Before I start, I would like to issue yet another apology for the lateness of this post. I am having the dreadful misfortune to experience yet more technical issues with Blogger, which I am trying to find a permanent solution to. In the meantime, I thank you for your patience, and pledge to publish posts as soon as I possibly can. The show must go on!
Arguably the biggest innovation in theme park attraction technologies in the last decade is the many ways in which attraction designers can add whole dimensions of interactivity to the experiences they create. The Disney Imagineers were the pioneers of this massive advance in how theme park attractions function, and remain to this day the best in the world by far at creating interactive attractions. Naturally, shows are the attraction genre which are best suited to becoming interactive, but the ingenious Imagineers have concocted a winning interactivity formula which works for rides too. And considering how far ahead Disney's interactive attractions are of those of other parks, I shouldn't think they'll be giving away their secret ingredient any time soon!
It's undeniable that the Walt Disney World attraction which best epitomises the vast range of technology available in this respect is Toy Story Mania over at Hollywood Studios. The sole attraction in the park's 'Pixar Place' area, Toy Story Mania takes riders through an area themed as a carnival midway, where they play a host of interactive games on 3D screens which their ride vehicle stops in front of. The games, which all involve throwing virtual objects to hit targets, are controlled by a drawstring 'gun' fixed to the ride vehicle, with one gun per rider. This system is similar to that of Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin at the Magic Kingdom, indeed many people argue that the two attractions make each other redundant, due to them both being themed around the same characters and having similar conceptual features. Despite this, however, both attractions do have their differences, most notably how Buzz Lightyear's targets are really there, whereas on Toy Story Mania, they're on a 3Dvscreen. Apart from the aforementioned concerns, both attractions quite happily co-exist in Walt Disney World.
There are so many other ways in which guests can interact with this experience, and I was going to list them all now for you. But then, I had a brainwave! I have decided to add 'interactivity' as a category in which I rate the different attractions I review. So, starting today, every attraction review will also include my comments on the attraction's interactivity!
Anyway, back to TSM. Whilst the attraction itself is pretty cool, anyone whose ever been to Hollywood Studios will tell you that actually getting to experience it is a nightmare. TSM is by far the Walt Disney World attraction with the longest lines, and has been since its May 2008 opening. This is most influenced by the attraction's extreme popularity, largely caused in turn by the popularity of the Toy Story movies on which the attraction is based. When coupled with the fact that this attraction is a slow loader, the equation becomes disproportionate, therefore making long lines ubiquitous due to the attraction's inability to accommodate the droves of eager guests who rush to it each morning at rope drop, and continue to inundate it throughout the day. And it's not just peak times when these kind of waits are common, it's all year round, with the attraction rarely, if ever, having waits of less than 40 minutes. It's usually considerably more than that too! As you would expect, it is also insanely hard to get your hands on a Fastpass for TSM, especially one with a reasonable return time. Fastpasses are typically all gone by 11:30am, and you have to obtain one much earlier than that if you want to return at a decent time. Therefore, my biggest piece of advice if you're looking to ride TSM is to arrive at the Studios prior to park opening, and dashing to TSM as soon as that rope drops to either ride the attraction, or obtain Fastpasses- maybe even both! Try any other time of day and you'll most likely be greeted with a massive wait of 90+ minutes, and little or no Fastpasses available with which to bypass it. The only advantage all this causes is that Hollywood Studios' other major attractions have had their early morning waits significantly shortened by the arrival of TSM.
And now for my ratings of Toy Story Mania:
Thrill~ 8/10
This attraction is another which will delight your senses, predominantly your sight and sound senses. This is enhanced by the impressive 3D graphics showcased by this attraction, made even more impressive by the fact that they aren't showing a set recording, but instead a real-time game. The games are the creme de la creme of this attraction, bringing life to an environment which otherwise contains minimal theming, and providing the most thrill as well, as guests compete in lighthearted contests for high scores.
Scariness~ 1/10
There really is nothing which is at all scary in any way about TSM! It's one of Walt Disney World's most family friendly attractions, and has no features which are at all intimidating. The focus here is having fun, and that is exactly what this attraction delivers.
Theming~ 9/10
Like I said previously, a lot of the theming of the actual ride is virtual, but despite this Disney have still managed to strike a perfect balance between both the virtual theming and the environmental theming. It all flows remarkably well to create a very believable environment as a setting for your interactive adventure. An honourable mention goes to the queue, which is one of those great queues which perfectly gets you in the right mood to best experience the attraction. It uses giant versions of various popular real life toys to create the illusion that you've been shrunk down to the size of one, creating a visually interesting environment to queue in. Whilst I've only ever used Fastpass for this attraction, I have been in the main queue areas, and whilst they are very well themed, they don't really have enough to keep guests occupied, especially considering the amount of time some guests spend in line for this attraction. It's only a matter of time before Disney install an interactive queue into this attraction, if you ask me.
Educational~ 2/10
There really isn't much to be learnt from TSM, apart from how to perfectly pull of an interactive attraction!
Fun~ 10/10
As I have hinted several times earlier in this article, Toy Story Mania is all about fun! As with
Journey Into Imagination With Figment, last week's attraction, the focus on Toy Story Mania is 100% fun, with the lightheartedly competitive experience contributing a great deal to this. It's impossible not to enjoy all of the beautifully devised games, or at least the spirit of competition!
Repeatability~ 10/10
Because you play games on TSM, it becomes incredibly easy to repeat, as you get a slightly different experience each time you ride it, with each one being unique to you. Whether you're trying to beat your own high score, beat that friend we all have who's worryingly good at winning all the games, or just trying to simply hone your skills as a beginner, there are so many ways to experience TSM, and so many mentalities in which to do so.
Interactivity~ 10/10
TSM is without a doubt WDW's most interactive ride, and if it weren't for Monsters Inc Laugh Floor over at the Magic Kingdom, it would most likely be the most interactive attraction too. Not only is there the innovative Mr Potato Head animatronic in the queue, who engages with guests in real time, but the very essence of the attraction itself, where YOU control what happens on the screen, and ultimately your own 'destiny', at least as far as the attraction goes. The friendly competition within your ride vehicle adds a great deal to this, a whole new dimension of interactivity, if you will.
And finally, my overall rating of Toy Story Mania~ 8/10
I'll be honest, for me TSM didn't really live up to its excessive hype. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't exceptional either, and whilst I hate to say this, it wasn't quite up to the standard I expected and was made to expect. True, it is still early days for a lot of the technology adopted in the attraction, and as a 15 year old boy I don't exactly fit into this attraction's target demographic, but as a family attraction, TSM really does need to be as universally appealing as possible. It's not like my opinions have been influenced by my preferred type of attractions either. Whilst I, like most people my age, am a big thrill seeker, I also have a lot of appreciation for rides with a rich storyline, they are in fact my preferred attraction type, something a little less common amongst people my age!
Despite all this, however, I do think that TSM is a truly great attraction. I have no doubts in my mind that Disney will update it as new technology available, and that it will remain a major part of the Hollywood Studios attraction lineup for many decades to come.
So, what do you think? Is Toy Story Mania really Walt Disney World's most interactive attraction, or is there one which exceeds it in this field? Are interactive attractions the way to go for the future? Share it with the world in the comments below, or on the blog s Facebook page!
Thank you for reading, and have a magical day!
