Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop
Are you as brave as the green toy soldiers from Toy Story?
As you enter Toy Story Playland at Disney Adventure World, they are hard to miss: the green parachutes slowly rising into the air before rushing back down, creating a brief, pleasant flutter in your stomach.
The Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop is one of the most enjoyable attractions in Toy Story Playland because it does exactly what it promises. For a moment, it makes you feel as though you are one of Andy’s toy soldiers.
The idea comes directly from the first Toy Story film, in which the little green soldiers make a parachute jump. Disneyland Paris turned this scene into an attraction that fits perfectly into the atmosphere of Andy’s garden. The toy army’s base is called Fort Emery, a reference to Emeryville in California, where Pixar Studios are based.
The Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop is not the wildest ride in the park, but it is still quite a thrill. It falls somewhere between a thrill ride and a children’s carousel: intense enough to provide a real adrenaline rush, yet family-friendly enough for brave primary-school children. Once you have looked down over the whole of Toy Story Playland and the neighbouring areas of the park, you will understand why the view alone is worth plucking up the courage to ride.
The queue area sets the scene for the mission ahead. Along the route, you will find numerous props from the film, including walkie-talkies, toy aeroplanes and military equipment in toy size. Look around carefully while queuing and you will spot plenty of references, which also makes the wait feel noticeably shorter.
For many children, the Parachute Drop is the first real test of courage of the day. That moment when the parachute pulls you upwards and you briefly hold your breath, followed by the laughter when you land. That is not something you forget in a hurry.
