Bull in a China Shop

Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin presented a unique challenge for its designers: most of its scenes would be viewed from spinning vehicles. There would be no "fixed" point of view for riders, so each room had to work from all angles.

One of the most brilliant solutions, The Bullina China Shop, is encountered early in the ride. Fantastically disorienting, it's a madhouse of noise and animation, from the rattling dishware to the frantic proprietor's balancing act. Huge mirrors fool the eye (in the above photo, the left doorway is a reflection), and the true exit only becomes clear as the taxis crash their way out.

Mad Tea Party Magic

I was sorting through my Disneyland photos while listening to Christmas music, and the classic 1903 Victor Herbert song "Toyland" played as I came across this shot. I smiled at the line, "...once you pass its borders, you can never return again."

Victor Herbert never saw Disneyland, a place where adults eagerly hop into giant teacups to take a spin with their families and friends. No one feels ridiculous; Disneyland exists for moments like this. Sometimes you can return to Toyland, if only for brief, wonderful, fleeting moments.

The Rocket Jets: Tomorrowland 1983

Soaring high above Tomorrowland aboard the Rocket Jets was an early-morning tradition in my family (we always rode right after Space Mountain), and a spectacular thrill I miss dearly. Riding the gantry elevator to the ride's third-story platform atop the PeopleMover station was an adventure in itself.

I'm sure the Imagineers had the best intentions when they closed the ride and reinvented it as the ground-level Astro Orbitor. The newer experience, however, pales in comparison to the views and exhilarating heights of the Rocket Jets.

Guests can still enjoy an elevated rocket spin on Walt Disney World's Astro Oribter and Tokyo Disneyland's Starjets. Whatever the future holds for Disneyland's Tomorrowland, I hope the thrill of flying far above ground level returns in some form. Tomorrowland used to be all about looking up toward the skies. The land's been grounded for far too long.