Sketch of the Week: California Adventure

I went to Disney California Adventure for the first time ever, which may be shocking since I grew up near Disneyland and have lived in L.A. since California Adventure opened in 2001. I mean, I already live in California, so why bother going there, right?
Cars Land area in the park just opened last week and I had a complimentary ticket this time around, so I visited with some artists friends and had a great time.

This theme park is visually delightful. It lives up to its name by taking cues from different environments found in California, from redwood forests to San Francisco dockside to aerospace industry to Hollywood studio sets. I am very impressed by how much thought went into the details.

Cars Land has great look and feel that replicates not just the Cars movie, but Wild West look found along actual Route 66. At night the signs are lit up in neon and evoke 1950s golden age of the automobile.

Here is a "firefly" lightpost in A Bug's Land. Again, I'm delighted to discover care that went into all the details.

And in Sorcerer's Workshop, a darkened cave-like space is strung with lamps, giving it a mysterious, magical feeling. The lamps are all designed after particular set in Disney movies, and visitors can create their own animation, like being sorcerers of art. The table shown in the bottom has long paper that you can draw, and you can put it inside zoetopes next to it, crank the handle, and watch your drawing come to life.

I did very few sketches since I was having fun looking around, riding the rides and chatting with friends and taking it all in. This is an ideal place to gather a group to sketch all day, and even better, it's smaller and less overwhelming than Disneyland next door if you want to take the time to explore. Maybe next time! Even their website is revamped with attractive Art Deco-style illustrations - check it out here.