Mickey's Toontown

Behind "it's a small world," past the railroad tracks, there used to be nothing a guest would want to see. It was backstage land, partly used to house the park's ponies (Laughing Place).

The idea came from Florida. Walt Disney World had built Mickey's Birthdayland for Mickey's sixtieth birthday in 1988, and it was popular. Planners in Anaheim began sketching a version of their own, under working names like "Mickeyland." The film Who Framed Roger Rabbit, released the same year, helped settle the look: a whole town where cartoons live (Laughing Place).

Mickey's Toontown opened on January 24, 1993, on less than three acres just outside the berm, with the Disneyland Railroad running overhead. Designers Dave Burkhart and Joe Lanzisero laid it out in two parts, a downtown full of gags and a neighborhood where Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy kept house (D23; Laughing Place). Push a button and the fireworks factory blows up. Lift a mailbox lid and it talks back (D23).

Attractions

Years are from Laughing Place and the Disneyland press release.

Roger Rabbit, a long closure and a new railway

The one ride Toontown lacked at first was for the rabbit whose film had inspired it. Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin arrived in 1994. Riders steer spinning cabs through the back alleys of the film. Imagineer Joe Lanzisero described the ride system, a Mad Tea Party cup crossed with Pinocchio's Daring Journey, as "a marriage made in Disneyland." In December 2021 the ride was updated so that Jessica Rabbit is no longer a damsel in distress (Laughing Place).

Toontown closed on March 9, 2022, for its first full rebuild. The new ride came first. Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway opened on January 27, 2023, with no height limit, so whole families can ride together. The rest of the land reopened on March 19, 2023, as part of Disney's hundredth-anniversary celebration (Disneyland press release).

The rebuild was aimed at small children. CenTOONial Park at the entrance has a water-table fountain and a tree with roots to climb. Goofy's How-To-Play Yard has a sound garden and a candy-making contraption. Donald's Duck Pond surrounds Donald's Boat with spinning lily pads and balance beams. Imagineering added open lawns, companion restrooms, a quieter space for guests who need a break, and curb-free paths. The stated aim was "to try to remove as many barriers to play as possible" (Disneyland press release).

Dining and shops

For its first thirty years Toontown fed its visitors from Daisy's Diner and Pluto's Dog House. In the 2023 rebuild the two were combined into Café Daisy, which serves diner classics (Duchess of Disneyland; Disneyland fact sheet). Good Boy! Grocers, a roadside stand, sells drinks, snacks and slushies. The shop is EngineEar Souvenirs, a hobby store beside Runaway Railway (Disneyland fact sheet).

Mickey and Minnie greet guests at their houses when they are home. Pete, Clarabelle, Pluto, Donald, Daisy and Goofy also turn up around the land (Disneyland fact sheet).

Toontown in pictures

Fun facts: Mickey's Toontown

1. Before Toontown, the land behind the railroad was backstage, used partly to house the park's ponies (Laughing Place).
2. Early working names for the land included "Mickeyland" (Laughing Place).
3. Toontown sits just outside the berm, with the Disneyland Railroad passing overhead (Laughing Place).
4. A mailbox in downtown Toontown talks back when you open it (D23).
5. Tokyo Disneyland built its own Toontown in 1996, with the two halves of the land reversed (D23).
6. Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin was the land's only ride for Roger Rabbit, though his film inspired the whole place (Laughing Place).
7. The Jolly Trolley ran through Toontown from 1993 to 2003 (Laughing Place).
8. Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway is the first ride-through attraction at the Disneyland Resort to star Mickey and Minnie (Disneyland fact sheet).
9. Through the portholes of Donald's Boat you can spot Huey, Dewey, Louie and Webby (Disneyland fact sheet).
10. The 2023 Toontown was built without curbs, so guests with differing abilities can move through it freely (Disneyland press release).

Quotes

"A marriage made in Disneyland."

— Imagineer Joe Lanzisero, on Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin, which combined the spinning of the Mad Tea Party with the track of Pinocchio's Daring Journey (Laughing Place)

"To try to remove as many barriers to play as possible."

— Walt Disney Imagineering's stated aim for the 2023 Toontown (Disneyland press release)