Once upon a time the rides in Disney World’s Magic Kingdom provided thrills aplenty, promising tales of pirates and the chance to dive 20,000 leagues under the sea.

But today’s children, weaned on the Wii, Second Life and DVD "Easter eggs", look for more than the roller coasters and jerky automatons that entertained the youth of the 1970s.

"The emerging generation expects more immersive, personal and interactive experiences in every facet of their lives," says Bruce Vaughn, chief creative executive of Walt Disney Imagineering.

It’s a fact Disney had to face when it created its newest attractions for the Florida theme park.

Disney World has been drawing tourists
to Florida since 1971.

To demonstrate how the company is adapting to the era of interactivity I was shown around two new rides: Kim Possible (currently in testing) and Toy Story Mania, which opened last year.

Toy Story Mania is basically a giant 3D video game. Riders board a car and are driven through and parked in front of a series of video screens. The task: to shoot objects as they fall or fly out of the screen.

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