Credit: DisneyWhen Walt Disney welcomed guests into Disneyland Park for the first time on July 17, 1955, he invited them to venture down Main Street, U.S.A., and into the park’s four lands — Tomorrowland, Adventureland, Frontierland, and Fantasyland.
Since then, Disneyland Park has added four more lands — New Orleans Square in 1966, Critter Country in 1972, Mickey’s ToonTown in 1993, and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in 2019.
However, beginning in just weeks, Critter Country will cease to exist, and Bayou Country will take its place. The land received a name change and an update to coincide with the opening of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Tiana’s is replacing the classic attraction, Splash Mountain, and Disney wanted the new land to represent the new ride.
Related: As Disney Says Goodbye to Critter Country, Popular Attraction Faces Extinction
In 1993, Mickey’s ToonTown opened behind Fantasyland, and guests were able to explore the homes of some of Disney’s most classic characters, including Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy. The popular area thrived for thirty years, and then, in 2023, Disney closed ToonTown for months, giving it a much-needed makeover and refurbishment.
ToonTown is currently home to three beloved rides — Gadget’s Go Coaster, Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin, and Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, which just opened in 2023.
Related: Disney Songwriter Tears Up Hearing His Song at Toontown
But did you know that Disney was actually preparing to get rid of one of ToonTown’s classic attractions before the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything?
According to Unbuilt: An Unrealized Theme Park Podcast, Disney was planning on getting rid of Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin, which has been a part of Mickey’s ToonTown since 1994. And Walt Disney Imagineering planned on replacing the attraction with one themed after the hit Disney Channel show, DuckTales. DuckTales originally aired from 1987 until 1990 and was rebooted in 2017.
NEW EP!
We have an exclusive today, rewriting history with a never-before-seen look at a DuckTales themed attraction that was set to replace Roger Rabbit in Toontown!
NEW EP!
We have an exclusive today, rewriting history with a never-before-seen look at a DuckTales themed attraction that was set to replace Roger Rabbit in Toontown! https://t.co/O2D05jrujz pic.twitter.com/yedpqMsXkN
— Unbuilt: An Unrealized Theme Park Podcast (@UnbuiltPod) August 30, 2024
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Plans to transform Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin into a DuckTales attraction began to come to fruition in 2019, at the same time Disney announced that Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway was coming to Disneyland. The original plan was to have the two attractions open in 2023, as ToonTown underwent its upgrade and transformation.
However, the podcast said that those plans fell to the wayside when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the theme parks to shut down in March 2020.
Related: Imagineers Pay Subtle, Heartwarming Tribute to Walt With Toontown Remodel
Based on an image shared by Unbuilt, the new DuckTales attraction was set to be based on the rebooted cartoon, which ended in 2021, while Disneyland was still closed because of the pandemic.
The new ride’s track would be the same as Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin but would take guests to Gryo Labs, where Gyro Gearloose is working on a time machine. Things are thrown into chaos when Webby Vanderquack turns the time machine on, opening a time vortex. Guests travel with Donald Duck through time, leading to a battle with Magica de Spell.
It is interesting to note that one of the stars of DuckTales was NOT set to be included in the canceled attraction. Scrooge McDuck was left out of the ride, which instead focused on Donald Duck, his nephews Huey, Duey, and Luey, and Webby Vanderquack.
Do you wish Disney had built this DuckTales attraction? Or are you glad they did not get rid of Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin? Let us know in the comments!