Mr. Toad's Wild Ride recreates the frenzied journey of J. Thaddeus Toad, Esq. from the Wind in the Willows segment of the animated film The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. Zig and zag in a motorcar for a manic drive through austere Toad Hall and the English countryside.
While Mr. Toad's Wild Ride definitely takes you on a chaotic journey, the 2-minute experience aboard a 2-person buggy is more frenetic than frightening. Driven mad with excitement at the sight of his first motorcar, Mr. Toad embarks on a uproarious journey toward "nowhere in particular" ... and you're along for the ride.
Starting inside Toad Hall, you'll zoom under the vaulted ceiling of the main parlor, skid past teetering stacks of books in the library, plow through a lit fireplace, accelerate down a weasel-infested hallway, demolish the dining room and hurtle out a window into the countryside. That's when the motor mayhem really begins - while avoiding a platoon of bumbling policemen you crash through scaffoldings, splatter stacks of pies, smash crates and ignite a fiery explosion. You're caught and sentenced for your crimes. Crashing through the jail wall, you speed down a dark tunnel. A light appears. Is that a train?!?
The car makes lots of sharp turns as it proceeds on its wild tour of merry old England, passing the homes of Toad's friends and crashing through haystacks and other obstacles, all while avoiding unsuspecting livestock and other innocent bystanders. But all good things must come to an end and eventually the long arm of the law reaches out. Following a daring escape from the police there's an unfortunate encounter with a train, and everyone ends up in Hell, where the devil bears a striking resemblance to the judge. But all is not lost, and the car and its passengers emerge back into the sunlight and safety of the loading area.
Ride Experience
Guests enter a recreation of Toad Hall, passing by artistic works commemorating characters from "The Wind in the Willows". A large mural shows the adventures of Toad and his motorcar, foreshadowing various scenes in the ride. Guests hop aboard miniature, early 1900s-era, multicolored motorcars. The name of one of the characters from the film (Mr. Toad, Toady, Ratty, Moley, MacBadger, Cyril, Winky or Weasel) is inscribed on each motorcar.
Passengers begin their journey by crashing into a library, where MacBadger is seen teetering atop a ladder with a stack of books. They then crash through the fireplace, where fiberoptic effects simulate the scattering of embers on the floor. Narrowly avoiding a falling suit of armor, the passengers break through a set of doors to find the interior hallway of Toad Hall in disarray, as weasels swing from chandeliers. Guests then enter the dining room, where Mr. Mole is eating at a dinner table and gets knocked aside.
Upon leaving Toad Hall, guests travel through the countryside, passing Mr. Rat's house, aggravating policemen and terrifying a farmer and his sheep. Making a right turn, guests head for the docks and get the impression that their car will plunge into the river, but quickly make a sharp turn in a different direction and enter a warehouse full of barrels and crates containing explosives. Guests crash through a brick wall as the warehouse's contents explode. They then head out into the streets of London, avoid a close collision with a delivery truck, and enter Winkie's Pub, where Mr.Winkie the bartender holds two beer mugs. He ducks down, leaving the mugs spinning in the air.
Passengers then enter the town square, where the cars wreak further havoc on the citizens. A working fountain featuring Toad and Cyril Proudbottom stands in the center of the town. Behind this statue is one of Lady Justice peeking out from under her blindfold. Next, guests enter a jury-less courtroom, where the riders are proclaimed guilty by a judge (based on the film's prosecutor for the Crown). The cars then enter what is presumed to be a dark prison cell before abruptly turning right and landing on railroad tracks. The vehicles bounce along the tracks in the dark before colliding head-on with an oncoming train.
Passengers then arrive at the ride's final scene: a tongue-in-cheek depiction of Hell not inspired by any scene in the movie or book. The entire room is heated, and the scenery features small devils who bounce up and down. Passengers also see a demon who resembles the Judge from the courtroom scene. Near the end of the scene (and the ride),a towering green dragon emerges and attempts to burn the riders to a crisp. A glowing light is seen in the back of its throat and choking, coughing noises are heard while the motorcar speeds away. Granted a reprieve, the passengers eventually "escape" to the ride's loading and unloading area, where they disembark.
Touring Tips
- Mr. Toad's Wild Ride is quite popular. The line is shortest early in the day.
- This is a "dark" ride, and some scenes are in the dark. There's also strobe lighting and loud noises - not to mention the illusion that you're about to be hit by a train, and then sent to Hell afterwards. The ride is about two minutes long. Some kids may find the darkness and noises of this ride to be quite scary.
- This attraction can be startling for smaller children as it is completely in the dark and the last scene takes you through "Hell" with devils, dragons, and fire. Some preschoolers enjoy this ride because they get to "drive" the car, but if your child is one who is easily alarmed it may be best to save this attraction for when they are older.
- There is a separate car parked in front of the attraction for photo opportunities. This is the perfect chance to capture some candid "out of control" driving photos for the family album. If you decide your child isn't ready to experience this attraction you can at least let them have fun driving the car in front.
Facts
- It is one of the few remaining attractions that was operational on the park's opening day in 1955.
- The ride's story is based on Disney's adaptation of The Wind in the Willows, one of the two segments of the film The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.
- Corey Burton does every voice at the attraction, except for the usage of audio from the film.
- The motor cars seat two people, and are named after Mr. Toad and his friends - Toady, Badger, Cyril, Moley, Ratty, Weasel, and Winkie. The steering wheel spins but does not control the movement at all.
- The ride building actually hosts two different attractions - Mr. Toad on the bottom floor, and Alice in Wonderland on the second floor.
- In honor of Disneyland's 50th anniversary a golden motor car has been placed in the ride. A second version of the car is located outside Toad Hall, and available for photographs.
History
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride is an opening day attraction and has been in the same location since then. The ride itself remains very similar as when it opened in 1955 with various minor tweaks. The ride received a major refurbishment during the 1984 redesign of Fantasyland, but the biggest change was to the ride's exterior. The old design for this area of Fantasyland was that all the buildings were tents at a medieval tournament. As part of the redesign this theming was abandoned and the ride is now housed inside Toad Hall.
Hidden Mickeys
- The expressive Mr. Toad statue found in the Wild Ride queue, has a tiny Mickey hidden in his left eye.
- Look up into the eaves while waiting in the queue and find some decorative carvings, which feature a Classic Mickey made of berries.
- Near the beginning of the ride as you round the fireplace and pass the falling suit of armor. Take a close look at the faux stained glass painted on the set of double doors. There is a Hidden Mickey painted into the pink stained glass. It's tough to photograph while you're on the ride, but it can be found on the bottom left hand corner of the faux glass, on the right side door.