Fantasy on Wheels by Roderick Eime

ROYALAUTO

RA I Following the Bradman trail I VW and Peugeot’s new compact cuties I A month of member savings in Ballarat

I WILL SURVIVE Victoria’s great icons of fun and leisure are still the rage

NOV 2012

RA I CALIFORNIA

FANTASY ON WHEELS Disney has brought “the cutest little town in Carburettor County” to life. Report: Roderick Eime

OPPOSITE PAGE I Radiator Springs Racers. ABOVE LEFT I Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree. ABOVE I Route 66.

ands up anyone who hasn’t seen either of the Cars movies? It seems everyone has fallen under the charm of the quirky motor residents from Pixar’s Radiator Springs, led by the high-octane Lightning McQueen and saucy Sally Carrera. Far from a kids-only attraction, Cars Land – Disney’s latest attraction in Los Angeles, is a family affair that will enthrall the child in all of us. The Radiator Springs Racers is the podium victory of the five-year, multimillion-dollar renovation of Disney California Adventure Park that has seen an array of hi-tech attractions open progressively since the refurbishment began in 2007. Rather than demolish existing facilities, Cars Land was able to be built on one of the last tracts of land available to Disney, displacing only a carpark. As you walk the streets of the Route 66-inspired Radiator Springs township, the whole story of Cars comes to life. Stop for a snack at Fillmore’s Taste In or a sit-down meal at Flo’s V8 Cafe – all perfectly re-created. In fact, you might find it difficult to work out which was conceived first; the theme park or the movie. Feel the retail urge? Then Sarge’s Surplus

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Hut, Ramone’s House of Body Art or Radiator Springs Curios are there to satisfy. Sally’s bizarre Cozy Cone Motel is there, too, with novelty snacks and sweets served at each of the little cones. The piece de resistance is the Radiator Springs Racers ride, on a 45º banked canyon raceway where Lightning McQueen learns his dirt skills. Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree combines squaredancing with ride-on tractors, and Luigi’s Flying Tires is a giant skid-pan for tyreshaped, bumper mini-hovercraft. While the other attractions (such as Toy Story Mania, World of Colour, Ariel’s Undersea Adventure and Star Tours) have been progressively opened since the overhaul began in 2007, the other allnew reveal is Buena Vista Street, styled on downtown Los Angeles of the 1920s and ’30s. This entire district was built as homage to Walt Disney, who arrived in the city from Kansas, as we are constantly reminded through legend and song, with “a suitcase and a dream”. Grown-ups will find Buena Vista Street a thoroughly enchanting precinct with many art deco buildings and theatres, the centrepiece being the exquisite Carthay Circle Theatre which

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includes fine dining and a swank night spot. Adults could easily leave the kids at home for this place, although during the day there is a constant buzz in the streets with roaming characters and impromptu shows, such as the Dixieland band Five & Dime. One of the most impressive features of Buena Vista Street is the detail used to theme and decorate the buildings – from the scaled historic Red Car Trolleys to re-created fuel bowsers, a tyre inflator and even an intricate vintage gum dispenser. All of this completes the illusion of fantasy that transports you back into the days of pre-war LA at the birth of the talkies and Disney’s revolu-

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tionary animation such as Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs from 1937, the first full-length cell-animated feature. If Disney’s iconic theme park has been on your wish list, or you are hankering for an encore, now might be the right time. Add the strong Aussie dollar and strong competition on transPacific air routes and there seems little room for an excuse not to visit “Radiator Springs, the cutest little town in Carburettor County”. ■ ABOVE LEFT I Luigi’s Flying Tires. ABOVE I Red Car Trolley on Buena Vista Street. ©DISNEY

MORE For details of Disney attractions including the newly renovated Disney hotels, see disneyland.disney.go.com. Rod Eime visited as a guest of Disney Destinations International and Air NZ. Take your RACV member card with you – it’s the key to discounts for auto club members on accommodation, car hire and more in the U.S. For details, go to racv.com.au/membership. Add a Disney visit to your packaged tour of the US through RACV Cruises & Tours – RACV members get discounts on all Cruises & Tours products. Go to racv.com.au/cruisesandtours or call 1300 850 884.