[Question] What inspired the idea for Toontown?

[greeeneyes17]

Just wondering, as there are probably many of you out there who can provide some sort of an answer.

What was the story behind creating Toontown?

To my knowledge, the park opened with all the other lands, and if you don't count Critter County (which replaced Bear Country, I think), Toontown was the first new land to be built in DL.

1993 was when it opened, but I'm not sure why.
I've never liked this land, but I'm still curious as to who's idea it was, what inspired it, what rides were in it originally, plans that never came true, etc.

thanks in advance for whatever info you can offer

[Grin Without a Cat]

Re: What inspired the idea for Toontown?

Ever seen the movie "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" ?

[JerrodDRagon]

Re: What inspired the idea for Toontown?

Yeah..go rent Roger Rabbit....its a great film...very underrated in my opinion

[DisneyIPresume]

Re: What inspired the idea for Toontown?

It was inspired by Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

I'm not crazy about Toontown either. It has more of a Warner Bros vibe to it than a Disney vibe.

[MANEATINGWREATH]

Re: What inspired the idea for Toontown?

Toontown is based off of Who Framed Roger Rabbit's main setting, minus the Looney Tunes and other non-Disney characters.

New Orleans Square was the first land added to Disneyland, followed by Bear/Critter Country, and then Toontown.

[greeeneyes17]

Re: What inspired the idea for Toontown?

uh, lol , I knew about the movie Roger Rabbit haha. one of my favorites.
Not what I meant. I just meant who thought of it, etc.

[Open_at_the_close]

Re: What inspired the idea for Toontown?

I believe New Orleans Square was the first actual new land created in Disneyland aside from the initial four lands that you can go to from the hub. From what I keep reading Toontown was an idea that sprung up when supposedly little kids asked where Mickey or Minnie would stay when the park closed so the natural idea would be to create a land where these characters would infact call home. Toontown in the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit definately lent to the idea that there could be a place where toons call home and live "normal" everyday lives just like us in our world.

I actually like Toontown although I will admit that I seldom make a trip up just every now and then. I feel that its a great land but to me its a shell of its former self or what could have been. I understand that at the time size-wise it was fine but frankly now it can feel quite congested. Many say that they should demo the land; but I honestly believe that the land could use a major overhaul/ larger footprint. I know they have the backstage area of the park so exspanding and redoing the land would be atleast financially unthinkable but right now the land consists of two actual meet and greets, two rides and three buildings that are shadows of their former selves.

[Stitch626626]

Re: What inspired the idea for Toontown?

Ah Toontown...The first 1 movie-based land that people tend to forget about.

[patton45]

Re: What inspired the idea for Toontown?

I've never liked this land,


I agree. My family never spent more than a half hour in it, even when the kids were in the target age for the land.
Just how busy does it get? Worth the big space it takes up?

I for one would like to see a new land there, and add in another Disney mountain. I suggest a Fantasia land with
Bald Mountain as its draw. Theme the park from the movie(s) or do just about anything they want, as Walt had said that he considered reissuing Fantasia every now and then with new material..

Toontown for my family and as a result much of that side of the park, does not really exist for my family.

[QuiGonJ]

Re: What inspired the idea for Toontown?

And it wasn't just the movie. In that time frame, Disney also opened an MMO game called "Toontown Online", which is still in operation. In it, you are a toon fighting corporate Cogs, the Cashbots and others who want to take over Toontown. By fighting, I mean you do things like drop anvils on their heads and hit em in the face with pies. The game is actually a lot of fun, more so than the land, I think.

I went on Donald's Boat once, won't be on there again, but I mention it because there is a Donald's Dock area in the game with a boat that looks very much like its Disneyland counterpart. Roger Rabbit and Gadget Coaster are fun enough, I suppose, but otherwise I would agree it's one of my least favorite areas of the park.

[Rex Dopey24]

Re: What inspired the idea for Toontown?

i love toontown it feels like i am in that colorful world. and it rreminds me of roger rabbit

[WDW1971]

Re: What inspired the idea for Toontown?

In 1988 Magic Kingdom in Disney World opened up a temporary land named Mickey's Birthday Land where guests entered the cartoon world of Duckburg from a hit Disney TV show of the time. After the celebrations were over they remodeled some of the land to make it Mickey's Starland in 1990. WDI had many ideas for Roger Rabbit themed rides to be added to Disney's Hollywood Studios and they thought of how to bring those great ideas to Disneyland. Thus they built upon the cartoon land they created in 1988 and built Mickey's Toontown in Disneyland. Then in return Mickey's Starland was upgraded in 1996 to better reflect Disneyland's Toontown and was renamed Mickey's Toontown Fair.

The backstory of Toontown states that it was always there since Disneyland was built but they only took down the wall that separated the two in 1993. The characters lived there and then worked at Disneyland. Then they went home after.

Another backstory was that Walt chose to build Disneyland where it was because Toontown was so close.

[LordVader]

Re: What inspired the idea for Toontown?

It was based off of the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Which like a poster said above, is a very underrated film and needs the recognition it deserves. The land Toontown is a good concept, it just needs to be executed better. I would add in a new dark ride starring the fab 5. Along with a new coat of paint, the land could be something.

[MANEATINGWREATH]

Re: What inspired the idea for Toontown?

Adding on to WDW1971's information...

During the planning of Roger Rabbit's arrival at Disneyland, Imagineers came up with a new land: Hollywoodland, practically a small land with the intention of cramming everything MGM at the time had to offer and would have to offer, including the Great Movie Ride, Dick Tracey's Crime Stoppers, Toontown Trolley, and Baby Herman's Runaway Baby Buggy. The land boasted the title of "Roger Rabbit's Hollywoodland." Obviously it didn't happen. Instead we got Toontown which in my opinion came out at the perfect time. The 1990's were truly the golden age of television animation with all the old Disney Channel cartoons and even the Nickelodeon cartoons, even if the latter were and never will be featured in a Disney theme park. Toontown's 1993 arrival was perfect timing.

[BrodyDanger]

It was inspired by Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

I'm not crazy about Toontown either. It has more of a Warner Bros vibe to it than a Disney vibe.

We just got back from our trip last week. Of the 8 days we spent in the parks, we spent a grand total of 0 minutes in Toontown. Just an absolute waste of space as far as I'm concerned. It has a few redeeming features (RRCS, Mickey's House), but it is definitely not worthy of the amount of Disneyland real estate it occupies. I sincerely hope the bulldozers send it to Yesterland.

It was based off of the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Which like a poster said above, is a very underrated film and needs the recognition it deserves. The land Toontown is a good concept, it just needs to be executed better. I would add in a new dark ride starring the fab 5. Along with a new coat of paint, the land could be something.

It's a great movie, but I don't know where the underrated talk is coming from. It has a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes and was the 2nd highest grossing movie in 1988 with a worldwide box office of $329,000,000. It was a financial and critically acclaimed home run.

You're right though. The idea of Toontown itself isn't terrible, the execution is just severely lacking.

[animark]

Re: What inspired the idea for Toontown?

Mickey's Phillharmagic would be a perfect addition for toontown, it would also bring in the crowds to the old land.

[dougeebear]

Re: What inspired the idea for Toontown?

What was the story behind creating Toontown?

To my knowledge, the park opened with all the other lands, and if you don't count Critter County (which replaced Bear Country, I think), Toontown was the first new land to be built in DL.

Awww. Poor little Holidayland. Everyone forgets about you being the first new area added to the park, although outside the berm.
DISNEY HISTORY INSTITUTE: Holidayland: The Least Photographed Land in the Park

Then came New Orleans Square.
Then came Bear Country/Critter Country
Then came Toontown. So it wasn't the first new land added to the park.

As others have said, Toontown was based on the film "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" and the need came from guest requests to meet Mickey Mouse. The park wanted to create a permanent meet-and-greet for Mickey (which they did at Disney World Magic Kingdom) and a Toontown experience seemed a good fit.