Is Toy Story Land really needed?

[GreatLakes]

RnR and Everest are not "thrill rides". Not at all. Not compared to actual thrill rides. They're just the "thrilliest" Disney has to offer.

I agree. I like all those rides but I don't consider any of them thrill rides. If I want thrill rides for the sake of thrill I go down the street to Cedar Point. I compare WDW rides to theirs to determine if they are a thrill ride or not and really on ToT qualifies by my standards. YMMV.

Back to the original question, I don't think they needed a whole land but I do prefer it that way. Does it take longer to build? Yep. But once it is done it makes for a better and more immersive experience. I'd gladly trade a little more lead time on the front end of the project then sacrifice the immersion years down the road. I look at it like this, in 7 years it will be 2022 one way or the other and I'd rather have had the themed land take longer to build then look back and wonder what could have been if they just took some more time to do it right. I think this all the time when I enter DinoLand.

 

[SydneyFalco]

The idea of only having rides and nothing to wander around is completely alien to me. I'd rather a whole new land with no rides, frankly (Tom Sawyer Island II), than a sterile enviornment with a couple of boxy show buildings containing two e-ticket rides. Yes, it's ridiculous how long Disney takes to build things, but atmosphere/immersion is nearly everything to me.

No to re-derail the thread again, but my love of atmopshere is one of the reasons I didn't enjoy our trip this past November. It seems like with every passing year crowding makes the idea of immersion less and less possible. While these boards goes on and on about FP+, I think the argument is completely wasted. While FP+ may or may not work -- in our case it did; we got to ride everything and we didn't have many huge waits -- that simply didn't mean much to me when, for instance, there was literally no day, nor time of day, that I was able to simply "enjoy" Main Street. It's now only a congested artery with vestiges of turn of the century flair that I can no longer enjoy because I'm shoulder to shoulder and dodging traffic, be it 8:48 a.m. or 7:19 p.m, Monday or Thursday.

The rest of Magic Kingdom is the same deal (with the exception of Tomorrowland). And the next most immersive section of WDW -- World Showcase -- is also too hurly burly to enjoy much most of its operating time. So even discouting generational differences, the influence of cel phones and mobile platforms, and any other factors, I understand if not a lot of people are feeling the purpose of immersion anymore. I doubt Disney could ever again expand enough to give their patrons an opportunity to soak it in, anyway, so maybe they would be smarter to be more utilitarian.

 

[StirlingSilver83]

How long do you think it would take to open Cars Land at DHS?

What I meant to say is while getting some new attractions in there now would be ideal...if we had to wait for a new land I wished it would be a Cars Land, lol

 

[LOL!]

Again, I'm not arguing against theming. I'm just pointing out that the Goofy coaster could be built today in 6 months. The Slinky coaster will take 3 or more years. It is debatable whether that time delay is worth it when the end result will be similar. I think that is what the OP wants to debate. Not whether Disney should build a Toy Story themed Kraken.....

And that really is the point. The irony is that the very same companies that build the ride infrastructures for Disney build them for all the other amusement/theme parks around the globe (Six Flags, etc) and much quicker. Disney no longer builds rides, they buy them and then build the support environment around them. For some reason that part takes much, much longer.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Except they didn't really do anything in the way of additional theming at the pier. And yet it is still a popular area.

Personally, I'd like to see an immersive land into the world of Pixar. Not just Andys BA k yard. I love the idea of theming. Just not sold on what they chose. Yet.


While that is somewhat true for BTMRR, the point is a bit ex post facto for Splash. It doesn't really fit seamlessly into Frontierland. In fact, at DL, it isn't in Frontierland at all. They could have put the attraction anywhere other than Tomorrowland and one could have said: There was already theming there. As for Pooh, it was not put into a heavily themed area in the way we are now thinking of tbeming. It was placed amid a bunch of buildings with Black Forest/Bavarian facades.

Again, I'm not arguing against theming. I'm just pointing out that the Goofy coaster could be built today in 6 months. The Slinky coaster will take 3 or more years. It is debatable whether that time delay is worth it when the end result will be similar. I think that is what the OP wants to debate. Not whether Disney should build a Toy Story themed Kraken.

Personally I would love to see and immersive themed land based on Pixar. I'm just not sold yet on the idea of a land based on Andy's back yard. At least not yet.

Ahh but they did change the pier area immensely. They put in world of color. They put in TSMM. They took out the big orange. They took out the Maliboomer. They rethemed the entire area to 20s and 30s seaside amusement area rather than nothing. They took out the lame S.S. Rustworthy playground. They put in Little Mermaid. I'm not going to count Goofy's sky school as anything other than a coat of paint and new billboards. Perhaps that's a stopgap until the next round. So I'll let em slide. The idea that Disney should just put in generic off the shelf rides was tried with the original DCA and it failed miserably. Many a critic dubbed it worse than the parking lot it replaced. Attendance was awful. After the overhaul of much of the park and the expansion adding Carsland, DCA has surpassed both Florida Universal parks in attendance. It is a complete repudiation of the idea that generic off the shelf rides with minimal theming are the way to go. Worth the wait? Well the people have spoken in the case of DCA with a loud resounding yes, theming is worth it.

 

[Buddyex]

I can see HS wants a land that feels as immersive as CARS LAND at DCA or HARRY POTTER at Universal, where you actually feel like you are walking into the movie , and I can see that STAR WARS LAND has huge potential to carry it off, but no so convinced the Toy Story Universe has the same qualities. Are we to feel like we're Toy Sized in Andy's Bedroom /Toy Box or are we to feel like we've entered the Human world of the movie with Pizza Planet restaurants and Toy Barn Gift shops ? The concept art seems to straddle both, which is bound to look amazing, I just don't think it will have that Immersive WOW factor that the other lands have.

 

[skipfierce]

Is Toy Story Land really needed?

Nope. They should just double the Star Wars area.

 

[emmabemmainc]

I love the bullying in this thread. I find it funny that two grown men get together to disagree with many--and for what reason? Why do you care if people compare a WDW with lots of thrill rides with Six Flags or US or whoever? So silly. Although the love fest was nice to see.

I love the idea of a Toy Story land. I can't wait. I will take my 14 year old to visit when it opens.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Really, with Disney it's going to come down to do you want it fast, or do you want it themed. I'll take themed. Unthemed means not so interesting for repeat visits. And I don't understand the outlook that goes "if it's not an E-ticket you don't need to theme it."

 

[johde]

Hopefully I'm proven wrong, but I don't think DHS needs the Toy Story land presented. I don't see the immersive theming potential of a Cars Land or HP or even a Simpson's Springfield in Andy's Backyard. On top of that, all that is being added is an off the shelf flat ride and a fairly stock family coaster with Toy Story characters slapped on it. The only way this expansion makes since to me is if they can get it done quick and it is a first stage of something much bigger involving both Star Wars and another family friendly land down the road.

DHS needs a family friendly anchor to the park. I'm not sure this is it. It needs a Cars Land or an environment built around the technology in Mystic Manor.

The studios have never been the immersive experience and have for some time been a sort of default park to shoe horn things in they don't otherwise know where to put. So now we're getting some immersive theming and I for one am glad to see it.

I wouldn't go as far as to say it never had an immersive experience. But I would say it's immersive experience has been diluted. In the early days of the park, the parks did a good job immersing you in the experience of visiting a working studios. The original back studio tour was 2 hours long and included the Tram Tour, the special effects rooms and walking tour through the catwalks above actual working soundstages. The entire back/left side of the park was "Restricted Areas" available as part of the tour only. The park wasn't a whole day experience but it was an immersive one.

Over the years as production left, you've ended up with this hodgepodge we have today.

USF suffered from the same fate for a long time. The theme was not "the movies" it was "movie studio".

 

[mummabear]

Hopefully I'm proven wrong, but I don't think DHS needs the Toy Story land presented. I don't see the immersive theming potential of a Cars Land or HP or even a Simpson's Springfield in Andy's Backyard. On top of that, all that is being added is an off the shelf flat ride and a fairly stock family coaster with Toy Story characters slapped on it. The only way this expansion makes since to me is if they can get it done quick and it is a first stage of something much bigger involving both Star Wars and another family friendly land down the road.

DHS needs a family friendly anchor to the park. I'm not sure this is it. It needs a Cars Land or an environment built around the technology in Mystic Manor.

Wouldnt it be awesome if it was just the start of a Pixarland. Start walking through Andys backyard, continue through Carsland, stroll through Monstropilous, Ride the train f thought through Rileys mind then gaze upon Paradise Falls....if only

 

[ttintagel]

I think some people are suggesting that they build the rides first, and then operate the rides while they then build the land around them. I think that would be incredibly difficult, what with trying to keep traffic patterns under control during construction. You'd have to have people funneled through narrow walkways between big, blank, cheerless construction walls to get to the rides. And frankly, half the charm of a Disney ride has traditionally been the approach. The original Imagineers came from the movie business, and understood the value of the buildup to the experience. And in the case of the family coaster, there would be no view to see while you were riding it. That would take away half the fun.

 

[PolynesianAlex]

OP here, sorry i didn't reply at all. But people have gotta stop saying Go to Six flags for thrill rides... Really? Thrill rides doesn't mean 160 foot coasters with inversions.id rather ride Tower Of Terror or RNR than any ride at six flags honestly. Sorry but Disney has gotta pay more attention to teens/young adults in America. Do you see the rides they put in their International parks? Big Grizzly Mountain? Indiana Jones Temple of Peril, Space Mountain Mission 2, Raging Spirits, the upcoming Tron coaster in shanghai? I can list more. No reason Hollywood Studios couldn't introduce a single stand alone Mild/Thrill ride

 

[PurpleKomodo]

I think you hit the nail on the head though OP. DHS already has 2 of Disney's more thrilling rides in RnR and TOT. No park on WDW has more than a few "thrill" rides (or rides with over 40" height requirements). That is the part of the appeal of WDW. That there is something for everyone. However, as PPs have pointed out, DHS is the park with the fewest rides for the under 40" set. So, they really do need more of those.

 

[JoshuaShaw]

The idea of only having rides and nothing to wander around is completely alien to me.

Maybe I missed it over the course of seven pages, but who suggested this? It does not have to be either/or. Disney is capable of building well-themed areas that are supported with fun rides, as evidenced by nearly everything they've built since 1955.

 

[aprincessatlast]

OP here, sorry i didn't reply at all. But people have gotta stop saying Go to Six flags for thrill rides... Really? Thrill rides doesn't mean 160 foot coasters with inversions.id rather ride Tower Of Terror or RNR than any ride at six flags honestly. Sorry but Disney has gotta pay more attention to teens/young adults in America. Do you see the rides they put in their International parks? Big Grizzly Mountain? Indiana Jones Temple of Peril, Space Mountain Mission 2, Raging Spirits, the upcoming Tron coaster in shanghai? I can list more. No reason Hollywood Studios couldn't introduce a single stand alone Mild/Thrill ride

I think with the success of Cars Land, Harry Potter, etc. Disney now wants to stick with the themed lands and stear away from the "just a new ride" concept.

Two of DHS biggest attractions that draw people in did not take that long to build. Toy story midway mania is not a themed area and only took over a year to build. Tower of terror took 2 years to build and once again not really a theme built for it, but built into the theme. I am excited for Toy story land but DHS does need something sooner and perhaps a tad bigger of a thrill, so I see your point.

ETA: it does make you wonder why they did not just add a few rides like you mentioned and it would really go over well with the masses. Indiana jones would have fit in really well and so would a tron coaster. Think how easy and quick that would have been and how successful it would be. I love toy story but can see where that really can be a hit or miss depending on how it is done.

 

[Magpie]

I love the bullying in this thread. I find it funny that two grown men get together to disagree with many--and for what reason? Why do you care if people compare a WDW with lots of thrill rides with Six Flags or US or whoever? So silly. Although the love fest was nice to see.

I love the idea of a Toy Story land. I can't wait. I will take my 14 year old to visit when it opens.

Arguing with someone is not the same as "bullying" them.

Bullying is "using superior strength or influence to intimidate (someone), typically to force him or her to do what one wants." The only persons in this thread with "superior strength or influence" are the mods.

The essential element that divides bullying from simple conflict is an imbalance of power. In most cases, simple disagreement does not rise to the level of bullying, except in circumstances where the victim requires special accommodation (ie, they aren't cognitively capable of argument and can be easily led). I'm presuming you aren't including yourself in that protected class of persons.

(For the record, I work with kids. "He's bullying me!" is a statement I take very seriously. And I love the idea of Toy Story Land, too.)

 

[tlmadden73]

The "immersion" of having "lands" is what is appealing to me (and a lot) about Disney.

It truly is a THEME park. The Six Flags and Cedar Point theme parks USED to be theme parks .. but they have been lost over the years as they just add in new thrill ride X.

Two theme parks I have gone too in my past (Six Flags Great America and Carowinds) used to have "themed" areas .. and still do .. but all it is just a different look to the restaurants and shopfronts .. the rides have nothing to do with the "themed area" they are in for the most part.

Almost more than the rides, I enjoy walking around the old-style Hollywood of DHS .. seeing the castles around Fantasyland, feeling like I am in another country at Animal Kingdom. I'll take a Toy Story Land over just another ride "plugged in" to DHS .. all the Frozen stuff feels just "plugged in" there.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I think hs is lacking for entertainment for the under 40" set, so I'm thrilled with the direction of their renovations. Family rides is a huge part of what sets Disney apart for us

I agree that DHS is lacking in the entertainment for the under 40" set...I"m just not convinced that TS Land is - as they have announced to this point - changing that much. The slinky dog coaster is going to have a height requirement. That leaves the Green Alien ride...if it's like Mater's, it will still have a height requirement. Less than 40", but still a height requirement. I'd really love to see more rides at DHS that truly are for *all* ages.

 

[LinderInWonderland]

Wouldnt it be awesome if it was just the start of a Pixarland. Start walking through Andys backyard, continue through Carsland, stroll through Monstropilous, Ride the train f thought through Rileys mind then gaze upon Paradise Falls....if only

This! All of it!! Andy's backyard could even fit a Bug's Life style section where guests got really small.

I was super-excited for the Pandora announcement as AK was my least favorite park (due to the extra heat). When I found out about "The Claw" in Toy Story Land, I was downright giddy as that was my favorite scene in Toy Story. Disney can take all the time they want to theme as much as they want, IMO.