It's the high profile attraction that's supposed to begin the reboot of Disney's California Adventure as well as help rebrand Disney - MGM Studios. Which is why WDI really doesn't need anything to be going wrong with "Toy Story Mania" right about now.
And yet that's the word that's coming out of Glendale. That some of the test subjects that the Imagineers recently ran through a mock-up of this new interactive ride-game experience experienced mild dizziness and nausea. Reportedly because the CG images that will be projected inside of "Toy Story Mania" appeared blurry to people who wear prescription lens underneath their 3D glasses.
You see, that's the real problem with this hi-tech dark ride. That the Imagineers aren't planning on building the usual assortment of dimensional sets along the ride track for "Toy Story Mania" to help set the stage for this show. But -- rather -- 90% of the show elements that guests will experience as they move through this ride space will be created via digital projection.
To explain: Once you get beyond "Toy Story Mania" 's elaborately themed load / off-load area, the usual dimensional sets will gradually give way to long stretches of corridor that are basically empty. With walls that are covered with special reflective material.
As your ride vehicle moves along these empty corridors, animated footage that's been specially prepared for "Toy Story Mania" by Pixar's own artists will then be digitally projected onto the walls. Which -- thanks to the special 3D glasses that each rider will be wearing as they move through this environment -- will then give the impression that all of the empty space along this ride track is filled with these fully dimensional characters, sets and effects.
And for most people who have been through WDI's "Toy Story Mania" mock-up, the finished effect is supposed to be simply stunning. It really does give the impression that these really-for-real CG versions of Woody, Jessie and Hamm are right there in front of you, egging you on as you try your hand at revamped versions of classic midway games.
Copyright 2007 Walt Disney Enterprises
But as the test subjects who wore their own glasses as they rode through this mock-up ... Well, the movement of the "Toy Story Mania" ride vehicle combined with viewing this digitally projected footage through a mix of prescription lens & 3D glasses left several people feeling dizzy & disoriented. With some of them reporting mild nausea after they exited their ride vehicle.
Now let me be frank here, folks. No one at Walt Disney Imagineering is actually panicking over this particular development. Given that we're still more than a year out from the official opening of both versions of "Toy Story Mania" ... The belief in Glendale is that there's still plenty of time left to find the cause of this problem and then engineer a fix. And after all, this is why WDI actually run test subjects through mock-ups of proposed attractions. To identify possible problem areas.
But -- that said -- the Imagineers really need "Toy Story Mania" to be a huge success. Not just because of the crucial role that this new attraction is supposed to play in the relaunch of DCA as well as the retheming of MGM. But -- rather -- because of the huge break-through that the Disney theme parks could make if the public were to actually embrace this new technology.
Imagine (if you will) a special Halloween or Christmas edition of "Toy Story Mania" that could be created not with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of new sets & props that it would then take several weeks to install. But -- rather -- with a few quick strokes of a keyboard. Which would tell the computers that program all of the digital projectors inside of this show building to swap out the usual sequences that they project in favor of new Halloween-themed and/or holiday-based midway games.
Or -- better yet -- how would you like to see all-new set of midway games featuring the characters from "Toy Story 3" appear in "Toy Story Mania" on the very day that this highly anticipated Pixar sequel hits theaters in 2010. With this change happening virtually overnight because of the versatility of this new technology.
Never mind that -- if successful -- "Toy Story Mania" could be Disney's next big franchisable attraction. An interactive dark ride with huge rerideability that could then be dropped into every Disney resort around the globe.
Tht's the long range plan, folks. Provided -- of course -- that the public goes crazy for the first two versions of "Toy Story Mania" when they open at DCA & MGM in 2008.
Which is why Imagineering is now focusing its attention of determining the cause of this dizziness & nausea that only a handful of test subjects have experienced. So that next year's launch of Disney's new would-be theme park franchise will go as smoothly as possible.
Your thoughts?
Disney has put forth this same song-and-dance before. Remember how easy it was supposed to be to update the Star Tour modules. New tours to Hoth, Vespin, etc., etc. And now that Star Tours is about 20 years old, how many fantastic voyages has Rex taken us on?
The answer: 1
And Star Tours is a popular, franchise attraction. (Yes, probably more popular 10 years ago than now. But still, once it was very popular.)
Of course, it would take money (I once heard an estimate of 6 million) to create a new Star Tour film. Let's say that estimate is old. It might be more like 20 million today to create a new 4-5 minute film with top-level effects. But the film could be used, oh, in California, Florida, China (soon), and so on. 20 million to update an attraction in multiple parks should be nothing, right?
And of course it would take money to create new digital material for the 3D projection system in Toy Story Mania. (Or whatever they decide to eventually call the "backstage tour" version in Florida.) Probably, millions to update it each time.
My point: Disney has been down this "update-the-media-as-you-go" road and has chosen not to take that path. Why? Priorities, perhaps. More likely, the perceived cost-benefit is not worth it.
Though in theory, the updatable system in this new attraction seems to offer fantastic possibilities. In practice, similar updatable systems in older rides have never been updated. Depsite the "updatable" fanfare, I would expect the same outcome here.
It's a great technology, that can give the visitors different experiences at different times. I agree with englishboy that it is to be seen if they will actually update the attractions, but I don't think costs matter that much now, than post-Iger. I dare to bet that they will update, because they're putting a lot of effort into it now to get everything right. And updating "Toy Story Mania" will probably cost less than updating one of the older update-able systems, and much more variations are possible.
As far as updating goes, this is a Pixar ride, and I'm sure that Mr. Lasseter wants what's best for this Pixar ride. Which is why there could be a good chance that holiday-themed versions of the ride will happen.
I wonder what's causing people to feel dizzy...will it be something that is fixable without completely changing the technology used?
*blackcauldron85 said:
*I wonder what's causing people to feel dizzy...will it be something that is fixable without *completely changing the technology used?
You know every person sees things a little differently, glasses correct many problems but there are other factors that people just live with. (Caution: made up numbers ahead used to illustrate my point) Prescription glasses help to relieve 98% of seeing problems, but there is that 2% that people just live with. I love 3-D technology, Mickeys Philharmagic is a favorite, Chicken Little was great in 3-D and I can't wait for Robinsons. But I can't focus on the effect where things are right in front of you - the pie in Muppets for example. This may be part of the problem, or it may be something that 98% of the population would never experience and have no idea the problem even exists, as people just deal with it in the normal world. But put them in the heightened sensory experience and the problem manifests itself. And if the symptoms persist? Well, I know another beloved Disney ride that produces nausea in some riders - no, not Mission:Space - but Teacups. In other words, it ain't that bad or horrendous to make a ride that some may feel sick on. Take a dramamine and enjoy. That's what I do.
3-D causing nausea in any form is not new. I bet the same amount of people that are feeling this nausea on Toy Story Mania is equal to the amount that experience that discomfort on Spider-Man at Islands of Adventure. Is there anything to worry about? Doubt it. No matter what you do, some people can't handle 3-D imagery in any form. I'm sure the movement involved while viewing just adds to the problem.
I can focus on 3-D imagery all day (in fact, I usually do), so I can't quite relate to the people that have problems with 3-D imagery. One thing is that if people are able to frequently view 3-D images, this problem will probably decrease.
As for special reflective material, is it any different than the usual silver lenticular screen used for polarized 3-D?
Speaking of 3-D... WDI was among the first to purchase autostereoscopic displays from DDD. When are they going to actually put this into use? A zoo already used this system about 2 years ago to create a virtual gorilla exhibit (using a 16 camera setup to film the gorillas).
I usually enjoy 3-D rides and movies, but sometimes it does to tend to make me feel a bit claustrophobic. I think it has to do with not being able to see objects in my peripheral vision. I don't wear glasses in real life, so maybe I'm just not used to having my view 'framed' so to speak. The thrill of being on a classic Disney dark ride is the feeling of being immersed into a fantasy world, where everything around you is really there whether you are staring directly at it or not. I'm just hoping this ride works out because it does sound like it has potential to be a lot of fun!
Ok . . . a question . . . .
Wasn't this ride suppose to the anwer to "Spiderman" at Island of Adventure? It sounds like a good ride - but does it really take that to the next level? It's like the new "nemo" ride at the living seas. Stuff projected on a fancy screen. Maybe I'm missing it but where is the "wow" part of this whole thing?
I can tell you from first hand experience that, before my LASIK, I always had issues when wearing prescription glasses with 3D glasses. The films never looked right, they were blurry, and the close-up effects didn't work well. When I had my contacts in it was fine ... it was just with glasses.
I think (although this is based on nothing more than pure conjecture) it has to do with the fact that the 3D glasses are a different distance away from your eyeballs when they're worn in front of prescription glasses. I suspect the effects work best when the glasses are the "normal" distance from your eyes.
I can see how, combining this with the motion, one could get a little dizzy or nauseous.
I wear glasses, but I had no trouble with the Bug's Life show in Animal Kingdom or with Mickey's Philharmagic, FWIW. Are the glasses and effects in this Toy Story ride similar?
As for Star Tours, it's a crashing bore and desperately needs to be ripped out and replaced with something fresh. Of all the rides I went on at WDW two years ago, that was by far the biggest disappointment.
gigglesock said:
"As for Star Tours, it's a crashing bore and desperately needs to be ripped out and replaced with something fresh. Of all the rides I went on at WDW two years ago, that was by far the biggest disappointment."
I agree ... I consistently list this as one of the most overrated attractions in all of WDW. It's outdated technology, it's dull, uninspired, and pointless. I never even bother with it in a park that already only has 4 or 5 attractions worth seeing.
richbirch said:Wasn't this ride suppose to the anwer to "Spiderman" at Island of Adventure? It sounds like a good ride - but does it really take that to the next level? It's like the new "nemo" ride at the living seas. Stuff projected on a fancy screen. Maybe I'm missing it but where is the "wow" part of this whole thing?
Bingo
I am genuinely excited about this particular dark ride. I do hope that they are able to work out whatever problems that may exist but I do suspect that it may just be that a small percent of people may feel sick afterward. I have experience shooting 3D video and know from experience that it doesn't work for 100% of the people no matter what you do. There are several reasons for my excitement about experiencing this ride at DCA. As a long time lover of old time sea side parks, The so called pier at DCA has to have a dark ride. I personally crack up if they put in a real old time "Pretzl Ride" with jerky old cars and plywood pop up effects! (I'm sure that most Disney patrons would not appreciate that type of ride though because this is in fact "Disney"). What else I really like is that they are taking the now standars shoot em up dark ride like Buzz Light year (Disney actually was not the first to do a dark ride like this) and taking it to a different level. So here's to hopeing that they succede with this ride as I really do think it could be a sensation...and not as expensive as other rides to do overlays etc.
My 2 cents - Personally, I think 3D is a pretty stupid idea. I've yet to see a ride, or movie, or show, etc,... that seemed (to me) to be anywhere near believable as 3-dimensional. While I enjoyed Spiderman at Universal, I will admit it was despite the 3D effects. I liked the idea of the ride, the action, the story. The 3D was something I dealt with to enjoy the ride.
Now when we get into a virtual reality type ride, then give me a call.
Although the thought of Disneyland eventually turning into an amusement park that consists entirely of box-like buildings that consist entirely of projections... scares the bejesus out of me. What a sad thing that would be.
Personally I wish rides focused on more, and better, AA's. Less 2D cutouts and less projections for this guy.
I always feel cheated about 3d things, while this sounds like a really neat technology I'm one of those 2% that someone mentioned earlier, in that I see through one eye at a time (I have vision in both eyes, but both eyes do not process vision at the same time as most people do). It takes two eyes to see 3'd images properly (as well as to get real depth perception I am told.
Anyhow to date, I've never been able to really experience 3d the same way others get to, have to wonder if this one would be any different.
remember when HL2 came out and people were complaining of sickness as a result of that game? I imagine the same reason as to why could possibly be applied here.
Though I was one of those who felt a little nauseous while playing HL2, but eventually I guess I just got used to it and that problem went away.