On the Set with Buzz and Woody

Over the years, character greetings have grown more and more sophisticated, with some experiences becoming attractions unto themselves. Consider the example of Buzz Lightyear and Woody at Disney's Hollywood Studios. For the 1995 release of Toy Story, Buzz and Woody appeared in the daily Toy Story Parade and would occasionally pop up in the park to meet their fans. Several years later, a dedicated area was established for them on the Studio Backlot, in the form of the exterior set of Al's Toy Barn from Toy Story 2. Finally, with the opening of Pixar Place in 2008, Buzz and Woody moved into their fanciest digs yet.

The Pixar Place district at Disney's Hollywood Studios recreates the look of the Pixar Animation Studios campus in Emeryville, California, right down to the detail of the multi-colored brick selected by Steve Jobs for the buildings. Guests of Pixar Studios discover that the toys of Toy Story have taken over in a celebration of the very first computer animated feature film.

Guests are invited into the Camera Department under the giant Scrabble board to "Meet the Toys" in their very own screen test with some of the stars of the movie. Look out below as you head on in. The Green Army Men hoisting the board have dropped a few tiles on the ground. Hmmm... I wonder what we could spell with those letters...

Inside, young hopefuls can practice for the cameras by posing in some of the sets from the first two Toy Story films. There's Andy's Bedroom, the Claw game at Pizza Planet, Sid's Room and the Big One Rocket, the showdown with Emperor Zurg, Stinky Pete and the rest of the collection at Big Al's place, and the exciting Airport Baggage Room scene from Toy Story 2.

Finally, the big moment arrives... the live audition on the set with none other than Woody Pride and Buzz Lightyear! For my little boys, it was the highlight of their day (and a great way to get extra mileage out of those Halloween costumes). How did the audition go? Well, they said they'll have their people call our people.

An interesting detail about these sets...

You may notice that Andy's bedroom appears twice. In the first scene, though, it's Andy's room from the beginning of Toy Story, with clouds on the wallpaper and cowboy sheets on the bed. By the end of the experience, Andy now has Star Command sheets on his bed and the wallpaper features yellow stars. (Remember, Andy moved at the end of the first film. His room looks different in Toy Story 2.)