A Toast to the Pirates Infinity Left Behind

As Disney Infinity approaches its Sunday release date, here's a brief clip of its iPhone tie-in App in action. Here, Jack Sparrow's trying out for a spot on Don Karnage's team.

Unfortunately, none of the Tale Spin crew made it into Infinity (unless there's a power-up or tribute tucked away in the game somewhere).

Reviews of this project, Disney's biggest-yet bid to make a splash in the video game market, should start appearing tomorrow as the toys and software hit the shelves.

The Chaotic Cabs of Car Toon Spin

Mouse Troop's got toons on the brain this week, so today we're taking a look at the vehicles and loading zone for the dizziest dark ride in Disney's lineup, Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin.

Remember, this is Lenny the Cab, not Benny from the movie. Benny actually appears as a character in the first ride scene.

Is it just me, or does Lenny look a bit too eager to plunge us into danger?

I love this little red/green light signal hand that sends each pair of cabs on their way. Seconds into the ride, weasels throw toxic "dip" on the track, sending your cab into a spin mode that lasts for most of the ride.

Although riders can influence the spinning by turning the steering wheel, it doesn't take long to realize that--between the cars' momentum and the many sharp turns in the track--the cabs seem to have a mind of their own. That's actually a plus on this ride, because your struggles to guide the lurching vehicle add to the ride's slapstick atmosphere.

If you want it to spin constantly, it's going to fight you. If you don't want to spin at all, you're still going to pivot a lot. And if you just want to keep facing forward to take pictures...yeah, good luck with that!

Out-of-control craziness is the order of the day at Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin, and that seems like the perfect approach for a Toontown adventure.

Dark Ride Magic: Roger Rabbit's Falling Room

There's a moment on Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin where you seem to be hurled into the air by an explosion. You have to return to Earth somehow, of course...

How about a hundred-story fall between skyscrapers toward the distant skylight of the Acme warehouse? My blurry photos don't do it justice, but the "Falling Room" is one of my favorite Disney ride scenes: a horizontal hallway that makes you feel as though you're plummeting vertically.

It's simple, shorter than it looks, and effective simply because it's so well designed and painted--and it even gets its point across while your cab is spinning in circles (trying to keep the cab facing forward while snapping pictures is a challenge in itself!)

All of Disneyland's black-light dark rides have their own unique mood and approach. Roger's ride is full of mess-with-your-perception visual gags that do a fantastic job of making you feel off-balance and disoriented--exactly how a human chasing a gang of weasels through Toontown should feel.

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.

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.

Roger Rabbit Details: Backstage at the Ink & Paint Club

In honor of the recent Blu-ray release of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, I'd like to highlight my very favorite detail hidden inside Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin at Disneyland. We can't use a Fastpass to find it, for it's tucked inside the amazing standby queue.

The queue takes us into the town's shadowy back alleys. As you approach the Ink & Paint Club, don't be alarmed when the door panel bangs open and the bouncer tells you to get lost; we're almost to our goal.

Ah, there it is! We're backstage at the Ink & Paint Club, and this is the call board listing the order of the acts for the night's show. In the movie, this is the show private eye Eddie Valiant walked into part way through. If you've ever wondered what the entire night's lineup was, here it is, performed three times a night:

Warm-Up - Goofy
Dog Tricks - Mickey & Pluto
"Always" - Minnie
Ballet - Horace & Clarabelle
Card Tricks - Mickey
"Hungarian Rhapsody" - Donald
"Do Right" - Jessica
Finale - Company

Wouldn't you love to see this show from beginning to end? If you're a fan of the movie, you know "Hungarian Rhapsody" is actually a duet performed by Donald and Daffy. Either Daffy decided he could no longer work with the volatile Donald...or else Disney (understandably) didn't want to pay Warner Bros. for the rights to use his name in a queue gag.

Strange Things 3: Yet More Offbeat Disney Tunes

Welcome to Volume 3 of our collection of some of the wildest and/or most unexpectedly awesome Disney song interpretations on the face of the Earth! Let's not waste any time; this first pick is the greatest twist on a Disney tune I've ever heard...

Track:   I'VE GOT NO STRINGS
Album: Ron Sorin and the Blue Coast Band - Lake City

I don't usually associate a rocking blues harmonica and honky-tonk piano with Geppetto's runaway puppet, but Ron Sorin & crew are on fire in this rollicking instrumental piece that barrels along with so much energy and fun that 3 minutes seem to go by in the blink of an eye.

Track:   TALE SPIN THEME
Album: The Best of Peter Kleine Schaars

Peter Kleine Schaars is a Dutch trombonist who has performed with and conducted several military bands. As you can see from this album cover, he's performed works by the Beatles, Phil Collins and Earth, Wind & Fire.

Of course, all I care about here is that Mr. Schaars led a military band through an epic rendition of the Tale Spin theme...and it's a wonderfully different take on a television classic.

Track:   GRIM GRINNING GHOSTS
Album: The Swingtips - Roswell

Let's acknowledge one thing up front: nothing can beat the great Thurl Ravenscroft's unforgettable performance of the original.

The Swingtips can't match Ravenscroft's voice, but their take on the mansion's signature tune is the most fun alternate version recorded to date.Colorful and imaginatively arranged, the best part comes during the instrumental middle section, as you hear various ghosts from the attraction discuss or reenact their gruesome final "mortal" moments that landed them in the mansion.