Weeks after axing Toy Story characters, one Disney theme park has introduced their replacement.
Pixar is pretty omnipresent at Disney’s theme parks, with rides and lands inspired by its blockbuster franchises at locations worldwide.
Of all these franchises, few are quite as inescapable as Toy Story. Pixar’s OG franchise – which first introduced us to sentient toys such as Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), and Jessie (Joan Cusack) – boasts entire lands at four Disney parks across the globe.
While these vary from park to park, each has followed a similar pattern since the first opened at Walt Disney Studios Park in 2010. Thanks to some nifty, immersive theming, guests feel like they have been shrunk down to the size of a toy and are exploring Andy’s backyard while visiting the land.
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Today, the biggest version of Toy Story Land is at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort. The original land at Walt Disney Studios Park is now arguably the most underwhelming of the collection, boasting three attractions (RC Racer, Slinky Dog Zigzag Spin, and Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop) but no restaurants and food stands.
It’s also drawn criticism for a lack of consistency with its theming. For example, when you enter the land, you’re greeted by a supersized version of Buzz Lightyear – despite the idea being that you’re now the size of a toy, so, theoretically, you and Buzz should be around the same size.
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What makes these scaling choices more confusing is that the park previously also featured models of Toy Soldiers, Hamm, and Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, all of which were generally human-sized but also out of scale.
In mid-June, Disney scrapped these figures from the entrance to Toy Story Playland. At the time, it was unclear whether this was a temporary change, just like the refurbishment that obscured Buzz Lightyear in May. Now, however, it seems like Mr. Potato Head and co. will be missing for a significant amount of time, as they’ve just been replaced by characters from Inside Out 2 (2024).
As per DLP Report, Joy and Anxiety – a new character introduced in the sequel – have officially been installed at Walt Disney Studios Park.
The Joy and Anxiety statues from Inside Out 2 have been installed in Worlds of Pixar:
The Joy and Anxiety statues from Inside Out 2 have been installed in Worlds of Pixar: pic.twitter.com/WHr0DBfIM5
— DLP Report (@DLPReport) July 2, 2024
Inside Out 2 has been making serious waves at the box office, recently crossing the $1 billion mark. Pixar hasn’t had the smoothest ride in recent years, with Lightyear (2022) bombing completely and Elemental (2023) taking its sweet time to earn back its production budget, so it should come as no surprise that Disney wants to capitalize on the studio’s long-awaited smash hit (even if it does end up being temporary).
At present, there’s only one Inside Out theme park attraction in the world: Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind at Disney California Adventure Park. Considering the film’s success, however, we’re willing to put our money on more Inside Out attractions hitting Disney’s theme parks in the coming years.
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Thematically, it’s also not as bizarre as it sounds to have Inside Out 2 characters at the entrance to Toy Story Playland. This is technically classed as a subsection to a wider area at the park known as Worlds of Pixar. Other sections of this land include a Parisian square situated around Ratatouille: L’Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy and Bistrot Chez Rémy, as well as the Finding Nemo (2003)-inspired Crush’s Coaster, and two attractions based on the Cars franchise: Cars Quatre Roues Rallye and Cars ROAD TRIP.
Walt Disney Studios Park is going through a transformative period right now. The Disney park – which will be renamed Disney Adventure World at some point in the future – is in the process of constructing its own version of World of Frozen, as well as a Tangled (2010) attraction.
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Other new additions will include a lake area for nighttime spectaculars and a table-service restaurant where guests can meet Disney Princesses. The park’s entry area, Studio 1, is also currently closed for a thematic renovation that will see it renamed “World Premiere” in spring 2025.
Would you like to see more Inside Out in Disney’s theme parks?
