Embarcadero Bay, now beginning its construction phases, will be the newest land at Disney’s California Adventure. Built entirely from scratch, the land is an amalgamation of stories and adventures inspired by the real-life seaside California city of San Francisco. Its rich story contributes to a new version of San Francisco- this being San Fransokyo, a portmanteau of San Francisco and Tokyo, which was first seen in the Academy-Award-winning animated Disney movie, Big Hero 6. You’ll be able to step into the shoes of Hiro and Baymax and explore the new land pulled right from the movie- namely the Embarcadero Bay district of the city, with the rest of the city off-screen. However, there’s a twist- the land is also a revival of the long-lost San-Francisco inspired Discovery Bay, where the characters from Disney;s S.E.A. lore fuses with that of Big Hero 6, into an entirely new story…

Story

In 1849, the gold rush was at its height, and people flocked to the Big Thunder Region to have their own chance at the idea of riches- from gold. Big Thunder Mountain was rumored to hold a motherload of gold in the heart of the mountain, and the reality became true when a young inventor named Jason Chandler invented a powerful drilling machine that could bore into its heart. With it, he managed to save 26 miners who happened to be  stuck in the mountain, but when an accident happened, the inventor was locked inside its caves, encased inside a living tomb, with no way of escape. Yet unknown to everyone else, Jason Chandler survived the incident, but knowing the wealth of gold could easily be abused, chose to use the gold to fund research for any inventor whose odd ideas had been turned down by everyone else. He established a new home on the California coast, later San Francisco, called Discovery Bay. Of course, it didn’t take long for the mysterious and optimistic city to take word, and soon, thousands of other Americans flocked to the city, burying the secret Society of Explorers and Adventurers into its lore, forcing them to move into a much more covert Discovery Glacier (coming soon to Disneyland). Many Japanese immigrants also traveled here during the late 1800s, which gave the land both a boom in population and innovation. But history was changed when the 1906 earthquake struck the land and caused unspeakable devastation. What many did not know was that the earthquake was caused by none other than the renowned artist and S.E.A. member Lenore Shimamoto. Shimamoto was finishing an ambitious project—an energy amplifier—that she created as a revolutionary power source, but the effects yielded a massive star that created the disaster known as the "Great Catastrophe". Filled with guilt, Shimamoto hid her work away praying that no one would find it and continue her research. The events of the earthquake, ironically, inspired the city to be reborn, for San Francisco was rebuilt by the Japanese immigrants using techniques that allowed movement and flexibility in a seismic event. After the city was finished being rebuilt, it was renamed San Fransokyo due to it being a city made greater than it was before from Japanese and American architecture combined. Eventually, many of the Society’s members would return to the city, but this time helping found two rival schools, San Fransokyo Institute of Technology and the San Fransokyo Art Institute.

Entrances

It’s time to explore the new land yourself because Disney’s dedicated story and lore have jumped off the pages right into Disney’s California Adventure, with Embarcadero Bay (note that Embarcadero is a Spanish word for pier, wharf, or landing place). There are 7 entrances you can take to enter the land- from the far end of Fantasia Pier, the entrance of Fantasia Pier, a highway tunnel from Grizzly Peak, an entranceway near Maker’s Market (exclusive to hotel guests),  an opening from Radiator Springs, another small path from the Springs,  and finally, most prominently, the Torii Gate Bridge. This new bridge is probably the best ever bridge to grace the park, which already once had not 1, but 2 squashed and misshapen Golden Gate Bridges. The Torii Gate Bridge is plucked straight from the movie, with accurate proportions and a much bigger size, due to being carved out from the winery and its path. The bridge is accessible from the Stark Valley/Buena Vista Street road (and yes, a new winery has been constructed to be a part of Buena Vista Street), and is extremely photogenic. 

It’s a really long land, which explains all the entrances, but the main reason for that is because Embarcadero Bay just so happens to be that the land is split into neighborhoods….

The Neighborhoods of the District

Disney, in its newest lands, has recently coined the term of “Neighborhoods,” or sections of land that make up lands, also known as a sub-land. This infamous word was the laughingstock when Disney claimed its appearance in the late Pixar Pier, which explained why the area was so disjointed- there was a “neighborhood” for a contemporary Incredibles setting, a tacky giant Toy Story “neighborhood” for a giant toy setting, even a neighborhood for Inside Out- literally one flat ride and a shop, all breaking apart Pixar Pier. This wouldn’t be the same for Embarcadero Bay, because all of the lands are interconnected and help define what San Fransokyo is…