We’re back with Disneyland Update Part 2! Yesterday we looked into Magic Key renewals and the start of Halloween at the Disneyland Resort. Today, we’re following up with even more coverage from the parks, with EXCLUSIVE photographs of ToonTown, current construction and refurbishments around the resort, and we’ll finish with something sweet. Settle in and let’s take a look at what’s been happening around Disneyland.
Before diving into the rest of the Disneyland Update, be sure to get caught up on yesterday’s news below:
Disneyland Update – Magic Keys Please, Early Morning Magic, Halloween Begins
ToonTown Aerial Construction Photos
Here at MiceChat, we like to stay up to date with what’s happening around the resort. Unfortunately, since ToonTown closed in March 2022, for its major remodel, there hasn’t been a lot for us to report on since there’s a big, pesky wall blocking the way (oh, and a sea of strollers to boot!).
The biggest news for ToonTown over the last few weeks has been the cartoon hills have been installed on the show building for Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway with some improvements from their last iteration. The new hills have an ombré effect to simulate mountains in the distance.
And while that’s all fine and dandy, the real scoop on ToonTown can only be seen from above. Our secret eye in the sky shared some exclusive photos of the latest construction this past week. The ToonTown you once knew is no more and is mostly a dirt lot with a few remaining buildings. This is all part of the extensive overhaul of ToonTown that will reopen in 2023. For now, let’s see what’s being worked on…
As a refresher, this is the concept art of what the reimagined ToonTown will look like when it reopens in early 2023:
For the most part, ToonTown actually looks largely the same. The layout of the land will stay fairly consistent with how it was before, but with some aspects getting removed or altered. So far, the most striking change is the fact all of the pavement, and nearly all of the greenery, have been removed.
The upcoming CenTOONial Park has been cleared out, making way for plenty of future greenspaces and a central wishing tree.
It was confirmed that Roger Rabbit will be staying in the new version of ToonTown, so you’ll still be able to ride that wacky attraction once the land reopens. The El CapiTOON facade is being constructed for Runaway Railway.
Here’s an interesting view that may not be immediately recognizable from within the park. When you’re in the First Order Base in Galaxy’s Edge, you’re just a few meters away from ToonTown.
Heading over to the neighborhood area of ToonTown, there’s some serious work going on. Many elements here are completely covered in construction scrims. Mickey’s House, Minnie’s House, Gadget’s Go Coaster (that will be rethemed when it reopens), and the cartoon hillside all have scrims built around them. You’ll notice that Chip ‘n Dale’s Treehouse has been demolished. Good riddance.
The Mickey fountain that was centrally placed in the residential district has been completely removed. Right now, there’s a scary-looking contraption in its place. We’re really interested to see what’s going in here.
The lagoon around Donald’s Boat has been completely filled in.
Goofy’s House doesn’t have a whole lot going on right now, but we imagine that it’ll be getting some attention in the very near future.
For more about the redesign of ToonTown, be sure to check out the coverage below:
Follow-Up on Early Entry
We were able to attend the first day of Early Entry back at the Disneyland Resort yesterday (and we’re following up today by starting at DCA!) thanks to our partners at Get Away Today.
Although we’re never awake early enough to warrant rope dropping on a regular basis, getting to try Early Entry was really eye-opening to see how to make the most of your Disneyland day. Join Dusty on a walk through Disneyland for the first day of Early Entry and hear our tips on how to make Early Entry worth your while.
We’ll be at DCA today for Early Entry, which has an entirely different strategy for how to make the most of your day. You’ll definitely want to tune in at 7:30 am PST on the MiceChat Facebook Page. We’ll share it here once it’s done so even if you’re not able to watch it live, you can still keep all that valuable info!
Disneyland Resort Construction and Refurbishments
ToonTown isn’t the only construction project around the Disneyland Resort. Here’s a quick glimpse at all the construction and refurbs taking place across the parks.
Disneyland
Entering on Main Street, there are a couple of gardens that have had their grass replaced with artificial turf. Both of the gardens directly in front of City Hall and Disneyana have been replaced. The change is very subtle. We walked past these gardens several times before we noticed the change!
The garden in front of Mad Hatter still has real grass in it. But upon closer inspection, the grass is looking a little sad and sparse in some places. With the current water crisis, Disneyland is probably looking to see if artificial turf is a good option. What do you think?
The former Tomorrowland FastPass distribution site by Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters has had the terminals cleared out. We do find it odd that the alcove is going unused right now, especially considering it would be the ideal stroller parking location since it’s out of the way while also accessible. Hopefully, this is something that Disneyland is considering.
When we visited Adventureland this week, we noticed a temporary barrier in place along the bridge to the land against the railing. When we walked by the area yesterday, the barrier had been removed. It must have been a quick fix.
Work continues on Tarzan’s Treehouse. Still no word on what the new theme will be for this attraction.
Right where the former entrance into the treehouse stump-entry was, the finished railing has been installed leading to the bridge over Pirates of the Caribbean. Half of the garden had been without a railing since this new garden was added.
There are STILL some scrims up around the Fantasmic stage areas. At this point it’s just an eyesore since the show has been back for months.
Speaking of Fantasmic, we didn’t realize that the barges for the finale were floated into place. We assumed that they were submerged during the day. It’s always neat to learn something new!
The Big Thunder Mountain FastPass distribution kiosks infrastructure has been fully removed. The area, like most of the others around the park, recently underwent a quick removal process to pull out remaining equipment… in this case making way for stroller parking.
When taking a trip around the Rivers of America, you’ll notice that there are several elements in flux or hidden for work. Let’s hop on the Mark Twain Riverboat.
We found that several aspects of the Indigenous People have been temporarily removed or changed. For instance, the dog on the log scene has returned.
The shaman animatronic has been removed for refurbishment. It’s a bit of an odd moment when hearing the spiel from the Mark Twain mentioning the shaman while looking out and seeing a stretched animal skin in his place.
Continuing on the Rivers of America, there’s an abundance of smaller projects that are cropping up around the old Mine Train Through Nature’s Wonderland rockwork. We also noticed a lot of trees that appear to be dead or dying around this stretch of the river.
The abandoned mine shaft has some tarps covering the entrance on both sides (you see the other side of this cave from Big Thunder Trail.
As we pull into the loading dock for the Mark Twain, there’s one last bit of construction to see. The Post Office that’s been behind construction walls for what seems like an eternity has some plywood laid across the deck. We’re not entirely sure what is going on here or why it’s taking so long.
Yesterday, the Mark Twain was in the Colombia Harbor getting some welding done. The riverboat isn’t in an official refurb, but it wasn’t running during the day yesterday.
In Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, there’s a new set of construction walls that have piqued our interest. Walt Disney World’s Galaxy’s Edge recently rolled out a Bounty Hunter game in conjunction with their new MagicBand+ release. MagicBands are coming to Disneyland this fall (if everything keeps to schedule). So, we suspect that this construction may be brining the same game and datapad enhancements here.
Matterhorn is currently closed for refurbishment as of 8/8. The entire attraction and the nearby former FastPass distribution area are behind construction walls.
Like all the other former FastPass distribution areas which have recently been refurbished, the one for Matterhorn is currently behind construction walls. The machines themselves were removed long ago, so this is just for removal of additional equipment and resurfacing.
There are a handful of informational signs about the attraction that are posted along construction walls.
Here’s a closeup of the informational posters, the same ones which were posted during the last refurbishmet:
DCA
Hopping across the way to Disney California Adventure, let’s take a peek at what’s going on this week.
There’s a new refurbishment happening at the Hollywood Lounge in Hollywoodland. The whole building is behind construction walls, and the neon on the building has been removed.
Just before the blue scrims went up we caught a final glimpse of the building with elements removed.
The neon had been removed from the lettering.
You can still get food from the Studio Catering Co. truck that’s nearby.
The other new construction project that has popped up this week is taking place mostly out of sight for park guests. Over at Radiator Springs Racers, there are some new construction scrims that have been installed on the backside of the canyon. We’re not entirely sure what’s happening here, but from it looks like it’s likely maintenance.
Look closely at the tops of the Cadillac mountain range.
While we were in Cars Land, we took a stroll into Ramones (to look at work on the ofrenda), and found that the merchandise is no longer solely themed to Cars. We found some generic Disneyland product in an entire room of the store.
Imagine something like that happening in Avengers Campus or Galaxy’s Edge. It’s very much out of theme for the land.
For a look at Halloween installation please check out yesterday’s Disneyland Update Part 1. We’ll be seeing more Halloween decorations put into the parks in the coming weeks.
Disneyland Refurbishment Calendar
Currently Under Refurbishment:
- Tarzan’s Treehouse: (September 1st, 2021-TBA)
- Mickey’s Toontown: (March 9th, 2022-2023)
- Redwood Creek Challenge Trail: (August 1st-19th)
- Matterhorn Bobsleds (August 8th-TBA)
Upcoming Refurbishments:
- Haunted Mansion Holiday Install: (August 15th-September 1st)
- Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!: (August 15th-September 2nd)
- Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer Island: (September 6th-8th)
- Sailing Ship Columbia: (September 12th-15th)
Downtown Disney & Disneyland Hotel
There’s some work taking place outside of the parks. Here’s a quick rundown of what’s going on in Downtown Disney and the Disneyland Hotel.
The dirt lot where AMC used to be located has a new set of construction wall art featuring the Disney Princesses. The change of art is part of the “Ultimate Disney Princess Celebration” that’s currently taking place. There’s a QR code on one of the walls that links you to a page with information about the Disney Princesses.
The last time this celebration (if you can even call it that) rolled around, there were some photo ops placed around Downtown Disney as well. As of yet, there’s nothing of that sort we’ve spotted yet.
Though, right next to the Disney Princess construction walls, there is a step-in photo op for Disney Channel’s Zombie 3. It definitely feels randomly thrown in.
As for what’s happening behind those construction walls, we were able to get a unique vantage point from the Disneyland Hotel. While the lot looks just like it has for months, some unfortunate trees were given the axe this past week.
But this is mostly just an empty dirt lot with little going on. They were in such a hurry to tear down the AMC building.
Further into Downtown Disney, Jazz Kitchen is getting a new coat of paint— one we’re less than enthused about. As part of Downtown Disney’s coming revitalization, Jazz Kitchen will be remodeled to strip out all of the individuality and character of the restaurant and make it look more like a regular mall establishment.
Here’s what the finished product of Jazz Kitchen is supposed to look like:
For more about the planned reimagining of Downtown Disney, be sure to look at the article below.
Disneyland Updates! New Downtown Disney Restaurants, Pixar Hotel & More
Just outside of Downtown Disney at the Disneyland Hotel, there’s a hard-to-ignore project going on. This construction is for the upcoming Disney Vacation Club tower at the Disneyland hotel. The tower is projected to open sometime in late 2023.
Halloween Merchandise Arrives
A few weeks ago, we got a small glimpse at the first wave of Disneyland Halloween merchandise. As of yesterday, the initial bit of new seasonal merch has arrived to the resort.
We’re not exaggerating that popular items (namely the 2.5-foot light-up replica of Pumpkin Mickey) were flying off the shelves.
Our merchandise maven Natalie lists out everything that’s part of the initial Halloween collection at Disneyland in the article below…
Magical Together
We were watching TV this week and noticed an interesting ad for jobs at Disneyland. While the commercial touts that there are jobs at every level in the resort, the ad also shows some weird errors. First, there’s a segment that shows a segment of Elsa singing from the canceled Frozen show at Hyperion Theater (though, it could be from the Disney Cruise Line version). Currently, the Hyperion Theater is sitting completely empty with no announced plans of any entertainment returning.
Secondly, although the advertisement is supposed to be about Disneyland, it also shows segments from Walt Disney World. First, there’s a cast member in front of Pirates of the Caribbean from Magic Kingdom, and then there’s a shot of a cast member outside of Mission: SPACE, an attraction that Disneyland doesn’t even have! You can take a look at the ad for yourself below:
This & That
Now, here are a few other stories from around Disneyland that you’ll be interested in.
Disneyland 100th-Anniversary Name Tags Missing Characters
In last week’s Disneyland Update, we mentioned that cast members will be getting an all-new name tag listing their favorite Disney character (in lieu of their hometown) as part of Disney’s 100th anniversary next year.
We’ve heard from several cast members that their particular favorite characters were nowhere to be found on the list of pre-approved names to choose from across Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and LucasFilm characters. Sure, you can choose from any sort of niche character from the Star Wars or Marvel universes like Bookworm from Toy Story, M’Baku from Black Panther, or Salacious B. Crumb from Star Wars, but iconic Disney characters like Winnie the Pooh, Mary Poppins, and even Jack Sparrow aren’t included in the list. And that even goes for some Disney Parks characters like Madame Leota, Harold the Yeti, and Big Al. But the new name tags do sound like a fun idea.
New Disneyland Resort Treats
We stumbled upon some new treats available all across the Disneyland Resort, and we had to try them. The wonderful new sweet this week are Hand Pies that are available at the bakeries around the resort. Each shop carries a different flavor (there are 5 to be found) and they are a must-try. Here are the flavors available and where you can find them
- Strawberry – Candy Palace at Disneyland
- Lemon – Honey Spot at Disneyland
- Blueberry – Trolley Treats at DCA
- Raspberry – Bing Bong’s at DCA
- Guava – Marceline’s in Downtown Disney – We tried to find this one on our visits, but every time we checked they were sold out.
We tried the Raspberry Hand Pie from Bing Bong’s and the Lemon Hand Pie from Honey Spot and we really enjoyed both of them. The crust is akin to a buttery sugar cookie without being crumbly— and may have been our favorite part of this treat. The filling was the perfect amount, without being overbearing or too sweet. And the frosting is similar to the classic PopTarts we’re all familiar with. We highly recommend this goodie. It’s our mission to try them all!
Speaking of treats at Disneyland, we noticed that there is an assortment of new cookies from a new supplier to the resort. The previous supplier, Selma’s Cookies, had visually impressive but lackluster cookies around the resort for decades. The new cookies look more traditional and come in classic flavors like Chocolate Chip, Double Chocolate Chocolate Chip, and Oatmeal Raisin.
As a reminder, here’s the old version of cookies from Selma’s in the bottom left corner of the display case in Candy Palace.
MiceChat Open House in Howard Johnson’s House of the Future Suite
The House of the Future is back! Well, something akin to it, at least. The Howard Johnson Anaheim Hotel & Water Playground (located just across the street from the Matterhorn) has debuted a special themed suite inspired by the Monsanto House of the Future that was in Tomorrowland from 1957-1967.
This special suite is furnished with mid-century modern elements, evoking that feel of the House of the Future. Plus, an array of Disney artists had a hand in bringing this suite to life, including Shag, Dave Avenzino, Kevin Kidney and Jody Daily.
As one of our partners, HoJo Anaheim is giving MiceChat readers an exclusive opportunity to check out the House of the Retro Future Suite at an open house on August 13, 2022, from 11 am to 2 pm. Plus, we’re also giving away a two-night stay at the House of the Retro Future suite— valued at over $2,000! To enter the drawing, visit us during the open house or stop by the MiceChat booth during the upcoming D23 Expo.
The Howard Johnson Anaheim Resort is located at:
1380 S Harbor Blvd
Anaheim, CA 92802
Discount Disney Theme Park Tickets & Hotels!!!
MiceChat brings you the BEST theme park ticket, hotel & package deals! (You’ll find extra nights free, big discounts, and special offers as well).
Check out the latest offers for Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, and Knott’s Berry Farm:
(MiceChat works with Get Away Today to provide you with the best theme park travel deals and we may make a small commission on any sales made through our links)
Let’s Hear From You
Across two full-length Disneyland Updates, we sure have covered a lot of ground. What do you think about seeing ToonTown all torn up right now? Are you looking forward to the redo of the land? How do you feel about rumors regarding the Bounty Hunter Outpost in Galaxy’s Edge with MagicBand+ capabilities? Can you believe how fast the Disneyland Hotel DVC tower is coming together? We’d love to hear from you in the comments. And if you enjoyed today’s Disneyland Update, we’d really appreciate it if you shared this article!
Disneyland Update – Magic Keys Please, Early Morning Magic, Halloween Begins
You must be logged in to post a comment.