Mickey's Toontown

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This article is about the themed land in Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. For other uses, see Toontown (disambiguation).

Mickey's Toontown
Mickeys Toontown entrance sign.jpg
The entrance sign at Disneyland in California
Magic Kingdom
StatusDefunct
OpenedJune 18, 1988
ClosedFebruary 11, 2011
ReplacedPortions of Tomorrowland Speedway
Replaced byNew Fantasyland
Disneyland
StatusTemporarily Closed (for refurbishment)
OpenedJanuary 24, 1993
Tokyo Disneyland
StatusOperating
OpenedApril 15, 1996

Mickey's Toontown is a themed land at Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland, two theme parks operated by Walt Disney Parks & Resorts and The Oriental Land Company respectively. At Tokyo Disneyland, this land is named Toontown. A similar land existed at the Magic Kingdom until 2011 and was named Mickey's Toontown Fair. Walt Disney Studios Park in Disneyland Paris has a related land called Toon Studio. The land in Disneyland is currently under refurbishment and will reopen in 2023.

The attraction is a small-scale recreation of the Mickey Mouse universe where visitors can meet the characters and visit their homes which are constructed in a cartoonish style. It was inspired by "Toontown" from the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit in which cartoon characters live apart from humans.

History and concept

Roger Rabbit was recognized as a lucrative character by Disney after the release of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and a set of attractions based on the movie was developed for Disney theme parks. Roger Rabbit was set to be the star of his own land, behind Main Street, U.S.A. at Disneyland, called Hollywoodland. Meanwhile, 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's Hollywood Studios and Tokyo Disneyland, but after the financial troubles of the Euro Disney Resort, plans were cut back.

Hollywoodland was combined with the concept 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. The attractions at Disney-MGM Studios were canceled, but an exact replica of Mickey's Toontown opened at Tokyo Disneyland in 1996. Disneyland Paris features a similar 'Toon Studio' in its Walt Disney Studios Park. Walt Disney World, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Shanghai Disneyland are the only Disney resorts to have neither a Toontown or Toon Studio.

Magic Kingdom

Minnie's Country House

At the Magic Kingdom, Mickey's Toontown Fair (now the Storybook Circus) initially opened as Mickey's Birthdayland on June 18, 1988. It became Mickey's Starland on May 26, 1990, and was briefly renamed Mickey's Toyland in late 1995.[1] The land was closed in early 1996 for an extensive refurbishment, and on October 1, 1996, it reopened as Mickey's Toontown Fair for the park's 25th anniversary. Its storyline portrayed the land as the vacation home for the characters who reside at Mickey's Toontown in California.

Mickey's Toontown Fair was closed on February 11, 2011 in order to build the "New Fantasyland" expansion. Some elements of Mickey's Toontown Fair have been demolished and others have been re-themed to a new Storybook Circus area. The Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride was removed from Fantasyland and rebuilt in Storybook Circus, the new version doubling the capacity of the old ride and incorporating an interactive queue. The Barnstormer at Goofy's Wiseacre Farm has been re-themed to The Barnstormer featuring Goofy as the Great Goofini. The first half of Storybook Circus opened on March 12, 2012, which included the newly themed "The Great Goofini", the Storybook Circus train station which was completely rebuilt and also one half of the new Dumbo ride.[2][3] The second phase of Storybook Circus, including the second half of Dumbo, the indoor queue area, and the Casey Jr Splash 'n' Soak Station opened in June 2012.[4]

Former attractions and entertainment

Former shops

  • Cornelius Coot's County Bounty
  • Mickey's Toontown Fair Souvenirs
  • Toontown Farmer's Market

Disneyland

Mickey's Toontown at Disneyland in 1995

Mickey's Toontown opened in Disneyland on January 24, 1993.[5] The area is inspired by Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) 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 children's 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 play areas for small children. On one of the windows above the library in this land, there is a reference to Laugh-O-Gram Studios, the studio that Disney created before Disney Studios.[6]

An early entry event called Toontown Morning Madness was held here for guests booking travel with the American Automobile Association (AAA) or book a vacation package with the Walt Disney Travel Company. However, Morning Madness has been discontinued as of 2013 as Extra Magic Hour and Magic Morning are now offered.[7] On nights that fireworks are scheduled, the land will close early for the day due to its proximity to the launch area for the fireworks. Mickey's Toontown Depot stays open from park opening to park closing as it also serves as a stop for Fantasyland with the station being next to the Fantasyland Theatre. On non-fireworks days, the land closes with the park.

In April 2019, Disney announced that Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway, now open at Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World, would open at Mickey's Toontown in Disneyland in 2023. The ride will be housed in a new building within Toontown called the El CapiTOON Theater, a pun of the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood which in turn is owned by Disney. The attraction, which is expected to replace the Gag Factory store, will be the first new attraction added in Toontown since Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin opened in 1994.[8][9]

Disneyland Resort was temporarily closed from 2020 to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, during which time construction commenced on Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway.[10] In November 2021, Disney announced that Mickey's Toontown in Disneyland would receive a makeover and would be closed for a year.[11][12] The new features will include play experiences for children and families. With the addition of Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway, a new children's play area will be added called CenTOONial Park and will feature a fountain.[12] In February 2022, Disney Parks provided additional details on the renovations, stating that Gadget's Go Coaster, Goofy's Playhouse and Donald's Boat will be "reimagined". Mickey's Toontown was temporarily closed on March 9, 2022.[13] Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway is scheduled to open on January 27, 2023, followed by the rest of Mickey's Toontown in early 2023.[14]

Attractions and entertainment

Future attractions

Former attractions and entertainment

  • Chip 'n Dale's Acorn Pit (1993–1998)
  • Goofy's Bounce House (1993–2008) (re-themed to Goofy's Playhouse)
  • Jolly Trolley (1993–2003)
  • Toon Park (1993–2022)
  • Chip 'n Dale’s Treehouse (1993–2020)

Restaurants and refreshments

  • Popcorn near Gadget's Go Coaster
  • Goofy's Freeze
  • Toon Ups Treats

Future restaurants and refreshments

  • Cafe Daisy
  • Good Boy Groceres

Former restaurants and refreshments

  • Daisy's Diner (1993-2022)
  • Pluto's Dog House (1993-2022)
  • Clarabelle's Frozen Yogurt (1993-2022)

Former Shops

  • Toontown Five and Dime (1993–2020)
  • Gag Factory (1993–2020)

Characters

Tokyo Disneyland

Toontown Entrance at Tokyo Disneyland
Mickey and Minnie's houses
See also: List of Tokyo Disneyland attractions

Toontown (Japanese language: トゥーンタウン) opened in Tokyo Disneyland on April 15, 1996. It is largely a copy of Mickey's Toontown at Disneyland, with a mirror image of its layout.

In mid May 2017, the entrance to Toontown was removed, to be replaced with Minnie's Style Studio.[16]

Attractions and entertainment

Former attractions and entertainment

  • Goofy's Bounce House (re-themed to Goofy's Paint 'n' Playhouse)
  • Jolly Trolley (3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge) (1996–2009)

Restaurants and refreshments

  • Dinghy Drinks
  • Toon Pop
  • Huey, Dewey, & Louie's Good Time Cafe
  • Mickey's Trailer
  • Pop-A-Lot Popcorn

Shops

  • Toontown Delivery Company
  • Gag Factory
  • Toontown Five & Dime

In popular culture

  • Mickey's Toontown inspired an online role-playing game called Toontown Online, which was released in 2003. The online game is similar to Mickey's Toontown. On September 19, 2013, the game was shut down.
  • In the video game Epic Mickey, OsTown was inspired by Mickey's Toontown. However, OsTown features more "dog-faces", an Oswald the Lucky Rabbit fountain, and Clarabelle Cow. The Gag Factory is also referenced in Epic Mickey and its sequel Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two.
  • In the video game Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, the world Disney Town was inspired by Mickey's Toontown.
  • In July 2011, for the television program Curb Appeal: The Block, designer and host John Gidding installed a comical Toontown-style railing, made of styrofoam, on the front porch of an Alameda, California home. Despite the frequent chuckles provided to friends and neighbors, it was quietly removed and replaced with a more appropriate railing.

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Disney's Toontown.
  1. ^ "Unwrapping Mickey's Birthdayland at Magic Kingdom". D23: The Official Disney Fan Club. The Walt Disney Company. June 10, 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 15, 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  2. ^ Pilcher, Ken (March 12, 2012). "Phase 1 of Fantasyland expansion opens". WKMG-TV. Archived from the original on September 3, 2022. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
  3. ^ Brigante, Ricky (March 13, 2012). "Detailed Storybook Circus debut builds excitement for New Fantasyland as first phase opens at Walt Disney World". Inside the Magic. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
  4. ^ Parr, Christopher (June 17, 2012). "Casey Jr. Splash 'N' Soak Station Opens at Disney's New Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom Park". Business Insider. Archived from the original on June 19, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  5. ^ Mickey's Toontown - Disneyland Park California. Wdwinfo.com. Retrieved on September 6, 2013.
  6. ^ Hidden Walts - Search for hidden references to Walt Disney - Disneyland Secrets and History (YouTube video). Fresh Baked. December 16, 2017. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  7. ^ Early Admission Options | Disneyland Resort. Disneyland.disney.go.com. Retrieved on September 6, 2013.
  8. ^ Ramirez, Michael. "Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway to Roll into Disneyland Park". Disney Parks Blog. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  9. ^ MacDonald, Brady. "First Mickey Mouse ride heading to Disneyland's Toontown in 2022". The Orange County Register. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  10. ^ MacDonald, Brady (November 6, 2020). "Disneyland takes on 20 projects during coronavirus closure". Orange County Register. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  11. ^ "Mickey's Toontown at Disneyland to close March 2022 for redesigning project; slated to reopen early 2023 - ABC7 Los Angeles". ABC7 Los Angeles. November 15, 2021. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  12. ^ a b Tapp, Tom (November 15, 2021). "Disneyland Closing Mickey Mouse's Toontown In March For Makeover, Will Reopen in Early 2023 With New Ride, Iconic Feature". Deadline. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  13. ^ Kelsey Lynch (February 17, 2022). "The Transformation of Mickey's Toontown at Disneyland Park Begins Soon". Disney Parks Blog. The Walt Disney Company. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  14. ^ Reichert, Corinne (October 6, 2022). "Disneyland's Newest Ride Is Opening Jan. 27". CNET. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  15. ^ "Mickey's House and Meet Mickey". Disneyland website. Walt Disney Company. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  16. ^ "Tokyo Disney announces five new attractions".

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