HB2K
I Spit Hot Fire!
- Joined
- May 2, 2002
Disney Hollywood Studios has been, and still is, my favorite park. I loved Dick Tracy and Who Framed Roger Rabbit movies as a kid, so the 40s-50s Hollywood architecture and theme hooked me right away. Admittedly it has grown harder and harder to justify a devoting a full day to the park as more attractions either closed or frankly have gone stale. When the Star Wars & Toy Story expansions were announced, I found myself experiencing mixed feelings.
By default when Disney builds something new it's something to look forward to, but the idea of Disney building immersive lands leveraging such iconic content was a really exciting announcement. That said I found myself underwhelmed by the the description and concept art for Toy Story Land. The concept art, to me, looked very “off the shelf”, and frankly an excuse for a limited budget than a story which inspired Imagineering.
Fast forward this story to early June of this year. As my family’s vacation grew closer and closer, our first day lined up with the announced opening of Toy Story Land, and mixed feelings began to be replaced with excitement. I watched the vlogs from the media day event and increasingly found myself embracing the story. Slinky Dog Dash still looked like an off-the-shelf roller coaster, but the add ons remind me of something I might have tried to build as a child. Green Army Soldiers wandering around in the background of videos really made it appear that vloggers were in a toy’s world, and I couldn’t wait to try it for myself.
Having experienced Toy Story Land first hand during its opening week I’d like to share my observations on what Disney got right, where Toy Story Land falls short, and thoughts on how to fix it.
An Immersive World?
The elephant in the room is this...is Toy Story Land a place where you lose yourself in a grand story being told?
No, it is not. Imagineering did an incredible job with small touches to further the story that Andy built this land. The use of K-Nex toys for fencing, used popsicle sticks for benches, and Tinker Toys for light posts are whimsical touches. Using toys for merchandise stands, aside from being another neat Easter egg, is something Andy would have done if he truly were building this with toys in his backyard.
Slinky Dog Dash’s “combination” of a Matchbox car “launcher”, a roller coaster kit and Slinky Dog himself worked surprisingly well. Even though in many places Slinky Dog Dash visually looks like a decorated version of a roller coaster you’d find at a local Six Flags park, riding it is a much different experience, and I’d recommend that you not judge this book by it’s cover. I didn’t ride Alien Swirling Saucers, but some of the vlogs have pointed out the attention to detail in the signage & construction which again are nice touches in an otherwise off the shelf ride experience.
Those touches however are the root of what still disappoints me about Toy Story Land.
In the past plussing up things like light fixtures, trash cans and benches were what set Disney apart, enhancing the grand story being told. The attention to detail kept you in the story but they were never THE story. I’d wager that if twenty five random guests entered Toy Story Land without an awareness of the backstory the land was designed to tell they all would emerge from Toy Story Land unable to tell that story.
Additionally there are many places where the sight lines can quickly take you out of the story. Galaxy’s Edge construction is easily visible from both walk paths and while riding Slinky Dog Dash. There are locations where Slinky Dog Dash is taller than the fence element from Andy’s backyard, and the well documented lack of a transition from Hollywood Studios into Toy Story Land is real.
This led me to a revelation..the main issue with immersion in Toy Story Land is the story itself. While the backstory of being shrunk to the size of a toy in Andy’s backyard falls short, Imagineering may have stumbled into one which is much more potent; being immersed in the imagination of a young boy. That story opens up easy fixes, seemingly out of place expansions, and truly can give Toy Story Land a unique place in all of Walt Disney World.
How I would improve Toy Story Land
The transition from Hollywood Studios to Toy Story Land could easily be fixed by borrowing a page from Universal Studios Diagon Alley. Just as London provides a grand reveal when entering Diagon Alley, a tall fence with a “hole” in which you walk through could offer a similar reveal to Andy’s playtime carnival. The sight lines into Galaxy’s Edge can also be fixed with a simple flat front which is the themed to be the back of Andy’s house. Small touches which can increase the immersion 100%.
Speaking of Diagon Alley, part of what makes the Harry Potter intellectual property amazing for Universal Studios is the fact that riding the rides is only half the fun. Guests want to shop where Harry shopped and eat where Harry ate. Toy Story offers Disney a similar opportunity to allow guests to eat at Andy’s favorite restaurant and shop at his favorite toy store. The omission of Al’s Toy Barn and Pizza Planet from Toy Story Land is a missed opportunity and a failure of Disney to monetize the Toy Story intellectual property to its fullest, which leads me to my next fix.
I know there has been a lot of debate on how to add iconic Toy Story elements such as Pizza Planet and Al’s Toy Barn without breaking the backstory of being in Andy’s backyard, but I believe there’s an easy answer to this problem. If the story is centered on entering Andy’s playtime, the additions of Pizza Planet and Al’s Toy Barn can be simply explained as Andy adding his favorite restaurant and toy store to his imagined carnival using play sets, other supplies, and his creative imagination. The facades of these locations are comprised of toy kits, action figures, and homemade crafts but once you’re inside it’s a proper build of these shopping & dining locations. Just imagine supersized Chicken Suit Al action figure looming over Al's Toy Barn.
Finally the last thing I’d add to improve the immersive story would be to increase the amount of characters walking around this land. Seeing the Green Army men walking among guests in the vlogs really made it look like you were in Andy’s playtime, but in reality the only live characters I found in the land were the Green Army men, Buzz and Woody. If we’re in Andy’s playtime, when Andy's not around, there should be toys interacting all over the place. Mingling with Bo, Jesse, Bullseye, Stinky Pete, Lotso Bear, and others would help you feel like you’re in playtime. I also think adding some of the “Living Statue” performers as Army men who come to life as people walk by would also add some magic.
In my opinion Toy Story Land is admittedly a beautiful & themed land, but with a little tweaking it can realize the full potential that source content deserves.
Thoughts? I'd love to hear them! -Steve
By default when Disney builds something new it's something to look forward to, but the idea of Disney building immersive lands leveraging such iconic content was a really exciting announcement. That said I found myself underwhelmed by the the description and concept art for Toy Story Land. The concept art, to me, looked very “off the shelf”, and frankly an excuse for a limited budget than a story which inspired Imagineering.
Fast forward this story to early June of this year. As my family’s vacation grew closer and closer, our first day lined up with the announced opening of Toy Story Land, and mixed feelings began to be replaced with excitement. I watched the vlogs from the media day event and increasingly found myself embracing the story. Slinky Dog Dash still looked like an off-the-shelf roller coaster, but the add ons remind me of something I might have tried to build as a child. Green Army Soldiers wandering around in the background of videos really made it appear that vloggers were in a toy’s world, and I couldn’t wait to try it for myself.
Having experienced Toy Story Land first hand during its opening week I’d like to share my observations on what Disney got right, where Toy Story Land falls short, and thoughts on how to fix it.
An Immersive World?
The elephant in the room is this...is Toy Story Land a place where you lose yourself in a grand story being told?
No, it is not. Imagineering did an incredible job with small touches to further the story that Andy built this land. The use of K-Nex toys for fencing, used popsicle sticks for benches, and Tinker Toys for light posts are whimsical touches. Using toys for merchandise stands, aside from being another neat Easter egg, is something Andy would have done if he truly were building this with toys in his backyard.
Slinky Dog Dash’s “combination” of a Matchbox car “launcher”, a roller coaster kit and Slinky Dog himself worked surprisingly well. Even though in many places Slinky Dog Dash visually looks like a decorated version of a roller coaster you’d find at a local Six Flags park, riding it is a much different experience, and I’d recommend that you not judge this book by it’s cover. I didn’t ride Alien Swirling Saucers, but some of the vlogs have pointed out the attention to detail in the signage & construction which again are nice touches in an otherwise off the shelf ride experience.
Those touches however are the root of what still disappoints me about Toy Story Land.
In the past plussing up things like light fixtures, trash cans and benches were what set Disney apart, enhancing the grand story being told. The attention to detail kept you in the story but they were never THE story. I’d wager that if twenty five random guests entered Toy Story Land without an awareness of the backstory the land was designed to tell they all would emerge from Toy Story Land unable to tell that story.
Additionally there are many places where the sight lines can quickly take you out of the story. Galaxy’s Edge construction is easily visible from both walk paths and while riding Slinky Dog Dash. There are locations where Slinky Dog Dash is taller than the fence element from Andy’s backyard, and the well documented lack of a transition from Hollywood Studios into Toy Story Land is real.
This led me to a revelation..the main issue with immersion in Toy Story Land is the story itself. While the backstory of being shrunk to the size of a toy in Andy’s backyard falls short, Imagineering may have stumbled into one which is much more potent; being immersed in the imagination of a young boy. That story opens up easy fixes, seemingly out of place expansions, and truly can give Toy Story Land a unique place in all of Walt Disney World.
How I would improve Toy Story Land
The transition from Hollywood Studios to Toy Story Land could easily be fixed by borrowing a page from Universal Studios Diagon Alley. Just as London provides a grand reveal when entering Diagon Alley, a tall fence with a “hole” in which you walk through could offer a similar reveal to Andy’s playtime carnival. The sight lines into Galaxy’s Edge can also be fixed with a simple flat front which is the themed to be the back of Andy’s house. Small touches which can increase the immersion 100%.
Speaking of Diagon Alley, part of what makes the Harry Potter intellectual property amazing for Universal Studios is the fact that riding the rides is only half the fun. Guests want to shop where Harry shopped and eat where Harry ate. Toy Story offers Disney a similar opportunity to allow guests to eat at Andy’s favorite restaurant and shop at his favorite toy store. The omission of Al’s Toy Barn and Pizza Planet from Toy Story Land is a missed opportunity and a failure of Disney to monetize the Toy Story intellectual property to its fullest, which leads me to my next fix.
I know there has been a lot of debate on how to add iconic Toy Story elements such as Pizza Planet and Al’s Toy Barn without breaking the backstory of being in Andy’s backyard, but I believe there’s an easy answer to this problem. If the story is centered on entering Andy’s playtime, the additions of Pizza Planet and Al’s Toy Barn can be simply explained as Andy adding his favorite restaurant and toy store to his imagined carnival using play sets, other supplies, and his creative imagination. The facades of these locations are comprised of toy kits, action figures, and homemade crafts but once you’re inside it’s a proper build of these shopping & dining locations. Just imagine supersized Chicken Suit Al action figure looming over Al's Toy Barn.
Finally the last thing I’d add to improve the immersive story would be to increase the amount of characters walking around this land. Seeing the Green Army men walking among guests in the vlogs really made it look like you were in Andy’s playtime, but in reality the only live characters I found in the land were the Green Army men, Buzz and Woody. If we’re in Andy’s playtime, when Andy's not around, there should be toys interacting all over the place. Mingling with Bo, Jesse, Bullseye, Stinky Pete, Lotso Bear, and others would help you feel like you’re in playtime. I also think adding some of the “Living Statue” performers as Army men who come to life as people walk by would also add some magic.
In my opinion Toy Story Land is admittedly a beautiful & themed land, but with a little tweaking it can realize the full potential that source content deserves.
Thoughts? I'd love to hear them! -Steve
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That said sometimes necessity is the mother of all invention...I'm a huge fan of the first Deadpool film (seeing the second tomorrow when it comes out on digital release), and the lack of a super-hero budget actually helped make that a better film. The same could apply to Disney Imagineering...not everything needs to be a huge spend, which is why I tried to think of "fixes" which wouldn't require a ton of downtime and/or cost. Disney of course won't do this because as-is the land is pulling in strong attendance....so the old adage of don't fix something that isn't "broken" kind of applies.
