Toy Story Mania

I am at Walt Disney World right now – at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, in fact! I hope you enjoy this repost from a few months back! See ya real soon!

The 2008 opening of Toy Story Mania! marked the first time Walt Disney Imagineering designed an attraction to premiere simultaneously at Walt Disney World and at Disney’s California Adventure. Inspired by the Disney•Pixar Toy Story films, this ride “shrinks” Guests to the size of Andy’s toys and plunges them right into the action of the Midway Games Play Set Andy got for his latest birthday.

The ride queue is themed with oversized toys, from a Lincoln Log structure to crayons to the books on Andy’s shelf. A five-foot tall Mr. Potato Head (seen here with actor Don Rickles) hosts the action as a carnival barker. He is the first Audio-Animatronic character that can remove and replace one of its own body parts (his ear). He is also capable of interacting with Guests by looking directly at them, and his mouth appears to move realistically with the words he speaks.

Toy Story Mania! is Disney’s first interactive 3-D ride, as it is also a game. Wearing special glasses, Guests can actually see the virtual objects they launch as they hit (or miss) targets in five different game booths. Adding 4-D special-effects technology, riders may sense objects whirring past them as they pop out of the 3-D scenes or feel the spray from bursting virtual water balloons. Players compete against their tram partners and can compare their tallied scores at the end of the ride. Some of the games are available online for Guests who can’t make it to the park.

Disney•Pixar’s Toy Story 3 opens in theaters on June 18, 2010. Yesterday, May 9, 2010, a new character from the film, Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear, joined his Toy Story pals in the Block Party Bash parade at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. DHS visitors can also pose for photos with him at the meet-and-greet inside The Magic of Disney Animation. Later this month, Rex and Trixie’s Dino Darts will replace Bo Peep’s Baaa-loon Pop in Toy Story Mania!

 

Today’s Takeaway:
 Many carnival midway games require players to toss or launch an item at a certain trajectory in order to hit a target. While players do not take time to calculate angles and measure the force required to achieve their goals, indeed, a certain amount of physics is required to win.

Today, catapult a rubber bouncy ball into a basket. This website offers instructions to build a catapult from Popsicle (craft) sticks. All you need are 32 Popsicle (craft) sticks, masking tape, 1 pencil, 1 rubber band, scissors, an X-acto knife (optional), a 6-inch square piece of paper, and of course, a rubber bouncy ball or other small item to launch. Follow the step-by-step instructions posted here, then utilize your knowledge of physics to land a ball in a basket.

SCHOOL SUBJECT: Physics
SKILL LEVEL: High School