Problems With The Mickey Mouse Club Circus
In addition to the circus simply not being a “plus” attraction, it had a share of its own issues related to being a circus. Part of the reason Walt may have been so into the idea of the circus was that he really wanted to include live animals in the park. Originally, the Jungle Cruise was going to use real, not animatronic animals. Unfortunately, live animals are difficult to manage, something that the circus quickly discovered. There are stories about llamas getting loose during the parade and running off, as well as, of course, spitting on guests. There was also fighting inside the cages. The human performers didn’t fair much better. Apparently, the clowns, much like the clowns in Dumbo, apparently had a tendency to get intoxicated and even walk around in very little clothing backstage, which was all the more of an issue since since the kids of the Mickey Mouse Club were hanging around in the same area.
