BY MARY WARING - NOVEMBER 2003

Recently I was fortunate enough to attend a special event at Disney's California Adventure that included a presentation by Barry Braverman, Senior Vice President and Executive Producer at Walt Disney Imagineering. Barry led the design team that developed Disney's California Adventure, and he shared some insights into the design philosophy and the logistics of developing the theme park.

Before he was put in charge of the development of DCA, Barry was Executive Director of the Epcot Design Studio, where he directed all design work on Epcot attractions. His background, perhaps not surprisingly to anyone who is familiar with Epcot and DCA, is in education; years ago he was a schoolteacher.

Disney's California Adventure (DCA), which opened in early 2001, is focused on the "California Dream," and that theme is expressed and re-expressed throughout the park in a multitude of ways. According to Barry, if you really want to understand what the park's theme is all about, you should see the film presentation Golden Dreams, which is shown every 25 minutes at DCA. I agree; it's a beautiful film that captures the history, diversity and opportunity that come together to create the California Dream.

DCA was developed as part of an overall plan to make Disneyland into a resort destination that would attract people from outside of Southern California and get them to stay longer. The project included a second theme park (DCA), a shopping and dining area (Downtown Disney) and a themed hotel (the Grand Californian). Because of its urban location and a lack of open land, DCA was built on top of what had been the Disneyland parking lot, so Disney also built the largest parking structure in North America.

After the presentation, I had an opportunity to speak with Barry one-on-one for a few minutes. I mentioned that since its opening, DCA has become Disney's most controversial theme park. Attendance figures have been disappointing and Disney has had a hard time attracting resort visitors who will stay for more than 2 days. I asked him what he thought about that.

Barry said 9/11 was an issue, as was the downturn in the economy. But ultimately, he said, it comes down to guests discovering the park and making it their own. It just takes time.

I think he is absolutely right. DCA has come a long way in the nearly two years since it opened. So I asked two people to write about their recent experiences at Disney's California adventure. Both visited in early November 2003, and as you will see, both think DCA has a lot to offer.

Jump to:

• My Love Affair at DCA: Priceless

• DCA: Building Treasured Memories For My Second Childhood

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