Gadget's Go Coaster & Toontown's Forgotten Inventor

Gadget's Go Coaster appears to have been cobbled together from Tinker Toys, bottle caps and acorns. It's a cheerful, speedy little adventure based on a forgotten character many Disneyland guests are completely unfamiliar with: the ingenious, orphaned mouse whose engineering skills proved invaluable to a Detective Agency called Chip N' Dale's Rescue Rangers.

Back in the 1990's, most children and animation fans recognized Gadget Hackwrench from the adventure series, and she remains the only Disney television cartoon star to be awarded her very own ride. Today, Gadget's weather vane seems to sum up her current place in the public consciousness: she's a mysterious silhouette with a backstory few remember.

Still, as guests virtually shrink to rodent size and make their way toward Gadget's workshop, they encounter dozens of clever details reflecting the young inventor's resourcefulness. Her plucky spirit lives on, and -- who knows -- maybe someday Disney will bring her back to assist Chip n' Dale in a new adventure.

Along with Monterey Jack...and Zipper...to foil Fat Cat once again...

Man, that really was a great show.

The Roger Rabbit Fountain

Toontown's Roger Rabbit fountain sits just a few yards from the entrance to the character's popular dark ride, Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin.

Robert Zemeckis, Richard Williams, and the other creators of Who Framed Roger Rabbit found an original niche for their title character -- a personality that didn't simple copy any previous major cartoon star. Roger's a good-hearted, enthusiastic, can-do optimist...who also happens to be a hyperactive disaster magnet.

The fountain sculpture sums him up perfectly, having him strike a happy show-biz pose seconds after a major automotive mishap--completely unaware he's got fire hydrant water spouting from his ears.

The Swinging Gondolas. One of These Days...

One of these days I'm going to ride a swinging gondola on Mickey's Fun Wheel. And then I'm going to get my head examined.

This is one of the few things at Disneyland Resort I've not yet experienced. Every time I approach the Wheel at DCA's Paradise Pier, I think, "This is it. I'm going to do it." And then I keep right on walking. I prefer to observe the cabins' rocking motions from afar while eating a corn dog.

Seriously, those things are actually equipped with motion-sickness bags. I can handle Tower of Terror and California Screamin' with no problem, but--as someone who gets queasy from repeated rocking and swinging movements--the thought of being locked into an airborne swinging cage for nearly ten minutes fills me with dread.

One of these day, though, I have to give it a shot. Next trip, for sure! Maybe.

The Broom That Wouldn't Leave

When you wander through Mickey's House in Toontown, making your way toward his backyard movie studio barn, you run across all kinds of memorabilia from the mouse's life.

My favorite is this lonely little guy, still hanging around hoping for another role in an animated feature. He's still ticked off about the live-action Nicolas Cage film.

That surreal lamp post seems to have escaped from the Roger Rabbit ride.

The Toontown Fireworks Factory

Good help seems hard to find at the disaster-prone Fireworks Factory in Toontown. A TNT plunger on the sidewalk outside its front door beckons human guests to set off another round (with appropriate smoke and sound effects).

Toontown is cleverly designed with the calmness of Mickey's Neighborhood on one end and the chaos of Downtown on the other, with the City Hall area smoothing the transition. The closer you get to the Roger Rabbit dark ride, the more unhinged and rambunctious the surroundings become, with the indoor queue for the ride taking you all the way into the seediest and most villain-infested alleys of the cartoon world.

Toontown: Horace Horsecollar's Gym

The thoroughly-pummeled punching bag signage for the Horace Horsecollar Gym dangles above the heads of Toontown guests. On clear days like this, the town's design -- with no real foliage visible behind the rooftops -- creates a neat illusion: the sky looks like a painted backdrop.

Estelle over at This Happy Place Blog posted a great 2007 shot of a rare Horace (and Clarabelle) appearance during a Walt Disney World parade. Terrific costumes -- I hope we get to see them in the parks more often. In the meantime, it's nice to see the good Mr. Horsecollar officially acknowledged as a Toontown business owner.

Screamin', Swingin' and Waiting for Corn Dogs

You trek from Cars Land to Corn Dog Castle, only to remember your favorite Paradise Pier food stand doesn't open until 11:00. What do you do? You take pictures! This end of California Screamin' doesn't get much photo-love, but that banked, swoopy twist is one of the best parts of the ride.

This early in the morning, nearly everyone's in Cars Land, leaving Paradise Pier full of wide open walkways and very short lines. In true Anaheim weather fashion, those clouds will soon give way to blue skies and bright sunshine -- just in time for corn dogs!

Toontown Skyline

Happy Labor Day Weekend, everyone! In downtown Toontown, there seems to be no holiday rest for the workers at the Toontown Post Office, Fire Station, Fireworks Factory (seen in side view here), or Gag Warehouse. Things just keep right on clanging, barking, honking and booming along!

Of all the lands in Disneyland, Toontown seems to be the one designed specifically to cut a great silhouette against the blue Southern California sky.

Paradise Pier at Night

I love standing under a summer night sky, watching the spectacular lights of Paradise Pier while waiting for World of Color to begin. In those moments, I realize how well this section of Disney California Adventure works. Paradise Pier had some theming problems back when it first opened, but now it's a triumph; it's everybody's dream of the perfect old-fashioned waterfront amusement park brought to spectacular life.

There's just one change I'd love to see: as great as World of Color is, I think it's a shame they need to halt the operation of the roller coaster while the show's in progress. Imagine the thrill of rocketing around California Screamin's track while huge columns of water and fire erupt on the nearby lagoon!

My solution: I'd love to see the next World of Color show designed to incorporate  the ride's roaring trains -- and the screams of its riders -- into a bold, upbeat music-scape celebrating the never-ending-summer theme of Paradise Pier. Coaster fans would get an incredible new experience and World of Color fans would get an energetic new show. Everyone wins!