Monday, January 28, 2013

Attractions: Disney Traditions - Mr. Toad's Wild Ride

     Disney is known for adherence to traditions.  They pay homage to their past, reuse or plus ideas possibly more than any other company.  This is one of the things that makes the Disney Archives so vitally important to what Disney does.  In fact, Disney University conducts a class for all new cast members titled "Traditions" where Disney history and culture serve as the core topics during this on-boarding process.
 
Many of these traditions go unnoticed to most of us, but some can be fun for a real Disney enthusiast.  So, since we have received such interest in our series of posts on the Art of "Plussing", we've decided to add a short series of posts on Disney Traditions.  Once such tradition or nod to the past involves placing homage's to extinct Disney attractions, in or around their previous location.  Such is the case with Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.
 
Mr. Toad:  Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride was a Magic Kingdom attraction adapted from the Disney film The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.  It appeared in Walt Disney World from opening day 1971 until 1998.  Once the ride was replaced with The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Mr. Toad had no home.  However, Disney Imagineers found a new home for Mr. Toad in the pet cemetery located at the exit of the Haunted Mansion.  Look in the top left corner for a peek at Mr. Toad.  Paintings of Mr. Toad are also found within The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh attraction as well.  One such painting shows Mr. Toad handing over the deed to the Owl, proving that Imagineers are not only creative, but have sense of humor as well.
 
 
How many references to old attractions can you locate?  Let us know which ones you have found and send us a photo DLuminations@gmail.com.

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