Toy story land at disney's hollywood studios

Mr. Edwards asks: "So what do you think about new toy story land?"

I Respond: The Toy Story film franchise has been a billion dollar concept for the Disney company -- successfully targeting the family film market. D23 also announced the film Toy Story 4. I think the expanded Toy Story footprint at DHS (supported by the new film) will help Disney continue to dominate the family demographic in the themed entertainment industry.

Yeah, but it could be a billion-dollar-PLUS concept with a better Pizza Planet restaurant in the park.

Kind of a glass half-empty perspective there ... eh Niles?

Or one could look at it as a great opportunity. We could all benefit from better Disney pizza.

It looked like an Al's Toy Barn was in the renderings (lower right hand corner). A new and improved Pizza Planet would definitely be welcomed.

I still think they're limiting themselves by using just the Toy Story theme. Certainly as TH has pointed out, Toy Story is one of the most successful family film franchises in history, but why do they need to limit themselves to just the Toy Story wedge of the whole Pixar pie, particularly when the current land is already called Pixar Place?

The only reason why you would want to do this is if you're truly going to create a fully immersive land themed around the worlds of Toy Story complete with the aisles of Al's Toy Barn with giant shelves of toys, Andy's Bedroom, and Sunshine Daycare. To me, this concept wreaks of the Honey I Shrunk The Kids Playground and the Disney kids areas of that ilk that rely solely on forced perspective. Sorry, that simply doesn't excite me, and while I'm sure Toy Story will remain popular for years to come, Disney would have been far better served keeping things open for other popular Pixar franchises. Why do that to yourself when the current Pixar library is so vast? Look at what's already happening to Cars Land with a C-ticket attraction having to be dumped after just a few years.

Sometimes I think Imagineers get a little full of themselves and think everything they design and build will be instant classics, so much so that they never fully develop a Plan B in case something doesn't exactly work. By pinching themselves in a corner with the Toy Story theme, there's limited places they can go with alternatives to failed concepts. A true Pixar Land with numerous sub-lands would give Disney far more flexibility to adjust to guest comments and the potential success of future Pixar projects. I think the flexibility and adaptation to trends/fads will be critical aspects of any successful theme park in the future.

I definitely wanted a full on Pixar place not just toy story but iam exited for the new land and can't wait to see it. I just really wanted to see an Incredibles e ticket attraction or a ratatouille restaurant. I just hope since we are getting toy story land that we actually get an accurate representation of pizza planet.

I was expecting more of a full Pixar Land than just Toy Story Land, but I do think the Toy Story Land they've got will be a good addition. After visiting the mediocre version at Disneyland Paris, I'm very glad they've taken the time to rebuild the area from scratch and didn't just drop a copy into the park. The Toy Story Trilogy are still the most popular films in Pixar's library and with a 4th installment premiering in 2017 the timing is perfect for new Toy Story attractions.

As for why it's just Toy Story and not all of Pixar, I've got a theory. To me, Toy Story Land looks like it was intentionally designed to be built and opened quickly in order to address the immediate need for more attractions at DHS. If construction begins by early 2016, this land could definitely be ready in 2018 (possibly late 2017 but I doubt they want to compete with Avatar). However, a full Pixar Land with multiple E-ticket attractions would likely have a 3+ year construction timeline, so Disney is holding off on that portion of the project. I also wouldn't be surprised if they are waiting to see how much Marvel (if any) they'll be able to use in Florida before making plans in order to decide how much space to allot for Pixar Land and how much for Marvel Land. The other thing to consider is that most of the quality Pixar films would be 10+ years old by the time Pixar Land opened, and regardless of how good the film is there wouldn't be as much excitement as a land based on more current films. This is my biggest worry with Avatar Land, particularly if the sequels continue to get delayed.

Disney knows what they are doing, and I've got a pretty strong feeling we've only seen Phase 1 of the DHS makeover. There is no way Star Wars Land and Toy Story Land come close to the $3 billion investment supposedly going into the park. Lastly, even though it's just Toy Story, the new land is making me seriously consider pushing my Florida trip back a year just so I don't miss it (as a Disneyland local, I don't see a reason to wait for Star Wars Land).

I also think the success of Cars land was a huge factor in the focus being on a singular theme. One that allows a fully immersive land that flows.

While a Pixar land would indeed be "incredible" (pun intended), the films all are vastly different with locations that span from the ocean to space....from Paris to South America.....The only connecting theme being Pixar, not any specific set of characters or a narrative. That land wouldn't look as impressive as something like Cars land.

I think by just focusing on a single film / franchise, you can really transport guest into that specific "world". And after reaction to Cars land in DCA, I'm sure this is an attempt to replicate that.

I agree with AJ - this is Phase 1. Phase 2 and possibly Phase 3 are still to come.

Toy Story is very popular...Toy Story makes a lot of money...DHS is adding more attractions... Disney has higher attendance/revenue than Universal...I get it. More of a lurker than a poster, I have read this ad nauseam the past several months.

That still doesn't change the fact that I am not in the least excited to ride either of the new Toy Story Land attractions and it appears many others share that opinion. Just because something is popular, or makes a lot of money, or proves Disney is willing to update their parks doesn't mean we can't be disappointed with the way they are going about it. I am personally uninspired. For what its worth, adding what appears to be another Star Wars motion simulator doesn't excite me personally much either, but I am withholding my opinion on the new Star Wars Land until I learn more about the second planned attraction.

Contrast that with my feeling upon the announcement of Diagon Alley when I got goose bumps thinking about a ride on the Hogwarts Express or through the vaults of Gringotts. In my opinion, Disney simply got gamed when it came to the use of IP in a theme park. I don't care whether Disney has higher revenue/attendance or whether Toy Story is a billion dollar franchise. As a longtime fan of themed entertainment, I simply do not get the magical feeling within me when thinking about these new Disney concepts. To me, the entirety of the Harry Potter universe just lends itself to theme parks in a way Toy Story and Star Wars do not. I am entitled to feel that way and so are those that share my opinion. I think of theme parks as a place to have fun, I don't care about profits or who has higher attendance, and Toy Story Land just doesn't look like fun to me.

Whether Disney is "responding" to Harry Potter with Avatar, Star Wars, Toy Story or not, I would prefer they focused more on original attractions than IP overload. Jungle Cruise, Pirates, Haunted Mansion and even newer originals like Everest prove that when Disney does its own thing, they're the only game in town.

An expanded Pixar Place with a variety of Pixar IPs would have been swell, but everybody is going to the "single land" concept these days - the fully fleshed out "park within a park" strategy. Just as DCA built Cars Land to great success and fanfare, DHS will build Toy Story Land to great success and fanfare. Personally, I am just relieved Disney did not clone Cars Land. Sure, I love Cars Land, but there needs to be some separation between the parks, some differences. Disney can't just clone everything. And that new family coaster looks pretty sweet.

I am very excited for all the changes and additions Disney announced. The news coming out of D23 was fantastic across the board (as was the coverage by Mr. Niles). And Pandora looks simply breathtaking. I just hope I live long enough to experience everything in person.

I would love Pirates to be done as an entire land like what they did at Shanghai. Indiana Jones should be an entire land. I have the perfect spot: Dinoland. Replace the Dinosaur ride and change out the rides. Move the spinners to Toy Story Land with new theming. Move the wild mouse coaster to EPCOT at the France pavilion... Ratatouille's coaster.

You can't just clone things across all of your parks **cough cough** Hogwarts Castle **cough**.

We'll get a much better idea of the park's future when Disney announces WHERE this new land is going to be placed. If they don't touch Lights Motors Action, then I agree that this will likely just be "phase 1".

As much as I'd love to see an Incredibles-themed land, I don't recall there being really any iconic settings or scenery in that movie that would translate to an area of the park where you take one glance at it and think....INCREDIBLES! Monsters Inc, however, is a super obvious choice, in my opinion.

I don't think anything Pixar-related will be as beautiful as Cars Land, but I also feel that keeping each park's identity strong is important.

I personally am excited about Toy Story Land. Here is why, I have a 6 month old by the time this park opens he will be going on 3 and within a few years of that he will know all the Toy Story Movies and will be possibly able to ride these. Now here is the second part of this, as a theme park junkie I was not excited at first as I too wanted a more amazing E Ticket Incredibles ride. However, looking at DHS current foot print there was going to be nothing for younger kids in that park.

If you look at MK there is a slew of younger audience / family geared attractions, at EPCOT you have Kidscot, Agent P, The Seas, some stuff at Living with the Land, Universe of Energy (however dated and boring for some kids it is), Journey into Imagination, you get the idea. At Animal Kingdom there is the Dinoland USA, It's Tough to be a Bug, Animal Exhibits, Festival of the Lion King, etc. At Hollywood Studio's you currently have 3 stage/stunt shows and that's about it other than Fantasmic at night.

For my wife and I if it weren't for the new films in the Great Movie Ride we honestly were debating skipping HS for this trip all together even though we both really enjoy Rockin' Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror and Fantasmic! So luckily her parents will be with us and they have agreed to watch our son one night so we can take a few hours and go to HS. But if we didn't have Annual Passes there would be no way we would pay to enter that park in it's current state with or without my son.

I'm very underwhelmed that they are only using two rides for a Pixar related land, and both are Toy Store.

Come on Disney, you can do much better than this...

Gabriel: Just looking at the artwork it looks like it will consume the car testing area for LMA, which may portend the end of the LMA stadium.

@Tyler When Toy Story Land is complete it will feature three "ride" attractions along with shops, restaurants, meet n' greets, and all that jazz. Cars Land also opened with three "ride" attractions, and the other stuff. Pandora will open with two attractions and other experiences. Looking at Universal, IOA's Hogwart's area opened with one new ride and two rethemes, along with shops and dining. Diagon Alley had one new ride, shops, restaurants, and an upcharge train ride. The Simpsons area had one rethemed ride, a kiddie spinner, and dining.

I guess my point is that as parks embrace the "mini park within a park" strategy the resulting "lands" will have just one to three attractions and whatever else is needed to flesh out the narrative. If you don't like this result, blame the Wizarding World and Cars Land because they were so successful they have become the new modus operandi for theme park designers and Imagineers - and as long as the money keeps rolling in, you'll see more of these mini lands, not less.

I though the land would have only two rides..

I partially take back my comment, it's just that the idea of it is unoriginal and done twice before, even in a partially different form.

Disney is capable of more creativity than three basic family rides with some extra things wrapped around it.

I want to see more Disney attractions with original storylines than cash-ins on popular films even if the attractions are really good.

And yes, Star Wars Land and Pandora might be the only two exceptions of this.

The three attractions will be the coaster, the spinner, and then Toy Story Mania with the expanded show building.

And I get your point about reusing themes, and have the same concerns, but look at the success of Universal who has now added Potter to four different parks. At least Disney is doing something different in their US parks and WDW is not just getting a copy of Cars Land!

Having a look at where possible places the toy story land could go, I think that it is going to be behind toy story mania and the barn pictured at the front of the concept art is going to be a new entrance for the ride. The land will then take up the back of toy story mania and some of the surrounding buildings. My guess is that they won't touch the stunt show or the catastrophe canyon.