| Sun Wheel | |
 | |
| Disney California Adventure Park | |
| Land | Paradise Pier |
| Designer | Walt Disney Imagineering Waagner Biro |
| Attraction type | Ferris wheel |
| Opening date | February 8, 2001 |
| Closing date | October 14, 2008 |
| Vehicle type | Gondola |
| Vehicle capacity | 6 |
| Ride duration | 9:00 minutes |
| Total height | 160 ft (48.8 m) |
| Replaced by | Mickey's Fun Wheel |
The Sun Wheel was a Ferris wheel that operated at Disney California Adventure. The attraction, which opened with the park on February 8, 2001, was one of the several Paradise Pier attractions that received an upgrade (aka refurbishment) for the park's billion-dollar expansion.
Ride history[]
The Sun Wheel first opened with Disney California Adventure on February 8, 2001. The attraction followed in the footsteps of classic Boardwalk Ferris wheels before it (mainly Coney Island's 1927 Wonder Wheel). The attraction was mostly famous for the humongous sun face in the center of the wheel (the sun, of course, has now been replaced with Mickey's head).
On October 14, 2008, the Sun Wheel closed for the park's billion-dollar expansion that commenced in 2008 and culminated in 2012. It was announced that the Sun Wheel would be rethemed into Mickey's Fun Wheel to embrace and bring more of the classic Disney characters to the theme parks.
After several months of construction, the refurbished Sun Wheel reopened as Mickey's Fun Wheel on May 8, 2009.
Ride synopsis[]
The ride takes riders nine minutes up in the air above Paradise Bay and Disneyland Resort. Sixteen of the twenty-four gondolas (now decorated with faces either of Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto, and Goofy) rock back and forth (the swinging gondolas), while the other eight (the non-rocking gondolas) are on the edges of the wheel and do not rock. Due to the ride's very unstableness, barf bags are provided in each gondola.
Photo Gallery[]
