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Photo by Allen Huffman, 1997 |
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Have you heard of a brand new movie called Toy Story? They say it’s really good. It’s animated, but it doesn’t look like any animated feature you’ve ever seen. They call this technique “computer animation,” but the computers are just tools. It still takes incredibly talented storytellers, animation artists, and voice artists. |
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Here at Yester Studios theme park, there’s a parade that’s just as new as the movie. It’s a traditional parade, with floats and marching units. |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 1997 Green Army Men from the Bucket O Soldiers |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 1997 Hamm and Mr. Potato Head atop a pile of games |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 1997 Buzz Lightyear atop the box he came in, along with aliens from Pizza Planet |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 1997 Woody, Rex, Lenny, and Mr. Spell on another pile of blocks |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 1997 Blocks spelling the name of the movie that the toys came from |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 1997 Hot Wheels car |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 1997 Blue barrel from Barrel Of Monkeys |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 1997 Red monkeys from Barrel of Monkeys |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 1997 Rocky Gibraltar |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 1997 Slinky Dog |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 1997 Troll and Bo Peep |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 1997 Aliens from Pizza Planet |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 1997 Walkie Talkie |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 1997 “The End” on Etch, the Etch A Sketch |
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Even if you haven’t seen the movie, you probably recognized many of the characters. For example, Mr. Potato Head was invented in 1949, distributed nationally by Hasbro in 1952, and changed to a plastic body in 1964 (instead of requiring a real potato from the kitchen). Green Army Men, in all their green plastic glory, have a history going back to the 1930s. Barrel of Monkeys is a game that’s been around since 1965. Slinky Dog has been slinking around since in 1952. Some toys in the parade are new. Buzz Lightyear and Woody are the stars of the movie and the parade. They’re likely to become very popular. |
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Toy Story Parade premiered at Disney-MGM Studios (now Disney’s Hollywood Studios) on November 22, 1995—the same day that Disney-Pixar’s Toy Story opened in U.S. movie theaters. When the parade premiered, park guests had not yet seen the movie. There was no guarantee the movie or the parade would be successful. How would audiences react? There had never been a computer-animated feature. Pixar had no track record. Previous work from Pixar had been limited to short subjects and commercials. Disney did not yet own Pixar, but would distribute and market Toy Story. Toy Story Parade was a success. The huge toys in the parade were highly relatable. Also, critics and audiences loved Toy Story. The movie achieved a 100% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer. The parade was the first of many attractions, shows, parades, shops, restaurants, and even lands using characters and ideas from the groundbreaking animated movie and its sequels. Some have gone to Yesterland—including Toy Story Pizza Planet at the Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Toy Story Funhouse and The All-New Woody’s Roundup at Disneyland Park, and Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters at Hong Kong Disneyland. Others have become highly popular “fixtures” at multiple parks, notably Toy Story Midway Mania! and variations of Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters. Any parade with floats featuring multiple Disney and Pixar movies invariably includes a Toy Story unit. The Toy Story-themed Alien Pizza Planet replaced Redd Rockett’s Pizza Port at Disneyland. The Toy Story Parking Area at the Disneyland Resort features sections named after Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie, and Bullseye. |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2017 Toy Story Playland at Walt Disney Studios Park (Paris) |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2019 Toy Story Land at Hong Kong Disneyland |
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Walt Disney Studios Park (Paris), Hong Kong Disneyland, Shanghai Disneyland Park, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios each have a Toy Story Land with attractions, food service, and merchandise. Just remember that the granddad of all Toy Story rides, shows, parades, shops, restaurants, and lands at Disney parks globally was Toy Story Parade at Disney-MGM Studios. |
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© 2022 Werner Weiss — Disclaimers, Copyright, and Trademarks Updated September 16, 2022 |
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