DL's Toontown vs. WDW's Toontown

Is it just me or is Disneyland's Toontown much better than Walt Disney World's Toontown Fair ever was?

Personally I've never been to DL's Toontown(though I've been to DL 2X; I will check it out in a couple weeks when I'm there for the Expo), but pictures/video/etc. seems to show that the overall theming, attention to detail, and the amount of attractions put Disneyland's over the top.

Don't get me wrong, even though WDW's Toontown Fair wasn't universally loved, I still enjoyed it for what it was, and the attention to detail there was great too! WDW is my home park and I, admittedly, am biased towards it, but Disneyland's Toontown just seems much, much better.

Why do you think this is? What could have been better in WDW's TTF? If there were no plans for a New Fantasyland, do you think that Mickey's Toontown Fair would have been renovated/overhauled, or had an expansion?

Of course, these questions don't really mean anything now, but I'm just curious to see your opinions and thoughts...

To me, Disneyland's version felt like it was built as an additional land, a perminant land of that. Walt Disney World's version on the other hand felt very temporary and on the cheap.

jjharvpro said:

Is it just me or is Disneyland's Toontown much better than Walt Disney World's Toontown Fair ever was?

Why do you think this is? What could have been better in WDW's TTF? If there were no plans for a New Fantasyland, do you think that Mickey's Toontown Fair would have been renovated/overhauled, or had an expansion?

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WDW's Toontown was really just a Toontown in name. It was a temporary land that morphed over a half decade into a smaller and paler version of the fully-fledged permanent Toontown at Disneyland. You can understand why it happened that way when you look back at the Birthdayland beginnings, and they probably had no idea it would stick around for as long as it did, but the end result by the 2000's was rather sad and lacking even without a comparison to Anaheim.

Disneyland's Toontown is the fully fleshed out concept right from the beginning, with the highly interactive "downtown" area and the suburban "neighborhood" nearby where the toons actually live in meet n' greets and smaller rides and attractions.

But aside from the big-budget concept Imagineering throughout, what puts Disneyland's version over the top is Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin, one of the longest and most unique of Disneyland's seven (7!) different Fantasyland-style dark rides.

Downtown Toontown - Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin Entrance


If you haven't been on Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin yet, you are in for a treat! And have fun at D23 Expo!

There is really no discussion about this. Disneylands is way better than WDW's was. Roger Rabbit Car toon spin is an amazing ride with incredible themeing. If only it could come to WDW. That will never happen though. If they gave MK a version close to DL toontown (not a copy) it will make MK that much better.

I honestly rather see a similar toontown in mgm instead. Mgm needs all the 'extras' it can get. And yes, DL's toontown is amazing and way better than the fair was at the MK. Disneyland has a lot of rides and attractions that are just flat out better than their MK cousin, with the exception being Space mt. and maybe Splash mt. oh ya and also BTM.

This is not even really a discussion.

DL's Toontown blows WDW's out of the water.

While the MK version of Toontown was the first (as Mickey's Birthdayland), it never compared to the DL version. Although TT at DL can feel pretty crowded at times, it's the perfect "home" for the Disney characters.

Some time ago, after the Fantasyland expansion was announced and the layout revealed, I doodled some idea's of "my" perfect Fantasyland for the MK. It would be very easy for the MK to add both a proper Toontown and a Storybookland behind the current construction. Below are my very crude doodles. Enjoy!

This first "doodle" shows an overview of a Toontown, Storybookland addition. A themed tunnel, built over a slightly expanded utilidoor, adjacent to the Village Haus-where the bathrooms are currently located, would transition from the FL courtyard to Toontown. On the opposite end, another tunnel, under the Magic Kingdom Dr overpass would connect Storybookland addition to the new Storybook Circusland.



This second "doodle" shows a closeup of Toontown...
1. Roger Rabbits Cartoon Spin
2. Toontown City Hall and other downtown Toontown buildings (quickserve food and Gag Factory shop)
3. Minnie's House with connecting M&G building
4. Mickey's House with connecting M&G building
5. Chip and Dales treehouse
6. Goofy's Bounce House
7. Toontown Train Station
8. Donald's Boat
9. The Jolly Tolley



This last closeup is the Storybookland addition....

10. Storybookland Canal Boats
11. Casey Jr Train
12. The Old Mill Ferris Wheel (like the Disneyland Paris version)

The L-shaped building next to Mickey's M&G show building is vehicle maintenance for Casey Jr. and the Canal Boats.



Since Storybook Circus wasn't in the plans (it was Pixie Hollow at the time I did this), I hadn't planned on the circus being so close to the Storybookland addition, but Casey could actually make a trip through a tunnel (maybe below the backstage access road) and load in Storybook Circus.

An addition of this sort would open up the back of the MK all the way to the train tracks (it would be great to see all of this from the train) and provide some much needed breathing room (and ride capacity) to the park. The backstage access road is still there, albeit hidden by mountains behind Storybookland and Mickey and Minnies houses, and the Small World show building hidden by the cartoon mountains on top of Cartoon Spin. Like the DL version of TT, it would probably have to be closed during fireworks presentations, but could be quickly reopened after their conclusion.

Hope you enjoyed my daydreaming! It's fun to play Imagineer at home!

the-reason14 said:

I honestly rather see a similar toontown in mgm instead. Mgm needs all the 'extras' it can get. And yes, DL's toontown is amazing and way better than the fair was at the MK. Disneyland has a lot of rides and attractions that are just flat out better than their MK cousin, with the exception being Space mt. and maybe Splash mt. oh ya and also BTM.

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This. I feel Toontown would work perfectly somewhere in Hollywood Studios (actually fits better than it did at a Magic Kingdom style park imo). Maybe someday it could happen, a more expansive and larger version of it. That would be pretty awesome actually.

Tower of Terror is definitely better than its alternatives (any of them) at other parks. WDW definitely got the best version of that one! Pooh as well (though we still fall woefully short of Tokyo's). And when it's in good working condition, Splash Mountain at MK is the best.:animwink:

MerlinTheGoat said:

Tower of Terror is definitely better than its alternatives (any of them) at other parks. WDW definitely got the best version of that one!

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Disagree on that one. I've only experienced WDW and DLR versions - while WDW obviously has better theming for the outside attraction experience and que, as far as the ride itself DLR version is hands down better...IMHO of course, YMMV

DL's Toontown exists. Ergo, it is better.

(That being said, it always was.)

cymbaldiva said:

Disagree on that one. I've only experienced WDW and DLR versions - while WDW obviously has better theming for the outside attraction experience and que, as far as the ride itself DLR version is hands down better...IMHO of course, YMMV

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That opinion is somewhat surprising. I feel the ride at WDW is superior due to the fact that the elevator actually exits its own shaft and becomes a short sort of dark ride in the 13th floor. Something that doesn't happen at the DCA version or any other version. This was very unexpected for me the first time i rode on it (i expected something more akin to how the DCA version works and didn't think it would do anything besides rise and drop). And it was a very unique experience. Otherwise, the ride is almost the same (except maybe for that "wave goodbye to the real world" bit). But that short little segment where the elevator transcends its boundaries is truly a very cool and special moment.

Not only that, the drop sequence at WDW is randomized (added later on), adding an unpredictable nature to the ride. Very fitting for the attraction. You could get off lucky one time and not be dropped too many times, or you could get dropped a ton. It's very unsettling and really gives the ride a creepy vibe (if the rest didn't do it already).

I'll admit that ToT is the most terrifying attraction for me. I hate dropping from high up and the feeling of it. But i try to do the attraction periodically due to how amazingly themed and well designed it is. I would easily skip the other versions of it though, WDW's is the better experience IMO.

MerlinTheGoat said:

Not only that, the drop sequence at WDW is randomized (added later on), adding an unpredictable nature to the ride. Very fitting for the attraction. You could get off lucky one time and not be dropped too many times, or you could get dropped a ton. It's very unsettling and really gives the ride a creepy vibe (if the rest didn't do it already).

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See, this is why I don't care for WDW's version as much anymore - I'll be the first to admit that maybe I've just been terribly unlucky, but I have yet to experience a decent drop sequence since they went to random drops...it's been really disappointing!

cymbaldiva said:

Disagree on that one. I've only experienced WDW and DLR versions - while WDW obviously has better theming for the outside attraction experience and que, as far as the ride itself DLR version is hands down better...IMHO of course, YMMV

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DCA's ToT is nice, but this is like the one ride next to maybe Space mt. that I did down there and was really missing the WDW version. Their's is ok, but it lacks a lot of things that make the mgm one great!! I like the location at mgm better, it being on sunset and next to the coaster is nice. At DCA is a long walk from ToT to CS but it's worth it when walking from ToT. It takes wayyyyyyyyyy to long for it to load and the whole hallway into the elevator kind of killed it for me. With all of it's shortcomings I literally gave up on it after the 2nd or 3rd time and just did Maliboomer since it was close to CS.

Some of the effects were better, like the rain in the library I liked that. And some of the stuff you see while actually on the ride, but I think the difference is ToT is just good at DCA while it's great at mgm.

I have a friend who's a DL AP holder, grew up in California and *loved* the ToT when it opened at DCA. A couple years ago, she visited WDW for the first time and was stunned at the difference. I think her response was something like "It's like finding out your favorite ride had a version 10 times better that you never knew existed." :lol:

It's all just individual opinion, but for me, ToT and Splash Mountain are the only two rides where WDW beats DL hands down.

Wilt Dasney said:

It's all just individual opinion, but for me, ToT and Splash Mountain are the only two rides where WDW beats DL hands down.

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I would agree that those are the only two that Disneyland comes in second, with the caveat "when the WDW versions are in good working order".

After riding Splash Mountain at Disneyland upon opening in 1989 and through the 1990's, I had no idea that Splash Mountain even had a plot until I first rode it at WDW in the mid 90's. :lol:

Disneyland's Splash has more animatronics, but the logs are moving so fast and the sets are zipping by, you have no idea what the heck is going on. It doesn't help that Disney doesn't allow Americans to see the Song of the South, so the point of reference is even blurrier at Disneyland.

steve2wdw said:

Some time ago, after the Fantasyland expansion was announced and the layout revealed, I doodled some idea's of "my" perfect Fantasyland for the MK. It would be very easy for the MK to add both a proper Toontown and a Storybookland behind the current construction. Below are my very crude doodles. Enjoy!

Hope you enjoyed my daydreaming! It's fun to play Imagineer at home!

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Wow! I loved that concept, thank you so much for sharing.

Such a great idea to get a proper Disneyland-style Toontown AND a Disneyland-style Storybookland Canal Boats/Casey Jr. Circus Train in there! The lack of a Storybookland section at WDW's Magic Kingdom has always seemed like such a glaring omission to me.

Storybookland, Disneyland's Fantasyland

I don't think this matters since WDW doesn't have a Toontown anymore. They have bulldozed it and re-working it. I think it is going to be storybook land where it once stood. From what was here I have to agree that DL's was much better from the pictures that I saw. When I was there I never got in there. Now hearing that there was a good ride I'm upset that we didn't want to go in there.

rangerbob said:

Now hearing that there was a good ride I'm upset that we didn't want to go in there.

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Mickey's Toontown can be very crowded in the morning through the afternoon. But by early evening it clears out for some reason, and it's a great time to hop on Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin.

WDW's Toontown was never officially planned or designed to be better than Disneyland's. So... :shrug:

Wilt Dasney said:

It's all just individual opinion, but for me, ToT and Splash Mountain are the only two rides where WDW beats DL hands down.

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I agree with those...when everything is working on Splash...BUT I have to put MK's Haunted Mansion in that group too. The versions are very similar...but the superior queue, added scenes, ending...I just find it superior.