Toy Story Fever Words: Ryan S. | Photos: Michael N.
One of many props inside the attraction queue.
(Lake Buena Vista, FL) – Toy Story is an entity so large it’s hard not to find an individual who can’t recognize the name. Is this what makes it the perfect label for Disney’s newest additions?
This weekend travelers in Florida at Disney’s Hollywood Studios are enjoying the latest spawning of the Toy Story name:
Toy Story Midway Mania
– a sensory ride that takes guests through midway-style games with iconic figures such as Woody and Buzz from the hit films. Guests at Anaheim’s Disney’s California Adventure will get to experience the same come June 17th.
The Imagineers brought the storyline's toy feel.
The ride carriages, dubbed "Game Trams", will transport eight guests around an indoor soundstage that centers itself on a midway setting. Patrons will wear 3-D glasses as they travel through a host of different games, shooting projectiles and launching objects, with guests competing against each other, or working together, for points.
Grossing almost $400 million worldwide, the 1995 Toy Story film illustrated Pixar Animation Studios’ inevitable potential. The first fully computer generated film’s sequel far surpassed the original, achieving nearly half a billion worldwide gross revenue.
Even though Disney didn’t acquire Pixar until early 2006, this is not the first time a Toy Story theme has appeared alongside Mickey. In fact, guests can still see the distant, yet similar theme in Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters – another ride that tracks riders’ scores and is loosely based around the Toy Story character Buzz and his concept.
Mr. Potatohead, one remarkable audio animatronic.
What makes
Toy Story Midway Mania
new? That’s ultimately something guests will have to experience for themselves. The attraction does have intricate details such as clever ride spiels, a queue that makes people of all ages recollect childhood toys, and guests are greeted by Mr. Potatohead - one of the most fluid-moving audio animatronics in the world that can interact with guests. Those who endeavor on the attraction shouldn’t expect a ride that boasts audio animatronics during the ride, however. In fact one shouldn’t expect to find any animatronics on the midway journey.
Toy Story Midway Mania is about getting lost in a realistic realm through 3-D effects and friendly gaming competition.
Guests aboard the attraction. | Walt Disney World Resort
Some critics are quick not to label
Toy Story Midway Mania
as a major “e-ticket” attraction, while others disagree with its popular franchise. With a project cost of $80 million, it's quite hard to argue contra an e-ticket attraction.
Toy Story Midway Mania
opens this year at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, with The American Idol Experience debuting next year. In Disney’s California Adventure,
Toy Story Midway Mania
is just the start of Disney’s $1.1 billion initiative to renovate the park from its declining popularity.
So is Toy Story the perfect label for Disney? Consider that the Toy Story franchise sells $400 million in merchandise sales annually, or perhaps the impeccable timing of Toy Story 3 being released in 2010. There really is no objection if it’s the perfect franchise to revive in the long line of Disney attractions.
The defining question is will
Toy Story Midway Mania
be a success or not? That’s something for the toughest of all critics to determine: you.
