Opened: May 31, 2008
Location: Pixar Place to the left of One Man’s Dream and behind Great Movie Ride.
Extra Magic Hours: Morning, Evening.
Ride Length: 5 minutes.
Type: Interactive 3D Shooting Game.
Similar To: Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin.
Requirements: None.
Scary Factor: Zero. There are no thrill elements or scary surprises. The ride vehicles do spin 180 degrees occasionally, but only to give you a new set of targets to shoot. It shouldn’t upset even the most prone to motion sickness. The vehicles also spin very slowly at the end.
What to Expect: Riders enter slow moving vehicles and shoot targets to score points with toy guns attached to the front of the ride vehicle. Unlike Buzz Lightyear’s Space Range Spin, Toy Story Mania is in 3D (with required 3D glasses) and also includes “4D” elements. For example, when guests shoot balloons, they will feel a slight whoosh of air as though the balloon actually popped in front of the vehicle. The games, scenery, characters, targets, and everything else are projected onto screens. There are no actual sets or moving parts. This allows Disney to update the games by simply loading a new set of graphics onto the computer, rather than physically having to change a scene. If the projectors and computers were turned off it would be as though you were moving through a warehouse with projection screens on both sides. There are five midway style games to play during the ride, none of which are violent.
Where to Sit: Each side of the vehicle has two guns.
While a small third person may be able to fit, they wouldn’t have much fun without a gun to use. Neither seat/gun provides a scoring advantage.
FastPass+: Yes, highest Tier 1 priority. Guests may initially select one Tier 1 FastPass+ and using it at Toy Story Mania will save more time than any other FP+ choice. Toy Story FP+ are also extremely limited in number and rarely available on the day of. Those that prefer Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster may elect to use FP+ there instead.
What You Miss Using FastPass+:
The queue is detailed with a few neat touches and FastPass+ users will skip almost all of it.
A large animatronic Mr. Potato Head is located near the front of the standby queue and FP+ users will bypass him as well. It may be worth checking out the queue during a standby ride first thing in the morning or very late at night, but most people aren’t going to want to wait 60-90 minutes just to see the queue elements.
Total Average Experience Time with FastPass+: 25 minutes.
4th FastPass+ Availability:
Toy Story Mania FastPass+ inventory is usually completely gone on the night before a given day. You may luck into a cancellation at some point during the day, but that’s usually it.
Expect to Wait:
When To Go: Absolutely first thing in the morning with an arrival at least 30 minutes prior to Park open, right before Park close, or with FastPass+. Waits at Toy Story skyrocket to 60+ minutes almost immediately after the Studios opens in the morning.
Rating: 9/10
Commentary: Toy Story Mania is a fun, engaging, interactive ride that most guests enjoy, though it’s hard to justify what’s usually a 75+ minute wait. With the competitive angle, most guests will want to ride a second time.
Was sad to see that Mr. Potato Head was gone on our December trip. I hope you are right and that he was removed to add to the newer queue for the additional track.