Toy Story Land in Disney World: Everything You Need to Know

After years of waiting, the highly anticipated Toy Story Land finally opened in Disney World's Hollywood Studios theme park. The wait seemed endless, but after seeing the end result it's clear it was worth it. As always, Disney totally knocked it out of the park - no pun intended - with their attention to detail, immersive creativity, and good ole' fashioned fun. 

Creative Director Roger Gould explained Toy Story Land's backstory to DigitalSpy, saying that the park is actually Andy's backyard and "all the toys are together. He's been playing with everything from building blocks and Lincoln Logs to Tinker Toys and his coaster kit. He's put them all together with his favorite Woody's lunchbox and green army men, and he's having a blast."

Guests are invited to join in on the fun as "honorary toys" and are shrunk down to the size of Andy's toy soldiers. Disney Imagineers are able to make parkgoers feel like tiny toys by creating everything in scale, so, larger toys like Woody, Buzz, and Jesse tower over guests as they explore the park at around 20 feet tall. "We wanted it to be an immersive land and a multi-generational land. All the details, the types of toys we select, the characters—they're all based on trying to support that story," Dave Minichiello, executive creative director of Walt Disney Imagineering, told Forbes. "When you enter the land, you're an honorary toy in Andy's backyard, so you get to experience what it's like to be one of Andy's toys."

The expansion, which takes up 11 acres of Disney's Hollywood Studios park in Lake Buena Vista, Florida is full of magical, whimsical experiences for parkgoers to enjoy. In addition to the popular, carnival-themed Toy Story Mania that's been open in Hollywood Studios for the past few years, two new rides are ready to take all the honorary toys on an adventure they won't forget. 

Slinky Dog Dash is a kid-friendly coaster - that adults will love, too! - that gives you a "toy's eye view" of Andy's backyard. The ride glides past Andy's building blocks and tinker toys, while passengers are tucked inside a coaster Andy designed himself. "Fashioned from a generic coaster play-set and a Slinky Dog toy, the attraction's queue is filled with signs of its homemade origins, from massive crayon-drawn schematics and a giant squeeze bottle of Elmer's glue to original packaging stamped with Al's Toy Barn price-tags," according to Insider. 

The ride also features a second launch point midway through the ride, according to Forbes, which is a first for Disney World attractions. "The coaster stops, is pulled back slingshot-style, then launched over a steep hill, delivering a brief floating sensation at the peak," which sounds pretty awesome.

The second new ride in Toy Story Land is Alien Swirling Sauces, a spinning teacups style attraction that's been designed to look like a toy from Pizza Planet. Honorary toys hop in a swirling saucer, attached to one of the funny green alien toys from the Toy Story movies, as they try to get picked by "The Claw." The ride whirls guests around "the toy planets and space stations as part of the game," Another fun aspect of the ride is that guests will see a ton of Pizza Planet themed details throughout the attraction, including pizza columns, a pizza space station and the Planet Pepperonia.

Last but certainly not least is all the delicious food available in Toy Story Land. As all Disney World fans know, one of the best parts of the parks is the food and Toy Story Land does not disappoint. Honorary toys can head over to Woody's Lunchbox, which is literally Andy's lunchbox that he's left out in his backyard, for some tasty treats during their visit. The menu includes a ton of nostalgic items that will make you feel like a kid again. From the S’more French Toast Breakfast Sandwich to the Grilled Cheese (with three different kinds of cheeses), you really can't go wrong. 

For the grown-up guests, there are also some delicious alcoholic beverages to try at Woody's Lunchbox. There's the aptly titled Grown-Up Lemonade, which includes three olives cherry vodka, odwalla® All-Natural Lemonade and Black Cherry Purée, and a couple different ciders to choose from. 

Time to grab your magic bands, schedule those fast passes, and head out to Disney World. Woody, Buzz, Jesse, and the whole gang are waiting to have some fun!