Toy Story Land: Small but Mighty… (Mighty Cute that is!)
Christina Szewczuk4.23.19
As you arrive at the entrance to Toy Story Land, you’re greeted by a larger-than-life statue of Woody as he tips his hat to you while leaning on a little “toy” structure donning the new land’s name. Characters, like Jessie and Rex, appear to be hanging old style Christmas bulbs while other strands of lights hang above you zig-zagging throughout. You will notice that most of the area looks to be made up of enormous K’nex, buiding blocks, Tinker Toys, and other classic building games. This is because you have just been transported into Andy’s Back Yard where he has built this fun playground with his incredible imagination!The first thing you will see in Toy Story Land is the huge Slinky Dog Dash roller coaster! The concept of Slinky Dog Dash is that Andy has created the coaster out of a kit he has purchased. As you walk through the queue, you see the directions for the toy and blueprints for its construction. You’ll also catch other familiar faces as you inch through the queue. While it is adorable, this ride is definitely in the “family coaster” classification. It goes very slowly and there are no drops, sharp turns or rolls. There is one spot where it looks like there could be a drop, but it is not freely rolling down the track, it is slowed a little so it absorbs the drop quite a bit. The ride time is about 2 minutes. While its thrill factor is low, it is still a really fun ride and would be perfect for a kid’s first coaster. You can check it out here in my ride through video!While I was standing around taking in all of Toy Story land, I began to hear drums and music. As I looked around the corner I caught a little parade of sorts! Toy Soldiers were marching into the park singing and playing drums while leading Woody & Jessie to their meet and greet location! The meet and greet location is right across from the Slinky Dog Coaster.Right next to Slinky Dog Dash is the other new ride, Alien Swirling Saucers. This ride was a pleasant surprise. Initially I was concerned it would be similar to the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party in the Magic Kingdom. But once I got there and saw the ride I was intrigued! Mad Tea Party is a classic spin ride where you control the spinning. My kids (and husband!) love to spin this thing as fast as humanly possible and it leaves me feeling nauseous. But Alien Swirling Saucers is more like the classic carnival ride, the Scrambler. You sit in a little car attached to one of the loveable aliens from “the Claw” machine you see in the movie. Your car moves in a sort of figure 8 (or swirl pattern) while whipping you around corners. It is not as intense as the name suggests. You are not grabbing onto the sides for your life, its more of a “wheeee” as you float around the floor kind of feeling.
The one ride we all know and love, Toy Story Mania, now has a new entrance right by Woody’s Lunch box, the new quick serve restaurant. Toy Story Mania has not really changed except that the entrance is now located in Toy Story Land rather than Pixar Place.Toy Story Land has also brought us a new quick serve restaurant, Woody’s Lunch Box! This literally looks like an old school lunch box complete with Thermos! It is really well themed. There are some fun lunch-theme decorated tables with chairs and umbrellas as well as some standing only tables. This area is also well shaded like the two ride queues. AND there is a Hidden Mickey somewhere along the wall! You can look for it as you’re ordering! I went here with a few friends so I got to try several things. We tried the Totchos, BBQ Brisket Melt and the 2 “Lunch Box tart” flavors, Chocolate-Hazelnut and Raspberry. The Totchos are basically loaded tater tots with chili, cheese, tomatoes, sour cream and some scallions scattered on top. I could eat these all day long. The BBQ Brisket was good. It was well-seasoned beef and cheese between to pieces of buttered Texas Toast. This was also very tasty. The pop tarts were kind of dry and a little “empty” leaving me a little bummed. They were not filled up completely with filling, there was something missing with these. They were ok, but most likely not something I would order again.
There are a few carts with Toy Story Merchandise scattered around. They have everything: toys, pens, pins, headbands, lanyards and more. I got myself a commemorative pin since I collect Disney Pins. However, my favorite things were the 2 new headbands. There is a soft one with a push Slinky Dog dashing across your head. The other new one is an alien related. It’s a plastic headband with the alien antenna and ears with three moving google eyes that light up! It is so cool! You can see my friend Audrey and her son Keegan modeling them below.
This new Toy Story area is not huge, so if fills up fast. There are a few small criticisms I have and they are: #1 there is not enough seating at Woody’s Lunch Box and #2 there is not enough shade. I went on a really hot day and the sun just beats down on you while you’re walking around. There is shade in the ride queues though, so that’s a positive. Overall, I think it’s a great, much-needed addition to Hollywood Studios. It is a bright, happy area with imaginative, fun rides and a great new option for quick serve meals. I am looking forward to seeing the Minnie & Mickey Runaway Roller Coaster that is coming soon and of course, Galaxy’s Edge, the Star Wars lover’s dream come true! More on those later, but if you’d like some information about Toy Story Land or you’d like to book a trip to see it your self, please feel free to reach out to me! My email is Christina@WishesFamilyTravel.com. You can also follow me on social media Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest!