What should moms know about Toy Story Land?

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I did receive 4 tickets to Toy Story Land for my family. However, all opinions here are 100% my own.

We spent some incredible time at Disney today checking out the new Toy Story Land! My daughter loved Toy Story as a little one. She watched it so many times that I could quote the entire movie. When I found out they were opening Toy Story Land I had to see it for myself. It took my breath away and now I want to answer the question, “What should moms know about Toy Story Land?”

Is Slinky Dog Dash too scary for kids?

Ok. Let’s just be honest. I am a wimp. I am not a big fan of much of anything that is scary. I watched Slinky Dog Dash run a few times before deciding to ride it myself. This is such a smooth coaster with tons of fun touches that are sure to make you smile. There are a couple drops and a fairly quick take off at the start but it isn’t anything that should bother most children.

Every child is different though. I suggest watching a few youtube videos to prepare them if you are worried they will get scared. It is way smoother than Minetrain if you have ridden that and enjoyed it.

Is the Alien Swirling Saucers ride worth the wait?

I would say that waiting about 30 minutes would be reasonable. Because there is minimal shade and it is very hot out I couldn’t imagine waiting longer than that. I could see waiting longer in cooler months though.
It is a really fun ride concept! I laughed the entire time I rode it. Maybe one day I’ll share that video with you. It was so incredible. If you want a laugh, I highly recommend heading over to this ride!

Has anything changed in Toy Story Mania?

There were a few things that changed and it definitely has some incredible post-ride photo spots you won’t want to miss. Our favorite was the checkerboard wall for sure!

This is a great ride to go into and cool down some from the heat. The queue is filled with so many nostalgic shout-outs to our childhood and an excellent animatronic! It also maintains the feeling you have in Toy Story Land of being shrunken down and gives you the feeling that you really are a small toy in a big world.

How can I handle the heat at Toy Story Land?

This land has minimal shade and minimal indoor components. Because of that, the heat can be hard to escape.

Hydrate! One of the things I loved at Toy Story Land was the mystic portal punch which included Gatorade instead of sodas and high sugar juices. This will be a great option to hydrate yourself on a hot day.
You can also find many water fountains and get free water from Woody’s lunch box if you get thirsty.

Visit in the morning or evening. The heat won’t go away but it is less brutal in the morning and in the evenings. Instead of going from 11-4 when it will be at its hottest, visit in the morning or evening.

Bring an umbrella and a fan. – While the umbrella may be an asset if it rains, it could also be your own portable shade in a very hot land. Portable fans are also a lifesaver on a hot day.

Pack pain relievers if needed. – If you are prone to headaches in the heat, bring a pain reliever with you that will help you beat the heat.

Take advantage of essential oils. – I always keep lavender and peppermint in my bag when I go on a hot day. While it won’t cool me down, it helps the smell of a land when other people who are overheated don’t have the same views on deodorant as I do.

How is the food at Woody’s Lunch Box?

We tried a few different things so I will give you some feedback on the ones we tasted.

Totchos

My husband fell in love with these totchos! For $8.99 you get a LARGE bowl of totchos. The flavors mix so well and the meal is delicious. This is incredibly filling and could easily be split between two people.

Smoked Turkey on Multigrain

I opted for the smoked turkey because I didn’t want something hot when it was hot outside already. I have to say I wasn’t completely impressed with this sandwich. It was pretty simple. I think it needs a custom sauce or special topping of some sort to add a punch of flavor to it. That said, it is a nice safe option for a child who is more picky.

BBQ Beef Brisket

This is my favorite dish they offer there! It is packed with flavor and so delicious! For $12.99 you get the sandwich above with the side of your choice. All of the flavors in this sandwich marry together so well and are sure to please almost anyone.

Hazlenut Lunch Box Tart

I wanted to love this. I really did. However, it was overly sweet and I just couldn’t get behind it. The best way I can think to explain this is that it is two sugar cookies stacked with nutella in the middle and bacon very sparingly sprinkled on top.

I may be a bit picky though. I definitely wish there wasn’t the overwhelming sweetness but it was a miss for me.

Which characters can I meet at Toy Story Land?

You can meet Woody, Jessie, and Buzz in Toy Story Land. You can also interact with the Green Army Patrol.

What is the Green Army Patrol like?

You will see the Green Army Patrol come out in two different ways. They will share some really fun training exercises with the kids. There is also a really fun drum corps that performs and is sure to get your kids smiling and keep them entertained.

An Interview with an Imagineer

How do you find the balance so that a ride isn’t too scary for kids but isn’t too kiddy for adults?

“We look at a land and we say, where do want to put things. Like in this case, which toys do we want to put where. We want to make the land as family friendly as we can but we want to give people variety. The attractions in the land are all very different but that is what makes it interesting.”

What inspired Toy Story Land?

“All of the films of course and now the films have been out for quite awhile and a lot of generations know all those characters. We just thought this would be a perfect fit for the studios as the first immersive land that we’re doing like this. It’s been really fun to work on.”

Where were your foundations educationally that led to you working here?

“For me, I grew up and I loved Disney. I grew up going to every Disney film and visiting Disney Parks. So I thought, someday I hope to do something like what I do now. I was a designer and focused on different types of design. There are a lot of different people. There are hundreds of people that work on these with us. It’s a lot of fun.”

How do you develop all of the back stories?

“Disney attractions are all based on stories so a lot of the things in Toy Story Land didn’t exist in the films. The characters might have but what we wanted to do was expand the world of Toy Story and so we started thinking of ways we could do that. We do concept sketches and we have writers that write storylines.”

An Interview with Merchandising

How do you get the ideas for the merchandising? Does it come from the park or before it comes out?
“A lot of it takes place months before the parks are even built. The imagineers are going to build the story and then we are going to create products that fit in with that story. We have things like headwear, toys, apparel, home decor, and these different merchandisers will work on the products and kind of move together to get a more cohesive look.

This toy was made by a merchandiser by the name of Danny. He’s been developing toys for like 20 years. He only worked with the models that imagineering used. So, he didn’t ride the attraction until like 3 days before it opened. The cool part for him was seeing his toy come to life. He was only working with these small-scale models and then for it to be surrounding him, it was a neat experience. He was totally geeking out about the whole thing.”

An Interview with Chef Joseph Guillia

What is the motivation behind Woody’s Lunch Box?

“We wanted to give Andy the lunch box everyone would want to trade for. Many of the options are foods you would find in a lunch box but taken up a notch. We also wanted to make sure everything here had a touch of a comfort food.”

An Interview with the Manager at Disney

What is your role within the parks?

“I am the general manager to make sure that we integrate stuff. We want to make sure that when we bring these products to life for you guys as guests that you would be blown away and overwhelmed with excitement.”

So there’s a natural transition in the park from places like Toy Story to Star Wars for instance?

“Yes. As I finish this I will move right into the next project we are working on.”

So your job is ever evolving?

“It is. If you think about it, next year we’ll be celebrating the 30th anniversary of this park.”

Also, Star Wars at the same time.

“Don’t forget Mickey and Minnie runaway railroad as well.”

Part of my heart hurts still because I loved the Great Movie Ride but I will try to love Mickey and Minnie as much.

“If you think about it, that’s going to be the first attraction we’ve ever featured Mickey in. That probably would have been one of Walt’s visions. If you’re going to replace Great Movie Ride with something, it’s gotta be Mickey!”

What would you say your favorite part of your job is?

“Ensuring the cast members deliver excellent service for the guests! Leadership is about motivating the cast so they know their purpose and their roles. If they don’t provide great service for you, you don’t come back.”

An Interview with Entertainment

What new things can we expect in Toy Story Land? What should I make sure to see?

“One of the key things to point out is that both men and women serve so we have changed our green army men to our green army patrol. I’m very happy about that. We have men and women of the green army patrol able to talk and interact with you. 7 times a day we do a really fun stop and stay progression. It progresses in and they do all these great patterns with a music score. They break apart and invite guests into the circle to play.

The other thing we do is a green army drum corp. So we auditioned really amazing drummers and put together an amazing army drum corp of men and women and they do really funny stuff. Then they’ll stop and ask you to play with them. They entertain throughout the land. They entertain our queue lines for slinky dog and alien swirling saucers.

Another big thing that we’re doing is that Buzz, Jessie, and Woody are right on the main backyard promenade. You’re free to give them a shout out and wave or if you want to queue up and see them. It’s a different approach to our character program.”