Disclaimer: I have never visited DLR, but have been avidly reading this board for tips/touring strategies for an upcoming trip in March.
My general understanding is that the very best way to tackle all the rides in
Disneyland Park is to use a Magic Morning (MM) and go first to all of the Fantasyland rides you might be interested in, as those do not offer Fastpass and will not be crowded right at rope drop. (It is my understanding that you cannot get Fastpasses for any rides until official park opening, as well - so going on rides during MM that you could easily Fastpass an hour later is not necessarily the best use of your "bonus hour".) Peter Pan and Dumbo seem to be the rides I have written down as needing to be taken on first, as they will become the most crowded the fastest. I have read many reports here of people getting all of the Fantasyland rides they wanted to done within their Magic Morning hour.
After that...Fastpass rides as you can/want to for the rest of the day. If DLR is anything like WDW, and if the DLR version of Space Mountain is as good as everyone says it is, I would say that might be your first ride to grab a Fastpass for. But ten again...maybe Indy or Splash Mountain will be how you want to start your day. In any case, Fastpass, rinse, repeat. This would of course my your primary strategy if you are at DL on a day when MM isn't offered.
As for Carsland...it seems like heading there first thing in the morning is your best bet, and heading there at night will give you a fun experience, too.
I speak from WDW experience when I say that Splash Mountain is a nighttime favorite, and so is BTMRR. The view atop Tower of Terror at night (for that whole second you get to take it in before being dropped nearly to your doom!) is pretty sweet.
