If you were reading this blog a year ago (and I sincerely hope you were), you were sharing the excitement of the grand opening of Mickey’s Toontown, on January 24, 1993. Or January 26th. Or the 25th. (You will have to check out last year’s blog to figure that one out.)
And what are we doing back at Toontown in January of 1994? We are here because it was thirty years ago that Toontown’s then-signature attraction was opened to the public. Not thirty one years ago, when the rest of Toontown opened.
Notice in the photos of people gathered that day that there was no queue line formed up at the Toontown Cab Company. There was a big colorful sign, and a madly antic cab hovering over the front door. But… that was it. The attraction itself was not available. And it took a whole year before we finally got to find out what was happening behind those closed front doors.
The official opening date was set for January 26, 1994. They did not offer any kind of opening ceremony, so I opted for a sneak preview. At random times this sign would appear, and guests were allowed to experience Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin.
The first view inside the doors was of the bustling dispatch center of the Toontown Cab Company. While the cabs were right there in front of the guests, the queue line took a somewhat more circuitous route through the back alleys of Toontown.
Along the way, it was possible to peek through the windows at the Ink & Paint Club, although the glowering bouncer kept the door firmly shut. There was also a cage full of props.
This was followed by a few more twists and turns, a near run in with the weasel gang, and a horrifying glimpse of the exact impact of The Dip on toons (or toon town, anyway). There were also a couple of intriguing glimpses through gaps in the fences at some of the attraction itself.
As is the case with many a queue line at Disneyland, turning the final corner brought us right back where we started, at the dispatch center for the Cab Company. Once seated behind the wheel of Lenny the Cab (brother to Benny of film fame), it was possible to get a clear look at the dispatcher’s desk and files. And then it was off for an adventure through Toontown.
Interestingly enough, there was a story connected to the original ride through. You see, Jessica has been kidnapped, and Roger has been captured by the weasels. So it is up to Lenny and YOU to rescue them!
Along the way you would madly careen down alleyways, through buildings, and even into a multi-dimensional vortex caused by a big explosion. Along the way you were encouraged to turn the cab’s wheel to send your vehicle spinning madly as you traveled inexorably to the attraction’s grand climax.
As in the film, Jessica was more than able to take care of herself: “This is going to hurt you a lot more than it’s going to hurt me.” But how in the world would Roger keep us from being obliterated by the Dipmobile?
With a portable hole, of course. And once guests traveled through the hole he conveniently provided, it was time to exit back into Toontown, and then run around to the front to experience it all over again.
Car Toon Spin was not just a catchy name. The vehicles really do spin as you turn the wheel. This means that for the first time, a dark ride at Disneyland had to be built with every angle fully finished and “on view” to the guests. It also made the attraction more repeatable. You could literally see entirely new details and scenery every time you made the trip. Even after thirty years!
