Disney To Make MR TOAD'S WILD RIDE Movie
I've been to Disneyland a few times as a kid, sadly I can't remember any of it, other than the handful of pictures and Disney money my mom keeps in my babybooks. I do however, clearly remember going to Disneyland for the first time as a teenager. I had a miserable time at the "Happiest Place on Earth," because I had to drag around my two little toddler cousins. The only enjoyment I had that day was on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, one of the kiddy rides that had been there since Disneyland first opened in 1955. The ride itself wasn't anything amazing, but watching the two drastically different reactions from my pint-size cousins was all the entertainment I needed. The two year-old girl looked adorable as she laughed and smiled at every spin and turn. But while she jumped in her seat and clapped her hands in delight, her 5 year-old big brother was reduced to tears, screaming for his mommy and crying and wailing as if this Disney ride designed for the most sensitive of kids would end in his death.
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride is still alive and hoppin' at Disneyland, but has since been closed at Disney World, replaced back in 1998 with The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh. It's now being reported over at Deadline that Disney has plans to develop the theme park ride into a live-action/CGI feature.
The Toad character is of course taken from Disney's adaptation of The Wind In The Willows, and Disney has already had an animated film rockin' the Mr. Toad's Wild Ride title that came out in 1996, which was directed by Terry Jones (Monty Python). It actually had quite the impressive cast as well with the likes of Steve Coogan, John Cleese and Stephen Fry all lending voice.
This go around, it seems they have some promising people they're placing behind it. Justin Springer(Tron: Legacy) will produce but the studio is still looking for a writer to draft the plot. The person I'm most excited about being involved in the mix is Pete Candeland. He's mostly known for wowing people with his commercials and with his awesome music videos he's done for The Gorillaz. He also has a long history with Disney as an animator. But he completely won me over when he worked with Paul McCartney to create the amazing cinematic opening to The Beatles Rock Band. I think I watched that thing half-a-dozen times before actually moving along and playing the actual game.
The fact that they already have a story to work with, this already has me a lot more interested than say, a movie that is based on just some ride. But hey, we all know Pirates Of The Caribbean raked in the dough. If Candeland puts the same kind of care and attention into Mr Toad's Wild Ride as he has with his other recent projects, I am more than excited to see how he handles his first feature length film as director. I'm also interested to see how he takes on the live-action stuff. I woudn't mind seeing this fully animated.
How do you feel about movies based on rides? What do you think of Candeland directing a full-length film?