They did that with Expedition Everest, the pulsating coaster ride through the trails of Mount Everest, replicating a Himalayan village with such great detail that the people standing in line for the attraction can't help but feel as though they are actually walking through a town or store in southern Asia, waiting to spy the legendary Yeti.

The intent: Bring the attraction to the people before the people can ride the attraction.

"It's all about the storytelling and creating the idea that you're somewhere else," said Diego Parras, an imagineer for Walt Disney World. "You forget where you are for a second."

Such a concept is especially true at Disney's newest immersive and interactive attraction, Toy Story Mania, which opened in May at Hollywood Studios.

Not only does the ride allow the passenger to interact with all the favorite characters from "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2" by donning 3-D glasses and engaging in a series of carnival games with a spring-action shooter, but also passengers waiting in line for the attraction are weaved through an indoor holding area, called the queue, that is designed to replicate Andy's bedroom from the Disney Pixar films. The room is filled with oversized games, toys and action figures -- the ceiling, for example, is done in gameboards from Scrabble and Chutes & Ladders -- all with the intent of making you feel as though you have been shrunk to toy size. Even the Christmas lights are 13 inches long.

"When you walk into the loading area, it gives you the feeling everything you see is way bigger than you are," Parras said.

If that isn't enough, there is an audio-animatronic Mr. Potato Head, featuring the voice of Don Rickles (just like the movie), serving as a cryptic yet corny carnival barker who is capable of engaging guests in two-way conversation -- and even removing his ear, the first Disney audio-animatronic to remove and reattach a body part.

Standing 5 feet tall and looking as if he stepped right out of a movie screen, Mr. Potato Head is one of just three audio-animatronic characters at Disney World, along with Turtle Talk With Crush and Monsters Laugh Floor. But the latter two do not appear to form words and vowel sounds with their mouths like Mr. Potato Head.

Make no mistake, the imagineers have done a wonderfully creative job of immersing the passenger in the story of the attraction. But, in a very subtle manner, they have also performed another critical function: Made it more palatable to stand in line for a ride that, on this day, had a wait of 30 to 40 minutes.

And the real fun hasn't even started.

Once in the loading area that is framed with giant murals -- they are the largest in the park since Epcot was built -- passengers don 3-D glasses and board a riding vehicle that seats two people, ready to pair up for a friendly competition of rapid-fire games using a spring-action shooter to take out various targets. (Don't worry, there is even a practice game before the real games begin, just to get the passengers accustomed to using the shooter.)

The vehicles spin and angle to face each of the four game booths, using the shooter to aim at ever-changing 3-D animated targets. The shooter fires balls at virtual plates, darts at balloons that stick like suction cups at missed objects, rings at aliens and eggs at barnyard targets. When a balloon is popped, water sprays at the vehicle, adding a fourth dimension to the attraction. When an alien rocket is snagged by a ring, a burst of wind hits the passenger as the virtual rocket takes off into space, further immersing -- there's that word again -- the player in the game.

"You get thrown into these games, and now you're able to play them with 3-D glasses," Parras said. "It's a lot more immersive to do something like that, rather than using a push-button or a gun. We looked at more different designs, but, from a kid's standpoint, it's all part of pulling something and being more into the story."

Beyond the enjoyment, the idea of Toy Story Mania is to rack up as many points as possible to beat your passenger opponent. A digital counter mounted on the front of the vehicle keeps score. In case you forget to look, don't worry: The last stop in the ride is a game-booth where Woody and Buzz Lightyear tally and illuminate each person's points.

That is about the only problem with Toy Story Mania. It is such an addictive attraction that you will have to fight yourself to avoid riding over and over again.

"I'm not a gamer at all, but we were actually doing a lot of play-testing and you couldn't get me off it," Parras said. "The repeatability is amazing. Everybody is going to feel, I want to go back on to better my score."

And "shrink" yourself to the size of a toy.