The $80 Million Inspiration For Disney’s Latest Wii Game
Movies, books, comics, even a 14th century poem have inspired video games, but Toy Story Mania! is the first game designed to recreate a Disney ride experience.
Toy Story Mania! is being developed for the Wii with the help of Disney’s imagineers and designed to replicate the experience of the 4D ride of the same name.
Toy Story Mania! the ride opened in Disney’s California Adventure and Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2008. On the ride, park-goers board a carnival tram and ride along a track that whips them in front of large screens featuring steroscopic 3D animation. The ride also features blasts of air and water and four plastic pop guns that are used to shoot virtual pies, darts, balls and hoops at the screen to score points.
The attraction is broken up into a practice round and five games, including a balloon pop and plate break levels and a Woody-themed pop-gun shoot-out on a faux western set.
To shoot the virtual ammo, people on the ride pull back on a string attached to the over-sized guns and let go to fire, simulating a pop gun. Disney Interactive show producer Stephanie Pickens, one of the imagineers who worked on the ride, said the gun can register up to ten shots a second.
The ride also tracks each players scores, showing the scores at the end of each run and also listing the park’s high scores for the day and month.
The ride cost an estimated $US80 million to create and requires more than 150 computers to run. It is, Pickens said, the first true video game ride in a Disney park.
The team behind the ride faced a lot of challenges, said Sue Bryan, Walt Disney senior show producer.
“It was harder than you might have thought,” she said. “We have 3-year-olds, grand parents, teenagers, avid gamers, people who swear they never want to play a video game who might be riding this.”
And because the ride is relatively short, people need to feel successful instantly to have fun.
“Traditional carnival games are fun, but are not necessarily out to make people feel successful,” she said.
So the team started by creating a mock-up of the ride, building the set with foam core, the car out of plywood and the guns out of PVC pipe.
“Our big goal was immersion,” she said.
After deciding on the ride’s design, the team of imagineers started mocking up guns for the attraction.
“We tested levers, buttons, but we ended up with a pull string because it feels like a pop gun, viscerally, when you use it,” she said.
When Walt Disney Imagineering started working on the virtual portion of the ride, it became a lot like making a game, Pickens said.
The giant screens and the graphics needed to have accurate physics and had to be able to know exactly where the shooter was located and pointing at all times.
“We needed to render projectiles precisely to make sure it feels like it comes out of your gun,” Pickens said.
Both Pixar, the people behind the Toy Story movies, and Disney animators worked on the animations for the ride’s games. The games, while relatively simple on their surface, also have a surprising amount of complexity built into them.
Some of the animations have two stages, like a hen house that when shot sprouts chickens. There are also Easter eggs, or secrets built into the games, like clouds that shower high point targets when shot.
When Disney decided to create a video game based on their ride they turned to Papaya Studios.
“We spent a lot of time with the video game development team,” Pickens said. “It’s crazy, crazy detailed.”
While the Wii game doesn’t have air or water effects, some of the games levels will include steroscopic 3D graphics. Where the ride features 56 game screens, the Wii version has 30 mini games.
Because the game relies on the motion controls of the Wii remote, it does manage to capture much of the same feel of the ride and Disney hopes that spells increased sales. In fact, the game will be sold at the two parks right outside of the ride.
If successful, it sounds like Disney may explore bringing other forms of video game interactivity to some of their parks and with those new rides will likely come new video game ports of theme park reality.
“Interactive play is really popular at our parks,” Bryan said.
Well Played is a weekly opinion column about the big news of the week in the gaming industry and its bigger impact on things to come. Feel free to join in the discussion.
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Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)
@Gortexfogg:
It's also in Hollywood Studios (Formerly MGM Studios) in Walt Disney World if that increases your likelihood of going at all.
Am I the only one out there who really doesn't enjoy this ride? To me, it felt like a simple set of light-gun mini-games, only the gun requires you to pull a ripcord. I didn't like it the first time I rode it, and when I was back with family, I didn't enjoy it much then, either. I suppose I might be desensitized to theme park rides, but really there are better interactive rides, much better.
Wouldn't the Pirates of the Caribbean game count as a game "designed to recreate a disney ride experience"? Well a movie based oon a Disney ride anyway.
lilsamuraijoe
Is midway back? just hopping... go america go
I want Half Life the ride - shooting away headcrabs and combine with my entire family! Or, how about Mr. Toad's Wild Ride: The Game (for Wii, of course)?
The whole set up does sound interesting, though. I might have given this a try if it wasn't in California Adventures...
Gortexfogg
Will the game come with a 45 loading screen before you can play the game and 2 grotesquely obese families to stand between while you wait?
omgwtflolbbqbye
ALRIGHT!!!! I'LL BUY THE GAME ALREADY SHEESH!!!
@UsernameOfTheDead: After being a developer of course.
And as soon as I finish college eventually... about 8 more years to go.
Being an Imagineer is one of the best jobs!
UsernameOfTheDead
I once waited 45 minutes in line with my young cousin to play this game at Disney World, only for the ride to break down when I was about 5 minutes from playing it.
Is this anything like that Buzz Lightyear shooting ride?
Mm, personally I enjoyed the MIB ride in Universal Studios Orlando more than that one. Things happen if you miss, the guns can be picked up and pointed more properly, 6 people at a time, etc. Pretty fun, all told.
kagekiri
@missnicolec: I agree, there are brilliant people working behind the scenes on cool stuff like this.
I'm wondering how they managed to implement the Wii Motion control into the interactive ride. I'm glad that video game developers helped Disney with this, otherwise, who knows how this would have turned out.
If successful, it sounds like Disney may explore bringing other forms of video game interactivity to some of their parks and with those new rides will likely come new video game ports of theme park reality.
Come on, Captain Eo...
I'm pretty surprised Disney is doing this as it seems to lead to a path of negating part of the reason people bring their kids to Disney in the first place. If the park is going to be overtaken by video game themed rides which have decent approximations available for home, then I'd believe Disney could be putting itself at risk of phasing itself out a la arcades down the line.
Where McDonald's fails at saving scores, Disney succeeds.
Ragglefraggle
Say what you want about Disney, but they sure snap up some of the most brilliant people around to keep it running!
missnicolec
@n00b_pwner: Damn comments!
So does that mean that Disney refused my "death rides" I sent them as a ride idea?
That sucks balls.
@James Gavin: W
@n00b_pwner: it's easier to be a developer then an imagineer though ;) it also depends who your planning to develop for. Imagineering is a VERY difficult job to get into.
James Gavin
@crunks: the ride's less then a year old, at least if your talking about Midway Mania, when they're new it's kinda like going to a beta test there's going to be alot of glitches and crashes you won't get with older rides. Also Disney World has piss pore maintenance pretty much the worst of all the Disney parks in America (Paris is still the worst maintained in the world though)
James Gavin
@kagekiri: It's a 3D hybrid darkride, so it has more 3D integration then Buzz with a few flats inbetween the 3D screens, think of it like playing a little minigame on a 4D movie screen with the 4D effects like air guns and water being used to add to the games.
James Gavin
@kagekiri:
seems like it. Cept they use fancy virtual '3d' instead of.. you know.... 'real' animatronics
@crunks: General occurrence. That thing is ALWAYS breaking.
Haunted Mansion video game was also based on the Disney ride.
Tyrannical
"Toy Story Mania! the ride opened in Disney's California Adventure and Disney's Hollywood Studios in 2008."
The ride is Toy Story MIDWAY Mania! It's right there on your pic of the ride entrance. ;)
I'm really not sure why people tend to drop the "Midway" from the name, it happens all the time...
FigNewton
And does anyone remember Adventures in the Magic Kingdom on NES? That recreated the whole park!
riguitargod
@FigNewton: it's only midway on California. Weird huh?
@99-Luft-Balloons: I think its Universal doing the Harry Potter bit. They're adding it onto the Islands of Adventure park in Florida
Abaddon
@missnicolec: As much as I hate what Disney turned into as of now (hannah montana/jonas brothers) I will always love the disney theme parks just because of the pure genius of walt disney.
I plan on going there next summer when I graduate, they got a new harry potter theme park coming.
99-Luft-Balloons
150 computers? what are they using old commodores? the game seems to have very simplistic graphics compared to stuff like crysis and the like that run on one pc.... It was fun, but it it is just a 3d glasses shooting arcade while you ride a car, not the most advanced thing you would imagine. I think Disney needs to update most of the rides... same thing with universal... I did like it however.
PhilanderGabynoodle
The lines for this ride last April were pretty intense. 90 minutes worth by noon.
@Kobun
You make a very insightful point! If one could experience a DisneyWorld-like experience in their living room, why go to the park? It's the same reason newspapers are going out of business... they're giving away their product for free on their web pages and ad revenue isn't making up for the difference.
SuperSonik
@Brian Crecente: It goes with the whole "Midway Games" theme that California Adventure goes for. At WDW, "Midway" wouldn't make sense.
a@Brian Crecente:
that is the entrance to the Floridian version of the ride, so it's Midway everywhere that it is open as of yet. Not sure if Tokyo is dropping the "midway" though.
Chris Roberts
@missnicolec: Meh. The most brilliant ride designers work for firms like IntaminAG, S&S and B&M--in other words, people who sell the rides to the likes of Disney or Busch Gardens.
Plus, while this ride is cool, it is hardly the only one of its' kind--the Tokyo dome just installed one called Tokyo Panic Tour and I think Universal Studios Islands of Adventure has a comic book themed one.
Not totally trying to disagree with you or be argumentative, but as a thrill ride afficionado I can attest that the last time Disney was ahead of the curve when it came to ride innovation was probably circa the 70's---since then ride designers have really stepped up their game and, for some reason, mostly non-Disney parks are buying and implementing the new stuff.
Zookey
@[kotaku.com]
[kotaku.com]
[kotaku.com]
[kotaku.com]
[kotaku.com]
jonostars
@Abaddon:
correct i want in Nov, plus i live 30 mins away.
@riguitargod: I have that game. :)
Crappy game, but it was still neat to see all the different rides represented.
Booji-Boy
@PhilanderGabynoodle: I just wish they'd stop adding more of the same rides. How many shooting/moving car games do we need?
Booji-Boy
@Tyrannical: Did it sell millions?
Booji-Boy
@thatguyjr: Sounds like maybe they put so much thought into the tech while creating it that maybe they forgot to sit back and ask themselves, "Is this fun enough?"
Booji-Boy
@NextGenPlayer: hoppity hop!
Booji-Boy
@SuperSonik: That's about the only thing that killed theme parks for me. Sooooooo much waiting. Well, that and the crummy food.
Booji-Boy
@omgwtflolbbqbye: That would be awesome!!
Booji-Boy
@Kobun: You're still getting an experience you can't get at home right now, which is more advanced 3-D technology, giant screens and moving cars. Also, once you're inside Disney World, you're not plucking down quarters by the handfuls, you can just ride all you want. Though I'm not certain if that makes up for the price of entry into the park itself. Maybe, maybe not. As a vacation package though, I'm sure many families find it worth while. Hopefully they don't overdo it and saturate every corner of their park with the same ride, but with a different "skin" on it. THAT would kill the experience and the uniqueness of it all.
Booji-Boy
@riguitargod: No, but I remember a Universal Studios Gamecube game.
Wakkadude21
@kagekiri: I don't fully understand the reasons why, but the MIB ride is insanely fun. Convinces me more than anything that meat-space is the future of interactive entertainment. Man, I wish I had taken another run on that thing.
xot
So this is based on the disney ride sort of like Pirates of the carribean is based on the ride?
Somehow I kind of wish they would make more video games based on rides.
Perhaps a videogame based on the water flume thingy that happens to be an action adventure game that involves a lot of speed boats?
Egotistical gato is teh egotiser
"Toy Story Mania! is the first game designed to recreate a Disney ride experience."
Wasn't there a racing game out a few years ago that featured one or more of the Dinsey rides? It was a long time ago, but I'm pretty sure that it recreated a "Disney ride experience".
@jonostars: lol I didn't think there was that many posts about it. That's a lot for one game. That's about 1 a day.
@Netnavi: TOY STORY TOY STORY TOY STORY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY
lolgreg
I just spent a week in Disneyland with my wife and kids. I must say that this ride really rocks! I for one will be purchasing the game when it is released for the Wii. :)
TiKiMaN1
I refuse to believe that Disney broke the 4th dimension for a friggin' ride based on Toy Story.
Superlocke
@Chris Roberts: Weird that's not what Disney or the imagineers who made the game say.
@Egotistical gato is teh egotiser: This is more a recreation of the ride, not of the story.
@kagekiri:
The Disneyland version of Buzz Lightyear has non-fixed guns, and plays a bit better than the Disney World version as a result.
I was in Disney back in January and thought the Toy Story ride was the coolest in all of the parks. If they can bring the same sense of frantic mini-games and tense multiplayer to home consoles all wrapped in the charm of the Toy Story universe, they'll actually have a pretty solid minigame collection on their hands.
This sounds great. I can't wait.
kiddoblivion
Somebody should change the sign in that picture to read Toy Story Bankrupt.
lolomfgisuck
@riguitargod: Oh yeah... all 5 rides!
It was a sweet game though. A decent amount of variety in stages as well. There where a few platforming stages and space mountain was essentially a Button-Press Event...
lolomfgisuck
@Brian Crecente: yeah, don't know why they said that...
but the California Adventure one has no fastpass, and the entrance is completely different:
[farm4.static.flickr.com]
Chris Roberts