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Four-D glasses on? Check. Seatbelts fastened? Check. Pop-guns primed? Check. The competition begins—now. Our car swoops us through the doors and into a carnival midway fantasyland inspired by Disney-Pixar’s Toy Story films. Woody, Buzz, Rex and other Toy Story characters populate the alternate universe of Toy Story Mania, where a pull of our spring-action shooters hurls virtual projectiles—balls, rings and darts—at plates, cows and balloons, racking up points. My teenage daughter’s technique: rapid-fire repetition. Mine: Aim, then shoot. Our scores? Kirsten’s, 98,000; mine, a measly 37,000. But who’s counting? The sheer fast-paced exhilaration of the competition—and the over-the-top special effects make the ride itself the real winner.

Toy Story Mania, in Disney’s California Adventure, is a perfect example of the type of attractions Disney is renowned for: multi-dimensional interactive experiences produced by high-tech wizardry. For sheer technicality and a high-impact “awe” factor, though, nothing will be able to touch Disney’s newest venture, The World of Color, opening this summer.

Paradise Bay, the central lagoon in Disney’s California Adventure Park, is the setting for a nightly extravaganza of light, animation, water and music that weaves a new tale, told through the antics of numerous Disney characters. The stars of this water show-on-steroids, though, are 1,200 powerful programmable water fountains on a nearly one-acre superstructure that rises from beneath the water to create never-before-seen visual effects. The fountains can spout in heights from 30 feet to 200 feet and nearly dance, with a plethora of unusual movements. Imagine a waterfall projected onto a water screen, with the projected “water” bubbling up in a pathway of fountains that rushes right up to the audience.

Disney is pouring resources—more than $1 billion over several years—into bold new attractions in Disney’s California Adventures, including an entire new section of the park—originally a parking lot—that will become, appropriately, Cars Land, opening in 2012 with three new attractions, based on Disney-Pixar’s movie Cars. Next year, The Little Mermaid—Ariel’s Undersea Adventure will open in California Adventure; the ride will transport visitors “under the sea” to experience life from a mermaid’s point of view. This summer Silly Symphony Swings, alongside the lagoon, will open; it’s a combination of a classic swing ride with a background story: Mickey Mouse will conduct a barnyard orchestra during a “twister” as swing riders go airborne.

Next door, Disneyland also features a number of new rides and attractions, including some re-engineered classics. Among these are an incredibly lifelike “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” and a “deep-sea” journey, the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage.

I’m continually amazed at how many of the park’s offerings appeal to teens and adults, even those one might think are for kidlets. Dusk is falling at Disneyland as Kirsten and I approach the newly fashioned Pixie Hollow. Fireflies glint in trees embracing a lush, waterfall-fed creek. “Mom, look! … Fairy houses just like I used to build.” Sure enough, tiny stick-and-leaf houses are grouped in small villages, and there are the fairies of Kirsten’s youthful imagination come to life, hovering over the stream and resting in mossy alcoves.

In our old favorite, Soarin’ over California, Kirsten and I have our own “wings” as we’re strapped into a hang glider simulator and sent on a scenic tour of the Golden State. Soaring over surfers, I reflexively lift my feet to clear the virtual waves dashing toward us when I hear a peal of laughter from beside me. “This is the most epic ride ever!” Kirsten crows. A sentiment that’s true of dozens of Disneyland experiences.

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