Golden Dreams: An attraction I can sleep through.
Written: Sep 27 '05 (Updated Dec 25 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Narration was well done, some scenes were well written, brief history of California.
Cons: Most California natives will be bored with the historical perspective, mediocre acting.
The Bottom Line: Just skip it.
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| yakkowarner's Full Review: Golden Dreams - California Adventure |
I’ve been going to California Adventure since a year after its opening and I have seen this attraction open only once before. Maybe I was not paying attention but my guess is that it is only open on busy days. After seeing it I now know why.
For some reason I thought it was the 360-degree theatre since they eliminated the one in Disneyland but I was wrong. It is a normal theatre, actually a small theatre. According to the Disney website, it is a recreation of the rotunda in San Francisco, Palace of Fine Arts. I was impressed with the building, just not the show.
Location.
California Adventure, Anaheim California. It is on the north-east side of the lake. The Disneyland website states that it is in the Golden State area of California Adventure.
The queue line
I actually did not have to wait at all, we just went through the line straight to the show. The first part of the queue line was closed off so just the branched area was open. The queue line is typical for a theatre style in that you have a tight queue line at the beginning that can be closed off, and then it widens so that you can go through one of several doors. A very simple queue line with no entertainment.
How it works and the attraction itself.
Note: I have some spoilers in the next two sections.
This is actually a theatre, not a ride. You simply sit down and watch a movie. The Disney website claims that it has “Surprising in-theatre effects”. I just had to laugh. The only effect I saw was the face of Whoopi projected on a statue. Nothing special there.
The film starts with the early history of California. Acting is not great, but it is better than most high school plays, if that gives you any idea. The reactions of these early settlers did not seem real to me. This aspect really bugged me. The film is approximately 20 minutes long, like most Disney attractions similar to this.
My thoughts on the host
When I first saw Whoopi Goldberg projected on the statue I got a little queasy. Not because I don’t like her (and I do like her work) but because I did not want to see some Hollywood star in another Disney attraction. I think there are entirely too many in the parks. But as it went on I actually enjoyed her narrative abilities. At key scenes she was able to add emotion (as a narrator) that really grabbed you. Those strong emotional scenes were later on in the film.
I did not like the parts that she made appearances. It just felt she was out of place. A narrator should not be walking into scenes like some time traveling Star Trek character.
My thoughts on the historical accuracy
The basic information was accurate but I seriously question the emotion of the actors. It just did not seem real to me. I cannot imagine the early residents of the state reacting the way they did in the film. But that is typical with these types of Disney films.
There was very little history told. You will learn far more reading a California history web page for 5 minutes then you will watching this whole movie. There was nothing in depth or truly informative. It was just a very brief overview.
My wife’s reaction
Since my wife mostly grew up in Pennsylvania and Ohio, she thought the film was informative. A lot of the information was new to her and enlightening. I think the most informative part was showing her the immigration history of California (how we became such a diverse culture.) Since most of our trips have been to Utah, Nevada, and Arizona, I have not had much of a chance to introduce her to the historical sites in California. But if you have been to many of the sites around California, or watched a lot of the History Channel, then none of this will be new.
Theming.
I really like the theme. It felt to me as if I was back in the old theatre I visited several times in Arcata. It felt very comforting to me. It wasn’t glitzy or over the top, just comforting.
Fast pass.
No fast pass is available or needed.
Who is this for?
Families or parents that need to sit down in a comfortable seat.
Stay in the theatre after the show ends.
There is a cute thing that occurs at the end of the show. Stay if you wish.
My recommendation
Skip it, it really does not add much to the park. I’m sure they are going to make a real attraction out of this some day…at least I hope so.
Trivia
11 consultants helped with the film.
(source: http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneyland/en_US/parks/attractions/detail?name=GoldenDreamsAttractionPage)
Summary
This is a movie about the history of California. I was unimpressed and I never plan on going back (unless my children insist.) The history is brief and not very informative. There are no true special effects or anything that I would call impressive. It is just a simple movie.
Disneyland Attractions.
Indiana Jones Adventure.
Space Mountain.
The Haunted Mansion
Roger Rabbit Cartoon Spin.
Shootin Exhibition.
Main street cinema
Main street horse drawn carriage
Goofys Bounce House.
Tarzans Treehouse
California Adventure attractions
Tower of Terror.
Soar’in over California.
Redwood Creek Challenge Trail.
Boudin Bakery.
Mission Tortilla Factory.
Recommended:
No
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