Toy Story Mania at Walt Disney World – Review
As a follow up to my Toy Story Mania review in pictures, I’d like to share my written review of the newest ride to open at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World.
I’ll sum up my thoughts on Toy Story Mania in one word – fun!
As you go through the ride entrance, you’re immediately met with a feeling that this ride is going to be fun! The environment is created to make it look like you’ve been shrunk down to the size of one of Andy’s toys from the original Toy Story and Toy Story 2 movies. Classic toys and new favorites are scattered throughout the queue in giant sizes. Even the ceiling is decorated!
Luckily, we were able to get Fast Passes to Toy Story Mania because the wait time never seems to drop below 2 hours! Based on how much fun the ride is, I doubt that will change anytime soon.
As we neared the end of the Fast Pass line, we picked up our 3D glasses and merged with the main line then went up a set of stairs that open to a grand view of the ride loading area. You can see the unique ride cars exiting and entering the ride as they make their way around Andy’s room which is filled with toys and games, including a lot of Tinker Toys!
When it’s your turn to ride, you hop on a 2-sided car (see the picture above) then head into the dark ride. The car moves faster than you’d expect and quickly stops at a set of 2 screens. Two cars line up next to each other and the riders facing the screens use their unique “spring-action shooters” to shoot at classic carnival game targets including balloons, but don’t be surprised to see unique targets like little green aliens from the Toy Story movies, too! While you and your partner are shooting at the screen in front of you, the two people seated in the same car behind you are shooting at a screen in front of them. It’s a unique set up that you have to see to believe that it works!
Your car sits at the first set of screens for a few moments then zips onto the next for another shooting game. This continues for several minutes (longer than I expected it to) as you and the other cars maneuver through the various screens with different games on them. At each screen, a different Toy Story character greets you and cheers you on.
At the end of the game, your scores are tallied and you can see how you scored in comparison to your partner in your car.
Aside from the fact that it’s plain old fun to zip around in the dark watching 3D screens and shooting at carnival game targets, Toy Story Mania is fun because anyone can play regardless of age or “video game” abilities. The targets require little aiming ability, and the shooters use a pull string mechanism rather than a trigger. My 4-year old triplets still have trouble using the blasters on Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin in the Magic Kingdom, but they had no trouble with the shooters on Toy Story Mania! As you shoot, your “virtual darts” appear on screen as splotches of color like paint that match the color of your shooter, so it’s easy to see where you’re shooting and when you actually hit something – another thing that’s great for younger children.
My husband and I went on this ride with our 4-year old triplets and my mother who is in her 60s. We all loved it and can’t wait to go again! Overall, I give Toy Story Mania two thumbs up!
Have you ridden Toy Story Mania yet? What did you think? Leave a comment and share your opinion.
Image: Susan Gunelius
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