Mickey Rides the Red Car

Mickey, newly arrived in Southern California, takes in the sights and sounds of Hollywood Boulevard on his way to Buena Vista Street. At least, that's his backstory in the Red Car Newsboys show at DCA.

It's refreshing to see The Mouse portrayed as an average Joe instead of a global superstar, and it's one of the many charming elements that's begun forming DCA's unique atmosphere. After the park's original 2001 grating attempts to distiniguish itself by being "edgy" and banning Disney characters from the grounds, it turned out that presenting the characters in unexpected, period-appropriate roles was a much better way to go.

Photo by Lana Whitham

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.

Inside The Red Car Trolley

DCA's Red Car Trolley plays a dual role: Equal parts attraction and street character. Today we're stepping inside one of these charmers for a look at the interior.

The trolleys have identical control panels in the front and back, as they do not loop around at each end of the trip: they simply reverse direction. According to the conductor on board, the trolleys draw a "small portion" of their power from the overhead wires.

What's a bit unexpected about the experience is how well the "act" works. You don't feel like you're on a theme park ride. You feel like you're on public transportation--if public transportation was incredibly clean, friendly, relaxed and full of Disney fans.

Some of the in-car advertising. Boy, that Hollywood Tower Hotel sure looks like a swell place!

These are all actual DCA destinations--and fun classic Disney tributes as well. The interior color scheme seems very relaxing, which pretty much sums up the whole Red Car experience. We'll have more trolley pics soon, with a look at the trip down DCA's Hollywood Blvd. In the meantime, have a great weekend!

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.

Main Street's Masterpiece Maintenance Mural

Now, this is what all maintenance doors should look like. Located near the Fire Station, this jolly painting adds character and backstory to a relatively quiet corner of Main Street, while turning an ordinary pair of maintenance/vehicle access doors into a little showpiece.

It also functions as a pretty classy and fun bit of advertising; National Rent-a-Car sponsors the Main Street Vehicles.

Toad's Newfangled Motorcar

Outside of Toad Hall in Fantasyland, one bright red motorcar beckons guests toward the madcap, out-of-control adventures of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.

The charming little auto provides a great photo opportunity and adds another touch of storytelling to the setting. One can almost imagine J. Thaddeus Toad bursting out through his mansion's front door and scrambling to take a spin in his beloved new contraption.

The Toad cars get my vote for second-best vehicle design in the parks, second only to the awesome Alice Caterpillars. They're simple, yet completely believable. Inside the attraction, the false front wheels never touch the floor, allowing for the amazingly tight turns that give Mr. Toad's Wild Ride its unique flavor of recklessness as the cars swerve and zig-zag their way toward disaster.

The cars are all named after characters from the film: Mr. Toad, Toady, MacBadger, Ratty, Moley, Cyril, Weasel and Winky. Everyone waiting to board, of course, hopes to ride one of the two Toad cars. Why do I always get Winky?

NOTE: This week's Fish Heads & Crumbs will be posted Tuesday...if the drawing software behaves itself...

Autopia: Treasured Classic or Waste of Space?

Autopia takes up soooooo much room, yet it shares the real estate with the Monorail above and the Submarine show building beneath. One casual glance around while riding, however, says it all; this is prime future E-ticket space.

Truth is, I'd hate to see Autopia demolished. It's one of the best miniature car rides on Earth. To youngsters, it's a real adventure and a family tradition. I'm sure many present-day adults experienced this familiar chain of events: