I Saw Cartoon Cat at Disneyland

## ***"I Saw Cartoon Cat at Disneyland"*** by TheDarkCat97

(Cartoon Cat © Trevor Henderson)

I'm what you call a fucking weirdo.

I'm sorta made from some unusual ingredient, and while I might be tough for some people to totally get, and maybe more than a little bit "crazy", one things for sure: life will never be boring with me and my friends, Brittany, Zachary, and Riley. What we do is kind of unusual: we explore abandoned places just for fun.

Some people call it Urban Exploration, we call it *Urbex*. The police may say we're trespassing, you may say we're just plain out of our minds, but we like to say we're artists and explorers, photographing and documenting the gradual process of urban decay. To put it simply, me and my friends like to infiltrate abandoned buildings and take pictures and videos.

While traveling the world, you'll probably end up visiting a lot of museums - art galleries, history exhibitions and archaeological collections. For me, abandoned buildings are my favorite type of museum - the "hidden art museums" of the world. As you wander around these buildings devoid of human life, you will experience a new type of museum - one covered in stunning graffiti, vines tumbling in through glassless windows and light pouring over the colorful floor.

There is something incredibly exhilarating about exploring abandoned buildings, and at the same time very sobering. As a photographer and environmental scientist, seeing Nature reclaiming her land is always very powerful. Modern civilization has been built by beating Nature down, by building towering cities and concrete jungles. If urbex has taught me anything, it is that Nature will always win. I've seen trees growing out of walls and flowers blooming through cracks in cement floors. Nature will always be stronger than us and urbex is one of the best ways to see the balance of power.

Urban exploration is not for the weak-hearted. There will be times when you question your sanity and whether or not zombies do actually exist. But there's nothing like exploring the shell of a building that used to be the school, home or workplace of people years ago. Urbex is an incredible adventure, however like most adventures, it comes with some rules that you have to follow in order to stay safe and protect your surroundings.

1, Never explore alone.

Safety is paramount when exploring abandoned buildings as it can be a very dangerous activity, so always ensure you bring a "partner-in-crime." This way if anything should happen to you, you have someone who can give you a hand or call the emergency services if something goes wrong. With that being said, it's probably best to not go in large groups as it will make you more obvious - the last thing you want.

2, Take nothing but photos and leave nothing but footprints.

The golden rule of urbex is to leave the property exactly the way you found it when you arrived. That means moving nothing, stealing nothing and breaking nothing. Although the walls of these buildings may be covered with graffiti and the floors littered with trash, remember that we are explorers, not vandals. Respect the history and integrity of the building you are exploring so that other urbexers can enjoy it safely in the future.

3, Never break anything in order to enter.

This form of adventure is probably not the most legal travel activity, however us urban explorers never "break and enter." Remember this: if you cannot find an easy entrance point to the premises - do not enter! Never force your way into a building - only use preexisting entrances. Look for breaks in chain-link fences or missing doors.

4, Never run.

If you are ever in a situation in which you see another person while exploring, your immediate impulse may be to run away (because what you're doing is most likely illegal). Breathe. Stay calm. And whatever you do, do not run. This is for two main reasons. Firstly, abandoned buildings are not always the most solid and safest structures and therefore whenever you're exploring you always need to be aware of where you are stepping, where you are putting your weight. While running you are unlikely to be paying attention to your surroundings which could get you in dangerous situations.

Secondly, by running you give the perception that you know you are in the wrong. If someone approaches you and asks what you are doing, just calmly explain you are there to take photographs. You might be surprised at their response - on one of our urbex adventures in Morocco, the man we ran into actually gave us a tour around the complex, showing us the best places for taking photos.

(Also be careful - running and making loud noises are the best ways of attracting unwanted attention, especially from all the zombies that live in abandoned buildings...)

5, Have fun, but be safe.

Urbex can be exhilarating and fun, however make sure safety always comes first. Ensure that you have the right equipment: sturdy hiking shoes, a bottle of water, snacks, appropriate clothing, a phone in case of emergencies and a flashlight if you're planning on exploring after dark. Additionally it must be noted that it is becoming more common in the Urbex community to wear a face mask to protect yourself from dust and particulate matter in the air.

Be smart. Do your research beforehand. Don't enter a location where there are guards present. Don't step somewhere that looks dodgy. Don't walk under ceilings that look like they may collapse on you. Don't bring or do drugs, you're already doing something illegal, why would you want to have yet another reason for the police to arrest you? When you're safe, you'll have a great time.

But a few days ago, we made the ultimate decision to enter a location where guards were present.

Specifically, *Disneyland*.

While it does sound like a good idea to step out of our comfort zone, I thought it sounds like a death wish; what if we get caught? What if Disneyland security throw us out or worse, have us arrested? I *hope* they just throw us out, I don't want to risk having some whacko shank me with a butter knife.

After about a month or so, we drove all the way to Orlando, Florida, booked a hotel near the park, and drove up in the driveway. Since the Coronavirus became widespread, the entire park was nothing else more than a ghost town. Just looking at the empty parking lot proves that the park was completely empty. Perfect for any trespasser to sneak in and have the park all to himself.

We snuck around and followed the chain-link fence with nothing but backpacks and some cameras. Apparently there are some barbed wires around the fence, so we had to be careful not to get our clothes caught in them.

Once we made it over the chain-link fence, we made our way through some wooded areas and some railroad tracks, and the next thing we knew, we were at Disneyland. We walked for about an hour inside the abandoned park, and while it looked innocent even under the moonlight, it does look a little haunting, like something out of a fairy tale.

What made it *even more* haunting was that... there was no sound.

Literally. No, sound.

Except the sounds of our footsteps, and the usual nightlife.

The usual Disney music that would play and all the lights were (as you'd expect) turned off, so we had to turn on our flashlights to see through the dark. Just then, nostalgia struck us like an oncoming truck. Kids are always playing in fantasy and adventure and dreaming about tomorrow. Adults only get to visit those states of mind, and Disneyland makes it easier and more approachable. We knew we deserved that Mickey pretzel.

But, now we're in an empty, dark theme park surrounded by thick, murky shadows.

Disneyland Park consists of nine themed "lands" and a number of concealed backstage areas, and occupies over 100 acres with the new addition of *Mickey and* *Minnie's Runaway Railway* that's coming to *Mickeys Toontown* in 2022. The park opened with Main Street, U.S.A., Adventureland, Frontierland, Fantasyland, and Tomorrowland, and has since added New Orleans Square in 1966, *Bear Country* (now known as *Critter Country*) in 1972, and *Mickey's Toontown* in 1993, and *Star Wars*: *Galaxy's Edge* in 2019. In 1957, *Holidayland* opened to the public with a nine-acre (3.6 ha) recreation area including a circus and baseball diamond, but was closed in late 1961. It is often referred to as the "lost" land of Disneyland. Throughout the park are "Hidden Mickeys", representations of Mickey Mouse heads inserted subtly into the design of attractions and environmental décor. An elevated berm supports the 3 ft. (914 mm) narrow gauge Disneyland Railroad that circumnavigates the park.

*Main Street, U.S.A.* is patterned after a typical Midwest town of the early 20th century, and took much inspiration from Walt Disney's hometown, Marceline, Missouri. Main Street, U.S.A. has a train station, town square, movie theater, city hall, firehouse with a steam-powered pump engine, emporium, shops, arcades, double-decker bus, horse-drawn streetcar, and jitneys. Main Street is also home to the Disney Art Gallery and the Opera House which showcases *Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln*, a show featuring an Audio-Animatronic version of the president. At the far end of Main Street, U.S.A. is Sleeping Beauty Castle, the *Partners* statue, and the Central Plaza (also known as the Hub), which is a portal to most of the themed lands: the entrance to Fantasyland is by way of a drawbridge across a moat and through the castle. *Adventureland*, *Frontierland*, and *Tomorrowland* are on both sides of the castle. Several lands are not directly connected to the *Central Plaza*—namely, New Orleans Square, *Critter Country, Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge* and *Mickey's Toontown*.

The design of Main Street, U.S.A. uses the technique of forced perspective to create an illusion of height. Buildings along Main Street are built at ​3⁄4 scale on the first level, then ​5⁄8 on the second story, and ​1⁄2 scale on the third—reducing the scale by ​1⁄8 each level up.

The rides were all down, the restaurants and shops were all closed, and everything was dark and dead silent. We started taking photos around the sleeping Disneyland, and we began to head towards *Mickey's Toontown*.

As we shone our lights towards the cartoonish-looking residents, we kind of shivered at the thought; who knew something so over-exaggerated and innocent can be so nerve-racking. After a few seconds, I remembered something just by looking at the place. I looked over to Zachary and said something about me and him exploring the place when we were eleven. Our favorite part was when we went on *Gadget's Go Coaster*, and walking inside *Goofy's Playhouse*.

We wind-up talking about our childhood until suddenly, a blast of music burst through the speakers, making us jump out of our skin.

"Shit!" Zachary yelled as the music caught him by surprise.

We looked around, shining our flashlights around the bushes and the distorted Disney houses for any security officers. Much to our relief, nobody was around to hear that. I listened, and surprisingly, the music wasn't from anything Disney related. I recognized that song!

It was the song, "Grampy's House", from *Betty Boop*.

How did Disney get the rights for the song? Was it public domain? It had to have been since it was around the 1930's. Nowadays, you can download an old song on the internet and get away with it, as long as it doesn't sue you for *copywrite* by either the animation or music industry.

For about a half a minute, we began to get a little unsettled. The old, creepy music playing over a creepy, cartoon town made us feel like we're inside a ghost story. Just then, we heard something moving inside one of the houses. We shined a light towards what was making that sound, and saw something stirring through one of the windows. We moved towards it slowly, and noticed a gloved hand inside Mickey's house. We then noticed the front door rattling as whatever was inside tried to open the door, and it sounded *massive*. As if an elephant was comedically shoved inside the small house.

We took a step back and continued to shine our lights on the white door. That's when I saw it, a huge eye was staring out the window, *directly at me...*

A *cartoon* eye, belonging to a character from the golden era. The thing moved half its head back as the door shook. The door handle was rattling, and the door began to swing open, and what we saw made our blood turn to ice.

Out of the door... barely fitting THROUGH the door... came whatever was inside the cartoon house. Compared to the small house, it was an impossible mass of unusual thick, almost blocky texture that resembled black rubber. Its arms were recognizable, with no bones to speak of as one of them slowly crept towards us, writhing its fingers as it went. The arm continued to reach toward us, growing more and more. By the end that arm had to be at least six or seven feet long.

"Fuck this!" Zachary yelled out as he sprinted out of the area like a football player.

We both sprinted his direction, the creature forced itself through the groaning doorway, but not in a cheerful way... it was crawling on its hands and knees as it pushed and struggled on itself, trying to get through.

I'm not sure if it was just some trick of the mind or something paranormal, but that thing's left arm kept reaching for us, this time even faster! I swear to Christ almighty, that creature's boneless arm became even longer than before! It just kept getting longer, and longer, and longer. It was as if a giant serpent was chasing after us. It as infinitely long. It was getting longer, and longer.

Oh, God, how far can it go?!

We ran as fast as we could, but no matter how far we ran, that arm kept coming towards us nonstop! Eventually, we made it to the same chain-link fence we entered from, but that same gloved hand just came our way. All four of us scrambled up the fence and over the barb wire, until I was the last to go. I was halfway up the fence until the hand grabbed my right ankle. I called out to Zachary and Riley for help, and they climbed back up my direction as they Riley grabbed and heaved, and Zachary fought off the hand. Brittany somehow ran all the way to the van, she was that frightened. Zachary took out his switchblade and stabbed at the hand, but the thing didn't even flinch.

But, Zachary had a thought... he grabbed out a water bottle and splashed it on the gloved hand, and it suddenly released its grip and we heard a godawful scream coming from the park. The arm recoiled quickly back towards the park, and I hopped off the fence and landed with a thud. We raced back towards the van, swung the doors open and nearly jumped inside. We slammed the doors shut and started the ignition... and as the headlights flashed, we saw it in all its terrifying glory.

Standing under the light post was a giant creature resembling a black-and-white rubberhose cartoon character with a round head and pointed ears, jet black skin, huge eyes, crooked teeth, and stretching and contorting limbs ending in white-gloved hands. As proof, I quickly took a picture of it on my phone before Zachary floored it and raced across the parking lot. I still have the pic and I hope to upload it on here if I get the chance.

We eventually made it back to our hotel, still scared out of our minds about what we saw. Zachary was the most scared, he was still out of breath and sat down at the couch barely able to speak a full sentence without stammering. Hell, he was up the entire night holding his trusty baseball bat, looking around frantically and jumping at the slightest noise. When I walked out to get a bottle of Mountain Dew, he swung a bat at me yelling, causing me to scream back in return and duck my head to avoid his swing. I asked *what the fuck is wrong with you* and he issued a litany of apologies and explained everything to me.

Seems as though the whole experience got to his head. I mean, he's not going insane or anything. He's still his quirky self, he's just reacting the same way you and I would when something like *this* happens.

The next day, police officers showed up at our hotel room and arrested us. Apparently, Disneyland was equipped with security cameras and saw us snooping around the empty park taking photos and whatnot. We asked them about the cartoon cat-like thing we saw that night but, the officers never saw anything of the sort. All they saw was us snapping a few pictures and that was it. I showed the officers the picture on my phone, but they brushed it off as something I made from *PhotoShop*.

This whole situation was like something out of a Stephen King novel: We see a monster, the monster chases us, but nobody believes us.

So, after a few days in prison, we were released and we were asked to never enter Disneyland ever again.

Well, shit. Looks like we were going to be arrested after all.

But still though, I am able to forgive and forget. But, I am NEVER exploring abandoned places ever again. For now, I'll be exploring urban legends on the internet, because it's just that interesting.

As I am now typing all of this down, I am looking at an updated YouTube video about an entity known as, "Cartoon Cat", by a channel called *Ancient Horror*. Apparently, this video explains more about this creature, seemingly created by a Canadian horror artist and comics maker, Trevor Henderson.

So, that's what it's called... *Cartoon Cat*.

But here's the thing, according to the video; the same cartoon cat, and all of the cartoon cat hashtags that were used to refer to the image, wasn't meant to refer to only one creature, but the whole legion of them. What we see walking around - Cartoon Cat or Cartoon Dog or whatever - isn't a creature, but a whole cast.

A show, mind you, under the name of *Cartoon Cat* that has been rerun.

By syndication, they meant transferring ownership of the program from a human organization, to the cast of characters, themselves.

This is why they walk amongst us! They now have full reign over themselves! It is because their show was a copy and paste of original works, like *Mickey Mouse*, *Felix the Cat*, and even the *Looney Toons*.

They must have flopped so badly, that it was immediately canceled and forgotten.

If this is how it turned out, then it is no wonder the rights to the show were transferred to the characters themselves, but mostly, to the main protagonist... Cartoon Cat.

What we see walking around is a vessel with multiple personalities, a walking show, enraged at being cancelled. Ready to avenge themselves by keeping us entertained in their pure, yet twisted version of entertainment.

Remember all those times when old cartoons did something so ludicrous which looked like it could easily kill a regular person, like how they beat each other into various shapes, and we laughed?

Well... they will direct it at us now.

But this time, **we won't be laughing.**