Today (well, it still seems like today for me, but being that it's 4am, it is in fact the next day), Anaheim's version of the already popular Toy Story Midway Mania Attraction opened it's doors to the public.
I've been excited about the opening for months. Not just because the concept combines a two of my hobbies (Disneyland and 3D), but because a new ride opening at the resort is always an event, and especially when it's a ride with as much theming, detail, and overall quality as this one.
As my website, Carousel of Magic (what will hopefully become the premiere Disney theme park video destination on the internet), nears completion, I've been wanting to put together a page dedicated to the new ride. But what will I put there? An HD video ridethrough and binaural audio recording come to mind, and indeed I plan to get both of those things when I ride the attraction for the first time this Sunday. But how about something a little more fun? A little more creative? A little more inventive?
I was inspired by a small vignette the imagineers placed at the exit to the California version of the ride. The plot of the attraction concerns a midway games set Andy has received, and while he's away the toys set it up under his bed and run their own midway. Guests are magically shrunk down to toy size so that they can play. Thus the entrance to the ride appears as a gigantic cardboard box that the set came in.
Upon exiting the ride, and regaining their normal size, guests walk past that very same box (as well as the Mr. Potato Head Barker box) in what we would consider normal size. I figured it would be a fun project to recreate that set, in a format that can be printed out and assembled for home enjoyment. Perhaps even add a few things or fill in gaps where neccesary.
But of course to do that, one needs two things. First, paper model skills, of which I have absolutely none whatsoever (I can't even assemble one of the damn things, and I've tried on several occaisons). Second, artwork for the set. Now it would be awfully convenient if I could just take the box and run it through my scanner (as if it would fit), but I can't. The only solution is to recreate all of the artwork from scratch.
The one thing working in my favor is that in addition to the to-scale box as the exit, there's also the giant version at the entrance to the attraction. I'll need plenty of reference photos of both in order to complete the artwork and be able to put together my own version of the set.
I've decided to keep this, what I think of as more of a project diary than a blog, as a place to post works in progress. Odds are as good as anything I'll fail to actually update it if I get on a role with the work- especially if I'm not telling anyone about it- but I suppose so long as it gets done in the end that's the important thing.
I've been working for 4 hours so far- since midnight- and I've completed what, to scale, will probably comprise about 2 square inches of the finished product. This could take a while.
