Memory 091 – Toy Story Midway Mania!

** Binaural Audio **
Time: 30:55

Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can’t actually be there.

It’s another cold and wet Spring morning here in Kentucky. While I could be downhearted because spring still seems to be a week away according to the weather reports, I’m not. The Louisville Cardinals are rolling in the NCAA tournament. And even more exciting, today we’re putting the down payment on our first Disney cruise. That’s right it’s going to happen, the whole family is getting together for my dad’s birthday at the end of January. We’ve decided on a 4-day cruise on the Magic through the Caribbean. We’re so excited. If you’re going to be cruising at that time, drop me a line. I’d love to meet up with you. But let’s get to the real reason you’re here today. We’re talking about Disney parks and reliving our favorite Disney World memories. Today we’re continuing a request from Mandy. She requested both Buzz Lightyear and Toy Story Midway Mania, and today we’re going to get the second half of that request.

Mandy continued in her request:

Although I’ve only been on Toy Story Mania twice I loved it due to the fact Im a huge Toy Story fan and I couldn’t get enough of the atmosphere and music.

So when I was heading to California for my brothers wedding a few years ago, I couldn’t wait to try to get to DCA to catch a ride on this new attraction. Sadly, I was a little disappointed. The graphics are beautiful, the games are fun, and the atmosphere is great, but the story is very weak in my mind. I was hopeful this summer that the the new land in Disney’s Hollywood Studios would be amazing and make up for the rides shortcomings. It was a major improvement over California, but it still suffers in my mind from being a videogame with an imposed time-limit. And in addition, the spinning for small children is uncomfortable. My first ride in California, I didn’t even get to play because I spent the entire ride holding my daughter from falling over and baning into the wall, at which point the attraction becomes completely nothing.

But I’m sure most of you wouldn’t agree with my assessment again, so of course I tossed the idea out on social media to see what everyone thought, and here’s what I heard from you:

On Facebook, Ian wrote:

This is such a cool ride! I love the theming in the queue line, the animatronic Mr Potato Head is awesome, and the game is great too.

Frederick also wrote on Facebook:

We were disappointed when it was being refurbished for our 2010 trip and we weren’t able to see what all of the hype was about. However, in 2012, we rode it for the first time and we were not disappointed. It’s really a fun ride and seeing Mr. Potato Head in the queue area is such a big part of the experience. I don’t know when our next trip is, but I’m looking forward to riding it again!

And finally, I got an email in response to my post on Twitter with this story from Samantha. She wrote:

My favorite memory of the ride was the first time I took my parents on the attraction. We have done to Disney together every year since my Disney College Program in 2007 and the first time they road it was in 2009 I believe. My dad’s a huge Toy Story fan. It’s his absolute favorite. The entire ride we heard them yelling and and laughing and trying to beat each other and it’s become a staple on our trips. We have to FP Toy Story Mania as soon as we walk through the gates to Hollywood Studios and they will never let anyone else ride with one of them. Winner normally gets a turkey leg or dole whip!

I will agree with all of you, the theming is awesome, and Mr. Potato Head is just fun to watch. But the game is just so-so in my mind.

So like I said before, the first time I rode it was in California. I did attempt to record the ride, but due to user error, I hadn’t recorded anything from the day. So when I was in Orlando last summer, I did manage to get the attraction recorded., and that’s the memory we’re going to listen to. It’s a rainy summer night and I’m hoping to catch one final ride before the park closes. I’ve been hiding from the thunder storms going on outside in the Great Movie Ride. My shoes are soaked, but I have electronic equipment that can’t get wet so I’ll slip on my poncho and make my way through the storm to the back of the park. As I arrive, they claim it’s a 40 minute wait, it was 10. I’ve heard on a recent WDW Today podcast that they do that to deter folks from trying to ride the end of the day instead of say closing the ride early. It worked. Anyways, I’ll slip into line, take my poncho back off and spend a few minutes in the que listening to Mr. Potato Head before it’s my turn to ride.

Today’s memory is in binaural and recorded with the new recorder, so I’d suggest putting those headphones on to fully immerse yourself in the memory.

Now sit back. Relax. Close your eyes. And come with me as we spin through another Toy Story adventure.