Return of the Tourist : Disneyland, Putting Its Trust in Toontown, Is Closing 3 Rides

Disneyland is permanently closing three of its oldest rides so that it can shift employees to its new Mickey’s Toontown attraction, officials confirmed.

The Motor Boat Cruise, the Fantasyland Autopia and the Mission to Mars will disappear so that the park can better staff the child-friendly Toontown area, spokesman John McClintock said.

Toontown is the imaginary cartoon city of Mickey and Minnie Mouse and other Disney characters as seen in the movie “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.” Opening to the public Jan. 26, it will feature a trolley, a roller coaster, talking manholes and other amusements. It is situated in Fantasyland behind the “It’s a Small World” ride.

The theme park also said Monday that it has no immediate plans to offer discount $20 admission tickets to Southern California residents this winter, as it has in the past two years. Disneyland is betting that the double whammy--no discount and three fewer attractions--will be more than offset by the dazzle of Toontown, the first attraction built outside the original perimeter of the park.

McClintock said he is not sure how many employees are being shifted to Toontown. He noted that the Fantasyland Autopia “is a very labor-intensive ride” because of the number of workers needed to direct guests to the miniature gasoline-powered cars and to monitor their progress through the tiny freeway.

The Fantasyland Autopia was “still very popular” when it closed at the end of summer, McClintock said, noting that a similar attraction will still be available at the nearby Tomorrowland Autopia.

The Fantasyland Autopia and the Motor Boat Cruise were both open as recently as last weekend. Both, however, will soon be closed for good and landscaped so that their absence will be not noticeable.

Mission to Mars closed at the end of the summer. In it, guests were taken on a simulated rocket ride to Mars. The ride’s main attraction was that seats shook when the rocket “took off,” and it was considered outdated. Like the old Carousel of Progess next door, it becomes another closed ride awaiting a renovation of Tomorrowland.

As for the “Resident Salute”discounts, McClintock said, they might be offered later this year. The program began two years ago to boost attendance by local residents and make up for a loss of tourism during the Persian Gulf War. It was repeated last winter as the California recession dragged on.

Under the program, all visitors who could show that they were Southern California residents could enter the park for $20 instead of the usual $28.75.