Cars Land: The @562siast Review

"718Rogue" (562siast) 06/12/2014 at 22:03 • Filed to: disney, cars, california, adventure, pixar

0

3

By Sean Gallagher

Earlier this week, I had a chance at two Disneyland tickets, all to myself, for free. Any other time, I probably would have sold the tickets and pocketed the $200 or so to use on other outings. However, not only did I have somebody to go with this time, but I also had yet to check out Disney California Adventure's newest addition, Cars Land (opened June 15, 2012).

consumerguide.com

As with anyone who considers themselves a car enthusiast, there was no way I was going to turn down the chance to check out an entire fantasy world devoted to my passion.

Cars Land has three rides, two of which I rode, one time each. These were the huge slot car race, using Disney World's EPCOT's Test Track ride's technology, Radiator Springs Racers , and the much smaller-scale, less exciting Luigi's Flying Tires . Both rides were enjoyable in their own ways and in pristine condition, and in my opinion, worth their respective waits.

insidethemagic.net

Radiator Springs Racers is the largest attraction and obvious star of Cars Land. The wait was more than two hours, but details along the line made it bearable and, at times, even interesting.

Disney-Pixar's Cars , the movie, is famous among auto aficionados for its mind-numbing level of historical accuracy and detail, as well as so many obscure Easter eggs that even the most enthusiastic car fan would be hard-pressed to notice them all on the first viewing.

A short list:

Flo's V8 cafe is designed to look like a V8 engine head on, with a circular air filter, tappet covers, spark plugs, pistons and connecting rods as the supports for the shelter. The blinking neon lights on the spark plugs blink in the firing order of a Ford flathead V8.

Luigi's license plate reads 445-108, which is the latitude and longitude for the main Ferrari factory in Modena, Italy.

The car used for !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! 's cameo is the Holman-Moody Ford Fairlane Andretti drove to victory in the 1967 Daytona 500, a race in which !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! was one of the favorites to win. Petty dropped out of the race due to a blown engine.

The fictional town of Radiator Springs was inspired by several real life locations along historic Route 66. In 2001, a creative team from Pixar, including directors !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , toured parts of Route 66 in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Their guide along the way was author and Route 66 historian !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Wallis went on to provide the voice of the Sheriff car in the film.

consumerguide.com

Disney's obsessive level of detail is not at all diminished for the physical manifestation of Radiator Springs. Flo's V8 Cafe, Sally's Cozy Cone Motel, and even more of old town Radiator Springs is painstakingly recreated. Unlike Hollywood Land's flat picture of a landscape, Cars Land features three dimensional landforms, including an actual radiator-shaped fountain and a massive, stunning model of Cadillac Range, with the tail fins of various 1957 - '62 Cadillacs seemingly jutting diagonally out of the land. It is a wholly immersive experience, and, if you can ignore the crowds of people, really feels like you've been teleported to the great American West.

Radiator Springs Racers has several details that a discerning eye will notice. There are several small huts that the line passes through, designed to look like roadside stands. One is full of license plates and features a group lined up in the same order as Route 66 itself passes through the states.

mouseplanet.com

Another one is full of vintage radiator caps, along with a price list on one wall - one which featured several old car manufacturers, many of which have long since gone out of business, and a few of which even I had never heard of. One which I deeply regret not taking a picture of, and can't for the life of me find online. I seem to remember Packard, Stutz, and Delahaye among the names.

Finally, there is another hut made out of glass bottles, reminiscent of similar actual structures along Route 66.

The ride itself is, to say the least, impressive. There are several different models and colors of cars to ride in, most of which don't seem to be based on real cars, but to my delight, I climbed into a vehicle which seemed to be directly inspired by a red Ferrari F430. I won't give away too many details, but I will say that the fellow Cars characters that appear on the ride are all life-size and almost seem alive, with little to no animatronic feeling despite exhibiting some complex movements. Finally, the two cars pull up alongside each other and take off on an exciting, if not exhilarating race. The winner is randomized, so there is some sense of anticipation and competition. Of course, my car won by half a car length. I would say that it is worth riding more than once, due to the two cars following slightly different paths.

F430 pulling ahead of… an MX-6?

The multitude of wheels on the wall are a nice touch, including Lexus SC430 wheels and C4 Corvette sawblades. Unfortunately, the beach balls are no longer offered.

Luigi's Flying Tires, on the other hand, is much slower-paced and leisurely. Either way, with only a 10-minute wait, it was unique and definitely worth checking out.

You enter through the nondescript-looking Luigi's Casa Della Tires, which doesn't really give away that there's a ride behind it, and immediately feel like you've landed in Italy. The Italian flag colors are everywhere, and the walls are plastered with Cars references and actual wheels, as well as tires painted to say Lightyear and Fettuccini Alfredo, both actual tire companies in the movie.

The ride itself is uneventful, if relaxing and refreshing. It's like being on a huge air hockey puck, except instead of being hit like an actual puck, the riders have to all lean in one direction to get the air to move the tire. I was probably too heavy, and couldn't get it to go very far, but some people were really flying. It's an interesting concept and, as long as the line isn't more than half an hour, worth checking out.

Disney California Adventure's Cars Land can be seen as sort of a mecca for young car lovers, while simultaneously giving those older and more knowledgeable a lot to notice. The hidden motifs in every building and mind-blowing recreation of Radiator Springs are a lot to drink in for anybody, and the experience is almost surreal. With Cars Land, Disney once again does what it's been doing best for decades and truly transports visitors to a whole new world.

ly2v8-Brian > 718Rogue 06/13/2014 at 01:45

0

that neon tho

718Rogue > ly2v8-Brian 06/13/2014 at 11:23

0

the v8 cafe? sadly, i forgot to go check it out at night ><

ly2v8-Brian > 718Rogue 06/13/2014 at 12:38

0

All of it. Such a good looking era of design the setting the first film portrayed. So full of life and color.