7. Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek

Image: DisneyI recently watched a vodcast featuring several Disney influencers who had recently returned from a trip to Tokyo Disneyland. The experience had blown their minds, forcing them to question the quality of The Walt Disney Company’s theme parks relative to the one owned and operated by the Oriental Land Company.

One of the stars of Tokyo Disneyland is a Monsters, Inc. attraction that shames the one at Disney California Adventure. The technology of Ride & Go Seek isn’t mesmerizing inasmuch as it’s fun-focused. You’re given a flashlight that you point at pieces on the ride set. They’ll provoke interactive responses, and it’s delightful. This ride is fun-focused, which is precisely what everyone should want from a Pixar attraction.

6. Alien Swirling Saucers

Image: DisneyWhen Toy Story Land opened at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, one of the attractions received much more hype than the other. It was an understandable turn of events, as one was a roller coaster and the other seemed like a lame derivative of Mad Tea Party. Don’t believe the early buzz.

Alien Swirling Saucers is delightful. Once the ride begins, you’ll get thrown around as if you have no control over the laws of physics. Like the entry above it, this attraction isn’t complex. It’s just silly fun. I had the best time riding it of just about anything at Walt Disney World the last time I visited…

5. Toy Story Mania!

Image: DisneyBut I can’t overlook the fact that Toy Story Mania! is a classic. While the gaming elements in Buzz Lightyear are entertaining in an old school way, Toy Story Mania! elevates the concept with 3-D glasses and a more exciting control mechanic.

You use a knob on a string to fire projectiles across several different games, and they’re variable. You’ll play different ones on each of the different ride tracks and paths. Whether you’re popping balloons or tossing rings on hooks, you’re participating in old carnival games given a modern spin.

4. Slinky Dog Dash

Image: DisneyYes, the last three attractions are all based on the Toy Story franchise. More than anything, this speaks to the overriding quality of the movies plus Disney’s passion for the extended Toy Story family. I mean, the Slinky Dog, Rex, and the Little Green Men have their own attractions, and they’re not exactly A-listers.

While Woody and Buzz may have the name recognition in the realm of Toy Story, Slinky Dog claims bragging rights of the best ride. His roller coaster is gem of a ride concept. The premise is that Andy won a construction set at Pizza Planet but since he’s a kid, he has half-assed the construction. There’s a bit of childish creativity tossed in, too.

In other words, this roller coaster isn’t in any way safe to toys, but they don’t get a vote in riding it. And since you’re in Toy Story Land, you’ve shrunk down and now count as one of Andy’s toys. In other words, that roller coaster ride is as unavoidable as it’s needlessly eventful. The best part is when the coaster stops, only to rev back up again, thereby enhancing the tension of the high-speed journey through the incomplete playset.