Op-Ed: The Unknown Future of Mickey’s Toontown at Disneyland

At present, all eyes are on the building of Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge and the upcoming “Marvel Land” at the Disneyland Resort.

However, once these lands are built, what could be next for the Disneyland Resort?

People will suggest this rumor or that rumor, but the answer might lie in the “popularity” of a rabbit. No, I don’t mean Oswald, but Roger Rabbit.

Mickey’s Toontown is where we can step into the world of toons and meet Mickey. Exploring the neighborhood where our favorite characters live is a treat for all ages.

However, some might forget that Mickey’s Toontown isn’t a “Mickey Land.” Some may argue it is, but Toontown actually came about because of the 1988 movie, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?.

When Who Framed Roger Rabbit? came out, it was an enormous success both at the box office and critically. It wasn’t long before Roger Rabbit was a walk-around character and in 1994, Mickey’s Toontown opened at Disneyland. Ultimately, Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom and Tokyo Disney received their own versions of this land.

Disneyland’s Mickey’s Toontown is still popular with guests, but mostly because of the character meet-and-greets. The truth is, Mickey’s Toontown’s inspiration, Roger Rabbit, isn’t that popular or well-known as it once was. Disney rarely brings out the walk around character anymore and the kids of today don’t really recognize who Roger Rabbit is.

Though Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Is considered a classic, it doesn’t hold the same popularity as it formerly did. This is why we don’t really know what the future might hold for Mickey’s Toontown.

As of this writing, Disney hasn’t announced any official changes or plans to update or change Toontown, but there are two scenarios that can be agreed upon by those in the Disney fan community.

First, it was widely rumored by many sites that Mickey’s Toontown would be receiving Mickey’s Runaway Railway which is currently slated to open at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida in 2019.

So, it’s conceivable that Disney would want to put Mickey’s Runaway Railway into another park especially because this is the first ride dedicated to Mickey. Not only would this be a significant addition to Toontown, but it would give the Imagineers the excuse to revamp this area. This could include a total re-theme of the land that might resemble more of the new Mickey Mouse shorts, it could receive more references to the popular Disney Jr. show Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or just a fresh coat of paint for the entire land.

However, it was rumored this would be announced during the recent “Destination D” Event honoring Mickey’s 90th birthday, but there was no announcement made. This doesn’t mean it won’t happen; we still have the D23 Expo happening next year.

The second theory involves us saying, “Seeya real soon!” to Mickey’s Toontown Fair.

Disneyland is geographically challenged by being landlocked in by outside restaurants, hotels, and other non-Disney tourist places. This makes it hard for Disney to expand Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure. Therefore, they have to remove existing attractions or build upon backstage areas or parking lots for cast members. Mickey’s Toontown comprises four acres which consist of meet-and-greets, a family-friendly roller coaster, and the dark ride, “Roger Rabbit’s Toontown Spin”. This is a fun area, but with limited space, this is likely going to be replaced by a rumored Fantasyland expansion in the next few years. People might be sad Disney would get rid of Mickey’s house where you can meet Mickey, but the Magic Kingdom at Disney World said goodbye to Mickey’s Toontown Fair in 2011 and no one really misses it. At the Magic Kingdom, you can meet Mickey in the Town Center Theater on Main Street and Minnie, Goofy, Donald, and Daisy are at Pete’s Silly Sideshow at Storybook Circus. Meet and greets are easy to move, even temporary ones while a permanent location gets built. However, attractions need that valuable space, and Disney wants more attractions to eat up more of the crowds so wait times for other attractions can go down. However, if Mickey’s Toontown is removed, what could replace it?

Bob Chapek, the Chairman of Parks, Experiences, and Consumer Products believe that if a new land or attraction is being built in one of the Disney Parks around the world, then it should be built in another park as well. An example of this is Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge being built in Disneyland, Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World, and Walt Disney’s Studios Park at Disneyland Paris Resort. Therefore, with this logic, we could infer what could replace Mickey’s Toontown has already been announced for a different park. This might include: Frozen Land that is coming to Hong Kong Disneyland, Tokyo Disney Sea, and Walt Disney Studios Park at Disneyland Paris Resort; Tangled Land coming to Tokyo Disney Seas; a Beauty and the Beast area that’s at the Magic Kingdom and being built at Tokyo Disneyland with a Beauty and the Beast dark ride utilizing the trackless ride system; or the Peter Pan’s Neverland coming to Tokyo Disney Sea.

Whatever happens to Mickey’s Toontown, it is highly likely that this area will see a major refurbishment or replacement in the coming years.