Toy Story Mania Opening Date

[spondishy]

We've had a few threads on the board with rumors around when the TSM ride in the new Pixar Place area of the park will be opening. It's been in soft opening with cast members, annual passholders and press all getting to ride, but it looks like the official opening date for Orlando is May 31st. Although I'm sure you'll get to ride before then.

Press release below.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Walt Disney World guests start donning 3-D glasses and entering a wild and wooly 4-D world of Woody, Buzz and other favorite “Toy Story” characters when Toy Story Mania! makes its grand premiere May 31 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. As part of Disney’s “Year of a Million Dreams,” the attraction will also debut on the West Coast, with a scheduled opening in Disney’s California Adventure at Disneyland Resort June 17.
Inspired by the Disney-Pixar films "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2," Toy Story Mania! raises the bar for interactive ride-game attractions. It's a high-energy, immersive adventure that puts guests right in the action as their game play triggers fun surprises that provide a fourth dimension of fun. Toy Story Mania! engages guests in a whole new way with the delightful characters of the films.
In the timeless tradition of Disney storytelling, Toy Story Mania! takes its inspiration from the fact that Andy’s toys spring to life whenever he is away. Soon after Andy got a “Midway Games Play Set” for his latest birthday, the toys jumped at their first chance to open the box and set up the game booths and carnival trams so everyone could ride and play. That means “no assembly required” for their game-playing guests – just nonstop fun. (That is, until Andy gets home!)
Upon entering the attraction, guests are welcomed by Mr. Potato Head, more than five feet tall and looking like he stepped right down from the movie screen. The state-of-the-art Audio-Animatronics Mr. Potato Head makes a perfect carnival barker, capable of engaging guests in two-way conversation and encouraging them to "step right up" for the immersive Toy Story Mania! experience.
Everyone gets a front row seat when guests put on their 3-D glasses, "shrink" to the size of a toy and board Toy Story Mania! carnival tram ride vehicles which add a huge amount of fun to the interactive experience. The exciting and colorful route takes guests through "Andy's Bedroom" filled with oversized murals and toys. The vehicles angle to face Toy Story Mania! game booths -- high-tech yet rooted in classic midway games of skill -- and guests aim for 3-D animated targets using their own on-board spring-action shooters. Players pair up and sit side-by-side for a friendly competition that delivers an ever-changing variety of targets and surprises.
As they play, guests can actually see the "virtual" objects they've launched leave their spring-action shooters and hit (or miss) the targets. And thanks to 4-D special effects technology, they may sense objects whirring past them as they pop out of the 3-D scenes.
The Toy Story Mania! games -- five of them, plus an introductory practice round -- are designed to be enjoyed by audiences of all ages and skills, from beginners to experienced gamers. Play is energized by the spirit of the "Toy Story" characters cast in games that best suit their very animated personalities.
First comes the "Pie Throw Practice" round in which guests can try splattering targets with virtual pies.
Next, Hamm hosts a "Hamm & Eggs" booth in which players launch plastic virtual eggs at various barnyard targets.
"Bo Peep's Baaa-loon Pop" presents a landscape full of balloon sheep, trees and other objects at which guests can launch virtual darts. But players had better be careful! A popped virtual water balloon might add an additional 4-D wet dimension to the game.
From there it's on to "Green Army Men Shoot Camp" where the challenge is to break plates with virtual baseballs.
Next up is "Buzz Lightyear's Flying Tossers," a ring-toss game hosted by everyone's favorite space ranger, with Little Green Aliens as the targets.
For the grand finale game, Toy Story Mania! players ride through Wild West scenes launching virtual suction-cup darts at targets in "Woody's Rootin' Tootin' Shootin' Gallery." A final "Woody's Bonus Roundup" encourages guests to fire their spring-action shooters as rapidly as possible at one last super target for extra points. When scores are tallied, players' skill levels are identified and they can see how they've done compared to the high scores.
The game play of Toy Story Mania! is accompanied by creative musical variations of Randy Newman's "You've Got A Friend in Me," arranged by veteran music editor Bruno Coon, a frequent Newman collaborator, to complement the games -- for example, a military brass band version for "Green Army Men Shoot Camp."
No matter how many times guests return to ride and play, they can be sure every ride-through will seem different.

[spondishy]

Just to add that the ride is now in its "soft opening" phase, meaning that it will be open for riding prior to the 31st May official opening. Basically it could be closed at any time, be open intermittently or break down.