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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2009 |
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The groundbreaking 1995 movie Toy Story was the first feature from Pixar and the first feature-length entirely computer animated movie from anybody. Although computer-generated imagery has become much more sophisticated since 1995, the characters and storytelling of Toy Story still rank up there as some of best—in any animated movie of all time. The movie has spawned three sequels, several shorts, TV specials, a Tomorrowland attraction, Toy Story Pizza Planet here at Yester Studios, lots of toys, and even cereals from Kellogg’s. |
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Yester Studios has a land based on Toy Story. But it’s not called Toy Story Land. It’s called Pixar Place. Welcome to Pixar Place. Wander around. Say hi to a Green Army Man. Shop for toys at the Toy Story Dept. Have a snack at Hey Howdy Hey! If you’re old enough, you can partake of an adult beverage. Get your picture taken with Woody and Buzz. The highlight is a ride. If you don’t already have a FASTPASS for it, plan on a very long wait. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2016 Salute from a Green Army Man |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2016 Barrel Of Monkeys giant toy piece |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2016 Colorful recycling and trash receptacles |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2016 “Meet the toys” and “You’ve got a friend in me” |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2016 Toy Story Dept. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2016 Toy Story merchandise |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2016 Hey Howdy Hey! Takeaway |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2009 Hey Howdy Hey! Takeaway menu |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2016 Thirsty? |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2016 Cocktails for Toy Story fans |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2016 Woody’s Picture Shootin Corral |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2016 The stars of Toy Story, ready for a photo with you |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2016 Toy Story Mania! building |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013 Toy Story Mania! entrance |
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The highlight of Pixar Place is a ride—called Toy Story Mania! on maps and Toy Story Midway Mania! on its sign. It’s a big hit with park guests. You’ll need to get to the park early if you want a paper FASTPASS. Actually, the ride hasn’t gone to Yester Studios. But its entrance has. |
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Pixar Place opened on May 31, 2008—less than five months after Disney-MGM Studios became Disney’s Hollywood Studios on January 7, 2008. Although Pixar Place was a new “land” at the movie-themed park, the space itself was as old as Disney-MGM Studios. Originally, it was a backstage corridor serving soundstages for movie and television production. Then it was opened to guests as Mickey Avenue. The soundstages were used for character meet-and-greets and for walkthrough tours such as Backstage Pass to 101 Dalmatians and the sets from Mortal Kombat: Conquest. Pixar Place was a big improvement over Mickey Avenue. Toy Story Mania! was the same as its counterpart at Disney California Adventure, but the building and the queue were completely different. An early, short-lived feature of Pixar Place was a six-foot animatronic Luxo Jr. desk lamp performing short shows throughout the day. |
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Photo by Coolcaesar, 2017 (CC BY-SA 3.0) (modified) Entrance to Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, California |
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As a Disney theme park land, Pixar Place was unusually small. Even though the land’s ride, food service, merchandise, and character meet-and-greets were all based on Toy Story, the name of the land referred to the studio that made the movie, not to the movie itself. The idea was to evoke the Pixar Animation Studios campus that opened in 2000 in Emeryville, a city on San Francisco Bay between Oakland and Berkley. The glass facade of Toy Story Mania! was based on the architecture of the studio. Even the bricks at Pixar Place resembled those at the studio. Interestingly, Toy Story wasn’t made in Emeryville. It was completed in 1995 at Pixar’s previous Point Richmond studio. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2018 New entrance to Toy Story Mania!, now without Midway in its name on the sign |
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On June 30, 2018, ten years after the opening of Pixar Place, Toy Story Land opened at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on the opposite side of the Toy Story Mania! building. The entrance to the popular ride moved to the new land, where it was joined by Slinky Dog Dash, Alien Swirling Saucers, Woody’s Lunch Box, and plenty of photo opportunities. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2018 Former Pixar Place behind big doors |
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A construction wall went up at the entrance to Pixar Place. When that wall came down, the brick pillars that previously supported the Pixar Studios sign had become part of a large, closed gate. It seemed that Pixar Place would revert to being a backstage corridor. But then something else happened. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2019 Pixar Place reborn as Municiberg |
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The gate opened to guests in January 2019. A billboard to its left identified that this was now Municiberg from The Incredibles and Incredibles 2. It still looked a lot like the old Pixar Place, with the same bricks, but it was filled with inventive touches, primarily involving signs. It would have been even better if the budget had allowed redoing it to be a city block with the mid-century look from the movies. But it was still a fun addition to the park—a huge improvement compared to a closed gate. On printed and online park maps from Disney, the area was identified as An Incredibles Celebration. Or it was still Pixar Place. Or it wasn’t identified at all. Strangely, maps didn’t call it Municiberg. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2019 Treelined Municiberg steet |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2019 Former Toy Story Mania! entrance, now a photo op |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2019 Frozone from The Incredibles |
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Guests could have their picture taken with Edna Mode at the Edna Mode Experience, meet other characters from The Incredibles, dance with them during “The Super Shindig!”, enjoy treats from the Neighborhood Bakery, and shop for Incredibles character merchandise at Municiberg Gifts. At least that’s how it was before the parks closed in 2020 due to the pandemic. Disney can easily reduce and increase the offerings at Municiberg based on attendance and staffing. In fact, Disney can shut down the area entirely just by closing a gate—and guests will simply turn right to head off to Toy Story Land, with some of the best rides in the park. |
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© 2021 Werner Weiss — Disclaimers, Copyright, and Trademarks Updated August 13, 2021 |
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