In the Toy Box

The featured attraction at Pixar Place is Toy Story Midway Mania, housed inside a replica of the main building at Pixar Animation Studios. Step inside, though, and you'll discover the giant atrium lobby has been filled with an enormous interior set of Andy's room from the film.

All the iconic set pieces are here, from Andy's bed to the cloud sky wallpaper. Along one wall is the toy box. It's the same wall behind which the attraction queue is situated.

Guests waiting in the queue are inside Andy's toy box, winding their way among game boards, puzzle pieces, crayons and cards. It's here that we're greeted by Mr. Potato Head, all dressed up for the occasion with his Boardwalk Barker accessories (photo from wdwmemories.com). This Audio-Animatronic version of Mr. Potato Head is a variation on the Living Characters concept used elsewhere. In this instance, the illusion of interactivity is created through the deployment of dozens of canned comments and comedy bits.

Toy Story Midway Mania is actually one of the most fun attractions to have to wait for. There's so much to see. Look for the View Master reels of Peter Pan and Tomorrowland at Disneyland, circa 1967 (complete with images of Adventure thru Inner Space and the PeopleMover). You'll even see several of Andy's drawings, including renderings of Buzz & Woody and Nemo. Pay attention to the crayons scattered around the toy box. They're not all crafted from the same mold. Some colors have definitely been used more than others!

Soon, the wait is over, and it's time for the main event. All of the toys have set up Andy's new Midway Games Playset in the middle of the floor, and we're invited "into the box" to play along. Be sure to take a few moments to read the packaging. It promises Fold-Out Boardwalk Backgrounds, Spring-Action Shooters, Glows in the Dark! Then, of course, there's the UPC symbol and the small print (Action Figures Sold Separately).

Keep your eyes peeled before, during and after the game. Toy Story Midway Mania is literally packed with not only fun references to the toys and games of our childhood, but also nods to Disney and Pixar history. This ball, for example, was seen in Pixar's very first animated short film, "Luxo Jr."

Just inside the Fastpass entrance to the attraction is this book, "Magic Made Easy" by Joe Ranft. Ranft was a story man at Pixar who contributed, among many other things, the voices of characters like Red from Cars and Heimlich in A Bug's Life. Sadly, Ranft died in a tragic automobile accident in 2005.

At the attraction exit is this Little Golden Book of the story of "Tin Toy." "Tin Toy" was another early Pixar short and the predecessor to Toy Story. Elsewhere, look for books of "Red's Dream," "Knick Knack," and other Pixar films.