Ah... A topic near and dear to me!
I'm very interested to see how the DCA placemaking planning works out, and probably won't bother going back to the Disneyland Resort until it's completed.
The best news I've heard so far is the rennovation of the plaza to a Craftsman motif and transportation hub. The idea of taking a limo to the Hollywood Backlot, a trolly to Paradise Pier and a tourbus to the Golden State has the same kind of appeal, to me, as the Main St. vehicles (which I make a point to ride ^_Q ). About the only thing I don't think they should change about it is the train station storefront to the right as you come in, since it accents the transportation hub theme, and the Golden Gate Bridge replica.
It'd be interesting to see how retheming Paradise Pier goes, but the fundamental flaw of that area has nothing to do with theme. It's the fact that the rides are your average carnival amusement rides that you can ride anywhere and don't do much for you unless you're really into roller coasters and ferris wheels. The pier amusement park theme is fine... I got it... it's just that those don't do much for me to begin with.
I wonder how they'd manage even giving it a Victorian theme while still theming all the rides to Pixar films. Part of what makes Main St. USA (and, for that matter, Adventureland and Frontierland) is that it's pretty strict on keeping the overtly Disney stuff to a minimum. If there is anything that recalls those franchises, then it blends in. But I'm not sure how one would make Pixar characters blend into a Victorian setting.
If I had my druthers, I'd probably forego the Victorian theming on Paradise Pier and just sacrifice the thing to Pixar. Instead, I'd take down A Bug's Land, extend back that harbour area and resurrect Discovery Bay there. Not only could that add some E-tickets (if they imported, say, Journey to the Centre of the Earth and 20,000 Leagues from Tokyo in addition to Mysteries of the Nautilus from Paris), but it would reinforce the California theme with a San Francisco Bay area. If there must be a Cars part, rip down some stuff to place it at the west end of Paradise Pier, keeping a Route 66 theme going (since it is the only Pixar movie that does reinforce the park theme with it's "great American road trip" deal). And then I'd reinforce the Grizzly Peak area by bringing in the Country Bear Jamboree, hitting up some more 1920/30's US National Parks motifs, and maybe using ol' Humphrey the Bear and Ranger Woodlore as mascots.
But that's just me, and I don't work for Disney, so there ya' go.
