.
The rock work makes a great backdrop for the Wharf. What a difference!
They were painting the underside of the archway.
Filmore’s windmill was going full speed thanks to the wind. Here is a riveting video of the windmill in action from two angles for those who are interested.
Sarge’s has received the first layer of its roof.
The sign for Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree is up.
Not sure what to call it but something else out in from of Filmore’s.. guess it is a windmill of sorts?
A wider shot of the area. The trees do look great.
The most exciting change… Route 66 has received its blacktop. It is really moving along.
Cannot wait to see this at night!
More details emerging.. notice the lamp post by Filmore’s
A look down Route 66. Stanley’s base is installed.
Over to Mater’s. More props installed around the shack.
In Flik’s Fun Fair, Flik’s Flyers were closed temporarily.
As were the fountains.
The walls were down around the Red Car stop near Tower of Terror.
Only visible change to me was this strip under where it will stop. Guessing this is a sensor of some kind. Wonder if it is for charging too?
Much of the scaffolding on the Carthay Circle Theater is now down. And the details are starting to emerge.
Moving on. Here is the East side of the street. Scaffolding up around the old Candy store sign and the Elias and Company facade steel is up.
The West side (where the train used to be)
The palm trees have been opened up, just in time for the winds to give them a work out.
Bright new gas pumps in Condor Flats.
Hope you enjoyed this highlight tour of the Disneyland Resort. For additional photos and details from this trip you can check out the full Disneyland Update I posted on my site, http://disneygeek.com
I soooooooooooo cannot wait to visit Carsland!!
The video clip reminds me of a windmill on my grandfather’s farm in north central Missouri during the late 1950s. A crank and rod mechanism attached to the hub drove a mechanical piston pump to supply groundwater for the livestock. Now we have aerodynamically optimized wind turbines to generate electricity. What goes around, comes around; literally in this case.