Cars Land at California Adventure- Best theme land in Disneyland (2023)

Cars Land is a themed land in Disneyland's California Adventure, which is inspired byPixar's Cars franchise. The focus of the early Cars films is a fictional town called Radiator Springs, which is modeled after Route 66. Cars Land at Disney essentially replicates Radiator Springs, featuring three attractions, food, shopping, and interactive Disney character moments Cars. Cars Land is also known for its familiarity with seasonal Halloween and holiday decorations, making this area one of the best for immersive decorating.

Read on for the full Cars Land review of all the attractions, restaurants and shopping, as well as tips on how to get the best California Adventure: Radiator Springs Racers tour.

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Cars Land attractions

Cars Land includes one of Disneyland's most popular attractions: Radiator Springs Racers. In fact, this ride is so popular that it still hasn't surpassed the demand at California Adventure, even with newer rides introduced since Cars Land opened. The other two attractions are also popular, but not on the same scale as the demand for Radiator Springs Racers.

Radiator Springs Racers

The crown jewel of Cars Land is Radiator Springs Racers. This racing attraction takes guests in six-seater cars through winding roads, mountains, a waterfall and the town of Radiator Springs. The ride features all the main characters from Cars as you enter Radiator Springs as the ride takes the form of a dark ride as you cruise through town. During this city cruise you will see Mater, Lightning McQueen, Doc Hudson, Sally, Luigi, Guido, Mack and Ramone. The track splits into two tracks before the big race with a car going to Luigi's Casa Della Tires or Ramone's House of Body Art. Once equipped with a new set of tires or paint, you'll race against another car with other guests reaching a top speed of 40 mph.

This tour is absolute perfection from its combination of beauty as you sail through the 'Cadillac Range' mountains to the immersive quality of a dark ride and ending with the essential aspects of a thrilling ride. If you look closely at the Cadillac series that is the setting for Radiator Springs Racers, you'll notice that the six peaks resemble the tail fins on classic Cadillac models from 1957 to 1962. The detail in Cars Land is truly unmatched, and this commitment to immersion really shines with this attraction.

The technology used for Radiator Springs Racers is similar to that used for the test track at EPCOT. Visitors to Walt Disney World will immediately notice the connection, but most agree that Radiator Springs Racers goes beyond Test Track with its theme. This is also the only attraction in Cars Land with a photo tour! The picture was taken just as the car reaches top speed on the track, before it crosses the finish line. With a little practice, you can get pretty good at posing before the picture appears.

Radiator Springs Racers is the only attraction at California Adventure that currently offers itAccess with individual light list.For popular rides at Disneyland, two lines are available to guests: the standard line and the light line. To access the smaller Lightning strip, you must purchaseGinny+for the day OR purchase individual lighting track access. Lighting Lane for Radiator Springs Racers is not included in the total cost of Genie+ and must be purchased separately. The cost to access this shorter line for Radiator Springs Racers will vary depending on how busy the parks are that day, but often ranges from $15-$20 per person.

If you want to avoid paying for access to this shorter line, you can follow oursCalifornia Adventure Rope Fall-strategito see how best to get on that trip in the morning using the standard queue. If you can't make the short wait, it might be worth it to pay for single entry, as the standard queue is one of the longest lines in the park! Guests who want to part with their company can also try riding alongSimple riderbut even the Single Rider line can be quite long on busy days. But usually it will be half the waiting time of the standard queue.

Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters

Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters is the second most popular attraction in Cars Land. The queue for this attraction goes past Luigi's Casa Della tire shop and leads you to ride in vehicles that move and spin to the variations of Italian music. This ride takes on a Halloween and Christmas theme when it is renamed Luigi's Honkin' Haul-O-Ween and Luigi's Joy to the Whirl. The music changes to Halloween and holiday themes during these seasonal times of the year, which will increase the popularity of the attractions.

The vehicles are introduced as Luigi's cousins ​​visiting Radiator Springs for a dance party. This is a really fun, trackless ride that spins you around quickly, but is gentle enough for small children and adults who don't enjoy thrill rides.

Maters Junkyard Jamboree

Mater's Junkyard Jamboree is a ride that whisks visitors around this Mater-themed junkyard to the tune of Mater's song. The vehicles are the tractors you see in the movie Cars, which are often depicted as cows when Mater and Lightning McQueen turn the tractor! Visitors sit in the back of the tractor as it tilts back and forth as it rotates in a figure eight pattern. This tour is so much fun and definitely underrated. This ride is so silly and funny, you'll be laughing until it's over.

Like Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters, this attraction takes on a Halloween and Christmas theme when it is renamed Mater's Graveyard JamBOOree and Mater's Jingle Jamboree. The music will change to Mater's versions of seasonal tunes during these different holiday themes. This is a popular style of ride that has since been replicated at many Disney parks around the world, most famously the Alien Swirling Saucers at Walt Disney World.

Cars Land "Sh-Boom" Lighting Moment

You must schedule time to see Cars Land during the day AND at night. The entire country is covered in illuminated signs and lights that bring the country to life when the sun goes down.

In fact, this transformation is so wonderful. Disney has even planned a moment for her that mimics the scene in the original Cars movie when Lightning McQueen sets up all the neon lights in Radiator Springs. Cars Land at night is the best way to see the land as all the neon lights highlight the immersive nature of the area! Plus, riding the Radiator Springs Racers at night and seeing all the outer mountains lit up is a great way to experience this attraction.

Every night right at sunset (check the Weather app to see when sunset is!) the lights in Cars Land come on to the tune of "Sh-Boom" from the movies.

The best place to look right now is in front of the Cozy Cone Motel or Flo's V8 Cafe. The "Sh-Boom" will occur about a minute or two after sunset. This is a quick moment, but still worth taking the time to watch!

Cars Country Dining

The food at Cars Land is all quick service options, meaning you don't need a dining reservation and all food options are free.

Cozy Cone Motel

Cozy Cone Motel is wonderfully themed after Sally's Cozy Cone Motel from the Cars movies. You will see cones larger than life with five large cones serving different food menus. Around the cones and the general area there is seating where guests can take their food and enjoy it.

The Cozy Cone Motel office in front of this area is not accessible to guests and serves as the setting for the car meet and greet. Cars that greet visitors here often include Lightning McQueen, Mater and Cruz Ramirez.

Flo's V8 Cafe

Flo's V8 Cafe offers the most dining options in Cars Land for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The food here is all about traditional American style. The theme of Flo's V8 Cafe is one of the best in the country with outdoor tables under the gas pumps and tables in the back of the restaurant overlooking the Radiator Springs Racers track. The interior of Flo's V8 Cafe is themed like a traditional diner with decor that pays tribute to the "Motorama Girls" story from the Cars books and displays the amazing Hudson Hornets Piston Cup titles.

Fan favorites here include the Ka-Cheeseburger with a 1/3-pound angus patty, Flo's famous fried chicken and the Impossible Burger. You'll find plenty of kid-friendly food here, including traditional classics like mac & cheese, small burgers, mashed potatoes and more.

Fillmore's Taste-In

Fillmore's Taste-In is a Quicks service stand where you can get quick snacks such as fresh fruit, vegetable snacks and chips along with a wide variety of beverages. This is a great place to grab a healthy snack if you need a break from heavy theme park food.

Cars Land Characters

You can meet different Disney Cars characters in Cars Land. These animatronic cars actually drive and talk! Kids will go crazy with these characters. Even though the son is now a teenager, he still gets excited every time he sees one of these Cars characters. The Cars movies had such an impact on popular children's movies, and these characters are fan favorites because of it.

Before entering Cars Land, there is a large Cars billboard at the entrance that changes seasonally, and sometimes there will be a non-animatronic car stationed there for photos.

Characters you can expect to see regularly include:

Lynette McQueen– foran Cozy Cone Motel

Mater– foran Cozy Cone Motel

Red– in front of the Cozy Cone Motel (this character is a little harder to find!)

cruz ramirez– foran Cozy Cone Motel

DJ– having a dance party at Cars Land, not always stopping to take pictures

Most characters meet and greet in front of the Cozy Cone Motel, and there is always a PhotoPass photographer stationed there. One way to beat the character mode lines in Cars Land is to check it outDisneyland appwhat time will the characters show up and line up BEFORE they get there. When guests see one of the cars outside the Cozy Cone, the line quickly forms.

You will also see characters wandering around the land at appropriate times. The DJ often throws little dance parties when he crosses by, which the kids love

Biler Land Disneyland Halloween

Cars Land gets the best seasonal decorations at California Adventure. Halloween is especially great with details all over the country. If you are visitingDisneyland under Halloween, taking some time to explore Cars Land should be at the top of your list.

In addition to Halloween-themed decorations, you can also see Disney Cars characters dressed in Halloween costumes:

• Lightning McQueen - Super Hero
• Mater- Vampire
• Red Clown
• Cruz Ramirez - Pirate
• DJ- Punk Rocker

You'll see most of these meet and greets during the Halloween Ticket Party,Oogie Boogie Bash, as Disney wants more than one car out at a time in their Halloween costumes. This is a great opportunity to meet those with shorter lines and pose for pictures.

You can also expect to see the board at the entrance to Cars Land created for the Halloween season with a picture. This is one of my favorite places to take photos in Cars Land.

Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters transform into Luigi's Honkin' Haul-O-Ween with dance music and the theme changes to a kid-friendly Halloween theme.

Mater's Junkyard Jamboree turns into Mater's Graveyard JamBOOree in a style similar to Luigi's with music and Halloween themes replacing the original soundtrack.

You will see drive times increase slightly for these two routes due to these Halloween themes. Halloween at Disneyland can be busy, so be sure to read ourguide to Disneyland crowdsplan when you will come.

Cars Land Disneyland Christmas

Like Halloween, Cars Land gets a top coat for the holiday season with holiday lights across the country and holiday overlays. If you are visitingDisneyland during the holidays, taking some time to stroll through Cars Land is a must-do activity.

You can expect to see Mater in his Santa outfit at certain times of the day in honor of the season. This is a popular meet and greet, so plan to be quick if you spot him! There will also be plenty of little details around the country to look for, like all the holiday-themed car "movie posters."

Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters becomes Luigi's Joy to the Whirl with the dance music and theme changing to a holiday theme. Mater's Junkyard Jamboree transforms into Mater's Jingle Jamboree in a style similar to Luigi's with Christmas music and themes replacing the original soundtrack.

Cars Land is the best area in California Adventure, although some may argue thatnyere Avengers Campuscan be close and has been the turning point of improvements for the park since it first opened. Even if you are not a fan of the Cars movies, you should spend some time in this country during your visit.

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