ANAHEIM, Calif. – Like Cinderella, the Disney California Adventure Park has toiled out of the spotlight while its sister park, Disneyland, got all the attention.  By Dan MacMedan,, USA TODAY  Disney California Adventure park Ferris wheel now sports a giant image of Mickey Mouse as part of its makeover.  By Dan MacMedan,, USA TODAY  Disney California Adventure park Ferris wheel now sports a giant image of Mickey Mouse as part of its makeover.  But just as in the classic Disney animated feature, for this second Walt Disney theme park located right next door to Disneyland, its prince has finally come.  That prince arrives in the form of a $1 billion enhancement of Disney California Adventure — more than Disney originally spent to build the theme park 10 years ago. Yet, that investment is how Disney (DIS), the maestro of theme parks, is hoping to sprinkle some pixie dust on one of its rare missteps.  Visitors during the summer rush will see, for the first time, more tangible signs of Disney waving its wand over a park that hasn't lived up to the company's standards. This year marks the fourth in a five-year plan to turn Disney California Adventure into a park that can hold its own, or at least proudly stand next to the 56-year-old theme park masterpiece designed by Walt Disney himself.  A makeover of the entrance, as well as new rides, restaurants and shops are being unveiled this month, urging visitors turned off by the facility's rocky beginnings to step inside again.  "People will be pretty amazed at how different it is," says Kathy Magnum, a vice president with Disney's Imagineering unit who is in charge of many aspects of the park's upgrades.  The stakes for Disney are large. Amusement parks, part of the company's Parks and Resorts unit, are a significant part of Disney, accounting for 28% of revenue and 17% of profit last year. And Disney's theme parks have more employees than any of its other businesses. Besides, the parks are what give Disney the aura that makes it one of the most recognizable and respected brands in the world.  Luring consumers, though, won't be easy as the entire theme park industry sees this summer as pivotal in getting visitors back. The amusement park industry is trying to shake off the recession, during which even Disney turned to discounting, because many cash-strapped consumers skipped more expensive parks and headed for local fun centers and putt-putt courses, says John Robinett, economist at AECom, which tracks the theme park business.  Adding to the challenge is that Disney theme parks are trying to raise ticket prices this summer after years of offering aggressive promotions. The price of admission to both parks was raised $4, to $80 each, last month, less than a year after an August increase. Making that price worthwhile hinges on what magic the company can pull out with California Adventure.  A big part of any success will involve getting visitors, who criticized the park in its early days for not having enough rides and lacking the enchantment of a Disney theme park, to give it another try.  Given that Disney theme parks are almost synonymous with long lines, die-hard fans and anticipation, it's almost inconceivable for the company to have anything but success in the U.S. Hopes were so high for California Adventure when it opened, it was thought visitors would be turned away. The park was expected to be an adult alternative to Disneyland, complete with a beer truck and a winery, which would turn Disneyland into a resort that people would stay at for more than a day, much like Disney World in Orlando.  The reality, though, turned out much different. Disney California Adventure rivals Disneyland Paris as being one of Disney's most high-profile slips in its theme park business, says Robert Niles of ThemeParkInsider.com, a website that monitors developments at amusement parks.  Admission to California Adventure was practically given away, he says. Last year, for instance, the company offered free admission to California Adventure as part of a "2fer" deal, with purchases of Disneyland tickets. "It was the freebie park. No one really paid to go in," he says.  Fans complained that many of the rides lacked themes and integration with Disney characters, Niles says. Several rides were considered "off the shelf" attractions, such as Ferris wheels and spinning rides that could be found in any amusement park, lacking the Disney sparkle, he says.  Disney doesn't provide financial details for individual sites. The park, though, has not lived up to Disney's standards and expectations.  "California Adventure did not return what we typically would expect to return in terms of capital investment and felt that with some smart creativity and investment, we could change the fortunes of that park," CEO Robert Iger said in September 2010 at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia Conference. Last year, California Adventure played host to 6.3 million visitors, which trails even the least-trafficked Disney park in Orlando, Disney's Hollywood Studios, with 9.6 million visitors.  However, even a disappointment by Disney standards is hardly a bomb. The park is still the most visited amusement park in the Western U.S. after Disneyland, according to Themed Entertainment Association and AECom. It's the sixth-most-visited amusement park in the U.S.  Changes that have been unveiled so far appear to be working. Last year, California Adventure added a nighttime water and light show, called World of Color, that projects 50-foot images of Disney characters onto walls of water.  That attraction helped boost visitor traffic to California Adventure by 3% in 2010, outstripping the 0.5% growth at Disneyland.  Yet, Disney thinks it can do better. The company is tapping its Imagineering unit, known for its ability to blend art, engineering and design to create rides.  Looking over a full-color map of the redesigned park, Magnum says she is sure Disney can bring California Adventure up to standards with three goals:  •Appeal to a broad family audience. California Adventure isn't going to just be an adult theme park anymore. One of the key additions, launched in June 2011, is Ariel's Undersea Adventure. The ride takes visitors through scenes of the movie The Little Mermaid, animated with advanced "Animatronics" robots, and features the film's songs and characters. Visitors are transported through the ride using the "Omnimover" system, much like the one in Disneyland's Haunted Mansion.  •Transport to another time and place. California Adventure lacked the ambience oozing from Disneyland. Visitors there are honked at by bustling antique cars and buses as soon as they enter Main Street USA.  The new entryways to California Adventure reveal Disney's aim to replicate that vibe. The gates have been redesigned to look like the Pan-Pacific Auditorium, setting the tone of Hollywood in the 1920s and 1930s, about when Walt arrived. A giant replica of the Golden Gate Bridge at the park's entrance will be torn down and replaced with a duplication of Los Angeles' Hyperion Bridge.  And in the final phase of the remake, expected in early 2012, a 90-foot replica of Carthay Circle Theatre, the theater that first showed Disney's first full-length movie, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, will stand at the center of the park.  •Story-driven attractions. Most rides are being retooled to add the likenesses of Disney's famous characters. For instance, a high-speed miniature roller coaster went from being Mulholland Madness to Goofy's Sky School, complete with images of the famous character. The Orange Stinger ride, where riders on swings were twirled in a circle, is retooled into Silly Symphony Swings, hailing the 1935 classic cartoon The Band Concert. The giant Ferris wheel now has a 42-foot image of Mickey's face.  But the biggest enhancement is yet to come. Construction of a new 12-acre section of California Adventure called Cars Land is expected to open in early 2012. Workers are already building a 125-foot-high mountain range resembling Radiator Springs from the Pixar movie Cars.  When complete, Cars Land will feature three new rides, including the marquee Radiator Springs Racers, which will allow visitors to race along a track in the valley. Another, Luigi's Flying Tires, will allow visitors to control tires suspended in air and bump into each other. This is expected to open in 2012.  The fact Disney had to redo a park is practically unheard of for the company, says Al Lutz, editor of MiceAge.com, a website that tracks Disney parks. But the improvements are already helping California Adventure achieve its original goal: getting visitors to stay longer than just a day, he says.  "The magic of a Disney park is kicking away the usual stuff in life," he says. It's that escapism California Adventure lacked, and this upgrade adds that, he says. "It's getting there. This is a real sincere attempt."
With a $1 billion upgrade, Disney hopes its not-so-successful California Adventure Park will take on the luster of the original Disneyland.