Attraction Spotlight: Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
Toy Story Land opens at Walt Disney World this week. The new space within Disney’s Hollywood Studios will feature two new rides and a quick-service restaurant, along with the existing and very popular Toy Story Midway Mania attraction. All the buzz (pun intended) around this new space reminded me of another popular Toy Story attraction that isn’t quite as new. Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin opened at Disney World in 1998. That’s 20 years ago for those of you taking a break from math for the summer. Today’s post takes a closer look at this original Toy Story attraction and how it has delighted guests around the world for nearly two decades.
Photo by Disney Parks
History
First, let’s start with a little history. The original Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin opened at Disney World on October 7, 1998 in the Tomorrowland section of Magic Kingdom. It was the first Pixar themed ride at any of the theme parks until that point. Buzz replaced a few different variations of flight-themed attractions that occupied the same space and utilized a similar track. The change was prompted by the tremendous success of the first Toy Story film (and the first Pixar movie overall) in 1995. Interestingly, the ride focuses on Buzz Lightyear’s epic struggle with the Evil Emperor Zurg who first appeared in Toy Story 2 about a year AFTER the Disney World attraction opened.
Since 1998, different variations of Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin have opened at Tokyo Disneyland (2004), Disneyland (2005), Disneyland Paris (2006) and Shanghai Disney (2016). There was also a version at Hong Kong Disneyland until just last summer, when the ride was closed to make way for a new Antman attraction (wait, what?!). The popular attraction goes by different names around the world from Buzz Lightyear Planet Rescue to Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, but the general theming of the ride remains the same. The technology, as you can imagine, has also evolved over the years, with the Disney World version being the most simplistic and the latest one in Shanghai boasting major upgrades.
Attraction Description
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin is a ride and a game in one. Disney calls them “dark rides” because you, um, ride a car through the dark. In this sense, it’s similar to so many other Disney World attractions. The difference when this ride first opened is that it also features a game. Each car offers two mounted laser blasters that allow guests to shoot targets and accumulate points throughout the ride. Guests also use mounted swivel sticks to spin their cars for better shot angles. The swivel sticks are also particularly helpful for those that are tired of losing to their companions and therefore decide to rotate the car at inopportune moments to spoil their more-talented competitors’ shots.
Or at least, that’s what I’ve heard. I’m not claiming to have tried it.
During the ride you travel through various neon-glowing rooms in search of targets. The Disney World version is a mix of several different scenes. The Shanghai version is the closest to the beginning sequence of Toy Story 2 which features a battle on another planet with thousands of robots. All of the rides feature hundreds of targets that will keep your trigger finger busy.
At the end of the ride, your total score as well as that of your co-pilot lights up on a display in your car. Then you see how you rank with a chart that places you somewhere in the range of Star Cadet to a Galactic Hero.
Special Features
As you would expect, the line for the attraction features oversized toys and sound effects galore. The best feature, in my opinion, is the talking Buzz Lightyear animatronic near the end of the queue. His face is really a projection, which makes it cool in person but not so easy to photograph. Buzz chatters on about his battle strategies with a serious tone that matches the characters in the films.
The end of the ride also features a on-ride photo, like the one shown above. As you can tell, it’s not the best on-ride photo opportunity at Disney World. In fact, almost every other ride I can think of that includes photos (Tower of Terror, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Splash Mountain, etc.) seem to deliver better shots. The camera isn’t mounted high enough to capture shorter guests. The lighting, despite blinding you with a flash while it’s taken, is often too dark. It’s still fun to check out the wall images as you disembark though. In 2016, Disney updated the photos a bit by adding animation to the images you download.
Misfires
As much as I enjoy the ride, there are a few aspects that aren’t so great. For one, the queue space is only partially covered. This doesn’t matter much, unless it’s raining or 90 degrees, both of which occur with regularity in Orlando. Second, the indoor waiting area while somewhat well-themed, is mostly just a line. You walk back and forth through the rails in a small space like cattle guests at most other amusement parks.
Third, the technology with Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin is showing its age a bit. Later versions of the ride, including the one at Disneyland, offer laser guns that aren’t mounted to the cars. Disney kept this change in place for the rest of the Buzz Lightyear attractions because it offers better range for shooting. Also, sometimes the guns don’t register shots. Other times you may get points for hitting nothing. Minor issues overall, but something to keep in mind if your opponent starts talking smack after the ride.
Photo by Disney Parks
Other Things You Should Know
The lines for Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin are hit or miss. (Ha! Sorry couldn’t resist.) Sometimes you can walk right on to the ride, other times you wait an hour or more. For this reason, I don’t typically select is as one of my first three FastPass+ selections, but it’s one that you can typically pick up as an extra one later in the day. (If you have no idea what I’m talking about here, check out my FastPass+ overview post for more details!) If you’re traveling with a companion that loves Buzz Lightyear or Toy Story in general, by all means use a Fast Pass. It’s not a waste of a pass, it’s maybe just not quite as much of a time savings as other options (like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train or Space Mountain).
If that’s not enough Buzz Lightyear for you, you can also meet the galactic traveler himself near the exit of his ride. I love the backdrop for this particular meet ‘n greet, because the lighting and color scheme tend to make great photos. Buzz doesn’t sign autographs, due to his cumbersome space suit, but he will stamp autograph books for his fans when requested. He’ll also offer hugs and poses true to his character in the film.
Outside the park Buzz
In closing, I thought I’d share one more interesting side note that I learned while researching this post. In May 2008, Buzz Lightyear (in plastic toy form) traveled to the true International Space Station as part of the STS-124 mission on Space Shuttle Discovery. It was part of a joint venture with Disney and NASA to promote science education. Fun, right? Perhaps you can delight your fellow guests with this trivia while waiting in line.
And that’s it. A spotlight on the first Toy Story ride at Disney World in preparation for the all new Toy Story Land that opens later this week. I hope this post helped you relive some happy memories at the parks or perhaps get excited for an upcoming trip.
Until next time, add a little (galactic) magic to your world!