Guide Tour of Cars Land, Disney California Adventure Park, United States

Cars Land is a themed area of Disney California Adventure, inspired by the Disney·Pixar franchise, Cars, and Route 66 in America. Cars Land spans 12 acres (49,000 m2) and contains three attractions. The largest attraction, Radiator Springs Racers, is a dark ride that utilizes the technology of Epcot’s Test Track.

The 12-acre (4.9 ha) area, built as part of Disney California Adventure Park’s $1.1 billion expansion project, opened on June 15, 2012, a year after the release of Cars 2. With a budget of an estimated US$200 million, it is the most expensive theme park ride ever built.

Based on Pixar’s Cars films, the ride begins with a scenic drive through the mountains, then enters a show building, where the vehicle finds its way into the town of Radiator Springs and gets a race briefing from Doc Hudson; the ride ends with an outdoor, side-by-side dueling race to the Comfy Caverns Motor Court.

Cars Land is designed as a life-size model and near-exact replica of the town of Radiator Springs from the Cars films. The land includes several dining and shopping venues. It contains three rides as well as shops and restaurants, all situated in a replica of Radiator Springs, the fictional town in which most of the first film’s events take place. The area’s main attraction is Radiator Springs Racers, a racing ride that uses the technology of Epcot’s Test Track.

The layout of Cars Land is one of looking down the main street of Radiator Springs, USA, as seen in the original Cars film. There are references to the events of Cars 2 (2011) throughout the land, such as a billboard that gives Mater the title of “Sir,” and a signed photo of Finn McMissile with Luigi and Guido in Luigi’s Casa Della Tires, in addition to souvenirs from their World Grand Prix trip in a display case.

The main street is Route 66 coming in from the Golden State area, across from the Golden Vine Winery and Walt Disney Imagineering Blue Sky Cellar. There is one other entrance is a street from Ornament Valley from Pacific Wharf which is called Cross Street. At the end of Route 66 is the courthouse/firehouse where the street splits. To the left of the split is a backstage access gate. To the right of the split is the entrance to Radiator Springs Racers.

In the distance, the Radiator Cap and Ornament Valley Range can be seen. The eastern edge of the Ornament Valley Range includes the Cadillac Mountain Range that consists of Cadillac tail fins that are 125 feet (38 m) high and covers 300,000 square feet (28,000 m2).

Radiator Springs Racers
Radiator Springs Racers is a slot car dark ride. The attraction takes guests in six-person vehicles through the winding roads up the mountains outside Radiator Springs and by the waterfall scene in the first film. The cars then enter the mountain and take a semi-wild ride through the outskirts of town where they encounter a number of characters.

Eventually, they enter Radiator Springs at which point the track splits into two: one goes into Ramone’s while the other into Luigi’s. From here, the cars enter a briefing room where Doc gives guests some advice for the upcoming race. The two tracks come back near one another and two cars stop side-by-side. The race begins as the vehicles accelerate out of the mountain and through hairpin turns and steep banks, ending with a randomized race result and then a brief trip through Tail Light Caverns.

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Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree
An attraction in the style of a whip ride themed to Mater’s Junkyard. Mater is the Master of Ceremonies of the Jamboree. The vehicles are baby tractors which pull trailers attached to them that move around with the music.

Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters
Guests queue in Luigi’s Casa Della Tires shop and ride in vehicles that move and spin around to Italian music. The attraction uses a trackless ride system, similar to Aquatopia at Tokyo DisneySea. The ride vehicles are depicted as being Luigi’s cousins who have come to Radiator Springs for a dance celebration. The attraction, which officially opened March 7, 2016, replaced Luigi’s Flying Tires, the original attraction in this location.

Cozy Cone Motel
The Cozy Cone Motel features five different cones, each with a different menu of food and drinks, including churros, ice cream, snacks, pretzels, and popcorn. The motel office in front is not accessible to guests, although the interior is decorated as it was in the films. Additionally, the front and side entrances of the motel is a common space for character meet and greets, with guests being able to meet Lightning McQueen, Mater, and, most recently, Cruz Ramirez.

Flo’s V8 Cafe
Flo’s V8 Cafe serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert with traditional American homestyle fare. Part of the indoor dining room is located inside of Doc Hudson’s Ornament Valley Medical Clinic, while guests can also dine outdoors underneath the gas pumps and at tables behind the restaurant. Decor inside pays tribute to the “Motorama Girls” story from the Cars Storybook and deleted scenes, and to the Fabulous Hudson Hornet’s Piston Cup titles.

Fillmore’s Taste-In
Fillmore’s Taste-In is a quick-service snack stand serving pre-packaged snacks and drinks.

Disney California Adventure
Disney California Adventure Park is a theme park located at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. The 72-acre (29 ha) park is themed after the history and culture of California, which celebrates the adventure of the state through the use of various Disney, Pixar and Marvel Studios properties. The concept of a theme park dedicated to California arose from a meeting of Disney executives in 1995, construction of the park began in June 1998 and was completed by early 2001.

The park opened on February 8, 2001 as Disney’s California Adventure Park and is the second of two theme parks built at the Disneyland Resort complex, after Disneyland Park. Disney spent the next several years incrementally adding new rides, shows, and attractions, and implementing other promotions aimed at boosting attendance.

In 2007, Disney announced a major overhaul of the park consisting of new expansion as well as re-construction of existing areas of the park. Construction lasted for five years and was completed in stages, culminating with the opening of Buena Vista Street and Cars Land along with the re-dedication of the park in June 2012. According to the Themed Entertainment Association, the park hosted approximately 9.9 million guests in 2018, making it the 12th-most visited theme park in the world that year.

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