Buckle up, Disney enthusiasts! A recent reveal on the “Unbuilt: An Unrealized Theme Park Podcast” has sent ripples through the community by unveiling that Disneyland’s much-loved Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin in Mickey’s Toontown was nearly reimagined into a DuckTales-themed adventure.
According to the podcast’s latest episode, Imagineers at Walt Disney were inches away from swapping out Roger Rabbit’s whimsical ride for a DuckTales attraction inspired by the 2017 Disney Channel reboot. Concept art for the proposed ride show a minimal change to the building’s exterior, subtly indicating where it was all planned to go down. The interior, however, promised a thrilling adventure inside Gyro Labs, complete with Donald Duck’s comical mishap that sends him (and us) tumbling through time. Highlights included an epic showdown with Magica De Spell and a delightful nod to Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.
Dated around March or April of 2020, the concept art, still labeled as a work in progress, hints that the pandemic played a significant role in shelving the plan. Yet, this wasn’t the only DuckTales project to meet such a fate. For instance, EPCOT’s PLAY! Pavilion had plans for a DuckTales-inspired feature which also didn’t see the light of day. Meanwhile, the DuckTales World Showcase Adventure at EPCOT crept toward a quiet debut in late 2022 after numerous delays, a significant one being the series finale in March 2021.
Despite the enthusiastic anticipation from fans, the closure of Disneyland from the global pandemic until late April 2021 further dimmed prospects for the new ride, aligning rather unfavorably with the DuckTales series’ end. Furthermore, the period saw Mickey’s Toontown undergo a substantial facelift with the addition of Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway and other updates, finally reopening in March 2023. While this might have been an opportune moment to introduce the DuckTales attraction, it seemed fate had other plans.
We’d love to hear what you think! Are you relieved that Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin remained untouched, or would you have preferred the DuckTales revamp? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the conversation.
Source: LaughingPlace.com