Disney's California Adventure coaster to get Goofy's Sky Skool makeover

Mulholland Madness — a themeless off-the-shelf roller coaster that earned Disney’s California Adventure its on-the-cheap reputation — will get a Goofy’s Sky Skool “refreshing” as part of a $1.1-billion effort to add a heavy dose of Mickey Mouse and friends to the under-performing theme park.

Gone is the giant foldout map of Southern California that always seemed like a futile attempt to hide the fact that the coaster was nothing more than a wild-mouse ride found at any freeway entertainment center. Gone too is the Magic Mountain-esque, slapdash, Caltrans maintenance-yard theme involving little more than a plastering of roadwork signs.

The new back story follows Goofy’s attempts to teach a group of novice pilots how to fly. Naturally, things go awry. The reworked ride is expected to open in 2010.

Bob Weis, California Adventure’s chief imagineer, said the four-person Mulholland Madness cars will get an extensive makeover. The Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida, features a similarly themed Goofy’s Barnstormer roller coaster with airplane styling and a front propeller.

Blue Sky Disney suggests the Goofy makeover is merely a placeholder for a true E-ticket-type  attraction — essentially a Disney character Band-Aid meant to hide a scar until more money frees up for future expansion.

In addition to the Goofy coaster, Paradise Pier will get a complete Disney overlay in the next few years, with the Orange Stinger transforming into the Silly Symphony Swings (with a “Band Concert” Mickey Mouse makeover) and the park’s iconic Sun Wheel becoming Mickey’s Fun Wheel. The boardwalk games and shops, currently sporting tongue-in-cheek California references, will adopt new Disney character back stories as well.

— Brady MacDonald, Los Angeles Times staff writer

[Image: Disney]

Permalink | E-mail | Print | Add to My Trips

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 18, 2008 at 7:38 am by Brady MacDonald and is filed under California, Disney's California Adventure, Family & Kids, Orange County, Theme Parks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.