Disney California Adventure at Disneyland Resort is expanding in the coming year with several new additions, including a new attraction based on Coco. This family-friendly boat ride is one of several major developments in progress at the park, in addition to an expansion of Avengers Campus and a new land based on Avatar. As Disney works on these expansions, guests may notice some differences in the park.
As the ongoing puzzle pieces of theme park construction fall into place, changes are already being implemented at Disney California Adventure. We have details on a recent demolition and what may be next for this corner of the park. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including Disneyland ticket price increases expected soon and a surprise flash sale on Disney theme park tickets.
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Demolition In Area Near Disneyland’s Future Coco Ride
Disney California Adventure’s future Coco ride will be located in what was formerly a backstage area behind Incredicoaster.
The closest existing restrooms to the future Coco ride are near Paradise Garden Grill, next to Goofy’s Sky School. The next-closest are next to Jessie’s Critter Carousel and near the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail, both quite a distance away.
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The Paradise Garden Grill restrooms were built to meet the needs of a quick service restaurant, not a major ride. However, they’ll soon need to be able to accommodate the heavy traffic that comes with any popular new attraction.
This brings us to a recent change in the area. The large gazebo in Paradise Gardens has been demolished, and around it, Coco-themed construction walls have gone up. This gazebo has a long history with Disney California Adventure, which we’ll share below, but has most recently been used for character greetings during special events and additional seating for the adjacent quick service restaurant.
Disney cast members are telling guests that the gazebo was demolished so that Disney can expand the nearby restrooms, according to WDWNT. For the reasons we laid out above, this makes sense.
@wondrousjourneys_ on Instagram captured video of the gazebo’s demolition:
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The gazebo began its long life as Santa Rosa Seed and Supply, a sheltered gift shop in the park’s Bountiful Valley Farm area. It later became P.T. Flea Market as part of A Bug’s Land before being relocated to its final spot at Paradise Garden Grill in 2010, as chronicled by Yesterland.
Incidentally, a new dining kiosk is under construction elsewhere in the park, to be named Bountiful Valley Brews as a tribute to that defunct area.
In recent years, the Paradise Garden Grill gazebo has often been used as a character meet-and-greet location. We met Mirabel here shortly after Encanto was released. The spot has frequently been utilized for characters meeting as part of special events, such as Pixar Fest, Lunar New Year, Celebrate Soulfully, or Plaza de la Familia. We hope Disney will find a new home for these greetings rather than eliminate them in future events.
Speaking of Plaza de la Familia, the rest of the Día de Muertos celebration continues throughout Paradise Gardens Park despite the nearby demolition. Guests can enjoy Coco-themed live entertainment and food during this event, happening now through November 2, 2026.
The annual popularity of the Plaza de la Familia celebration and its proximity to the future Coco ride begs the question of whether the area will become permanently themed to Coco when the attraction opens, potentially including year-round Coco-inspired offerings at Paradise Garden Grill and Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta or complete reimaginings of those locations altogether. However, this idea remains hypothetical for now, and Disney has not announced such changes.
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The Coco attraction will be a family-friendly boat ride with no height requirement, so guests of all ages will be able to ride it. Guests will join Miguel and his family as they remember some of their most cherished memories, including Miguel’s voyage to the Land of the Dead.
Disney has not announced a name or an opening date for the ride. Mickey Visit predicts it will open in 2029.
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