darthmaz314 Disney Snapshot of the Day - A Disney Hidden Gem - Mr. Toad in The Haunted Mansion's Pet Cemetery

Yesterday's darthmaz314 Disney Snapshot of the day focused on the Haunted Mansion's Pet Cemetery and in that post, we alluded to a "a former Magic Kingdom tenant, now residing" there. Set far to the back and left of the Pet Cemetery, one can see a statue of Mr. Toad, the star of the now closed Magic Kingdom attraction, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. This wild and wacky dark ride was a Walt Disney World opening day attraction and originated and continues to operate at Disneyland in California. Based on the Disney film, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, it took guests on a wacky car ride through England, led by your host Thaddeus J. Toad, Esq., and believe it or not, made a quick visit to of all places... a Disneyfied version of hell!

In 1997, Mr. Toad's ride had come to an end and Disney decided to replace the attraction with The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, which currently operates in its place. Mr. Toad's Wild Ride closed on September 7, 1997, but not before a grassroots campaign by "toadies" (big fans of the ride) who protested the attraction's closure and all but chained themselves to it to prevent it from going away forever. Although Disney snatched Mr. Toad away in favor of the more popular and mainstream Pooh and friends, it did leave subtle and hidden tributes to Mr. Toad and his friends throughout the Magic Kingdom.

One of these tributes is the Mr. Toad statue that resides fittingly, although a little morbidly, in the Pet Cemetery. So the next time you exit The Haunted Mansion, glance to your left as you walk through the exit queue and stop to pay your respects to the departed pets of the Mansion and the host of a departed attraction...Mr. Toad. 

Mr. Toad Statue in The Haunted Mansion Pet Cemetery
- courtesy darthmaz314.com

For more information about Mr. Toad's Wild Ride at the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland, check out the links below.

http://allears.net/tp/mk/toad.htm

http://www.yesterland.com/mrtoad.html

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darthmaz314 Disney Hidden Gems: Sonny Eclipse at Cosmic Rays Starlight Cafe

Today, darthmaz314.com introduces another recurring series of posts, this one entitled "Disney Hidden Gems." Some of the best things about Walt Disney World are the small details and hidden gems. These things are not always the top shelf thrill rides or blockbuster attractions. They can even be things that do not scream "Disney." Often they are details that remind people of their first special memories or experiences at Walt Disney World. 

For those who do become repeat Disney visitors, these hidden gems are often things that make them feel "at home at Disney." They are familiar, constant, and nostalgic. They can be something as small as a particular food item, a favorite merchandise shop, a certain special spot in a park where they take a photo during each visit, a character that they absolutely must meet every time, or even a personal tradition that someone initiates and keeps going with family or friends. (By the way, these are some of the things that make people return to Walt Disney World over and over. But that is a topic for another post.)

Sonny Eclipse at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe in the Magic Kingdom - courtesy darthmaz314.com

Today we introduce this series of posts with a modern classic hidden gem...Sonny Eclipse at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe in the Magic Kingdom. Sonny Eclipse is a fairly elaborate audio animatronic that "holds court" over the Magic Kingdom's largest "food court." After you have purchased your food at Cosmic Ray's, a popular quick service location at Magic Kingdom, if you choose to sit in the largest seating area, you will be entertained by the dulcet tones and poor jokes of lounge singer Sonny Eclipse from the planet Zoo Nork and his back-up singers the invisible Space Angels. Sonny is a great example of elaborate theming, an element that seeks to immerse you in the story Disney is attempting to tell you. In this particular case, you are in Tomorrowland, a futuristic setting, eating in Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe, and are being entertained by an alien named Sonny Eclipse who just happens to have invisible celestial back-up singers called the Space Angels. I think you get the picture.

So darthmaz314 invites you to experience a true hidden gem from the Magic Kingdom by enjoying a tune that Sonny dedicates to his heavenly back-up singers, entitled (big surprise) Space Angels.

Watch Sonny Eclipse sing Space Angels here on darthmaz314.com or by visiting our You Tube channel Joe Darthmaz by clicking the link below:

Sonny Eclipse Space Angels at Joe Darthmaz

darthmaz314 always welcomes your comments and asks you to share this and all our posts with your friends (or enemies) if you like what you see. Also, please visit, follow, and like our facebook page...

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