In all honesty, no one knows what's going to happen. I'm just hoping that Mickey's house and the Roger Rabbit ride do in fact get retained at least, if it does happen.
If Mickey's house gets removed as part of another project, I would all-but guarantee that they would find some other way to have a permanent Mickey meet & greet. When WDW did its Fantasyland project, Mickey's meet & greet moved to Main Street and the theme was backstage at a magic show, so he was no longer in his house (technically he previously met in one of the tents at Toontown Fair), but the essence of the attraction remained in the park
The only place that seems likely is the Opera House, but it's home to Mr. Lincoln. There was an uproar when in the early 1970s they replaced Mr. Lincoln with a movie about Walt Disney. They compromised by putting the two together. A similar thing almost happened in the early 1990s when they thought of replacing Lincoln with the Muppets. But nothing came of that.
I wouldn't be surprised if they used some portion of the existing Toontown/Fantasyland Theater site. It's a pretty large plot of land with a lot of opportunities, but the existing M&G structure is poorly located for a future expansion in that area. They could move it closer to some of the existing structures to remain (like Roger Rabbit or the back of Storybookland, or possibly even the old Jolly Trolley barn) which would free up the rest of that space for something completely new
Mickey's house really doesn't need to be that long of a walk through as it is now. All you really need is the house area and then the queue for the M&G.
Well, as I said before, I hope it's either to the Jolly Trolley barn or just to closer to Roger Rabbit. And no, Mickey's house doesn't necessarily have to be a big one, but the Movie Barn is decidedly amusing. And I would think that the Fantasyland Theater site is more or less set aside for the new Frozen ride, whatever it may be.
Yes, it is, buster! Stop believing the lies that LiceRat, WDW1974, Jim Hill, etc. continue to spew out because they know they're wrong and refuse to admit it! Sorry, 85" but you're becoming just as annoying as them. Toontown, Tower of Terror, Big Thunder, etc. are not going anywhere, so knock it off and get a life!
How would they be able to move it anyway? I don't think the whole meet-n-greet structure can be easily moved, let alone fit in the Jolly Trolley barn space. They would have to do something new from scratch, I think. I'm also concerned about the kiddie coaster. Every other Disney castle park has one (Goofini at WDW's MK, Gadget at TDL, Casey Jr. at DLP, even RC Racer at HKDL), but, if the expansion holds true, not Disneyland. There would have to be some other way to include this, I personally feel.
I don't mean they would literally pick it up and move it, but rather relocate it to a different facility. Compared to building a ride or even a restroom, it takes almost no effort to build a met & greet, even an elaborate one, so it could easily be done as part of a bigger development As for the kiddie coaster, I think it would be nice if they found a way to keep it (or another kid-friendly coaster, like Mine Train), but I don't think it's a necessary part of the DL experience. All 3 of DL's mountain coasters are actually pretty tame, and could work just fine for a child's first rollercoaster, especially Big Thunder where it's easy for them to hold on to a parent sitting next to them. Given that so many of Disney's best attractions can be enjoyed by a wide range of guests including kids, the rollercoaster that's only fun for kids has always stood out; it's not like it's some great piece of Disney legacy or anything And for the record, RC Racer is not a kiddie coaster. It's actually pretty intense and the height requirement is surprisingly high (48", I think?). Plus, it's just not especially fun; the swinging pirate ship at your local travelling carnival is better, IMO
When you say "different facility", that to me sounds like a different land in the park. And I wasn't necessarily thinking it could be moved entirely (although I wish it can be), but I was thinking more about moving many if not all of the set pieces. I doubt they would work anywhere else except Toontown. Hence, the hope that the relocation will remain in what remains (hopefully) of Toontown. I can't speak for everyone on this, but I'm sure some people may think a kiddie coaster IS part of the legacy. There is an old saying: "You can't go home again." And in this case, to me, it means that a kiddie coaster primarily for kids is an obligatory part of any Disney experience (for some people anyway; again, I can't speak for everyone on this). That's certainly true of Goofini at WDW's MK; they kept the coaster and even retained the Goofy theme even as Toontown Fair was nixed. I just feel it would be a raw deal for Disneyland not to have a kiddie coaster, when other parks do. Incidentally, let's look at some of the height requirements for the coasters at the park: both Big Thunder and Space have a 40" height requirement; the Matterhorn a 42"; Gadget has a 35". Anyway, I hope they try and retain a kiddie coaster for Disneyland somehow. The only reason I thought of RC is because I thought Toy Story Land was allegedly a kiddie land, at least at Hong Kong.
It could be in Toontown, but they would probably have to build something new. There's plenty of unused space next to the Roger Rabbit entrance (Jolly Trolley barn, fountain, etc) that could be reconfigured into a new building with a M&G inside That said, there's nothing wrong with them potentially moving it elsewhere in the park. The existing props are old and look sort of dated, and would likely be somewhat difficult to move and work into a new design. When MK closed Toontown Fair, Mickey got a really nice M&G facility on Main Street, themed to backstage at a magic show. I'm not saying that I want Mickey to move to Main Street (I really don't!), but I wouldn't be opposed to them changing the design if/when they have to move/rebuild it
But it is not a home, per se. At least WDW's MK's home was a vacation home, not necessarily a real home. But Disneyland, it has been said, is Mickey and the gang's home, and I really want that kind of story to carry on by any means. I have a tendency to be very literal-minded in terms of a home. When I think of "home", I think of "place of dwelling". Like I said, the only suitable place for Mickey to go on Main Street is the Opera House, but it is home to Mr. Lincoln. I would think that people would object to it being altered in any way. Look at the early 1970s, for example: the attraction was replaced for a time with a film about Walt Disney. But people objected and Mr. Lincoln was reinstated, albeit together with the Walt Disney film. Hence, it was called "The Walt Disney Story, Featuring Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln". A similar controversy erupted in the early 1990s when they considered replacing Mr. Lincoln with the Muppets. Nothing ever came of that, however. Mr. Lincoln, for some people, is a piece of Disney legacy. I just don't see how the cartoon world and Main Street, based on a real-life small town, fit together. If Toontown were entirely gone, it would also mean the end of the land area music, comprised of classic Disney cartoon music, especially Silly Symphonies. And apparently, Tokyo's Toontown is not going anywhere, either; is that Mickey and the gang's new home? And then there is Mickey Avenue, whose existence probably would not have been possible without Toontown.
As you mentioned, Tokyo also has a Toontown that's nearly an exact copy of DL's version (the layout is different, but the individual locations are nearly identical), which also claims to be Mickey's home. Yah, I'm sure there would be some overly-dramatic #outrage if/when Toontown eventually gets the boot, but like in WDW I suspect it would be pretty short lived once the replacement opens. Due to its dead-end layout, lack of attractions for the entire family, and early closures for fireworks, the area has always seemed like DL's vestigial organ, so I really don't think that it would be the end of the world. Even if individual elements get removed (be they attractions, scenery, music, restaurants, etc), they'll be replaced. Yes, it would be different, but life would go on.
I doubt that Frontierland is on the outs, simply looking at the new concept art released for Star Wars Land. It looks like it is being designed to be an easy transition from Frontierland and making it Frozen theme would not fit there! Plus, I doubt they would remove an original Disneyland land. That seems like it is going a little bit too far!
