New Roundup Rodeo BBQ sit-down restaurant coming to TSL

Casper Gutman

Well-Known Member
I'm feeling ranty this evening, so I thought I'd pontificate on how badly conceived TSL really is:

What do people remember about the Toy Story movies? Buzz lying in despair, emotionally and physically shattered, at the bottom of the stairs; Woody, Bo, Buzz, and Jessie standing on the windowsill, quietly accepting their mortality; every major character joining hands in silent resignation as a conveyer belt carries them to fiery destruction; and, most of all, "When She Loved Me." This is a series that uses bright colors and plastic toys to deal very intelligently with core themes of mortality and loss. A lot of early Pixar films dealt with fairly mature themes very well - Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, etc - even touching on some of those same themes of loss (in a lot of ways, the early films feel like they were made to address the concerns of men in their mid-30s, obsessed with the anxiety of fatherhood and fear of aging). But none did so to the extent of the Toy Story films.

Now, does that mean you can't make a theme park attraction out of them? Nah, but it means you have to design those attractions with a modicum of care and wit, respecting the source IP. We could have at least expected something with the intelligence, humor, and kineticism of the climactic sequences of each film. instead, we get a kiddie-land with mindlessly copy-pasted decorations.

The very concept of a kiddie land, of course, runs entirely to the Disney Park's founding philosophy. Putting that aside, there are Pixar films that are more suitable for a purely kiddie land - Bugs Life (a good film) and Cars, for instance, are a lot more simple and straightforward then the rest of the Pixar canon. Ironically, of course, those are the two Pixar films that have received the most elaborate treatment in American Disney parks.

As to this particular restaurant, it just embodies the massive laziness of TSL. Woody's Roundup is a specific thing in the film, a 1950s puppet show with its own aesthetic. Trying to replicate and expand on that might make this eatery, unnecessary as it is, interesting. But nope. This features the EXACT same aesthetic as everything else in the land, most notably the TSMM queue. That's made even more egregious by the fact that the art makes clear this is a basic square room in a basic square building with flat decorations slapped on the wall. And in the end, of course, that's why Toy Story appeals to Disney so much - not because of the greatness of the franchise, but because they've developed a very cheap, very basic, easily replicatable look that can be stamped out over and over again with little thought or expense.

And Toy Story isn't even the franchise they're treating the most poorly. As I noted above, I'd argue the MCU, the most successful franchise in film history, made out even worse in the theme parks. Disney is a corporation that does several things very well - Disney Animation, Pixar, Marvel - and several things very badly - live-action films outside the Star Wars (I know that will incense some, but its all my opinion) and MCU silos and theme parks.
 

J4546

Well-Known Member
well TSL has SDD which is an e-ticket imo, TSM which is a great mid tier ride and , a small ride, along with a nice sit down food option and a store seems to be a pretty decent land to me. Def could use some shade and maybe another small ride but as it is, 1 large ride, 1 mid ride, 1 small ride and now a restaurant I think TSL is a pretty cool land. But it is def aimed at young kids, I just really hope the BBQ area is western themed like the original concept art
 

Casper Gutman

Well-Known Member
well TSL has SDD which is an e-ticket imo, TSM which is a great mid tier ride and ***, a small ride, along with a nice sit down food option and a store seems to be a pretty decent land to me. Def could use some shade and maybe another small ride but as it is, 1 large ride, 1 mid ride, 1 small ride and now a restaurant I think TSL is a pretty cool land. But it is def aimed at young kids, I just really hope the BBQ area is western themed like the original concept art
I don't know how SDD, a fairly pedestrian kids coaster with Disney's now-trademark "one AA that you see briefly at the end of the ride" can be considered anything CLOSE to an E-ticket, a category including things like Pirates, HM, Spaceship Earth, and ToT. TSMM was a Wii came in an uninteresting warehouse when it opened and has only become more outdated. Aliens is fine, but its a vastly inferior version of the much more charming version on the other coast.

As for the land as a whole, I've already ranted about the monotonous aesthetic. But even worse is how straightforward the layout is - there is one path through with a branch to SDD. No interesting nooks to explore, no charming little seating areas. Just a big, flat, open space with a path and an outdoor food stand that, until now, lacked any shade. The uninteresting simplicity of the layout hides just how much space the land wastes.

Honestly, back when Toy Story Land only seemed to be something that happened to the foreign parks, folks on here were universal in their mockery of it. But somehow, because they added a kiddie coaster instead of a parachute drop, the American version, which wastes much more space and is far more central to its host park, is more than fine. Well, it wasn't that long ago that $130 tickets and $260 parties would have been considered excessive.
 

Henry Mystic

Author of "A Manor of Fact"
I don't know -- Toy Story Land is pretty abysmal. Most of it honestly wouldn't feel out of place at a Six Flags. People say that a lot about Disney to frame complaints, but I think it's the only thing at WDW where the Six Flags comparison truly applies.

I think it's the worst land/area at any of the four parks at WDW or the two Universal parks by a pretty comfortable margin. It feels like the whole area was designed to appeal to small children, which would be fine except that it appears they thought 5 year olds were the sole demographic. It also takes up a truly absurd amount of space compared to what's actually on offer.
Woody Woodpecker’s Kid-Zone @ USF
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Production Central @ USF
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Animation Courtyard / Mickey Avenue @ HWS
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Commissary Lane @ HWS
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Tomorrowland @ MK
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Dinoland U.S.A. @ AK
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Six Flags Over Georgia
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Toy Story Land
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UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
Woody Woodpecker’s Kid-Zone @ USF
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Production Central @ USF
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Animation Courtyard / Mickey Avenue @ HWS
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Commissary Lane @ HWS
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Tomorrowland @ MK
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Dinoland U.S.A. @ AK
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Six Flags Over Georgia
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Toy Story Land
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I'm not sure if you were attempting to argue or agree, but thank you for all the supporting evidence! Toy Story Land is the worst of those photos you posted; it looks like what they'd throw up at Six Flags if they had a bigger budget.

It's closest to Dinorama in overall look in terms of non-Six Flags parks, except Dinorama is supposed to evoke a kitschy roadside tourist trap (for better or worse) and Toy Story Land is not. It's probably closest to the Woody Woodpecker Kidzone in feel, but that's not really a land -- and it has a much better attraction than anything at TSL.

Look, it's fine if people really enjoy Toy Story Land. I'm not telling anyone they're wrong to like it. But I do have a hard time imagining how anyone can think it was well designed when considering what exists there vs. how much space it uses. Galaxy's Edge has more than double the content in an area that's not significantly larger.
 
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WDWYankee15

Well-Known Member
"In this unique, fun, family-friendly dining experience, guests will enjoy delicious barbecue fare while surrounded by a kaleidoscope of toys, games, and playsets that Andy has brought together to create his one-of-a-kind rodeo."
Is this just going to be Regal Eagle from EPCOT packaged in a different venue?

There actually seems to be a lot of barbecue options across the property. Places that I would say their main fare is BBQ: Regal Eagle Smokehouse (EPCOT), Flame Tree BBQ (Animal Kingdom), Whispering Canyon Cafe (Wilderness Lodge), Trail’s End Restaurant (Fort Wilderness), Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue (Fort Wilderness), Mickey's Backyard Barbecue (Fort Wilderness), The Polite Pig (Disney Springs), The Smokehouse at House of Blues (Disney Springs). There may be others I am not thinking of and restaurants that also serve BBQ food amongst other offerings.
 

pdude81

Well-Known Member
Is this just going to be Regal Eagle from EPCOT packaged in a different venue?

There actually seems to be a lot of barbecue options across the property. Places that I would say their main fare is BBQ: Regal Eagle Smokehouse (EPCOT), Flame Tree BBQ (Animal Kingdom), Whispering Canyon Cafe (Wilderness Lodge), Trail’s End Restaurant (Fort Wilderness), Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue (Fort Wilderness), Mickey's Backyard Barbecue (Fort Wilderness), The Polite Pig (Disney Springs), The Smokehouse at House of Blues (Disney Springs). There may be others I am not thinking of and restaurants that also serve BBQ food amongst other offerings.
Mickey's Backyard BBQ has been closed a few years, not that it changes your overall point.
 

Casper Gutman

Well-Known Member
I’d say Pixar pier is a lot worse, a mishmash overlay to bring random pixar movies into Paradise Pier. Totally unnecessary and poorly done.
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Hollywood land at DCA and Disneyland’s Tomorrowland also are pretty bad.
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These lands, even Pixar Pier, are immensely more visually interesting, with a great deal more variety, then TSL. They also make far, far better use of space. Additionally, of course Tomorrowland features far better rides then TSL. Personally, even in the remains of Hollywoodland, I find Monsters more appealing then anything in TSL - and Pier, which like TSL features TSMM, has a better coaster and more additional flats.

Pier is a contender for third worst US Disney land. I really wish the Pixar overlay had been made to mesh stylistically with the boardwalk theming. Still, its a much more pleasant place to walk around, due in large part to the body of water it borders and the boardwalk structures intermingled with the Pixar overlay.
 

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
Is this just going to be Regal Eagle from EPCOT packaged in a different venue?

There actually seems to be a lot of barbecue options across the property. Places that I would say their main fare is BBQ: Regal Eagle Smokehouse (EPCOT), Flame Tree BBQ (Animal Kingdom), Whispering Canyon Cafe (Wilderness Lodge), Trail’s End Restaurant (Fort Wilderness), Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue (Fort Wilderness), Mickey's Backyard Barbecue (Fort Wilderness), The Polite Pig (Disney Springs), The Smokehouse at House of Blues (Disney Springs). There may be others I am not thinking of and restaurants that also serve BBQ food amongst other offerings.

People like barbecue!

With that said, it's almost insulting to Polite Pig to include it in this list. It's so much better than any other BBQ offered on property, even though Disney does BBQ relatively well (especially compared to a lot of their other QS offerings).
 

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
I’d say Pixar pier is a lot worse, a mishmash overlay to bring random pixar movies into Paradise Pier. Totally unnecessary and poorly done.
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Hollywood land at DCA and Disneyland’s Tomorrowland also are pretty bad.
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Pixar Pier is definitely a bad overlay, and Tomorrowland in both parks has issues (the one in WDW at least has several attractions better than anything at TSL).

They are kind of a different category to me, though. Overlays and/or letting an area stagnate is a bit different than Toy Story Land, which was poorly designed from the ground up. They could have done absolutely anything there and that's what we got.
 
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disneygeek90

Well-Known Member
People like barbecue!

With that said, it's almost insulting to Polite Pig to include it in this list. It's so much better than any other BBQ offered on property, even though Disney does BBQ relatively well (especially compared to a lot of their other QS offerings).
I had Polite Pig for the first time last week. I was a vegetarian for 11 years until early last year but I had never made it to Polite Pig yet. Split a pulled pork sandwich and brisket sandwich. Both fantastic.
 

RSoxNo1

Well-Known Member
"In this unique, fun, family-friendly dining experience, guests will enjoy delicious barbecue fare while surrounded by a kaleidoscope of toys, games, and playsets that Andy has brought together to create his one-of-a-kind rodeo."

I like how the press release points out that this is a "family-friendly" dining experience, as if a Toy Story restaurant in WDW wouldn't be?

Maybe there's also going to be an adults-only Toy Story restaurant with college-aged Andy's new favorite toys? 🤔
Remember when one of the names they were work shopping for the park was Disney's Kaleidoscope Park?
 

TikibirdLand

Well-Known Member
well TSL has SDD which is an e-ticket imo,
Love 'ya, man. But, SDD is an E-Ticket? It's the same category as Goofy's Barnstormer, maybe a bump up in excitement. Both are considered, "kiddie's first coasters". We need them -- my kids still remember Barnstormer fondly. Both are themed about that the same albeit GB was better when it was in the context of Mickey's Toontown. But, I'm way off subject now!
 

SplashJacket

Well-Known Member
I don't know -- Toy Story Land is pretty abysmal. Most of it honestly wouldn't feel out of place at a Six Flags. People say that a lot about Disney to frame complaints, but I think it's the only thing at WDW where the Six Flags comparison truly applies.

I think it's the worst land/area at any of the four parks at WDW or the two Universal parks by a pretty comfortable margin. It feels like the whole area was designed to appeal to small children, which would be fine except that it appears they thought 5 year olds were the sole demographic. It also takes up a truly absurd amount of space compared to what's actually on offer.

Woody Woodpecker’s Kid-Zone @ USF
View attachment 615348
Production Central @ USF
View attachment 615347
Animation Courtyard / Mickey Avenue @ HWS
View attachment 615349
Commissary Lane @ HWS
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Tomorrowland @ MK
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Dinoland U.S.A. @ AK
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Six Flags Over Georgia
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Toy Story Land
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I like Six Flags, a lot, but I don't know when the last time you stepped into a Six Flags park.

You say Toy Story Land only appeals to 5-year-olds, so let's compare the areas for 5-year-olds at Six Flags over Georgia (one of the more aesthetically pleasing Six Flags Parks)

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Absolutely no cohesion, and what's there is visually unattractive.

I'm not saying Toy Story Land is the best thing since sliced bread, it's not, but y'all making it out to be something it isn't, an abomination. Slinky is not an E-Ticket, but it's surprisingly fun, especially at night. It's nowhere near Six Flags, nor is it the worst area in Universal, WDW, or even the top 3 worst areas in Hollywood Studios.

Your hate for TSL is not grounded, it's incredibly hyperbolic. Saying you're so hungry you haven't eaten in 50 years when it's been 24-hours since you've eaten, is an incredible hyperbole, even if it is valid that you haven't eaten in a long while.

Fandom forums, such as these, or really medium of discussion, suffer from extreme viewpoints by the minority because the average individual or opinion has nothing to add. "TSL is heaven on earth" and "Seeing TSL warrants self-euthanasia" are extreme positions that garner attention because they stand out. These positions garner attention from the opposing position because they differ so greatly. No one is going to argue with someone who says "TSL isn't my favorite" or "I had fun at TSL" because they are not extreme positions. Either side can respect comments like these, which is why they're not flashy to make.

Negativity, especially extreme negativity fosters on these forums because they are positions that generally oppose the general sentiment. People who go on a Disney forum must generally like Disney. Therefore, a comment proclaiming extreme positivity is closer to the average sentiment than an extreme negative claim.

You can't sit here and tell me that "Toy Story Land could have been fun and clever, a fitting homage to the films, but that would require more thought and skill then modern imagineering is capable of" isn't an incredibly hyperbolic comment. Modern Imagineering full of skilled people that are capable of designing fantastic experiences? Meanwhile, Rise sits next door, Pandora across the street, and Shanghai Pirates across the sea. Sure, everything WDI touches does not turn to gold, but it's an extreme hyperbole to say they are incapable of anything worthwhile. Dislike TSL, have issues with it, sure, all I did was highlight that a comment expressing immense disdain for a toy-based movie land had incredible hyperboles within it.
 

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