Disney has shared more concept art and information about the reopening of Mickey’s Toontown at Disneyland. This article shares dates and details, along with our thoughts on changes and additions coming soon after the start of Disney100, the company’s 100th anniversary celebration that focuses on California parks.
Disneyland has already announced that the festivities will begin on January 27, 2023 with the debut of New Disney 100th Anniversary Nighttime Shows and Entertainment Additionsand limited-time specials that run throughout the resort throughout the year.
New Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway The attraction will also open early to kick off the Disney100 birthday celebration on January 27, 2023. This attraction is located at Mickey’s Toontown, the rest of which will presumably be walled off until ready to go. reopen.
This will happen on March 8, 2023 when Mickey’s Toontown reopens at Disneyland. Here’s the follow-up to Disney’s announcement with changes and details on Toontown’s evolution:
It was around this time last year that Disney first announced that Mickey’s Toontown would undergo an ambitious reinvention and reopen with all-new experiences for families and young children to have more opportunities to play together. at Disneyland. At D23 Expo in September, the company shared a bit more about interactive playgrounds and how Disneyland is entering a new era of inclusive experiences in this country for families of all ages.
Very soon Mickey’s Toontown will become a vibrant symphony of sights, sounds and sensations. Here’s a preview of what you can expect when the pitch reopens on March 8, 2023!
The reimagined Mickey’s Toontown will offer open, grassy play spaces for everyone to relax. It starts with CentOONial Park, the first space guests will see when they enter the country.
CentOONial Park will be anchored by two new interactive gaming experiences; a beautiful fountain with water tables designed for play that invite guests into a sensory experience, and a nearby Dream Tree with sculpted tree roots for children to crawl and explore.
In the corner of Goofy’s Forest, you’ll find Goofy’s How-To-Play Yard, as seen in this new aerial concept art.
This area in particular will see some of the biggest changes in Mickey’s Toontown, as it will offer more things to do both indoors and outdoors.
Dedicated to all things play, Goofy’s How-To-Play Yard features a whimsical sound garden where kids will discover new ways to make wacky noises, as well as enjoy an all-new raised pavilion.
When you enter Goofy’s house, you’ll find a fun and interactive candy-making contraption only Goofy could imagine!
The confectionery contraption starts high outside Goofy’s house, as drops of honey fall from a beehive onto a chute that slides the colored drops around and down into the house.
From there, junior confectioners will help Goofy make the candies, and the silly sounds of household appliances will combine to create a true Goofy symphony.
Donald’s boat will be perched in the Goof Farm duck pond.
This will include larger than life spinning water lilies, balance beams and seesaw toys at Donald’s Duck Pond that will help toddlers squirm. Kids will definitely love making a splash in this space! You can also peer into the boat through the portholes to see fun bubbles inside the flooded ship and interact with familiar ducklings including Huey, Dewey, Louie and Webby.
For those who want to get a little “crazy,” you can head to Chip ‘n’ Dale’s GADGETcoaster, where Mickey’s Toontown favorite handyman, Gadget Hackwrench, has created a unique, fun-sized coaster for the town. the smallest citizens.
And at Mickey’s House and Minnie’s House, you can again walk straight into their homes and enjoy a self-guided tour discovering special surprises in each room. You might even be able to visit Mickey and Minnie during your stay, if they’re home!
Roger Rabbit’s Toon Spin Car will also return, where you can hop aboard Lenny the Cab and spin through the streets and alleyways of Toontown as you follow the adventures of Roger Rabbit.
And when you feel an onslaught of snacks coming, you can turn to two new places to appease your appetites in the country: Cafe Daisy, where famed culinary expert Daisy Duck serves up dinner classics at her table restaurant. curb ; and the Toontown Farmers Market at Good Boy! Grocers, a friendly roadside stand offering drinks and treats to take away.
As noted above, Mickey’s Toontown will host the new Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway ride, which will debut ahead of Mickey’s Toontown on January 27, 2023.
Inside the El CapiTOON Theatre, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway will immerse you in the wacky and unpredictable cartoon world of Mickey and Minnie, where you’ll board a train with Goofy as the engineer. It shouldn’t be a spoiler to say that before long Goofy blunders, the attraction changes gears and reaches its “something went terribly wrong” bump in the scenic route. With that, Runaway Railway offers both a common Imagineering and cartoonish trope (and attraction name).
From there, you glide through a series of loosely connected vignettes in a variety of environments. There’s a huge range in the settings, and the attraction’s pacing gets pretty frenetic at this point. Although I’m tempted to quibble with the thin narrative line that connects the various scenes, it’s very much the way a cartoon would bounce from location to location.
As we’ve said before, we’re mostly okay with the reimagining of Mickey’s Toontown. We’re definitely in favor of the land being expanded and made more “equal” to its counterparts around Disneyland, as it always felt like less land than the rest. From my perspective, the only downside is that the old Mickey Mouse and Roger Rabbit music fountains are being phased out, replaced by a single centralized play fountain.
Other than that, it should all breathe new life into Mickey’s Toontown. Previously, the land was quite popular for meet and greets, but this has been forgotten by many guests. This is precisely why we’ve called Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin “criminally underrated” over the years – because it’s one of the top 3 dark rides, but it never gets so much love. than its Fantasyland counterparts.
I can’t really speak directly to active and tactile play experiences, but one of the conversations we’ve had with friends who have young children is that play experiences for this age demographic are limited at parks.
I am very much in favor of children having opportunities for physical activity, discovery and interactive experiences. There’s definitely a shortage of spaces for kids to burn off energy and explore, and I’m optimistic that this reimagined Mickey’s Toontown will help add a much-needed option for that.
Ultimately, all of these interactive play spaces plus Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway will be solid additions with nothing significant lost. Another big Toontown attraction should also put an end once and for all to rumors that the land will be replaced by a future expansion.
While there haven’t been any rumors (so we’re guessing it won’t happen at this point), we’re still hopeful that Mickey’s Toontown will eventually connect to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. This would require moving the backstage facilities for Cast Members, but it wouldn’t be the first (or second…or third…) time Disneyland has done this in recent years, and it would significantly reduce congestion and help ease the movement of crowds. In the meantime, more green spaces in the parks is always a good thing. We are cautiously optimistic that all of these changes and additions will be a net positive for Disneyland and its guests!
Planning a Southern California vacation? For park admission offers, read Tips to Save Money on Disneyland Tickets. Learn more about onsite and offsite hotels in our Anaheim Hotel Reviews and Ratings. To find out where to eat, see our Disneyland Restaurant Reviews. For unique ideas of things that will enhance your trip, check out What to pack for Disney. For full advice see our Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide. Finally, for the guides beyond disneycheck out our Trails in Southern California for day trips to Los Angeles, Laguna Beach and tons of other places!
Your thoughts
What do you think of the reinvented Mickey’s Toontown? Glad it’s debuting March 8, 2023 ahead of the busy spring break at Disneyland? Can’t wait for Disney to breathe new life into this area, or do you think it’s already awesome? Any thoughts on adding Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway to Disneyland? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Questions? Hearing your feedback – even when you disagree with us – is both interesting for us and helpful for other readers, so share your thoughts below in the comments!
