Orlando Attractions magazine went to the Walt Disney Park & Resorts exhibit at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, Calif., to check out upcoming attractions for Disney theme parks, including the Cars Land complex that’s based on the fictional Route 66 town of Radiator Springs in the movie “Cars.”
Here’s a video at the booth. The Cars Land content begins around the 2:30 mark:
Orlando Attractions also chatted with one of Disney’s “Imagineers” about a Cars Land project.
Walt Disney Imagineer Kevin Rafferty was on hand yesterday to tell all about the Radiator Springs Racers attraction coming to Disney’s California Adventure. Whether you’re a fan of the Disney/Pixar film “Cars” or not, it sounds to me like you will love this ride.
The roughly 4.5 minute journey will take guests through every element of the film, including a slow drive through the mountains and past a stunning waterfall, a character-filled journey through the town, and culminating in a race against another vehicle over bridges and around tight turns. […]
The vehicles will be very similar to those found at Test Track in Epcot but with a modified chassis for a more “Cars”-like styling. The vehicles won’t travel as fast as on Test Track, but they will be paired side-by-side in a race. Until the race portion of the ride, the cars will travel individually through the first scenes of the ride. The track will then split off sending guests in opposite directions to prepare for their races.
The characters featured in Radiator Springs Racers are lovingly being referred to as “auto-animatronics.” They each feature animated eyes and a mouth that makes the cars really appear to be talking. One particularly fun moment during the ride will be when Mater, the tow truck, pulls out in front of the guests’ car. Since Mater drives always backwards, he will actually be facing guests and talking to them while driving backwards in front of them.
Cars Land is slated to be finished by 2012. But it wouldn’t be surprising if it’s done quicker than that to take advantage of the release of the Disney-Pixar movie “Cars 2” in June 2011.