Over the weekend the Magical Days with the Mouse family spent an afternoon at El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, to see the latest Cars 2 film in Disney Digital 3D™ and RealD™ 3D and experience the exclusive outdoor World Grand Prix Attraction presented by Kodak.
The El Capitan Theatre has always been my favorite place to see the latest Disney/Pixar films, so much so that I think it's worth the drive from Orange County to Hollywood because of their exclusive events.
When I heard that they were having an outdoor experience following the new Cars 2 film, I knew I had to take my son who is a huge Cars fan.
Once the film ends, you take a short walk around the back of the theatre to the 25,000 square-foot attraction. This is included in the purchase of your ticket, and you must wear a wristband that they give you once entering the theatre, to gain access to this outdoor attraction.
Right away you are greeted with Lighting McQueen (we will come back to him later) and Mater.
Which direction will you go?
To the left, you can try your hand at Rockin Race Alley. There is a Lego table set up to build your own race car, and then you climb up to the top of Rockin Race Alley to race your car. For Lego fans there is an impressive Lego Lightning McQueen for you to enjoy. We always get a kick out of seeing characters made with Legos.
Straight ahead you'll find Good Year Tiretown.
This was a huge hit with my son, who had fun climbing, crawling, and swinging on tires. There is also a game where you try to shoot balls into tires hanging on a tire wall.
Climb a pyramid of tires or sit inside this giant tire. When will you ever see a tire this big again?
Tokyo Tower is a large slide, but you must be at least 42" tall to go down it. You can give it a bounce with the Eiffel Tower Bungee Jump or play the latest Cars game on XBox360.
Here at this Kodak photo tent, you can choose between four scenes in the movie to have your picture taken with.
They have you stand in front of a green screen, take your picture, and then they give you a card with instructions to download your photo for free at home.
One thing I love to do at Disneyland is get character photos with my son, so seeing Finn McMissile was a highlight for me. You'll find him parked out front of Big Bentley and the Carliament.
Inside the Carliament are several international cars on display including a Pacer just like in the film.
Off in the corner the World Grand Prix awaits for you to race around the Porto Corsa racetrack.
All of the vehicles are pedal powdered.
Once you're done racing, head over to the Radiator Springs Paint and Body Shop. Here there are many crafts including a visor for you to make and decorate, build a paper model of Lightning McQueen, and color several sheets with your favorite Cars characters including Mater and Finn McMissile.
They even have a real car on display for you to paint. I may have left a hidden mickey on one of the windows.
There are plenty of spots for photo opts including this Radiator Springs sign and Eiffel Tower.
Plenty of snacks for you to buy too if you get hungry.
Before you head out, the Auto Shop has all the latest Cars games, die-cast cars, clothing and more for you to buy.
Lighting McQueen will be the first car to greet you when entering the Cars 2 World Grand Prix Attraction. My tip for you is to wait and get your picture with him last. When we first entered there was a pretty good size group of people waiting to get their picture with him. We decided to see everything else first, and on our way out he was parked there all alone waiting for us to take a picture with. KaChow!
So what do you think? Does the Cars 2 World Grand Prix Attraction look like fun for your family too? Here are the details for you to have a racin good time with your family too:
Cars 2 will screen daily at 10:00 a.m., 1 p.m., 4:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m. and 9:45 p.m.
The Cars 2 World Grand Prix Attraction is open June 24-Aug. 28, 2011, following every showing of Cars 2. The World Grand Prix Attraction is included in the ticket price of the movie.
Tickets can be purchased at the El Capitan box office (6838 Hollywood Blvd.), online at www.elcapitantickets.com , or by calling 1-800-DISNEY6. Special group-rate tickets for parties of 20 or more are available by calling 1-818-845-3110.
