Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride… the ride (and the film that inspired it) aren’t as well known as many other Disneyland attractions. Mr. Toad, the star of the classic book The Wind in the Willows, for those who didn’t know, also appeared in the Disney film, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. My family owns it, and my children have watched it a few times, but I’ve never had the…. pleasure? experience? Anyway, that’s where Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride comes from.
Having never seen the movie, I had no clue what the ride was about. Obviously, Mr. Toad is an exceptionally bad driver…. I got that part. During the ride you crash through his fireplace, nearly collide with a train, run into a building, crash into a warehouse full of TNT…. when I said bad driver, I wasn’t kidding. Oh, and you get banished into a fiery inferno. That has nothing to do with Mr. Toad’s driving, but it’s important, mainly because it scares the daylights out of little kids.
Some Fantasyland rides are cute and clever, and put a fun spin on the movie they’re based on. Peter Pan’s Flight, for example, or Alice In Wonderland. Unfortunately, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride isn’t one of these rides. It’s fun, but immensely forgettable. And, as previously mentioned, it tends to scare little kids. I noticed it not only in my children, but in other children exiting the ride as well. So if you have a child that is easily frightened, you may want to skip this one.