Mickey's Toontown
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| Mickey's Toontown | |
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| Attraction type | Themed land |
| Theme | Home for cartoons |
| Disneyland | |
| Opening date | January 24, 1993 |
| Tokyo Disneyland | |
| Opening date | April 15, 1996 |
| Mickey's Toon Town Fair | |
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| Entrance sign | |
| Magic Kingdom | |
| Theme | Vacation home for cartoons |
| Previously called | Mickey's Birthdayland (June 18, 1988-May 26 1990); Mickey's Starland (May 26 1990-1996) |
Mickey's Toontown is one of the "themed lands" at the Disneyland park run by The Walt Disney Company. At Tokyo Disneyland, this area is named Toontown. A similar area at the Magic Kingdom is named Mickey's Toontown Fair.
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[edit] History and Concept
Roger Rabbit was recognized as a lucrative character by Disney after the release of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and an ambitious set of attractions based on the movie was developed for Disney theme parks. Roger Rabbit was even set to be the star of his own land, behind Main Street, U.S.A. at Disneyland, called Hollywoodland. Meanwhile, over at the Magic Kingdom, a new land behind Fantasyland was being developed in honor of Mickey Mouse's sixtieth birthday, aptly named Mickey's Birthdayland. There were also set to be attractions based on Roger Rabbit, Judge Doom and Baby Herman opening in a major expansion at the Disney-MGM Studios and Tokyo Disneyland, but after the financial disaster of the Euro Disney Resort, plans were dramatically cut back.
Hollywoodland was canceled, and was combined with the idea of Mickey's Birthdayland as well as a concept found in Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, to form Mickey's Toontown, which opened in 1993 behind Fantasyland at Disneyland. Mickey's Birthdayland opened as planned in 1988 before Euro Disney, and was expanded as a sister to Mickey's Toontown at Disneyland and was revonated in 1996 to re-open as Mickey's Toontown Fair. The attractions at Disney-MGM Studios were canceled, but an exact replica of Mickey's Toontown opened at Tokyo Disneyland in 1996.
The official backstory, created by Walt Disney Imagineering, is as follows:
Of course, everyone knows Mickey's Toontown existed long before Disneyland was built right next door. One happy day in 1952, while Walt Disney was in Toontown visiting his pal Mickey Mouse, his dream for a new park came up in conversation. Mickey knew that whenever Walt got that sparkle in his eye, whatever he was dreaming was bound to come true. So he was dismayed when Walt confided in him that he was having a difficult time finding a site large enough to accommodate all the wonderful things he had in mind. "Oh boy, I've got a swell idea!" Mickey exclaimed as he grabbed Walt by the hand and led him over to the fence that separated Toontown from the human world. "Take a look over this fence", continued Mickey. "There's a fine and dandy parcel of land just on the other side that would be a wonderful place to build Disneyland!" And it was. Many years went by before it finally dawned on the toons that since it was so easy for them to go next door to visit all their non-toon friends in Disneyland, their non-toon friends could just as easily come visit them in Toontown! And this is exactly what happened when Mickey's Toontown was "finally" opened to Disneyland visitors in February, 1993.
[edit] Disneyland
Mickey's Toontown opened in Disneyland on January 24, 1993. The area is themed on the Toontown seen in the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and resembles a set from a Max Fleischer cartoon. The buildings are stylized and colorful. There are several attractions involving classic cartoon characters, such as the 'houses' of Mickey and Minnie Mouse, and a small kiddie coaster. There are a few interactive gags. Compared to other Disneyland areas however, there are few large or technically complex rides or shows, and the houses themselves appeal primarily as playhouses for small children.
[edit] Attractions
- Chip 'n Dale Treehouse
- Donald's Boat
- Gadget's Go Coaster
- Goofy's Playhouse (Goofy's Bounce House: January 24, 1993 - March 3, 2006)
- Jolly Trolley (on hiatus)
- Mickey's House
- Minnie's House
- Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin
[edit] Gags
Toontown has several objects that provide a reaction if guests push, pull, or otherwise manipulate them. These include:
- TNT barrel in front of Roger Rabbit Car-Toon Spin's Fastpass machines.
- Boxes to the left of the same Fastpass machines.
- Doors on the same sidewalk as the boxes whose door handles can be pulled.
- A phone in front of the doors that explains the events of the Roger Rabbit movie.
- Inside the jail, a bank of mailboxes with movable knobs.
[edit] Tokyo Disneyland
Toontown opened in Tokyo Disneyland on April 15, 1996. It's more or less a wholesale duplicate of the one in Disneyland with a mirror image of Disneyland's layout.
[edit] Attractions
- Chip 'n Dale's Treehouse
- Donald's Boat
- Gadget's Go Coaster
- Goofy's Bounce House
- Jolly Trolley
- Mickey's House
- Minnie's House
- Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin
- Toon Park
[edit] The Magic Kingdom
At the Magic Kingdom, Mickey's Toontown Fair initially opened as Mickey's Birthdayland on June 18, 1988. It became Mickey's Starland on May 26, 1990, and received its current name in 1996. Its storyline portrays the land as the holiday home for the characters who reside at Mickey's Toontown in California.
[edit] Attractions
- The Barnstormer at Goofy's Wiseacre Farm
- Mickey's Country House
- Minnie's Country House
- Judge's Tent (Meet Mickey)
- Toontown Hall Of Fame (Meet Classic Disney Characters)
- Donald's Boat
- Toon Park
- Walt Disney World Railroad - Mickey's Toontown Fair Train Station
[edit] Spin-off concepts
Set to debut in 2007, the Toon Studios is a new land that will open at the Walt Disney Studios at the Disneyland Resort Paris in 2007. Just as Mickey's Toontown Fair's backstory is a holiday home for the characters who live at Mickey's Toontown, the Toon Studios is where the characters go to 'work'. Featuring trailers and sets, as well as two major attractions, it was announced in 2006 that original plans for the land will be expanded and it will be much greater in size.
[edit] Books
- Imagineers, The. Walt Disney Imagineering: A Behind the Dreams Look At Making the Magic Real. Disney Editions, 1996, ISBN 0-7868-6246-7 (hardcover); 1998, ISBN 0-7868-8372-3 (paperback).
| The themed lands of a Magic Kingdom-style park: |
| Main Street, U.S.A. | Fantasyland | Tomorrowland | Frontierland | Adventureland |
| New Orleans Square | Liberty Square | Mickey's Toontown | Critter Country |
