Toy Story Midway Mania Disney’s Hollywood Studios Reader Feedback
***WARNING: There may be some spoilers!***
EKH: Toy Story Mania is a blast! But here's a tip that worked for us – twice last week. Get in the "single riders" line! It moves faster than the standby line and if you don't have a fastpass, it's the way to be sure to get on the ride with a relatively short wait!
Angie Cripe: We just returned from our annual WDW family vacation. This year we had 12 in our group and as always we had a blast. I wanted to post a review for Toy Story Mania. We are annual passholders so imagine our disappointment to learn that we missed the AP preview by only 3 days. However while waiting in between shows at the Studios my husband suggested we stop over. To our delight they were having soft openings. First the decor… WOW We didn't have to wait but maybe 5 minutes if that, but I really wouldn't mind waiting for 40 minutes. There is enough to keep your eyes busy. Once you get towards the front of the line MR. Potato Head will keep the youngsters busy. While boarding the ride I was told that unlike Buzz Lightyear infants cannot sit on your lap. My daughter is 16 months old but loved the ride. At first I worried about how fast we were flipped around but she was fine. And unlike Buzz each person gets their own lap bar so that helped. We had to ride it a few times because the screens didn't reset fast enough to enjoy the whole ride..That's why they are called "soft openings" I enjoyed this ride Way better than Buzz Lightyear. I think it is easier for children to aim. Hats off once again to Disney blowing us away. Every year they prove themselves over and over again. Although I am sad to say all 12 of us were there for 15 days and NO dreams. Oh well we make our own come true…..
Anthony Goulet: We had the opportunity to try this ride on our last day (May 24,2008). The wait time was 20 minutes, and it was all of that. During our week at WDW, this was perhaps one of the few ride times that was right at or a little longer than the posted time. My observations are; the queue is long, but at least it's indoors. It was nice to see toys from our past, like, Lincoln Logs and Tinker Toys, very cute. The actual ride was fun and something that we would do again. For us we would use Fast Pass, for future rides. This is a slow loading ride, only four people per ride vechicle.
Trish Spicer: My family and I just returned this week from WDW, and we were able to participate in the soft opening of Toy Story Midway Mania on 05/23/08. We loved it! The queue area was really interesting and very nostalgic. Mr. Potato Head was quite entertaining, and his antics engaged the crowd as we waited. The ride itself is more fun than I imagined it would be. I highly recommend it for all ages. I had a smile on my face throughout.
Kerry: My family and I rode Toy Story Mania on May 23. We waited about 40 minutes, but of course there were many huge models of toys to look at which helped the time go by. The actual ride was very enjoyable, although with there were frequent stops along the way. There were no fast passes that day, as I am assuming there might not be until the grand opening. I think the following bit of info might be helpful to those with infants… There can be no children sitting on laps. I have an almost 8 month old that had to sit by himself next to my husband in the car.
Kim Peters: We just returned from the World and were able to get in on the sneak peek for Toy Story Mania. The longest wait time that we saw was 120 minutes. We were lucky to get fastpasses and not wait long at all. The inside before you get on the ride is just as neat and fun as the ride itself. There's so much to look at that you couldn't possibly see it all except with a long wait. We really enjoyed the ride and the competition factor. We have always liked the Buzz Lightyear ride and this one is even better. Can't wait to ride it again when I'm back in the World in October.
Brianne Cooke: We were at the World from 5/20 – 5/25. We visited DHS on 3 separate occassions and each time Toy Store Mania was open. We rode one evening after about a 30 minute wait. The wait area is AMAZING! All the "old school" toys that our kids (14, 5 and 2) didn't really know. They loved the interactive Mr. Pototo Head. The ride itself, again, AMAZING! My 2 year old didn't get the hang of it, but loved it anyway. You do get thrown around a little unexpectedly, but it's definately and wonderful addition to the Disney Magic. And just a side not that DHS are quite creepy once it gets dark. Not much is open and it's not very crowded – we did enjoy it though!
Catherine Wilson: There was a "sneak preview" of Toy Story Midway Mania going on the evening of Tuesday, May 20, and we happened to walk by. The wait was pretty short – lucky us!
The outside of the ride is done really well. Toys make up the decorations for the entrance, with linked monkeys (from a Barrel of Monkeys) hanging between the buildings, green army men hoisting a Scrabble board with words such as "you've" "got" "friend" "in" me" "meet" "the" and "toys," and even a monkey strapped to a rocket a la Sid…
The queue for this ride is awesome, with a full Candy Land board on one wall, Scrabble board on the ceiling, Chutes and Ladders board on the ceiling, and tons of other toys from our childhoods all throughout the queue. The Mr. Potato Head "barker" has plenty of corny jokes to entertain guests while they are waiting for the ride.
Once we got to the end of the "fun part" of the queue, we were directed down the hall that will be used by guests in wheelchairs and their parties (even though we weren't with a wheelchair party). The CM at the loading area said that we weren't missing anything, and that the rest of the queue looked like the inside of a circus tent.
The loading area looks like a kid's bedroom, from the perspective of a toy – large replicas of game boxes, books, etc. There are even a few inside jokes, such as a "golden book" with the story of the Tin Toy – a Pixar short.
It turned out to be of interest to be directed to the particular loading area, because we got to see how the ride is set up to accommodate guests who wish/need to remain in their wheelchairs for the ride. Certain ride vehicles are equipped to pull out the back row of seats, and be easily adapted, so that wheelchair guests can roll into the vehicle easily and remain in their chairs for the ride. The ride track switches so that these particular vehicles are docked in a separate location, allowing the CMs to pull the extra seat out, remove the lap bar, and adjust the height of the "cannot" that is used to play the midway games. The back door of the ride also folds down into a ramp to allow the wheelchair to easily roll in. Needless to say, I was very impressed that the Imagineers took the initiative to create this system allowing guests in wheelchairs to so easily access the ride.
The ride vehicles consist of two cars, with each having back-to-back rows of seats – each row seating two guests. In front of each seat is a cannon, with a pull string, that will be used to play each of the midway games. In between the two seats, in front of the guests, is a computer screen, which is used to show your scores as you proceed through the midway.
The ride vehicles are a little wild – somewhat like the Roger Rabbit Car Toon Spin from Disneyland CA. They spin and turn into each midway scene, where there are screens on both sides, so that each pair of guests is facing a screen with a new game on it. The games include ring toss, shooting darts at balloons, and other popular midway games – all of which are played by pulling the cord on the back of your cannon, and aiming it at the various targets in the scene. (To me – someone who doesn't play video games – this is much easier than the Buzz Lightyear ride, because you can see the rings or darts that are being virtually shot by your cannon, and have a better chance at aiming at something!) Favorite Toy Story characters are featured in the various midway scenes/games.
We both laughed throughout the ride and had a blast. We were very glad that we were able to ride it Tuesday night, because it wasn't open other times that we were there during the week. It did reopen for sneak preview on Saturday, but the line was over an hour long. This ride will be incredibly popular!
Michael Smith: Attended Toy Story Mania soft opening on Monday, May 19th. After a breakdown earlier in the day the attraction was re-opened in the afternoon. Fantastic. This is one of the best rides in WDW and will be VERY crowded when it opens. Fast Pass queues are all set and the attaction could have gone live the week of the 18th. However, this attaction is fun for all ages. My wife and I got on once and enjoyed every minute. The rest of party which consisted of six between the ages of 20 and 26 went back more then once and enjoyed everytime they went. There seemed to be some glitches with the Mr. Potatohead part of the attaction, but we did witness Mr. Potatohead working at one point. Think of Crush or Monsters Inc. with a BIG animatronics Potato talking back. This is a "Not to be missed" attraction.
Kim: We were at Disney's Hollywood Studios on May 19 and were able to ride Toy Story Mania four times. The ride is awesome! We weren't even off of our first time through and couldn't wait to get right back on. The special effects with the 3D are great. It is a very fun interactive ride –much better than Buzz Lightyear, which we love as well. My youngest daughter (5) however didn't care for the ride. She doesn't like the 3D effects — they scare her, so that should be taken into consideration if anyone's child dislikes 3D movies, etc. The ride did break down on us at the end of our second time through. We had to be evacuated manually and walk through the ride floor as the cast members evacuated the rest of the people in their assigned area. It was neat to see everything up close as we were walking through. This ride is sure to be a big hit!
Lori: We just returned from WDW and on Friday we were able to ride Toy Story Mania. We had a 30-minute wait but there is so much to look at in the queue it went by quick. This ride is so much fun, everyone was having a blast and doing the "thumbs up" sign upon exit. Both my 3 year old and 8 year old loved it. The fun effects (like occasionally getting sprayed) make it even more special. This will be a favorite for many!
Rose: TOY STORY MANIA ride is so much fun. Our group thought the ride provided more entertainment and easier to control than Buzz Lightyear. You find yourself wanting to ride again to either beat your competitor or beat your own score. There is also the callenge of trying to beat the score of the day. We were able to get on a few times and that was only because we happened to wander by on the days they were testing. They were still working out some "bugs" but it was still a great challenge.
Beth Yebba: Just got back from Disney World today, May 24. We were so excited to be able to have a sneak peak of Toy Story Mania! My boys, age 10 and 6, were elated! We didn't think we would have this opportunity. The line was 30 minutes, but time flew with so much to take in. Such creativity, you just can't NOT smile! The ride was full of excitement around every corner – literally! Fun for kids of all ages! Disney does it again!
Donna Crady: We just got back yesterday from a week at WDW. While there, we got to go to a "sneak peak" of the Toy Story Mania ride. It was a lot of fun. It is a lot like the Buzz Lightyear ride. We went through the wheelchair line, as I was in a ECV. A castmember told us that this is one of the first rides with a separate, dedicated wheelchair car, so that those in wheelchairs can board the ride in their chair. Also, those in the wheelchair seat also get an added advantage in the game: you get a push-button in addition to the pull-string on the controls!
Mike Aldrich: My wife and I had the opportunity to ride Toy Story Mania on the last day of the DVC member previews (May 12). I admit that I didn't expect much from this attraction. From the press releases provided by Disney, it sounded like a re-tread of Buzz Lightyear (which is fine, but I was aching for Disney to do something NEW). Well, I was completely wrong and Toy Story Mania is now my new favorite attraction at WDW. From the moment you walk into the building you realize Disney went all out on this attraction. The queue area is one of the best-themed I've seen in a long time. And the ride itself is just a BLAST. The shooting mechanism is fairly simple and easy to use (and MUCH easier to aim than the laser cannons on Buzz). The animations on the various screens are well done and have all the humor you associate with the "Toy Story" films. That combined with the music and the twisting, spinning track and the frantic pace of the shooting contests and by the time the ride is over you are three times happier than you were when it started. Because there were no lines on the afternoon we were there, we would walk off the ride and immediately get back in queue to do it again. We rode three times in a row and only stopped because we were both starting to get hand cramps and sore shoulders from yanking on those pull cords to fire the "gun" so fast and so often!
Terry Pickle: Had the good fortune of being able to ride "Toy Story Mania" this past weekend. One word, "Totalysuperfun". Went bake the next 2 days to try a second time, but was closed due to "technical difficulties". Bummer. Don't miss it.
Dale: Hi. We were at the World this past week and happen to catch the new Toy Story Mania while it was being tested before it's official opening. It is great. If you like Buzz Lightyear Space Rangers, you will LOVE Toy Story Mania. It is all kinds of carnival games; ring toss, balloon darts, etc in a virtual format. Great fun. I did even better than I usually do on Buzz. I guess I can pull a string ("guns" are of the "pop gun" variety) faster than I can squeeze a trigger.
Donna Maloney: Toy Story Mania ride was a lot of fun even for my husband and me. we were celebrating our 40th anniversary at WDW May 10-15 2008 we were really trying to beat each others score as we fired our guns at the different targets. we have season passes so we got to enjoy the ride on this trip, just one of the highpoints of our trip.
Angela Bedore: We just returned from 10 days at WDW and had the opportunity to ride Toy Story Mania. The first time we got on the ride, we all had to get off due to a glitch with the ride. Two days later when we returned to the Studios we found that the ride had not yet opened for the day. Then while we were at the Walt Disney attraction right next door, my daughter overheard the Cast Member's walkie talkie which indicated the ride had just reopened so we ran right over and walked right on the ride. What a blast! The interactive shooting games were so much fun that even my 82 year old mother understood the game and actually did very well scorewise! The only problem I had with it is that the ride was too short. I wanted to keep going. I think the queue is very colorful and full of fun and interesting things to look at and to photograph. It should be able to keep guests entertained and from realizing how long they might be in line. We missed some of the detail since we went right on the ride. I ride an ECV and also want to comment that the queue has a couple of very tight turns if you stay in the ECV and get in the regular queue line. ECV drivers should be cautious going through the line. I did notice that the drive would be much easier if I had been using the FastPass lane. There aren't any of the same sharp turns. All in all it was a blast! I wish we weren't in a hurry so we could have gone through again! We are going back in September and hope to ride it again!
Bernice Marshall: We just returned from our trip to WDW and we were lucky enough to be at the Hollywood Studios for the soft opening of Toy Story Midway Mania. This is a really awesome attraction! We were a party of 3 adults, no kids, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Upon entering the attraction, you go through the queue with all sorts of Toy Story props. The are giant cards, pictures of board games (Candyland), crayons, etc. At the end of the first room, Mr. Potato Head talks to the people in the queue and most of us took the photo op. They must be using the same technology as Monsters, Inc and Turtle Talk because Mr. Potato Head described people on line.
After picking up your 3-D glasses, you go up a flight of stairs, walk across and down the stairs to the loading area. There are 4 people to a vehicle, with 2 facing forward and 2 facing back. Once on board the vehicle, you have a shooter in front of you that you use to play the arcade games. You are moved around the attraction in front of various screens shooting the targets and competing with your vehicle mate. You really get caught up in the games and before you know it, you reach bonus round. We exited the attraction and walked back on for a second round. We would have gone for a three in a row, but we had a previous appointment. We did, however, go back a third time.
One interesting point for the disabled. This is the first time that the technology was used to completely separate the handicapped vehicles from the regular queue line. If you need the handicap vehicle, you will go through a separate path and come out in a little platform. Since you are not holding up the regular queue, you have all the time you need to get into the vehicle and settle in. Once you are ready, the vehicle is paced into the regular queue line. At the end, you exit the vehicle in the same place so that you have plenty of time to exit with stopping or holding up the regular queue line.
From a family point of view, this is the best attraction that has opened in a very long time. It is definitely for the entire family, lots of fun and sensitive to people who need apecial attention. This is a not-to-be-missed attraction and high on our "can't wait to get back" list.
Jennifer C.: We were at Disney's Hollywood Studios on Monday, May 19th. In the afternoon we noticed that they were having a sneak preview of Toy Story Midway Mania. We made our way over there, waited less than 10 minutes, and had a blast! The design and structure of the building you walk through to get to the ride is amazing, the artistic talent of Disney employees continues to make my jaw drop. We rode the ride twice in a row because we had so much fun. It's very interactive, exciting, and entertaining. This will definitely help bring families with young children to the Studios. I cannot say enough good things about this new attraction.
Kristin: I just returned from my Disney vacation yesterday (May 12 – 22) and want first to thank you so much, your site helped us out TONS while we were planning. Thank you so much! Also, I was one of the lucky people who got to ride the Toy Story Mania! ride on May 17th. We were informed by the cast member running The Voyage of the Little Mermaid that we should check it out. We did and were able to ride it several times. It was so much fun! I even commented to one of the cast members that it smelled like 'new ride' – they all laughed. It was, by far, one of the highlights of our trip for 2 reasons: 1) it simply was a great ride! and 2) we got to experience it before it officially opened! Such fun!
Christine Leavenworth: We just got back from a long weekend at Disney and on the 18th we were at Hollywood Studios. Much to my delight, we were lucky enough to preview the new Toy Story Mania ride. My 3 kids and myself ran to the attraction with my husband trailing slowly behind us. The whole experience was amazing, the entryway and line up area were done in the toy theme, with a giant lincoln log house, candyland, tinker toys, crayola crayons, the barrel of monkey monkeys in chains, just to name a few. Mr. Potato head acts as a midway worker and actually interacts with the people waiting in line. He asks questions and responds to the answers while telling jokes. Honestly I am sure there is a lot more to see, but we had no line and my kids were anxious to get right to the ride. Once throught the major line area, you stop and pick up your 3D glasses, then you go up some stairs to a very small line area to start loading. You ride in cars set up for 4 people, 2 on each side back
to back. The loading is similar to the Winnie the Pooh ride at the MK. Each car has a picture of one of the characters from Toy Story. Directly in from of you is your shooter that moves in all directions and has a long string with a ball attached. You pull on the ball and aim at the various targets. I think you ride through five areas. We got to pop balloons, break plates, toss rings, shoot ducks, and shoot at mine cars. Each target is worth a value from 100 to 5000(that was the highest amount I saw). Your car has a screen that keeps track of you point total throughout the entire game. Not only do you have fun trying to shoot at all the targets, but you get sprinkled on when you break bottles, and gusts of wind blow on you when you pop balloons. These sensations make it feel like you are really there. At the end there is an area where they total everyones scores. You get to see various characters from the movies throughout the ride and of course there is lots of praise on how well you have done. Well needless to say the ride was a big hit with my family, with my husband leading the pack to run out the exit to reenter the ride to play again. We rode 3 times and it got better each time. I knew it was a hit when my son claimed it was better than the Buzz ride at MK (which has always been his favorite in the WDW land). Being able to preview this ride was the highlight of my trip. I feel like I received some extra special Disney magic. When it comes to disney, I am the biggest kid in my family.
Jennifer: We were fortunate to be able to try out the TOY STORY MANIA RIDE (this week) and totally enjoyed it. We donned our 3-D glasses, sat in cars for 4 (with our backs to each other), and then went through the ride where we got to play 5 different arcade games. During two of the games we even felt things like water squirts and puffs of air. It was tons of fun with happy, silly TOY STORY characters cheering us on. We wanted to do it again, but since it was a soft opening they had it closed for hours at a time perfecting it. I would strongly encourage everyone to try it out once it's open!
Karen: We were fortunate to get a sneak peak at the new Toy Story Mania ride during our trip last week (May 18th). The line queue is wonderful and it kept our 2 year old entertained while we waited (looking at the ceiling and all of the "life-sized" toys) We got a little concerned when we noticed how quickly the cars "whipped" the returning riders, but our daughter really enjoyed the ride once she knew what was coming. I would discourage anyone with a child who cannot sit on his own from riding as the ride does swing around pretty forcefully. ANyway…the attraction itself is wonderful and we can't wait to ride again. In fact my daughter still mentions the squirting water from one of the midway attractions. I also love to fact that you're not shooting a gun. The pull back is much easier to use and more appealing for younger riders.
Michael Compoly: We just returned for our WDW trip and had a great time with wonderful weather. One highlight was being able to get on Toy Story before it opened. In fact we were able to ride it twice and can tell you it was absolutely terrific! The 3-D games were great fun along with the interactive Mr. Potato Head in the queue line. His quick one liners to everyone passing by was a lot of laughs. The pop gun on the ride was easy to use and you won’t get the sore thumb like can happen on Buzz Lightyear. The ride does spin you around a bit and makes some quick stops, but nothing too crazy. It seemed a bit smoother the second time around after it was closed for a few hours. There were a number of Disney people watching everything on our morning ride so I’m sure they are making adjustments all the time until the real opening. Highly recommend this one and wish we were still there.
Kathy Gicking: On Tuesday, May 13 we got to see a preview of Toy Story Mania with our daughter, son-in-law, & two grandsons as they are members of the Disney Vacation Club & could take two guests. Since we are the grandparents, this is a three generation review…We ALL gave it a hearty thumbs up!!!! Our grandsons(5&8) wanted to ride it again immediately but we had dinner reservations. we came back after dinner but they were having technical difficulties & it was temporarily closed.We are were disappointed as we were hooked & wanted to improve our scores from the last visit. We are from PA. but it will be a Must See our next visit to Disney World! The boys really liked the talking Mr. Potato Head!
Lynn Waszkiewicz: My husband and a friend and I went to the Toy Story Mania passholder preview on Monday, 5/12. We all agreed that it was fantastic. It's very colorful with huge toys, Lincoln Logs, tinker toys, etc, along the wait line. The ride seats are roomy and comfortable. You are moved along and spun to each of the targets which are set up like arcade booths. You shoot at the screens with a string-pull type air gun and earn points, much like Buzz Lightyear. One of the features I particularly liked was that during a ride stoppage, even though you don't earn points, you get to keep shooting at the targets. We think this will be a VERY popular attraction.
kelly: My daughter and I went on Toy Story Mania. We loved it so much we went right back on again and probably would have kept on doing that all day if we didn't want to catch the parade. Even the queue area is amusing – it was fun picking out all the different oversized game boards and pieces and listening to Mr. Potato Head. We found the ring toss the hardest game to play – you really have to aim a little above the target so the "ring" drops on it. Great fun – everyone should go!
Joe Blackford: My wife and I were able to ride TOY STORY MANIA on the preview weekend for pass holders and club members. If you rode BUZZ at Magic Kingdom and liked it you will then LOVE Tory Story Mania. We were able to ride several times and each time was better than the last. Warning: the lines should be very long for this new ride but more than worth the wait. You do not move the cars to aim at the targets. The cars stay still while the targets move and your partner will not have to worry that the car will move just as you are firing. Its great!
Sandy: We just returned from our Disney trip 5/20 and were lucky enough to ride Toy Story Mania!! The first ride left you wanting to do it again so we hit the queue again. The ride broke down right after we boarded for the second time so we were so disappointed but we knew that that is one condition that could happen. Then we returned off and on during the day and were fortunate to find it open several more times. All I can say it is one of my favorite rides now! The decor is so cute and the ride is so much fun. I can't wait to go back in September to ride it again and again and again!
Denise Tetreault: I was in WDW on May 12 and went on Toy Story Mania a total of 8 times…it was opened for annual passholders and DVC members….the ride is awesome…it makes the Buzz Lightyear ride boring…
Greg M Pinkerton: We are a family of four, mom-dad-2 boys (10 and 13). We have been pass holders for a few years now. When they announced Toy Story Mania we looked at the press packets and it looked like Buzz Lightyear with 3-d glasses. We could not have been more wrong. From the entrance appeal to the final score update to see if you're among the top 3 of the day, this ride is worth every moment spent in line. We arrived on pass holder entrance day, May 10th, about 9:45. Thinking, how bad could the line be. Wellllll, a 2 hour wait that early in the day put us off balance. Normally my kids will talk me out of a wait that long since we live here and visit the parks quite often and can go another time when the lines are not long. However, I was not going to be deterred from riding a new ride on the first day available to us. They love dad, but sometimes they disown me for a few hours.
After waiting for just under 2 ½ hours, we finally arrived at the top of the carnival tent, where you can finally see the actual ride. After finishing the ride, the kids were clamoring about what they thought was best and how much they scored, but the point to be made is that they both wanted to get back in line, another 2 hour wait, as soon as we got off the first time. There cannot be a better statement made as to the appeal of a ride then that of someone willing to wait 2 hours, AGAIN! Disney has done it again. This ride is excellent. Every detail has been thought of again. Of course, what else would you expect from the house of mouse imagineers. If you arrive and the wait is long, please do yourself a favor and do not skip this ride. It is worth the time. Everyone will enjoy the experience. I do not want to give away too much of what is to be seen inside, it is amazing, but look for the hidden mickey’s, as there are a few.
Kristi: Toy Story Mania was open this past Saturday while I was at Hollywood Studios. I was able to ride twice and wish I could have ridden all day. It is AWESOME! The way the cars twist and turn make it worth going on for me. Then to be able to "shoot" at the different midway games was a blast. Each segment has different things to shoot at. I found aiming the shooter and pulling the string to shoot to be fairly easy. The oversized objects in the queue were interesting enough that I wished I could have gone slower so I could have seen everything. It was also neat to be able to smell that "new attraction" smell. My only somewhat negative comment is that the u-turns in the queue can be difficult for someone in a Disney style scooter. They have to do the turns very slowly to keep from hitting anything. Wheelchairs and scooters do not have a separate line until close to the end as the regular queue has to go up and down a flight of stairs. This is a ride to get a fast pass for!
and then get in the regular line. It is now my favorite ride at Hollywood Studios.
Linda Kuehn: Went to Hollywood Studios on Monday (5/19) and headed over to Toy Story Mania as soon as they let us in the park in hopes it would be lucky and find the ride open. Much to our surprise and enjoyment it was! We rode Toy Story Mania 3x's – basically we rode it and walked around and got right back on it (no lines/no waiting). The ride is great! My son is a big Toy Story fan so we've ridden Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin many times and this ride was was even better. You're armed with a gun and get to shoot at targets but the targets are constantly changing – sometimes carnival ducks; sometimes balloons (it's like an old time shooting gallery). We had a blast!
Stephanie Stinchcomb: Toy Story Mania is fantastic. The queu (sp?) is an entertaining flashback to all the board games we played as kids, until you get to the interactive Potato Head towards the back of the building. The ride is fun and entertaining, and leaves you wanting to go back to beat your score and win a better prize. The best part, when the ride stops to load wheelchair riders, you get to practice your shots for as long as your stopped, so there's no, "Great, I'm stuck looking at this blank wall for five minutes" parts. Definitely a winner and a must-see.
Kristy: My husband and I were at WDW a week ago and being annual passholders were able to 'preview' the new Toy Story Mania ride at Hollywood Studios. A step and a half (at least) up from Buzz Lightyear in the Magic Kingdom – and we love that one. There are 4 to a car sitting back to back, you're given 3-D glasses to wear and off you go. The cars are a bit jerky as they settle before a big screens. The 'shooter' is similar to Buzz's but have a string with a wooden ball at the end – you aim and pull back the string. It's carnival arcade games – ring toss, knock over the 'duck', pop the balloons,etc. Your scores are hidden until the last screen, so you don't have a clue who's ahead. We did have a good time and so went on one more time immediately after finishing. We think it'll be a big hit. (To find the ride, go down main street, hen turn right and go under the archway – The Little Mermaid theater is right there. Turn left immediately and it's down the road on your right.)
Lynn Elsberry: We were at Disney's Hollywood Studios Saturday, May 10 and being Annual Pass Holders were able to preview Toy Story Mania. It is a really fun ride! Very bright and colorful and unlike everyone was speculating, it is not like Buzz Lightyear. When we got off the ride, we heard someone say that the wait for those in line outside was taking about 2 hours. Thank goodness we got there in time to take only about 30 minutes. We really enjoyed it and are anxious to see how our Grandchildren like it when we return in December.
Cristina Buaas: We were in the Studios yesterday, Monday May 19 and kept checking the area in front of Toy Story Mania. Finally, around 10:30 the CMs moved the plants back and opened the ride! Our family rode the ride with no wait twice in a row and it's AWESOME! There were several Imagineers on the ride checking things out and at the exit as well. It is similar to Buzz, but even better. My daughter's favorite thing was that you don't have to steer your car, it moves from game to game for you. I loved all of the colorful, classic toys and the singing Mr. Potato Head that fill the long cue area and the arcade games that you play are really fun. The only negative that I can think of is that when you try to get a high score all of the pulling on the string of your cannon really makes for a sore shoulder. They might need to put a Ben Gay dispenser at the end of the ride by the glasses return bin!
Sheryl B: We rode the new Toy Story Mania ride (5 times) on Sunday, May 18. Everyone in our family of 4 enjoyed it (kids are 4.5 and 7.5). In the queue line, Mr. Potato Head as the Boardwalk Barker turned a lot of heads with his personalized-sounding lines. The ride loaded 16 guests at a time, and moved pretty efficiently. My husband and I got a little competitive and figured out that we could get better scores when we sat with our youngest child. Since both people in the seat are shooting at the same targets, you have a better chance at hitting the higher scoring targets if your partner doesn't have very good aim
Melanie: Just arrived home from Disney today – Toy Story Mania is AWESOME! We were lucky enough to get on during the soft openings – went on 3 times in one day. It is the best family attraction that Disney has done in a very long time!!! Very competitive!! Not to be missed!
KATHARINE CHISHOLM: My family and I were at Hollywood Studios on May 19th and got to ride Toy Story Mania several times as it's in "soft opening". The ride is fantastic — a little "spinny", but you get used to that. My mom (who can't even watch IMAX films on a normal TV) was able to go on it several times. All the games are different and each time you ride, you notice something new. Note, we did get stuck on the ride once and had to be escorted out, but that's to be expected until the official opening.
Jennifer Bogdan: My husband and I were lucky enough to be able to ride Toy Story Mania at the Passholder Preview. When we first got to it, we were told that the ride was broken down (much to other passholder's dismay–some had apparently been waiting around 2 hours). We came back a little later, and only had to wait 30 mins. The line queue was a trip down memory lane with all of the toys and games lining the way. The ride itself was fantastic. The ride is fast-paced (although a little jerky) and a lot of fun. It was a little disappointing that you only competed with the person next to you. So, if you have a larger family, make sure they all remember their scores to compared at the end. I loved all of the variety of different games you were able to play. The ride was still not 100% timed correctly when we rode it. But rather than have the ride just stop, a new screen popped up and we were able to shoot at things anyway, even though we weren't winning any points. Our hands were tired of shooting by the end of the ride, but we didn't care. My husband says now that he has now added this to his "Must-do" list when we go. He's already planning when we are going back. I figured that we would have to go early to get a fastpass because this is going to be an extrememly popular ride. This was the best new addition to MGM (sorry, Hollywood Studios) since the Rock n' Roller Coaster!
Joe: We did the new Toy Story Mania at The Disney Hollywood Studios. This one is a winner! It's fun visually exciting and its the kind of ride that you can do over and over again. Even the waiting area is fun. The whole new ambiance of Pixar Studios Street is a refreshing uplift to an already great park.
Lauren H: I was lucky enough to join a few of my friends at a cast preview of the new attraction. Let me tell you it was so much fun. The cue line was wonderful. There is so much to see and the detail was amazing, its like you were shrunk down to toy size. After you get your 3-D glasses from the lincoln log cabin you go through what looks like a circus tent area to the ride it's self. Ok, for the ride, think buzz lightyear but even more fun and 3-D. There are different games that you play, such as a ring toss on the aliens, toss the tack to pop balloons and shot the duck. The ride keeps the scores for each person and there is a winner for each set of people. If you want to go up against your friends, make sure that you do not sit in the same car, there are 4 people to a car, 2 cars to a game. So the ride is great and I know it will be a hit!!
Cathy: We got a sneak peak of TOY STORY MANIA last week at Disney's Hollywood Studios. It was a Magic Moment when we were walking by the new ride and the cast member asked us if we wanted to come in for a sneak peak! I am so glad we got to opportunity to test it out! It is an AMAZING ride! The 3-D video games are outstanding. It is just incredible how you are completely submerged in the ride. You get to throw pies at Buzz, Jesse and Woody for a practice round and then you move on to throwing darts to pop balloons and torpedoes to break dishes. (I won't give away all the play scenes!) My three year old son and six year old daughter were in HEAVEN as they whipped around to each section of play during the ride. The best part is that the firing cannon is so easy to use, even my three year old racked up a good amount of points! This is a ride EVERYONE should go on!
Pat Dzaugis: My daughter and I happened to be in the Hollywood Studios on May 19th and saw that Toy Story Mania was opened to guests. I have to say that we loved the ride. My daughter said it was a combination of the Buzz Lightyear and the Tea Cups rides in the Magic Kingdom. It will be more appealing to children than Buzz in that there are so many Toy Story characters included in the ride. We were very happy to be able to ride the attraction during previews as we both agree that there will be long lines for this ride in the future.
Kelli Giammarco: AMAZING! That is the only way to describe the new Toy Story Mania ride. My family and I were able to ride multiple times during the passholder weekend. Everyone in our group enjoyed the ride (ages 3-65) and wanted to ride again as soon as we got off the ride. What a fun concept. The different games that are included are all unique onto themselves and so much fun to play. Pulling the pull string pop gun can get very exhausting especially if you are trying to beat the person next to you. The decor is awesome and very imaginative. My only complaint (being the mother of two small children) is that you are given the 3D glasses too soon while waiting in line. Otherwise, Toy Story Mania is going to be the new "crowd favorite" and will definitely be a ride you will need to fast pass in the future.
Keith Chaisson: During the passholder prevue for Toy Story Mania on Sunday May 11, the attraction went down with many people standing in line, willing to wait the one hour posted time. Sorely disapponted, but glad I was only in line 10 minutes, I vowed to go again after opening. I shot some photos, but could not fight the thundering herd of people leaving the attration. One week later, Saturday the 17th, I headed back to DHS. I figured that I would go back over to see if I could get the rest of my photos. I was surprised to see the attraction was open with no lines. The wait was posted at 20 minutes, but it was more like 10. I did get to see Mr. Potato Head remove his ear…..and rode the attraction twice, getting better the second time. The queue area is filled with memories from my childhood – Tinket Toys, Barrel O' monkeys, Scrabble, Fish, etc. It is well done and a great addition to the park. It was more fun than a Barrel O' Monkeys…..I couldn't resist.
Rhonni Harris: We were fortunate enough to get a sneak peak of the new "Toy Story Mania" ride. I have a annual pass to WDW but unfortunately wouldn't be at the parks during the pass preview, since I live in Hamilton, Ontario. We ran into 2 fantastic cast members who went above and beyond. They offered to take my nephew, friend and myself on a sneak peak as special guests of theirs. The details of the que que lines were amazing. It felt as if you were in toyland. There are giant gameboards and toys. The details are endless. As you board the ride you are given 3D glasses and begin your adventure through Andy's room with his bed,room accesories and toys. You then move over to where the carnival games come to life. Each vechicle has a sling shot type launcher and you pull the string to launch darts, rings and paint splatters on targets. The 3D glasses really do add to the whole experience. As you compete with others in your vechicle. Throughout the whole ride you could hear my nephew squealing with laughter and commentating his abilities on hitting each target. This ride certainly is unbelieveable. The detail and experience of the ride as a whole is undescribable. Being able to ride was a Magical Moment for us as we brought with us a 4 year old Toy Story Maniac!
Julie Valbuena: Hi there- I was at Disney's Hollywood Studios on Saturday 5/17. The Toy Story Mania ride was open and they explained that it was the first day of it's soft opening. The wait was only 20 mins and moved very quickly. The line moved you thru a few different rooms where there is plenty to look at. Mr. Potato Head even does a stand up routine. The ride itself is a lot of fun. You sit in a car with one othere rider and you move to several screens. At each screen you stop and play a virtual shooting video game using a gun that is in your car. The games were fun and quick. I will say that I went on the ride with my three year old daughter. At first she was nervous because the waiting area and the ride area itself is very bright, loud and highly stimulating. Once we were in the car and we would move from screen to screen the car moved in very jerky movements. Each time I felt like I had to reach over and hold on to her so she wouldn't fall out. Also because of !
the lap bar and gun in front of you children can not sit on your lap. The person who loaded us in our car even told us that she needed to scoot away from me a little so the lap bars could fit down correctly. All in all the ride way great. Tons of fun for those who like video games.
Stu Pruschen: For my granddaughter's 4th b'day, her parents and I took her, her 6 ½ year old brother and her 15 month old sister to Hollywood Studios and, while those not in the know ran to the "normal" attractions, we made a bee line to Toy Story Mania right after the park opened. No line, no wait. It was a great ride, but unfortunately we only got about half way through before we stopped dead. They eventually had to walk us out, because they couldn't find the right brand of batteries to get it going again (they said they tried the Ray-O-Vac, Eveready, even the Duracell, but nothing got it going) LOL…. But, instead of just leaving you sit while you wait for the ride to get going again, they at least let you keep "target practicing". We were stuck at the Ring Toss, and Zach, the 6 ½ year old and I kept on “tossing”. We did manage to get back to the ride later in the day, and it is a really cool ride. Kinda like Buzz Lightyear, but waaayyyy better. The kids wanted nothing else but to go back all weekend. Kudos to the Imagineers…..
KristaTX: After checking for soft opening previews each day last week, I was finally able to catch a preview of the new Toy Story Mania attraction this past Saturday. Most people seemed unaware that it was even open, and the lines were not bad at all. My husband and I waited once in the regular line for about 10 minutes, and then rode it several more times with absolutely no wait by using the single rider line. On my last ride the attraction broke down. We had to be walked out, which took maybe 20 minutes since everyone is secured into the ride vehicles with hefty lap bars that must be unlatched from someplace inside each individual ride vehicle's walls. The ride will be a good addition to the park since it is appropriate for all ages. The game itself is quite addictive, and I found it to be much more fun than Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, but not nearly as unique or spontaneously entertaining as the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire attraction that used to stand in w!
hat is now Toy Story Mania's location.
Sharlon O'Neal: Ok, not a trip report, but feedback on Toy Story Mania. I rode it during soft opening on Saturday, May 17th. All I can say is WOW. They really hit a home run on this one. This is a great ride because it is safe for the entire family, fun, themed well, and very participatory. The various carnival games are fun and your competitive streak definitely comes out. It was my sister and I (35 and 37) without our kids/hubbys. We ruled that this ride beats Buzz Lightyear by a landslide.
Cookie Wright: As annual passholders, we were able to visit the Toy Story Mania attraction. It was wonderful! As you enter and walk through to the boarding area, you are treated to many of your favorite childhood games, only a lot larger. The ceiling is a Scrabble board and the area is full of Tinker Toys and crayons as well as many other games and game pieces. Mr. Potato Head talks to you as you wait in line. We have heard that he is able to actually converse with you but we didn't witness that since the line moved quickly. You board a car and choose a colored weapon. This makes it easy for you to track your shots and determine your accuracy. You travel to several scenes in which you "shoot" your weapon and try to score as many points as you can. There is a countdown when your time at a scene is about to expire. At each scene, you "shoot" different objects with different ammunition. If the ride is stopped for any reason, you can continue to shoot although you can't earn any points. At the end, your score as well as your accuracy appear in your car and on a large scoreboard. This attraction is somewhat similar to Buzz Lightyear but a great improvement. You can actually see what you are hitting because of the different colored ammunition as opposed to seeing only red lights at Buzz. You are also told your accuracy. All in all, it was a great experience and one I look forward to returning to in the future.
