Parade News From Around the World

DLRP Today has news on the fate of some of Disney’s parades. While this isn’t entirely Disneyland related news, I still thought I’d mention it.

Disney’s Stars & Motor Cars Parade recently finished performances at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, & has been replaced by DCA’s old parade, Block Party Bash. Disney’s Cinema Parade also finished performances at Walt Disney Studios Paris a couple of weeks ago. It looks like Stars & Motor Cars will replace the Cinema Parade in Paris. And then looking even further into the future, the plan is to have the Pixar Play Parade go to Paris & replace Stars & Motor Cars, instead of it going to Florida to replace Block Party Bash. There’s currently no word on what might happen to Block Party Bash though.

Of course, it is still just a rumor. Stay tuned to Disneyland News Today (and DLRP Today in turn) as more information becomes available!

Sing Along with a Spud

We finally have our first listen to the theme song to Toy Story Mania, thanks to the already operating Mr. Potato Head barker at Disney’s California Adventure:

Toy Story Mania is scheduled to debut at Disney’s Hollywood Studios later this month, with the official opening around May 20, 2008.

Potato Head Preview

Here is a look at Toy Story Mania’s Mr. Potato Head animatronic barker, now performing inside Disney’s California Adventure park at the Disneyland Resort:

An identical animatronic Mr. Potato Head will begin performing at Disney’s Hollywood Studios starting later this month on Pixar Place at the entrance to Toy Story Mania.

4/3/08 Jose Eber Update

Jose Eber is back with another Walt Disney World update, once again utilizing Youtube to present you with a different kind of pictorial. In the below video, you’ll catch a glimpse of the new Cars meet and greet and the Animation Archway at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, a Disney wedding at the wedding pavilion, construction of the T-Rex Restaurant at Downtown Disney, and construction of the new Four Seasons Resort.

Pixar Greeting Place

Yet another Pixar characters meet and greet as been set up at the north end of what will be Disney’s Hollywood Studio’snewest street, Pixar Place. While Mater and Lightning McQueen from Pixar’s Cars have been appearing at their current location for a few weeks, they now have a backdrop depicting the famous Radiator Springs sign. The new backdrop leads us to believe that this will either be a permanent location for the pair, however, it is quite possible the backdrop will move into the Pixar Place area once the street opens sometime during the next two weeks.

Toy Story Mania Website Updates

The official Toy Story Mania attraction website was updated today with the official opening timeframes for both the Disney’s Hollywood Studios & Disney’s California Adventure attractions, as well as a download-able screen-saver. As previously reported, the attraction will open officially in late May at the Walt Disney World Resort & in late May at the Disneyland Resort. To see the updated site & to download the cool new screen-saver, go here.

Toy Story Mania Website Updates

The official Toy Story Mania attraction website was updated today with the official opening timeframes for both the Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s California Adventure attractions, as well as a download-able screen-saver. As previously reported, the attraction will open officially in late May at the Walt Disney World Resort and late May at the Disneyland Resort. To see the updated site and to download the cool new screensaver, go HERE.

Toy Story Mania Construction Update

Here is a youtube video from staff photographer Jose Eber featuring construction pictures of Pixar Place and the upcoming Toy Story Mania attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios:

 

Opening and Important Dates for Toy Story Mania

Here are the dates our “sources” have stated for the following events pertaining to the new Toy Story Mania attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios:

-Soft Openings begin on or around April 25, 2008

-Cast Member Previews of the attraction from April 26-27 and May 2-4, 2008

-Media Preview on May 9, 2008

-Annual Passholder Previews from May 10-12, 2008

-Media Press Event on May 16, 2008

-Official Grand Opening on May 20, 2008.

These very same dates were also posted on the Inside the Magic Forums, which leads me further to believe they are accurate as of the current moment. Be sure to stay tuned to WDW News Today as more information becomes available on any of these events and this upcoming attraction.

Toy Story Mania Press Release

Even though we released and confirmed most of these details last week, here is a look at a press release from LaughingPlace.com about Toy Story Mania:

Disney Parks guests will don 3-D glasses and enter a wild and wooly 4-D world of Woody the Cowboy and Buzz Lightyear when Toy Story Mania! premieres this summer. The attraction will debut on both coasts: at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, and along the Paradise Pier midway in Disney’s California Adventure at Disneyland Resort in California. Celebrating the Disney•Pixar classics “Toy Story” and “Toy Story II,” Toy Story Mania! raises the bar for interactive ride-game attractions. It’s a high energy, immersive adventure that makes guests a key part of the action as their game play triggers special effects that provide a fourth dimension of fun. “Toy Story Mania!” engages guests in a whole new way with the delightful characters of the films.

Upon entering the attraction, guests will be welcomed by Mr. Potato Head, more than five feet tall and looking like he stepped right down from the movie screen. The state-of-the-art Audio-Animatronics Mr. Potato Head makes a perfect carnival barker for the immersive Toy Story Mania! experience, since he is the first attraction-based Audio-Animatronics figure who can engage guests in a two-way conversation.

Everyone gets a front row seat when guests put on their 3-D glasses, “shrink” to the size of a toy, and board the Toy Story Mania! carnival tram ride vehicles, whose fast travel and spinning add a huge amount of fun to the interactive experience. The exciting and colorful route takes guests through “Andy’s Bedroom” filled with oversized murals and toys. The vehicles spin to face Toy Story Mania! game booths – high-tech yet rooted in classic midway games of skill – and guests aim for 3-D animated targets using their own on-board “spring-action shooters.” Players pair up and sit side-by-side for a friendly competition that delivers an ever-changing variety of targets and surprises. As they play, guests can actually see the “virtual” objects they’ve launched leave their “spring-action shooters” and hit the targets (or not). And thanks to 4-D special effects technology, they may sense objects whirring past them as they pop out of the 3-D scenes.

The Toy Story Mania! games – five of them, plus an introductory practice round – are designed to be enjoyed by audiences of all ages and skills, from beginners to serious gamers. Play is energized by the spirit of the “Toy Story” characters cast in games that best suit their very animated personalities.

First comes the “Pie Throw Practice” round in which guests can try splattering targets with “virtual” pies. Next Hamm the pig hosts a “Hamm & Eggs” booth in which players launch “plastic virtual eggs” at various barnyard targets. “Bo Peep’s Baaa-loon Pop” presents a landscape full of balloon sheep, trees and other objects at which guests can launch virtual darts. But players had better be careful! A popped virtual water balloon might add an additional 4-D wet dimension to the game. From there it’s on to “Green Army Men Shoot Camp” where the challenge is to break plates with baseballs. Next up is “Buzz Lightyear’s Flying Tossers,” a ring-toss game hosted by everyone’s favorite space ranger, with Little Green Aliens as the targets. For the grand finale game, Toy Story Mania! players will ride through Wild West scenes launching virtual suction-cup darts at targets in “Woody’s Rootin’ Tootin’ Shootin’ Gallery.” A final “Woody’s Bonus Roundup” encourages guests to fire their “spring-action shooters” as rapidly as possible at one last super-target for extra points. When scores are tallied, players’ skill levels are identified with the reward of an onscreen “virtual plush.”

The game play of Toy Story Mania! is accompanied by ingenious musical variations of Randy Newman’s “You’ve Got A Friend in Me,” arranged by veteran music editor Bruno Coon, a frequent Newman collaborator, to compliment the games – for example, a military brass band version for “Green Army Man Shoot Camp.” No matter how many times guests return to ride and play, they can be sure every ride-through will be different.