"It's a ride that's a game, it's a game that's a ride..."
--Mr. Potato Head
Disney World's new 4-D attraction has the latest bells and whistles but is also true to form for Disney, in that it's "fun for the whole family". Based on carnival midway games, Toy Story Mania! is fun for toddlers, kids, parents, grandparents, and yes, teens, that sophisticated audience for anything videogame-like.
Where's the attraction?
Location of Toy Story Mania! is in Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park (formerly Disney MGM Studios). Note that the other attraction based on the Toy Story movies -- Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin --is in Tomorrowland in the Magic Kingdom theme park, so don't plan to do both on the same day!
Line-Up with Mr. Potato Head
While in the line-up for the ride, guests can have fun with a giant Mr. Potato Head: a five-foot-tall "audi-animatronic" voiced by comedian Don Rickles, and smart enough to interact with waiting guests. (Click on "More Images", above, to see photo.)
This personable Mr. Potato Head is part of a trend to make line-ups less onerous. Many rides incorporate some fun in the line-up now, and queues are under cover or indoors. The best way to beat line-ups, though, is to use the "Fastpass" feature available to every guest; "Fastpass" is available at most popular attractions, including Toy Story Mania!
Toy Story Mania! - The Ride
Walt Disney World already had one winner attraction based on the Toy Story movies and their popular characters: Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin in the Magic Kingdom, where players board a Star Cruiser vehicle, and zap targets with teensy red laser dots. Fun ride; but some of us aren't so good at zapping with teensy red laser dots.
We will feel much more pleased with ourselves in Toy Story Mania: every player can find easy targets, and can improve quickly from first try to next. Meanwhile seasoned gamers will find "second tier" targets and other ways to boost their scores to stratospheric levels.
How it goes: Guests put on 3-D glasses and step, in pairs, into carnival tram ride vehicles; move into a practice zone; and then swing through different sections of "Andy's Bedroom", each one like a game booth at a carnival midway. (The backstory is that Andy got a "Midway Games Play Set" for his birthday.) The goal is to rack up a high score: every game has big targets and small targets; the smaller the target, the more points per hit.
First up is "Pie Throw Practice": anyone can hit the larger targets!
Then it's fast and furious, as guests throw eggs at barnyard targets, shoot darts at balloons, break plates with baseballs; and the grande finale is "Woody's Rootin' Tootin' Shootin' Gallery, with final "Bonus Roundup". About.com's Guide for Florida for Visitors has a detailed review.
As for the 4-D: apparently guests may sense objects whirring past; I have to admit, there was so much else going on, I didn't notice any 4-D. Maybe next time!
Bottom Line:
The 3-D effects, fast pace, Toy Story theming, and variety of targets (easy, and harder) make this a very fun ride. So it's only fair that Disneyland California gets a Toy Story Mania! too.
