Toy Story Land expansion announced for Disney's Hollywood Studios

[Goofyernmost]

It is a roller coaster and a flat ride. Roller coaster projects routinely go from idea to opening day in 18 - 24 months. Flat rides are even simpler.

I'm not sure what you are saying. It seems to me that the time frame of early 2018 is about 18 - 24 months. Please don't count the time that the other parts were closed. As I have stated one has nothing to do with the rest of it. The decision, green lite, if you will, is still in that time frame. That is when the clock starts, not before.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I'm not sure what you are saying. It seems to me that the time frame of early 2018 is about 18 - 24 months. Please don't count the time that the other parts were closed. As I have stated one has nothing to do with the rest of it. The decision, green lite, if you will, is still in that time frame. That is when the clock starts, not before.

Not 18 - 24 months for construction, for the entire project from preliminary design to final completion. The project was announced, after design work had started, in 2015.

 

[jt04]

Pretty sure the strategy is to open something major every year for the foreseeable future. Hopefully permanently.

Clearly that is what is determining how rapidly it gets built.

 

[Pam Hates Penguins]

Pretty sure the strategy is to open something major every year for the foreseeable future. Hopefully permanently.

Clearly that is what is determining how rapidly it gets built.

Like Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam?

 

[Pi on my Cake]

Like Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam?

More like Rivers of Light if it hadn't been delayed so much.

 

[Next Big Thing]

Threw this together. It's certainly not perfect and it's probably a bit out of scale on some things, but the land seems to be pretty easy to map out at this point.

1. Entrance to the land (where the Jack Sparrow building currently sits... Martin has said that this entrance will be one of the narrowest walkways in the park)
2. TSMM Exit. Martin has pointed out that this will actually be more in the area of #8.
3. TSMM Queue
4. The two area's marked with this number will be the Alien Swirling Saucer ride and have two sides of spinners. The arrow at the top is the entrance to the indoor queue building, marked #5.
5. As stated above, the Alien Queue
6. The entirety of this space is what will make up the Slinky Dog Dash coaster (and likely some backstage space too)
7. Load/Unload platform along with queue (multi-story). The arrow pointing in that direction will be the entrance to the queue. The arrow pointing toward #3 (TSMM queue) is the exit path from the coaster.
8. Quick Service location and gift shop

Also note the arrows down by #8... that will be the "Tunnel" leading you into Star Wars Land.

 

[marni1971]

Threw this together. It's certainly not perfect and it's probably a bit out of scale on some things, but the land seems to be pretty easy to map out at this point.

1. Entrance to the land (where the Jack Sparrow building currently sits... Martin has said that this entrance will be one of the narrowest walkways in the park)
2. TSMM Exit... it's actually quite closer to #3 than I portrayed it out to be.
3. TSMM Queue
4. The two area's marked with this number will be the Alien Swirling Saucer ride and have two sides of spinners. The arrow at the top is the entrance to the indoor queue building, marked #5.
5. As stated above, the Alien Queue
6. The entirety of this space is what will make up the Slinky Dog Dash coaster (and likely some backstage space too)
7. Load/Unload platform along with queue (multi-story). The arrow pointing in that direction will be the entrance to the queue. The arrow pointing toward #3 (TSMM queue) is the exit path from the coaster.
8. Quick Service location and gift shop

Also note the arrows down by #8... that will be the "Tunnel" leading you into Star Wars Land.

Pretty accurate, though the TSMM exit will be around where your #8 is. Between that and your #3 is the quick serve window and restroom block. To the left of these will be the TSMM queue area and entrance.

 

[DDLand]

Pretty accurate, though the TSMM exit will be around where your #8 is. Between that and your #3 is the quick serve window and restroom block. To the left of these will be the TSMM queue area and entrance.

Forgive me if this has already been discussed, but can you speak to the show elements along the slinky coaster? I hope it's something more substantial than static figures. Are there any Audio Animatronics?

 

[Gabe1]

It is a roller coaster and a flat ride. Roller coaster projects routinely go from idea to opening day in 18 - 24 months. Flat rides are even simpler.

True and I agree.

From what I am seeing this expansion doesn't look to be anything more than the Goofy Coaster that was built back in the days of Mickey's Birthday land at the MK. It could and should be a very quick build but likely will not.

I watched Goliath come to life in Illinois, Announced 8/2013, construction started 9/2013 and the roller coaster topped in 5/2014 and then opened in June 2014. Goliath and the new Toy coaster are not even in the same league, I put Toy more in the simple Goofy Coaster, Tinker Toy build categories. Goliath was built over a harsh winter in Northern IL where they had to deal with snow early that year and lots more snow through early 2014.

Flat rides are just that, pretty basic quick builds. Heck, it only took Disney
1 1/2 years to open Splash Mountain and they had to work around a train station and rebuild that too. This addition is a needed 'kiddie land' in the studios and could have been a quick build. Me being old enough to remember Disney builds in their haydays lacks the best of the best of imagineers and the few they have left keep being messed with over budgets and timelines along with cuts to the projects. Rivers doesn't surprise me. It is a tech based rehab of an existing River. Disney has never been know to pull off anything tech without major glitches, from magic bands, MDE, to the oddest security set up I've witnessed around the World for a major venue. I really didn't believe they could pull off the cutting edge River Rehab without falling on their faces multiple times.

 

[Magic Feather]

Forgive me if this has already been discussed, but can you speak to the show elements along the slinky coaster? I hope it's something more substantial than static figures. Are there any Audio Animatronics?

Last I heard most show elements were cut. Originally, the route would have been dotted with limited motion figures (Think plastic Humans on ET at Uni) and effects would occur. The second launch sequence was also supposed to have some lighting and screens (which last I heard were still happening. A few basic blocks will remain as show elements, unless someone at WDI realizes they need to make the coaster as good as they can.

 

[marni1971]

Forgive me if this has already been discussed, but can you speak to the show elements along the slinky coaster? I hope it's something more substantial than static figures. Are there any Audio Animatronics?

From what I know - which isn't everything by a long shot - there aren't.

 

[Next Big Thing]

From what I know - which isn't everything by a long shot - there aren't.

Where would an AA even work well on a coaster like this?

 

[DDLand]

Last I heard most show elements were cut. Originally, the route would have been dotted with limited motion figures (Think plastic Humans on ET at Uni) and effects would occur. The second launch sequence was also supposed to have some lighting and screens (which last I heard were still happening. A few basic blocks will remain as show elements, unless someone at WDI realizes they need to make the coaster as good as they can.

From what I know - which isn't everything by a long shot - there aren't.

Thanks, you two.

I was a little disappointed with Slinky Dog Coaster, but held out hope that they'd add some elements that could make it stand out from Barnstormer. Disappointing, but not really surprising.

 

[lazyboy97o]

True and I agree.

From what I am seeing this expansion doesn't look to be anything more than the Goofy Coaster that was built back in the days of Mickey's Birthday land at the MK. It could and should be a very quick build but likely will not.

I watched Goliath come to life in Illinois, Announced 8/2013, construction started 9/2013 and the roller coaster topped in 5/2014 and then opened in June 2014. Goliath and the new Toy coaster are not even in the same league, I put Toy more in the simple Goofy Coaster, Tinker Toy build categories. Goliath was built over a harsh winter in Northern IL where they had to deal with snow early that year and lots more snow through early 2014.

Flat rides are just that, pretty basic quick builds. Heck, it only took Disney
1 1/2 years to open Splash Mountain and they had to work around a train station and rebuild that too. This addition is a needed 'kiddie land' in the studios and could have been a quick build. Me being old enough to remember Disney builds in their haydays lacks the best of the best of imagineers and the few they have left keep being messed with over budgets and timelines along with cuts to the projects. Rivers doesn't surprise me. It is a tech based rehab of an existing River. Disney has never been know to pull off anything tech without major glitches, from magic bands, MDE, to the oddest security set up I've witnessed around the World for a major venue. I really didn't believe they could pull off the cutting edge River Rehab without falling on their faces multiple times.

Comparing the coaster to The Barnstormer would be disingenuous. That is an off the shelf, stock design. This is a custom design, but that is par the course for a roller coaster.

 

[Gabe1]

Comparing the coaster to The Barnstormer would be disingenuous. That is an off the shelf, stock design. This is a custom design, but that is par the course for a roller coaster.

Yes I agree. My comparison in my head anyhow, the Toy coaster should be a simple manufacture/engineering and installation, this Isn't an Everest Build. The original versions of Goofy Coaster had more elaborate theming surrounding the coaster than it does now and that entire Birthday Party land went up very quickly.

Disney IMO just has a different business model for their imagineering team and the speed they choose to build at and the amount of theming overall they wish to finance over the long haul of their projects, not just this one but those over the last 2 decades. I look at Circus as a good example, the tents, one new Dumbo and a rethemed rack kiddie coaster. Our park district actually has a far more elaborate sprinkler park than what was put in Circus and yet that didn't even open in a timely fashion-March of 2012 with Goofy Coaster and the old half of Dumbo along with the rehab'd trainstation and still surrounded by construction walls. Dwarf Coaster didn't come online for more than 2 years after Circus. Couldn't be much slower.

 

[ford91exploder]

Last I heard most show elements were cut. Originally, the route would have been dotted with limited motion figures (Think plastic Humans on ET at Uni) and effects would occur. The second launch sequence was also supposed to have some lighting and screens (which last I heard were still happening. A few basic blocks will remain as show elements, unless someone at WDI realizes they need to make the coaster as good as they can.

An already pathetic excuse for an attraction (based on the OTHERS around the world) just got 'Value Engineered' by TDO. I hope they have enough in the budget to hide the wheels of the carnie rides....

 

[EPCOTCenterLover]

Agreed. While Maters is great fun, TSL is a big disappointment as it now stands. Cars Land can get away with Maters as Radiator Springs Racers is amazing. At the Studios, that little coaster doesn't even compare to RSR. Imagine if they built Cars Land and SWL at the Studios? It'd be the new must see park for decades.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Agreed. While Maters is great fun, TSL is a big disappointment as it now stands. Cars Land can get away with Maters as Radiator Springs Racers is amazing. At the Studios, that little coaster doesn't even compare to RSR. Imagine if they built Cars Land and SWL at the Studios? It'd be the new must see park for decades.

Imagine if they built Monstropolis with SWL.

 

[Rteetz]

Imagine if they built Monstropolis with SWL.

Imagine if they built Monstropolis, Toy Story Land, and SWL...

 

[Next Big Thing]

Agreed. While Maters is great fun, TSL is a big disappointment as it now stands. Cars Land can get away with Maters as Radiator Springs Racers is amazing. At the Studios, that little coaster doesn't even compare to RSR. Imagine if they built Cars Land and SWL at the Studios? It'd be the new must see park for decades.

Looking at the size of the land, Cars Land would've fit in that area perfectly, too.