Next best thing to being there

Allearsnet is reporting that a revamp of the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters at Disneyland Anaheim will have an online component to the ride that allows all the poor saps who wished they were at Disneyland to participate in the ride:

Guests on the attraction will be virtually paired up with internet partners who will join the adventure at Disneyland in real time through web cam technology. At-home participants will help increase the scores of guests on the attraction by raising the value of targets along the way.

I wonder if we're seeing a new marketing drive for building brand awareness of the parks themselves. (See also the Virtual Magic Kingdom.) If so, it's smart - letting people actually experience the parks virtually is a good way to do that, since a lot of what differentiates the Disney parks is the environmental experience - it's not just roller coasters and scramblers plopped down on big concrete slabs like at most theme parks.