Toy Story 3

The Toy Story 3 segment was the longest of the entire show, and it really started to drag on. Savannah loved the Barbie and Ken scene, even though it went a bit long. The Green Army Men section was also popular with our group. We all felt we could have done without the Spanish Buzz section. While this segment was very well done, we had attended Toy Story 3 on Ice 6 years ago and this was just an abbreviated version of that show.

The Little Mermaid

As you know this story takes place both under the sea and on land. They did a great job differentiating the two locales using mostly lighting to tell them apart. I spoke to a 3yo friend of mine who attended the show and she was very confused by the fact that Ariel had legs when she was under the sea. Her costume at that point in the show are blue/green pants which look similar to her normal tail but since her legs were separated, it was confusing. The Little Mermaid segment was a re-purposing of the same segment from the 2013 Disney on Ice Rockin’ Ever After.

Cars

The Cars
section was the only one that was new to us. Mickey and Minnie had gone to look for help when their roadster broke down. While they were gone everyone’s favorite tow truck, Mater came by to help out. Lightning McQueen, Sally, Ramone, and Flo also come by to meet the new roadster. This part of the show was basically cars drifting slowly on the ice. We enjoyed this section a lot!

Frozen

We believe this section was identical to the one in last year’s Disney on Ice 100 Years of Magic show. Even though Ron and I have seen it before, we thoroughly enjoyed this part of the show. In this brief re-telling of the story, adapted for the ice, we see Anna meet Hans and then ask Elsa for her blessing of their marriage. Of course, when Elsa gets angry there are pyrotechnics instead of icicles. As the story progresses we meet Kristoff and Olaf.

We always enjoy our visits to Disney on Ice. Disney on Ice Worlds of Enchantment will be touring Florida and Georgia this spring. Visit the website for dates and ticket information.

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“2010 was a banner year for The Walt Disney Studios, and we are thrilled that the Academy has chosen to recognize both our animated blockbusters Toy Story 3 and  Tangled and our live-action hits Alice in Wonderland and TRON: Legacy for their artistry, technical achievements and storytelling,” said Rich Ross, chairman of The Walt Disney Studios.

Toy Story 3 marks only the third time in history that Academy members have honored an animated film in the Best Picture category. It also earned a nomination for Adapted Screenplay – making it the fourth consecutive screenplay nomination for a Disney•Pixar film. The Toy Story trilogy’s tally of Oscar nominations now stands at nine.

Commenting on the announcement, John Lasseter, chief creative officer for Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, said, “To have Toy Story 3 represented in the Best Picture category is a great honor, and a fitting tribute to director Lee Unkrich, producer Darla Anderson, screenwriter Michael Arndt, and all of the talented people at Pixar, who worked so hard to live up to and exceed the standards and expectations of Toy Story fans and moviegoers all over the world.”

A summary of nominations for The Walt Disney Studios is as follows:

Toy Story 3
Best Motion Picture of the Year – Toy Story 3 (Walt Disney) A Pixar Production
Darla K. Anderson, Producer

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year – Toy Story 3 (Walt Disney) Lee Unkrich

Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song) – “We Belong Together” from Toy Story 3 (Walt Disney) Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

Achievement in Sound Editing – Toy Story 3 (Walt Disney) Tom Myers and Michael Silvers

Adapted Screenplay – Toy Story 3 (Walt Disney), Screenplay by Michael Arndt. Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich

Alice in Wonderland
Art Direction – Alice in Wonderland (Walt Disney), Robert Stromberg (Production Design), Karen O’Hara (Set Decoration)

Achievement in Costume Design – Alice in Wonderland (Walt Disney) Colleen Atwood

Achievement in Visual Effects – Alice in Wonderland (Walt Disney) Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas and Sean Phillips

Day & Night
Best Animated Short Film – Day & Night (Walt Disney) A Pixar Animation Studios Production Teddy Newton

Tangled
Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song) – “I See the Light” from Tangled (Walt Disney) Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Glenn Slater

The Tempest
Achievement in Costume Design – The Tempest (Touchstone) Sandy Powell

TRON: Legacy
Achievement in Sound Editing – TRON: Legacy (Walt Disney) Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague

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Toy Story Mania! – the 4-D interactive ride-game attraction inspired by the Disney•Pixar “Toy Story” films – is extremely popular with Disney Parks guests on both coasts. This high-energy, immersive adventure puts players squarely in the action as their game play triggers surprises that deliver a fourth dimension of fun. Toy Story Mania! engages guests in a whole new way with delightful characters of “Toy Story” and “Toy Story 2.”

Starting in late May, Woody, Buzz, Mr. Potato Head and the gang are joined by a whole new set of characters from “Toy Story 3.” The new game greeting guests, “Rex and Trixie’s Dino Darts,” invites riders to shoot their virtual darts at all-new balloon targets in a primeval world filled with volcanoes and lava balloons, explained Sue Bryan, senior show producer, director, Walt Disney Imagineering.

Game players are welcomed by Rex (the nervous Tyrannosaurus rex) and his new friend Trixie (a blue Triceratops and one of the toy characters from the new film) cheering them on. The new game (it replaces “Bo Peep’s Baaa-loon Pop”) turns up the fun with more hidden surprises and the potential for volcanic levels of excitement. Other changes:

• The “Hamm & Eggs” game will now be hosted by Hamm and Buttercup (a toy unicorn with heart-shaped nostrils).
• In the prize scene, Trixie, Buttercup, Dolly (a doll), Mr. Pricklepants (a lederhosen-clad hedgehog) and one other surprise – all from “Toy Story 3” – will appear with Woody and Jessie.

“Our number-one goal in creating Toy Story Mania! was to come up with game-play challenges appropriate for all guests, from little kids to serious gamers,” Bryan said. “I love that we are keeping things fresh and new by adding these great new friends and fun to join some of the most popular characters of all time.”

About Toy Story Mania!

In the timeless tradition of Disney storytelling, Toy Story Mania! takes its inspiration from the fact that Andy’s toys spring to life whenever he is away. Soon after Andy got a “Midway Games Play Set” for his latest birthday, the toys jumped at their first chance to open the box and set up the game booths and carnival trams so everyone could ride and play. That means “no assembly required” for their game-playing guests – just nonstop fun. (That is, until Andy gets home!)

Arriving guests are welcomed by Mr. Potato Head, more than five feet tall and looking like he stepped right down from the movie screen. The state-of-the-art Audio-Animatronics Mr. Potato Head makes a perfect carnival barker, capable of engaging guests in two-way conversation and encouraging them to “step right up” for the immersive Toy Story Mania! experience.

Everyone gets a front row seat when guests put on their 3-D glasses, “shrink” to the size of a toy and board Toy Story Mania! carnival tram ride vehicles which add a huge amount of fun to the interactive experience. The exciting and colorful route takes guests through “Andy’s Bedroom” filled with oversized murals and toys. The vehicles angle to face Toy Story Mania! game booths – high-tech yet rooted in classic midway games of skill – and guests aim for 3-D animated targets using their own on-board spring-action shooters. Players pair up and sit side-by-side for a friendly competition that delivers an ever-changing variety of targets and surprises.

As they play, guests can actually see the “virtual” objects they’ve launched leave their
spring-action shooters and hit (or miss) the targets. And thanks to 4-D special-effects technology, they may sense objects whirring past them as they pop out of the 3-D scenes.

The Toy Story Mania! games – five of them, plus an introductory practice round – are designed to be enjoyed by audiences of all ages and skills, from beginners to experienced gamers. Play is energized by the spirit of the “Toy Story” characters cast in games that best suit their very animated personalities.

No matter how many times guests return to ride and play, they can be sure every ride-through will seem different.

Pixar Animation Studies is creating animation of the new characters plus animation for “Rex and Trixie’s Dino Darts.” New music – a dino-themed version of Randy Newman’s “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” – comes from veteran music editor and Newman collaborator Bruno Coon, who did the original music for the attraction.

Toy Story Mania! was the first time that Walt Disney Imagineering created an attraction for two Disney parks simultaneously. The attraction opened in California and Florida in 2008.

More Fun in Store

Disney Parks guests not only get to play with “Toy Story 3” characters in Toy Story Mania! starting in late May – they get to see another new character from the film.

Starting May 9, Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear will join his “Toy Story” pals in the delightful “Pixar Play Parade” at Disney’s California Adventure and “Block Party Bash” at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. In addition, Disney’s Hollywood Studios guests can pose for photos with Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear in the meet-and-greet area inside The Magic of Disney Animation. Over at Disney’s California Adventure, guests can pose alongside the “Toy Story” gang inside a life-sized “blister pack” as if they themselves are toys.

About the Movie

“Toy Story 3” welcomes Woody (voice of Tom Hanks), Buzz (voice of Tim Allen) and the whole gang back to the big screen as Andy prepares to depart for college and his loyal toys find themselves in… daycare! These untamed tots with their sticky little fingers do not play nice, so it’s all for one and one for all as plans for the great escape get underway. A few new faces – some plastic, some plush – join the fun. “Toy Story 3” disney.go.com/toystory/ is a comical new adventure in Disney Digital 3-D. Disney•Pixar’s “Toy Story 3” debuts nationwide on June 18, 2010.

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