Well, yesterday marked the twenty fourth anniversary of the release of the Robert Zemeckis Touchstone / Disney film Who Framed Roger Rabbit. I remember seeing it at the theaters with my nephew and and still remember it as being one of my favorite experiences seeing a movie in a theater. It would have to be if I remember seeing something 24 years ago. Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a great movie. It hasn't carried itself well over time with now dated technology but for the period it was made, it was really something to see blending live action characters and story with classic animated characters.
The movie was a huge success, so much of a success that Disney decided to build a whole land based on ToonTown, the alternate universe town where cartoon characters actually live - all of them. And on the surface of it, ToonTown at Disneyland looks amazing and for the most part is a delight for children with its never ending stream of interactive gags and props along with an always present supply of classic walk around Disney characters. We can excuse the fact that Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a movie that small children should probably not see with it being a murder mystery with a gumshoe detective with a drinking problem, a cigar smoking cantankerous baby, and a voluptuous animated female lead with an "I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way" sultry attitude. But ToonTown, the home of Mickey Mouse in Disneyland, continues to delight its many visitors. Adults without kids may be bored because beyond the colorful building facades, there just isn't much there. Except. The cornerstone of ToonTown is the great dark ride Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin which comes right out of the movie. It may be Disneyland's best traditional dark ride filled with colorful scenes you pass by in your interactive taxi cab ride vehicle which you can actually spin. Over the years, I've dropped the spinning part. Sometimes you spend so much time, effort, and concentration spinning the darn thing that you miss some of the story going on around you. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.
Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin also has one of Disneyland's best queue lines filled with jokes and puns. You need the entertainment value as the line for the ride can get pretty long. It also has a fast pass option. The one drawback of a great ride like RRCS being in ToonTown is the place opens later and closes earlier than the rest of Disneyland so the ride's operating hours are shorter. The ride itself is contained in a huge show building that is outside of the Disneyland park limits. This isn't a Fantasyland dark ride which ends in a minute or two. RRCS has a bit more length to it - not mention that on hot days, it is nice and cool in there.
Roger Rabbits Cartoon Spin is one of my favorite rides at Disneyland because it drips with creativity, imagination, and color. You could take ToonTown out tomorrow (like they did in WDW) and I wouldn't care but leave the Cartoon Spin behind (and Mickey's House too, that's pretty cool).
For me, it's a great D-Ticket attraction. Here is a Roger Rabbit Cartoon Spin ride through from the Disneyland HD videographer Asianjma123. Enjoy your spin....
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