Should DCA bring back a Bugs Land?

[piratestomorrow]

I see a lot of people say DCA needs more for the little ones. Should DCA bring back Bugs Life to help with that?

 

[OKW Lover]

That would probably work. But maybe they could build something new instead.

 

[BrianL]

That would probably work. But maybe they could build something new instead.

It is unfortunate that they lost so many rides without a height requirement, though at least they repurposed one into Inside-Out Emotional Whirlwind. I don't know that A Bug's Life is all that popular though, so I would bet on something new isntead. The Coco ride is going to be a great all-ages ride that will help at DCA.

 

[fly girl]

I loved the green area of A Bug's Land versus sterile Avengers Campus (granted, I am not a Marvel person so that plays a big part.) My family actually misses Heimlich.

I think it would be nice if they added more rides for little ones, but thinking it should be something new as A Bugs Life movie isn't very popular anymore.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

I have fond memories of my kids in A Bug's Land. That being said, the movie was never hugely popular in our house and most of the younger kids we know now have never seen it. We were at Disneyland in late July and it did feel like the park was really missing things for smaller children and the Marvel portion lacked some of the whimsical Disney joy I remember in the bug area. So, I think they should implement something...but probably not Bugs.

 

[irlandaise]

I loved the green area of A Bug's Land versus sterile Avengers Campus (granted, I am not a Marvel person so that plays a big part.) My family actually misses Heimlich.

I always went on Heimlich, too! And yes on the greenery--and having a nice area for little kids.

 

[LAS2AMS]

It’s not necessary. DCA 1.0 was targeted toward mature audiences; a heavy criticism of the park was the lack of kid appropriate attractions so Flik's Fun Fair was built alongside Bountiful Valley Farm and the area was renamed Bug’s Land.

DCA 2.0 added numerous attractions that are kid friendly - Little Mermaid dark ride, the two “other” Car’s Land, the trolley, etc. There’s also plenty of non-attractions for kids to do.

Flick’s Fun Fair as well as most of the rides in Pixar Pier (which is why it’s appropriate one attraction was relocated) are low-cost off-the-shelf attractions that are similar to what you’d find up the road at Knott’s. If you miss Bug’a Land, go enjoy Camp Snoppy. But DCA is a better park without. A Knott’s annual pass is less than the cost of a one-day pass into DCA. I expect more when I’m at DCA.

 

[DizMe]

I expect more when I’m at DCA.

I have to agree, but in a more expansive way. I feel like maybe California as a theme was too confining, since they seem to be systematically dismantling much of the CA aspects. But I loved the CA touches and am sad to see things like the Hollywood Tower Hotel, the Golden Gate bridge, and the harbor area replaced with other elements. Changing Tower of Terror to Guardians, while really fun, is also a giant move away from the Hollywood theme, which I really liked.

To me, DCA was heavy on setting and less on action delivery, but they certainly stepped up the game with Carsland and some of the newer additions. Avenger's Campus seems like a glaring standout that just doesn't fit in with anything else and I expected more.

There are an awful lot of nice fronts in DCA with nothing (that I know of) behind them. I don't need any more merch stores with the same old stuff, but put in some higher quality original items and you'd have my attention for sure.

I much preferred Incredicoaster and really miss Neil Patrick Harris' narration.

Anyway, I feel like DCA is a mish-mash that has some really fun elements, nice eating venues, but is still neither a hit nor a miss for me. It always puzzled me that they have no transportation in DCA. I hope someday they can connect the monorail though I realize it's made more difficult by it being a separate park.

Edited to add: I know most people won't agree with this, but I find the WOC area a giant waste of space. I'm sure it brings in a ton of money, but I'd much rather have the water area have rides or something more fun that could be used all day.

 

[bakofarmgirl]

the two “other” cars rides do have height requirements so not all ages, i was so excited last week when my son was able to go on them as hes a big cars fan, DCA is usually our chill day after Dland since theres less options for all heights

 

[musicmcb]

I LOVED Bug's Life. Super sad it's gone and wish it or something very similar would return.

 

[DisneylandFan22]

Just stopping by to say I do miss It’s Tough to be a Bug.

 

[PiratesOfTheSea]

I miss Heimlich but it's not the lack of "kid-friendly" attractions or non-attractions that's missing now. With a Bug's Land these were concentrated in a small area which is no longer the case at DCA. It's not exactly "kid-friendly" to have all these attractions spread out over the park.

 

[LAS2AMS]

I miss Heimlich but it's not the lack of "kid-friendly" attractions or non-attractions that's missing now. With a Bug's Land these were concentrated in a small area which is no longer the case at DCA. It's not exactly "kid-friendly" to have all these attractions spread out over the park.

No other Disney park (excluding the water parks) has a dedicated kids area. These were gently themed low cost off-the-shelf attractions that were added to quickly fill a void. That void no longer exists.

Like I said earlier, similar attractions exist at oodles of amusement parks across the country. If you miss them, you’ll find similar and many others a short drive away at Knott’s. I expect more from DCA, where a day pass is more than an annual pass from Knott’s.

I get it… people miss it because it brings back memories of their childhood, or watching their own kids grow up. That’s not justification to keep what was a cheap bandaid solution.

 

[PiratesOfTheSea]

DL across the Esplanade has ToonTown and FantasyLand that both have "kid-friendly" attractions concentrated in a small area.

That's not to mention Avengers Campus in its current state is a cheap bandaid solution with a single ride that's an inferior version of an attraction already in DCA.

 

[LAS2AMS]

I have to agree, but in a more expansive way. I feel like maybe California as a theme was too confining, since they seem to be systematically dismantling much of the CA aspects. But I loved the CA touches and am sad to see things like the Hollywood Tower Hotel, the Golden Gate bridge, and the harbor area replaced with other elements. Changing Tower of Terror to Guardians, while really fun, is also a giant move away from the Hollywood theme, which I really liked.

To me, DCA was heavy on setting and less on action delivery, but they certainly stepped up the game with Carsland and some of the newer additions. Avenger's Campus seems like a glaring standout that just doesn't fit in with anything else and I expected more.

There are an awful lot of nice fronts in DCA with nothing (that I know of) behind them. I don't need any more merch stores with the same old stuff, but put in some higher quality original items and you'd have my attention for sure.

I much preferred Incredicoaster and really miss Neil Patrick Harris' narration.

Anyway, I feel like DCA is a mish-mash that has some really fun elements, nice eating venues, but is still neither a hit nor a miss for me. It always puzzled me that they have no transportation in DCA. I hope someday they can connect the monorail though I realize it's made more difficult by it being a separate park.

Edited to add: I know most people won't agree with this, but I find the WOC area a giant waste of space. I'm sure it brings in a ton of money, but I'd much rather have the water area have rides or something more fun that could be used all day.

DCS was planned with a low budget and small footprint so the designers targeted a mature audience (minimal Disney IP) with immersive entertainment and dining/ drinking experiences. I’m willing to bet they didn’t know what to theme it around and “California Adventure” derived from pet names during the planning phase. Thus the subsequent theming.

In fairness, other Disney parks have drifted away from their original theming. E.g. Epcot completely dropped the future concept. The Disney MGM Studios have moved entirely away from the working studios concept. Its counterpart near Paris has drifted so far it’s being renamed. At least everything in DCA flows together. DHS has turned into an absolute hot mess.

The California theming is going to be continually diminished. It looks like the Hollywood section is going to be demolished for Avatar/ Avengers expansion. Which is a shame as I think pre-Covid DCA was the best value for a Disney park. My kids loved the 60 minute musicals! And I don’t get the new Sliderman ride… they could’ve just rethemed Toy Story Mania.

But the Avatar/ Avengers expansion will remove most of the idle buildings. I agree with WOC… the whole Paradise Pier could’ve been turned into something great. A lot is made of DCA 2.0, but nearly 40% of the cost was spent of the main Cars attention and WOC.

All the DCA 2.0 stuff was basically cloned into WDW, sans two Cars attractions. I’m guessing Disney don’t want to spend $400M-$500M building out Cars Land at DHS.

Kinda interesting that they duplicated WOC into the Animal Kingdom and quicly abandoned it…

 

[LAS2AMS]

DL across the Esplanade has ToonTown and FantasyLand that both have "kid-friendly" attractions concentrated in a small area.

That's not to mention Avengers Campus in its current state is a cheap bandaid solution with a single ride that's an inferior version of an attraction already in DCA.

if yoiu’re including ToonTown, it’s fair to point out Pixar Pier has a lot of kid friendly attractions in a small area, including the one relocated from Bugs.

 

[PiratesOfTheSea]

Pixar Pier is by far the worst "offender" of the "gently themed low-cost off the shelf attractions" in the entire resort if not Disney Parks itself. Bug's Land at least had a cohesive theme that was well-executed, it just had the bad luck of being based on a relatively unpopular IP.

Closing Bugs Land also led directly to Pixar being shoehorned into the Pier, with one attraction being so badly mismatched that even Cedar Fair or Six Flags wouldn't be caught dead doing it.

 

[LAS2AMS]

Pixar Pier is by far the worst "offender" of the "gently themed low-cost off the shelf attractions" in the entire resort if not Disney Parks itself. Bug's Land at least had a cohesive theme that was well-executed, it just had the bad luck of being based on a relatively unpopular IP.

Closing Bugs Land also led directly to Pixar being shoehorned into the Pier, with one attraction being so badly mismatched that even Cedar Fair or Six Flags wouldn't be caught dead doing it.

It’s Tough To Be A Bug was one do the few places you’d find any IP in the park’s early days. The attraction never fit the theme or consistently at opening day DCA (again, targeted at mature audiences) and was added likely due to budget constraints.

Bountiful Valley Farm was something you’d expect to see at the OC Fair. I’m guessing Disney built the attraction around Caterpillar’s sponsorship. I can appreciate that people miss it because it brings back memories of their 5yo playing in the tractors… but c’mon, tractors? This is a Disney park, not the $13pp OC Fair.

I agree with you on Pixar Pier. Everything I’ve read/ scene suggests that the Imagineers intended on removing Paradise Pier (and its cheap attractions) during the park’s make over, but ultimately decided to keep. A lot is made of DCA 2.0 but the park hasn’t materially changed beyond the expansion. The lion’s share of the budget was spent on adding shows and attractions (making up for cuts during the park’s development) and expanding the park. Some of the funds were spent on improving areas, like the entrance plaza and Buena Vista Street, that were dumbed down due to budget constraints. And the rest were spent on cheap retheming.

 

[mom2rtk]

I have fond memories of my kids in A Bug's Land. That being said, the movie was never hugely popular in our house and most of the younger kids we know now have never seen it. We were at Disneyland in late July and it did feel like the park was really missing things for smaller children and the Marvel portion lacked some of the whimsical Disney joy I remember in the bug area. So, I think they should implement something...but probably not Bugs.

You don't even have to be familiar with the movie to appreciate a land for little kids themed to cute bugs.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

You don't even have to be familiar with the movie to appreciate a land for little kids themed to cute bugs.

Very true. My mind went into IP mode, but it really just needs to be cute and appealing to kids. Still, the corporate side surely wants something in there which can be more profitable from the merch angle. Not saying I care about that, but newer/more popular IP seems to be the driver for this stuff.