One of the earliest DISNEYLAND attractions to grace Fantasyland was the Mickey Mouse Club Theater. A throwback to the days before movies could be easily enjoyed at home, the theater served not just as a place to sit for awhile in air conditioning, but often as a child's first exposure to some of Disney's oldest cartoons. While they enjoyed the antics of the Disney characters, their parents got a rare chance to see the cartoons that they remembered from their childhoods.
What should have been one of the cushiest jobs in the Magic Kingdom was often seen as being a huge headache by Disney cast members. Next door to the theater was a refreshment stand sponsored by Welch's Grape Juice. Many of the children, wired from drinking a huge cup of sugared grape juice, would then amble on over to catch a cartoon or two, complete with sticky hands. Cloth theater seats and sticky grape juice did not go well together.
The theater would last until 1982, when it was removed as part of the "New Fantasyland" renovations that gave DISNEYLAND the Fantasyland of Walt Disney's dreams. The theater was replaced by the Pinocchio attraction and the Village Haus Restaurant.
