Located in Pixar Place, Toy Story Mania is a relatively short distance from the front of the park, usually to be covered at a leisurely pace. However, if you arrive for rope drop at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you will be sure to encounter what I jokingly refer to as the “running of the tourists.” It seems as though every single person in the park beelines directly for Toy Story Mania in hopes to beat the long lines and score a coveted Fast Pass. My personal plan of attack in terms of this attraction occurs only on mornings that feature Extra Magic Hours for Hollywood Studios. Immediately at rope drop, I hurry along with the crowd, secure a Fast Pass, wait on the stand-by line once (sometimes twice depending on the estimated wait time after exiting from the first ride), then leisurely wait around and explore before being able to utilize my Fast Pass. I find that this plan usually works out really well, as by the time you are able to use the Fast Pass, the park is open to the public and the line swells exponentially. If you are not able to be there first thing in the morning, try to obtain a Fast Pass if possible, as midday wait times can easily exceed 100 minutes on crowded days. However, I will caution you that since the attraction is so popular and there are only a limited number of Fast Passes offered a day, the Fast Passes will run out by early afternoon on crowded days. So be sure to get your Fast Passes earlier in the day to experience this attraction with minimal wait times!

Now that we’ve talked about when I think is the best time to visit the attraction, let’s focus on the fun stuff! Be sure to take your time exploring Pixar Place and the immediate area surrounding the entrance to Toy Story Mania as there are some great props and Toy Story characters that you won’t want to miss. Be sure to keep an eye out for Mr. Spell and any messages he may be sending your way. Another great Disney touch of detail includes the green army men and the message that they are spelling out using Scrabble letter tiles. Any Toy Story fan will certainly recognize the reference of “you’ve got a friend in me.”

Once you begin to walk the queue of the attraction, you’ll quickly become immersed in the over-sized props and toys. Shrinking down to a toy’s size gives a great perspective on some classic toys and board games including Candyland, decks of cards, Tinker Toys, and a Barrel of Monkeys. Some of my personal favorite details from the line include the Chutes and Ladders board on the ceiling, the pictures drawn by Andy of Mr. Potato Head and Hamm, and the Viewfinder film reel featuring classic pictures from Tomorrowland in Disneyland. Those are some great details, but they are only several things in a highly impressive queue. Be sure to notice the crayons scattered around…does one seem different than the others? If you noticed that the pink crayon seems to be the only one that looks as though it was never used, then you’re right! When designing the queue, Imagineers took into consideration that Andy was a boy and probably would use the color pink the least in all of his drawings. Just another great example of Disney detail!

As you work your way further into the queue, you will come face to face with a large audio-animatronic of Mr. Potato Head. Acting as the Boardwalk Barker of the midway games, Mr. Potato Head directly interacts with members of the line that are passing him by and displays some of the most advanced technology that Disney has ever created. He is the first audio-animatronic to be capable of removing a body part (his ear) and reattaching it moments later. He is also the first to be able to form words and vowel sounds with his mouth and to feature animated eyes that are able to focus on the person he is interacting with at any moment. All in all, Mr. Potato Head is not only a technological novelty, he is also really entertaining to listen to and interact with. Anything that can make a line seem shorter and more entertaining is great in my book!

As you continue working your way through the line, you will soon find yourself in Andy’s room, or the boarding area, complete with the classic blue sky and clouds wallpaper. When you reach the bottom of the stairs right before the loading area, be sure to take notice of a book titled “Tin Toy” written by Lasseter. This actually refers to John Lasseter, head of Pixar and a creative advisor for Imagineering. The title of the book refers to an animated short of the same title created by Lasseter in 1988 which was a pre-cursor to the development of the Toy Story plot and franchise. Look for another mention of Tinker Toy on the side of the loading bay that you exit on.

Once past the stairs, you finally board your ride vehicle and are off to the midway games! You will find yourself competing in a series of mini-games featuring most of the beloved characters of Toy Story. The first mini-game is a target practice round featuring Jessie, Buzz, Woody, and Rex who help you get the hang of the pull and shoot system in your ride vehicle. The second mini-game is called Hamm and Eggs, hosted by Hamm and Buttercup, and requires you to fire eggs at targets like pigs and horses in a farm like setting. Up next is Rex and Trixie’s Dino Darts mini-game where you must fire darts at target balloons in a volcanic setting reminiscent of prehistoric times. The fourth mini-game, Green Army Men Shoot Camp, features everyone’s favorite little green men offering targets of plates to be broken with flying baseballs in a desert like setting. Up next is Buzz Lightyear’s Flying Tossers mini-game where you have to fire rings on your way to victory. The fan favorite aliens from Toy Story are your targets are they nestle inside rockets and a space background. Finally, you will get to play Woody’s Rootin’ Tootin’ Shootin’ Gallery where you fire at large targets of different values in the Wild Wild West. At the end of this mini-game there is a bonus round where you can really rack up the points if you are quick!

In each of these mini-games, be sure to be on the lookout for “Easter Eggs,” or hidden reactions in the games caused by hitting special targets. These Easter Eggs can be anything from a blast of air to the unveiling of more targets. See if you can find them all! Also be sure to try and pay attention as you are whizzing around between mini-games as there are some great details to be found inside the attraction room itself. My favorite detail here is strongman Rocky Gibraltar’s taffy stand. See if you can find him!

When your shooting is done, you are faced with a screen where you can compare your score with others in your ride vehicle as well as the high score of the day. This alone is enough to fuel competitive players to return and try and beat the high score! Finally, as you disembark your ride vehicle, take in the last few great details of the ride. In front of you is the second reference I mentioned before to the Tin Toy story and to your right is a great photo op with the larger than life bucket of green army men.

Despite the seemingly ever-present long lines, Toy Story Mania is one of my favorite attractions in Disney World as it both highly immersive and so much fun! I love going back time and time again to try and beat my own score as well as continue to take in some great examples of Disney’s attention to detail.

Do you love Toy Story Mania as much as I do? Ever have the high score of the day? Let me know in the comments below, I would love to hear from you!

Caitlin Corsello was born and raised in New York. She graduated from Adelphi University with a Masters in Mental Health Counseling in 2012. Her love for Disney started as an infant and has continued to grow with family vacations to Disney parks almost every year since. She holds a particular interest in WDW’s parks and attractions, never passing up an opportunity to visit. She looks forward to continuing to explore and learn about all things Disney and to share that passion with readers.

The post Disney From The Twenty-Something: Toy Story Mania appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios, formerly known as Disney-MGM Studios, is a park based on the glitz and glamour of the Hollywood of the past combined with a behind the scenes approach to displaying how the magic of the movies is created. With residents ranging from Kermit the Frog to Indiana Jones to Buzz Lightyear and Woody, there is something in this park for everyone to enjoy and experience in their trip into Hollywood.

Like my other recent posts on the attractions in the Magic Kingdom and Epcot, I’ve broken down the attractions at Hollywood Studios into three categories: thrills, classics, and must sees. So without further ado, let’s start out journey into the movies! Ready when you are, CB!

If you are looking for high thrills, Hollywood Studios is definitely the park to visit. From rocking out to exploring planets of the galaxy, thrills of every kind are located around every corner of the park. The first thrill ride you can experience is the Rock’n Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith located on Sunset Boulevard. A fast paced roller coaster with inversions taking place in the dark amid the blaring neon signs of Los Angeles, this attraction offers the opportunity to race across town to make it in time to an Aerosmith concert. Did I mention that you would be racing? Launching you from zero to sixty in just a few seconds, you get to ride in style in your own super stretch limo, blaring Aerosmith tunes of course. The stretch limos are packed with speakers offering you an experience like no other, and if you experience the “Love in an Elevator” option, listen for one of my favorite parts of the ride: the clever play on words changing the lyrics to “love in a roller coaster.”

While the Rock’n Roller Coaster can cause a lot of screams, it is actually housed entirely inside. So those screams you are hearing on Sunset Boulevard? They’re coming from The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Based on the theme of the classic television show The Twilight Zone, this attraction puts guests in the middle of their very own episode where they just might find themselves in (you guessed it) the twilight zone. Once you enter the deserted lobby, you can tell that something went wrong there, and as you embark on a ride in an abandoned service elevator you find yourself plummeting thirteen stories faster than the speed of gravity! Talk about thrilling! Perfectly combining the creepy elements of the twilight zone with a hair raising drop, this attraction is about as thrilling as they come!

If you’ve made it through the last two thrills, work your way over towards the Backlot section of the park and experience Star Tours, a thrilling adventure through the world of Star Wars! Star Tours is a thrilling simulated ride in a Starspeeder 1000 presented in beautiful 3D. After an extensive refurbishment last year resulting in new technologies which randomize the experiences you will have while riding, this attraction offers dozens of unique combinations ensuring you’ll be riding it again and again. You will also come face to face with many of the beloved characters from the Star Wars series, including the evil ones. So if you are up for some adventures in the galaxy, look no further than Star Tours!

The final thrill on the list of Disney’s Hollywood Studios comes in the form of a live action show. Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show is a fast paced show demonstrating the extreme stunts vehicles can perform in the world of movies. Beginning last summer, Lightning McQueen from the Disney animated movie Cars also joined the show’s lineup. An interesting angle of the show is that they do explain to you just how the stunts are planned, executed, and kept safe. The combination of movie magic, stunts, and technical explanations make this high thrill show one that can’t be missed. Just keep in mind that it is an outdoor arena featuring a small body of water, so the show can be cancelled in inclement weather (especially with all that Florida lightning.)

Moving on to classic attractions in Hollywood Studios, it should come as no surprise that number one on this list is an actual journey into the movies! The Great Movie Ride is located at the end of Hollywood Boulevard and takes guests on a slow moving adventure through recreated sets of classic movies such as Casablanca, The Wizard of Oz, and Fantasia. Throughout the attraction, you will have a host guiding you along, but don’t be surprised if you encounter some gangsters or cowboys; it is the movies after all. If you love movies, or have dreams of being in one, this ride is just for you.

Another classic attraction comes in the form of a 3D spectacle featuring none other than the Muppets. Muppet*Vision 3-D is a world of sight gags, corny jokes, and puns from beginning to end. A classic for its great attention to detail in both the preshow and the actual show, this attraction should not be missed. For a great small detail, check out the office door on the right immediately when you enter the building. See the sign saying that they left a key under the mat? Go ahead and check it out! Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for other small details and gags everywhere throughout the attraction.

In addition to the thrills and classic attractions, there are a few other experiences that I consider to be must sees in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The first is the newest attraction in the park and is proving to be one of the most popular. Toy Story Mania is an interactive 3D attraction themed in the style of midway games from a carnival located in Pixar Place. As you are shrunk down to toy size, you’ll encounter all of the beloved characters from the Toy Story franchise. Each player encounters several games in which they need to interact with the targets on screen and try and score the most points! Each scenario offers several hidden responses from certain targets, so you never know just what might happen each time you ride! I guarantee you’ll be going back again and again to try and beat the high score on this incredibly fun attraction.

The final attraction on my list is another stage show which is a must see. Fight sequences, ancient temples, and a whip…that’s right, it’s the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! Located in the Backlot section of the park, this live action show takes guests through the exciting world of Indiana Jones and explains how the stunts, explosions, and movie magic are made to happen. You won’t be able to help gasping and cheering along as Indy himself navigates through a series of thrilling situations. For an added bonus of fun, see if you can be picked before the beginning of the show to be an extra! You’ll find yourself onstage playing the part of a townsperson in one scene, and maybe even partaking in some other fun antics along the way.

While these are some of the most thrilling and popular attractions in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, there are many more to explore and experience! After a day in this park, you’ll feel like you were actually a part of the movies!

What is your favorite attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios? Do you think I left something off my list? Let me know in the comments below, I would love to hear from you!

Caitlin Corsello was born and raised in New York. She graduated from Adelphi University with a Masters in Mental Health Counseling in 2012. Her love for Disney started as an infant and has continued to grow with family vacations to Disney parks almost every year since. She holds a particular interest in WDW’s parks and attractions, never passing up an opportunity to visit. She looks forward to continuing to explore and learn about all things Disney and to share that passion with readers.

The post Disney from a Twenty-Something: Disney’s Hollywood Studios Attractions appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

by Blake Taylor

Photos by Ashley Reid

            The line takes forever.  You’ve heard a lot of talk about it, but you’re not sure if it’s worth all the hype.  But, in the end, you gave in and took extra time out of your day to be here.  As you inch your way toward the front of the line, you are immediately glad you came: colors abound everywhere, intriguing sounds can be heard in the distance (is that a toy train chugging somewhere?), and the scenery does its job at making you feel like you’re the size of a toy.  Even Woody and Buzz are here.  There is a fun experience ahead for sure, but if you’re expecting a ride on Toy Story Mania after a long standby wait, you’d be dead wrong.  Try a high school library at the beginning of an imaginative day of leadership bootcamp.

My class is the generation that learned how to use our legs just as Pixar was gaining its own.  Toy Story was the quintessential, non-gender-specific family film of our childhood, and as such was the one VHS that was seems to have been played more than any other when students at my school were young.  And as we grew up, so did Toy Story: as Andy’s playtime matured and became more imaginative with age, so did ours, and at about the time when Andy bid a bittersweet farewell to his toys in Toy Story 3, we started thinking about doing the same.  This film series reflects today’s teenagers so much that it’s no wonder that many of us feel that it defines our childhood.  Although an unlikely candidate on the surface, that nostalgia is exactly what made Toy Story a perfect theme for my school’s annual Officer Prep workshop.

Led by the student government Executive Board, Officer Prep is a yearly event in which students are empowered with what it takes to be a successful leader.  The idea is for students to go forth and implement their newfound skills learned at Officer Prep into clubs, teams, staffs, and other leadership opportunities they hold.  The event takes place during half a school day in the media center, and is driven by a central theme around which the day’s activities are based.  This year’s theme was Toy Story.

            I talked with Student Body President Annie Spence about the task of transforming the school library into Andy’s room in a creative and efficient way, developing a fun environment but ultimately conveying the goal of educating future leaders.  “Each year, we have a large brainstorming session with the entire Executive Board,” Annie says in describing how themes are chosen.  “This year, we all immediately took to the idea ‘You’ve got a leader in me’ because we look for themes that could carry a strong story line, decorations, and good use of leadership characteristics.”  So Toy Story it was.  “It was a movie that (hopefully) most of our ‘audience’ has seen and can understand the references we would use in our skits and workshops. We watched Toy Story just to be sure, and made a big list of everything from the characters’ actions that involved leadership and decided that the theme was perfect!”

There was no sparing of creativity as the Executive Board played Imagineer for a day by creating a Disney environment out of their own school library.  The media center was dressed to the nines in streamers, backgrounds, character cut-outs, props, and more, all culminating together a setting that was immediately recognizable as coming from the world of Toy Story.  The theme was further implemented by all Executive Board members dressing as characters from the film and kicking off the event with a skit.  “Our skit followed a story line about ‘Annie’ (me as Andy), a toy owner who has just gotten a new toy as a gift,” Annie explains.  “The other toys show the new toy their leadership skills, and teach the new toy, named Edmund, leadership traits such as teamwork, listening, respect, and risk taking.”

From there, attendees were taught the makings of a successful leader in several 20-minute sessions, each using unique ways to teach a different trait: Campaigning, Communication, Synergy, and Community Service.

“The most challenging part of bringing the Toy Story world to a high school,” Annie concludes, “was transforming the school library into a whole new world that made the students feel like they were a toy in Andy’s room. Changing such a familiar space into a whole new world is always challenging, but especially when everything must look large scale in comparison to the students.”  Judging by the smiles of leaders and attendees alike as I occasionally peeked in on the festivities from my Library Science duties in the media center workroom, it was clear that the event was a success all around.

Any visitor to a Disney theme park knows that theme is essential in creating a memorable, quality experience.  As stellar as a ride (or, in this case, leadership workshop) may be, it is the theme that the Guest gets to be a part of that truly allows the entity to go from mediocre to E-Ticket, and Officer Prep did just that.  Don’t be afraid to sprinkle a little Disney magic of your own into your school or workplace’s next special event—you might just impress yourself with how well of an Imagineer you’d make.

Blake is a high-school student who has been surrounded by Disney literally since birth, having had a Mickey mobile in his crib.  Blake enjoys helping peers plan WDW vacations and writing for his Disney blog, BlakeOnline.com.

The post To Leadership and Beyond: My SCHOOL Went Disney appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

Welcome to the WDW Radio Show – your Walt Disney World Information Station. Thank you for tuning in once again. I am Lou Mongello, coming to you this and every week bringing you the very best ways to enjoy and enhance your Walt Disney World vacation experience. This is show #67 for the week of May 18, 2008.

This week’s show is going to be just a little bit different from my normal show, as I just returned from Walt Disney World, where I was visiting to cover the new Toy Story Midway Mania attraction press event. So this show is going to be focused on the new E-Ticket attraction opening in Disney’s Hollywood Studios later this month.

I will first take a look at the event and attraction with Glenn Whelan, as we discuss everything from the new Pixar Studios area of the park, to the incredibly detailed queue and interactive ride experience. It’s a spoiler-free review and preview of what Guests can look forward to enjoying for many years to come.

I met with TC and Kerri, the two Walt Disney World Ambassadors, as they share their thoughts about Disney’s newest attraction

Meg Crofton, President of the Walt Disney World Resort, also spoke about what is happening not just at the Studios, but around the Resort, and will share that audio with you as well

I had the opportunity to interview a number of Imagineers who worked on the attraction, including Senior Show Producer Chrissie Allen, Senior Concept Writer Kevin Rafferty, Senior Show Producer Laurie Coltrin, and Vice President of Disney’s Hollywood Studios Rilous Carter. I’ll share audio with their thoughts on the attraction, as well as those of authors Simon and Sharon Veness from a Brit’s Guide to Walt Disney World, after experiencing the attraction for the first time.

I’ll also have an announcement about a new project I’ve been working on for some time now, so sit back, relax and enjoy this week’s episode of the WDW Radio Show.

You can email the show at lou@wdwradio.com or call the voicemail at 206-202-4WDW (4939). Visit the web site at wdwradio.com.

Be sure to view this week’s complete show notes page.

You can email the show at lou@wdwradio.com or call the voicemail at 206-202-4WDW. Talk about the show by visiting and posting in the WDW Radio Show message forums at DisneyWorldTrivia.com.

Thanks for listening! Be sure to tune in next week to the WDW Radio Show Disney podcast!

The post Show #67 – May 18, 2008 appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.