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Toy Story Mania! (Plus Other Cool Disney News) Thread


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^Anything funded by the OLC probably will kick arse (although our tower is awesome-r!!!)

 

As the videographer of this youtube video, and having ridden it half a dozen times, let me just say this: its addicting. And believe me, I have problems with the ride, but it ain't in where most people are complaining oddly enough.

 

Robb, you are right, it is something you can play with a Wii. And as a huge fan of Wii Sports, I can definitely say that its very much like the shooting range game. That said, the graphics and design are very 'pixar' in quality (read: good) and have a degree of interactivity the aforementioned Wii game does not (i.e. when you practice shoot, characters wince if you hit them in the face etc.)

 

What's missing in the video is the feel of the ride vehicle -- its a lot of fun. imagine being on a wild mouse type ride in between games. its crazy.

 

The video DOES NOT show the queue in its entirety or the really fun load and unload (with 9 stations! no tower!). There is a lot that is missing. Although I got permission from a manager to film it, some cast weren't informed and were giving me a hard time.

 

Now, is this ride really entertaining? Not terribly. Its kind of like a hot video game. You play it a lot, if its up your alley, but get frustrated and eventually look for something else. One thing I HATE is when you are with another good player at the final scene. The frame rates drop big time. My advice, play with an idiot, or someone who is physically disabled, and let them have the normal console while you take the one with a special but simple button (point-age!)

 

Rude, I know, sorry.

 

I think the attraction is well designed. There is crap everywhere in and around the attraction. The floors are done nicely, the walls, everything is high quality and used as a space to create an environment. Its not as loaded as buzz in the #3D department but we aren't shooting for an E ticket here anyways. Its a solid D imo.

 

If I directed you to the HD version, would that be of interest?

 

 

200 mb High Definition Version

 

J.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are some little know facts Disney has released about the new Toy Story Midway Mania attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios:

 

Each ride vehicle weighs as much as 8,580 Woody dolls.

It would take 5,026 toy soldiers lined up end-to-end to make up the total track length.

Toy Story Mania! is the first time that Walt Disney Imagineering is creating an attraction for two Disney Parks simultaneously.

It has been estimated that, each day, guests may break over one million virtual plates using the spring-action shooters.

Riders in the Sky, the award winning group that wrote the songs that Mr. Potato Head performs as part of the attraction, is the same group that wrote “Woody’s Roundup” for the “Toy Story” feature films.

This is the first attraction that Walt Disney Imagineering designed where the Imagineers had to wear 3-D glasses to art direct all the black-light paint elements.

The murals located in the load area at Disney’s Hollywood Studios are the biggest murals painted since Epcot was built.

In order to create a show that responds not only to every pull of a guest’s spring-action shooter, but also every move their midway tram makes, there are over 150 computers communicating over multiple networks throughout the attraction.

At Toy Story Mania! every guest gets to experience life at the size of a toy. So in Andy’s room, a 5 foot 6 inch person will feel about 14″ tall.

More time was spent programming Mr. Potato Head than for any other Audio-Animatronics figure ever created by Walt Disney Imagineering.

Mr. Potato Head will be able to say more lines of dialogue than any Audio-Animatronics figure ever created by Walt Disney Imagineering.

The Mr. Potato Head Audio-Animatronics figure is the first time that an Audio-Animatronics figure can remove a body part and re-attach it (in the case of his ear).

The Mr. Potato Head Audio-Animatronics figure has new, highly expressive and animated eyes that can look directly at a particular guest in the queue when speaking to him/her.

Mr. Potato Head marks the first Audio-Animatronics figure whose mouth appears to form words and vowel sounds.

Game:

In each of the Toy Story Mania! games, there is at least one “easter egg” — targets that can trigger the appearance of bonus high-value targets and other changes in the scene.

Toy Story Mania! is the first time that Woody and Buzz Lightyear (along with some of their friends) from the Disney-Pixar “Toy Story” films appear together in a ride-through attraction.

Watch for loose change in the prize scene — Hamm is carrying more than $6 in coins when his cork pops.

 

Nice to Know:

Because of the indoor nature of the attraction and to keep the guest experience fun for all, flash photography or video is not allowed on Toy Story Mania!

Everyone can play! There is no height or age restriction for guests to experience Toy Story Mania!

Actual ride time aboard Toy Story Mania! is a full five minutes.

Ready, aim, fire! Players have 30 seconds in each game play area to score points.

A beeline to fun! Toy Story Mania! utilizes Disney’s FASTPASS, a return voucher offering little or no waiting time at select attractions. Single riders also have their own queuing option for Toy Story Mania!

TPR.jpg.966f23548c5032ee07f461655fb296b7.jpg

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Wow! Thanks for that track layout. After watching the video a couple of times I can see where the sets seem pretty elaborate. The one dimensional film just fails to give a good idea. I am really looking forward to it now!

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It wouldn't hurt. Even with "good tower" and RnRC, that park was/is still getting pretty stagnant. Actually, I'm still holding out hope that George Lucas gets a call here sometime soon.

 

I couldn't agree more. I absolutely love TOT and RnRC, but after riding them a couple of times each, I'm pretty much done with the park. I can only do Indy, Muppets, Backlot Tour, etc. so many times before it gets a little boring.

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I'm like.. a block, right now. Not easily wavered by any one opinion. I am a bit excited for riding a new attraction but somehow I didn't expect this to be 'major'.

 

Looks pretty interesting, though. I think I'll go the gamer route and not watch the video. I've heard some things about the ride and good OR bad, I want to find out about it myself. The pictures are amazing, though!

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I just watched the video again...

 

THIS ISN'T A RIDE!!! It's an elaborate arcade game! Just look at this shot right here from the video -

 

 

THAT is an arcade game with a car going through it! Seriously, this reminds me more of an elaborate wall of screens for an E3 demo or something you'd see at an FEC.

 

Look, here's some displays from E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) -

Imagine a car traveling through the banks of monitors instead of people. Throw in some bigger monitors and lower ceilings. *BAM* you've got a new $70 Million Disney attraction!

 

In fact, OMG! I think there were some displays at E3 that were *more* themed that Toy Story Mania:

 

That set right there looks better than the image of the ride above! Look, there is even theming around the screen!!!

 

Ok, I know I'm just ranting here, but the more and more I see the "ride" I can't help to think "this isn't a ride as much as it is a game..." and a cheap looking display at that.

 

/End Rant

 

--Robb

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^ I know it will be better than what was at DCA before, I'm just a bit bummed that it's not something more that a plussed DisneyQuest or Innoventions game.

 

Replacing the Maliburritos with this is like replacing an Arby's with a Circuit City. Sure, I'd rather go into a Curcuit City, but neither impress me.

 

But then again I haven't been on the ride and I may be TOTALLY wrong. This ride may very well grow on me like Mission: Space did.

 

--Robb

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^ Except I wouldn't call mission space a plussed... you know.. on the other hand..

 

Whether or not this will be an E Ticket attraction is irrelevant. It's a much needed add to this park. California Adventure desperately needs more rides. More rides that the general public "Must do" while at the park. Because as of right now, it's a "Hit the four and out the door".

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This is going to end up being a fun waste of 20-30mins or so from entrance to exit, but not much more than that I'm afraid. It isn't too terribly impressive, but, it is one more attraction than was there before. That's something...I guess...?

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^ Except I wouldn't call mission space a plussed... you know.. on the other hand..

I wasn't calling Mission: Space a plussed ride, I was talking about Toy Story Mania.

 

Whether or not this will be an E Ticket attraction is irrelevant. It's a much needed add to this park. California Adventure desperately needs more rides. More rides that the general public "Must do" while at the park. Because as of right now, it's a "Hit the four and out the door".

 

I'm just not convinced it's a "must do" based on what I've seen. I think it's on par with Monsters Inc which is not a "must do" type of ride. I can go to DCA and not ride Monsters Inc and not feel like I've missed something. Heck, I can go to DCA and not ride Tower and not feel like I've missed anything!

 

I guess I just really, REALLY wanted this to be Disney's "Men In Black." And maybe once it's settled in that it's not what I expected, it will be fine.

 

I mean, before Mummy at Universal Orlando I would make the trek over to the Studios park from IOA for no reason other than to ride Men In Black...over and over and over and over (love the single rider line on that ride!)

 

IMO, that is still the dark ride that sets the bar for what all other shooting dark rides SHOULD be.

 

And when the original talk about Toy Story Mania came around all I heard was "dual tracks", "3D technology", "Video Game Competition", "Shooting Cannons", etc, etc, etc.... I was like "Oh sh!t! Disney's going to one-up Men In Black!!!"

 

And then I see a video that shows me an E3 convention booth.

 

 

*sigh*

 

Once again with Disney, I'm asked to "lower my expectations..."

 

Had to do it with DCA's Tower, had to do it with Hong Kong Disneyland, had to do it with Expedition Everest, heck, even had to do it to some extent with Tokyo's Tower.

 

Are my expectations for a Disney ride set too high? It's it bad that Universal rides are blowing me away while Disney's offerings are letting me down? IMO Disney should be setting standards because that's what they do. And lately, I see them following behind what other parks are doing.

 

There just seems something wrong with that....

 

--Robb

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^ Except I wouldn't call mission space a plussed... you know.. on the other hand..

I wasn't calling Mission: Space a plussed ride, I was talking about Toy Story Mania.

 

I'm aware of that, that's my point. Mission Space grew on you, but it wasn't a plussed attraction, while as of right now you believe Toy Story Mania is.

 

I'm just not convinced it's a "must do" based on what I've seen. I think it's on par with Monsters Inc which is not a "must do" type of ride. I can go to DCA and not ride Monsters Inc and not feel like I've missed something. Heck, I can go to DCA and not ride Tower and not feel like I've missed anything!

 

Well, you have done the "Superior" tower, while most Disneyland guests have not. Therefore you'll have a different outlook then most of the other guests.

 

Once again with Disney, I'm asked to "lower my expectations..."

 

Perhaps part of the problem is all of our hopes and expectations for this ride were FAR too high to begin with. Disney never said this was the "Men in Black killer". So why should we expect such a thing?

 

Are my expectations for a Disney ride set too high? It's it bad that Universal rides are blowing me away while Disney's offerings are letting me down?

 

You know, it all comes down to opinion. This ride will do what it needs to do, bring more people to DCA, and more importantly keep them in there. Whether or not this is an E Ticket, better then Men in Black, or offers more then a "Shoot at big screens" experience wont matter to the general public. And that's the market they're shooting for, as we all know.

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Perhaps part of the problem is all of our hopes and expectations for this ride were FAR too high to begin with. Disney never said this was the "Men in Black killer". So why should we expect such a thing?

Because while they never said it would be, they never said it wouldn't be either. I think this thread on it's own shows that a lot of people other than myself were expecting it to be more than what we are seeing presented in front of us. Parks can be very quiet about a project early on so you have to go off of bits and pieces of information you hear. Based on what I heard, I set my expectations. So did many other people it would seem.

 

I don't think it's unreasonable at all to have heard the technology and money that went into this attraction and think it would be anything less than a "Men In Black."

 

This ride will do what it needs to do, bring more people to DCA, and more importantly keep them in there.

Will it? That's what I'm not convinced about. Does Monsters Inc bring more people into DCA and keep them there? If Buzz Lightyear was built at DCA would that have brought more people in and kept them there?

 

No.

 

So what makes you think this ride would do that?

 

I don't think a "C" or "D" ticket attraction is going to being more people into DCA and keep them there. It's rides just like this one that got DCA into the mess of mediocrity it's in now!

 

I think another Tower of Terror or Soarin' Over California *absolutely* would bring more people into DCA and keep them there. But this ride? I don't think so.

 

--Robb

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I mean, before Mummy at Universal Orlando I would make the trek over to the Studios park from IOA for no reason other than to ride Men In Black...over and over and over and over (love the single rider line on that ride!)

 

IMO, that is still the dark ride that sets the bar for what all other shooting dark rides SHOULD be.

 

Really? From a personal perspective I think this looks more fun than MIB. I didn't think MIB was that amazing, I'm just not a big fan of shooting dark rides. However, I really liked the "Pirates" ride at DisneyQuest and I think this looks like a pretty good attraction. I guess that just goes to show how different guests will have different tastes.

 

With that said, was this what I expected? Absolutely not. I'm not making excuses for the ride, because it would appear that the ride seriously lacks the immersive experience that Disney rides are known for.

(but then again I haven't ridden it yet, so this is speculative)

Had to do it with DCA's Tower, had to do it with Hong Kong Disneyland, had to do it with Expedition Everest, heck, even had to do it to some extent with Tokyo's Tower.

--Robb

 

Kind of off topic, but you had to lower your expectations for Everest? My only complaint with Everest was that I thought the ride time was too short, which in a way can be viewed as a compliment to the Imagineers.

 

 

All just my opinion though, and I completely agree with your statement that Disney should be leading the competition rather than following.

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I didn't think MIB was that amazing, I'm just not a big fan of shooting dark rides.

But that's where you and I differ. I'm a HUGE fan of shooting dark rides. My favorite type of the dark ride genre.

 

Keep in mind that I do actually think Toy Story Mania will be fun. I like Monster Inc, Buzz Lightyear, Cartoon Spin, etc, and I put this ride the same catagory as them. I just initially thought this ride would be a step above those. And who knows, it might be! I haven't been on it yet.

 

As for Everest, I think it's a really solid E-Ticket, especially for the general WDW public. But it personally didn't live up to my expectations. I felt that the two rides it's similar to, Matterhorn and Big Thunder Mountain, both deliver and overall better experience. You're right about it being too short. And there's the "too short" that's a compliment and "too short" that's a legitimate problem. IMO Everest suffers from the latter. There just isn't enough "coaster" sections of the ride.

 

But that's a whole other thread!

 

--Robb "Who doesn't own an AP to either DLR or WDW!" Alvey

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I think another Tower of Terror or Soarin' Over California *absolutely* would bring more people into DCA and keep them there. But this ride? I don't think so.

 

But even Tower didn't really bring more people into DCA or keep them there. All it really did was almost mandate the selling of 1-day park hoppers.

 

DCA either needs to be on equal standing as Disneyland, or be cheaper to go in than Disneyland (and no, 1-day park hoppers didn't do that). Until then, Disneyland will always win. Building one attraction at a time, even if it's Journey to the Center of the Earth, isn't going to 'save DCA'.

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^ I don't think DCA will ever be on equal standing to Disneyland. I'm not sure it can be. But it does need to stand on it's own. Just like Epcot or DisneySea does.

 

Animal Kingdom and Disney/MGM work because they are part of a much bigger resort. You don't need to spend a full day at either of those parks when you already have two full day parks and plenty of other extras to do.

 

DCA needs to be So Cal's Epcot or DisneySea. A park that compliments the Magic Kingdom with enough attractions where you could easily spend a day there. And that's what the original WestCot design was supposed to be.

 

I don't think the park would be in the mess they are in now if they would have stuck to that original plan!

westcot.jpg.97c28319e06e53ed056748fc10cada2c.jpg

You all remember WestCot, right?

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I think the whole idea of putting This ride in DCA is the fact that its a ride that can be rode over and over.

 

Now that I think about it though they have a few rides like that.

 

California Screamin

GRR

 

...Those are the main ones anyway, but definitely not Soarin or ItTtbAB.

 

DCA needs to be So Cal's Epcot or DisneySea. A park that compliments the Magic Kingdom with enough attractions where you could easily spend a day there. And that's what the original WestCot design was supposed to be.

 

Definitely not EPCOT, when my family went on its trips to WDW they would always set aside 2 days for EPCOT. Spending one day on each side. One full day in Worlds Showcase, I hated that.

 

Also doesn't DCA have cheaper local resident prices than Disneyland?

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Also doesn't DCA have cheaper local resident prices than Disneyland?

 

Only if you're referring to the '2fer' which allows DLR guests to get into one park on one day, and then go into the other park free on a different day. Guess which park most people pick as their free park?

 

 

Robb, wasn't WestCOT supposed to be a lot larger than DCA turned out to be? One thing seriously working against DCA is the cramped and awkward space they decided to squeeze it into. Even with the CarsLand expansion that *might* happen as we know it today, DCA's still a rather dinky park. Going by acreage, DCA could easily fit inside World Showcase Lagoon!

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Robb,

 

Please, please don't compare this to Monster's Inc.! I have my beef with Disney, I think there is really no decent leadership at the company, but its a step above monster's inc. it really is.

 

I went in thinking this ride was going to suuuuuuck. I'm surprised at how addictive it is. I can't wait for it to soft open and hit the single rider queue. Will I loose interest? Of course. Its like a video game. Eventually, you need to buy/play new ones.

 

Of course, because its a competitive game, it should attract a certain ilk.

 

I guess I've resolved myself not to expect too much from WDI. Ever since Walt passed on, the quality of parks and attractions have been lower and lower.

 

I don't count Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea too much because its taken the wisdom and investment of a whole 'nother company for Disney (and OLC) to put out a quality product.

 

Maybe its good to be disappointed or have a low bar -- you might like TSMM!

 

Jose "WDI is clueless" Eber

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