Mr. Toad's Wild Ride

[figmagination]

Since it was before my time, I never got to experience Mr. Toad's Wild Ride at WDW. I've read that it gained a lot of fans. I know it's at DLR, but I haven't been there yet. I recently found a website called virtual-toad. It is a 3-D online version of what it looked like at WDW. I looked through it a little, and also read online that there are still hints of Mr. Toad throughout WDW. I never read why it closed though. Can someone help me?

[Stu29573]

It was killed by a bear.

[PopPhan]

It was killed by a bear.

Oh Pooh!!!

[darthmacho]

I don't know why they changed it, but with respect to the Toad fans, after seeing both, I prefer Pooh.

[CajunDisneyDad]

If you look closely to your left as you go into Owl's house, you will see a picture of Mr. Toad handing a deed over to Owl lol. I thought that was kinda cool!

[Ian]

Mr. Toad = very creative, fun, inventive, unique attraction built around a character no one knew with absolutely zero merchandising potential.

Pooh = A rather dull, uninspired, poorly maintained attraction built around one of Disney's most profitable franchises and a merchandising machine.

'Nuff said.

[figmagination]

Ah, I see. All about the money. I wish I got to experience Mr. Toad's Wild Ride while it was still at WDW. It looks very interesting.

[wdwfansince75]

Don't get me wrong; I was disappointed when they replaced Toad, but the myth exceeds reality. It was a fun attraction, but as I recall, it never had the Peter Pan wait times...or even the morning Small World wait times...It was clever, a fun ride vehicle, but nobody remembered the tune. Bet you that more of us remember the tunes from Country Bears, and even CoP than the tune from Toad...I don't even remember if it had background music! As with many events of the past, hundreds went, and millions remember being there!

[Totodog]

If you look closely to your left as you go into Owl's house, you will see a picture of Mr. Toad handing a deed over to Owl lol. I thought that was kinda cool!

And if you look at the pet cemetary outside of the Haunted Mansion, you will see Mr. Toad's gravestone.

I think he's officially CROAKED!

[Zawadi]

We never got to see Mr. Toad's Wild Ride at WDW as it closed the day before we arrived for our first trip to WDW

[DisneyDINK]

"So.. we're merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily on our way to NOWHERE IN PARTICULAR!"

I recall the tune, but I might be in the minority.

[Stu29573]

"So.. we're merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily on our way to NOWHERE IN PARTICULAR!"

I recall the tune, but I might be in the minority.

Not only do I recall it, I love it!!! Oh to go crashing through struff again!

[Ian]

"So.. we're merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily on our way to NOWHERE IN PARTICULAR!"

I recall the tune, but I might be in the minority.

I recall it, as well. In fact, it was one of my favorite park songs back in the day. It was almost reminiscent of Funiculi, Funicula a little bit ... at least the tune was.

[biodtl]

I remember the tune, too! I loved Mr. Toad as a child. As an adult, too, but as a child, it was so exciting. It was kind if a thrill ride for a little kid too small for Space Mountain - it was exciting and fun and you laughed the whole way through.

[JasonH]

One thing I enjoyed about this ride, besides the fun song while waiting (which I have among many other songs/sounds and so forth in my WDW collection), was that my mom or dad would let me "drive" the car through the ride and my bro would "drive" the other one. For such a quick ride, it basically took you through the entire movie (if you rode both sides to get the full story) save for the ending of course which was not in it. Simple effects, simple animatronics, nothing over elaborate but yet it was all effective in transporting you into the story and you felt like you were a part of it as though you were seeing it all from Mr. Toad's point of view. I was lucky enough to go on it one last time the same year they were going to close and I even got to see a few of the Save Mr. Toad people. I took as many pics as I could so that way I have something to look back to when I want.

[Lodger]

If you ever get out to Disneyland, you'll find Mr. Toad still riding wild there.

[Melanie]

Pooh = A rather dull, uninspired, poorly maintained attraction

So true, but such a shame when there is such an awesome version in Japan that puts even most all of WDW E tickets to shame. It's even a bit infuriating knowing what can be done.

At least the queue was somewhat updated and a bit more interesting now.

I love Mr. Toad and enjoy riding it when at Disneyland. Who doesn't love a trip to that hot place down under. At the same time though, I like that it's something that again makes Disneyland unique and can't be found elsewhere. Disneyland (because of Mr. Walt Disney) is where these classic attractions should remain, IMO.

[darthmacho]

I respectfully disagree with the criticisms of the Pooh ride. I've never been a fan of the books, cartoons, or characters of the Hundred Acre Woods. but I think this is a nice, if simple, dark ride. I like the simple effects of the rain hitting the floodwater as the honeypot bobs along, the sticky honey effect, (even though it's clearly a poorly disguised bungee cord,) and even the bouncing along with Tigger. The soundtrack is kind of endearing as well.

Meanwhile, I sympathize with the fans of Mr. Toad. It's a far better story, a book I LOVED when I was a kid, and the characters are endearing. I thought the ride fell a bit short though, but I understand it was a childhood classic. Perhaps not seeing it until I was age 27 was a factor in my attitude towards it?

Meanwhile, I agree with the merchandising issue. The overexposure of the characters, the blatant store dump, and the generalizing of the products is disconcerting.

Still, for characters I've never really cared for, they won me over a bit when I met them at Crystal Palace for the first time, and I admit, I enjoy their simple, but whimsical Fantasyland attraction.

[crltkcagle]

Back in 1998 my brother and I couldn't wait to go on Toad's Wildride! We remembered how awesome it was when we rode it in the 80's. While in line we told our younger brothers how awesome the ride was and got them all excited about it. Well lets just say by the end of the ride my brother and I looked at eachother and said really, that was it? LOL Of course we were college age kids and looking for thrill rides and Toad was not a thrill ride. It was a good ride though and I wish my kids could have experienced it.