A new batch of Toy Story Mania construction photos just posted at http://www.wdwmagic.com/toystorymania.htm
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New Toy Story Mania construction photos
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
darthjohnny
Active Member
Very cool. Thanks. :wave: 
CaesarBoxFan
Member
Thanks for the posting, Steve. The anticipation is exciting, "I hope it lasts."
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Um..... How many of us here know what the Pixar campus looks like in Emeryville? How many of us know where Emeryville is? How many of us have been to Emeryville?
I'm a big Pixar fan, seen and own all their movies, I live in California and have been to the Bay Area and in and around Emeryville proper repeatedly. But, I had no clue what their campus looked like until this WDW construction entered the final phases. And I googled up some real pics of the Pixar facility in Emeryville, and I must say it looks like any other business park in America.
Except for the rust brown Pixar sign at the main entrance, the facility is rather bland and boring and looks like they could be making toothpaste or computer chips or tennis shoes or Korean cars. It's no different from any other business park in the suburbs anywhere in America.
So if a certifiable Pixar fan and Disney park geek like myself had no point of reference for this building before doing online research about it, how many average tourists visiting WDW are going to understand what this building is supposed to look like and why it's significant?
I imagine a majority of the CM's working there are going to have to be specifically told that "this building is like the Pixar campus out in California", as they won't know the significance either.
It is a studios theme park, so overall this "theme" works, don't get me wrong. But I bet 99.5% of WDW visitors have no idea what the Pixar campus in Emeryville, California looks like. And if it's explained to them that the Pixar campus looks like your standard bland business park in the suburbs, that's not going to impress them much either.
This concept seems to me as something that only a Pixar executive could be excited about; building a theme park ride based on our offices in Emeryville! The rest of the paying visitors to WDW, and many of the CM's themselves, aren't going to pick up on this concept very easily. It just seems an odd thing to me.
I'm a big Pixar fan, seen and own all their movies, I live in California and have been to the Bay Area and in and around Emeryville proper repeatedly. But, I had no clue what their campus looked like until this WDW construction entered the final phases. And I googled up some real pics of the Pixar facility in Emeryville, and I must say it looks like any other business park in America.
Except for the rust brown Pixar sign at the main entrance, the facility is rather bland and boring and looks like they could be making toothpaste or computer chips or tennis shoes or Korean cars. It's no different from any other business park in the suburbs anywhere in America.
So if a certifiable Pixar fan and Disney park geek like myself had no point of reference for this building before doing online research about it, how many average tourists visiting WDW are going to understand what this building is supposed to look like and why it's significant?
I imagine a majority of the CM's working there are going to have to be specifically told that "this building is like the Pixar campus out in California", as they won't know the significance either.
It is a studios theme park, so overall this "theme" works, don't get me wrong. But I bet 99.5% of WDW visitors have no idea what the Pixar campus in Emeryville, California looks like. And if it's explained to them that the Pixar campus looks like your standard bland business park in the suburbs, that's not going to impress them much either.
This concept seems to me as something that only a Pixar executive could be excited about; building a theme park ride based on our offices in Emeryville! The rest of the paying visitors to WDW, and many of the CM's themselves, aren't going to pick up on this concept very easily. It just seems an odd thing to me.
I agree that your average guest won't make the conction that it looks like Pixar's studios, and I don't think they would care if you pointed it out to them. I myself didn't make the connection until someone on these boards pointed it out. Like you said though, it goes with the theme of it being a studio. Not to mention it just looks nicer than it did before. So I'm not sure I understand the complaint. :shrug:
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Probably because I don't have a formal "complaint" to make. :animwink:
I was just commenting on my thoughts on the building and the concept of a generic suburban business park being the inspiration for a theme park facade.
Anyone here know what the Pixar campus in Emeryvilled looked like, before you were told that this was what this building was supposed to look like?
Maybe they could put up a display case or something with pictures of the Pixar business camppus, so people could make the connection and learn that this is what the real Pixar kind of looks like.
MiklCraw4d
Member
Not me, and I consider myself a big Pixar nerd. I would have recognized the sign itself, but not the buildings.
I wonder how they're going to tie it all together story-wise, especially if they'll try to connect TSMania to anything or just kind of have it without explanation...
Evan's Servants
New Member
We have a family friend who has worked for Pixar for quite a few years now. He works in the lighting and shading department so we've had a pretty good idea about the Pixar Campus. Additionally, anyone who has watched the bonus features of the Cars DVD should have an idea. All you need now are all the electric outlets in the parking lots for the employees to plug their electric cars and scooters into...