Toy Story Mania! Preview Schedule, Reports, Pictures, & Video [Merged Thread]

[Disney-4-Me]

I'm looking forward to it. You gotta love that new ride smell!

[Jared]

It sounds awesome. Even the rope pulling. Any chance it'll be running Memorial Day weekend? My family generally skips Disney's Hollywood Together altogether except to see Fantasmic!, but Toy Story Mania! will draw us to the park for a few hours, at least.

[x]

I thought I'd chime in since I've gotten the chance to ride it a couple of times.

It's Fantastic! I think it fits perfectly into the Hollywood Studios. It's a lot of fun and the technology used is just amazing. Sure it borrows from Pirates at DQ but this attraction is really on a entirely new level. The cars are beautiful, the ride really pulls you into the game and I think will have a very high re-ride ratio for Guests. Even Mr Potato Head is incredible, almost every Cast Member I've spoken to brings him up.

As far as the guns (eh, canons), I really felt it in my right arm after the ride. I actually switched to my left arm about 3/4 of the way through but that's probably because I'm too competitive. The ropes are VERY sturdy so they should last. I personally would prefer a trigger but I'd bet my house that someone decided the pull ropes were more Politically Correct. (Read my sig and you'll understand my feelings on that topic) I wouldn't be suprised if triggers are added down the road though.

This is going to be a classic ride I think. 4.8 out of 5 stars from me!

[joelkfla]

Any chance it'll be running Memorial Day weekend?

YES! They're hoping to soft open in about 2 weeks.

Official opening is currently planned for 5/31.

[poeticeclipse]

Thanks to {another website}, I was able to get DH and I into the promotinal video shoot for Toy Story Mania at Disney's Hollywood Studios. The experience was really interesting to say the least. I will start off by saying that I am disappointed that someone from our AM group leaked photos. That REALLY bums me out. I was good the whole time and didn't even bring a camera to the shoot. I was blessed enough to get to experience this and I wouldn't want to do anything to jeopardize it. Therefore, I have no pictures or videos for you folks... just an insite review of the new attraction.

The morning started off by waiting outside of the turnstiles in a group of people. We had to wait for the guy with "the list." Who was supposed to be there. He showed up late but quickly got everyones names verified and we were off into the park just as it was opening. We were led through the big wood doors that were up blocking the Pixar area. It was obvious that it said "Pixar" on the arch covered up by trash bags. The area is SO COOL!!! I know everyone has seen the pictures but in person it's just beautiful. Everything is so colorful and there is so much detail everywhere it's crazy! The group was led up into some meeting rooms or "break rooms" as they told us they would be for us. It was actually pretty run down and nothing fancy. The insulation was coming out of the ceiling and the rooms were quite bare and plain. No big deal since we never ended up back in those rooms again. We all sat down and were told the rules. We were told that some people would be chosen for camera cars and that we weren't to look at the camera ever - just be animated and smile at all times. Maybe it's not my place to say this but... a lot of the people in the group didn't follow the dress rules in the e-mail. It said plain clothing with no logos like Nike, Adidas, etc. WDW logos were just fine though. Also, no white shirts because they don't show up on camera well. There was one family that was the picture perfect family. You could tell that they were local and mom was an ex-aspiring actress who were using her husband and two kids to get to be in commercial. They were all dressed and groomed perfectly. The all-american family. We later learned that many of the mothers brought their kids and their kids friends because they were ethnically diverse.

We walked through the queue which is AMAZING. I can't tell you how gorgeous it is. It's so playful and colorful. Oversized EVERYTHING. Not in a tacky way but in a very interesting and fun way. {**Potential Spoiler**: Highlight area below to read}
There are games like Operations, and Monopoly but they're huge. The whole idea is that YOU are the toy in Andy's room. Once you get to where you load, you are in Andy's room (as I just said) and you're basically participating in a game Andy made. The loading area is double sided and covered with oversized tinker toys.

When we got to the loading area they hadn't even warmed up the vehicles yet. There were guys sitting around with computers and we met the "director" basically. He then told us to get in two lines and gave some people numbers. If you got a one or a two... well, you were a one or a two. Just by looking around I thought that Ones were non camera cars and twos were camera car people. Nope, we later learned that ones and twos were both loaded onto camera cars. The rest of us were just normal riders. There were also "lit" cars. Those were for those who were also camera car riders when they got done on the camera car. "Lit" cars were lit with a light from underneath so when your vehicle went by the cameras on the inside of the ride, they could see you really well. We had been playing along for the first few ride-throughs thinking that we still had a chance to be on camera because of the inside cameras. That is... until we learned what the "lit" cars were for. Even though we didn't get on camera we still had a good time. They only chose certain types of people. DH was really really helpful during this part because he could tell I was bummed that we didn't get to be filmed. He kept saying to me "don't be self concious and think that it's about the way you look. They obviously are looking for families and ethnically diverse people." I wasn't down for a lot of it because I thought we still had a chance of getting on a camera car. But after our last time around (we rode a total of five times), I just wanted to leave.

Onto the ride itself....

Once you're loaded into your ride vehicle (which is a back to back vehicle), you zoom around a corner and get to practice with your "spring action shooter." Bascially it's like a Buzz Lightyear gun but way cooler. It has a pretty thick string coming out toward you and a big plastic ball at the end. You pull on the string to release your "ammo." Your ammo changes with each game you play. {**Potential Spoiler**: Highlight area below to read}
Sometimes you're tossing rings at aliens, chucking baseballs at plates, and even throwing darts at targets. You get different amounts of points for different targets. I will give you a little hint right now... DH and I tested out the guns and if your gun sits higher, you won't be able to reach all of the low targets, if your gun sits low, it'll be harded to hit the highest targets. We had many moments where we were stopped in front of a screen to just practice while they were loading new people onto a camera car. It was great for Matt and I to discuss how the guns were working for us and what could be improved. While the ropes that you pull on are thick... i'm worried that eventually they will fray and have to be replaced often. Test Track tires anyone? The ride is actually quite long! You play many games and then in the end you come up to a screen where you learn which person won. We played it in 2-D only because they couldn't put it in 3-D due to the filming. If it was that fun in 2-D... I can only imagine what it will be like when things are flying at my face!! You also get shots of air blown at you many times to add to the effect.

I think that Toy Story Mania will be a hit attraction. They didn't skimp on anything. It's so ridiculously impressive. I feel so blessed that DH and I got to ride it before a lot of people. Five times! haha. It was a great experience for us. Many CMs couldn't believe that we were from Michigan! They wondered how I found out about it because the only people that ever do the promo shoots are locals. I just said "Disney Magic." haha. Really folks... the Studio's is getting a wonderful attraction added. We're all very lucky to have it.

If anyone has questions about ANYTHING just ask! There are things I'm sure I left out and you folks can just pick up the pieces.

[letsdoitagain]

I don't know...it just looks like another buzz lightyear but more video game like. I can play video games at home. I'm sure I'll ride it in June because the kids will want to go on it, but if I didn't have the kids I wouldn't waste my time standing in line for that. They really need to put in more attractions like TOT, or Pirates, Splash...you know...classic disney type rides. Expedition Everest was a good addition...they should stick to those types of things.

Enough with the 3D movies and game type rides.

[Mufasa]

A few notes on some of the items brought up in this thread-

First- regarding handicapped/wheelchair access to the attraction. The queue is designed so it can accommodate wheelchairs/ECVs and there is a separate loading/unloading area prior to the staircase for guests who cannot negotiate stairs.

Now, there are actually a few options for guests using wheelchairs. If you have no problems being able to walk a short distance and transfer from a wheelchair to a regular seat then you can use a standard car but don't worry- you don't have to feel rushed loading onto a vehicle because with a separate loading area they can switch a vehicle out and in this handicap load area you have really up to 6 minutes to get settled (at the normal load/unload position it's about 30 seconds per dispatch).

Once the doors are ready and set, your car gets switched onto the main track and out into the attraction and then will automatically go back to the same load/unload area at the conclusion of the attraction and again you're not rushed to try and get out of the attraction vehicle.

The other available option is that there's also a special wheelchair accessible car which is set up a little differently- it has a ramp where you can steer a standard sized wheelchair or power chair onto the vehicle (guests using an ECV will likely still need to transfer to a standard wheelchair) and has a single, regular seat next to it for an accompanying guest.

Another unique aspect of this attraction is that there's a closed captioning button/option within the ride vehicles below the screen which displays your score where you can get written text of all the attraction audio as you're going through.

A final note on seating- there's no lap seating for children as there is a lap bar for safety since the ride vehicles can move fairly quickly and are capable of some spinning but there is no minimum height requirement on the attraction (and about the spinning- it's not motion sickness inducing spins though) and service animals cannot board the ride vehicles either (they'll accommodate individuals with service animals using a process like rider switch).

The attraction features standby, fastpass and single rider queues. Guests who are using fastpass or single rider WILL NOT experience the Mr. Potato Head animatronic as that is only in the standby queue.

As for the decision to use the spring action shooter/rope instead of a trigger- that was done for a few reasons. First, the rope pull is actually very sturdy and should hold up to wear and tear probably better than a trigger mechanism. It doesn't take a lot of force to pull the rope- I'd say the rope moves at maximum about 6 inches but it doesn't require a complete pull to register. Just pull a bit and let go and it'll register a shot but there's plenty of slack in there for the overly aggressive types.

Using a rope pull actually slows down the shooter and helps to even the playing field for everyone. I'll throw in a tip here- if you're playing against someone you can actually take your projectiles and knock your opponents shots out of the way if you're fast enough.

Finally, if you want details on the nature of the games you'll encounter on the attraction, I'll direct you to this earlier post I made on the subject (warning, could be considered an attraction spoiler because of the details).

[Mufasa]

• 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!

[joelkfla]

Just pull a bit and let go and it'll register a shot but there's plenty of slack in there for the overly aggressive types.

I learned that you don't actually need to let go of the rope. Just holding onto it and moving it out and in is a lot faster.

I figured this out when riding single, after noticing that the other single rider I was paired with was scoring a lot higher than me! By the end of the ride, I had almost caught up.

[poeticeclipse]

I learned that you don't actually need to let go of the rope. Just holding onto it and moving it out and in is a lot faster.

I figured this out when riding single, after noticing that the other single rider I was paired with was scoring a lot higher than me! By the end of the ride, I had almost caught up.

Oh yeah! I never let go of the rope. I just kept pulling. After going on it five times... I realized that the most efficient way is not try and keep your arm still. That way, your arm doesn't feel like it's going to fall off on the bonus round and your wrist action is way faster than using your elbow and shoulder.

[Young@Heart]

This ride sounds even better than it did before! I really can't wait 'til August. I think our family might have a new favorite ride at WDW!

[crltkcagle]

My kids are going to love this! THanks for the reviews!

[DW88]

They really need to put in more attractions like TOT, or Pirates, Splash...you know...classic disney type rides.

I completely agree, even though this ride may be great. Hopefully more Pixar attractions for that section of the park are in planning...anybody know of anything?

[PiratesLifeForMe3]

my sister is a cm and she got to ride this last week. she said that it wasn't as good as she expected but the queue was amazing. i'm not taking her opinion with a lot of trust though, considering she told thought that the new spaceship earth was better than the old. but, she did send me a bunch of pictures on her cell phone and it did look very promising.

[big blue and hairy]

DW and I were the first in line for the AP preview this morning. It was a lot of fun. The new Pixar Studios area looks great! I'm excited to see it with all the walls down. The cue is highly detailed, by now I'm sure you've all seen pictures.

The games themselves are a lot fun, they're both retro and highly technological at the same time. You really start to feel like you're shooting real things at real targets! The pull action shooting really helps in this.

This is a great first step in what I sincerely hope is the start of the rejuvenation of DHS. For years it was my favorite park and I was sad to see it deteriorate. I'm glad to see it coming back.

[dlpmikki]

We didn't get there until after 11 and by then the wait was 2 hours. I'm sure the ride is good but it was way too hot for us to wait that long, especially all the lines snaked outside in the sun. maybe tomorrow.........

[ligirlz]

We went yesterday got there around 10AM and stood in line. It was a 90 minute wait then but the line seemed to move instead of stalling. Once inside the queue (sp?) was spectacular. Brought back a lot of memories with the Candyland, tinkertoys, etc.... Mr. Potato Head was hilarious but he did stop while we were standing there and then started up 10 mins later. So I don't know if that was a malfunction or a break. But he interacts with the guests and picks on them.

Then we finally got to the loading area and it was neat. The ride vehicle fits 8 with 2 and 2 sitting back to back. The games were really neat and interactive. The effects were awesome like in the balloons if you hit the water balloon you got misted. The gun wasn't that hard at all you just pull the string lightly to get it going. The spinning wasn't really there just to turn to go to the next game so people with motion sickness might not have an issue. All and all I want to go and ride it again. It was very well put together and designed. Everyone will love it and the wait will be worth it.

[TheRustyScupper]

1) I rode the ride.
2) It is a cross between Buzz and Men-in-Black.
3) We thought it was good, but not a "killer attraction".
4) However, we were united in our thoughts that it is a lawsuit waiting to happen.
5) The rope pull is going to cause problems.
. . . the wife stopped pulling about 1/2 way through
. . . my arm was sore after the ride
. . . anyone with carpel tunnel might be in big trouble

[poeticeclipse]

1)
5) The rope pull is going to cause problems.
. . . the wife stopped pulling about 1/2 way through
. . . my arm was sore after the ride
. . . anyone with carpel tunnel might be in big trouble

I forgot to mention that a CM informed me that there is an option for guests that cannot physically pull the string. There is a push button option that goes along with the string. If they want to push the button, that will work, if they want to try pulling the string they can.

Glad they covered their bases.

[PirateStitch]

Okay, so the hubby and I raced to DHS today to ride before the preview ended today. I have to say that I pretty muched loved everything about the ride. From the line, to the end of the ride. Not to mention I beat the pants off my hubby's score !!!!!!!!! I also really enjoyed the Pixar area. I can't wait until the entire area is open. I wasn't to bothered with the rope pull trigger. I do admit though for someone with 5 right shoulder surgeries that by the last screen I was hurting. But, well worth. The entire time I was just in awe. I think this is one of the better rides in a long time for Disney. Heres to seeing what they do next !!!!! How about a better Stitch ride !!!!!!