Where: Tomorrowland
Height: Any Height
Experience: Fun For Everyone
Duration: 4 minutes, 23 seconds
FASTPASS Service
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin is a video-game-inspired ride at Magic Kingdom theme park based on the exploits of Buzz Lightyear and the Evil Emperor Zurg from Disney?Pixar's film Toy Story 2.
Accept the role of a Junior Space Ranger, board XP-37 space cruisers and blast away at Evil Emperor Zurg's robot minions with laser cannons. Zurg is attempting to steal batteries from helpless toys to power a weapon of ultimate destruction, and Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear is tasked by Star Command to stop him. Now Buzz needs the help of Junior Space Rangers to thwart the Evil Emperor's dastardly plans.
Spin your space cruiser any direction you wish. Every time you hit a target, you're rewarded with fun sounds, special effects, and points are added to your total score. Players can compete with each other for the highest score or try to attain a new personal best. You are even assigned a Star Command rank, based on your performance. The lowest rank is the humble "Space Cadet," but advanced players can challenge themselves to reach the highest rank, "Galactic Hero."
The attraction mixes familiar video game elements with a neon-colored physical environment to create a dazzling new experience that will entertain both expert gamers and Guests who have always enjoyed classic Disney dark rides.
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin is located in the central hub of Tomorrowland, just southeast of Astro Orbiter's towering rocket ship.
Touring Tips
- This is a FASTPASS attraction! Even though the line moves quickly, it is recommended you use FASTPASS if the standby line is longer than 20 minutes. Grab a FASTPASS and then hop on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority for a relaxing ride around Tomorrowland.
- There are no height restrictions for Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin.
- The Top 10 players' scores are shown on the scoreboard at the exit queue, along with 3 letters that the person chooses to identify themselves. The top person gets their face posted on the screen.
Facts
- The ride officially opened on November 3, 1998
Scoring Tips
- There are 4 different shaped targets which are worth different amounts of points: round (100 points), square (1,000 points), diamond (5,000 points), and triangle (10,000 points).
- The targets that are further away and those that are moving are worth more points.
- Hit the top of the volcano for 100,000 points.
- Aim for the center of the "Z's".
- After passing the "Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em Robots," pivot your car around and see if you can hit the target on the back of the robot's wrist for 100,000 points.
- Look for the spider after the robots and see if you can shoot it.
- In the room where the targets are projected, don't stop shooting.
- As you approach the orange robot on your left (the Rock'em Sock'em type Robot), try to hit the Z on the inside of the robot's left hand, that's 100,000 points.
- If you hit the moving wormlike creature that sways left to right that's on your right in the next room, it's worth at least 50,000 points.
- It turns out if you hold the trigger of your laser down, you'll occasionally get 1,000 points even if you don't hit anything. When you're going through the red spiral light room, hold your thumb down for a few extra points.
History
The Magic Kingdom's version of the ride, known as Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, and the first version of the Buzz Lightyear attractions altogether is the third Omnimover ride to operate in Tomorrowland's south show building.
The layout and systems of the ride date all the way back to 1972. This space was originally home to If You Had Wings, an aviation themed ride sponsored by Eastern Airlines. Eastern Airlines dropped sponsorship of the ride for financial reasons in early June 1987. All Eastern themes were moved, and the ride was renamed If You Could Fly. If You Could Fly closed down in January 1989.
Six months after If You Had Wings/If You Could Fly closed down, the ride reopened as a completely redressed ride called Delta Dreamflight, sponsored by Delta Air Lines. Delta sponsored the attraction until January 1996, when, due to financial reasons and sponsorship of the 1996 Summer Olympics, they withdrew their sponsorship. The ride was renamed simply Dreamflight until June 1996 when the ride became known as Take Flight. Take Flight closed in January 1998 to be transformed into Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, which opened ten months later. Space Ranger Spin thus has a combination of the elements of its predecessors and all new scenes (the speed tunnel is the original speed tunnel from If You Had Wings and Delta Dreamflight).