Over a span of eight years, Disney theme parks across the world went from zero Toy Story Lands to four. Yes, every Disney locale except for Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland features a themed land dedicated to Pixar’s most popular characters. Let’s all act like Ant-Man and shrink down in size to appreciate the genius of the various iterations around the world. Here are several fun facts about Toy Story Land.
You can literally follow in the footsteps of Andy
Image: DisneyWhen you enter Toy Story Land, you shrink down to the size of a toy. You are now one of the residents of Andy’s playroom. The entire themed land is a recreation of various toys and sets that Andy has picked up along the way. Imagineers have connected the sets from the movies to everything that populates Toy Story Land.
As you explore, you may miss a few of the details. It’s understandable given the sheer volume of Imagineering tricks on display. Toy Story Land is designed so that everything grows more prominent as you advance into the area. You’ll feel like you’re growing smaller due to this change in perspective.
Perhaps the best demonstration of this dynamic is a shoeprint. When you look at the ground where you’re walking, you’ll realize that you’re literally following in Andy’s footsteps. Disney has painted shoeprints into the ground to immerse guests into the realm of Toy Story.
The massive footprint looks like an 80-foot tall kaiju has stomped his sneakers through the land, which would also explain the cracks in the concrete. Yes, Disney planned for inevitable wear and tear by creating a visual that explains the causality.
The little touches matter
Image: DisneyTo you, Toy Story Land is a fun place to visit. To Imagineers, it’s a living, breathing world wherein toys are alive and extremely dedicated to their owner. Also, this themed land is the backyard of an incredibly imaginative boy. Many of the items that you see play up both of these facts.
The decorations that populate Toy Story Land tell a bigger story. For example, when you see the standard wait-time for one of the attractions, you’ll pay attention to the front, the place where the number is.
The 45 that signifies a 45-minute wait is informational, but the back of this sign accentuates the theme. When you glance at it, you’ll realize that Andy’s home address is posted on the back. He’s hoping that in the sad event that he loses a toy, some kind stranger will return it to him. It’s even shaped like a hanging tag for effect.
Toy Story Land doesn’t have your run-of-the-mill wooden benches. Oh no, that would never do. They have Popsicle benches! Since Andy is a kid who, in the immortal words of Lisa Simpson, can’t afford anything “with zeroes in the prices,” some of the accessories are intentionally cheap. Kids don’t have money for toy furniture. What they do have is ready access to Popsicle sticks. Andy has built benches out of 10 of them!
Different parks have different attractions
Image: DisneyThe first Toy Story Land appeared at Walt Disney Studios Park at Disneyland Paris. The original themed land hosted three attractions to start.
You could think of RC Racer as a kind of Hot Wheel ride, one where part of the track is missing. You start going one way on a u-shaped track, and then gravity prevents you from reaching the full height of the path. So, you slide down and go up the other side.
This sort of steel shuttle roller coaster isn’t unique to Disney, but theirs is the best. Park planners are so proud of it that you’ll find it at Hong Kong Disneyland and Shanghai Disneyland. In fact, these three parks share another ride as well.
Slinky Dog Zigzag Spin is different from Slinky Dog Dash. While both are technically roller coasters, the latter is more of a thrill ride. Zigzag Spin is clearly targeted toward children. Its motion is kind of like an aggressive inchworm movement. The ingenious design aids with the core concept of Toy Story Land, your toy-sized shrinkage.
The other ride that Americans haven’t gotten yet is Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop, an aerial attraction that simulates the, well, parachute drops of Toy Soldiers in the film franchise. This ride is also gentle, as the parachutes drop at modest velocity. The best parallel is the speed with which Mary Poppins soars with her umbrella.
While the Walt Disney World rides are both quite good, fans of family rides would love to have all three of these attractions at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. They have more novelty than Alien Swirling Saucers. To a larger point, the Paris and Hong Kong versions of Toy Story Land have one more ride than Hollywood Studios, which makes it feel a bit…less.
Pixar history is hidden in plain sight
Image: DisneyYou can’t help but see the Luxo Ball, the yellow ball with a red star and blue stripes. Along with the hopping lamp, it’s one of the two icons of the Pixar library. What only Disney trivia rock stars would know is Pixar was founded on February 3, 1986.
As a tribute to the importance of Pixar, Imagineers have displayed this number at two different spots in Toy Story Land. The easier one to spot is at Dodge & Dash Mega Coaster Kit. You’ve likely noticed that it’s shaped in the form of a construction set toy box, complete with carrying handle.
Should you look at the bar code on the “package” that is Slinky Dog Dash, you’ll see 231986 (and 1011971 for good measure). That’s 2/13/1986. You can see this at the end during the karaoke “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” song, but it’s on the opposite set of the Audio-Animatronic. The bar code is on the left wall. It’s also visible in the line queue.
Image: DisneyUnder the bar code is another hidden message. It lists that the construction set is “Made in Emeryville, CA.” That’s the home office of Pixar Animation Studios! If you’re wondering about 1011971, you’re missing the obvious as a Disney fan. It’s the opening date for Walt Disney World! Yes, it’s 10/1/1971 aka October 1, 1971. Clever, right?
The other spot where you’ll “see” the barcode is on a set of Dominoes beside the Luxo Ball. This one is incredibly tough to figure out. You must study the values on each Domino. I’ll be honest. I wouldn’t have gotten this one unless some kind person on Instagram had spelled it out.
Reading from closest to the Luxo Ball to the farthest away, the numbers are 2, 3, 1, 9, 8, and 6. Again, it’s 2/3/1968. Only people who have played Dominoes will get this one, though.
Whenever anyone mentions numbers and Pixar history, one comes to mind. A113 is the most recognizable Easter egg in Pixar films. The letter and numbers refer to a classroom at California Institute of the Arts. Many of the animators who worked at Pixar had taken courses in this room, and so they’ve cheekily referenced it in all of their films. Brad Bird even included it in all of his episodes of The Simpsons!
Image: DisneyImagineers couldn’t very well construct Toy Story Land without acknowledging A113 in some way. They’ve done at least three, although two are in the same location and share the same the letter blocks.
When you see the playpen near Woody’s Lunch Box, you’ll recognize the A immediately. You’ll have to move around a bit to see that the block beside it has a 1 on two of its sides and a 3 on the other. It also has three stars on the top, so I think this one is kind of a cheat.
Right beside it are more Dominoes. Yes, you see where this is going. The combination of the A block with the accompanying numbers on the Dominoes again adds up to A113.
The other spot is at Alien Swirling Saucers. As you walk through the line queue here, you’ll see that a wall that indicates you’re at Bay 1 right beside Bay 13. Your logical question here is where the A is. The answer is a bit tricky. You’re at Airlock Alpha. The wall is right under an Exit sign, making it hard to miss. So, putting it all together, you’re at Airlock Alpha Bay 1/Bay 13 or Airlock A1-13! You don’t get to work at Pixar or become an Imagineer unless you love numerology, I guess.
The line queues are impeccably detailed
Image: DisneyDisney critics perceive Toy Story Land as a cheaply designed themed land. They lament the materials used in the design and construction. The one element that they cannot criticize is the attention to detail.
When you enter Toy Story Land, you will feel like you are toy-sized due to some deft Imagineering tricks. Disney messes with your perception by crafting larger than life caricatures of familiar sights from the Toy Story films. This aspect is most evident in the line queues.
At Slinky Dog Dash, you’ll stand next to instruction manuals, guides on how to put together children’s toys along with some tidbits about the science of Slinkys. These papers are larger than you. Observant theme park tourists can and should read the documents to appreciate the authenticity of these “walls” fully.
You’ll see everything from measurements of the parts to detailed specifications on how to connect them. It’s a tongue-in-cheek celebration of the Christmas parental nightmare of putting together gifts that say, “Some assembly required.”
Image: DisneyFrom Andy’s perspective, the manual is incredibly helpful. The idea at Slinky Dog Dash is that he has won a contest at Pizza Planet. The prize is the Dodge & Dash Mega Coaster Kit construction set. It shows all of the pieces he needs to put together his brand new toy. And a hilarious, accurate aspect of the ride is that Andy’s a kid with poor follow-through. You’ll board a roller coaster that isn’t completely finished yet, at least according to the pictures in the manual!
Perhaps the strongest example of the detail on display happens right as you approach the coaster cart for Slinky Dog Dash. Across the way, notebook paper is visible. These are doodles of Andy’s, ones that show some of his ideas for his super-duper construction project.
When you look carefully, you’ll appreciate that the notebook paper even has those tell-tale notches that happen when you tear the paper away from the spirals. Nobody would have thought of that save for Disney. Best of all, attentive guests will see Hidden Mouse Ears in the notches!
