One more go at the Mickey-themed area at DHS (with an actual (but tentative) name)

[mharrington]

It seems as though a replacement for Toontown Fair is all I can think about, isn't it? Unfortunately, I've been given very little help with this huge undertaking (or at least not the kind of help I prefer). The fact is, I'm not the most imaginative person in the world. I have Asperger's Syndrome, and so I tend to take things a lot more literally than most people do here. I really could not do this project alone. I had dedicated several threads to the subject of a new Mickey-themed area at DHS (such as here, for the most recent one: http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/...-at-dhs-open-brainstorming-part-three.868537/), but they all fizzled out over time. Most posts on such threads were done only by me. It seemed as though I was the only one who cared.

Anyway, I finally (well, almost) finished the whole land, all by myself, with almost no help whatsoever. It was absolutely frustrating for me because to do this at the Studios instead of at the Magic Kingdom meant a lot more doing almost from scratch than merely fitting into a preexisting park (I have Asperger's so it's extremely difficult). The original plan was to do a Toontown-like area for the Magic Kingdom. But there was really no room for one at the park, certainly not without creating a lot of headaches. I really like to take logistics and spatial constraints into account before I do anything, because I like to think of it as though these things were actually going to happen. As such, unlike other people here, I don't allow myself to imagine anything logistics don't present (hence why I created this thread here: ). That creates a lot of frustration for me. It didn't help that I was pretty much on my own.

Anyway, I had to do this all by myself. It was an absolutely frustrating thing because of that. Even now, it's not entirely perfect and final, but here it is, the Mickey-themed land at the Studios:

Mickey's Startown
(Yes, it's partially named after the old land at the Magic Kingdom. That alone would probably entail a whole new and different name for it.)

Here's the basic location for it:

It will take over the entirety of the Animation Courtyard as well as the spot located in red. The building marked Mermaid will be home to a new dark ride about Disney animation, to replace "The Magic of Disney Animation". The name's the same, however, but it will now be on Hollywood Boulevard, located right near the entrance to the new land. This is to keep out any contradictions between animated characters as coming to life from ink and paint, while the theme of the new land should involve Mickey and the gang as real people (as you will see in the list). I had originally wanted to just have Mickey and the gang, but I was finally forced to include characters from SOME of the EARLY full-length animated movies just to help take some of the pressure off.

Also, I really wanted to avoid the usage of "Toontown" and "Roger Rabbit", because Disney doesn't own the Roger Rabbit property. That was all back in the 1990s when Disney and Spielberg were on reasonable terms. I don't think they are anymore, unless I'm mistaken. These legal issues were one of the main reasons why I had originally thought of Goofy's Motor Mania in place of Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin, because Goofy is a character that Disney actually owned 100% (but then I decided that it looked too much like the Roger Rabbit ride and discarded it, but that's another story). These legal issues were the main reasons that, in my plans, any suggestions I was offered to fold Roger Rabbit into any proceedings, whatever they may be, were rejected. As I said before, that's the thing with me: when I do things on these boards, I like to take reality into account before I do anything at all, whether they be access to characters or available real estate. It creates a lot more frustration than what's there already, but like I said, I take reality into account. I'm finicky that way.

As for the Toontown side of things, this new land has some slight cartoonish feeling to it, but nowhere near over the top as at Mickey's Toontown. It actually has a bit more in common with Mickey's Birthdayland/Starland, although obviously it's far less low-rent and temporary:

These images above show the basic idea of what's there, but obviously, they won't be simple facades in front of colorful tents. They will also be a whole lot bigger, too. In fact, for good measure, the colors are more muted than rainbow-like.

And now here's the tentative list of attractions (although not all of them have actual names yet):

1. Fantasia: A Symphony of Splash: A water thrill ride to rival Splash Mountain, you travel with Mickey Mouse the Sorcerer's Apprentice on a water thrill ride through some familiar icons of Walt Disney's landmark film "Fantasia". FastPass-enabled.
   
2. Mickey and friends-themed dark ride - as yet unnamed: Take a wild ride through the wild antics of old Disney cartoons of the past with Mickey and friends. Can anyone help me think of a good name for this?
3. Goofy's Startown Tours: The Toontown Trolley idea is finally brought into being here! However, as I had mentioned, there will be no Roger Rabbit here. Instead, your host and guide for the ride is Goofy.
4. Some spinning hub-and-spoke ride themed to Donald - a possible reskinned Aladdin's carpets ride: Possibly Donald in an airplane. I just need a good theme and a name. Any ideas?
5. The Toonby Hills Hotel: A fancy-looking hotel that serves as the theme for meet-n-greets with Mickey and the gang, each in different hotel rooms. In addition to the Fab Six, you can also meet characters from "Snow White" and "Pinocchio" (but NOT any other movie after that!). The name and theme are supposedly based on the Beverly Hills Hotel. Also, the name "Toonby Hills", besides the obvious word "Toon", is based on "Holmby Hills", the neighborhood that the Disney clan moved to that afforded Walt the space for his backyard railroad.

I will put up restaurants and shops sometime later, but I have another dilemma here. I was thinking of this as a "revenge" for the idea of Mickey-themed areas (i.e., Toontown Fair, Camp Minnie-Mickey) as temporary. But almost all the rides, with the possible exception of the Donald-themed ride, would indicate that this land is less "family" (I don't like to say "kiddie" because that indicates "kids only") and more "Fantasyland".

I had also agonized over where to put the "Snow White" and "Pinocchio" characters, because to put them in the hotel meet-n-greet area would be an overload. I had tried to find other places to put them, and others suggested ideas, but they all seemed contradictory: one suggested a cottage-type area with European motifs, and another proposed an animation studio motif. But they all just seemed to work against the idea of the area as a viable place in Southern California. Again, the cottage idea is more at home at Fantasyland than here.

Anyway, can anyone come up with names for the Mickey and friends dark ride and for the Donald-themed hub-and-spoke ride?

 

[Thrill]

For the Donald plane ride, maybe "Plane Crazy?" I know it's a Mickey cartoon, but it could be a humorous attention-grab by Donald in that he's taking over one of the earliest Mickey cartoons.

I've got nothing for the dark ride, though. That might be something where it's easier to come up with the name after the details of the ride are done.

 

[mharrington]

For the Donald plane ride, maybe "Plane Crazy?" I know it's a Mickey cartoon, but it could be a humorous attention-grab by Donald in that he's taking over one of the earliest Mickey cartoons.

I've got nothing for the dark ride, though. That might be something where it's easier to come up with the name after the details of the ride are done.

Well, I'll get to the Donald plane ride shortly, but here's what I've found out for the Mickey and friends dark ride. It's not my own original ride, I'm just keeping it alive:

[M]y idea would be that you enter through an area that looks like the Disney Studios on Hyperion, with a recreation of the iconic old Mickey Mouse / Silly Symphonies sign, it would give way to a black and white area where you could meet some of the REAL long lost friends, preferably in greyscale, Clarabelle, Horace, Oswald, Clara Cluck... maybe even Dippy Dawg [meaning Goofy], Pie Eyed Mickey and Minnie, etc. This could potentially be a fun area to board a dark ride that takes you on a trip through the Disney cartoons from Steamboat Willie through the end of the classic Mickey in Technicolor area...maybe you board a mini Steamboat and begin travelling through the countryside, a barnyard, etc... then a tornado "sweeps you into technicolor" (it's the tornado from The Band Concert...the first Technicolor Mickey short)... through a funhouse room with mirrors (based on the old Pluto cartoon), on a quick adventure with Donald Duck, maybe through the Lonseome Ghosts house - though Lonseome Ghosts might make a good dark ride all on its own- Mystic Manor/Haunted Mansion meets Mickey!) then the ride would let you out in the later era of ToonTown where you could meet the real Sensational 6.

Anyway, that's the basic gist of it, but it needs to be tweaked a lot. I was originally going to put this in a smaller theater-type building, but I'm concerned about cannibalizing that concept, which is going to house the Fantasia ride. All I know is that the Disney Studios building would not work without being contradictory. And besides, that is going to be home to a new version of The Magic of Disney Animation.

Any ideas for the building, as well as the name? I really want to avoid the "studio where Toons work" concept.

 

[Thrill]

Any ideas for the building, as well as the name? I really want to avoid the "studio where Toons work" concept.

The best building idea I have (although it kinda messes with the black and white -> color thing) is a clock tower, as seen in Clock Cleaners.

 

[mharrington]

The best building idea I have (although it kinda messes with the black and white -> color thing) is a clock tower, as seen in Clock Cleaners.

Well, the black and white aspect doesn't happen until after you go in. But after sending out a brief description of possible ride scene ideas, what do you think can be a good name for the ride?

 

[mharrington]

Well, here's the list of the shops and restaurants (again this is just a tentative list) in Mickey's Startown (once again, I'm not sure if that's the best name for it; it just screams "temporary" to me):

RESTAURANTS:

1. House of Mouse: Yes, it's based on the supper club from the TV show of the same name and it does feature appearances by characters, so this is a spot for character meals, but that's where the similarities end. It does not look like the same restaurant at all. It looks more like the WW2-era Hollywood Canteen with performances on a stage (whether it's live or not I haven't decided). Also, there's appearances only by characters from "Snow White" and "Pinocchio" here, as well as Mickey and the gang, for a character meal, as I said. The reason there's only "Snow White" and "Pinocchio" characters, and no one else from later, is to keep in the spirit of the area, which is themed to the 1940s and about the time of the war.
   
2. Duck Diner: A Donald and family-themed greasy spoon.

SHOPS:

1. Oswald's Lucky Five and Dime: Named after Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, obviously, this is the main store of Mickey's Startown, a Disney take on five and dime stores of old. Here is found plenty of souvenir merchandise, particularly the kind with Disney characters. Also, like any old-fashioned, old-timey five and dime, there is found a soda fountain here (but in a separate section, so you can't take the treats into the main shop). Here you can get treats from Goofy's Candy Company.
   
2. Pete's Garage: A smaller shop at the entrance to the area, it's named after and based on the location at Mickey's Toontown Fair, and of course, it's named after the old ruffian, Peg-Leg Pete. Like that original location, as a nod to history, Pete is selling "Gulp" gas, a subtle reference to Gulf oil, an old Disney sponsor that often sold small books and record albums at it gas station chain. However, this Pete's Garage is not a glorified bathroom. It's more like Oswald's Gas Station at DCA.

That's about it for the shops and restaurants, but that's only a tentative list, and it may or may not be complete.

 

[rm247]

1. The Toonby Hills Hotel: A fancy-looking hotel that serves as the theme for meet-n-greets with Mickey and the gang, each in different hotel rooms. In addition to the Fab Six, you can also meet characters from "Snow White" and "Pinocchio" (but NOT any other movie after that!). The name and theme are supposedly based on the Beverly Hills Hotel. Also, the name "Toonby Hills", besides the obvious word "Toon", is based on "Holmby Hills", the neighborhood that the Disney clan moved to that afforded Walt the space for his backyard railroad.

Instead of characters from the movies, which have attractions and meet & greets already, why not restrict it to characters from the shorts? Three Pigs, Big Bad Wolf, Pete, Horace horsecollar, etc.

 

[mharrington]

Instead of characters from the movies, which have attractions and meet & greets already, why not restrict it to characters from the shorts? Three Pigs, Big Bad Wolf, Pete, Horace horsecollar, etc.

Well, they can appear at the House of Mouse. I already had plans to include them in glorified meet-n-greets at Storybook Circus, though, replacing Minnie, Donald, Daisy and Goofy.

Actually, it was not an easy decision for me to include characters from the features. I did want to originally restrict it to the shorts characters, but I was concerned with, of all things, the background music loop for the proposed land. I did not think that the music loop from Toontown Fair would fit the new land. Here's the list of the music loop from Toontown Fair:

• The Grasshopper and the Ants
• Little Toot
• The Pied Piper
• The Country Cousin
• Who Killed Robin
• The Skeleton Dance
• Springtime
• The Tortoise and the Hare
• Casey At the Bat
• The Three Little Pigs
• Goofy's Theme
• Minnie's Yoo Hoo
• Donald Duck's Theme
• Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?
• Box Lunch
• Camping Out
• Funny Little Bunnies
• Playful Pluto
• Pluto's Playmate
• Puppy Love

And here's a sampling of the loop to show how it sounds:


However, no one wanted to help me with this thing, so I was pretty much forced to do it all by myself. I was so frustrated by how to do the loop that I felt that a good way to relieve the pressure was to include music from some of the earliest feature films. Again, it's restricted to just "Snow White" and "Pinocchio", because I wanted to give it a 1940s vibe, a WW2 patriotic vibe. That part, the part I mentioned about the 1940s vibe, was one reason why I tried to do a thread on a time period at Disneyland's Toontown (http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/time-period-in-mickeys-toontown.840888/), so I could maybe try and have something for a baseline of sorts. But everyone insisted that there was no distinct time period, if Gadget's Go Coaster was any indication.

Anyway, that was why I ultimately included characters from the earliest movie films, because I did not think that the Toontown Fair loop, as heard at the Magic Kingdom, would fit in the Studios.

 

[mharrington]

The only name I can think of for the Mickey-and-friends dark ride at the clock tower is called "Mickey's Wild Adventure", but that's too generic a name. I can't think of anything else, however. Can anyone help me, please? I can't do this alone!

 

[Fantasmicguy]

Mickey's Adventures: Presented in Technicolor

 

[mharrington]

The only other name I could think of is Mickey's TechniCollateral. It was the word "Technicolor" that provided the inspiration. However, I didn't come up with that name myself, so credit goes out to whoever did think it up. Also, I always thought that "collateral" was just a financial term, but I was told that it also had another meaning: a descending down from line to line, amidst different parallels. However, I found no such meaning for that term in the dictionary. I had to search for "collateral parallel" just to reassure myself.

Also, I'm having difficulty with the background music loop. That was one of the main reasons why I finally decided to let in characters from "Snow White" and "Pinocchio" in here, to take some pressure off of the shorts being represented, whose music I don't think really fits the Studios.

Please don't make me do this thing by myself!

 

[mharrington]

The only thing I can think of for music (and even here, I'm not sure) is some music heard in the shorts like these (I got this list from a record album I have called "Magical Music of Walt Disney"):

• Steamboat Willie
  • Turkey In the Straw
• Mickey's Early Years (1929-1934)
  • Minnie's Yoo Hoo ("Mickey's Follies")
  • In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree ("The Delivery Boy")
  • St. Louis Blues ("Blue Rhythm")
  • Maple Leaf Rag ("The Whoopee Party")
  • Runnin' Wild ("The Whoopee Party")
  • Who'll Buy a Box Lunch? ("Building a Building")
  • Congratulations, Mr. Mickey Mouse ("Mickey's Gala Premiere")
  • Sextette From "Lucia" ("Orphan's Benefit")
• Maestro Mickey Conducts (1935-1942)
  • William Tell Overture ("The Band Concert")
  • Quartet From "Rigoletto" ("Mickey's Grand Opera")
  • Light Cavalry Overture ("Symphony Hour")

Here again, however, I'm not sure how it can fit within the theme of a patriotic wartime atmosphere. I know I'm overthinking this a lot, but the only thing I can think of for a basic sound is this (but no singing):


But some of the songs, at least those from the "Maestro Mickey" section, are all classical pieces, so I really don't know how they can work within the same style as the video I put up.

 

[mharrington]

Can anyone please help me with the background music loop selection? I don't think classical pieces really fit the patriotic wartime atmosphere I'm going for here. I don't think they had huge classical orchestras in World War II. They had big band, yes, but I don't think they had classical symphony orchestra.

I could have the classical and big bands mixed together in one music loop, but I don't think they've ever had different styles of music in one loop. A single loop, I think, would always try and keep it at one particular style.

So what does everyone think can be done?

 

[mharrington]

I don't think it's really going to matter anymore, since I'm the only one on this thread who cares:

Getting back to the roster of attractions for Mickey's Startown (which probably needs a new name), one reason for my disappointment in the closure of Toontown Fair was that there was now no official kiddie section of the Magic Kingdom, although Storybook Circus does try to do as good a job of that as any.

Anyway, the only attraction here that could possibly count as kid-friendly is the Donald-themed spinner, which is a reskinned version of the Aladdin's carpets ride, which will have been relocated here from the Studios. The rest of the rides, the Fantasia-themed water thrill ride, Goofy's Startown Tours and Mickey's TechniCollateral (the working name for the cartoon shorts dark ride), are D- or E-ticket rides and all would involve some sort of height and age requirement. By virtue of that, this area simply seems less "kiddie" and more Fantasyland. I really feel as though it should be kid-friendly, but only the spinner ride seems like that.

I don't think it really matters anymore, but does anyone have any ideas on how to take the matter forward?

 

[Sam Magic]

REVIVE THE ORIGINAL MICKEY STUDIOS CONCEPT.

 

[mharrington]

REVIVE THE ORIGINAL MICKEY STUDIOS CONCEPT.

I don't know much about it, outside of the fact that it was a forerunner of The Magic of Disney Animation. Here's what the Neverland Files said about it...

Description
When the Disney-MGM Studios opened to wide praise and success, there was only one problem - it wasn't big enough. Immediately, Michael Eisner ordered the Imagineers to come up with some expansions, and Mickey's Movieland was one of them.

Located where Sunset Boulevard currently stands, the land would be recognised be housed inside a replica of the original Disney Studio. Disney marketing described the project as:

"A replica of Disney’s original Hyperion Avenue Studio, where guests will encounter whimsical, hands-on movie making equipment where they can live out their own motion picture producing fantasies."

Guests would encounter hands-on exhibits demonstrating classic movie production, such as creating folly sound effects or spinning projectors to see classic Mickey drawings animate.

Why Wasn't It Built?

Whilst one group proposed Mickey's Movieland to Eisner, another Imagineering group had come up with another suggestion - a stylised recreation of Sunset Boulevard with a revolutionary new attraction - the Tower of Terror. The Mickey's Movieland concept was put away in favour of this alternative proposal.

Legacy
The types of exhibits that would have appeared inside Mickey's Movieland did show up around the parks - animation exhibits could be found in the Magic of Disney Animation, sound exhibits in the (now closed) Monster Sound Show and Drew Carey's Sounds Dangerous, but the studio itself wasn't built.

So unfortunately, Sunset Boulevard and various other park attractions, some gone or on their last legs, have pretty much spent away any possibility of Mickey's Movieland as originally envisioned. If we did Mickey's Movieland as envisioned, how can there be meet-n-greets of Mickey and the gang?

 

[mharrington]

In an effort to keep this thread from dying, here's a complete verbal tour of Fantasia: Symphony of Splash (made ALL BY MYSELF; it was very tough to do):

This ride is located inside an elaborate (and slightly Toonlike) art deco movie palace at one end of Mickey's Startown. You see the ride name on the huge theater marquee. Below, you see two main entrances, one is a regular Standby entrance, the other is a Fastpass entrance. A smaller entrance has a designated Single Rider line. Inside the entrance, you find yourself in a theater lobby, which doubles as a mini-museum to the movie "Fantasia", all adorned with different posters of the film.

You walk down a hall at the end of the lobby with the movie name on a sign over the entrance. Through a pair of fancy doors at the end of the hall, you find yourself inside the theater auditorium itself. At the end of the theater is a huge movie screen with flashes of color displayed on the screen as you hear "Toccata and Fugue In D Minor", the color flashes accompanying the music. The flashes are directed by a silhouette of Yen Sid, who serves as a stand-in for Leopold Stokowski as the conductor.

Curiously, a canal with boats on it travels through this room, each one having a theater seat and orchestra motif rolled into one and with the heads of Mickey Mouse, the Sorcerer's Apprentice, mounted on each. The boats, which seat ten passengers (five rows with two seats per) have sheet music on the backs of the seats – or in the case of the very front row, some mounted stands. These are just decorative. You board these boats as you hear the usual safety spiel done by Yen Sid himself. Beneath the sheet music are pouches to stow anything you might have, hats, cameras, etc.

Once aboard, you cruise forward underneath the theater screen with Yen Sid conducting the music on it. You then see the first real scene of the ride: Sorcerer Yen Sid's chamber, but with a canal through it. Mickey Mouse putting on the Sorcerer's famous and bringing to life a broom. As "L'Apprenti Sorcier" plays in the background, you turn a bend as you see Mickey directing the broom to fill its buckets with water, then you see shadows of Mickey and the broom walking towards a cauldron, where Mickey watches as the broom pours the water in. Around another bend in the river, you see Mickey again, this time drifting off to sleep as he directs the broom from a chair.

The room plunges into darkness and you find yourself in another scene: Mickey's dream sequence from falling asleep, where he is on a high crag overlooking the ocean and controlling the movement of the sea and the comets in the sky. The water gets pretty rough here. As Mickey directs control of the water here, you may get doused. And the ride has only just begun.

You then enter a pitch-black room where you see a projection of Mickey waking up from his sleep to see the chamber flooded from the broom still filling up the cauldron with water. There are now several brooms full of buckets of water pouring them into the cauldron. The boat suddenly stops as Mickey tries vainly to stop the brooms from its task. But not only do the brooms not pay attention, but suddenly the room starts flooding and filling up with so much water that you suddenly find yourself lifted into the air, along with Mickey who is flailing around in the water! This is actually the same elevator effect as at Sea World San Diego's version of Journey To Atlantis.

Suddenly, just as quickly as the boat starts climbing up, it comes to a stop and you move forward. You suddenly plunge over a thirty-foot waterfall into an otherwise-serene pool below. Suddenly, the music changes up, to "The Nutcracker Suite Op.71". This pool is full of lively flowers while fairies flit around to light things up sparkly, and on the shores are dancing mushrooms. The music alternates between "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy", "Chinese Dance" and "Dance of the Reed Pipes" in that order. You cruise through this pool, which has gentle cascades on one side. Projections of the dancing flowers fall over these waterfalls, which can slightly spritz you in the boat as you cruise by. Then you float through some willow branches drooping down over the pool.

You emerge from the willow leaves to find yourself floating along another pool. The music changes yet again, this time to "Symphony No.6 "Pastoral" Op.68". This pool is teeming with Pesasi swimming in the water, while other such flying horses are in the air, including the baby one in black, struggling to stay in the air. On the shore, you see dancing goat-men playing pipes and cavorting about. You also see Bacchus the god of wine on the shore, sitting on a bacchanal and holding up a goblet of wine.

Suddenly, things take a turn for the worse as you see clouds (projected on the ceiling) forming and Zeus, the mightiest of all the gods, throwing lightning bolts at everyone below. The boat turns toward a waterfall and starts climbing upwards (a lift hill) to escape from the storm. Wind kicks up as you make your ascent, and the occasional stray rain blows in your face. Even worse, the lift is leading to Bald Mountain.

You level off near the pinnacle of Bald Mountain, with the music appropriately now being "Night On Bald Mountain". You float down another canal, one much murkier and blacker than usual. It is flows much faster and rougher than earlier in the ride. Projected spirits float about and the occasional demon pops out at you. Flames erupt here and there. And around the final bend in the river, who should you see leering at you menacingly? None other than the Black God of evil and death, Chernabog himself! You move inexorably closer as he drops demons into a fiery pit above him. Just as he reaches down to grab you, you realize you are not being pushed by water; now you're riding rails!

You slip through Chernabog’s fingers and you dive! You swoop through plunging and banking turns as you see (if you're not more preoccupied otherwise) a projected Mickey clinging for dear life to a huge spell book as he tries to figure out how to stop the madness. You then race through a helix, and Mickey on the book spins through a vortex of water as well. Finally, you hit the canal at the bottom – SPLOOOOSH! As you hit the water and slow to a gentle glide, you see Yen Sid allaying the wild waters to dry out the chamber except for the canal you float through. Then at the end, you see Mickey handing the hat and the broom back to Yen Sid and holding up the buckets himself to tend to his real duties yet again, and waving goodbye to the guests in the boat. Then you reemerge into the theater and disembark.

That concludes Fantasia: Symphony of Splash at the Mickey's Startown section of DHS. It was VERY difficult for me to do all by myself.