ANAHEIM, Calif. — Big changes are coming to Toontown at Disneyland.

With a brand new Mickey and Minnie-themed ride coming to Toontown in 2023, the Walt Disney Co. announced Monday that it is adding a new experience in the place where Disney's characters, such as Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Donald, play and live. 

What You Need To Know

  • Disney officials announced they are adding a new multisensory park area 

  • The new area will be called CenTOONial Park and feature a water fountain and area where children can splash around 

  • CenTOONial Park will complement Disney's new signature attraction that is currently under construction called Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway

  • Toontown will close for renovation in March 2022

Disney said their team of Imagineers plan to transform an area within Toontown into a multisensory experience of sights, sounds, touch and other sensations that attract families and young children.

Mickey, Minnie and the rest of the Disney gang will remain, as well as the rides, but their home will look different in the next couple of years.

When the newly reimagined Toontown debuts in 2023, Disney officials said visitors would walk in and see a brand new area called CenTOONial Park. The neatly manicured and landscaped park will feature a water fountain with a statue of Mickey and Minnie, where children can splash around on its base.

At night, the centerpiece fountain will illuminate in "a unique spectacle," Disney officials teased. 

Additionally, the park will feature a sculpted tree inspired by a tree that Walt Disney supposedly daydreamed under in his hometown in Marceline, Mo. The tree, officials said, would be a place where children can play, crawl, explore, sit and dream just like Walt. 

The new area will most likely replace a current playground area. Toontown will close for the renovation in March 2022.

"We are so excited to leverage Disney's powerful brand, develop new stories and share even more magical experiences with our guests," said Josh D'Amaro, the chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. D'Amaro broke the news at the annual International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Expo in Orlando, Fla.

"The newly reimagined Mickey's Toontown will be a welcoming place where families and younger guests can connect and play together in fun new ways," said D'Amaro.

The announcement comes as Disney rebounds from the economic fallout caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic, which continues today and has no end in sight, shuttered Disneyland for a little more than a year. 

Pent-up demand has filled Disney theme parks back up, but Disneyland is still not operating at 100% from pre-COVID-19 levels. Several rides, attractions and shows remain closed as Disney wades through several challenges caused by the pandemic, including recruiting workers.

Toontown made its debut at Disneyland in 1993, partly due to the success of Disney's 1988 movie "Who Framed Roger Rabbit." The land is filled with cartoonish-looking buildings and is the only place visitors can visit Mickey and Minnie's house, Goofy's home, Donald's boat and more. The area usually closes down during the evening to prevent visitors from getting hit by debris from Disneyland's nightly fireworks show that is shot nearby.

The land also features rides such as Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin, Gadget's Go Coaster and Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway, which is currently under construction.

The trackless Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway ride is seen as the signature e-ticket attraction that will anchor Toontown for years to come.