Midway Madness in DCA...What Is This???

[DisneyPrincess4590]

Ok, I've heard about Midway Madness in DCA. Is this a Toy Story ride? Where will it be? When will it open?

[dsnyfnatic]

lots of rumors have been going around about this, but it sounds like (most of this is according to Al) it will be a dark ride located in Paradise Pier, under and behind CA Screamin'. The entrance would be located where the current Maliburitos eatery is, and the ride would stetch out behind that area.

As far as I know, it would be themed around Woody and the other cowboy toys in Toy Story, and may be interactive, made to be like an old midway shooting arcade, so guests would have guns, and shoot at targets (kinda like buzz lightyear astro blasters over in Disneyland)

Al's been making it sound like management is really pushing for this one, and can be greenlit any day now, with an expected opening date for possibly late 2007-early '08. Construction could even begin as early as this fall, when Screamin' shuts down for a lengthy rehab, and rumors of the beginning of Placemaking for Paradise Pier are also expected to occur

Hope that helps!!

[MooglePower]

Sounds like it has the potential to be an intriguing attraction if done correctly. I'll be looking forward to it!

[MiceSteak]

Am I the only one that thinks that this ride might be randomly placed? What do you guys think?

[dsnyfnatic]

Originally Posted by MiceSteak

Am I the only one that thinks that this ride might be randomly placed? What do you guys think?

I agree that the Woody/Toy Story theme may be a little oddly placed, however, the idea of a shooting arcade can be found on most midways on most boardwalks, and Disney is merely trying to put an original spin on it by creating a dark ride out of that idea. Therefore, the basic premise I dont think is randomly placed (hopefully this midway ride will quickly mark the demise of the actual midway games that plague Paradise Pier).

And the Toy Story/Woody addition to this ride will help draw in all the little boys wanting to grow up to be cowboys and interest many more people than if they were merely shooting at little yellow ducks and the like.

[MasterGracey]

Originally Posted by MiceSteak

Am I the only one that thinks that this ride might be randomly placed? What do you guys think?

The shooting gallery theme of the ride doesnt seem misplaced to me, but I feel that the inclusion of Toy Story characters is. Also, everything I've heard makes me feel like it's Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters round two but just swap out Buzz and a space theme for Woody and a western theme.

It seems odd to me to create two similar attractions with very very closely related chracters.

Hopefully this isn't the case. Hopefully the shoot-em-up angle is taken to a different level and place - different ride vehicles, different ride experience, different everything. Also, I hope they make the ride incredibly immersive so that you don't have to participate in the shooting to enjoy it. I love Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, but sometimes I just want to ride and not actually have to shoot. Unfortunately, the ride is a bit lackluster if you aren't shooting. I suppose the game is the point of the attraction, but it would be nice to have the "show" and the "activity" be equal parts in the experience.

I do have hope for this ride and I think at this point anything added to Paradise Pier that is more family-oriented and not "off-the-shelf" is a major plus. I also hope that management takes the addition of the ride to the next level and does a whole land re-theme - like what they did over in the Backlot, but on a much larger scale, with the retheme encompassing the entire land.

[A Disney Dreamer]

Eeek, I don't want ANOTHER Pixar ride at Disneyland. Not lookin' forward to this ride at all...even if it is for Disney's California Adventure.

At the rate it is going, they should just drop the California Adventure name, dub it "Pixarland", and adjoin it to Disneyland!

[lazyboy97O]

As with all new attractions I look forward to the experience. This is even better because no attraction is being replaced.

I don't think anything will feel redundant with Buzz in Disneyland. All of the dark rides are essentially the same vehicle presenting the story in a similar fashion. Not everything needs to be an E-Ticket with a brand new vehicle that was in R&D for 10 years.

[MiceSteak]

Originally Posted by MasterGracey

The shooting gallery theme of the ride doesnt seem misplaced to me, but I feel that the inclusion of Toy Story characters is.

Exactly. I couldn't have said it better myself.

[MiceSteak]

Originally Posted by A Disney Dreamer

At the rate it is going, they should just drop the California Adventure name, dub it "Pixarland", and adjoin it to Disneyland!

That would be next to the dark and misty Villianland right?

Oh the nightmares.

[A Disney Dreamer]

Originally Posted by MiceSteak

That would be next to the dark and misty Villianland right?

Oh the nightmares.

No.

[MiceSteak]

I kid! You know I support your dreams my little Dreamer you.

[MasterGracey]

Originally Posted by lazyboy97O

As with all new attractions I look forward to the experience. This is even better because no attraction is being replaced.

I don't think anything will feel redundant with Buzz in Disneyland. All of the dark rides are essentially the same vehicle presenting the story in a similar fashion. Not everything needs to be an E-Ticket with a brand new vehicle that was in R&D for 10 years.

I totally agree - I don't expect it to be an E-Ticket, nor do I think it needs to be one. But another omnimover attraction with guns seems to be redundant to me...

I'm just concerned about how strikingly similar another omnimover-based darkride with guns will be to the Astro Blasters across the esplanade. Are they considering any other sort of ride vehicles? Maybe like a mini flume log ride with guns? Or maybe something using Tokyo's Pooh ride vehicle technology. Or even a bumpy ride like Winnie the Pooh over at Disneyland (imagine the challenge that would create - trying to aim for the targets while your western-themed mine car or covered wagon is bumping and swerving around! haha)... I don't know.

I'm going to, of course, hold judgement of the attraction until I can experience it... And I'm in no way saying that this is a bad idea - a quality family ride in Paradise Pier is something I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to see - but I am a bit concerned at the similarities it has with Buzz Lightyear over in Disneyland proper.

[dsnyfnatic]

MasterGracey, you kinda beat me to the punch, but I was going to propose using Tokyo's Pooh technology, with the trackless GPS system moving you around expansive show scenes towards the different targets.

heck, they could even add a twist to it, and give you joysticks like in Buzz, so that the vehicles move around w/o tracks, but you can choose to turn your car around in circles to face different targets.

if they were to use this system, they could stage it to be similar to Pooh in that 2-3 cars leave the station at the same time, follow the same general course (as in they will all be in the same show room at the same time), but move about the room separately. then you could be competing as car against car, not person against person within your own car.

something like Universals MIB, you can shoot the other cars for points, shoot the targets for points, etc, and then at the end you get to see which car won.

each car could even be themed as a different toy story character, with the story being something like "woody has challenged jessie to a shooting match, so hop along and join em, see if you can help your character win"

if they did something like this, then the basic premise of "dark ride featuring toy story characters using guns" sounds the same for both mania and buzz, but would in fact be entirely different.

[ladyalmalthea]

How about some kind of tunnel of loooooove