So here I was yesterday, talking about how the Mouse is growing frustrated with the on-line Disneyana community. Reportedly because us dweebs are so quick to condemn anything new that Walt Disney Imagineering proposes for the parks.
But now comes word that WDI is actually thinking of using us weenies to fine-tune “Toy Story Midway Mania.” In essense recruiting the on-line Disney community to help select the final versions of all the interactive games that will be played inside these new Disneyland & WDW attractions.
“And how exactly are we supposed to do that?,” you ask. Well, before I can explain that, you have to understand a little bit about “Toy Story Midway Mania” actually works. Eight guests at a time will climb aboard the vehicles for this next generation’s dark ride. And in front of each seat on this ride vehicle, there’s a cannon that’s mounted on a swivel.
As these ride vehicles move from room to room in the “Toy Story Midway Mania” show building, the guests will encounter classic carnival games that have been rethemed around characters from the 1995 & 1999 Pixar films. So these theme park visitors will then have to use their individual on-board cannons to take out targets in the Green Army Men’s shooting gallery or to pop balloons at Little Bo Peep’s water gun race. You get the idea, right?
Now it’s important to understand that the interactive portions of these “Toy Story” -themed games won’t actually exist in the physical world. They’ll just be projected onto the walls of each of the rooms that your ride vehicle moves through. Using animation that the folks up in Emeryville are creating especially for these “Midway Mania” attractions.
“So where do we weenies come in?,” you query. Well, just as Disney did with the debut of Disneyland Paris’ “Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast” earlier this year, an on-line version of each game that’s to be featured in “Toy Story Midway Mania” will be created. So that DCA & Disney-MGM Studios visitors can then have a chance to practice before they actually arrive at the park & climb on board their ride vehicle.
Which is a pretty cool idea unto itself. Except that the Imagineers have reportedly prepped multiple versions of all of the “Toy Story” games to be featured in “Midway Mania.” Which they’ll then be posting — one by one — on-line as part of the lead-up to the grand opening of the actual physical attractions.
Then the on-line Disneyana community will supposedly be invited to vote on their favorite version of each “Toy Story” -themed game to be featured in “Midway Mania.” And provided that Bob Iger & John Lasseter actually agree with our selections, that version of the game will then been be incorporated into the attraction.
Mind you, given that the interactive portions of these games are just going to be projected, WDI’s already talking about special seasonal versions of “Toy Story Midway Mania.” Which means that Barbie’s Beach Ball Bash could be changed to a Pumpkin Pitch while “Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party” is being presented at Disney’s California Adventure. The Imagineers also love the idea that new games featuring the characters from “Toy Story 3” could be incorporated into this attraction on the very same day that this highly anticipated sequel rolls into theaters.
Of course, this being the Walt Disney Company and all, all plans are subject to change. But based on what I’ve been hearing, we should be seeing the first on-line versions of the games to be played in the “Toy Story Midway Mania” attraction popping up on the Web sometime in mid-to-late 2007. As first the MGM version of this new interactive dark ride gets ready to open, followed closely by the DCA edition.
So please do me (and yourselves) a favor, folks. Don’t bitch & moan about what a terrible idea this is. Otherwise, WDI may decide all on its own which games you get to play in the new “Toy Story Midway Mania” attraction. Thereby denying the on-line Disneyana community the chance to do what it’s always wanted to do. Which is have some say on what goes on in the parks.
Copyright 1999 Disney / Pixar
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