The Orlando theme park will have a video game-inspired attraction back in action when the Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin ride officially returns to Magic Kingdom’s lineup on April 8th.
These vehicles have been introduced over the decades, but they have one thing in common: they aim at moving targets and fire with hypothetical laser-enabled weapons. Built-in contests allow you to ride attractions over and over again, and that’s the beauty of theme parks.
Here are five current point-and-shoot attractions in order of introduction.
give me a buzz
• What, Where, When: Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. It has been operating in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom since November 1998.
• Story: Players battle Zurg, the villain of Toy Story 2, and his army of robots.
• Target: Earn points by aiming at anything with a Z (such as Zurg). Some targets move, some are high up, and some appear far away. The sweet spot for blasting is in the center of each round target.
• Famous Game: The new vehicle is the XP-37 Star Cruiser, equipped with a blaster designed for greater freedom of movement. The joystick is completely video game and controls the rotation and direction of the car.
• Scene Stealer: Zurg’s SpiderBot near the end is a tough enemy and target.
• Rewards: Players achieve one of seven levels depending on their score, ranging from the lowly Star Cadet to Space Commando and Buzz’s highest honor, Galactic Hero.
• Enabling the Wayback Machine: Space Ranger Spin debuted around the same time the original Journey Into Imagination attraction ended at Epcot. Buzz Ride’s gaming ancestor at Magic Kingdom is the Frontierland Shooting Arcade, an opening day attraction in the Old West that closed in 2024.
encounter with aliens
• What, Where, When: Men in Black: Alien Attack was released in April 2000 at Universal Studios in Florida.
• Storyline: A team of six people are training agents in a two-tiered vehicle when a theme park-style horror suddenly occurs and an alien ship crashes in New York City.
• Targets: Over 100 animatronic aliens, large and small, hidden and hovering.
• Masterpiece: Recruits are armed with S4 Aliators. Among the non-alien point-rich targets are fusion exhaust ports fixed on top of enemy vehicles.
• Scene Stealer: After shooting aliens and aliens at each other, a giant insect named Edgar (said to be 50 feet wide) appears.
• Rewards: Three levels are offered from high to low group scores: Galaxy Defender, Cosmic Average, and Worm Fodder.
• The Wayback Machine is in action: “Universal’s Men in Black ride lasts four and a half minutes, about the time the public saw Will Smith at Tuesday’s grand opening,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Leslie Doolittle wrote in 2000. Will’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, was also there — pregnant with their future daughter, Willow. The Sentinel also reported that while in town, the Smiths dined with members of ‘N Sync and played golf at Bay Hill.
Step up now
• What, Where and When: Toy Story Mania launched in May 2008 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Fun fact: Before there was Toy Story Land, there was already Toy Story Mania.
• Story: This is a set of carnival-style games that incorporate characters from “Toy Story” and are said to take place under Andy’s bed. This is another attraction where the number of visitors is shrinking, Honey.
• Targets: Each target on the screen, designed to look like an animal cutout, displays a point value. Once some objects are on target, others will be activated before players placed in double-sided four-person vehicles rotate for the next game.
• Name of the game: “Spring Action Shooter” looks like a small cannon, but of course it’s a toy. When the ride first opened, Disney said the launcher could shoot six objects per second.
• Scene Stealer: The climactic scene features a rapid-fire target coming towards you on a conveyor belt, a mine truck, and even a dangling bat.
• Payoff: Scores are displayed in the car during the ride, both per game and cumulatively. Ultimately, the player’s “prize” is displayed in a carny-style feat of strength/bell ringing arrangement topped with a bear, deer, bobcat, beaver, and rabbit.
• Enabling the Wayback Machine: “Toy Story Mania is the next generation of interactive ride-through experiences,” Tom Fitzgerald, executive vice president and senior creative executive at Walt Disney Imagineering, told the Sentinel in February 2008.
yellow, not mellow
• What, where and when: Illumination’s villainous Minion Blast cranks up at Universal Studios in Florida in summer 2023.
• Story: Players strive to be considered worthy members of the brutal Vicious 6 by attacking numerous targets displayed on the screen on either side of a winding, moving walkway. Players stand the whole time and shoot.
• Targets: various villain characters, rotating medals, mysterious boxes on a conveyor belt, and tons of minions. It may seem counterintuitive to fire at the little yellow guys, but that’s okay. However, it is not as explosive as other goals.
• Game Name: E-Liminator X is the name of the handheld double-button blaster. There are shooting options connected to Universal’s app, including firing wrecking balls, fireballs, and even bananas like Minions have.
• Scene-stealing: The finale walls are character-filled and filled with Universal Orlando landmarks, including the lighthouse at Islands of Adventure and the mountain centerpiece at Volcano Bay Water Park.
• Payoff: Scores are displayed on the blaster and at the bottom of the final screen, and the exit/gift shop screen compiles a top 20 list for the day.
• Activating the Wayback Machine: This space was once home to the park’s “Shrek 4-D” show.
teamwork
• What, Where, When: Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge debuted at Epic Universe Theme Park last May.
• Story: Rider automatically races with Team Bowser as part of Team Mario. The winner will receive a universal cup.
• Target: Collect digital coins and throw seashells to collect points. This is achieved through headwear that provides augmented reality scenes built into a real-life set. There you will also find instructions for shooting with your eyes as well as your head in the correct direction. Headsets are unfamiliar to many riders and can sometimes be awkward or confusing.
• Name of the game: Get to know Princess Peach, Daisy, Toad, Yoshi, and Luigi to interact with Team Mario. For those of us who don’t know Nintendo, Bowser is Mario’s enemy, a fire-breathing monster, and the leader of the Koopas.
• Scene Stealer: There’s a nostalgic scene from the “Mario Kart” video game series, culminating in a short, trippy stretch of Rainbow Road.
• Payoff: After Rainbow Road, the score and winning team will be revealed based on the number of coins collected.
• Launching the Not-So-Wayback Machine: “This is a very unique way to describe ride quality,” Epic Universe general manager Jeff Polk said in August 2024. “You’ll feel like you’re actually experiencing the video games you experienced as a kid.”
dbevil@orlandosentinel.com
