Last week, it was announced that Pixar's Cars will be the fourth playset in Disney Infinity. The game uses a Skylanders-like model — with figurines you purchase placed on a reader. That said, it's not a Skylanders rip-off. It combines all of Disney and Pixar's greatest franchises in "Toy Box" mode, where the only limitations are that of your imagination. When you play the game's playsets — Pirates of the Caribbean, The Incredibles, Monsters University and Cars — you'll get to use items and characters from those playset in Toy Box mode. There, you play the game how you want it. Want Buzz Lightyear to ride around on Dumbo? That can happen. Ever wonder who would win a race between Lightning McQueen and Flash from The Incredibles? Pit them against each other in a race track you design.
Toy Box mode sounds amazing. It's a mode that both adults and kids will enjoy, and I'm absolutely stoked for it. Like any gamer, I see something I like and come up with ideas for it. The huge Disney fan in me wants to see certain items in Toy Box mode. The following 10 items are things I'd love to play around with in Toy Box mode, and I'm sure you'd love to have them available, as well.
Monorails
Photo Cred: Disney Photography Blog
"Please stand clear of the doors. Por favor manténganse alejado de las puertas." In Toy Box mode, you can essentially build your own Disney world to romp around in. What better way would there be to view your creation than by traveling around it, taking in the sights, via monorail. I know there's plenty of kids obsessed with monorails — my son included. They're the trains of the future! Having a monorail track you custom-designed would add life to your Disney Infinity world.
Lightsabers
You can't own the Star Wars franchise and not use anything from it in a Disney mash-up game. Now I realize it might be asking to much to have a Star Wars playset available. The same can be said for having Star Wars characters available for play in Toy Box mode. That's why I'll make it easy for you — have lightsabers. It could be used to carve up buildings and landscapes, and I don't think it would require more work than having playset items like Buzz Lightyear's jet pack. I could even picture people creating Smash Bros.-esque brawling mini-games where Disney characters duke it out with lightsabers.
Real rides
Photo Cred: Amusementandthemeparks.com
I think having real rides available in Toy Box mode would be niche, but could fit nicely into the game. An argument could be made for having replicas of rides from Disney World in the game, where you could hop into a cart and experience the ride, but in Disney Infinity's stylized animation. Imagine going down Splash Mountain's waterfall and soaring out of it using Buzz's jet pack; or picture driving around as Mater through Space Mountain's dark roller coaster track. They already have Epcot's Spaceship Earth in Toy Box mode. Also, this his how kids like to play — using their imaginations to combine both the real and fantastical.
Fireworks
Photo Cred: Flickr
One of the things most associated with Disney is its fireworks shows. The skies above Cinderella's castle comes alive with explosions of color and magic on a nightly basis. Adults and children alike 'ooh and ahh' at the spectacle before them, much in the same way Disney Infinity is hoping to 'ooh and ahh' its players. The ability to plan your own fireworks show in Toy Box mode would be amazing, synchronizing fireworks of all shapes, sizes and colors.
Cinderella's castle from Disney World
Photo Cred: Disneytouristblog
It's a toss up whether the best Disney icon is Mickey Mouse or Cinderella's castle. The iconic castle looms over Disney World in Orlando, Florida, filling visitors of The Magic Kingdom with joy. To be fair, the castle is rendered at the beginning of every Disney movie; the same can't be said of a certain mouse. I fully expect Cinderella's castle to be available in Toy Box mode, just like how Epcot Spaceship Earth has already been seen in videos and screenshots of the game.
Under-water buildings
Photo Cred: Disneyeveryday
One things I haven't seen any hint of is underwater structures; the closest I've seen is a boat with Captain Jack Sparrow at the helm. However, some of the most memorable Disney moments have come from under the sea. Whether it be King Triton's court, Ariel's hidden trove of human treasures, or the reef and anemones that Marlin and Nemo call home — there's a wealth of opportunities below the surface of the water. Personally, I'd love to ride the EAC with Crush. Fin. Noggin'. Duuuude…
The Muppet Theater
Disney Infinity should make it easy being green by offering the Muppet Theater as a building in Toy Box mode. With The Muppets… Again! releasing in theaters in March 2014, it only makes sense to include the legendary theater of Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzy and The Electric Mayhem. It would be awesome if you could go inside the theater and see some of the Muppets performing their shtick.
Stark Tower
It would be a shame for Disney Infinity to not take advantage of its Marvel ownership. There's a slew of Marvel movies releasing, leading up to the 2015 Avengers 2. I'm not saying we need Iron Man, Captain America and the other as playable characters with their own figurines and playsets, but we should at least have a symbol of Marvel to be placed in Toy Box mode. Stark Tower could be that beacon. I couldn't picture a more beautiful skyline than one that includes Cinderella's castle and Stark Tower.
Holiday decorations
Photo Cred: The Disney Blog
Disney lights up around the holidays — literally. This might be more appropriate as DLC (or free around the holidays), but Disney Infinity should have holiday-themed buildings and decorations to place in Toy Box mode around each of the major holiday. I fully expect the world I created to have millions of Christmas lights available for placement come December. We've seen pictures of Jack Skellington during the Disney Infinity announcement event, so I'm sure they have Halloween and The Nightmare Before Christmas-themed decorations in store for us.
Parade floats
Photo Cred: Goflorida
Another major part of Disney is the parades. With some of the most intricate floats you've ever seen, kids stare with amazement at their favorite characters waving as they pass by on some truly impressive parade floats. Make Toy Box mode come alive and allow us the opportunity to create our own parades. We already know we can program our own races with win conditions in Toy Box mode. It should be simple to set a parade path and set some awesome floats loose. All I'm asking for are some bright, colorful, amazing parade floats that have some iconic Disney characters aboard them.
You can follow Senior Editor Lance Liebl on Twitter @Lance_GZ. He likes talking sports, video games, movies, and the stupidity of celebrities. Email at [email protected]
