TOY STORY MANIA! RAISES THE BAR FOR INTERACTIVE RIDE-GAME ATTRACTIONS WITH 4-D FUN

Disneyland Resort guests are donning 3-D glasses and entering the wild and wooly 4-D world of Woody, Buzz and other favorite “Toy Story” characters in Toy Story Mania! – the newest attraction in Disney’s “Year of a Million Dreams.” The interactive attraction launched June 17 with high-scoring fun at Disney’s California Adventure park. It also opened in May on the East Coast, at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

Inspired by the Disney•Pixar films “Toy Story” and “Toy Story II,” Toy Story Mania! raises the bar for interactive ride-game attractions. It’s a high-energy, immersive adventure that puts guests right in the action as their game play triggers fun surprises that provide a fourth dimension of fun. Toy Story Mania! engages guests in a whole new way with the delightful characters of the films.

In the timeless tradition of Disney storytelling, Toy Story Mania! takes its inspiration from the fact that Andy’s toys spring to life whenever he is away. Soon after Andy got a “Midway Games Play Set” for his birthday, the toys jumped at their first chance to open the box and set up the game booths and carnival trams so everyone could ride and play.

Upon entering the attraction, guests are welcomed by Mr. Potato Head, more than five feet tall and looking like he stepped right down from the movie screen. The state-of-the-art Audio-Animatronics Mr. Potato Head makes a perfect carnival barker, capable of engaging guests in two-way conversation and encouraging them to “step right up” for the immersive Toy Story Mania! experience.

Everyone gets a front row seat when guests put on their 3-D glasses, “shrink” to the size of a toy and board the Toy Story Mania! carnival tram ride vehicles, which add a huge amount of fun to the interactive experience. The exciting and colorful route takes guests through “Andy’s Bedroom” filled with oversized murals and toys. The vehicles angle to face Toy Story Mania! game booths – high-tech yet rooted in classic midway games of skill – and guests aim for 3-D animated targets using their own on-board spring-action shooters.

The innovative design includes features that make the whoop-it-up fun of Toy Story Mania! accessible to guests with disabilities. Guests using mobility devices will find a station for boarding and exiting the attraction via a special wheelchair-access ride vehicle. Guests who have difficulty grasping the pull-string shooter will be offered a push-button option. Each Toy Story Mania! vehicle has the ability to provide captions on its video display screen , enabling guests with hearing disabilities to enjoy the fun.

As they board, players pair up and sit side-by-side for a friendly competition that delivers an ever-changing variety of targets and surprises. Guests can actually see the “virtual” objects they’ve launched leave their spring-action shooters and hit (or miss) the targets. And thanks to 4-D special effects technology, they may sense objects whirring past them as they pop out of the 3-D scenes.

The Toy Story Mania! games – five of them, plus an introductory practice round – are designed to be enjoyed by audiences of all ages and skills, from beginners to experienced gamers. Play is energized by the spirit of the “Toy Story” characters cast in games that best suit their very animated personalities.

First comes the “Pie Throw Practice” round in which guests can try splattering targets with virtual pies.

Next, Hamm hosts a “Hamm & Eggs” booth in which players launch plastic virtual eggs at various barnyard targets.

“Bo Peep’s Baaa-loon Pop” presents a landscape full of balloon sheep, trees and other objects at which guests can launch virtual darts. But players had better be careful! A popped virtual water balloon might add a 4-D wet dimension to the game.

From there it’s on to “Green Army Men Shoot Camp” where the challenge is to break plates with virtual baseballs.

Next up is “Buzz Lightyear’s Flying Tossers,” a ring-toss game hosted by everyone’s favorite space ranger, with Little Green Aliens as the targets.

For the grand finale game, Toy Story Mania! players ride through Wild West scenes launching virtual suction-cup darts at targets in “Woody’s Rootin’ Tootin’ Shootin’ Gallery.” A final “Woody’s Bonus Roundup” encourages guests to fire their spring-action shooters as rapidly as possible at one last super-target for extra points. When scores are tallied, players’ skill levels are identified and they can see how they’ve done compared to the highes scores.

No matter how many times guests return to ride and play Toy Story Mania!, they can be sure every ride-through will seem like a new experience.