When Walt Disney unveiled Disneyland to an expectant public on July 17, 1955, he opened the door to a whole new way of having fun. Amusement parks up until that point had been mostly seedy, dirty, unimaginative and crude. Furthermore, the number of operating parks throughout the country had dipped down to a level of near-extinction before good ol' Uncle Walt decided that families needed a clean, pleasant and fanciful park that would do away with surly thrill ride operators and less-than-immaculate grounds once and for all. This particular ephiphany came to him while sitting at Beverlywood amusement park, a long-dead entertainment spot near West Hollywood, waiting for his daughters to disembark from the quaint merry-go-round that served as the park's centerpiece.

The idea of a "theme park" was not a foriegn concept back in the mid-50's - nearby Knott's Berry Farm had been offering up a bounty of themed thrills since 1920 and a handful of parks across the United States had embraced the concept of providing cleaner facilities and a better quality experience. But Walt's vision went above and beyond the call of duty, resulting in a legacy of entertainment that has given us not only the original Disneyland but The Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney-MGM Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom in Florida; Disneyland Paris, Tokyo Disneyland and its neighbor Disney Sea. These parks have flourished due to the lovingly creative insight of those daring men and women known as Imagineers.

Pushing the envelope in spell-binding ways, the Imagineers have wrought miracles out of technology throughout the years, breaking new ground with every insistent step, buoyed by the support of a company that put very confident stock in their creations. Sadly in recent times, an emphasis on the "bottom line" has stifled the voices of those itinerant workers on Flower Street in Glendale, California -- the main heart pulse of Disney's theme park machine. With increasing frequency, the Imagineers have seen their dreams and designs fall prey to cost-cutting measures, staff layoffs and a cynical downsizing trend. Yet, the tourists still flock to the various gates each year, making Disney the most profitable theme park company (among other things) of all time.

With the company's latest theme park venture comes the low-water mark. Disney's California Adventure is a controversial new addition to the chain that dubiously stands as the first blatant example of ruinous money-hoarding and executive meddling. Originally planned as a west coast sister to Florida's Epcot, DCA is a tribute to my great home state of California -- in itself a curious choice for an entire park theme. The project found itself mired in costly red tape throughout its development with tumultuous civic dealings and a serious case of "too many cooks." Though its original design promised much, the corner-cutting involved in the gestation of the park took most of the magic away. When it opened earlier this year, Disney CEO Michael Eisner reportedly sucked up to stockholders promising that the highly-touted "second gate" at the newly crowned Disneyland Resort would more than pull its own weight. Public response has been lukewarm, however, and the original Disneyland park continues to outdraw the newest jewel in the crown.

Now, I'm as big a Disney fan as you'll find anywhere and it gives me no real pleasure to submit a lukewarm review of a brand new playground from The Mouse. The park is pleasant enough. It's just that not everyone who visits DCA will know the full story of why it shapes up to be so underwhelming in the general sense. Disney set the standard by which so many theme parks are currently judged and it's a hell-fired shame that they now seem content to deliver something so close to average. Having said that, I will remark that DCA has its share of surprises, beauty and terrific imaginative overdrive. Too bad it also contains shameless bureaucracy, cheap carnival tactics and a shortsighted vision of what's supposedly its main theme: the golden state of California.

The park is divided into four main themed areas that harbor little incorporated sites of discovery. Sunshine Plaza is the main entry corridor, mainly gift shops and eye-candy like the stylized replica of the Golden Gate Bridge that the monorail slyly slips through or the beautiful 50-foot sun that looks like it would be equally at home in an updated version of It's A Small World. The redundantly-monikered Golden State area is broken up into six "districts" that basically serve as the Epcot portion of your journey: it's educational. Like a mini-version of Disney's popular studio theme park, the Hollywood Pictures Backlot seems half-baked which leaves the action-packed Paradise Pier as your best bet for curing a good case of the yawns.

There are some great attractions here, unfortunately the park is mostly comprised of off-the-shelf carnival rides and re-hashed attractions from other Disney theme parks, thereby robbing the property of many unique characteristics. The Maliboomer drop ride is a stock S&S Power creation; It's Tough To Be A Bug and Muppet Vision 3-D are both transplanted shows from Florida and though the Grizzly River Run attraction is exciting and full of fun twists, it's hardly ground-breaking like a Twilight Zone Tower Of Terror. Not even the talented Whoopi Goldberg can save the Golden Dreams tribute to California, a 70mm film presentation accented with Audio-Animatronics. The real stinker in the park is Superstar Limo, a lackluster dark ride that is a thinly veiled advertisement for ABC, the Disney-owned network. Where the park does succeed is with gems like Soarin' Over California, which employs a state-of-the-art simulator system and specially produced ride film to give audiences the breathless feeling of flight. The Sun Wheel is a loving nod to the old Coney Island Wonder Wheel and is one of the few ferris wheels out there that is both relaxing and terrifying. The Disney Animation tour is a sure-fire interest-keeper and there are also two fine rollercoasters, California Screamin' and Mulholland Madness, which became our main interests on this stop.

All in all, we enjoyed Disney's California Adventure but couldn't help feeling a little let-down. Not that it's the fault of the Imagineers. Their brilliant concepts were thrown out the window by Eisner and Walt Disney Parks President Paul Pressler in an effort to get the most bang out of less bucks. The result is still above par for the industry, but nowhere near the past magnificence of Disney magic.