Disneyland Paris guests enter a whole new world of fun at Toy Story Playland

***dlfreak*** · 08-20-2010 08:34 AM

London, UK – In the all-new Toy Story Playland, opening 17 August 2010, Disneyland Paris guests will feel as though they’ve been shrunk to the size of toys as they embark on family-friendly adventures with Buzz Lightyear, Slinky Dog, the Green Army Men, RC Racer and the rest of the gang from the Disney•Pixar Toy Story films.

Dwarfed by giant blades of grass and oversized toys, guests can descend 27 meters on a simulated parachute drop, race round-and-round on a zany coaster and zoom through a 25-meter half-pipe Hot Wheels® track aboard a remote control car. They’re all part of a new outdoor play area inspired by the backyard where Andy, the boy from Toy Story, took his toys to play – except here guests will feel as if they’re the same size as the toys.

“When you are in this land, nothing is human scale and everything is made of toys,” said Chrissie Allen, Walt Disney Imagineering senior show producer. Benches are fashioned from Lincoln Logs, a wall is constructed of dominoes and a four-meter-tall Buzz Lightyear action figure greets visitors at one of the entrances. Strewn along the wide walkway are giant Tinkertoys®, Lincoln Logs®, a ball and jacks, children’s blocks, a balsa wood plane and other nostalgic playthings, lit at night by oversized holiday lights. Andy’s enormous but subtle footprints are found in the walkway, reinforcing the notion of scale.

The colorful new land opening 17 August 2010, an expansion of Toon Studios, is inspired by the blockbuster Disney•Pixar films Toy Story, and is also part of the yearlong Disney new generation festival at Disneyland Paris that kicked off on 2 April with innovative experiences starring the newest of Disney’s and Disney•Pixar’s characters in both Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park.

Packed with all-day fun for the whole family, the celebration brings to life the stories and heroes from the Walt Disney Pictures’ animated films The Princess and the Frog and Lilo & Stitch as well as Disney•Pixar’s Toy Story films, Ratatouille, Finding Nemo, Cars , Monsters, Inc. and The Incredibles.

To help create the sense that guests have shrunk to the size of toys, Disney Imagineers took advantage of a more-than-100-year-old forest that edges the play area. The trees, many more than 30 meters in height, tower over Toy Story Playland.

“The landscape naturally reinforces the sense of being immersed in this play world,” said Chrissie Allen. “The new land is planted with beautiful stands of 9-meter-tall bamboo which encloses the land and seals us into our new toy world.” The “grass” is actually tightly planted New Zealand flax that mimics a manicured lawn.

There are two entrances to Toy Story Playland. At the main entry is the giant Buzz Lightyear action figure standing proudly on a pile of blocks. At the second entrance at the other end of the land, monkeys from a giant blue Barrel of Monkeys® welcome guests with letters from a Scrabble game.

Three new attractions, opening 17 August 2010, are featured in family-friendly Toy Story Playland:

Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop features a simulated fall from the sky with Andy’s Green Army Men. When Sarge yells, “Go!” guests sail up into the air 27 meters, then drift back down to star targets below with the aid of their “parachutes.” The setting for the attraction is a Green Army Men toy training camp, with human-sized green army men, a quonset hut, jeep, crates, a lookout station, even a baby monitor (which the Green Army Men use to communicate with each other). Guests can pause for a photo in a parachute with a backdrop of blue sky.

Slinky Dog Zigzag Spin is a zany attraction inspired by retro “caterpillar” rides. With guests aboard, Slinky Dog chases his tail in a circle, first slowly, then faster and faster. A board game in the queue keeps guests entertained. At the exit is a towering Rex the Dinosaur, ready for photos.

RC Racer! features a daring half-pipe maneuver just like the popular Hot Wheels® track, only on a much larger scale. Guests are shot out of the station by the Hot Wheels® Super Charger. When the lever is pulled, the Radio-Controlled toy car of Andy races to the top of an exhilarating 25-meter half pipe on a U-shaped circuit.

The Disney new generation festival is complemented by attractions for the whole family that are inspired by a new generation of Disney and Disney•Pixar characters. Fun and games await in Disneyland Park, where guests can help save the galaxy at Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast and kick up their heels at Woody’s Round Up. Walt Disney Studios Park also boasts its share of new generation experiences, including surfing alongside Nemo and his friends on Crush’s Coaster, jockeying for position at Cars Race Rally and getting up close and personal with a lovable alien at Stitch Live!

©Disney ©Disney/Pixar Slinky®Dog is a registered trademark of Poof-Slinky, Inc. All rights reserved. Toy Story Playland, Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop, Slinky Dog Zig Zag Spin, RC Racer, Buzz Ligthyear Laser Blast are inspired by Disney•Pixar’s film Toy Story. Crush’s Coaster is inspired by Disney•Pixar’s Finding Nemo Cars Race Rally is inspired by Disney•Pixar’s Cars Barrel of Monkeys®, Tinkertoy® and Lincoln Logs® are registered trademarks of Hasbro, Inc. Used with permission. ©2009 Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Hot Wheels® is a registered trademarks of Mattel, Inc. Hot Wheels® Trademark and Track Used With Permission © 2009 Mattel, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Height and health restrictions apply to certain attractions

Shows, parades and attractions may be closed, modified, delayed or cancelled without prior notice, notably due to inclement weather conditions.