Mickey's Big Top Spin for MK's Storybook Circus

[mharrington]

Here's something that has been popping up lately in my ideas for improving the Magic Kingdom overall, and that is a dark ride for the Storybook Circus section of the new land. I've been putting up time and time again as a new version of "Mickey's Mad House", a concept for the original predecessor of Storybook Circus known as Dumbo's Circusland.

I know I've put up that concept a lot lately, even devoted not one thread but several to this concept (i.e., http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/...circus-feedback-and-critiques-welcome.836057/), but the concept of a dark ride themed to Mickey shorts didn't seem to fit. I had originally brought it up as a way to compensate for the loss of any references to the classic Disney shorts in the Magic Kingdom, now that Toontown Fair is long gone.

Anyway, at the same time, I found that in a long thread on the updating of WDW in general, KingMickey proposed a dark ride for Storybook Circus which would play up the circus angle that was hinted at in "Madhouse". He called it Mickey's Big Top (you can Google it). In any case, I had decided to just abandon the Mickey shorts aspect and play up the circus aspect, with a dark ride in a circus environment with an emphasis on all those posters scattered about the land. I will probably go ahead and name it to what KingMickey thought of: Mickey's Big Top. However, I might add on to that, have a bit of the Roger Rabbit ride in it, namely the ability to spin the vehicle somehow, and rename the ride to Mickey's Big Top Spin. For the location, I even thought of it replacing part of the Tomorrowland Speedway, like in this image below (the area in black is the new ride's area):

And here's a rough access point, right between Dumbo and the Great Goofini:

Thoughts, comments, concerns?

 

[MA Screamin']

I do believe the concept based from the posters could turn into a great dark-ride; so you were thinking each poster equals a scene, right?

I do have to critique your choice of location. Maybe north of the D-Zone could work better. (I'm unsure if that would require rerouting of roads or not.)

 

[mharrington]

I do have to critique your choice of location. Maybe north of the D-Zone could work better. (I'm unsure if that would require rerouting of roads or not.)

What's the D-Zone?

 

[jdmdisney99]

What's the D-Zone?

The yellow tent for Fastpasses and relaxing in SB.

 

[mharrington]

The yellow tent for Fastpasses and relaxing in SB.

Well, I'm not sure if they have the space beyond for a ride. And besides, this is kind of the space for Fastpasses for Dumbo and Goofini. This will also be a Fastpass space for Mickey's Big Top Spin, too.

 

[mharrington]

I think, this ride, combined with Turtle's proposed Donaldo spinner ride would give Storybook Circus a greater presence in the park. I'm even thinking of annexing Storybook Circus from the rest of Fantasyland and making it its own land, thereby bringing the list of lands back up to seven once more.

Anyway, for the queue, you go by a ticket booth with the ride name on it, which is being manned by Uncle Scrooge McDuck (similar to Mr. Potato Head over at the Toy Story midway ride). The idea is that circuses usually have ticket booths outside the entrance. And who better to run it than Scrooge McDuck, since he's so obsessed with money and all? Of course, he complains that you're going in for free, since you don't have to pay to go on rides. On the booth, there will be a sign that says something like, "Orphans admitted free today". It includes a big hint of what to expect inside. The queue/waiting area begins outdoors, but then goes indoors, like the Haunted Mansion. It also has posters of the many acts you'll see inside. The tent where the ride takes place will be colored purple, in deference to the Judge's Tent during the Toontown Fair years, which was colored with purple and yellow stripes.

As for the ride vehicles, I'm thinking of something like the non-cage cars of the Casey Jr. trains, like so:

These ride vehicles would all travel in two pairs, like the Toy Story midway ride. Also like the Toy Story midway ride, they will be adorned with the images of characters on them (taking the places of the eagles and much of the gold patterns seen in the picture above). Being as this is a ride with classic Disney characters, these ride vehicles would have Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto's heads on the sides, like on the gondolas for Mickey's Fun Wheel:

Thoughts, comments, concerns?

 

[mharrington]

Now onto the ride itself (at least the first part)!

The ride vehicles will be able to spin about, rather like the couches in the Cat in the Hat ride at Islands of Adventure just up the street from WDW. Anyway, as you climb aboard, you hear the usual safety spiel (remain seated at all times, etc.). Then you depart from the load area and make your way through some parted curtains and into a slightly darker area and you see an AA of Ringmaster Mickey Mouse, like so (but with the eyes with pupils, not solid black eyes):

He announces the following acts to come in typical ringmaster style. And then as you leave, you hear Mickey again, as he announces the first act, Minnie Magnifique and Her Pirouetting Parisian Poodles. Then you see the act itself. Here, Minnie Mouse is seen with some of her French poodles. They are doing ballet dances to a balletic version of "Minnie's Yoo-Hoo". Unfortunately, some of Mickey's orphans (those little baby Mickey Mice in nightshirts) all try to run up to play with the cute little doggies, throwing everything into panic and chaos. But you don't see them physically, only their shadows and noises, as you make your way into the next scene. You hear Ringmaster Mickey as he announces the next act: Hyacinth Hippo: Ballerina of the Big Top (and Her Partner, Ben Ali Gator). You then see the hippo and alligator dancing together to "Dance of the Hours". But the twist is that the song is performed nearby by Salty the Seal and His Symphony of the Seas, which is actually a bunch of horns. So this seal is playing the Dance of the Hours music on the horns. But you get just a shade too close to the dancing hippo as she spins in place, one of her arms held in place by the gator. Your circus vehicle accidentally makes contact with her foot and you get kicked away from them into the next scene...

More to come!

 

[mharrington]

After the Hyacinth Hippo scene, you move into the next scene. Once again, you hear Ringmaster Mickey as he announces the next act to come: The Astounding Donaldo: Snake Charmer. Here, you see Donald Duck dressed as a snake charmer sitting next to a basket in which the snake in question is contained. He starts playing a snake-charmer-like tune on his oboe. The lid opens and who should be inside but Kaa from "The Jungle Book"! He slowly lifts his head out of the basket, as if under the music of Donald's oboe, but as Kaa's head becomes level with Donald's, his eyes become hypnotic as he sings "Trust In Me". As this happens, Donald's eyes, too, become hypnotic as he falls for the snake's hypnosis, just like what happened to Mowgli. Donald's eyelids slightly lower and he sways his head as you head out again. As you leave the scene, you see Donald's shadow as he slumps over, as if asleep from the hypnosis. Leaving this scene, you hear Ringmaster Mickey's voice again as he announces the next act, and then you see it: Madame Daisy Fortuna. Here, Daisy Duck is dressed as a fortune teller. She stands behind a crystal ball on a table, thus making the area similar to the Seance Room in the Haunted Mansion. As you pass by her, your ride vehicles turned sideways, so you can see her. The room turns dark, with green light from the crystal ball illuminating Daisy's face as she tells you your fortune. It is always different from one ride to the next. For example, on one trip through the ride, she might tell you that in your future, she sees a flight on a flying elephant and a bag of popcorn with your name on it. With that, you move on. Before you move to the next real scene, however, the scent of popcorn fills the air (via a Smellitzer, like at the bakery on Main Street, with its fresh-baked cookie Smellitizer, or at the old Horizons attraction, with its lorange (limes and orange) Smellitzer). You hear Max Goof as he calls out, "Popcorn! Get your popcorn here!" You then see Max, who has been taking a job as a popcorn vendor and is manning a popcorn wagon.

More to come!

 

[doctornick]

I do believe the concept based from the posters could turn into a great dark-ride; so you were thinking each poster equals a scene, right?

I do have to critique your choice of location. Maybe north of the D-Zone could work better. (I'm unsure if that would require rerouting of roads or not.)

First of all, I really like the idea for the ride. But I agree that I don't like the proposed location.

I think this would have made sense replacing Pete's Silly Sideshow -- using that tent for the entrance/queue/loading and had a show building north of it, behind the yellow tent. I think there would be enough space there in between the berm and Center Dr. Having another ride like this in the area would make a big difference in improving the draw in this corner of the park.

You could still do the M&G's but make it a part time thing in the yellow tent where one or two characters (in costume) are there for periods during the day.

 

[mharrington]

First of all, I really like the idea for the ride. But I agree that I don't like the proposed location.

I think this would have made sense replacing Pete's Silly Sideshow -- using that tent for the entrance/queue/loading and had a show building north of it, behind the yellow tent. I think there would be enough space there in between the berm and Center Dr. Having another ride like this in the area would make a big difference in improving the draw in this corner of the park.

You could still do the M&G's but make it a part time thing in the yellow tent where one or two characters (in costume) are there for periods during the day.

Why are we so against permanent meet-n-greet areas? The yellow tent (which is where you get Fastpasses for Dumbo and Goofini, by the way) just screams "only temporary", at least in terms of letting characters in there. I think that Pete's Silly Sideshow looks permanent, too. Anyway, moving on...

After Daisy's scene (and Max's, too), you then hear Ringmaster Mickey calling out the next act, which you then see: Strongman Pete: Lifter of All Things Heavy. You see Black Pete in a leopard-spot singlet, similar to Goofy's outfit in "Goofy Gymnastics". He lifts up two animals in each hand. One is a calm-looking lion named Lambert, who grins rather sheepishly as he holds a flower in his mouth. The other is an eager-looking bear named Humphrey, who is balanced on top of this weight and doing a juggling act. Among other things, he is juggling a pineapple, a bowling pin, a cup of coffee, and a fishbowl, whose fish (if you can look closely) bears a striking resemblance to Wart from "The Sword In the Stone" when he is turned into a fish. The circus music heard alternates between the "Lambert the Sheepish Lion" song and "The Humphrey Hop". However, he's not really lifting them up – they're tied to balloons! From a nearby booth nearby, one of the Orphans holds up a needle and pops the balloons that are holding up Lambert, causing him to fall to the ground. Pete looks over and holds him back up, hoping nobody saw him fall. In a corner of this scene, you see two cages, purportedly for the scene. In one cage, you see a tiger that resembles the tiger from the Goofy cartoon, "Tiger Trouble", who reaches out his paw and takes a swipe at you. In the other, you see an angry gorilla, resembling the gorilla from "Donald Duck and the Gorilla", shaking the bars of his cage. Amid the racket and the cacophony, your often-spinning circus wagon moves on. Once more, you hear Ringmaster Mickey calling out, this time announcing Professor Von Drake and His Deep Sponge. You come across a diving board, atop which Prof. Ludwig Von Drake is poised, about to dive into a huge sponge. He is wearing some kind of a huge jumpsuit with purple and white stripes on it and a ruffled collar. Some of the Orphans, however, are hanging below the board, which causes him to dive rather prematurely. As he falls, he doesn't realize that the supposedly-damp sponge is very wet. Some of the other Orphans have stuck a fire hose in the sponge and turned it on, filling it up with water. When Von Drake lands on the sponge, he squishes it down, spraying water in all directions, including yours, as you could get somewhat doused if you're not careful. You then move on.

You guessed it, more to come!

 

[mharrington]

Leaving Pete's scene, you then head into the next scene as you hear Mickey's voice once more, announcing the next act, albeit a short one: Oswald the Lucky Magician. You see a magician's hat on a table and you see a hand reaching out of it, then grabbing something inside. You see Oswald the Lucky Rabbit pulling himself out of the hat, in a twist on an old magic trick. You then move on to the next act, Horace the Rubber-Hose Horse. You see Horace Horsecollar stand there and then start performing a contortionist act, which is exaggerated. He twists his arms and legs and then his whole body in twisty curlicues. The Orphans run up to feel him, but accidentally get him tangled up more than ever. Leaving, another smell fills the air, this one of cotton candy. Here, you see a cotton candy wagon, manned by Clarabelle Cow. You then enter the next act, Pluto the Wonder Dog. You see Pluto as he balances himself on a barrel. This scene is based on a Pluto short called "Wonder Dog", in which Pluto envisions himself as a circus dog to impress Dinah the Dachshund. For this scene, as stated earlier, he stands on a barrel and starts moving across the area on the barrel and rolling it along as he does so. But as you leave the area, you see Pluto's shadow as he loses his balances and falls down with a crash, smashing the barrel. You move on.

The last part of the ride to come soon, so stay tuned!

 

[mharrington]

Here it is, the last scene of the ride!

As you leave Pluto's scene, you go past the Big Bad Wolf who is a balloon vendor. He is standing next to a balloon cart and is in the process of blowing up another balloon. Given his impressive blowing skills, this balloon is inflated really huge, but as you leave, it pops. You then move into the next act, The Three Little Piggolinis, which the wolf overhears and tries to invade. Here, you see the Three Little Pigs doing a high-wire act. The Practical Pig is seated on a unicycle as he rides across the wire, while the other two pigs, Fifer and Fiddler, are standing on top of it. You see the wolf again as he tries to climb up onto the wire and tries to grab at the pigs. However, the Orphans all see what is happening and try to stop the wolf. As the wolf tries to both grab the pigs and fight off those pesky brats, you move on. All the while, Salty the Seal reappears as he plays on his horns, "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" As you head out, you pass by a monkey, looking like the one from the one from the posters in the Barnstormer queue, as he swings on a rope and holding a bunch of bananas. By now, most of the Fab Six and then some have been accounted for. You've seen Mickey, Hyacinth Hippo, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Pete, Von Drake, Oswald, Horace, Pluto and the Three Little Pigs (not to mention Salty, Max, Clarabelle and the Big Bad Wolf). But there's still one classic member of Mickey's inner circle yet to be seen. And then you hear the announcement of the grand finale of the show: The Great Goofini - Reckless Rocketeer! Here, you see Goofy dressed as a cowboy, seated on a cartoonishly huge rocket, which he has affectionately referred to as Dolores. It has a saddle strapped on it for Goofy to sit on. What's that? You thought the rocket was smashed against the ground in the queue for the Barnstormer roller coaster? Well, while you were standing in line and you weren't looking, Goofy somehow appropriated Dolores and managed to fix it up better than new in time for the big show! Anyway, he sits on the saddle and is poised for blastoff. He counts down, three... two... one... And then the rocket engines roar and pour out a great deal of smoke that fills the room so you can't see what is going. Suddenly, the rocket is heard (not seen) taking off as you hear Goofy's holler (you know the one...). As you make your way through the room, you hear the rocket crashing into things and knocking out the lights plunging the room into darkness as you leave. Suddenly, you come to the last scene of the ride, where you see the circus in shambles, the result of Goofy's act, and all the characters from the ride are standing there. Among other things, Goofy's rocket is smashed into the ground (again), the orphans are piled on top of the Big Bad Wolf, and Horace Horsecollar is still all tangled up. Ringmaster Mickey apologizes for all that has happened and promises that next time everything will be better than ever. He then hopes everyone will come by again real soon to see his circus show. As you leave, you arrive at the unload point where you exit your carriages and head back out into Storybook Circus to continue your day at WDW's Magic Kingdom.

And there you have it, Mickey's Big Top Spin at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom!