It appears Disney is at it once again with the desire to turn one of its theme park rides into a film.

After the blockbuster success of Pirates of the Caribbean, Disney has been itching to get more theme park ride-based movies out.  There has been talk for years now of a film based on the Jungle Cruise, a Guillermo Del Toro directed Haunted Mansion film and Jon Favreau is working on a Magic Kingdom film.  None of these have made it to the big screen yet, but now there is talk of yet another film int he works.

Deadline is reporting that Disney is moving forward on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, based on The Wind in the Willows.  This particular ride has been part of Disneyland since it opened in 1955, and there was an animated film of the story, but now Disney is looking to go back and do a live-action mixed with CGI feature of it.  Music video and animation director Pete Candeland has been tapped to develop the project.

It isn’t clear why Disney seems to be having so many problems with getting these projects otu into the theaters, but they sure do seem to love announcing them every chance they get.  If this one will actually hit the silver screen is anyone’s guess, but you might want to prepare yourself for one trippy ride if it does.

[via Deadline]

While Driving to Kansas City today I decided to stop by the Walt Disney Hometown Museum in Marceline, MO. I’ve driven past this town a thousand times, but I’ve always been in too big of a hurry to stop in and take a look. Well, today I decided to build in some time into my schedule to stop by, And it was well worth it.

While the museum itself is interesting, and well worth the $5 admittance fee, what really grabbed me even more was a stop by Walt Disney’s Dreaming Tree.  (Click any of the mages for a larger view)

I had heard about this tree over the years here and there, but I didn’t realize it was still standing.  This was the tree that Walt would sit under with his younger sister while he would draw as a boy, and even after leaving the town early on in life, he would always stop by the tree on his subsequent visits over the years.  Sadly it was struck by lightning a few years ago and it on its way to totally dying off.  While the land is no longer owned by the Disney family, the owners of the property are gracious enough to allow people to come on to their property for free and see it and the barn that inspired Walt as well.

I’ve always been fascinated with what inspires people such as Walt Disney, and it almost always ends up being something simple such as a tree. Imagine you’re a kid in the early 1900′s, living on a farm that isn’t doing that well financially and you are charged with entertaining your younger sister. You don’t have the distractions of today, and all you have is your imagination. Of course it is going to inspire ou to think of things on your own, and we all know where they got Mr. Disney in this world.

As I mentioned, the tree is dying, but luckily the Disney family is in possession of saplings from the tree as there had been ones planted at both Disneyland and Disney World. When they heard that the tree was dying, they offered to plant one of the saplings near the spot so that there could still be something there to inspire others.

And it was only fitting that a part of the parks came along with it.

While it is doubtful that Son of Dreaming Tree will ever inspire anyone as much as the original did, it seems very fitting that its legacy shall live on in the same spot. Could it possibly spawn another Walt Disney? Doubtful, but wouldn’t it be a shame if there wasn’t a tree there just in case?

If you ever find yourself near Marceline, take the time to check out the museum, but definitely take a moment to visit the farm.