Time To Start Planning That WDW Trip

I grew up going to Disneyland once a year... and sometimes, when things were a bit tighter financially, once every couple of years. For those of you scattered across the country, that may seem like a pretty regular schedule - but we lived about 15 minutes from Disneyland.

One of the good things about this extended schedule is that it kept the park "fresh" for me - every time I went, there was something new to see, another area to explore I hadn't taken time with before. The thought of having an Annual Pass to the parks seems downright decadent to me.

Since we moved to California, we've been to the Disneyland Resort twice with the boys: once in 2003 with Braeden & last year (2007) with both of them. In our minds, we'll probably wait another 3-4 years before doing another Disney trip...

...and when we do, we'd like to hop a plane & go to Walt Disney World - in 2011, the boys will be 10 & 6, almost perfect ages to enjoy the vast majority of the rides & attractions.

So, why am I writing about this today? I just got word (via Jim Hill Media) that:

Disney's Hollywood Studios is actually getting the attraction that theme park enthusiasts have been itching for ever since "Monsters, Inc." opened back in November of 2001. DHS will be soon be home to an inverted coaster that recreates the Door Hangar sequence from that Pete Docter film.

Here's a bare-bones description of the ride:

This family-friendly attraction will be housed inside of Soundstage One. Though -- in order to queue up for this ride -- WDW Guests will first have to go around to the backside of this building and then enter through the old Jim Henson Creature Shop.

Here, they'll find an elaborate recreation of the Monsters, Inc. lobby. With Ceilia (You know? Mike Wazowski's one-eyed, snake-haired girlfriend?) working behind the reception desk. Given that this attraction will be set in the post-film world (After monsters have learned that laughter is 10 times more powerful than screams), Monsters, Inc. is holding an open house today. Actually inviting humans in the Monster world to come tour their energy-gathering facility.

Speaking of energy-gathering ... As they make their way through the queue, Disney World visitors will periodically encounter scream / laugh cannisters with funnels sticking up out of them. These Guests will then be encouraged to scream / laugh into these funnels. Which will cause the sides of these cannisters to light up and reveal how much energy was just gathered.

As they make their way up to the attraction's load area, these WDW visitors will learn that this Open House is all Mike Wazowski's idea. That -- along the route that their coaster is supposed to travel through the Door Hangar -- this wiley one-eyed monster has placed even more scream / laugh cannisters. Which will then collect all of the energy that these humans produce as they scream & laugh their way through this attraction.

These Guests will then board a train that's two seats wide and eight-to-ten cars long. After chugging up the lifthill past show scenes where Mike & Sulley will quickly recap the backstory of this attraction, these WDW visitors will drop down into the Door Hangar building. Where they then quickly whip past various comic tableaus featuring some of the more memorable characters from the "Monsters, Inc." film. Not to mention some far-too-close encounters with huge scare / laugh cannisters (Whose sides -- once again reinforcing this attraction's interactive aspect -- will light up depending on how loudly the Guests on board that particular coaster train scream).

As for the finale of this two-minute-long attraction ... Well, it seems that these Disney World visitors will produce so much energy with all of their screams & laughter that the cannisters in the Door Hangar just can't contain it all. So there's this huge explosion near the end with bright lights & smoke. And just before their train rolls back into the station, these Guests will see a slightly charred versions of Mike & Sulley. With Wazowski telling his big blue friend "I think we need to get some bigger cannisters."

I think we need to start saving up for WDW tickets. (Wowsa.)