Disneyland has given the Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Flip ride a re-vamp (Get it?) with an update that puts Who Framed Roger Rabbit? star Jessica Rabbit front and center, as she begins her new private investigations service to save Toontown. Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Flip, which debuted at Disneyland in 1994, is currently described at Disneyland’s website as a “race through Toontown in search of Jessica Rabbit.”
“The attraction revisits the story of Roger Rabbit as he attempts to rescue his beloved wife Jessica Rabbit from the evil henchman known as the Weasels, ” was the original description for the Disneyland ride. While Mrs. Rabbit’s initial role in the ride had her trapped in the trunk of a car waiting to be saved, the trunk has now been filled with barrels of the infamous ‘dip.’ Victim, no more!
Jessica Rabbit Removed from first scene in Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin #disneylandpic.twitter.com/4vrvEwNkvZ
— ???? FIVE FIRES ???? (@thecalibae) September 15, 2021
The announcement made headlines in Toontown, reading:
“EXTRA! EXTRA! Jessica Rabbit to Become the Newest Private Eye in Mickey’s Toontown!
Citing the recent return of the Toon Patrol Weasels as the main driver behind the recent sharp rise in crime statistics throughout Mickey’s Toontown, Jessica Rabbit has determined it is past time for her to throw her fedora into the ring by starting her own private investigation service. While taking inspiration from longtime friend and legendary Toon detective, Eddie Valiant, Jessica shows that she certainly means business. Jessica’s fabled acting career has made her one of the most recognized stars in the Maroon Cartoon family of performers. Now she is using her celebrity to speak out.
‘Enough is enough,’ Jessica was heard exclaiming last week. ‘The good toons of our neighborhoods are afraid to come out at night, and it is getting worse by the day! Those Weasels are up to something big… I am going to find out what it is, and put a stop to it!’ Watch out, Weasels, you’re reign of terror is over!”
It may not be the most shocking thing to come from Who Framed Roger Rabbit?. Of course, this isn’t the first time that the Anaheim theme park has made changes to keep with the times and social norms. The Pirates of the Caribbean ride replaced the ‘Wench Auction’ section where you could ‘Take a Wench for a Bride’ to a sign displaying ‘Auction, Surrender Yer Loot. “We believe the time is right to turn the page to a new story in this scene consistent with the humorous, adventurous spirit of the attraction,” said Suzi Brown, a spokeswoman for Disneyland Resort said in 2017.
Many long-time fans of the original balked at changing one of the last attractions that Walt Disney created. Sentiments echoed through the comments section of the Disney announcement. “As one of the last rides Walt (Disney) oversaw I’m very sad they felt the need to change this. We need to stop shielding people from history. Why don’t we just give all the pirates cell phones instead of interacting with each other.”
The changes do keep on coming. It has also been reported that Disneyland will change the Splash Mountain ride, replacing Song of the South characters with a Princess and the Frog theme. We expect more to come in the future.
Marty Sklar, the former creative executive for Walt Disney Imagineering, who worked with Walt Disney responded, explaining, “I can’t think of a single attraction that has not been enhanced and improved, some over and over again,” he said in a statement. “Change is a ‘tradition’ at Disneyland that today’s Imagineers practice – they learned it from their mentors, many of them Walt’s original team of storytellers and designers – the Disney Legends.”
As for the new Roger Rabbit ride’s new design, Disneyland has yet to say how the new storyline will change the rest of the ride. You’ll just have to buy a ticket to ride and find out! You can also buy Who Framed Roger Rabbit? on 4K UHD and Blu-ray in December. This news comes from News Nation Now.