Doobie’s Review of Toy Story Midway Mania

by |

With the official opening of Toy Story Midway Mania today at Disney's California Adventure, it seemed like a good time for me to give my personal review of the new attraction. I've only been able to ride the Walt Disney World version but from everything I've been told, the ride itself is identical on both coasts. But as for the exterior and queue, I'll only be talking about the Florida version. So here it goes…

Exterior
Overall, I'm not happy with how much Pixar there is in all the parks (recent examples being Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor at the Magic Kingdom), Nemo at Epcot, Nemo the Musical at Animal Kingdom and now this). Even though the movies are very different, to me they have the same overall feel (probably because of the 3D) so seeing it all over WDW is not my favorite thing. But that said, I do like the changeover from Mickey Avenue to Pixar Place. Hollywood Studios is where Pixar really belongs and I like what they've done there.

The Queue
The Toy Story Midway Mania queue is a lot of fun. Even though all my rides so far have been during previews, I have had to wait more than a half hour so I have spent time in it and all the stuff there is to see did help the time pass faster. I also really appreciate that it's indoors and air conditioned. My favorite prop is the View Master which features the "new" Tomorrowland including the famous Mary Blair murals which means they've added Mary Blair to a Disney character based attraction – how ironic.

Mr. Potato Head
As I said, I've only been on Midway Mania in previews so I'm not sure if I've seen Mr. Potato Head do all he can do. The interactivity he had was much less than I expected but again, that may be my timing. But the Animatronic itself is truly amazing. Like Buzz at Space Ranger Spin it uses a bit of face projection to go with the figure (in this case the eyes) and I really like how that comes off both here and at Buzz. Mr. Potato Head's mouth and facial movements are also beautiful and the removal of his ear is a "wow" moment for AA fans. I like that the queue widens near him so guests who want to stand and watch can have that opportunity without slowing down the line.

A Caveat
I don't like interactive rides. When I ride Buzz Lightyear I just sit and watch which is fine, it's fun even without the shooting.

The Ride – Part One
My first day going on Toy Story Midway Mania I rode it two times. Knowing I don't like interactive rides I wasn't excited about the game play aspect. So instead of playing I just watched for the most part and I was under whelmed. On my second ride I did play a bit and enjoyed it but didn't get too in to it (remember, it's not my thing) and instead looked around more to see if I missed anything. I did not and I was very disappointed.

Aside from the game there was almost nothing to see in the ride. Unlike Buzz it seemed like you just traveled from video game to video game with a lot of empty space in between (yes, there's some decor, but not a lot). Honestly, I didn't see the point of Midway Mania being a ride. With the exception of a short time in the very end all the game play takes place while you're stationary, so it could just as easily be a Wii game (albeit without 3D) or an arcade game. It's disappointing that if you're in a group, you only get to sit with one other person and perhaps won't even be able to see the others as they may be be sitting back-to-back with you. And given that it was software, why not have more variety? Instead of four or five different games there could be four or five chosen out of 40. Easier said than done, I'm sure, but when you're stuck the negative of your attraction largely being software on a video screen, you should really take advantage of the positives that medium offers as well.

Admittedly I was out on a limb with this one. Everyone I rode it with loved it and said so on the Podcast. I was the only holdout. Nevertheless, my bottom line … about a 5 out of 10 on the Doobie scale.

The Ride – Part Two
A couple of weeks later I had the chance to get a few more rides in. And as I said on the next week's Podcast … what can I say? I was wrong! What changed? I think I forgot I don't like interactive rides and I interacted. And I found out the ride was a lot of fun. I think I rode it three times that day and never got bored. The only other attractions I can say that about are thrill rides and some shows and parades. While all the stuff I said above still applies, it really doesn't matter, the game – and therefore the ride – is so much fun. My new bottom line … 8 out of 10 on the Doobie scale.

The Ride – Part Three
At the media preview I got the chance to ride four or five more times. Surely enough for me to get bored with the game play and once again lament the negatives I have. But no, once again I was hooked on trying to beat Rebekah (I never beat her at any video game including this one) and better my scores.

My Final Bottom Line
I still wonder why there's not more to see. I still wonder why the game play doesn't vary more. I still wonder what the big deal is – it's a video game that barely takes advantage of the fact that it's a ride. And yet, it's just so much fun that if I had to pick one ride to go on 5 times tonight, Toy Story Mania would probably be in the top 3. The moral to my story? If you're going to make a ride that relies on video game play, you better make it one heck of a game, and that's exactly what Disney did. The other moral? Doobie – don't assume you don't like interactive rides. Give it a shot, you never know. My final bottom line … 8.5 out of 10 on the Doobie scale. Great job, Disney!

For more on Toy Story Midway Mania, see: