Deadline reports that Disney are planning a live-action/CGI mix feature that will bring theme park attraction Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride to the big screen.
Deadline adds that Disney are keen for another franchise following the success of The Pirates of the Caribbean films. We imagine they would not be so keen to follow the less than successful adaptations Haunted Mansion, Mission to Mars, Country Bears and the little seen TV film Tower of Terror (with Steve Guttenberg and Kirsten Dunst!),
Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride is based on the Disney adaptation of the The Wind in the Willows, which accompanies The Legend of Sleepy Hollow to form the animated featured The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. The theme park attraction is one of the oldest Disneyland rides, and one of the few attractions that is still running from the 1955 opening of the park. The “dark ride” features turns and twists in the dimly lit storybook environment, and is one of the most popular in the Californian park. The Walt Disney World version in Florida was closed in 1998.
Disney will take another gamble with commercial and video director and first-time feature helmer Pete Candeland, who is mostly known for the animation in the Gorillaz music videos. The gamble paid off with Tron: Legacy‘s Joseph Kosinski and The Muppets‘ James Bobin, and the studio seems to be planning the same tactic for that proposed Matterhorn project, also based on a Disneyland attraction.
Bring on that Teacups film!
