CANCELED! Second Story Roger Rabbit Ride Explained
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 6 мар 2024
- Did you know that Disneyland's Second Story Roger Rabbit ride was supposed to be much different? In this video, we'll explain the original plans for the ride in ToonTown and why it was canceled. If you're a ToonTown or Disneyland history fan, you won't want to miss this!
Toontown opened one year before Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin and a two-story attraction was originally planned. This is how the Disneyland ride changed and what pieces remain from its ambitious first design.
Somehow, knowing there's more to this attraction, even if we never experience the "ambitious version" makes me love it even more. Outstanding camera work 📷
Thanks!
Me, too. Cartoon Spin is one of my favorites in the park.
Current day toontown could use that kinetic energy
Wow! I never had a clue Roger Rabbit should have been 2 stories! That's so cool. I love how the Alice in wonderland ride comes outside and gives you that aerial perspective. That would have been a great view in toontown!
Being able to bust through the outside, spinning above Toon Town would have brought so much amazing energy. B(L)enny crashing through makes way more sense now!
I love how the ride's facade now makes sense to us!!!
@@HeyBrickey soooo much more sense!
I feel like it was intended as a 'modern' version of Alice, which is also two stories.
You nailed it, with some clarifications...
Second story WAS in the original design but another factor that caused it to be cancelled is the team realized that the entire interior attraction would have needed to be a ramp up and down to get to the upper floor. Also, the light leak from and entry and exit on the balcony would have been a big challenge as guest's eyes would need to adjust for both outside and inside lighting (lots of additional non-show space to allow for that adjustment).
The vehicles were intended to come out the Powerhouse facade, into the Glass Factory through the broken window, out its side, then into one of the three doors of the Gag Factory. The original ACME was removed due to Warner Bros owning the name.
The "track" on the balcony is likely lighting conduit, but at the time Toontown was opening no surface was applied to the balcony. It is a corrigated metal surface that is a challenge to walk on. This was done to discourage cast members or characters from appearing on the balcony. The railing is too low to be safe and to make it tall enough to allow for that would have chanced the visual scale of the railing and hidden much of the facade.
Lastly, there were also tests done inside the Haunted Mansion where several Doombuggy vehicles were temporarily removed to allow for a teacup to be ridden through the HM. Joe Lanzisero, Tony Baxter, Dave Burkhart, and myself had the privilege of spinning through the HM in the wee hours.
That's so cool that you got to spin through the Haunted Mansion on a tea cup - I imagine that would be an interesting ride, how did the tea cups do on the decline when you fall into the Graveyard?
@@sarahvanorden670 funny you should ask, we completely didn’t think about the decline until it happened! We were almost poured out of the cup as we descended into the graveyard scene.
the problems to solve in the fiuture. maybe when time comes for a facelift they could take another crack at it
@@DJCarsonCreative I can imagine!
Don is right!
However, the building wasn’t designed that far in advance, really. We were working on Roger Rabbit at the same time, but of course, an attraction takes much longer than other things so it could’ve never opened with the land, especially with a prototype ride system. I did all the track plans for the ride, including versions with 2 separate tracks. FYI, the 2 little cabs are attached to one larger chassis below the floor (not one towing the other).
To be honest, he two-floor version didn’t last long. But the schedule was moving fast and the building (and the balcony) locked down quickly. The spinning vehicles required a steady base (4 wheels instead of 3 like Alice) so that meant no compound curves in the ramping. We’d spend most of the ride either ascending or descending long, slow ramps to get us to/from the second floor. And that’s not a good thing. More on that later.
I’d say, budget played a factor as well. I remember Don suggesting cutting several ride scenes and putting them into the queue to get us back on budget when we were in trouble.
The building is just a little taller than the Fantasyland dark rides, but not by much. We couldn’t let it ruin the scale of Toontown. Those second-floor scenes would’ve been very very short! And as Don mentioned, no tracks were ever put up in the balcony. And as you can see from the ride, the track (single rail really) is never seen as it is below the floor.
I was with Joe, Don, and the others as we rode thru Mansion with a tea cup replacing a Doom Buggy one night. It was actually the first mock up. But we found two things we didn’t like. One, the Omnimover was way too slow to work for a wild out-of-control ride. Second, spinning doesn’t work on ramps. You generally just settle with the heaviest person at the bottom of the slope and not enough strength to get it spinning from there. We learned this descending from the attic into the graveyard. The first few times, the vehicle would just settle and we were stuck just riding down. Later, we learned to start spinning wildly just about where the Hat Box Ghost is now and we were able to get a good couple of revolutions going down the roof.
Plan B. The Pinocchio mockup gave us the “wild ride” we were looking for, with zippy, sharp turns. But imagine attaching a tea cup to the Pinocchio chassis. We sat very high up and had to duck down every time we came to a doorway! Of course, sitting in the round, you couldn’t always see a door coming, so we would all yell “DUCK!” just in case. Those were the days! We have so many stories to tell!
I opened Toontown in 92, they were still painting the old ball pit (now long closed) and while in a large character costume, jumped into the ball pit. The painters burst into laughter...until my supervisor came over and "scolded" me for playing around. Ah the good old days before the legal department legislated out any fun.
I also remember the teacups before they put the governor on them and you could spin them much faster.
Which Disney character were you?
@@mtzdotcom7260 Mowgli's "friend" 😉
It opened the year I was born 😮 I thought it was always their. Crazy.
The falling scene is also my favorite scene in the ride. The alternate version you described sounds awesome.
That would have been so amazing to actually be falling in that room. WOW!!!
holy shit... the first time I went on this ride 30 years ago, not long after it opened, it broke down. Lights came on inside and I noticed that it felt so much bigger inside than it seems like it should need to be. Now I know why!
This would have been awesome. Wish Disney would finish stuff (this, galaxy's edge, tomorrowland, etc) before building new lands/gates.
Hey you did it! One thing I noticed is that the track actually aligns except for something weird. They said the change made the ride longer and my suspicion is that when the weasel opened the crate, that’s when you “fell” and it was actually a window at some point because he pulls it open kind of like a curtain and then it takes you into a long stretch of nothing with sound effects. It’s just kind of an odd scene transition. The final scene would’ve instead taken place inside the firework factory, there’s tons of fireworks in the final scene and the blown up top across might not be a coincidence!
I SWORE I was the only other person who knew about this story because I had never heard anyone else ever talk about it! I don’t know how you find these deep dark secrets but keep up the spelunking Brickey! Always producing the most unique content!
A redesign with tech used in Rise, trackless vehicles and elevator would allow the original vision to come to fruition. Also allowing for multiple ride paths and increased rideability.
Perhaps, but there'd have to be an design/size expansion of the ride vehicles themselves to accommodate the trackless system(if not as big as Rise, then at least as big as with Pooh's Honey Hunt or Remy's Ratatouille Adventure), right?
Besides, aside from the lack of an elevator, we already have the trackless system used for Mickey and Minnie's Runaway railway, and take a look at Google maps for how big THAT rides track layout and show-building is compared to Roger Rabbit as it stands.
I'd like to be proven wrong, but I just don't see the size of Roger Rabbit's show building working with the size of trackless cars needed to make things run smoothly without either expanding the show building(and redesigning the whole track layout) itself or just waiting for Trackless ride innovators to make vehicles the same size needed to fit and work in show-buildings the size of Roger Rabbit's, and even that of The Cat in The Hat at Universal Islands of Adventure for that matter.
I've often wondered about that second floor...
This was a fascinating one to research! Make sure you watch the entire video, there's some pretty cool stuff I possibly discovered in the last segments
@@HeyBrickey It kind of reminds me of the whole issue with the defunct Tomorrowland PeopleMover, or the unbuilt Galaxy's Edge bantha ride--elevated, kinetic motion always seems to get cut or canceled.
Love this video! I hope one day Disney could figure out a way to use this as a ride in toon town. Like the Yoshi ride at Universal Japan (I think that is where it is) or the Dr Seuss ride at Universal that goes through the restaurant and other areas.
Would have loved to have had that version come to life. More kinetic energy throughout the land, especially after the Jolly Trolley went away.
More Kinetic Energy More Better
A second floor with an outdoor track would have made this ride so much better. Love these behind the attractions videos. It was kind of funny as you were talking about the doors and space I thought to myself wonder if you could see track on Google maps. As I grabbed my phone on que you showing like you’re reading our minds. 😂
Would be similar to Alice in Wonderland!
Have always love this attraction. Glad it is getting love with all the new activity in Toontown with Runaway Railway. I was disappointed when I learned that it was originally a two story attraction ala Alice. Have to be content with the amazing visuals. In an addition to the “ fall” it has one of my favorite illusions - the portable hole.
Thanks for another great deep cut. # club1313
You are a true historian of Disney attractions. TY for all of your hard work and research 👏
This type of Attraction is exactly what new lands are missing. It's literally that simple
If this did end up happening it would have made the ride so much better. A second story ride format like this is a much better combination of people mover and dark ride that what universal fans got with yoshi’s adventure in Super Nintendo world
That probably isn't a full track but likely is the extra reinforced concrete to support the track and handle the vibrations. Maybe one day they could integrate either an elevator or a special incline that can keep the cars level.
This is super interesting. I think it would've been amazing if we got a second story to the attraction. It definitely would've been interesting to see what more Disney could've added to an already unique ride. I haven't been able to experience it myself, (ride has been closed, under maintenance ect every time I've tried getting on). I'm going back in May so fingers crossed that I'll finally be able to get on. 🤞
Maybe they learned and realized that, unlike in the songs, it DOES rain in SoCal! So that just like Alice, they would have to close the ride every time it rains and lose crowd eating ride capacity. Unless you design like they did in Paris or Tokyo or even the peoplemover in WDW with a cover over top out door rides.
This is interesting. I've never heard about a second story for this ride before. This is similar to what I wish they had done for Web Slingers over at DCA. Instead of the various locations in Avengers Campus being connected by "tunnels," have the ride go outside on the second story and actually travel into each of the Campus buildings for the indoor game screen portion, at least sort-of simulating Spider-Man swinging from one building to another.
I hope he does a video on avengers campus soon because there was so much cut from that land. The spider man ride too originally was going to be way different (was going to use a brand new ride system instead of being a clone of midway mania). The land itself was going to be way bigger and be placed in the Hollywood backlot area. And that avengers quinjet ride was going to be amazing.
Brickey your a walking encyclopedia of knowledge. Love listening to your storytelling information. Can't wait until your next great adventure.
i hope that plan can be resurrected
The last few shows have been stellar. Miss the audio podcast for car listening convenience, but it’s a fair trade when you’re knocking out of the park with these video drops! Keep it up Brickey
Wow honestly that’s so crazy to know!!!! I’ve never heard anyone talk or know about this! Thank you!
I remember hearing about this in the 90s when my cousin worked there. I think those are the tracks. It's still a great ride. I haven't been on it in years but I'll ride it on my trip in 2 weeks!
Definitely appears to be ride tracks...
3:45 : Peoplemover lives! (:
Thanks for the info!
This explains why the ride’s ending feels very abrupt, just escaping through a portable hole always felt a little anticlimactic to me but this would have made the ride feel more complete I think.
You have done it again...The detective & design work is unparalleled! I'm now mad at my childhood for not having this experience! Like you said, the show aspects inside the attraction line up a little TOO WELL! There HAS to be a reason behind it!
I don't recall exactly where I learned this, but I know that the track on the outdoor balcony is for a show element. Much like how the dolls come out of the facade of It's A Small World at regular intervals, Roger Rabbit is supposed to come out of one of the second-floor doorways in Benny the cab, spin around, and then head back inside. This was supposed to inject some much-needed kinetic energy into the land, making up for the lack of a second story to the attraction. I'm not sure if there is video of it working or not
Yeah, I worked this ride and dove into the engineering of it with maintenance crew. The track for actual cart is NEVER visible. If the track on the roof was used for a ride vehicle, then you would see cabs spinning on sticks like puppets. The actual cart would be in the 2 foot space beneath the visible floor.
Was this actually built but never used, or was it just another scrapped idea?
@@october1634 Well, the track was clearly built on the balcony, since it is still visible on Google Earth. And I feel as though I have seen footage of the car, too--but I might just be hallucinating that part. I have scoured home video from 1993 to 1998, but I can't see any proof that the effect worked. But when a mirror-image copy of ToonTown was built later at Tokyo Disneyland, the track is not visible on the balcony. So I think the idea was developed and partially implemented at Disneyland, but was quickly scrapped or canceled, which explains why no evidence of it whatsoever exists in Tokyo.
Bricky, thank you for your exciting Roger Rabbit ride discovery.
Brickey enhances my Disney experience with every video. Thanks for all of your hard work!
Roger rabbit was supposed to have a second story?
All you had to do was watch the video
I believe that’s what it says in the first minute of the video
If they only problem was getting up to the second floor, why didn't the just use a roller-coaster type chain lift? They could disguise it somehow.
i feel like in the last month or so you have surpassed freshbaked. you have loads of subs in your future
It was great getting to run into you today at the park. Thanks for chatting with us for a bit. We had a great day.
Nice!!! Enjoy your next two days!!!
What a fun design video! Thanks!!
I did hear about it on a Disney remnant account on Twitter. I did see concept art about it.
Such a great video!! I knew it was planned to be 2 stories, but never made the connection of which scenes would have served as the transition and how the façade plays into the ride's story. Makes so much sense now. As much as I would have LOVED the rooftop views and the falling scene to be on an actual decline, part of what makes the ride so much fun are the tight turns, it really adds such a forceful aspect to the spinning. Even though this would have been so cool, I'm not sure it would be worth losing those great laterals for!
Another nice find!
It is amazing that so much was planned to be in Attractions that we do not get to experience. All those extra pieces end up on the cutting room floor.
I kinda wish they redid that ride with a new property. Duck Tales?
Nice to know they have more potential space to use if they did.
Can you imagine if it was like the people mover but you can also spin
Always learning something new from you. Thanks for another solid design/history lesson! Keep them coming 😊
I am learning so many new things about Disneyland from your videos lately! Keep up the great work!
Could you please do a video on the bridge that was built over the pirate's queue? I know it wasn't there during the opening and am so curious as to why they made that decision to build it.
That would have been so cool if it would have come to fruition. Nice work Brickey!
This is such a good channel. What I love the most is how you uncover the most obscure Disney history, It really makes me feel like I was a regular Disney guest back in the 1990s or earlier. Keep up the great work!!!!
I wish they would complete it.
The attraction was complete and sat unused for a year
Man that brings back some memories. I can't remember what year it was last time I went to Disneyland, but I think Toontown was the newest thing there at the time. I was 6 I think. When I try to bring up memories, I always remember Splash Mountain and Captain EO, but seeing that building with a car sticking out of it unlocked some stuff. I didn't have the vocabulary at the time to say so, but I most appreciated the attention to detail. Every single little thing on the property has more thought put into it than I think many people realize. Seeing videos like this is fun, because it confirms my memory isn't is awful as I sometimes fear.
Thank you for another amazing high level deep dive.
Wow! Great info Brickey😎
Thanks
Roger rabbit is definitely one of my favorites thanks for diving deep on this had no idea.
Very entertaining and fun to watch. Thanks for posting this.
From a story told to me by Gary K. Wolf: When the ride vehicles were designed, the concept art showed a painting of Lenny the cab. The Idea was , on some Disney attractions you find vehicles with different names on the front, (like on Snow White or Mr. Toad). The gag was to give each car its own name, that rhymed with Benny. Somehow , that memo never made it to the final design location so, they just mass produced a bunch of duplicate cars with the same name.
This show needs to be on the Disney channel. Syndicate this man.
❤ your videos, great work!
Great stuff Brickey.
Wow, this would have been awesome! Thanks for sharing this! I hope they make it happen one day.
Wow…. This would have been so epic!
Wow...another Galaxy's Edge cutback. Awesome history lessons. ❤
Great Video ! That would be such a fun ride ! Keep up the good work !
THanks Bud!
@@HeyBrickey Man, Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed may only be a refurbished version of the first game as it existed, but imagine if they did an expansion of that game(or even for the second and/or potential third game) with the OsTown area(the game world's version of ToonTown), just so we could see/experience these forgotten/rejected plans for this ride in action!
I think it would be cool if Disney would open a water attraction there at that spot with a different theme. I think it would be a cool way to balance things out even though they already have Pirates and Tianas. I feel like that side of the park needs more water attractions with replacing the Submarines with the Aquatopia like at Disney Sea and this new water ride i think it could fill in a gap in those empty spaces in Toon Town that could have opened with Mickeys and Minnie’s but
perhaps cost cutting…
Interesting video! Cartoon spin is my favorite ride at Disneyland and was the main reason why I wanted to go as a kid so bad. The 2 story concept art looks amazing going outside and all that.
Totally tracks! Another excellent video 👏🏻
We need MORE Roger Rabbit!
This is amazing!! Very cool!
I LOVE YOUR VIDEOS
Great video! It would have been sooo cool to see what the ride and Tootntown would have looked like if this had been two-story. 🚕💛
Love ur vid!
Worked there back when TT was being built and the first couple years it was opened. I remember finding out that they couldn't make the second story work. Ah mann!!! Always would have loved to see, and ride the cars upstairs. And yes, I believe the up and down slopes would have been where you mentioned. Good investigating!! :)
Great video ❤
Answers! Amazing video. I had so many similar feelings that something was not complete in toon town, I have to say the Acme Factory gift shop had that Mechanical system that moved things in and out of the tall ceiling gift shop up above. That utilized that space for a little side attraction similar to the conveyor belt in Star Tours hanging from the ceiling.
shame after all these years they have not considered going back with newer technology to expand the ride.
another outstanding Hey Brickey!
i hope someone sees my comment because idk if this is mandela effect or what, but when i was a kid in the late 90s, i remember people riding in the top taxi cab on top of the ride entrance. my mom never let me go on the top car, but i would always ride the regular ride. in early 2000s, they stopped having people ride in the top car. does anyone remember this? my mom remembers it too! i can't find ANYTHING online about this and feel crazy! i wonder why they stopped having people up top, and if it had anything to do with the second story installment you talk about in this video! perhaps they tried to utilize the top floor for the cab ride above toon town, but it's totally defunct now. if anyone knows or remembers, let me know!! xx
Nice, I would have loved if the Disneyland Railroad was traveling every single land instead of skipping Star Wars land and Mickey toontown
Really interesting. I never knew about this.
Yeah, the kinetic energy that would have brought would have been spectacular.
Wow Brickey, this is the second video where you uncover a mind blowing addition that Disney cheaped out on. Like the aborted ride you pointed out in Galaxy's Edge, this would have added so much more to the kinetic energy of Toon Town. It's a shame they have no problem losing 11 BILLION dollars on Disney+ but give the parks short shrift to save a pittance.
This is surprising given that Haunted Mansion does exactly this. ascent and descent. Very cool video.
Interesting design channel - signed up today. I do find that Disney has to do a lot of compromises to make a successful ride. Probably how they have always operated. Reach for the sky, but only spend and achieve what is possible with engineering at the time.
This would've been SO GREAT!! It would've added a whole other level (pun intended) to the ride, while also giving some (much needed) kinetic energy to Toontown! I love what we got, but this could've been a push in the right direction. I just love when rides/attractions interact with the rest of their respective lands/areas. It really tells a story and makes it all feel connected, ya know? The land and the ride would really have been interval to each other, and THAT would be pretty sweet. Though I suppose the lack of anything natural in terms of lighting and environment is part of what makes the Roger Rabbit ride experience what it is.
Imagine if you’re a cast member and you overhear this guy just exposing everything about a ride 🤣
Wish they added a 2nd now in toontown revamp. They do have ride elevators now.
Very cool. Are the buildings designed in a way that the ride vehicles would scale correctly?
Do you know the facade of Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin, will that’s Benny the Cab slamming out of the attraction’s facade Hey Brickey!
I love this one and the never created Star Wars ride. Great content!
Thanks! Love making these kind of videos.
@@HeyBrickeycan you make one about avengers campus? There was so much cut for that land! Also I would love to see the finally video for your quinjet ride prediction series (even though Disney cancelled that ride for the avengers multiverse ride)
@@dayoldbread1696 That quinjet ride prediction series was so good.
@@J_Pike exactly! that’s why I was hoping even though it’s been a while that we’d still get the last video in the series. Maybe even some avengers multiverse ride predictions in it too.
Benny is on the 2nd floor, that is why we ride with Lenny
Actually, because of the rights to the character... there is only one Benny in all of Toontown. He's the one in the beginning that says: "We've been dipped!"
He'll always be Lenny in my heart.
Nice video for those who didn't know the info presented.
If they can fig out how to put in a cork screw lift or ramp in a twist... The idea makes since in my mind...
Strange they did not make you load on the second level - and have you go down hill to the first level and then have an empty car elevator or chain drive riser (without passengers) to get it back to the top level..
I saw the model in Imagineering back in the day, it looked really exciting going in and out of the buildings. Now I know why it didn’t happen.
The outer part is not a track sadly. What it is is a fall protection pop up barrier for maintenance. The existing wall is a foot short so the pop up barrier is necessary to keep workers from falling off the side.
Those “tracks” visible on the roof are a pop-up guardrail system for after-hours safety access for building maintenance.
I love working in toontown and getting to operate this ride
This was a part of my childhood growing up. I’d watched this movie and knew all about Roger Rabbit. Even so, as an adult going back and watching it again, it’s so weird! This was a strange movie. I can understand what they were going for, but ugh. What’s even more strange to me is that this entire attraction reads as super dated. Most people these days don’t even know who this character is. Let alone why he needs a large ride taking up a good portion of this land. And if you’ve ever been trapped in the queue line for more than fifteen minutes… eek. (Shoot me now.)
For some reason a lot of people really like this ride. But if you’ve never been on it, think Buzz lightyear mashed with the teacups in a dark ride where a strange animated rabbit is laughing at you nearly the entire time. Should be considered the horror ride for this land. 😂
Maybe one day they can do that version at an overseas park. It sounds so cool!