Mickey’s Toontown Fair is Officially Gone

Last week Mickey’s Toontown Fair officially closed.  I’ll be honest.  In all my trips to Disney World I never once went through this area of the Magic Kingdom.  I never rode any of the rides or saw any of the characters there.

If I had been able to get down to Disney before the area was shut down I would have gone through it.  It sounded ok and seemed like it had some fun areas and details.  I guess that’s my only regret is the fact that I never got to really see Toontown.

I know a lot of other people are really upset at seeing this area close.   I can understand that.  I feel bummed every time I think about the original Journey Into Imagination, Horizons, World of Motion, and the Original Version of the Universe of Energy.

Most of the time people are not upset about the attraction closing.  Most of the time people are upset because it feels like something is being taken away and there is nothing they can do about it.  People like to go back to Disney and share their memories with family and friends.  You can stop and point to an area and reminisce about a fond memory.  When that area is no longer there you are just left with a memory.  When the area no longer exists you can’t relive the experience with your children or friends.  I think that’s what really bothers people.

One thing I try to keep in mind when anything is replaced is the “Norway Syndrome.” The Norway Syndrome is when something is left in place for too long and it goes from relevant to annoying to humorous.  Of course I am talking about the movie in Norway.  Believe it or not but that was an ok movie when I was a kid and saw it the year it opened.  Within ten years it was bad and needed to be replaced.  If it had been replaced I guarantee you that there would be people today who would claim the movie was good and wish it hadn’t been replaced.

Even though we loved Horizons and other long gone attractions would we still love them today?  Sometimes we would.  Sometimes Disney makes a timeless attraction like the original Journey Into Imagination.  If Horizons was still around it would have needed some major rehabs over the years but we might still like it.

Let us hope that the Mickey’s Toontown Fair attractions are remembered with more smiles than frowns ten years from now.