Disneyland employees working in Mickey’s Toontown will wear new costumes with a hand-drawn look that mimics the artistic brushstrokes and bold color palette of a Disney animator when the cartoon-inspired land reopens in a few weeks.
“The cast members are part of the story,” Disneyland senior costume designer Joe Kucharski said. “We really wanted to bring our cast members into the toon world.”
The reimagined cartoon-styled land debuting March 19 will add new interactive play areas for young children and refresh existing attractions alongside the already-opened new Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway dark ride.
Orange County Register theme park reporter Brady MacDonald tries on cast member costumes for the reimagined Mickey’s Toontown. (Photo by Brady MacDonald, Orange County Register/SCNG)
SEE ALSO: How Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway fits into the pantheon of Disneyland dark rides
I got to try on the new mix-and-match costumes coming to Mickey’s Toontown during a fitting session for cast members — Disneyland parlance for employees.
I mixed and matched six different costume combinations from the new collection during a tour of the Toontown cast member preview center in a backstage building just a short walk from cartoon-themed land.
Orange County Register theme park reporter Brady MacDonald tries on cast member costumes for the reimagined Mickey’s Toontown. (Photo by Brady MacDonald, Orange County Register/SCNG)
I found the new lightweight, stretchy and moisture-wicking Toontown cast member costumes to be extremely comfortable. I could wear them all day and wished I could take a few outfits home to lounge around the house while watching TV.
Nobody will mistake Toontown cast members for Disneyland visitors when the land returns — even if no two employees are wearing matching outfits.
Orange County Register theme park reporter Brady MacDonald tries on cast member costumes for the reimagined Mickey’s Toontown. (Photo by Brady MacDonald, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Disneyland boasts that there are more than 1,000 different outfit combinations for Toontown cast members to try out. The fashion options include tunic, henley, cowl neck, button down and boatneck tops in blue, purple, orange, pink, red and yellow. Cast members can choose between straight leg or curvy cut green chinos, red joggers, blue shorts and pink skirts.
Yellow or green vests and blue cardigans offer an added layer of warmth. A cold weather jacket is still in development. Baseball caps and wide-brimmed hats come in blue, yellow and teal. Accessories include kerchief scarves and a pink necklace.
Orange County Register theme park reporter Brady MacDonald tries on cast member costumes for the reimagined Mickey’s Toontown. (Photo by Brady MacDonald, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Toontown employees can accent their work outfits with white, blue, yellow or red shoes rather than the standard black.
The costume colors pay tribute to the familiar wardrobes of Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto, who call Toontown home.
Orange County Register theme park reporter Brady MacDonald tries on cast member costumes for the reimagined Mickey’s Toontown. (Photo by Brady MacDonald, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The animation inspirations that designers drew upon for the new Toontown costumes can be seen in the details meant to evoke a hand-drawn look to the clothing — with enlarged stitching, raised embroidery and cartoon-style highlights and shadows.
“Things can be worn any way that the cast can dream up,” Kucharski said during a backstage interview at Disneyland. “They can pair anything together. That’s the key to the mix and match: Anything goes with anything.”
Orange County Register theme park reporter Brady MacDonald tries on cast member costumes for the reimagined Mickey’s Toontown. (Photo by Brady MacDonald, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Related Articles
Drone crashes at Disneyland after hovering over visitors’ heads — See video
Earl of Sandwich opens full-service restaurant in Downtown Disney next to pop-up shop
Everything you can eat and drink at Disney’s Food & Wine Festival – See the list
Disneyland reaches out to next generation of forever fans with fresh new entertainment
More than half of Disneyland’s Magic Happens parade performers return after 3-year break
Toontown cast members can wear any costume combination they want at any attraction, play area, shop or eatery in the refreshed land. The lone exception: Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway employees will wear dedicated costumes tied to the backstory for the new dark ride.
SEE ALSO: Disneyland digs into the roots of Walt Disney’s imagination with his Dreaming Tree
Much like the mix-and-match costumes created for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Toontown cast members are encouraged to construct their wardrobe to match the in-world backstory they create for themselves. Toontowners can belong to any of the four in-story societies that volunteer on civic projects in the cartoon town — including the Toontown Handy Helpers, Mouse Ears Society, Junior Woodchucks of the World and Toontown Hysterical Society.
Cast members trying on costumes at the backstage preview center had the option to hold up paddles showing their society allegiance during photo ops.