Mickey’s Toontown is a cartoon-themed area in Disneyland, inspired by Who Framed Roger Rabbit. It features interactive props, exhibits, and rides suitable for children, including the popular Roger Rabbit’s Cartoon Spin. However, some guests feel it needs updates and refurbishments. Toontown opened in 1993 and has received few renovations since then.
Mickey’s Toontown is an oft-forgotten cartoon wilderness in the constant hustle and bustle of Anaheim’s Disneyland. Behind Fantasyland, visitors can enter a whimsical world, based in part on the town designed for the Disney film, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Toontown is a fun and lively area of Disneyland Park, but some guests consider it an overlooked area in need of updates and general refurbishment.
After the unexpected success of Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Disney officials wanted to build an additional area that celebrated the cartoon theme rather than traditional animation motifs and stories. Plans to build the area as a whimsical section called Hollywoodland were shelved in favor of the more affordable Toontown, which opened in 1993. The cartoon-style buildings and interactive props were designed primarily for children, and many of the rides are considered excellent for younger riders.
The most popular attraction in Mickey’s Toontown is Roger Rabbit’s Cartoon Spin. The elaborate dark ride puts a literal twist on the traditional storybook rides of Fantasyland, allowing riders to fully rotate their cars in either direction. As the cars whirl through history, visitors can spin their cars as much or as little as they like, adding further thrills for older or more adventurous drivers. The ride queue area is famous for its Disney license plates, which transform movie and character names into license plate codes.
The Gadget Coaster is a small steel frame roller coaster designed to be suitable for children. Based on a popular character from the Chip’n’Dale franchise, the ride is known for its extremely small wagons, which can be difficult for more than one adult to squeeze into. The Gadget Coaster is the only roller coaster in Disneyland Park not to have a theme around a mountain.
Toontown doesn’t have many thrill rides, but it does offer guests a variety of interactive houses and detailed exhibits. You can visit Mickey’s house and play in the Chip’n’Dale tree house. The architecture seems to be straight out of a cartoon world, with larger than life features and even a two dimensional mountain range in the distance.
A main feature of the area is the interaction of the props. Many innocuous-looking doors, mailboxes, and barrels will make a rattling noise or do something startling when touched or pulled. A mysterious button outside the facade of the fireworks shop sets off a deafening explosion, while the glass factory bell causes quite a commotion inside when pressed.
Toontown opened to considerable fanfare but hasn’t maintained much popularity. Even during its opening in the early 1990s, Disney films were staging a huge return to traditional animation ideals of detail and style. The cartoon style that was popular in the 1980s had already faded by the time the area opened in 1993. Toontown has received few renovations or additions since it opened.
The Cartoon Character House is a great place to take young children, and is usually much less crowded than Fantasyland. Roger Rabbit’s Cartoon Spin is a fun and engaging ride, not to be missed. Toontown often operates shorter hours than the rest of the park and may close several hours before Disneyland.
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