Magician Mickey's Madcap Mania (working title)

[mharrington]

I've been constantly thinking about this: a Mickey Mouse dark ride at the Magic Kingdom, different than Runaway Railway and somewhat more thrilling, more in the style of Mr. Toad or Roger Rabbit.

I've dedicated many threads to such a ride, mostly at Storybook Circus. At one point, however, it was also proposed to do a dark ride on Main Street, as an addition to the Mickey meet-n-greet nearby, themed to magic, since Mickey is supposedly doing a magic show. You can go here for that: https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads...open-brainstorming.924777/page-4#post-7600592. I also tried to tweak it a bit: https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/three-mickey-rides-which-one-is-the-best.940296/.

I really liked that concept in particular, because I felt that it could be duplicated at other parks, particularly Disneyland Paris, which also has a similarly-themed Mickey meet-n-greet in Fantasyland.

However, at the 2017 D23 expo, they had announced an actual theater venue to go in that particular spot for the ride, leaving me without another proper place to put it, except for Storybook Circus, but since it was so far away from the Mickey meet-n-greet, I had no idea how I could duplicate the ride for Disneyland Paris.

In the meantime, however, the Main Street theater concept was quietly abandoned, so I thought the Mickey-as-magician ride concept on Main Street could be brought back.

It would borrow the same concept as @Basketbuddy101's concept: a fast-paced dark ride similar to Mr. Toad or Roger Rabbit. However, while the concept would start off with Mickey as magician (and be assisted by Donald as well as Goofy), the ride itself would actually involve transport into the world of old cartoons via magic swirling tunnel. I will get into more later, but to give you an idea of what happens, it will look like this scene from the revival of "Castle of Illusion", except with the additions of rabbits and birds, as well as playing cards:

 

[mharrington]

I'm inviting at least the following to this thread:
@MickeyMouse10
@ThemeParkPriest
@Miru
@MagicKingdom4Ever

In the meantime, here's a brief barebones overview of the ride.

The basic plot of Magician Mickey's Madcap Mania is that Mickey is a magician assisted by Donald and Goofy packing up for their traveling tour. However, with Donald and Goofy around, anything can happen, and probably will.

After winding through the Town Square Theater space (where the Tinkerbell meet-n-greet once stood), you go through a dressing room before you are to meet up with Mickey's group in a caravan, which is set to leave on tour. The caravan resembles the horseless carriage vehicles outside.

Scene 1: Departure
Departing the load area, you come across Donald and Goofy trying to bring a magic bag down to Mickey, but they drop it, and the bag opens up, releasing the contents (sparkly dust, a magic hat, a wand, rabbits, birds, playing cards) and seemingly enlarging in size, swallowing Mickey's group and the caravan whole.

Scene 2: Magical Vortex
Inside is a swirly purple vortex of nothingness, full of rabbits, birds and cards, and sometimes a hoop that turns Donald into different animals against his will. It looks like the magic hat subarea of the "Castle of Illusion" revival:


Scene 3: Mickey's House and Garden
Through another blast of magic, you suddenly wind up in what looks like Mickey's house (much to everyone's confusion), but you're all shrunken down as giant inanimate objects come to life, as in "Thru the Mirror". You head out the back, only to discover a giant garden of giant insects, like those in "Mickey's Garden".

Scene 4: Jungle Rhythm
The grass gives way to a real jungle as you encounter jungle animals like those in the black-and-white short "Jungle Rhythm", where you have run-ins with a lion, a bear and a gorilla that terrorizes each of the gang.

Scene 5: Dynamite Blasting
In a scene out of "The Delivery Boy", you happen upon a dynamite blasting area, where Pete is testing some dynamite, but does not like others intruding on his turf, so he throws the dynamite at you. You swerve away, only to get stuck in tar, and the dynamite lands near you. The dynamite explodes, sending your vehicle forward.

Scene 6: Airport and Service Station
You go by both a service station (from "Mickey's Service Station") and an airport (from "The Mail Pilot", though the airplane from "Plane Crazy" also flies overhead). Cars in the service station rise and lower on their platforms.

Scene 7: Podunk Landing
You see Mickey at the helm of the iconic Steamboat Willie, followed by Donald on a whale (from "The Whalers") and Goofy on a wave, as they try to escape home. Mickey suddenly remembers having a spare magic hat and wand on his person for such emergencies. The wave and whale suddenly make a huge splash as Mickey dons the hat and wand in the nick of time.

Scene 8: Return Home
The caravan seems to exit the bag and are back in the Town Square Theater, with Mickey, Donald and Goofy having secured the magic bag. They wave goodbye as the caravan returns to the load area.

What do you think? It's very crude right now and definitely needs work, which is why I'm inviting people to come see and give feedback. I might modify it so that Pete plays a bigger part.

 

[Miru]

Suggestion: in the “Jungle Rhythm” section, play the music known as “The Jungle Rhythm” from The Jungle Book 2. Would be a nice homage. Oswald could be flying the “Plane Crazy” plane. Perhaps Susie the Little Blue Coupe and Pedro could also put in cameos? I was also thinking a cyberspace scene (like in Computer.Don) would be a nice ninth scene; imagine the Singing Harp being on some form of social media. Could be funny if we somehow got Oswald to do a cameo in every scene of the ride.

 

[mharrington]

Suggestion: in the “Jungle Rhythm” section, play the music known as “The Jungle Rhythm” from The Jungle Book 2. Would be a nice homage. Oswald could be flying the “Plane Crazy” plane. Perhaps Susie the Little Blue Coupe and Pedro could also put in cameos? I was also thinking a cyberspace scene (like in Computer.Don) would be a nice ninth scene; imagine the Singing Harp being on some form of social media.

Sorry, but I want this to be an homage to the old 1930s cartoons, as Mickey's Madhouse was to have been in Dumbo's Circusland, had that been built. Plus, it's located on Main Street USA (at WDW's Magic Kingdom), which has a very specific theme. As it is, this concept is a bit of a strain, given the different time periods.

 

[mharrington]

The thing linking all of the various seemingly disparate sections together is Mickey's magic hat and wand, which are causing things to go haywire.

I have also considered maybe having Pete be involved in this ride somehow (maybe he owns the theater and is upset that Mickey, being the main entertainment there, goes on tour). He deliberately, discreetly shakes up the bag and unzips it just slightly enough that when Donald and Goofy take it, they drop it, after which the hat and wand fall out, and Pete steals them both.

What do you think? Should Pete be involved? If so, what would his motive be for making trouble for Mickey and friends?

 

[Miru]

Trying to get them back to the theater, of course.

 

[mharrington]

Trying to get them back to the theater, of course.

I was thinking of Pete owning the Town Square Theater, but wouldn't the idea of a cartoon character owning a realistic building in a realistic town be kind of conflicting?

The only I can see this even remotely working is if all of Main Street USA was rethemed to something more like Mickey Avenue in Shanghai, if only to just rename the buildings/windows to those of the Disney characters. And I'm not sure how well the WDW diehards would take it. I don't believe they took it well when, in the early 2000s, the Emporium was expanded to take over Center Street. These same people would blow their tops if they heard that the names of fictitious cartoon characters were displacing those of real people who helped build the park.

 

[Miru]

Maybe he wants to renovate it, but the renovation turns out to be highly dangerous, and the trio disagree with it due to the danger it causes?

 

[Twilight_Roxas]

That could work. Btw are you continuing Mickeyville?

 

[mharrington]

Maybe he wants to renovate it, but the renovation turns out to be highly dangerous, and the trio disagree with it due to the danger it causes?

Maybe, but regardless, a cartoon character owning (or even trying to) own a building just seems a bit out of place in a land themed to a realistic small town.

I'm reminded of this article from Passport 2 Dreams on the top 10 design blunders of the Magic Kingdom, which puts the Emporium expansion at #3 and the Cinderella Castle stage at #2: http://passport2dreams.blogspot.com/2015/08/ten-big-design-blunders-at-magic-kingdom.html. In particular, there's this blurb during the second part:

[T]the most important land in the Magic Kingdom - the first one - has been subjugated to a supporting role as the host for a variety of inappropriate parades and shows. No other Disneyland-style park has thrown the period atmosphere of their Main Street under a bus so thoroughly. Walking onto Main Street at Disneyland and Disneyland Paris is a joy because it looks and feels like what it's supposed to be - horse drawn carriages, the rattle of a vintage car, the calming music all contributes to the sense of this being a real city. Without the grace touches, including Center Street mentioned above, Magic Kingdom's street sometimes feels like a funnel towards a castle where Mickey Mouse is screaming at you through a bullhorn.

Then again, some may find it questionable why Main Street is the best place to find Mickey, either. Or heck, some would even find it questionable to theme an Italian restaurant nearby to a Disney movie about dogs, but at least "Lady and the Tramp" does take place in about the same time and place as Main Street.

 

[mharrington]

One reason why I kept coming back to the idea of a Mickey dark ride on Main Street next to the Town Square Theater instead of that admittedly well-done Mickey ride in Storybook Circus is because I was hoping to duplicate it in Disneyland Paris, which is home to a Mickey meet-n-greet similar, if not identical, to the one in the Magic Kingdom. I was really not sure how the Storybook Circus Mickey ride would fit in that area of Fantasyland (the one in Paris, I mean).

The only way the Storybook Circus Mickey ride would even remotely fit in Paris is if the Mickey meet-n-greet was altered accordingly (maybe like Shanghai, I don't know). Here's a shot of how it looks in Paris, which, as you can see, looks a lot like the one in Florida:

 

[mharrington]

That could work. Btw are you continuing Mickeyville?

It's basically a smaller-scale version of Mickey's Toontown, for Disneyland Paris and not for the Studios park.

Anyway, this is for @Miru, @MickeyMouse10, @ThemeParkPriest, @DisneyManOne and @MagicKingdom4Ever...

The main reason I kept coming back to the idea of a Mickey dark ride on Main Street next to the Town Square Theater instead of that admittedly well-done Mickey ride in Storybook Circus is because I was hoping to duplicate it in Disneyland Paris, which is home to a Mickey meet-n-greet similar, if not identical, to the one in the Magic Kingdom. I was really not sure how the Storybook Circus Mickey ride would fit in that area of Fantasyland (the one in Paris, I mean) without taking the Mickey meet-n-greet into consideration.

 

[MickeyMouse10]

It's basically a smaller-scale version of Mickey's Toontown, for Disneyland Paris and not for the Studios park.

The main reason I kept coming back to the idea of a Mickey dark ride on Main Street next to the Town Square Theater instead of that admittedly well-done Mickey ride in Storybook Circus is because I was hoping to duplicate it in Disneyland Paris, which is home to a Mickey meet-n-greet similar, if not identical, to the one in the Magic Kingdom. I was really not sure how the Storybook Circus Mickey ride would fit in that area of Fantasyland (the one in Paris, I mean) without taking the Mickey meet-n-greet into consideration.

I think it definitely could work on Main Street in Paris. They could even have a small scale Toontown built behind Main Street, which connects to it.

Disney could possibly open up more space in the future as well, if they decide to demo Autopia.

 

[mharrington]

I think it definitely could work on Main Street in Paris. They could even have a small scale Toontown built behind Main Street, which connects to it.

Disney could possibly open up more space in the future as well, if they decide to demo Autopia.

But the Mickey meet-n-greet in Paris is in Fantasyland, not on Main Street. If at all possible, I would like to try to keep the Mickey meet-n-greet in place.

And if I did a Toontown in the park, it would go in the space between Small World and Star Tours.

As you can see, I have two conflicting ideas for Mickey in Disneyland Paris, and only one can work.

 

[MickeyMouse10]

But the Mickey meet-n-greet in Paris is in Fantasyland, not on Main Street. If at all possible, I would like to try to keep the Mickey meet-n-greet in place.

Ohhhhh, I thought you wanted to put it on Main Street. Never mind.

It works in Fantasyland as well, you can even replace "Alice's Curious Labyrinth" with a Mickey area. It's always felt like a waste of space anyways.

 

[mharrington]

Ohhhhh, I thought you wanted to put it on Main Street. Never mind.

It works in Fantasyland as well, you can even replace "Alice Curious Labyrinth" with a Mickey area. It's always felt like a waste of space.

I was thinking of putting the ride on Main Street in Florida, not in Paris. In Florida, the Mickey meet-n-greet is on Main Street there, but in Fantasyland in Paris. As for the Alice maze, I don't want to replace that. I like the Alice maze, as it's unique to Paris.

It's hard to articulate clearly. The problem with doing the Storybook Circus ride in Paris is that the Mickey meet-n-greet there, in Fantasyland, is essentially the same as in Florida, where it's on Main Street. I would have to change the meet-n-greet to suit the ride.

 

[ThemeParkPriest]

So is your dilemma/decision in Paris to add a whole Toontown land or just the dark ride?

 

[DisneyFan32]

So is your dilemma/decision in Paris to add a whole Toontown land or just the dark ride?

A Roger Rabbit-circus themed trackless dark ride could've be worked than Magician Mickey's Madcap Mania, because the attraction will have alot of interactive gags as Toons being circus stars such as Great Goofini, Jessica Rabbit and the Dancing Penguins, etc...

 

[mharrington]

So is your dilemma/decision in Paris to add a whole Toontown land or just the dark ride?

It's the dark ride. Toontown is actually pretty straightforward, being a clone, more or less. But it would be smaller, with fewer things, such as no Roger Rabbit.

A Roger Rabbit-circus themed trackless dark ride could've be worked than Magician Mickey's Madcap Mania, because the attraction will have alot of interactive gags as Toons being circus stars such as Great Goofini, Jessica Rabbit and the Dancing Penguins, etc...

Again, no Roger Rabbit. I want to be realistic.

 

[mharrington]

If I did the Storybook Circus ride in Paris' Fantasyland, how could I redo the Mickey meet-n-greet nearby to make it fit? Because they seem like two separate things. And please don't mention Roger Rabbit again. As much as I love the movie and the ride, its time has long since passed.