The Mouse Planet site posted today the best overview yet of the Cars Land amusement park that’s being constructed at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calf.
The post contains dozens of images of the plans, construction photos, and other displays from the recent D23 Expo for Disney enthusiasts.
Cars Land is inspired by Radiator Springs, the fictional Route 66 town depicted in the 2006 Disney-Pixar film “Cars.” Cars Land is slated to open in summer 2012.
The funny part is that Cars Land has been on Disney’s drawing board for a long time:
Imagineer Kevin Rafferty noted that the concept had been around for a while, and that the area was originally called “Car Land.” The land was to play off of California’s car culture, and the main strip would be “Cruise Street,” themed to 1955-1965, when cars became less about transportation and more about personal expression. Food would have included Marty’s Drive-In, with carhop service. The Road Trip, U.S.A. attraction would have started with a ride past California Crazy architecture, with a cross-country trip past many roadside landmarks ending in a ride through a Nature’s Wonderland-type cavern. It even included a ride through a car wash, where guests not on the ride could squirt those in the cars. “And then John actually took a look at that and said ‘You know what? Maybe you should think about more characters,” said Rafferty. […]
At first, the idea was to use all sorts of Disney characters. Goofy About Road Trips would have followed Goofy’s driving antics as he traveled around the country. Herbie the Love Bug would have had a role in Car Land, as well. One attraction would have been Junkyard Jamboree, where cars would come to life and play music for the cars that would begin dancing. WhenCars came out and was a big hit, elements of the movie were added. Sally’s Road Rally ran through and around the town. The final model had Cruise Street as the main strip, Luigi’s Casa Della Tiies, and Radiator Springs Racers in the back of the area. In the summer of 2007, the team presented the concept to Lasseter, who said “why not just turn Car Land into Cars Land. Let’s build Radiator Springs.” […]
Food plays an important part on Route 66, and it hasn’t been left out in Radiator Springs, either. Flo’s V8 Cafe is a gas station, because food is to humans as gas is to cars. Flo’s serves a role similar to that of a small-town diner, where everybody would gather and eat and chat and deal with the town’s problems. The Cozy Cone Motel will serve as a food location, serving various cone-themed eats. Fillmore’s Taste-In (where Fillmore would sell his organic fuel) will serve as a beverage location.
There will be two main shops in Carsland. Radiator Springs Curios will sell odd and ends and other ephemera, while Ramone’s Paint Shop will be the major merchandise location for the land.
The post also contains details about the various rides in Cars Land, including Radiator Springs Racers, Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree, and Luigi’s Flying Tires.
This video also shows some of the Radiator Springs projects, and a Disney Imagineer describing the Radiator Springs Racers: