MY REVIEW!
Trust Mr. Potato Head...Do you think he's kidding? Your life will not be mundania, after you play MIDWAY MANIA!
Medium Spoilers Ahead
PIXAR PLACE
Still ALOT To be finished. The gift shop, cafe, meet n' greets, and whole left side of the street is still under construction. Though from what I've seen, there is going to be lots of detail, and the whole are just looks beautiful with the trees and brickwork. I woudn't judge the area harshly, as again, it's still under construction, and even when done, there will be lots of cool little details showing up in the months ahead. The story here (As I mentioned before.) is that Pixar Place (Like Maroon Studios) is where all the Pixar magic takes place. The toys are all out in full force, because they're inviting us all to become Toys and see the great new Midway games they've set up. (Neat detail: Some of the CM door signs say to Keep out Pixar Studios Animators: Toys Only. This means that the Pixar Studios Animators from the outside are just as excited to shrink down and see what the Toy's are up too, just as we guests are.) After we pass through the beautiful glass hall, we are now TOYS! The Cast Members are Andy's Toys, keeping in grand MGM-Studios tradition. (RNR has their Parking Attendents, Tower its' Bellhops, and who could forget the Muppet Labs workers?)
QUEUE
Without a doubt, I can say I pitty Disneyland for once. (I know! Who thought I'd ever say THAT?) They have a nice building, but we have SOOOO much space, and the Imagineer's put to good use. At every twist and turn of the queue you'll find great details and your favorite childhood toys bigger than life! I can't possibly mention all of the details because there are so many (And spotting them is half the fun!), but I will point out my favorite: And it was clearly made for two groups, Imagineers; And us. After entering the queue, there are two giant viewmaster slides. Look for the Disneyland Tomorrowland one, featuring the Peoplemover and the Mighty Microscope!
:sohappy:
After working your way to the back, you finally get the chance to meet Mr. Potato Head! He's fantastic, and the crowd LOVED him. One trip through he had some problems and had to go behind the curtain. (Themed to a giant blue hankie with Stars & Boots on it.) Yes, Jim Hill was WRONG. They do not "Just throw a sheet over it."
After all this build up, you finally pick up your bright yellow glasses in a house built out of Lincoln Logs. (And it's just about the size of a
real house!) Then it's a trip up the stairs, and you get to see a great view of one of my favorite parts of the ride: THE LOAD AREA!
(Also be sure to listen throughout your trip through the queue and ride: the music made for the ride is really good!)
LOAD
Andy's room in all it's glory! Again detail abound, and this room in HUGE! I won't go into details, but let's just say (Again) it follows the grand MGM-Studios tradition of theming. I'd say it's on par with Tower's Boiler Room, and RNR's Parking Garage. I'd go further to say it's the best load/unload area in all of WDW. Be sure to look for all the details! When leaving, be sure to pay close attention to a very large Golden Book featuring: Tin Toy!
THE RIDE
Really, I'd have to say that you have a serious mental condition if you don't at least have "
a really fun time" on your first go-around. If you don't, go ahead and just check yourself into Arkham Asylum. The beautiful details, great dark-ride sets, moving, twisting-and-turning gametrams all add up to an auroa of fun. And that's not even counting the games! All of them are so fun to play, and all four rides had new surprises and targets that had eluded me the ride before it. Four rides, we found a super-surprise combo that yielded some great bonus targets! I won't tell because that's the fun of it. Each time you go on, you'll find new surprises and details. Go and find them! Don't let the internet tell you. I can attest 100%...you'll have a heck of a great time finding out the first way! Some things that I'm sure you're dying too know...
Yes, all the big voices are reprised by the proper voice actor. Hamm & Rex are the best! Keep an eye out for their peformances.
I, like you, kind of had a grudge against "
Screen-based attractions", but this one (Unlike any other) breaks the mold. It's SO much fun, and the 3-D is
so amazingly life-like, I forgot I was watching screens.
I said it!
I forgot. The games, animation, and all the Toy Story pals makes this one of the finest screen based attractions ever.
Gameplay! Unlike Men in Black, Buzz, and other "Shoot em' up" rides, this is the first one that if I've done poorly, I don't care. It's doesn't change how fun it was to play. As the box says, "Everyone's a Winner!" and unlike Midway Games of real; It's quite true. If you don't get an amazing score, you won't feel bad about waiting 120 Minutes. (I'm lookin' at you BUZZ AND MEN IN BLACK!)
Also, whatever new process they use to make the 3-D is amazing! No matter where you are in the building, no matter how you look at it, the space adjusts iteslf, as it would if it was actually there. (You know how Spiderman has to move the image in synch with the cars? Take that Spiderman! I can look up and down and it looks PERFECT!)
SPOILERS END.
In summary, you may feel like a winner: But the real winner is Walt Disney Imagineering. I was so proud to be there in the first line for Midway Mania ever. And nothing could beat seeing and talking to the Imagineers there, as they were very pleased to see such a great reaction to the ride. I really think that this is a perfect addition to not only the Studios, but too all of Walt Disney World. Everest is amazing, but it's great to have a brand new E-Ticket that the WHOLE FAMILY can ride. (In the vein of Haunted Mansion and Pirates, everyone can ride: Everyone can have a great time.)
In short, get to Midway Mania as soon as you can! You'll have a great time:
No Assembly required!*
*Some Assembly Required
:wave:
