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Disney's Grand Californian Hotel Lobby - Grandfather clock face

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The CALIFORNIA in Disney's California Adventure

Now its time to say goodbye...

After the Disneyland Resort closed on Monday night, January 3rd, 2011, construction crews stepped in to remove the concrete letters in front of the Disney's California Adventure entrance plaza. The iconic 11-foot tall letters had been part of the entrance plaza since the park opened on February 8, 2001.

Other parts of the entrance plaza had already been closed off, demolished or taken down, including the Sunshine Plaza fountain and the tile murals that framed the entry way. Removal of the CALIFORNIA letters signaled the beginning of construction on a new, re-themed entrance plaza.

"C" you real soon?

According to the Disneyland Resort, the gigantic glyphs will not be demolished. The concrete CALIFORNIA will be removed, stored backstage and donated to the City of Anaheim. City officials don't currently have any details set, but plans are to put the letters on display. So, Disney fans who weren't able to snap that last initial photo, should soon be able to visit them some other place in Anaheim.

© Disney Imagineering

Why? Because we like the new you...

Construction for the new California Adventure entrance plaza is scheduled for completion in September 2011, though other estimates planned for early 2012. The new entrance plaza will be modeled after the Pan Pacific Auditorium, a Los Angeles landmark built in 1935. The Pan Pacific was a famed example of Streamline Moderne architecture, and the L.A. area's premiere venue until 1972.

The area surrounding the entrance will be renamed Buena Vista Street. The shops and plaza will be redesigned to look like 1920's Los Angeles, the era when Walt Disney first moved to California. The replica of the Golden Gate will be dismantled and Red Car Trolleys will run to the Hollywood Tower Hotel and back. Another historic reference will appear in the Sunshine Plaza. The sun sculpture fountain will be replaced with a facade inspired by the Cathay Circle Theater, where Walt Disney premiered Snow White and the Seven Dwarves in 1937.

New "elecTRONica" Party at Disney California Adventure

New Nighttime Party at Disney California Adventure Park Immerses Guests in the Digital World of ‘TRON: Legacy’

ANAHEIM, Calif., September 24, 2010 – Fun-seeking families will join science fiction fans and party-goers of all ages to enter the colorful and exciting world of the upcoming Disney movie “TRON: Legacy” when “ElecTRONica,” a new, nighttime party, premieres in Disney California Adventure park on Friday, Oct. 8. “TRON: Legacy” debuts in theaters Dec. 17. 

Combining dynamic music and dance, fun food and drink, and the computer-world environment of “TRON: Legacy,” the “ElecTRONica” festivities will take place Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights this fall, plus all week Thanksgiving week, Nov. 19 -28, and nightly during the Christmas vacation period  Friday, Dec. 17, through Sunday, Jan 2. “ElecTRONica” is expected to continue through mid-to-late April 2011. 

The adventure will begin in Sunshine Plaza at a “TRON”-themed stage where, at 6 p.m., an exciting music, video and dance show will welcome guests and prepare them to enter the world of TRON. 

When the high-powered Sun Plaza welcoming show has concluded, the party will transition into Hollywood Pictures Backlot. Guests will pass through an “ElecTRONica” archway to a street alive with a computerized color grid. There, they will have the sensation of being digitized and transported into the computer mainframe world of “TRON: Legacy.” Among the highlights:

• Buildings in Hollywood Pictures Backlot will be mapped with “TRON: Legacy” images. Light cycles will zoom across the building facades, while other dynamic images from the film fill the street. 

• Before entering the studio area, guests will pass under the iconic Recognizer, the vigilant sentry on the lookout for unclassified “Programs” in the digital world of “TRON: Legacy.” With smoke and lights emanating from it, this ever-watchful vehicle seems to hover above the ground as it scans those who pass below. 

• At the center of the party is a DJ platform, complete with a laser beam beckoning guests of all ages to the fun. Here, professional DJs will keep the energy going with electronic party music while dancers costumed as “Sirens" and “Programs” from the movie rock out at locations throughout the party. 

• Also appearing on the Backlot Stage adjoining the dance floor will be Laserman, a performer who does amazing tricks to music with impressive lasers and light. 

• Near the dance floor, guests will find a re-creation of Flynn’s Video Arcade, a key location in the adventure of “TRON: Legacy.” At Flynn’s, gamers will shoot for the highest scores as they enjoy classic 1980s arcade games. Outside the Arcade, guests will be able to play the unreleased “TRON: Evolution” video games for popular home consoles, and take part in a nightly tournament. The new video games, which feature the iconic light cycles and light discs in stories that bridge the gap between the two TRON films, will be released on December 7. 

• Guests will get an extended glimpse of the upcoming film at “TRON: Legacy, Exclusive 3D Sneak Peek” (presented in the venue which, by day, houses Muppet*Vision 3D). The 3D preview has special effects exclusive to this theater.

• Guests will be able to purchase food from a specially-themed food truck, along with  glowing alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages at the End of Line Club, inspired by an iconic new location in the world of  “TRON: Legacy.”

[source]