Disneyland Resort

The Cozy Cone Motel is a quick-service dining location in the Cars Land section of Disney California Adventure based on the motel seen in Pixar’s Cars series of films. The design of the motel is based on the kitschy Wigwam Motel chain, of which two still exist along Route 66 – one in Holbrook, Arizona, and one in San Bernardino, California. “Yeah, it’s like a clever little twist: the motel’s made out of caution cones, which, of course, cars usually try to avoid… now we’re gonna stay in them” – Lightning McQueen Each of the 5 cones here sells cone-themed versions of snacks and beverages such as chili “cone” queso. Sharp-eyed Pixar fans can peek through the window to find a Buzz Lightyear hiding in the motel’s lobby, a nod to a scene from Pixar’s Toy Story 2 (1999). Official Information: Disneyland.com

Earl of Sandwich is a chain of sandwich shops founded in 2004 by John Montagu, the (11th Earl of Sandwich), his son Orlando (both are direct descendants of the 4th Earl of Sandwich, inventor of the namesake food item), and Robert Earl (founder of Planet Hollywood). The company operates two other Disney locations besides this one: one in Disney Springs and one in Disney Village. Visitor Information: Earl of Sandwich

Elias & Co. is a shop on Buena Vista Street in Disney California Adventure. The name Elias refers to Walt & Roy’s father as well as Walt’s middle name. A sign outside of the “Big Top Toys” facade entrance of the shop advertises “Hollymont Property Associates” which is a reference to the real estate office where Walt & Roy set up their first cartoon studio in LA. Official Information: Disneyland.com

Flo’s V8 Cafe is a quick-service dining location in the Cars Land section of Disney California Adventure, a physical representation of the one seen in the Cars films, designed to look like a Ford V-8 engine (circular air filter surrounded by spark plugs and pistons). The character of Flo and her cafe are based on a real cafe called Midpoint Cafe located halfway down the historic Route 66. Official Information: Disneyland.com

The Glendale-Hyperion Bridge is a bridge carrying the monorail track which crosses above Buena Vista Street in Disney California Adventure. The facade bridge is a replica of the real Glendale-Hyperion Bridge which connects Interstate 5 from Glendale (near Atwater Village) to the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles where one of Disney’s original animation studio stood. The bridge replicates the real one’s distant octagonal towers along with accents from lamposts as it may have looked when it was first constructed in the 1920s. Official Information: Disneyland.com

Julius Katz & Sons is a shop on Buena Vista Street in Disney California Adventure. The name references Julius, an homage to an animated cat who joined the live-action Alice in Disney’s silent Alice in Cartoonland shorts of the 1920s. Another entrance to the shop has a facade of Atwater Ink & Paint which refers to the Atwater Village district of Los Angeles. This area was frequented by Walt and his animators in the early days of the Disney Studio, when it was located just across the Glendale-Hyperion Bridge, in Silver Lake. The “address” of this fictional part of the shop is is “2719 Buena Vista Street” which itself is a reference to the address of the original site of the early animation studio. Keep an eye out for the “Atwater School of Art & Animation” sign which lists the instructors as: Clark, Davis, Johnston, Kahl, Kimball, Larson, Lounsbery, Reitherman, Thomas. These “instructors” are actually Walt’s “Nine Old Men”, a group of key animators who lead the production of classics like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Peter Pan (1953), and many more. Official Information: Disneyland.com

The Kingswell Camera Shop houses the Photopass kiosk in Disney California Adventure. The name Kingswell comes from the name of the street in Los Angeles, Kingswell Avenue, where Walt first lived when he moved to Los Angeles. This street is also where Walt and Roy set up the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, their first animation studio in Hollywood. Official Information: Disneyland.com

In the summer of 1959, Walt’s dream of including a mountain in Disneyland came to life when the Matterhorn Bobsleds attraction opened (#MatterhornMonday). The ride is still in operation today with only minor cosmetic and theming changes happening throughout the years. Walt’s fascination with the real Matterhorn Mountain first grew during a set visit to the production of his live-action feature film Third Man on the Mountain (1959). Legend has is that while in Switzerland, he mailed a souvenir postcard back to Imagineering with a hand-written note: Build This. While the Disneyland version resembles its real-life counterpart, its peak is only 147 feet high, making it exactly 100 times shorter. Queue Details While the Matterhorn doesn’t have a very elaborate queuing area, the few details present are entertaining. Check out the entry sign to the main loading area, it features the red and white cross of the Swiss flag surrounded by with a number of other symbols representing the flags and arms of cantons of Switzerland. The control booth that can be seen from the ride’s loading area is designed in a Swiss chalet style which features an angled roof and an intricately designed wooden balcony rail. Ride Details Throughout […]

The Partners statue is an iconic statue of Walt and Mickey located in Disneyland’s hub in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle. Designed by Disney Legend Blaine Gibson, it’s one of five identical statues located around the world. Discover all of them and learn more in our blog post: Partners: The History, Details, and Insight Into Walt & Mickey’s Most Famous Statue. Official Information: Disneyland.com

Pixar Pal-A-Round is an attraction at Disney California Adventure celebrating all Pixar characters. The attraction originally opened with the park on February 8, 2011, as the Sun Wheel. In 2009 it was rebranded as Mickey’s Fun Wheel and again in 2018 to its current state. The Ferris Wheel’s design was modeled after Coney Island’s Wonder Wheel attraction. Both rides are unique in that they contain stationary gondolas as well as ones that slide along rails and swing back and forth, a feature that is only present in these two wheels. Official Information: Disneyland.com

The Radiator Springs Curios shop is a gift shop in the Cars Land section of Disney California Adventure that sells a variety of Cars and Route 66 related souvenirs. It’s a faithful recreation of Lizzie’s shop from Pixar’s Cars franchise. The shop in the film draws inspiration from three real-life roadside gift shops along Route 66: Sandhills Curiosity Shop, Hackberry General Store, and Jack Rabbit Trading Post (famous for its “HERE IT IS” billboard) Inside the shop, you can find a reference to the 1989 short film, Knick Knack, one of Pixar’s first experimental computer-animated films. If you walk in the shop and look on the top shelf on the far wall, you’ll find the “Nome Sweet Nome” snow globe from the short. Official Information: Disneyland.com

Radiator Springs Racers is a high-speed thrill ride in the Cars Land section of Disney California Adventure based on Pixar’s Cars franchise. Ride Details Fans of Pixar’s Cars franchise may recognize the Cadillac Range mountains surrounding Cars Land and this ride. The mountain-range is an homage to Cadillac Ranch, a roadside art installation in Texas. The waterfall seen during the ride is called Firewire Falls. It’s modeled after the one seen in the Cars films, which is inspired by Arizona’s Havasu Falls. During the indoor scene, you see Ramone’s House of Body Art in Radiator Springs. The design of this building, as seen in the films, is based on a real building in Texas called the U-Drop Inn. The large rock formation in the middle of the loop track is a physical creation of Willy’s Butte, a location in the films based on a real-life place: Utah’s Mexican Hat Rock Formation. Official Information: Disneyland.com