There are several things I remember about going to Disney World as a small child — one of those being the sheer terror that ensued after going on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. Yes, I can admit that. Being one of their longest-running theme park rides — which originated in Disneyland in 1955 — it was only a matter of time before Disney made the attracting into a live-action feature film.
However, those who remember all the way back to 1996 can’t forget the Steve Coogan and Eric Idle-voiced animated version, which was based onn Kenneth Grahame’s novel The Wind in the Willows. This time, Deadline reports that Disney is taking a more Pirates route and creating a live-action/CGI hybird, with iconic commercial and video director Pete Candeland developing. However, unlike the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, Mr. Toad was unfortunately replaced by The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh back in 1998. But look who got the movie.
Tron: Legacy producer Justin Springer has singed on to produce, with Disney currently searching for a screenwriter. I guess I can’t really blame Disney for looking to their very popular rides for film ideas, considering the Pirates franchise has made billions. I’m not so certain a film version of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride will quite as popular, however, unless they get Johnny Depp to portray a sexy version of Mr. Toad, or something.
Are you interested in a Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride feature film? Or does this “genre” seem dead?