i was so close to Carsland! i went out Rt 66 but we only got as far as Needles, Cali because of time, and it was the week before June 15th 
if we had another week before we had to be home i would have tried to convince my parents to take me all the way to LA then up to Emeryville (you can take a tour of Pixar Studios im pretty sure…) and go to Disneyland and Carsland… but no, though if we go to DisneyWorld next Spring break we are going to at least see the Cars wing of the Art Of Animation resort if not stay there 
Pixar doesn’t give tours.
The Cars wing of the Art of Animation resort is awesome! I checked it out about a week ago. The outside courtyard is the best and my favorite section was, of course, Lightning and Sally outside of Wheel Well.
I’ve heard a lot about this place. It would be a dream to go there! I can just imagine being at the Cozy Cone Motel, Ramone’s Body Shop, Flo’s Cafe… I hear they even have Fillmore’s Taste-In as an attraction!
And the rides… they just look so awesome! Maybe someday…
Argh… I went to California Adventureland before the Finding Nemo ride, Worlds of Colour fountain, and now THIS got made! 
That was back in '05, one year before Cars really got me into the fandom.
Read about in a business daily at the newspaper company I work at. It’s part of a huge overhaul of the theme park after it failed to bring in enough profits.
This SUCKS! 
Oh well, I’m earning my own keeps now, so maybe when I save up enough, I’ll book a trip back.
Some day…
I’m so crazy jealous! And thank you for the tip, I’ll be sure to do the single rider line when I have the opportunity to go.
Yeah, you’ll have to do a whole separate trip to California, especially if you want to make it up here to the North Bay (California is big, It’s a 7 to 8 hour trip from LA to SF).
And there are no public tours of Pixar. I would recommend, if you come to California, to still see the studios. You can spend a day at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco. Then hop across the bay to Oakland & Emeryville. There you can eat ice cream at Fenton’s Creamery (which is in the movie Up) and then go to Pixar Studios. They won’t let you in, but it’s fun to take your picture by the sign.
Glad to hear that! If you love or even like Cars, you’ll feel at home.
You’re most welcome! 
The “first act” is beautiful, the “second act” is fun, and the “third act” is exhilaratingly beautiful and fun!
To all who are interested, one of the funniest things is the English to Spanish translation in the directions for each ride. 
I won’t spoil them for you, but all three versions are funny and totally make sense!
It’s in acts? That’s awesome!
And that translation thing sounds intriguing.
Well, I suppose you could break it up into a three-part formula ride if you wanted to. It was sort of a feeble attempt of mine to make it seem extra appealing. And yes, I think you’ll like the translations thing. 
For some of the older members that know me, know my passion and obession with CARS. I finally got to visit Cars Land July 29. Wow it was a dream come true for me… You can check out pics here:
Really great pictures!
I really like how they do the history of Radiator Springs. Cute idea. Thanks for sharing your pictures with us!
So Thursday was my niece’s 9th birthday and I along with her brothers celebrated the day at Disneyland and California Adventure! We split the day between the two parks, but I was fully intending on going to Cars Land to check it out for the very first time (the last time I was at California Adventure was during the SOFT opening…when the land was only open to press and celebrities ).
In a word, the whole area is AMAZING. You literally feel like you stepped into Radiator Springs. The level of detail blew my mind, and it was hard not to get little tingles when I turned a corner after eating and saw all three of Doc Hudson’s Piston Cups. Though me and the kids had the rest of California Adventure to explore AND we had to get back to Disneyland for the fireworks display, we returned to Cars Land FOUR SEPARATE TIMES during the last half of the day just because there was so much to take in. Several times during our visits to Cars Land, me and the kids found ourselves just walking around and staring at sights.
As far as the rides are concerned, we only took in Radiator Springs Racers (AWESOME…but if you go, I suggest getting your FastPasses ASAP…when we got to the ride at 3PM, they had already ran out of FastPasses for the entire day). We didn’t bother riding the Junkyard Jamboree or Luigi’s Tires that day, but I plan on going back sometime next week so I can see what all the fuss is about.
And I know it may not seem interesting to many people, but the food there was REALLY GOOD. Flo’s V8 stop is a diner type restaurant that serves generous portions of different BBQ and Sliced Turkey with two sides and a biscuit for only eleven bucks. Plus, they serve Racer 5 IPA there…which happens to be my favorite beer of the moment! The Cozy Cones offer several snacks, but me and the kids only had the pretzel bites and the Chili Con Queso: Chili, cheese and corn chips in a cone-shaped bread bowl. I’d read about the Chili Con Queso on blogs and was surprised that they were so delicious!
But the best part of Cars Land is that aside from Lightning McQueen bearing the Hudson Hornet Cup and Allinol decals, the entire section wisely avoids any references to “Cars 2” 
-Jonaas
Interestingly, I wish there was some sort of a nod to Cars 2 than just McQueen’s paint job. Not that I’m complaining, I mean, I know that when I finally go I’ll break down crying the minute I walk in. I guess it just seems weird that Doc is still alive in Cars Land. I think it would be cool if we’d at least see Siddley streak through the skies every now and then
I’m thinking it has to do with the fact that “Cars 2” was largely set overseas. And yeah, Doc talking you up before the race IS pretty weird: I can’t remember his dialogue perfectly, but I’m not sure if they got a Paul Newman soundalike to voice the animatronic or if they pulled lines from the last scene of the first movie.
Yeah, the Doc part is kind of awkward. He said something along the lines of… “A fancy new paint job and tires don’t make you a racer. I’ll be here to get you through.” or something like that. It was a Paul Newman soundalike (which didn’ t sound much alike.) 
The soundalike is Corey Burton.
The food is delicious! Especially from the Cozy Cone. 
And a tip for Radiator Springs Racers, go in the single rider line. The most you’ll be is a car apart (which you might end up racing anyway) and it cuts the line in half or more. Instead of waiting 120 minutes, I waited like 45. 
I thought they had probably pre-recorded Doc’s dialogue before Newman passed away. Though I recall someone recording one of the D23 expo panels where they talked about where Cars Land fit into the scheme of the films. They considered it ‘Cars 1.5,’ which would explain how Doc is alive and your crew chief.
I actually enjoyed seeing Doc as the crew chief. He’s kind of the ‘voice of reason,’ knocking down the enthusiasm of rookie hot shot racers who assume that ‘new tires’ or ‘shiny paint’ is going to make you win a race.
As for ‘Cars 2’ nods, there are several as you go through Luigi’s. There’s some pit crew passes, WGP logos, and plenty of stuff in some glass cases.
I’m planning a 3-part blog post on Cars Land, with the 1st part due up sometime at the end of the week. There was so much to talk about, that I decided to break the reviews up into three parts: Theming, Rides, and Eateries.
This past Friday, I posted the first part of my Cars Land review. It was too much to pass up, so I did my first post on the incredible level of theming in the new land: