Toy Story Mania

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Woody and Buzz host zany arcade shooting gallery minigames.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this minigame collection is primarily a bunch of carnival-inspired shooting galleries where kids aim at bull-eyes or paper cutouts. While shooting is the primary play mechanic, no one is ever hurt. This is a game about target practice, not inflicting violence. The game is particularly fun to play with two kids together, but can accommodate up to 4 with kids having to take turns.

  • The toys are just trying to have fun, and want to create a carnival that you will enjoy. While the game is competitive because it keeps score, you can opt to have that score only appear occasionally.
  • Woody, Buzz, and the gang are supportive of each other and good role models about how to compete while having fun.
  • The game is easy to play by pointing the Wii Remote at the screen, lining up the target, and pressing the "A" button to shoot. But occasionally you onscreen target disappears. The overall navigation of the game is confusing, particularly the Free Play Mode.
  • This is a compilation of arcade-type games, many involve shooting galleries. But you are simply shooting at inanimate targets (cardboard cutouts) or else shooting rings at characters like the three-headed aliens who simply rocket out of the scene when they are encircled. You will use darts, eggs, pies, and more to hit your targets.
  • Not applicable.
  • This game is based on a Disney theme park attraction of the same name, and coincides with the re-release of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 in theatres.

What's it about?

Woody, Buzz, Hamm, Bo Peep and the rest of the toys that live in Andy's room are back in TOY STORY MANIA, a compilation of over 25 minigames exclusively on the Wii. While Andy is away, the toys decide to construct their own carnival midway filled with 10 different shooting galleries, and a variety of other classic games including pinball, Pong, and a variation of the shell game (just this time it is candy hiding in tea cups that rotate quickly). Kids play the minigames to earn tickets which can be used to unlock more games, including 5 that are in 3D (you must put on the filmsy 3D cardboard glasses that are included in the game's packaging), as well as stickers and other goodies.


Is it any good?

 

Toy Story Mania is a solid addition to the minigames genre and like most in this field, is best if played with others. While these minigames can be played with up to four kids, it is better with only two since only two can play at a time. The shooting galleries create fast-paced action as cardboard cutouts and balloons whiz over the screen. The games have multiple objectives, which means that it is fun to play them repeatedly to see if you can better your score and find all the quirky things to shoot.

But the overall structure of the game is a little hard to navigate. Initially, you must unlock the games by playing through the Story Mode – but there is no story here. There are minimum objectives that must be met before you can move on to the next game, so kids may have to repeat some of the games. When you earn enough tickets, you can purchase all of the games to play in Free Play Mode. But the Free Play Mode is somewhat confusing to figure out because each of the unlocked games is represented by a hard-to-use stamp. Complaints aside, this is a fun game for two boys (ages 6 to 11) to explore together, but it isn't a go-to game like Mario Kart Wii.


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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about why Disney released this game now. It coincides with the big screen double feature of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 presented in Disney Digital 3D and it is based on the attraction of the same name at the Disney theme parks. Is this a way for Disney to drum up interest in this old license, particularly because it is planning a third Toy Story movie in 2010?

  • How important to your enjoyment was the presence of the Toy Story characters in the minigames? Would you have enjoyed the games equally as much if the characters hadn't been present? Did you select the minigames that featured your favorite character?


This review was written by Jinny Gudmundsen
Kid, 10 years old
July 20, 2010
 
Great Family Game Thats Easy To Play!
This is the best wii game there has to be!It's just like the ride at hollywood studios.Trust me this is a great family game!This deserves two BIG thumbs up! P.S Give me compliments by clicking on this review...helped me decide had,had useful details or read my mind

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Kid, 13 years old
June 11, 2011
 
If you wanna have some fun, just come along w/ me, & we'll play this game!!!
Hi, it's Jessie Rocks here, with a review of Toy Story Mania. This game is FUN, FUN, FUN!!! I think this is a really good game. Btw, the whole "consumerism" thing is not exactly an issue with me (unless you count the "she's an avid, obsessive nerd, so she's going to play this stuff" factor and count THAT as ACTUAL consumerism. *eyeroll*). Anyone who thinks that "violence" is an issue is someone I would call...WRONG!!! There's no ACTUAL violence, just shooting stuff such as eggs and plunger darts at a bunch of cardboard cutouts that are really pixelated images of cardboard cutouts. As for the positive messages, they ROCK, b/c the toys are trying to have a little fun, and to do so, they've created a carnival so that EVERYONE can enjoy it. Great role models. I will list examples below. Here u go: 1. Jessie's a strong female character. In fact, that's what started Disney's strong female thing up. 2. Again, toys just wanna have fun! 3. They are all-inclusive. 4. Throughout the game, they encourage you. For example, Jessie tells you stuff like, "You sure are handy with that plunger shooter!" and, "Look! You won a silver star!".

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Kid, 10 years old
September 18, 2010
 
I may be scared of the ride (because of the freaky-acting robot, i dont say the usual name anymore cause it scares me), but this probably is the perfect game for the Wii. However, the toys do not say please when they ask you to play. I find this easy to play, i say now please give me the video game.

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Teen, 14 years old
April 24, 2011
 
Toy Story Terror
This game has no problems to make it an E10+ game.

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Parent of 8, 13, and 15 year old
October 3, 2009
 
A Gotta Have for Toy Story Fans!-of any age
I think the other review for this must be for something else. This is a fun (not too challenging, but there are a couple of "goals" you have to complete to unlock free play that are tricky. If your kids love the game at WDW then this is a good game.

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Parent of 8, 12, 12, and 14 year old
May 30, 2010
 

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Parent of 6 and 8 year old
January 7, 2010
 
Excelent family game for all ages!!
Our entire family loves this game. My 4 year old holds her own and wins against her 7 year old sister enough that she is happy. It is fun and up beat with entertaining games. My girls love the virtual stickers and sticker sheets that you can buy with the tickets you win. A HUGE hit in our house from the oldest to the youngest member of our family!

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Kid, 13 years old
October 7, 2009
 
good so read it
i think i will enjoy this and i hope u do to and i hope we can be very good friends

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Kid, 12 years old
July 10, 2010
 
Sorry, I cheated and this is a review of the Toy Story 3 movie. Finally saw it, and even after reading the review it was darker than I expected, although Lotso gets his comeuppance and the ending was happy. SPOILER: Andy hands his toys to a little girl named Bonnie at the end and says, "Thanks, guys." as he drives away to college. Sunnyside becomes a better place for toys.

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Kid, 11 years old
January 24, 2012
 
C R A P
n/a

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This review was written by Jinny Gudmundsen
Platforms:Nintendo Wii
Available online?Not available online
Genre:Mini-games
Developer:Disney Interactive
Release date:September 15, 2009
Price:$49.99
ESRB rating:E for (no descriptors)

This review was written by Jinny Gudmundsen

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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