The ambitious transformation of an outdoor food court inspired by a California Central Coast fishing village into the fantasy city of San Fransokyo is finally underway at Disney California Adventure.
Work has started at Disney California Adventure to reimagine Pacific Wharf into San Fransokyo from Disney’s “Big Hero 6” animated film, according to Disneyland officials.
“Pacific Wharf in Disney California Adventure park will be reimagined to San Fransokyo from ‘Big Hero 6’ as a place where East meets West and technology meets tradition,” according to Disneyland officials.
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San Fransokyo served as the central location in the 2014 Disney animated film drawing upon inspirations from San Francisco and Tokyo to create the fictional metropolis.
Concept art of DCA’s Pacific Wharf makeover shows a towering version of San Fransokyo’s Shinto shrine-inspired Golden Gate bridge spanning the waterway bordering the outdoor dining area. The “Big Hero 6” Torii Gate Bridge recalls the scaled-down version of the Golden Gate Bridge that once marked DCA’s entryway until an extensive renovation of the park a decade ago.
The Pacific Wharf renovation will require Walt Disney Imagineering to turn the Monterey Bay-themed land into an architectural cross between the San Francisco Bay and Tokyo Bay areas.
DCA’s Pacific Wharf area is themed as tribute to the Monterey fishing port on the California Central Coast. The “Big Hero 6” city of San Fransokyo is a visual mash-up of both cities featuring distinctive Japanese and American architecture.
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Visitors will be able to pose for photos in DCA’s San Fransokyo with Baymax, the inflatable healthcare robot from the film. Baymax will also fly over Sleeping Beauty Castle during the new “Wondrous Journeys” fireworks show debuting at Disneyland on Jan. 27.
Reimagining the Pacific Wharf food court — which remains largely unchanged since DCA opened in 2001 — will infuse the land with more Disney storytelling and characters while also serving as a base for DCA’s annual Lunar New Year food festival.
The DCA food court is currently home to Pacific Wharf Cafe, Lucky Fortune Cookery, Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill, Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop, Rita’s Baja Blenders margarita stand, Pacific Wharf Distribution Co. beer truck and the Bakery Tour walk-through attraction.
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