00:14I think from the very first time we met Buzz and Woody in the first Toy Story, everyone
00:19wanted to go somewhere with them.
00:21We talked about how to get the Toy Story toys into the Disney theme parks.
00:27Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters was one of the first projects that involved the Toy Story
00:31characters.
00:33You spin around 360 degrees and you blasted, you know, enemy aliens, so it's just great
00:38fun.
00:39When we were starting to think about a new interactive attraction for Disney's California
00:44adventure, we came up with Toy Story Mania.
00:49Toy Story Mania began as an idea of playing traditional midway games with the Toy Story
00:54characters.
00:55So we picked from the midway game series the typical games and we wanted it to feel like
01:01a three-dimensional digital real world.
01:06There was an opportunity in the second park, the studio park in Paris, that they wanted
01:13to do a new kind of land.
01:14So, the idea came out, what if it was like Andy was playing with his toys in his backyard?
01:25It was something that would appeal to guests of all ages, to a very broad audience.
01:29It was colorful, it was kinetic, it alters your perception of scale and it was a very immersive
01:33environment that we thought would work really well for Hong Kong as well.
01:41There are a lot of steps that take us from the initial concept all the way to opening day.
01:47We begin with sketches, begin to build scale models, animation models and small scale maquettes
01:56and then we built them in full size.
01:59And then we did what's called a SketchUp model, which is a 3D computer model and that helps
02:03us as we start to go through the land and it gives us the perspective from our point of
02:07view.
02:08Especially in a land like Toy Story where everything is over scale, understanding the composition
02:12and how those scales play to human size really helps us get into those environments.
02:18From the time we began clearing the site, it's 18 to 20 months of in-field construction
02:24before we're ready to open the park.
02:27Buzz Lightyear greets you at the front of the land and he's 14 feet tall and on the blocks
02:32you can literally walk under him.
02:34Everything from the landscaping, we have grasses and bamboos that also helps to support that
02:39shift in scale.
02:40All of the elements, the rides, the character icons or photo opportunities are all over-sized
02:44so as soon as you walk into that land you feel like you're the size of a toy.
02:48So we took a look at all these different cool ride systems and we thought what could
02:52it be like, you know, in themed with Toy Story and we loved the Green Army Men and we thought
02:59oh, wouldn't it be awesome to have, you know those fantastic parachute rides, you ride up
03:04and drop down, they are so much fun and we thought this is like perfect because the Army
03:09Men and the parachutes are part of the original film.
03:13The guests go through the Quonset Hut and through the transportation area before they board onto
03:19their parachutes and we take them up to the top and teach them how to jump.
03:23There's another ride that we love where you ride on this kind of like a caterpillar or
03:27something that goes in a circle and Slinky Dog.
03:30We just looked at it and said, it is Slinky Dog.
03:34So we developed this fantastic ride that Slinky Dog is chasing his tail and where you sit is
03:41in his Slinky coils.
03:43The ride itself really goes around in a circle, there's a little bit of a, you know, a wonkiness
03:48to it as you're riding but still very, very family friendly.
03:51Slinky speeds up, slows down, does a few little things like that and it's really very charming.
03:56I grew up with Hot Wheels and I just love Hot Wheels and that's why they're in Toy Story
04:03where Buzz Lightyear lands on the Red Baron and goes through the loops and goes off the jump.
04:07So we started looking at what can we do with RC car and we thought, wow, we can make that
04:13car, that vehicle look like RC and we said, what if it's going on kind of a Hot Wheels track?
04:21RC Racer is in the middle of all the action in the film, all the thrill, so of course that
04:25makes for more of a thrill ride, it's probably the most intense thrill ride of all three in the park.
04:30And the track itself is 25 meters tall on either end and you're launched up the half pipe and you
04:36hang for a few seconds before you come back down.
04:39It's terrifying fun.
04:40It's the kind of thing where you think, oh my gosh, can I really do that?
04:44And once you do, you want to go on it again.
04:48I think it appeals to the kids and all of us then to be a toy and be able to
04:53play with the
04:53toys in the Toy Story world.
05:13We'll see you next time.
