April 4, 2013

How Disney Ruined Disney

"When I see things I don't like, I start thinking why do they have to be like this, and how can I improve them?" --Walt Disney
I don't know what there wasn't to like.  It was one of our favorite parts of Disney World and now it's gone.  If you are anything like our family, Toontown was a destination that we never missed.  Sadly we will never get that chance again.

Gone are the days of touring Mickey's house or seeing Minnie in her backyard. Even as a 39 year old man there was a sense of excitement every time I walked through the doors or their respective houses.  I always admired the way that Mickey decorated his home and could never figure out why his kitchen was never completed.  We would always find new Hidden Mickeys and take a photo with his Mickey shaped pumpkins.


After a stop in his house the wait to get a picture with him in the judges tent was never more than 15 minutes.  These are the trips that I will remember.


Then the word progress reared its ugly head.

Don't get me wrong the New Fantasyland will be an amazing place when it is finally completed.  The land of Belle and Ariel is going to be one of the top destinations for years to come, much like Toontown was in the past.  What I don't understand is why with this new expansion Toontown had to be eliminated.  

I know that Dumbo is one of these classic rides that everyone says you HAVE to go on. Some guidebooks even say that you should go there first upon entering the park.  I have never been on it, but I certainly understand the appeal.  Obviously with this new expansion something had to move and of course it was Dumbo.  It is now the feature of the new Storybook Circus which has replaced Toontown. Double the size of its former self, Dumbo anchors the new section of the park along with the highly overrated Goofy Roller Coaster.


I was anxious to see the new expansion- Fantasyland is not quite done- and was excited to see the improvements that had been made.  Much to my surprise the Storybook Circus area is a classic failure in my eyes.  Crowds will inevitably flock to the Dumbo ride and wait in line for over an hour for the 30 second "thrill" that is Goofy's Barnstormer (the line the day we went was well over 90 minutes.)  What else is there? A couple of big tops where you can buy souvenirs and meet a couple of the characters.

THAT'S IT.

Gone is Pete's garage. Gone is the Donald Duck boat. Gone is the little play area where the kids can run around, gone is Minnie's house, gone is Mickey's house, and most importantly gone is lifetime of memories for my two boys.



Maybe new memories will be made.  But I kind of like the old ones.


John Willey - Daddy's in Charge?

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12 comments:

  1. I remember when Toontown was being put in. I thought it would have been gone before the turn of the century.

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  2. HOW SAD!!! Come out to Disneyland and play in our Toontown!!

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  3. That's terrible! I was so excited about taking my daughter there. I figured she'd get a kick out of seeing it when she's a little older since she loves watching the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse!

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  4. I love the Disneyland one!

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  5. It's almost like they have completely taken Mickey OUT of Disney.

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  6. I heard they've been getting a lot of complaints about having removed Toontown. Hopefully, they're listening and will bring it back.

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  7. People don't like change... this is one that I definitely don't like. They have acres upon acres upon acres of space to put one in.

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  8. I don't get it. My son loved MMC when he was younger and this area gave him an upclose look at them. Maybe when the Little Mermaid ride fails they will tear it down an put it back.

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  9. I haven't seen the new Fantasy Land yet but I was to Toontown several times. I thought it was just ok and am glad they did something to finally represent Rapunzel and put the new Beauty and the Beast section in. Now I think they need to put Cars Land into Hollywood Studios.

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  10. Cars land would be great. Rapunzel is not in the new section. They built her a tower with a bathroom underneath it near Haunted Mansion. Looks nice but has no function.

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  11. good article. lot of truth in there.


    when i was there back in jan, i didn't even really go thru new fantasyland. i was disappointed that Snow White's ride was gone. even though that sounds a bit, wrong, it was always a fun ride...

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