Toy Story Mania Video - Ridethrough

annag · Post by **annag** » May Sat 03, 2008 3:01 pm

This was posted on youtube yesterday. Has anyone seen it yet?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_ZCrf6m9OU

Annag

Cheshire Cat · Post by **Cheshire Cat** » May Sat 03, 2008 5:22 pm

I haven't watched it yet (I'll probably wait to see this one in person), but the youtube comments seem to be "mixed". Of course, filming something 3D will never come out good. I just want to hear from people who have seen it in person...er... I want to hear from a long time Disney fan who has seen it in person.

After seeing that comment about how it's easier to use than BSRS, my new hope is that this new attraction will essentially be "replacing" BLSRS so that something more appropriate can be placed in Tomorrowland.

ckc0915 · Post by **ckc0915** » May Sat 03, 2008 11:02 pm

i will not watch either, i want to experience it for the first time with a fresh perspective and try to really experience the ride. i dont want to go in to it with any preconcieved notions because of a video that may or may not capture the ride as it really is. i did the same with EE when it opened, and im really glad i did. that being said, i cant wait to do this attraction when i go in august. its not very often that i get to experience something brand new in disney, so im looking forward to it.

cccmouse · Post by **cccmouse** » May Sun 04, 2008 7:21 am

Thanks for posting the link. I just watched it and it looks fun.

figment34786 · Post by **figment34786** » May Sun 04, 2008 9:46 am

I don't need to see the video... I was able to get on it yesterday! It is REALLY awesome!

But if I were you, don't watch any of the ride videos if you haven't ridden it so it will be a surprise. I completely agree with ckc0915 and Cheshire Cat. Don't see the video until you see the ride first!

Lion Sleeps Tonight · Post by **Lion Sleeps Tonight** » May Sun 04, 2008 9:28 pm

Stay away from the video, although even when watching it you'll never get the full effect. It's just like trying to watch Muppets or Philharmagic on a video screen without glasses.

Toy Story Mania is much more fun and entertaining than Buzz, imho. Idea is the same, but this attraction just seems more lively.

luv2cthemouse · Post by **luv2cthemouse** » May Thu 08, 2008 8:19 am

Thanks fo much for posting this. I have been waiting to see.

Woot!!

QuickGold · Post by **QuickGold** » May Thu 08, 2008 11:29 am

The video really does not do the ride justice. I wouldn't bother watching the video and let the ride surprise you the first time you ride

SWHorn · Post by **SWHorn** » May Thu 08, 2008 2:50 pm

I think I'll pass on watching the video and see wait to see it in person in December.

Thanks for the link, though!

disneydreamer58 · Post by **disneydreamer58** » May Thu 08, 2008 3:52 pm

Thanks for sharing the video. the ride does nothing for me. I am not into the "video gaming/interactive" whatever you wanna call it, style of ride, that is why Buzz doesn't look like a ride I will go on when I am at DL next month. For me who cares about raking up points, to me it is not Disney at all. Give me Haunted Mansions, Pirates, Alice, Snow White, etc any day over this Toy Story & Buzz kind of ride. Guess maybe I am just too old to see what the "attraction" is for this kind of thing

That's just my opinion.

Yensidaj · Post by **Yensidaj** » May Thu 08, 2008 5:16 pm

I agree with you bostoncq I too would love to see more E ticket rides along the line of Pirates and Haunted Mansion it just seems that Disney has really stepped back from the long dark rides of ole and gone with quick cookie cutter interactive experiences like monsters inc laugh floor and buzz space ranger spin. the only ride that really seems to have a bit of the spark and theming that the rides of old had is the tower of terror but I cant go on that one ever again ... scared the jeepers out of me.

DisBeamer · Post by **DisBeamer** » May Thu 08, 2008 7:29 pm

I went ahead and watched even though I won't see it in person until October-ish. I'm kind of ignoring the apparent sound and video quality of the ride for the moment since obviously a youtube video will pale in comparison to the actual experience.

Looking at it, and another blog post of someone who went on a cast member preview... I'm kind of disappointed. The queue looks fantastic, I must admit. I'm looking forward to seeing it in person, and am nearly giddy about the fact they obviously put a lot of effort into that area (see also: The Wasteland of Soarin').

The concept of the ride itself though? Ehn. It looks like a repeat of Buzz with screens. I wish I understood the fascination they have these days with things on screens. The idea of Disney park rides, as espoused by the man himself, was to take movies/stories and put people in them in a 3d environment. Screen = not 3d. And no, 3d glasses don't count, imo.

I'm disappointed that it looks so ... 'same' when I know for a fact they're capable of better (Everest, for example, or Mission:Space which I feel is a clever use of the cursed screens... or the HM/PoTC refurbs). I'll reserve final judgment until I can try it in person, though. I don't require that things be innovative to be fun, but I wouldn't accept the reason 'it's still fun' as an excuse for not being innovative, if that makes sense.

Captain Schnemo · Post by **Captain Schnemo** » May Thu 08, 2008 8:11 pm

Nice queue.

But the ride...boooooooring.

OK, not boring, really. It does look like a lot of fun. But what makes it a ride? You're just moving from place to place, playing a stationary video game. Since it's all screens, they could have it set up as a little kiosk somewhere and change the screen to mimic each game (which pretty much sounds like the DisneyQuest Pirates game this is based on). That would have accomplished the same thing.

(And the irony of using expensive technology to virtually recreate an experience that Walt was purposely moving away from when he created Disneyland was not lost on me.)

I have to wonder about all these screens as well. It's possible they think kids will be more comfortable with screens, since they sit in front of them all day long, but all that means is that they're providing the kids with an experience they can get almost anywhere. If they have a Wii, they've already had more fun than this. I suppose the 3D is a special gimmick, but I expect that will be available in home games soon enough. Hell, I was playing 3D games on my Vectrex in 1982.

Anyway, it's not that screens can't be used impressively when integrated into a larger experience (see: Spider-Man), but just overtly moving from one screen to another is incredibly lame and a waste of the tech. Why is this a ride again? At least in Buzz, you're moving through some sort of landscape. I mean, the screens make it easy to simulate things, but they aren't even simulating motion! They're simulating standing in place.

I suppose the screens offer the possibility of an occasionally updated and ever-changing experience, but given their track record with that (see: Star Tours), I'm not sure they deserve the benefit of the doubt. At least this attraction is so flat and uninspired that it would be easy to change out the games without making another other changes of note.

All that said, it looks like a fun C-ticket attraction. Not a complete disaster or anything, but really shows a lack of imagination.

QuickGold · Post by **QuickGold** » May Fri 09, 2008 7:46 am

Captain Schnemo wrote:Nice queue.

But the ride...boooooooring.

How can you judge a ride you've never ridden? The ride is a lot more fun than you give credit for. You're watching a video of a ride and think it's boring...no kidding! You need to experience it for yourself and not use one video of a ride to make your decision on (or go on for a number of paragraphs like you've spent 5 minutes on it).

The attention to detail is wonderful and the ride is addicting. You don't have to be a "video game guy" for this. This is a family attraction that is addicting for almost anyone involved. I think if you play it once, you'll want to come back and ride it again. This is NOT "just another buzz lightyear", no more than Splash Mountain is "just another log ride" or Pirates of the Caribbean "just another river ride".

Captain Schnemo · Post by **Captain Schnemo** » May Fri 09, 2008 12:28 pm

QuickGold wrote:How can you judge a ride you've never ridden?

I can judge the design and the content fairly.

I'm not saying the ride itself is boring. As I said, it looks like fun.

I'm saying the design of the ride and the use of the tech is boring. First you've got these cars that move and then sit in place while you look at a static target. The opportunity of combining 3D with motion is wasted and there's really no reason why the cars are moving.

Then you've got the place designed like a warehouse on the inside, which doesn't leave room for surprises and doesn't give you a sense of intimacy. That could be by design, of course, because of the midway theme, but...

...the midway theme is lame. The "story" that you're just playing carny games is weak. It'd be much cooler if the tech were integrated into a larger storyline, potentially with consequences more important than getting the high score. The experience could change dramatically depending on whether or not you succeed at given tasks. Maybe it changes like this anyway, but if it's only based on score, it's awfully artificial.

Never mind that these games are antithetical to Disney parks as a whole, they're again drawing attention to the tech instead of creating a deeper experience. It's like Crush...the tech is extremely cool, but with all the focus on that one gag, it doesn't seem to go that extra mile. It seems more obviously like "well, we have this trick we can do, how can we make an attraction out of it?", as opposed to something like "OK, what can we do to make a convincing haunted house?".

As I said, though, it looks like fun, and if you take it for what it is, it's not horrible or insulting or anything. It's just another wasted opportunity (although that counts as a winner these days, I guess).