Toy Story Land is a themed land, the area is based on the Disney•Pixar film series Toy Story. Toy Story Land in France originally opened as part of Toon Studio on August 17, 2010 at a cost of 79 million euros. It is an area of three Toy Story -themed attractions.
In Toy Story Playland, a giant statue of Buzz Lightyear sits at the entrance, we then walk into Andy’s garden, shrunken to toy size, and wander around in the company of characters such as Zigzag the dog, the Karting remote-controlled car, the green soldiers or even Rex the dinosaur.
Enter the Pixar universe and let yourself be transported to a breathtaking world of attractions, shows, restaurants and characters straight out of Ratatouille, Nemo, Toy Story… Worlds of Pixar features Pixar characters as Crush (from Finding Nemo), Mater and Lightning McQueen (from Cars), Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Slinky, and other characters from Toy Story.
As part of the massive investment in developing Walt Disney Studios, the restructuration of an already-existing land of Walt Disney Studios, in lieu of Toon Studio. This Worlds of Pixar is a land set east of the park, and the limits are the only ones to have been redesigned (no change as far as rides are involved).
Worlds of Pixar includes seven Pixar-themed attractions and photo locations in Toon Studio. This includes Crush’s Coaster, Ratatouille: The Adventure, and Cars ROAD TRIP. Guests will also be able to see Pixar characters including The Incredibles, Lightning McQueen, and more. There will also be Pixar-themed snacks.
Three new backdrops were also painted that are being described as Instagram-able locations. This is the continuation of work being done to add more Disney-Pixar storytelling and characters to Walt Disney Studios. There are more changes expected to be announced at Disneyland Paris for Walt Disney Studios as the park continues to be transformed.
Slinky Dog Zigzag Spin
Slinky Dog Zigzag Spin is a Caterpillar-style ride at Walt Disney Studios Park in France, the France ride opened on August 17, 2010. At the heart of Toy Story Playland is the land’s oldest character toy: an authentic “Collector’s Edition” Slinky Dog, complete with original 1950s cardboard box.
This powered roller coaster is the tamest attraction in the land, simply offering a continuous, circular ride up and down a relatively gentle incline. The layout takes advantage of the land’s sloping elevation to create the illusion of being shrunk, especially when visitors stand at the foot of the ride, its enormous box towering above, surrounded by oversized grass. Aimed primarily at a younger age group, it nevertheless provides enough fun and kitsch design to be appreciated by a wide demographic of visitors.
Entering a queue line formed out of Lincoln Logs building blocks, visitors eventually step inside the giant box itself, which has a retro-styled boardgame printed on its inside. The giant Slinky Dog train is connected end-to-end, travelling in a loop around a dog bowl filled with rubber bones and Andy’s baseball. It builds up enough speed to provide a mild thrill which, combined with the quick rise and descent, provides a ride not dissimilar to Dumbo the Flying Elephant.
RC Racer
RC Racer is a steel shuttle roller coaster operating at Walt Disney Studios Park in France. Situated at the back of Toy Story Playland amongst mature trees which double as overgrown bushes in the Toy Story universe, RC Racer is considered by many the main attraction of that section of the park.
The ride takes inspiration from many sets of matchbox cars, which some of come paired with the orange track as seen in the Toy Story films. Climbing aboard the huge remote-controlled RC car, riders are propelled forward and backward through the station building in a semi-circular “half-pipe” of track, quickly building up enough speed in the process to hit the top height of about 80 feet (24 meters).
The vehicle is propelled by a linear induction motor system. Electric coils called stators are attached to the rail and produce a magnetic field that moves the vehicle back and forth using the magnet located under the vehicle’s frame. What is special about this Half Pipe Coaster is that the seats of the vehicle do not rotate on their own, like on other models of this attraction, such as Half Pipe in Särkänniemi, Finland.
The first part of the queue represents an electric car circuit, performing turns and serpentines. A plastic Dinoco station is shown, and a giant “OFF === FAST” controller pops out of the station. The second part of the queue is located in the station itself, it is actually a plastic house in which are stored green building parts, some of which are already detached. The circuit is equipped with a sound system, which reproduces the sound of a racing car.
The vehicle makes a total of 4 round trips, the first being forwards. The lever leaving the station goes from the left (OFF) to the right (FAST) position, to return to the initial position at the end of the cycle. At night, when the vehicle reaches the maximum height on either side of the station, it is illuminated by spotlights.
Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop
Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop is a parachute jump-style ride, at Walt Disney Studios Park in France, opened on August 17, 2010. The attraction is based on a scene in the original Toy Story film where Green Army Men parachute through stair banisters to investigate Andy’s birthday presents. Early plans for Disney California Adventure included this ride. Instead, the Maliboomer space-shot attraction was constructed.
Positioned neatly between the Slinky Dog Zigzag Spin and RC Racer, this attraction towers over 80 feet above the park. Toy soldier recruits are hoisted to the top of the tower in six-person “parachutes” before tumbling back to earth in a series of rises and falls that offer an unrivaled view of the attraction’s surroundings.
The queue is decorated on the green soldiers’ ammunition hangars. All the decor elements in this queue are green and human-sized to create a realistic immersion in the world of toys. Before getting into the parachute, boxes are available to deposit personal effects at risk of being damaged, broken, lost…
Once inside the parachute, you are under the command of a soldier who “warns” you before each fall. The parachutes stop about 2 meters above the ground and only descend to the bottom once the turn is over. Each round includes 4 drops, the first of which takes place with an intermediate stop.
Fun touches around the attraction include a giant Playskool baby monitor, which momentarily bursts to life with updates on Andy’s presence, a “plastic” look-out tower dug down into the sandy ground, and an army base complete with human-size accessories and toy soldiers.
Walt Disney Studios Park
Walt Disney Studios Park, located in the Val d’Europe sector in Marne-la-Vallée, in Seine-et-Marne, is the second of two theme parks built at Disneyland Paris, which opened on 16 March 2002. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. It is dedicated to show business, movie themes, production, and behind-the-scenes.
Walt Disney Studios Park is part of the Disneyland Paris leisure complex, formerly called Euro Disney Resort then Disneyland Resort Paris. The park is represented by the Earffel Tower, a water tower similar to one that was installed at the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank, California. In the 2010s, the park began to entered a new direction of immersive theming and attraction development inspired by iconic Disney stories.
In 2019, the park hosted approximately 5.2 million visitors, which places it in 4th place in Europe and 23rd in the world 3. Since its opening, it has twice been honored with a Thea Award, this is a global award given by the Themed Entertainment Association. The park was awarded the first time in 2003 in the attraction category for CinéMagique and the second time in 2015 in the thematic restaurant category for the Bistrot Chez Rémy.