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View Full Version : Who Thought Up Mr. Toad's Wild Ride Inferno Scene?



animagusurreal
04-14-2006, 04:38 PM
I was just wondering what the origin of this scene is, as it isn't Disney's movie...

Mr. Toad didn't even steal the motorcar in the movie

I'm just imagining there must be an ammusing story where an Imagineer in the 1950's has to pitch Walt the idea of sending his guests to "Hell."

(We can say "Hell" on here, right? :) If not, please replace with "H - E - double-hockeysticks." :) )

tbminnie
04-14-2006, 04:45 PM
That's my favorite part! :~D

Susan L
04-14-2006, 05:46 PM
That's my favorite part! :~D


Mine too!

RemainSeatedPlease
04-14-2006, 06:01 PM
From what I remember, he did:confused:

Tigertail777
04-14-2006, 09:56 PM
As I understand it, Walt wanted all of the rides that are based on movies (the fantasyland rides anyways) to have scenes in them that were not in the movies they are based on, so there would be some extra little surprise. For instance the original Alice ride had the upside down room. I think thats probably why the Hell scene is in there, that or it was a 1950's mentality thing; cant show stealing to kids without punishment for it. Dunno, I just know its my fave part of the ride despite the fact the steam kind of gets to my athsma.:D

animagusurreal
04-15-2006, 12:41 AM
From what I remember, he did:confused:


Sorry, should have been more clear on that -

Mr. Toad trades Toad Hall to the weasels for the motorcar (as Cyril the horse testifies at Toad's trial,) but is later framed for stealing it by the weasels' boss, Mr. Winky the barman. Unlike in the ride, no joyriding in the car is actually shown - most of the joyriding occurs earlier in the film, in the "canary yellow gypsy cart" pulled by Cyril (during the "merrily on our way to nowhere in particular" song).


All other film versions that I've seen (and, I presume, the original book,) have Toad actually stealing the car.

Another Dimension
04-16-2006, 02:46 AM
Hell at the end of Mr Toads's Wild Ride seems like something Rolly Crump would imagine and design.

Just a guess though...

Opus1guy
04-16-2006, 04:50 PM
Hell at the end of Mr Toads's Wild Ride seems like something Rolly Crump would imagine and design.

Just a guess though...

Being as Rolly is one of the most mischievous of Imagineers :) ...that would be a good guess.

But I think it would also be wrong.

Rolly didn't join Imagineering until 1959. Toad was a 1955 opening year attraction. And while it did get a makeover in 1983, it always had the Hell scene.

:)

Duchess mermaid
04-16-2006, 07:47 PM
No he didn't steal the car. As the main part in the movie is proving him innocent. He did have a seen where he imagined going to hell, for being so mischievous, while he was in prison. My husband and I just watched the movie in anticipation for our trip.

potzbie
04-16-2006, 11:32 PM
WIND IN THE WILLOWS by Kenneth Grahame

The book should be available in every public library.
I checked it out last year.
I did not remember that much about the actual stories.

There are MANY video versions of WIND IN THE WILLOWS.
No surprise that Disney would Disneyize the story.
(For example, the Little Mermaid dies, in the Hans Christian Anderson original. You'll never have a princess die in a Disney cartoon.)

I would suggest that you rent one of the non-Disney videos, to see a different treatment of the episodes.
Mr. Toad was not the central character, but one of the key players, as I recall.
Mr. Toad had TOAD HALL, and thus had money to burn.
So no surprise that Mr. Toad's adventures are emphasized.

potzbie
04-17-2006, 01:05 AM
Mr. Toad is found guilty!

A post script from my earlier posting.

The book is down-load-able from PROJECT GUTENBERG (not copyrighted).

The chapter just shows TOAD walking out of a cafe, seeing the automobile parked there in front, and just trying on the automobile for size, and before he knows it, he is off.

(Oy! That irresponsible Toad!)

The next paragraph describes the judge reading off all the charges.
Thus, Kenneth Grahame, the author, has no TOAD-IN-HELL scene.

Thus, to answer the posted question . . . (Who made up the scenes of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride?)

DISNEY STUDIOS must have made up all the driving scenes out of thin air.

Opus1guy
04-17-2006, 01:08 AM
WIND IN THE WILLOWS by Kenneth Grahame

The book should be available in every public library.
I checked it out last year.

You may also read the entire book for free online, thanks to the University of Maryland:

http://www.lib.umd.edu/ETC/ReadingRoom/Fiction/Grahame/WindWillows/

:)

snowsbeau
04-17-2006, 07:40 AM
This is very true. Walt of course wanted to mirror the movie experience for the guests but not verbatim. Every one of the dark rides have something different from the movie version. In Snow White's Scary Adventures, the Queen is shown outside of the Dwarfs cottage plotting to do something to Snow White. This never happens in the Disney movie.

Duchess mermaid
04-17-2006, 08:52 AM
Okay, I haven't read the book since i was a kid, I do have a copy of it on my shelf. But in the disney version of Wind in the Willows He does not steal the car, he is framed. The bar tender sets him up. The Hell seen happens when he is in prison, in his head.

PanFan
04-17-2006, 03:57 PM
I too love the Hell scene, especially on a cold day. But what gets me about it is that Toad goes there after being hit by a train. Though I do adore the ride, I thought that was a bit insensitive or disrespectful towards Kenneth Graham (the author of the Wind in the Willows) whose son committed suicide by tying himself to train tracks two days before his 20th birthday.

Duchess mermaid
04-17-2006, 07:11 PM
I too love the Hell scene, especially on a cold day. But what gets me about it is that Toad goes there after being hit by a train. Though I do adore the ride, I thought that was a bit insensitive or disrespectful towards Kenneth Graham (the author of the Wind in the Willows) whose son committed suicide by tying himself to train tracks two days before his 20th birthday.


I didn't know this. How tragic. Disney should have done a little more research when putting that in there.

potzbie
04-17-2006, 11:13 PM
Disney should have done a little more research when putting that in there.

I think it was unavoidable.

Toad's use of a hijacked railroad engine was a signifiant scene in the BOOK.
(I don't remember the Disney cartoon at all, except for snippets.)
So, it would have been strange to have MR. TOAD'S WILD RIDE with no reference to a runaway train.

Another Dimension
04-18-2006, 11:45 AM
Being as Rolly is one of the most mischievous of Imagineers :) ...that would be a good guess.

But I think it would also be wrong.

Rolly didn't join Imagineering until 1959. Toad was a 1955 opening year attraction. And while it did get a makeover in 1983, it always had the Hell scene.
:)


You are correct.. :)

Any idea who did the Toad at DL concepts, early art, etc at WED?

Opus1guy
04-18-2006, 12:18 PM
You are correct.. :)

Any idea who did the Toad at DL concepts, early art, etc at WED?

No idea really. Back in those days they didn't have quite the "you work this job only" operation like they did later. My guess is that it was team effort with many individuals contributing. The usual gang of thieves: Marc Davis, Claude Coats, Ken Anderson, etc, etc.

I think in the "dining room" of the Disney Gallery right now, there are several pieces of 1954/55 conceptual art of Toad on display. But I don't recall who did them. Perhaps someone who drops by the park in the next couple of days can take a look and get back to us? But even at that, that particular artist/Imagineer might have only been one of several working on the concept and design.

Could even have been Walt that said something like, "Let's let 'em end up in Hell! But make it a fun Hell." :)

BTW, someone once told me that's the late Billy Barty doing the giggling voices of the little smiling devils. Same person that did the voice of "Figment" at Epcot.

PirateSmile
04-18-2006, 08:28 PM
I was just thinking about this. I remember being scared to death of that ride when I was little because of that part, back when I was too little to realize it wasn't real. I couldn't even cry I was so scared, hahah.

Opus1guy
04-18-2006, 09:58 PM
Here's a little "Did You Know?" trivia (which I'm sure about 90% of the readers here do know! ;)) about Mr. Toad's Wild Ride...

Did you know that as you're riding on Mr. Toad, for much of the time directly above you are other Guests riding caterpillars on the Alice In Wonderland attraction? That's because Mr. Toad and Alice share the same real estate, with Toad on the ground floor and Alice on the second floor of the same show building.

Those guys really knew how to take advantage of limited space! And hide it very well.

:)