Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek
| Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek | |
|---|---|
| Park | Tokyo Disneyland |
| Land / area | Tomorrowland |
| Type | Interactive dark ride |
| Opened | April 15, 2009 |
| Designer | Walt Disney Imagineering
|
| Status | Operating |
Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek is an interactive dark ride in Tomorrowland at Tokyo Disneyland. Based on Pixar's Monsters, Inc. (2001), it places guests inside the Monsters, Inc. factory after the events of the film, taking part in a company-wide game of hide-and-seek with Boo and the monsters. It opened on April 15, 2009, the park's 26th anniversary, replacing Meet the World.[1][2]
The attraction sits near the entrance to Tomorrowland, fronted by the Monsters, Inc. factory facade from the film. Its premise inverts the usual dark-ride arrangement: instead of monsters leaping out to scare guests, the monsters are hiding, and it is the guests' job to find them.
History
Ride & Go Seek was developed as a major Tomorrowland addition for Tokyo Disneyland's 26th anniversary year, with a soft opening on April 14, 2009, ahead of its official opening the following day.[2] It took over the show building previously used by Meet the World, the rotating-theatre history show that had operated since the park opened.[1]
The concept built on the film's ending, in which Monsters, Inc. has abandoned scaring in favour of laughter. In the attraction's story, the company opens its doors to human guests and organises a hide-and-seek game, with the young human Boo — whose return the monsters are celebrating — hiding somewhere on the factory floor.
The ride proved popular enough that it was enhanced soon after opening. The Oriental Land Company closed it from late March to April 30, 2010, and reopened it on May 1, 2010, with additions intended to strengthen the hide-and-seek element.[3]
Experience
Guests ride in factory security-style vehicles equipped with flashlights. Each rider has a light to aim at the scenery as the vehicle moves through the factory, the locker room, and other sets drawn from the film. Shining a light on the right spot reveals a hidden monster, who may pop up, wave, speak, or trigger a sound or movement effect.[4]
Familiar characters including Mike Wazowski, Sulley, and Roz appear along the route, with Roz providing commentary in the finale. Because so much depends on where guests point their lights, scenes reward attention: a quiet corner of a set may conceal a monster that a car full of guests looking the other way will miss entirely.
There is no score in the conventional shooting-ride sense. The pleasure is discovery rather than competition, which sets Ride & Go Seek apart from the laser-target rides elsewhere and makes it especially well suited to younger guests. Boo herself is the ultimate find, hidden through the factory as the game builds to its closing scene.
See also
- Tokyo Disneyland
- Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!
- Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor