ANAHEIM, Calif. — The twin towers of San Fransokyo’s Shinto shrine-inspired Golden Gate Bridge are being installed as Disneyland continues the transformation of the Pacific Wharf dining area into a tribute to the “Big Hero 6” film.
The bridge spanning the waterway bordering the outdoor dining area at Disney California Adventure will close on Monday to add the distinctive Torii Gate Bridge towers depicted in the 2014 Disney animated film. The bridge is expected to reopen in the next few weeks after work is completed.
Work is expected to continue through mid-August on the overall transformation of Pacific Wharf into San Fransokyo Square.
Big Hero 6-themed menu items will begin rolling out in the transformed Pacific Wharf eateries starting in mid-July. The reimagined Boudin Bakery will pay homage to the Lucky Cat Cafe run by Aunt Cass in “Big Hero 6” with a few new items added to the existing menu of Boudin bread bowls. The Boudin Bakery walk-through tour will remain as an attraction.
Rita’s Baja Blenders will be turned into Rita’s Turbine Blenders with a wind turbine on the roof that looks like a giant koi fish. The drink booth will still serve margaritas and other frozen beverages.
The names of the Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill and Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop won’t change — but new items will be added to the menus.
The Karl Strauss beer truck that has remained parked in Pacific Wharf for decades will be removed to make room for a Baymax meet-and-greet location. A Port of San Fransokyo Cerveceria beer garden will open next to Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill.
Visitors will be able to pose for photos in DCA’s San Fransokyo with Hiro Hamada and Baymax, the adolescent hero from the film and his inflatable healthcare robot sidekick.
A new San Fransokyo Makers Market retail shop will be decorated with decommissioned battlebots from the film along with a Megabot in the rafters.
San Fransokyo served as the central location in the 2014 Disney animated film drawing upon inspirations from both cities to create the fictional metropolis.
The transformation 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 mash-up of San Francisco and Tokyo featuring distinctive Japanese and American architecture.
Reimagining the Pacific Wharf food court — which remains largely unchanged since DCA opened in 2001 — is intended to infuse the land with more Disney storytelling and characters.
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.
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