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Disney's "Toy Story Mania" First Ride Review
5/10/2008





By: Bill and Donna
E-Mail Bill

The alarm woke me up at 7am, and in a short time, I got dressed and was out the door headed for Disney's Hollywood Studios. Why so early? Today was the annual pass holder's first chance to ride the brand-new attraction, Toy Story Mania. Housed in the building on Mickey Ave that used to be the home of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Play it" this new addition to Disney's arsenal of attractions is just about ready for the guests. Last week the cast members got a sneak peek and this weekend, annual pass holders and DVC members get their chance to experience it.

Before I get into the attraction itself, let me first say that this new entry is the most visually stunning of any attraction in my opinion. The colors and prop sets are just simply amazing! The experience begins before you enter, on the outside of the ride. You enter under the "Pixar Studios" entranceway sign and continue down; on the right are the fast pass kiosks and a hint of all the brilliant colors you will encounter throughout the whole ride. Everything is painted in bright orange, yellows, greens and reds. For those of you who remember "Tinker Toys", the round connecting pieces are on top of the kiosks and around the sign. Strung across the street is the colorful "Barrel of Monkeys" hand in hand. There is even a huge "Scrabble" board game hanging on the opposite building. The entrance to the ride is surrounded by huge crayons, kid's blocks, kite string and playing cards.

But the best is yet to come. Upon entering, it is like you are transported back to your childhood. On the ceiling, walls and all around are posters, pictures and props of all kinds of toys. The ceiling is painted with a large mural of the old "Chutes and Ladders" game, the left wall a painting of the old standby game for kids; "Candy land". The walls also contain kid's drawings of Woody, Buzz and other Pixar characters. But the best part of the queue line is in the back, as you get to meet "Mr. Potato Head" Using similar technology as Turtle Talk with Crush and Laugh Floor Comedy Club, Mr. Potato Head will talk with you, recognize and answer questions and joke with the guests. Again, all the colors are rich and vibrant.

Now let's ride the attraction. The premise of the ride is based on popular Midway games played at fairs and carnivals around the country. Remember the ring toss game? Or pop the balloons with a dart. They are all here in 3D with the Toy Story characters in all the games. You get your 3D glasses and enter a 4 passenger car, similar to the ones in Buzz Light Year, but two face front and two face in the back. Your "Shooter" similar again to the ones in Buzz except you have to pull back on a string in the rear of the gun to "Shoot" your darts, hoops or whatever is needed to hit the target. Your ammo is unlimited. Your car enters the arcade, spins around and stops at say the balloon pop game. You have about 40 seconds to hit as many targets as you can. There are two identical games on each side of the track, one for the front guests and one for the rear. After each game, the cars spin around and end up facing the next game.

Just like in the queue line and the loading dock, inside the ride itself are colorful murals, pictures and props everywhere you look. This is the most colorful attraction on property! Even the ride vehicles are colorful and bright. I will honestly say I never thought Disney would top "Laugh Floor Comedy Club" which is one of my favorite attractions, both in innovation and originality. But I stand corrected as Toy Story Mania is the most fun and interactive offering Disney has to date. You have to give Disney credit. When you think they have reached their zenith, they come out and just top themselves! I only got a chance to ride twice today, because of the lines, but once you get the hang of the "Spring Loaded" shooters, you really get into the games! This was just a lot of fun to play, and it made me feel like a kid again, after all that is what Disney is all about. A cast member even told me there are four "Hidden Mickey's" on the ride. The preview for pass holders and DVC will continue until Monday. The Official opening is slated for May 30th. Although no one could say if there will be any "Soft Openings" in the next few weeks, but I will be making lots of trips back, just to see if I can get on again.

For more photos please click HERE.