The Disneyland Resort will recreate a famous moment in California history in 2025.
At the D23 event earlier this month, Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D'Amaro confirmed that construction will start next year on the long-awaited new Avengers ride at Disney California Adventure's Avengers Campus. To be called "Avengers Infinity Defense," this motion-base dark ride will be an adventure through the multiverse as the Avengers battle King Thanos.
But before that can happen, Disneyland must recreate a moment from Southern California history. It has to kill the Red Cars.
Themed to the Pacific Electric Railway cars that carried passengers throughout Southern California in the early 20th century, the Disney California Adventure Red Car Trolley runs from Buena Vista Street through Hollywood Land to a storage and turnaround barn behind Avengers Campus. But that is where construction of the new Avengers ride will begin next year, so now Disneyland is confirming that the Red Cars will have to be removed.
"Construction requires the removal of the backstage Red Car Trolley barn and, as such, we will discontinue operation of the attraction in early 2025 and will share a specific date later this winter," a Disneyland spokesperson confirmed to several media outlets today.
At their peak, the real-life Red Cars ran from Redlands to Santa Monica and Newport Beach to San Fernando - far exceeding the reach of today's expanding Metro light rail network. Heck, the median running down the middle of the street I live on used to be a Pacific Electric Railway Company Red Car track. The demise of the Red Cars even drove the plot of one of Disney's best movies ever (IMHO), "Who Framed Roger Rabbit."
DCA's Red Car attraction honored that history, and soon - ironically - will repeat it.
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Just more "California" being stripped from this park, what's new?
Disney’s Cinematic Adventure
Having visited Disneyland and California Adventure for the first and probably only time this April I have to confess I couldn't really see the point of the trolley cars. They looked cute for sure but as a ride they didn't really go anywhere, they were painfully slow and nearly always mostly empty. I'd rate them as one of those things that seemed lie a good idea but in practice didn't really add anything much to the overall park experience. I'd suggest leaving one or two of them as a static display, maybe turn them into a fast-food kiosk, but I wouldn't mourn their loss.
Visited last year and they did seem an unusual sight so frankly surprised lasted so long.
David, I think the point of the Red Car Trolley's was just to help build park atmosphere. I saw them the same way as I do the Main Street horse carriages. Pointless to ride, but a big part of ambience.
What James said!
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If Disney had any sense of irony, they'd have Judge Doom come out to close the trolley on its last day.