| From the first version of the attraction
in 1998 to the latest edition in Paris in 2006, it has become common for
Buzz to replace an older attraction in Tomorrowland or Discoveryland, with
many of the classic Circle-Vision 360 cinema attractions becoming the victim
of Space Ranger fever over the years. Load up your crystallic fusion rocket
pack, pop out those terillium-carbonic alloy wings, and jet off to the four
corners of the world, to discover the rest of the Star Command empire! Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
(Walt Disney World Resort in Florida) Opened: 7th October 1998 Previous attractions on this spot: Take
Flight (1st January 1996 to 5th January 1998), Delta Dreamflight
(26th June 1989 to 31st December 1995), If You Could Fly (6th June
1987 to 3rd January 1989), If You Had Wings (5th June 1972 to 1st
June 1987). Just three years after the release of
the original Toy Story and one year before the release of Toy Story 2,
October of 1998 saw the opening of the brand new Buzz Lightyear’s Space
Ranger Spin attraction in Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland. The ride was
installed in record time, with the previous tenant of the building, “Take
Flight”, closing just nine months earlier on 5th January 1998. This is due
to the fact that the new attraction used the exact same track and layout as
“Take Flight”, to cut down on cost and installation times. The ride represented a massive
technological accomplishment for the Disney Imagineers, who were faced with
the challenge of creating a new Omnimover ride system (the
continuous-circuit vehicle system used in the Haunted Mansions and Phantom
Manor) with both interactive laser guns and a 360 degree rotation mechanism
for each vehicle, which would all need to be fully controllable by the guest
whilst the vehicles continued their normal forward movement.
The visual design of the ride was based upon “modern video games”, with a
large amount of the character graphics being similar to the “Buzz Lightyear
of Star Command” animated TV show, unlike subsequent versions of the
attraction which mainly used the more recognisable Pixar versions of the
characters. One very noticeable difference between
this version of the attraction and those which followed lies with the laser
guns. Whilst the other Disney Resorts feature smaller guns which can be
picked up and held by the guest, the Magic Kingdom original features guns
which are locked in place on the front of the Space Cruisers, with guests
having to swivel and tilt them to aim at targets. Despite this drawback, the
attraction quickly gained huge popularity from park guests, with guest
satisfaction surveys consistently being topped and plans drawn up to install
the attraction at every other Disney Resort.
An interesting detail of all the Buzz Lightyear interactive attractions is
the numbering of the Space Cruiser vehicles, with each park featuring a
different number on the side of their vehicles. Magic Kingdom uses the
original code: XP-37. Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters
(Tokyo Disney Resort) Opened: 15th April 2004 Previous attractions on this spot: Circle-Vision 360 / The
Timekeeper (1983 to 2002). Seeking a replacement for their old
Timekeeper attraction (known as Le Visionarium in Disneyland Resort
Paris), Tokyo Disney Resort looked to Walt Disney World, and decided
to Imagineer a new, updated version of 1998’s Space Ranger Spin for
their Circle-Vision 360 building. Design updates in the new version
centre mainly around the Space Cruiser vehicles, with the laser guns
now hand-held and aesthetic improvements made to the exterior of the
vehicles. The layout and flow of the ride was also altered, to allow
it to fit into the pre-existing Tokyo showbuilding, with the final
ride actually becoming longer than its Magic Kingdom cousin. One
particular success from this new version is the “Hyperspace” tunnel,
which features special lighting effects to simulate the Space
Cruisers moving at high-speed. The attraction’s name was changed from
“Space Ranger Spin” to “Astro Blasters” for a variety of reasons.
Firstly, to set it aside from the original version; secondly, to
make it more exciting and marketable to the Japanese public; and
thirdly, because it was found that it was the “blasting” element of
the Magic Kingdom ride which was key to the ride, rather than the
“spin”. Upon opening, the attraction was so
insanely popular with the Japanese guests that the queue snaked
right around Tomorrowland to Central Plaza! The attraction has since
remained hugely popular, and so it became the “blueprint” for the
three versions which followed. Tokyo Disneyland’s Space Cruisers have
the code: XP-38. Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
(Disneyland Resort in California) Opened: 5th May 2005 Previous attractions on this spot: Rocket Rods (queue) (22nd May
1998 to September 2000), Circle-Vision 360/Circarama (1955 to
1997). The grand 50th Anniversary of the
original Disneyland in California, USA, brought a wide range of
exciting new attractions to the resort for the Happiest Celebration
on Earth. The only brand new ride-based attraction to open within
Disneyland Park, however, was Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, a
version very similar to the updated Tokyo model. The attraction
finally brought life back to a long-neglected part of Tomorrowland,
which had remained unused for many years after the departure of the
previous attraction – the classic Circle-Vision 360 theatre (which
was used as part of the queue for the short-lived Rocket Rods
attraction from 1998 to 2000). Although construction had begun many
months prior, the official announcement for Buzz Lightyear Astro
Blasters was not made until the full unveiling of the 50th
Anniversary plans on 5th May 2004. The attraction soft opened
(opened on selected days for guest previews and testing) on 17th
March 2005, and fulfilled the requirement for a popular, fun
attraction with huge potential for repeat rides. Disneyland’s Space Cruisers have the
code: XP-40. It seems that, even though this edition of the
attraction opened many months earlier, the Hong Kong Disneyland
vehicles were numbered first. Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
(Hong Kong Disneyland Resort) Opened: 12th September 2005 The newly-opened Hong Kong Disneyland
is the only park to feature the interactive Buzz Lightyear
attraction in a showbuilding built specifically for the attraction
itself. The attraction officially opened with the park and resort on
12th September 2005, and features, for the most part, the same
design and general layout as the Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland
versions. The exterior of the Hong Kong
attraction is much more expansive than with earlier versions of the
attraction, thanks to the dedicated showbuilding. A key feature of
the exterior is a large, covered podium, which features a giant
statue of a flying Buzz Lightyear. With so few attractions compared
to its American, Japanese and European cousins, Hong Kong Disneyland
park features Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters as a key attraction of
the park, even promoting it more than the park’s edition of the
classic Space Mountain on their official website. Hong Kong Disneyland’s Space Cruisers
have the code: XP-39. Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast
(Disneyland Resort Paris) Opened: 12th September 2005 Previous attractions on this spot: Le Visionarium
(12th April 1992
to 5th September 2004). On 5th September 2004, Le Visionarium
closed. This stunning Circle-Vision 360 attraction, which Michael
Eisner had proclaimed as his “favourite attraction” during the
resort’s grand opening in 1992 and which had been reproduced for
both Magic Kingdom, Florida and Tokyo Disneyland, simply failed to
pull in enough guests. The attraction had been a particular
favourite amongst long-term “fans” of the resort, and so its closure
was met with such disbelief that rumours of a replacement attraction
took a surprising amount of time to surface. Despite an interactive Buzz Lightyear
attraction being the obvious choice, since one had just replaced
Tokyo’s Circle-Vision theatre and another was due to replace
Disneyland’s Circle-Vision in upcoming months, many of the initial
rumours focused instead on using the large building at the entrance
of Discoveryland for a new restaurant. The popularity of 2004’s new
The Legend Of The Lion King show next door at Videopolis Theatre
meant that some rumours even suggested using the space as extra
seating, with a video link to the live show! Many fans simply felt
that, should Buzz ever arrive in Discoveryland in the interactive
dark-ride format, he would land next to the Pizza Planet Restaurant,
on the far side of the land. Soon enough, however, Buzz Lightyear
became the clear favourite in the rumour stakes, and as photos
surfaced of a totally gutted Le Visionarium interior, everyone
waited for the official announcement. The date: 11th January 2005. The
announcement: Unbelievable. Three major new attractions launching
between 2006 and 2008 across both parks. Toon Studios and The
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror for Walt Disney Studios Park and Buzz
Lightyear Laser Blast for Disneyland Park. It all seemed like a
dream, but then that’s the magic of Disney, right? An official trailer, layout plan and
exterior concept artwork for the attraction were unveiled at a
special “50 Years of Disney Theme Parks” celebration night, held on
10th September 2005 for resort fans. Inside the attraction, the same scenes
as the Tokyo, California and Hong Kong attractions are present,
albeit in a new layout, specially configured to fit within the
confines of the Le Visionarium building. Whilst the small interior
space of the building proved a headache for the Imagineers having to
“shoehorn” the attraction into the building, the stunning exterior
architecture gives the Paris edition arguably the most beautiful
showbuilding of all the versions worldwide. Disneyland Resort Paris’ Space Cruisers have the code: XP-41. | 
