Disneyland Resort Update: Exit the 60th Anniversary, AP Days Return, and Construction Continues

Disneyland Resort, Anaheim, CA

Howdy, folks!  Get ready for some Disney attention, because this past week brought the most changes at the park in quite some time--which means this week's Disney update won't just be about dirt and paint and tarps and writer's block allowing Jim to hijack the thread and turn it into complete absurdity! (Though, lets face it--we all missed that Westcoaster update irreverence, so even though it was ridiculous, it was also amazing.)

Anyway, I have so many photos that I'm actually splitting this week's Disney update into two.  Come back tomorrow to check out the Resort's Halloween offerings.  But for today, we're going to look at the general transition out of Disneyland's Diamond Anniversary celebration (plus more dirt and paint and tarps and such).

"Star Wars" Land

Guess what, guys?  It's still dirt.  And concrete.  And #PoopPipes.  But slowly, the land is making progress, as more walls go up, existing walls go higher, and now, giant pits are getting more defined.  Don't worry--there's still plenty of time to make Jakku and Tatooine jokes about the site anytime you pass someone looking at it!

As always, we start with our overview.

As seen from the Mickey and Friends Perch of Justice... or something.

If I take enough of these photos, maybe I'll stitch them together across a time lapse or something.

Like the Jungle Cruise whenever an explosion occurs, lets get closer.

That large pit definitely appears to be the basement level of a rather large new building.
 

There is plenty of shoring to hold back earth before concrete retaining walls get poured.

It'll be interesting to see what goes here.

And over here, for all you piping fans, MORE PIPE.

UP CLOSE AT PIPE!  Look at all that pipe. LOOK AT IT!!

There's a pile driver.  For driving piles, duh.

The area by Hungry Bear looks... the same.

Across the back, more shoring and piles are going in for what looks to like a future tall structure.

It's already well above the Toontown facade walls behind Gadget's Go Coaster.

Over in the direction of the Matterhorn, we've got more concrete boxes.

And more piles here too.  Interesting how much terrain is being shifted around.

The concrete walls also have some cant in them, implying a bit of architecture.

No openings cast in, though, so I'm not sure how these will play into "Star Wars" Land's layout.

And here, just a ton of formwork sitting around.
 

And don't worry, Guy Selga, we didn't forget about you.

Revel in all those noodles!  Revel in them!!

Rivers of America

The front of Tom Sawyer's Island looks to be largely complete now, but work continues toward the back, in the less seen portions of the Island.  They have plenty of time for this, of course, since the Rivers aren't scheduled to reopen until well into next year, but I'm sure they're hurrying along here so that they can move onto other theming and repainting tasks like the railroad trestle and waterfall area along the new back turn of the Rivers.

Lafitte's Tavern looks nice and rustic with its new paint job.

Zooming in a little closer, it would appear that the shoreline prop refurbishing is also done.

A look at the island from the Big Thunder Mountain side.

And then the New Orleans Square side.  Here's one butt pic.

And to save Jim's sanity, a second butt pic. Those masts continue to get refurbishment... and maybe a little bit of plussing.

Back to the island. Here are boxes.

Work continues on the caves.

It's a process to repaint and then re-age these things.  Yep, those rocks aren't real.  Shocker!

Getting closer to the dam...

The Pirate's Lair and surrounding play area should look great when finished!

Meanwhile, now that summer is over, the Mark Twain seems to be closing earlier, rather than staying open in the evening hours.  You'd think the park might offer fireworks viewing there, but I guess not.

Housekeeping Around the Parks

Various things continue going under refurbishment for touch-ups and quick cosmetic work.  In addition, the castle has quickly shed a lot of its 60th Anniversary make-up and looks mostly normal.  Mostly, but not completely.

The World of Disney west entrance is under regular maintenance, but guests can still come in through here while building work proceeds.

As a reminder, because of the metal detectors, the lines can get pretty long.  In this case, the main Esplanade security check points had lines stretching back as far as the aforementioned World of Disney west entrance!  It's not always like this all day, but the ebbs and flows do mean that waits may be close to unbearable if you unluck out.

Inside Disneyland, Market House continues getting facade refurbishment.

Crystal Arts and Silhouette Studio have joined it in that department.

I had thought that with Halloween Time coming back to Disneyland, Seasons of the Force would fade away like Yoda, but I guess it's still present. 

Just without Hyperspace Mountain, which has lost the Star Wars and gained an intergalactic spectre again.

And of course, the castle is no longer the 60th Anniversary edition.

The big medallion has been removed, as have the bunting and banners.

The roof hasn't changed back, though.

That process might take a little longer, so for now, it still has the sparkly overlay with the diamond tipped lights.

They don't light up at night anymore, though.
 

So it's pretty much back to status quo for the castle.

Over in Disney California Adventure, if you must have a hot dog on Paradise Pier, you're out of luck.

Carthay Circle Restaurant has also been de-60th-Anniversary'd.

In other amazing news over in Hollywood Land, you can get Tot-cho's over at the food truck near Stage 12, around the corner from Monsters Inc.

Tater tots. Chili cheese. Jalapeños.  More cheese.  GUIS, this is good.  Fill your mouth holes with this!!

Also, Frozen is still with us.

Always...

Tower of Terror

Disney officially announced that the Tower of Terror will be closing after January 2 so that it can be bastardized into a completely out of theme eye sore that will infuriate the Disney fan base--I mean change into a new Guardians of the Galaxy adventure.  The word is now out on the street to get your rides while you can, although the timing is less vague in the banners.  There is also a "Late Check Out" experience ongoing that allows guests to ride the tower with absolutely zero effects, in total darkness, with only sound effects going.  I guess the appeal is that it is unique and sort of creepy.

Here's the new Mickey and Friends Parking tram loading area poster.

Soon, this view will get a lot more sci-fi.
 

Tower of Terror will be shedding its art deco exterior.

And will gain an acid trip steampunk gilded vomit aesthetic--I mean something fitting Guardians of the Galaxy.

I'm sure the ride itself will be great, though.

AP Days

The month of September means AP Days are back! This program for the Annual Passholder community features special weekly pins, recipe cards, scavenger hunts, and meet-and-greets as a gesture of appreciation for AP's.  It's nothing really that extravagant, but and excuse to stop by nonetheless.  And over in Stage 12 at Hollywood Land, Annual Passholders can wait in line to see Mickey, Donald, and Goofy showing off their extravagant Halloween costumes (I didn't photograph this, however, because the line was much too long, and cast members wouldn't just let me sneak in and snag a few quick shots).

This pamphlet explains what AP Days is about.

The features are listed on the back.

There are two AP Days locations.  This one is over by Garden Grill, at Paradise Pier.

It's over by the gazebo (that--fun fact--used to be in the Bountiful Valley Farm area, before that turned into Cars Land).

Photo op inside.

Stuff to collect--a special pin (the cheap, regular type, but I like the design on this one), a scavenger hunt, and a recipe card (which can be obtained from a cashier at the Garden Grill itself.

Also, the new DCA map features Tower of Terror (and actually a pretty cool photo).

Hollywood Land contains the other AP Days location. Guests can also get a pin here.

A cooking demonstration featuring the recipe on the recipe card occurs twice daily.

Looks like some of the Halloween props from Big Thunder Ranch got shipped over here.

Wall of stuff.

And on the opposite side, a plaque advertising a photo service...

...and displays of how Disney Halloween decorations come together.

But hey, they do dispense a free small bottle of water, and on a warm afternoon, this is much appreciated!

World of Color

Finally, with the 60th Anniversary celebration ending, World of Color: Celebrate has mercifully ended its run.  While it was a hyped part of the Diamond Celebration, it didn't really live up to its potential, at least in my eyes.  Neil Patrick Harris' dialogue often stalled the story (and I say this as someone who loves NPH), the sequences lacked flow, and the "Let It Go" segment was dazzling yet frustrating, considering it ate up as much time as the medley of all of Disney's other animated features.  And it wasn't that this show was bad, but after a couple of viewings, I never really had any interest to watch it again--as opposed to Paint the Night and Disneyland Forever, which were continually fantastic.

Anyway, OG World of Color has returned for the time being.  Although it's not truly OG... more like World of Color 1.3.  No Brave scene or Nightmare on Bald Mountain, and with the newest version of the Pirates of the Caribbean sequence (which is great, because more fire!), plus the visuals and technology utilized in WoC:C.  But close enough to the original that most people have labeled it that way.  It's good to have this version of the show back.

I took a few snapshots of this show from Silly Symphony Swings, so the angle will not be the normal one.

Still, the dancing fountains are mesmerizing here as they are from the front view.

Water and fire!

This must be the Pirates segment.

FIRE!!

Fire good.

Flames warm.

Flames make burnination.

Disney shows + fire = happiness.

Yup, more fire photos.

Oh, and one positive from World of Color: Celebrate?  That giant smoke ring inducing fireball?  Yeah, it's been retained in this version. 

And after the downer of the Lion King segment and the rebirth motif of the Enchanted part, it's time to take it home with the refrain.

The world is a carousel of color!

Color!!

COLOR!!!!

CO-LOR!!!!!!

(Part of your world...)
 

CO-LORRRRR!!!!!!!!!  ***big assplosion***

And of course, don't forget to stay for the little post show they do.

It's just an upbeat closing song with the fountains dancing, but it's very pretty.

In fact, visually (or at least photographically), it's probably my favorite part of the whole show.

I love the playful spray and hues of the fountains.

And it all ends with a subtle (unless you know about it) nod to Little Squirt, a "character" cut from the original script of the show.

And that wraps up today's update.  Come back tomorrow for Disney spookiness in the form of the return of Halloween Time--the Resort's annual fall overlay.  As we delve into autumn, we will have plenty of visits and updates from Halloween things all across Southern California.  And if you're looking for something to do, don't forget to check out our SoCal Haunted Attraction Guide for ideas and information!

Goo blah!