News broke today that the Red Car Trolley in Disney California Adventure will close in 2025 to make way for Avengers Campus construction. This comes on the heels of two new attractions announced for the area at the D23 Expo earlier this month. In this post, we’ll share our thoughts on the Red Car Trolley closing as well as what this could mean for the rest of Hollywood Land.

For those unfamiliar, Red Car Trolley is exactly what it sounds like. Running from Buena Vista Street, near the entrance turnstiles, the Trolley stops at several locations before the last stop that’s in between the Hyperion and Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! The transportation is California Adventure’s version of a Main Street Vehicle. While not overly efficient as far as getting guests any place quicker, it adds to the atmosphere and theme of Hollywood Land.

Like the Main Street Vehicles, I’d guess that 99% of guests at DCA don’t ride the Red Car Trolley. The capacity is not high and, again, it’s not the most efficient service. People are racing off to different attractions! But there is a warmth to the ride and the Cast Members usually fire off a few good jokes while on it. I also like the bright red, especially as it moves past the white Carthay Circle. In short, it fits the park well even if it’s overlooked!

Why the change then? With additions coming to California Adventure, this move was inevitable. The barn where they store the trolley(s) is in the expansion pad for the new Avengers Infinity Defense attraction. Theoretically, they could move the storage in the future but I would not expect that. This news seems fairy definitive – the end of Red Car Trolley’s rides throughout Hollywood Land is close.

While I enjoy the attraction and always advocate for expansion over replacing, this doesn’t quite fill those qualifications. Comparing the addition of this Avengers ride to the loss of Red Car Trolley isn’t even apples and oranges, it’s more likes apples to a single blueberry. I might like a blueberry more but you’ve gotta take the apples to feed everyone! Even though the trolley is technically a ride, I view it more as entertainment to enhance the atmosphere. It does that successfully! But the amount of people that notice it is relatively small. Heck, I bet more people notice it when the trolley is about to run them over than people that consider riding it.

Similarly, I do think the Red Car Trolley helps the aesthetic but not dramatically. After being so vocal (or the writing version of vocal?) over my frustration with the pending loss of Tom Sawyer Island and Rivers of America in Magic Kingdom, I had to question myself when my reaction to this news was more “that’s too bad but it makes sense.” In this instance, the Red Car Trolley loss doesn’t hold the history of the Magic Kingdom attractions. On top of that, this transportation is a small piece of the puzzle that makes DCA’s park entrance work. Tom Sawyer Island and Rivers of America is the puzzle.

To go back to the Main Street Vehicle comparison, they’re basically getting rid of the vehicles. They aren’t getting rid of Main Street. If the Red Car Trolley is gone for good, I’d like to see Disney add a different vehicle going up and down Buena Vista Street to fill the void. They’ve done this in the past and it would add some character to the spot that might be missing.

Looking toward the future, projecting what this move means would be all conjecture. This move is almost assuredly about Avengers Infinity Defense, not about Stark Flight Lab. I have next to no idea where that new attraction will go or how big of a footprint it will take up. Conceivably, it could also be in this space. Without any conjecture, it’s good news that the construction is starting by 2025.

So far, there’s no other news about Hollywood Land but it feels like just a matter of time. Whether Avatar takes over the area or Avengers Campus extends down to that space, I don’t think anything is safe in that land. That’s true of both the Hyperion Theater and the Animation Building. The latter would be a much bigger loss at this point because it’s the one in constant use but giving up on having a great space for shows would also be a downer. California Adventure is going to change and do so rapidly, with today’s news being the first domino.

I go back and forth on what I’d like to see done here. Admittedly, that area of the park has some massive issues. Having said that, I’d be happy to see the Animation Building, the Hyperion, Award Wieners and Schmoozies continue on. Keeping that street while repurposing the area with Monsters Inc and the outdoor theater seems feasible. Maybe not likely, but at least feasible.

On the other hand, restarting from scratch in that quadrant of the park wouldn’t be the worst idea. As California Adventure has moved away from the theme of, well, California, there’s less cohesion than ever. I wouldn’t be against renaming the park and having Avatar and Avengers take over that left side before Cars Land. It would be a very movie focused park but that’s kind of what it’s already shifted to.

Whatever the change is, we’ll have some minor sacrifices like Red Car Trolley along the way. I’d be especially sad to see the Animation Academy go, as that’s always been a personal favorite of ours. But change is a-comin’. With the park having lost some thematic luster, I’m eager to see what’s next instead of being overly disappointed in what’s being replaced.

What do you think of the news? Let us know, along with any questions you might have, in the comments below! Planning a trip to Disneyland? Check out our Planning Guide here. Looking for discount tickets? Check out this site! If you enjoy what you are reading here on Wandering in Disney please share this post with your friends, as well as like our social media pages. You can also subscribe to the blog via WordPress or email. All of those links are on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate it!