Miniland (California)
Miniland (California) (also known as Miniland USA) is a main attraction at LEGOLAND California. It consists of LEGO-built models of various citys and landmarks, and is located more or less at the heart of the park.
Areas[edit | edit source]
- Las Vegas
Las Vegas is a major area that was added to Miniland in the late 2000s'.
This is a description taken from LEGO.com. Please do not modify it.
Don't miss our largest Miniland expansion ever - the fabulous Las Vegas Strip made entirely out of LEGO® brick, including ten different hotel properties chosen for their unique architectural style.
The hotels featured are the Luxor Las Vegas, New York, New York Hotel and Casino, Excalibur, Mirage, Treasure Island, Tropicana, MGM Grand, Venetian, Stratosphere tower and two iconic structures of Paris Las Vegas, the balloon sign and Eiffel Tower. “The Strip” at LEGOLAND also features a miniature wedding chapel, monorails and real life sounds recorded in Las Vegas.
What to look for: Miniland Las Vegas features a variety of whimsical and animated models that replicate scenes found in the actual city such as the battle of pirate ships in front of Treasure Island. Interactive features include an exploding volcano in front of the Mirage, fireboats squirting water in front of the New York, New York, and working versions of the thrill rides at the top of the Stratosphere.
- Star Wars
The Star Wars area was added to Miniland in 2011. It contains replicas of various scenes and locations from the Star Wars movies.
This is a description taken from LEGO.com. Please do not modify it.
Guests can enjoy seven of the most famous scenes from the six live-action Star Wars movies, as well as a scene from the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars™ all made out of 1.5 million LEGO® bricks built in 1:20 scale. Guests will be further immersed into the Star Wars experience as they pose with life-size LEGO models of Chewbacca, R2-D2 and Darth Vader.
Following a chronological path through the Star Wars timeline, LEGOLAND guests retrace the major events of the beloved Saga. Some of the 2,000 LEGO models will be more than 6-feet-tall. Interactive buttons will allow children to activate animations throughout the scenes.
Episode I: Naboo Naboo is one of the most geographically varied planets in the Star Wars galaxy. This scene depicts the Battle of Naboo and the capital Theed – both the Royal Palace and the hangar can be seen here. In this battle scene, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn encounter and fight the Sith apprentice, Darth Maul. Look closely at the details of this scene, but not so close that you may be pulled to the dark side!
Episode II: Geonosis In this scene, visitors have a fantastic view of the Geonosis arena, in which Padmé Amidala, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker battle ferocious creatures. Witness the clash between Count Dooku’s droid army and the Grand Army of the Republic.
Episode III: Kashyyyk and Mustafar
In this scene, two planets are revealed: Kashyyyk and Mustafar. On one side, you'll be placed right into the Battle of Kashyyyk – the home of Chewbacca and the Wookiees. Here you'll discover fantastic vehicles modeled from LEGO bricks, such as the massive Clone Turbo Tank. On the other side, catch a glimpse of the fateful duel on Mustafar between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker.
Episode IV: Tatooine
Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, C-3PO and R2-D2 can be spotted in this desert planet...introducing Tatooine. Here you'll discover Uncle Owen’s moisture farm, where Luke Skywalker lived as a child; peek inside the Cantina where the animated Cantina Band plays and stand above the spaceport where the largest LEGO model of Han Solo's famous starship, the Millennium Falcon, sits ready for take-off.
Episode V: Hoth
The Rebels take refuge on this icy planet, but the Empire tracks them down and the Rebels are forced to flee. Introducing....Hoth. This scene features LEGO models of the Imperial AT-ATs, Rebel snowspeeders and Luke Skywalker’s X-wing starfighter. Look closely and you'll see Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia.
Episode VI: Endor
Next we travel to a forest moon and home of the Ewoks, who fight against the Imperial Forces alongside the Rebels...Endor. The Endor system plays a key role in Return of the Jedi as the site of the Battle of Endor, fought to prevent construction of the second Death Star. This scene presents the final victory of the Rebel Alliance over the Empire. Here you can view a large-scale model of an Imperial shuttle on its landing platform, delivering a fearsome passenger - the Dark Lord of the Sith himself, Darth Vader.
The Clone Wars: Christophsis
The seventh area brings us to a scene from the animated series The Clone Wars on the planet Christophsis. Chronologically, the series takes place between Episode II and Episode III and focuses on the adventures of Jedi Knights Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. The LEGO scene depicts part of the planet’s surface, with the largest of all LEGO Star Wars models: an approximately 8-foot tall building from the Crystal City. You will also a scene showing a battle between Separatist battle droids and Republic clone troopers.
How the LEGO models are created: The roughly 2,000 LEGO Star Wars models are being developed and built by eight model designers and two animation electricians at our sister park, LEGOLAND Deutschland in Günzburg, Germany. It is up to the Master Model Builders at LEGOLAND California to bring the scenes to life with the help of animation electricians, technicians and landscapers all working to ensure the LEGO models appear as realistic as possible with special effects and landscaping.
Planning started in March 2010. The individual film scenes were selected after careful consultation with Lucasfilm Ltd. Pictures and drawings of the figures, spacecraft, vehicles, landscapes, etc. were taken as the basis for the detailed construction blueprints. The model designers used a special LEGO drawing paper for this, on which one square is equivalent to one LEGO knob. In the next step, they calculated how many bricks and which colors and forms would be needed for the models. For particularly difficult model parts, prototypes are first built, before the model is constructed brick by brick. To help the LEGO models last longer, all of the bricks are glued together and then sprayed with a special UV coating.
Authentic Star Wars sounds, actions and lighting effects help to make the models even more lifelike. For all models, only commercially available LEGO pieces are used.
LEGOLAND Deutschland and LEGOLAND Billund will also be opening new Star Wars Miniland displays in 2011.
Star Wars and all characters, names and related indicia are © 2011 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All rights reserved.
- New England Harbor
The New England Harbor is one of the oldest areas in Miniland.
This is a description taken from LEGO.com. Please do not modify it.
In Miniland's New England Harbor, Park guests can interact with animated mini farm animals choreographed to festive music. Admire the intricate detail of the farm equipment, including a combine harvester, in this quaint New England town.
Lobster boats navigate the waters of this Miniland Harbor, guided by classic New England lighthouses.
What to look for: Sci-Fi fans may recognize the hidden code on the commuter train in this newly refurbished area of Miniland.
- New Orleans
Miniland's New Orleans recreates this city at the height of a Mardi Gras celebration.
This is a description taken from LEGO.com. Please do not modify it.
Our Miniland version of New Orleans was built in Billund, Denmark. During Halloween, the famous New Orleans cemetery "comes alive" with dozens of zombies and skeletons crawling out of the graves!
Solar panels on top of the Mississippi River boats give power to the lights that illuminate them at night.
What to look for: In Lafayette park, there is a baseball game in progress, and the coach of the winning team is about to get soaked with a cooler full of Gatorade!
- New York
New York is one of the main ares of Miniland.
This is a description taken from LEGO.com. Please do not modify it.
More than two million LEGO® bricks are used in the reconstruction of the city that never sleeps. Our Central Park is filled with as much diverse activity as the real park! You can find people ice skating, roller skating, practicing Tai-Chi, going for carriage rides, listening to concerts, sunbathing, sailing model boats, or just out for a stroll.
Originally named the MekLife skyscraper, representatives from MetLife saw our LEGO version and were so impressed by it, they let us use their name royalty free.
Years before the real Freedom Tower rises at the site of the World Trade Center, we have constructed the monumental skyscraper completely out of LEGO® bricks. Unlike the Freedom Tower in New York City which will take four years to build, LEGOLAND California's structure took four months to create.
Sprouting 28 feet into the sky, the 1/70 scale model includes a "wind farm" in the top portion of the tower, which in the actual structure will use wind-harvesting turbines to generate 20 percent of the building's electricity.
Most buildings in Miniland are built to a 1:20 or 1:40 scale, but the model of the Empire State Building is built using 4 different scales! The ground floors are built at 1:20, to match the size of the people on the street, and then the main body of the building is built at 1:40 scale. Closer to the top, it changes to 1:60 and the very top tower is built at 1:80 scale! This tricks the eye by giving the building the look of being much taller than it is. If you were to build the Empire State Building completely in 1:20 scale it would be over 62 feet tall vs. our version, which stands at 20 feet tall!
What to look for: Inside the model of Grand Central Station stands a mini version of the famous rock and roll legend, Elvis Presley!
- San Francisco
San Francisco is another original Miniland area.
This is a description taken from LEGO.com. Please do not modify it.
The Miniland version of San Francisco was constructed in Billund, Denmark. Our Miniland Pier 39 has a working carousel and sea lions basking in the sun.
The sounds you hear coming from the pier were actually recorded live at Pier 39, in fact many of the sound effects you hear throughout Miniland were recorded live in the places they represent.
What to look for: Firefighters are rescuing a stranded cat from the top of a building near china town.
- Southern California
Miniland USA's model of it's home...
This is a description taken from LEGO.com. Please do not modify it.
What visit to Southern California would be complete without visiting our Miniland version? Come see the Griffith Park Observatory perched on the hill above the Hollywood Bowl and Greumann's Chinese Theater. Also, don't miss our version of San Diego's historic Mission San Luis Rey, complete with the signature red tile roof. Surfers and sunbathers alike line our miniature beaches.
What to look for: Little League World Series-winning Blue Bombers team dressed in light blue uniforms jumping up and giving high-fives and dog-piling each other to express their happiness while the Chinese Taipei team is displayed in a disappointed nature ــ heads in their hands, arms-crossed and defeated.
- Washington D.C.
The LEGO model of the US capitol...
This is a description taken from LEGO.com. Please do not modify it.
Every 4 years, the 2 LEGO mini-figures appearing in the presidential motorcade are changed depending on the outcome of the election. So far Bill and Hillary Clinton, George and Laura Bush, and Barack and Michelle Obama have been built and displayed.
It took six people approximately 60 hours to build the mini Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The display is 10-feet-long and made of more than 2,000 LEGO bricks. True to the orientation of the real Vietnam Veterans Memorial in D.C., one wall in the Miniland Memorial faces the Lincoln Monument and one wall faces the Washington Monument. The scene depicts Miniland veterans and tourists visiting the memorial and even includes mini LEGO flowers laid in honor of those who served in Vietnam.
What to look for: In the streets of downtown Washington, there is a man popping out of a manhole cover. When a Miniland vehicle approaches, he ducks out of the way just in time!
Other activities and locations[edit | edit source]
- Block of Fame
This is a description taken from LEGO.com. Please do not modify it.
This fun and educational, 3-dimensional art gallery is lined with classic works of art and busts of historical figures and pop icons - made entirely out of LEGO® bricks.
- Coast Cruise
This is a description taken from LEGO.com. Please do not modify it.
This grand tour for the whole family is an ideal vantage point to enjoy the sights and adventures along the lakeshore and in Miniland.
- The Model Shop
This is a description taken from LEGO.com. Please do not modify it.
Come take a peek at our LEGO® Master Builders at work as they create models for the Park.
- Miniland Marina
This is a description taken from LEGO.com. Please do not modify it.
For a nominal fee, you can even navigate your own mini boat in the LEGOLAND Marina.
- Garden Restaurant
This is a description taken from LEGO.com. Please do not modify it.
Geared toward the health conscious diner, The Garden Restaurant features gourmet sandwiches, and home made soups and salads. Don't miss our Signature Caprese Panini made with whole mozzarella, pesto, fresh basil and tomatoes served on whole grain wheat berry bread.
LEGOLAND.com description[edit | edit source]
This is a description taken from LEGO.com. Please do not modify it.
Miniland USA is the heart of LEGOLAND® California. A dedication to the ultimate expression of the LEGO® art form, Miniland USA includes reproductions of seven areas of the United States, all constructed with 20 million LEGO bricks in 1:20 scale, that can be seen from many places in the Park.
Gallery[edit | edit source]
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