Somewhere in Particular

Complementing the British corner of Fantasyland at Disneyland Paris, between Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan, is Toad Hall Restaurant. Here, rather than rollick along on a wild ride with J. Thaddeus, we can actually visit his residence and spend time getting to know him.

The plaque above the entrance, similar in some respects to one found above Mr. Toad's Wild Ride at Disneyland, here is customized for the restaurant setting... including the Latin directive, "No Consumus Froglagus."

Look up before stepping inside, you'll notice custom weather vanes, depicting Toady on a unicycle or at the wheel of a motorcar.

In fact, it quickly becomes obvious that the design of Toad Hall is very much about Toad himself. He's worked his likeness into every nook and cranny, from obvious points like this bust to more subtle details like the bas relief along the roofline.

Once inside, all subtlety goes out the window. A prominent portrait of Toad hangs in the foyer, leading to the various rooms of the mansion.

The Trophy Room is particularly fun, with paintings depicting Toad engaged in everything from tiger hunting to fox hunting... or fox jumping, as it were. He seems to have missed the fox entirely, getting wrapped up in the thrill of the hunt. I especially love the suit of armor here, custom made to toad proportions.

Not to say that Mr. Toad is completely self-centered. There are tributes to his dear friends, Rat and Mole. They're sculpted into the supports of the fireplace and featured in a painting on the side wall. Of course, Toady's worked into the wallpaper right alongside them, always present.

The interests - some would say "manias" - of J. Thaddeus Toad are on display throughout Toad Hall. There are images of him boxing and golfing and climbing Mt. Everest.

His greatest mania of all, however... the one that nearly did him in... was his passion for motorcars. Ads for motorcars dominate one of the dining rooms of the restaurant. You can even find an advertisement for the Wolseley, the very model that caught Toad's eye.

It was in this room I had the fortune to dine on my recent visit to Toad Hall. The decor was fascinating, and every so often, it would change. That painting above the fireplace which looked like a Toady Van Gogh when we came in, was suddenly a Toady da Vinci and later a Rembrandt!

And what did we have, you may wonder? Why, fish and chips, of course! They even came served on Disney's own version of newsprint! It was quite good and the perfect spot to stop for lunch on our way to "nowhere in particular."

Toad Hall

Yesterday, we payed a brief visit to the outside of Toad Hall in Fantasyland, home to Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. From a distance it was easy to see that Toady is a bit full of himself, having commissioned sculptures in his likeness to adorn the mansion. As it turns out, the closer you get, the more apparent his hubris.

Right above the manor's entrance is the Toad family crest, capped off with frog-shaped armor and a crown. Of course, the art on the crest is all about Toad and his obsession with speed, having graduated from Cyril Proudbottom and the gypsy cart to his flashy red motorcar. If only Toad understood Latin, though, he would know that the phrase here isn't the most flattering. "Toadi Acceleratio Semper Absurda" roughly translates to "Speeding with Toad is Always Absurd."

In the garden around the corner from the entrance, you'll discover a series of bas relief sculpts along the stone wall. Naturally, there's one for J. Thaddeus Toad, Esquire (Master of Toad Hall & Incurable Adventurer), but there are also tributes here to Toady's few friends from the story of The Wind in the Willows. There's Rat (who "Tries to Cure Toad's Motormania"), Mole ("A Loyal and Sympathetic Friend") and Angus MacBadger (who "Offers Sage Advice, So Often Scorned").

Just before turning to enter, be sure to glance up at the back of the sign outside the door. From the front, it featured typical information about the nature of the attraction. From the back, though, it adds yet another element to the story of Toad.

Once inside Toad Hall, the monuments to Toady's self image become even more ubiquitous. From the statue of Toad in the bay window to the wallpaper and architectural details, Toad is all around us.

There are toad-shaped lamps and ceramic toads, and the bookshelf is stacked with toad-related tomes. Look closely, and you'll spot titles like Rumple Toadskin, Twice Toad Tales, 20,000 Toads Under the Sea, I Was a Teenage Tadpole and Pond Life in Our Time by Nüt Salamander.

Finally, on the wall near the exit hangs a tapestry recounting some of Toad's adventures on his way to "Nowhere in Particular." It's also a bit of a roadmap of the wild ride we've just taken with Mr. Toad, including our jaunts along the wharf and through the town, our run-in with a locomotive and our wrong turn into the underworld!

The Perfect Storybook Village

Stepping through Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland, you enter Fantasyland, what Walt Disney described as "The Happiest Kingdom of Them All." The Fantasyland we know today, though, is a far cry from the one experienced by guests back in 1955. At the time, Walt didn't have the money to do everything he wanted to do with Disneyland, and Fantasyland was a good example. Instead of the fairy tale village he imagined, the inner walls of the castle were instead festooned in bright (and less expensive) tents, banners and flags.

But perhaps the thing Walt loved most about Disneyland was that the park would forever be a work in progress. The medieval fair look lasted for nearly thirty years until 1983, when a Disney team of Imagineers led by Tony Baxter finally transformed Fantasyland into the village of Walt's dreams.

Today, Fantasyland is a truly magical place, where the stories from Walt Disney's animated features come to life. Each of the anchor attractions in the castle courtyard area is housed in a portion of the village, and each section takes on unique architectural properties influenced by the tales told within.

Peter Pan's Flight takes off inside an English cottage, built alongside a clock tower reminiscent of Big Ben. Take a look, too, at the weather vanes on the rooftops. They're in the shapes of a pirate ship and a crocodile, straight from the story.

Around the bend, the architecture remains English but morphs into a Tudor style with the entrance to Toad Hall. The weather vane here is a silhouette of Toady speeding along in his motor car, just as you're about to do on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. Not one for humility, Toad has also commissioned statues of himself to adorn the facade of his home.

Across the way, the architectural styles are less English and more Italian and Bavarian. There's a small puppet theater above the entrance to Pinocchio's Daring Journey, along with a carved wooden toy like Geppetto might have made, right on the peak of the roof. Pinocchio's Daring Journey was a new attraction added during the 1983 reimagining of Fantasyland. It actually replaced the Fantasyland Theater, which had stood on this spot since the '50s.

The stone facade for Snow White's Scary Adventures is especially detailed, with intricate carvings representing both the light and dark aspects of that story. Above the entrance, made to look a bit like the Queen's dungeon, are ominous ravens perched atop skulls. They set an appropriately eerie tone for what is to come. Make it past that point, though, and you'll come to the cottage of the seven dwarfs, where friendly forest animals are carved into the columns of the queue.

In a way, your trip through the queue mimics the adventure to come. You and Snow White have to make it through the dark and scary forest, but will discover light and joy on the other side. Beware, though, for wherever you go the Queen is always watching from her tower perch.

Class of '55

The overarching theme for the 50th anniversary of Disneyland was "The Happiest Homecoming on Earth." In keeping with the homecoming concept, each of the park's remaining original attractions was honored with a "Class of '55" plaque.

One vehicle on each attraction was also painted gold for the anniversary celebration. From a golden Dumbo (photo ©Disney) to a glistening teacup, lucky Guests had the opportunity to take a special ride on a classic Disneyland attraction that had been entertaining visitors for five decades.

For those who maybe missed out on landing a golden ride vehicle on the attraction itself, a few were placed out front as photo opportunities.

Several of the Class of '55 attractions are still in the park today:

Disneyland Railroad

Horse-drawn Streetcars

Main Street Cinema

King Arthur Carrousel

Peter Pan Flight

Mad Tea Party

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride

Snow White's Adventures

Casey Jr. Circus Train

Autopia

Mark Twain Steamboat

Jungle Cruise

Others, like Circarama and Space Station X-1, have since been retired. During the 50th Anniversary, though, one of those former attractions was highlighted with a vehicle display in the park. Back on the Big Thunder Trail was an original Disneyland Stagecoach, not far from the path it once shared with a team of Pack Mules on an exploration of the Painted Desert.

The Many Hidden Tributes of Winnie the Pooh

A really fun example of Hidden Disney in the parks comes when one attraction pays tribute to another. This is often the case when a new attraction has replaced an older one. The Imagineers like to work in subtle references as a nod to the past.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh opened in Fantasyland in 1999 in the former home of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. Before Toady headed off for nowhere in particular, he passed the deed to the property to his friend Owl. A picture of the transaction hangs in Owl's treehouse and can be seen to the left as you pass through on your adventure. Take a look down to your right in the same scene, and you'll catch a picture of Mole from The Wind in the Willows, tipping his hat to one silly ol' bear.

Winnie the Pooh is found at the far edge of the castle walls, where the village borders a wooded area. Here is Pooh's Playful Spot, a playground built on a portion of the site once occupied by the submarine adventure 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The land here is about to be reclaimed once again by the Fantasyland expansion, but for the time being a tribute to the original attraction can be seen.

Enter Pooh's house through the door at the side of the tree. Once inside, turn around and look in the wood grain just above the doorway. There, you will find a stamped impression in the distinctive shape of Captain Nemo's Nautilus.

Some tributes, like those mentioned above, are placed intentionally. Others exist in the form of objects which remain from the past, like these lava rocks in the area close to Ariel's Grotto which were once part of the edge of the 20,000 Leagues lagoon:

Also in this stretch of Fantasyland, tucked back in the bushes behind Dumbo's Circus, are two themed utility covers. The casual observer might just think they're painted dark green to blend into the foliage, but the color and the rivets in the design call them out for what they really are: another remnant from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and a glimpse into Fantasyland's past.