How does the Toy Story midway ride fit DHS?

[mharrington]

Is: Disney World Theme Park #3: Miscellaneous Concepts and Clones too on the nose?

Yes, maybe a little.

In the case of the Toy Story midway ride, it fits in at DCA because it actually does have a midway theme. At the Studios, however, the only thing the ride has to connect with this park is that it's based on a movie, which I personally don't think is enough. Here's what Studios Central has to say about it:

If you’re going to theme an area to represent a movie studio, like Pixar Place attempts to, that needs to tie in with the attraction. It’s not good enough just to have random rides based on movies put into brick or stucco buildings. I’m not asking them to bend over backwards, just to think a little bit about what they’re doing before they do it.

That's partially why I brought this up.

 

[wedenterprises]

It doesn't fit.

It would if it was rethemed to Woody filming a western tv show, however. The darts scene could work.

The monsters inc laugh floor fits in Pixar place better than TSMM.

 

[Mouse_Trap]

Then why is the park called "Hollywood Studios"? Pixar Place is themed to Emeryville, which isn't even in Hollywood, but in Northern California!



How would the addition of more attractions make the Toy Story ride fit in better? It would still be themed to a midway.

Not of a problem for those of us who still think of the park as 'MGM Studios'.

Anyway to most of the world, Hollywood = California and vice versa, a couple of hundred miles isn't at all much when you're a few thousand away.

Personally, I would have expanded the Pixar section of the park over everything else in the Disney portfolio, including Stargate or whatever it's called..... Pixar is current and keeps on turning out loads of great files that the kids love and equally generating huge merchandise sales.

But no, Disney would prefer to build a concept to a single film which people only seem to remember for its pioneering use of technology and little about the storyline. Even after that, the plans would seem to focus on a 40 year old franchise....which ok does have a sizable geeky following, but surely nothing compared to the collection of Pixar movies.

To my way of thinking, a huge Pixar land would attract far more people in than a Star Wars land which has limited appeal.

Maybe they are planning for Pixar to be a fifth gate? It would certainly have enough material, it would just seem that HS would be its natural fit.

 

[mharrington]

It doesn't fit.

It would if it was rethemed to Woody filming a western tv show, however. The darts scene could work.

I'm thinking you're likely referring to "Woody's Roundup"? If that's the case, it would probably work better in Frontierland, since it has a western theme anyway.

 

[Kuzcotopia]

You're right.

We should petition to have TSMM boarded up immediately.

 

[wedenterprises]

I'm thinking you're likely referring to "Woody's Roundup"? If that's the case, it would probably work better in Frontierland, since it has a western theme anyway.

Doesn't have to be Woody's Roundup, but yes something like that. He could be filming a movie even.

My idea was to focus on filming, so it would fit into DHS.​

 

[R W B]

Just answering the initial question,

Does it really matter lol? Only AK and MK really have dedicated lands IMO.

 

[acishere]

DHS has been having an identity crisis for a while. It cannot decide if you are just experiencing the goings on in a working movie set or whether you are actually entering the world of said film.

Everything now a days is just thrown together. What does a lot of blue things have to do with a Zoo?

Avatar and AK both share a conservation theme so it kind of fits there.

 

[mharrington]

Islands of Adventure at least can do miniature themed lands with their own internal logic.

Disney Hollywood Studios, on the other hand, is a complete and utter mess with attractions that run the gamut from "actual studio tour" (Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular, Motors-Action) to traditional themed reality (Tower of Terror, Muppetvision) a combination of the two (Star Tours, Great Movie Ride) to "who cares, it's a ride, you people like rides, right? (Midway Mania, Jack Sparrow).

Going by what you posted, how messy is Universal Studios?

 

[Bairstow]

Going by what you posted, how messy is Universal Studios?

Same problem, though the trend at Universal has been for all new attractions to take the "themed reality" approach.
Transformers, Springfield, and the Alley are all steps in that direction.

As it stands, though, you still have attractions that use all three approaches or a combination.

Mummy's a really interesting special case that actually modifies its themeing approach and changes the rules of its reality the deeper you get into the queue. Then the ride pretends to go all Brechtian, then changes direction three more times. It's like a post-modern theme park ride, and though I'm not sure it's wholly successful it tries some really unique things.

 

[HakunaMatata89]

i think the real question is why isn't the laughing floor in DHS, all things PIXAR should be in PIXARS corner

 

[Matt_Black]

It's from a Pixar Movie, It's from an animated Movie, It plays off the Movie. Why does that not fit DHS? The bigger question is what is RcRC doing in DHS?

Aerosmith played the Future Villain Band in the Movie Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club and also appeared in the Movie Wayne's World 2.

 

[graphite1326]

I'm sorry if it's already been mentioned before, but I can't help but wonder, how does Toy Story Midway Mania fit in Disney's Hollywood Studios? The ride also appears at DCA's Paradise Pier and Tokyo DisneySea's American Waterfront, which actually do have slight midway themes, so it actually makes sense. However, DHS has no midway theme, so how can it fit there?

In a building, sheeesh.

 

[Matt_Black]

In a building, sheeesh.

Auditioning for vaudeville, are we?

 

[WondersOfLife]

I'm sorry if it's already been mentioned before, but I can't help but wonder, how does Toy Story Midway Mania fit in Disney's Hollywood Studios? The ride also appears at DCA's Paradise Pier and Tokyo DisneySea's American Waterfront, which actually do have slight midway themes, so it actually makes sense. However, DHS has no midway theme, so how can it fit there?

The same way Backlot Studio still exists..... It's not supposed to. It's just there.

 

[mharrington]

Because your memory slips again and again and again. A pattern, if you will....

But is it necessary to criticize me about it?

 

[wm49rs]

But is it necessary to criticize me about it?

If it were once or twice, no, I wouldn't....

 

[lunchbox1175]

RnRC starts out in a recording "Studio" in Hollywood.....I don't see how it doesn't fit the theme of Hollywood Studios.

 

[TP2000]

Disney had already designed it for DCA, WDW didn't have anywhere better to put it and it'd been awhile since DHS had gotten a new attraction, bam. Toy Story Midway Mania in DHS.

Yup, that's about it.

It was a Jay Rasulo thing, when he was Parks Chairman in the mid 2000's. He doesn't get theme parks, doesn't have much love for them, and very rarely visited them when he was Chairman. WDI had designed the ride specifically for Paradise Pier in DCA, to slot in on the midway right next to the Games of the Boardwalk midway games. Midway Mania got a custom façade that played up the new Victorian/Edwardian theme of Paradise Pier, and it slots in perfectly in that location because originally that was the only park that was going to get it.

With an indoor/outdoor loading area and Mr. Potato Head acting as the midway barker heckling folks as they walk by.

The Games of the Boardwalk next door to Midway Mania also got a dramatic retheme and upgrade in 2008 as part of the project. Midway games leading to Midway Mania, it all makes sense!

For DCA, this was a radical upgrade to the park when it opened in 2008, and it hinted at what was to come in 2010-2012 as DCA underwent its huge 1.2 Billion Dollar extreme makeover during those years. Midway Mania at DCA replaced an ugly, cheap corner of the park done by Paul Pressler as it opened in 2001.

To go from this photo below to Midway Mania was quite a pleasant surprise, and more changes were on the way for DCA!...

Future Site of Midway Mania - Paradise Pier fast food and cheap stucco walls circa 2001-2006.

But as for Midway Mania's place in DHS? That's a tale only Jay Rasulo and some clueless marketing dorks could enjoy. At least it added a very good ride to a WDW park that desperately needs a lot more rides. But it was a very good step in the right direction for DHS. Interestingly, those steps stopped after '08 and DHS has gone back into a long term holding pattern shrouded in mystery.

 

[Goofyernmost]

RnRC starts out in a recording "Studio" in Hollywood.....I don't see how it doesn't fit the theme of Hollywood Studios.

It doesn't NOT fit, it's just that is it a much bigger stretch then Toy Story that is based on an actual animated movie. The recording Studio in question and the event were all manufactured from someones mind. But, that said, it does fit as well as anything that has been added recently, so, I am hard pressed to really find anything wrong with it or to complain about its presence there.

It is, in essence, a very imaginative way of introducing a high speed roller-coaster in a place that otherwise would not be imaginable. In that light, I have to say, good job on that one Disney!