IT'S A LARGER WORLD, AFTER ALL SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW IN ANAHEIM, A NEW CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE BECKONS.

Byline: Alessandra Djurklou Staff Writer

One second you are sitting calmly at ground level, the next you are going straight up at tremendous speed, screaming wildly, while your stomach has gotten a lot friendlier with your diaphragm.

That is how it feels to ride the Maliboomer, one of the rides at Disney's California Adventure, a new park opening today that celebrates the spirit of California. And how else does Disney celebrate the Golden State?

Try a fast-looping roller coaster, a really wet raft ride, performing bugs that wind up attacking you, a simulated hang glider ride and a chance not only to draw your own cartoon strip, but also to do a voice-over for your favorite animated character.

The 55-acre park is two-thirds the size of Disneyland, but will charge the same admission: $43. Geared slightly more toward adults than its sister park, Disney's California Adventure is part of the $1.4 billion expansion of the Disneyland resort and includes 22 ``attractions'' (Disney-speak for rides and shows) as well as a multitude of restaurants and souvenir shops.

Of course, it wouldn't be a Disney park without rides for kids, so there are plenty of those, too. And while Disney characters are not the stars here, they can be seen in this park ``on vacation'' as tourists.

The park is divided into several lands: Golden State, with a working farm and winery; Hollywood Pictures Backlot, with a large theater and a cafe that spotlights soap operas; and Paradise Pier, which is set up as a classic waterfront amusement park, with rides such as a Ferris wheel and roller coaster.

Of the three, the most popular likely will be Paradise Pier, which will draw the thrill-seekers because it's the place with the majority of the rides.

For instance, there's the Maliboomer, which looks like a gigantic version of the Test Your Strength game at carnivals - only there is no hammer, and riders, not balls, are sent flying upward.

When you ride the Maliboomer, there is a point at which you actually float about three inches above the molded plastic seat. This feeling of weightlessness occurs on the way down, shortly after you're shot 180 feet into the air in just two seconds.

And that is not the only drop, either, just the only one that induces zero Gs. The ride continues to pull participants up, then down, then up, as if they were on a giant rubber band.

The only ride that might prove more popular than the Maliboomer is California Screamin', the first looping roller coaster to be opened at a West Coast Disney park.

California Screamin' appears to be a wooden roller coaster, but looks are deceptive - this coaster is made from steel. And unlike those wooden coasters at waterfront amusement parks that take you slowly up to the top (with accompanying creaks and clicks), this one propels you at 55 miles per hour up 120 feet to the top. Then it stops and drops you 108 feet down, all to the sounds of rock music so loud it drowns out your screams. And the loop, ensconced in a Mickey Mouse head silhouette, also makes you experience a brief period of weightlessness before grim gravity sets in again and you are hurled along the track to another drop.

Sound too exciting? If you are not amused by such entertainment, you can get a less stressful buzz by going to Golden State, which features a working farm and a winery. (Although the more faint of heart can find solace at Paradise Pier by going on such rides as King Triton's Carousel or the Orange Stinger, a swing ride inside a giant orange, complete with pumped-in orange-scented air.)

Since California Adventure, unlike Disneyland, has a liquor license, adults can sample the winery's wares. And while grown-ups are sipping, children can check out the farm, which grows a variety of fruits and vegetables.

There is some excitement in this pastoral setting - a 3-D show called ``It's Tough to be a Bug.'' Starring Flik, the head ant from ``A Bug's Life,'' the show is full of surprises. It starts out as friendly and educational, but things get ugly when a mean grasshopper, Hopper, launches an attack, complete with black widow spiders and other stinging insects. The offending humans in the audience get sprayed, poked and crawled under, but it's all in good fun. Still, think twice before taking young children to this one.

Nature takes over even more in the northern part of Golden State, which is rugged and features Grizzly River Run, a raft ride. Anyone who has ever been on such a ride knows that getting wet is a given, but this ride is more likely to soak. Here's a tip: Do not sit near the entrances of the raft, because that is where the water is most likely to spill in, soaking your socks and shoes. Another tip: Fasten your seat belt tightly. There are two drops in the ride sharp enough to toss you into the next soaked seat.

The last ride of note in Golden State is Soarin' Over California. The simulated hang glider ride takes you over the ocean and orange groves (complete with orange-scented breeze). Soarin' Over California is actually in a subland called Condor Flats, which celebrates California's contributions to aviation.

The Hollywood Pictures Backlot should be of interest to cartoon fans. Disney Animation, a cavernous building that looks deceptively small from the outside, features a fun lecture on how cartoon characters evolve, starring the pet dragon from Mulan. In another part of the building, you get the opportunity to do the voice-over for scenes from Disney classics such as ``Bambi'' and ``The Lion King.'' And in yet another part, they will tell you which Disney character you are most like and will let you draw your own animation strip.

DISNEY'S CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE

Where: Next to Disneyland, 1313 S. Harbor Blvd., Anaheim. To get there, take the 5 Freeway to Disney Way, then follow signs to parking.

When: Park opens to the public today and will be open from 8 a.m. to midnight. Regular hours of operation are still being decided. Call park or visit Web site for more information.

Tickets: $43 for adults, $33 for children. $7 for parking. Admission to this park is separate from Disneyland admission. There is no special deal for those who want to attend both parks on the same day. However, Disney offers special three- and four-day passes. Three-day is $111 for adults, $87 for children; four-day is $137 for adults, $107 for children.

Information: Call [phone] or go on the Internet to www.disneyland.com.

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7 photos

Photo: (1 -- cover -- color) IT'S A SCREAM

Disney's new California Adventure and uplifting experience

Jeff Gritchen/Staff Photographer

(2 -- color) A smiling face makes quite a fine first impression on the Sun Wheel ride at Disney's California Adventure, Disneyland's newest neighbor.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer

(3 -- color) A rainbow emerges from a geyser as riders enjoy the Grizzly River Run at the Paradise Pier area.

(4 -- color) This kodiak moment features the outline of a bear in the rocks, formally known as Grizzly Peak, rising above the Golden State area of California Adventure.

Keith Durflinger/Staff Photographer

(5 -- color) VIPs Mickey and Minnie Mouse, decked out in their California finest, make like tourists strolling through Sunshine Plaza at Disney's California Adventure.

Jeff Gritchen/Staff Photographer

(6) The ears have it as riders on the California Screamin' roller coaster loop around the silhouette of Mickey Mouse's head.

Keith Durflinger/Staff Photographer

(7) Like a bridge over Disney's theme park... two performers appear as the Golden Gate during Eureka, a California Parade.

Jeff Gritchen/Staff Photographer