Citrus Dreamin' - A NEW Imagineering Competition - Chat and Hype Thread

spacemt354

Chili's
IMG_2085.jpeg
 

TheOriginalTiki

Well-Known Member
View attachment 781617
Wow that is 10x better than DHS
The place making at Disneyland's Galaxy's Edge absolutely gives it the edge. The way it blends in with the rest of the park from the outside of the land, and you can't see any of the rest of the park from the inside of the land is an absolute stroke of Imagineering genius and probably the single most impressive thing about it for me.

How be the crowds?
 

spacemt354

Chili's
The place making at Disneyland's Galaxy's Edge absolutely gives it the edge. The way it blends in with the rest of the park from the outside of the land, and you can't see any of the rest of the park from the inside of the land is an absolute stroke of Imagineering genius and probably the single most impressive thing about it for me.

How be the crowds?
Pretty crowded especially at DCA. Trying not to do Genie but it may have to happen
 

NateD1226

Well-Known Member
Hey y'all! I was doing a bit of spring cleaning in my Google account recently to try and clear up some space, and I ran into a little project called Test Tractor, which came to life about two years ago for One Little Spark. It was one of my favorite projects I have ever worked on, and it brought back so many memories. Documents from different projects just started popping up one by one. I was sitting with my computer just feeling so nostalgic and captivated by all the work we had created. Not to sound overly sappy, but I truly believe this forum really helped me unleash a creative potential that I would not have today if I had never found this place. I believe I was 13 when I first started posting on here, which probably was a bit too young, but wow. I look back at the past six years that I had been posting, and my mind just feels emotionally overwhelmed by all the content we created. To put this is all in perspective, I am turning 20 this year (I feel weird even saying that lol), and I am currently studying film production in college. I have a fun job, and I just feel happy with where I am creatively/mentally.

Sorry, I know I am rambling on and on, but I just have a bit more to say! As I went to bed last night, the projects I had read and the overall memories of this platform raced throughout my mind because I truly do not think my passion of storytelling and writing would be as a strong as it is today if I did not participate in the events here. The people I met through this truly mesmerize me every single day because they are not just fellow Disney fans who like to create. They make up a community that strives to push the imagination to new heights. I am trying my best to not sound like too much of a cornball, but these feelings just seem to unravel the more I type. Thinking about all of this really made me yearn for these projects again. Now, I don't think I can just hop back into a team-based game and go crazy LOL. However, just sharing creative bits with you all is just as special.

Okay, I think this has gone on way too long now, but it just felt right to share! So many individuals here have pushed me creatively, and a lot of it has stuck with me to this day. For example, I always think about the time when Hulk was hosting an OSC comp, and I kept using a trackless ride system. He pushed so hard for me to stray away from that because there are so many possibilties when it comes to storytelling, both in attractions and on pen and paper. I still to this day think about that because I always try to ignore the norm, and instead be original and creative in a way that makes me shine. I owe a lot of my creative growth to many of you, and it is delightful logging back in here and seeing the usuals still doing their thing. I definitely have to stick around more often and not just disappear, which has happened from time to time during comps (deeply apologize for that by the way...life happens but that's no excuse at this point lol). I see the OSC is back up and running, so I definitely will have to participate in that, and this new game seems like lots of fun with some great submissions so far!

I started the last paragraph saying I was going to wrap it up, but of course, I did not! So, if you read all of this or just gave it a skim, I applaud you!!! I guess to sum it all up, thank you friends for everything you have done and will do to keep creativity alive.
 

Chaos Cat

Well-Known Member
Hey y'all! I was doing a bit of spring cleaning in my Google account recently to try and clear up some space, and I ran into a little project called Test Tractor, which came to life about two years ago for One Little Spark. It was one of my favorite projects I have ever worked on, and it brought back so many memories.
SURPRISE JOHN DEER RENFERENCE

John Deer5.png


(Seriously, though, this is such a sweet post and I'm glad you're doing well.)
 

Tegan pilots a chicken

Sharpie Queen 💜
Premium Member
Hey y'all! I was doing a bit of spring cleaning in my Google account recently to try and clear up some space, and I ran into a little project called Test Tractor, which came to life about two years ago for One Little Spark. It was one of my favorite projects I have ever worked on, and it brought back so many memories. Documents from different projects just started popping up one by one. I was sitting with my computer just feeling so nostalgic and captivated by all the work we had created. Not to sound overly sappy, but I truly believe this forum really helped me unleash a creative potential that I would not have today if I had never found this place. I believe I was 13 when I first started posting on here, which probably was a bit too young, but wow. I look back at the past six years that I had been posting, and my mind just feels emotionally overwhelmed by all the content we created. To put this is all in perspective, I am turning 20 this year (I feel weird even saying that lol), and I am currently studying film production in college. I have a fun job, and I just feel happy with where I am creatively/mentally.

Sorry, I know I am rambling on and on, but I just have a bit more to say! As I went to bed last night, the projects I had read and the overall memories of this platform raced throughout my mind because I truly do not think my passion of storytelling and writing would be as a strong as it is today if I did not participate in the events here. The people I met through this truly mesmerize me every single day because they are not just fellow Disney fans who like to create. They make up a community that strives to push the imagination to new heights. I am trying my best to not sound like too much of a cornball, but these feelings just seem to unravel the more I type. Thinking about all of this really made me yearn for these projects again. Now, I don't think I can just hop back into a team-based game and go crazy LOL. However, just sharing creative bits with you all is just as special.

Okay, I think this has gone on way too long now, but it just felt right to share! So many individuals here have pushed me creatively, and a lot of it has stuck with me to this day. For example, I always think about the time when Hulk was hosting an OSC comp, and I kept using a trackless ride system. He pushed so hard for me to stray away from that because there are so many possibilties when it comes to storytelling, both in attractions and on pen and paper. I still to this day think about that because I always try to ignore the norm, and instead be original and creative in a way that makes me shine. I owe a lot of my creative growth to many of you, and it is delightful logging back in here and seeing the usuals still doing their thing. I definitely have to stick around more often and not just disappear, which has happened from time to time during comps (deeply apologize for that by the way...life happens but that's no excuse at this point lol). I see the OSC is back up and running, so I definitely will have to participate in that, and this new game seems like lots of fun with some great submissions so far!

I started the last paragraph saying I was going to wrap it up, but of course, I did not! So, if you read all of this or just gave it a skim, I applaud you!!! I guess to sum it all up, thank you friends for everything you have done and will do to keep creativity alive.
Nice to hear from you, Nate!! I’m so glad you’re doing well!
 

spacemt354

Chili's
Hey y'all! I was doing a bit of spring cleaning in my Google account recently to try and clear up some space, and I ran into a little project called Test Tractor, which came to life about two years ago for One Little Spark. It was one of my favorite projects I have ever worked on, and it brought back so many memories. Documents from different projects just started popping up one by one. I was sitting with my computer just feeling so nostalgic and captivated by all the work we had created. Not to sound overly sappy, but I truly believe this forum really helped me unleash a creative potential that I would not have today if I had never found this place. I believe I was 13 when I first started posting on here, which probably was a bit too young, but wow. I look back at the past six years that I had been posting, and my mind just feels emotionally overwhelmed by all the content we created. To put this is all in perspective, I am turning 20 this year (I feel weird even saying that lol), and I am currently studying film production in college. I have a fun job, and I just feel happy with where I am creatively/mentally.

Sorry, I know I am rambling on and on, but I just have a bit more to say! As I went to bed last night, the projects I had read and the overall memories of this platform raced throughout my mind because I truly do not think my passion of storytelling and writing would be as a strong as it is today if I did not participate in the events here. The people I met through this truly mesmerize me every single day because they are not just fellow Disney fans who like to create. They make up a community that strives to push the imagination to new heights. I am trying my best to not sound like too much of a cornball, but these feelings just seem to unravel the more I type. Thinking about all of this really made me yearn for these projects again. Now, I don't think I can just hop back into a team-based game and go crazy LOL. However, just sharing creative bits with you all is just as special.

Okay, I think this has gone on way too long now, but it just felt right to share! So many individuals here have pushed me creatively, and a lot of it has stuck with me to this day. For example, I always think about the time when Hulk was hosting an OSC comp, and I kept using a trackless ride system. He pushed so hard for me to stray away from that because there are so many possibilties when it comes to storytelling, both in attractions and on pen and paper. I still to this day think about that because I always try to ignore the norm, and instead be original and creative in a way that makes me shine. I owe a lot of my creative growth to many of you, and it is delightful logging back in here and seeing the usuals still doing their thing. I definitely have to stick around more often and not just disappear, which has happened from time to time during comps (deeply apologize for that by the way...life happens but that's no excuse at this point lol). I see the OSC is back up and running, so I definitely will have to participate in that, and this new game seems like lots of fun with some great submissions so far!

I started the last paragraph saying I was going to wrap it up, but of course, I did not! So, if you read all of this or just gave it a skim, I applaud you!!! I guess to sum it all up, thank you friends for everything you have done and will do to keep creativity alive.
Great to hear from you!
 

spacemt354

Chili's
Brief Trip Report (Part 1)

Wanted to share some thoughts about the quick trip out to California visiting 5 theme parks (3 of which were brand new to me and the other two I had not experienced in 10+ years).

Knott's Berry Farm
While I haven't visited Cedar Point, this was by far the best Cedar Fair park I have been to (Kings Dominion and Dorney Park being the other two). So quaint and charming, with much more of a 'theme' especially the ghost town area, compared to other parks in the chain.

The main interest of mine was Ghost Rider which lived up to expectations. The lateral G-force on that is incredible and the most I have experienced on a wooden roller coaster. While it doesn't quite hit the thrills of El Toro (wasn't expecting it to) this ride sits comfortably as my #2 wooden roller coaster. It felt like a wooden coaster without the backache that typically is associated with them. Great air time as well, had around 14 air time hills.

Xcelerator was closed for the first few hours I was there, but then surprisingly opened for a brief bit. Glad I got to go on it as the launch is comparable to Kingda Ka in accelerated force initially. While the height doesn't compare I think this ride has great placemaking in the Boardwalk area.

And that brings me to the next thing - the transition of theme in the park is so well done. The park is so compact but fits so much in such a small space. I would love to experience this park for the Knott's Scary Farm in Halloween season as well.

Universal Studios Hollywood
This park was the most surprising. While I knew Super Nintendo World was added, I was expecting this to be the forgotten step-child of the Universal parks compared to Universal in Florida, mainly because I wasn't expecting it to feel like a 'park' due to the escalators that tower in-between the park's upper lot and lower lots.

However I'm happy to say that this park was the most pleasant surprise of the trip! And a lot of that has to do with the number of walk-around characters. Being in LA, the pool for character actors is more plentiful compared to FL parks, but wow does it make a difference in the experience. You walk down the main entrance and Beetlejuice is chatting with fans, just down the way Donkey and Shrek are joking around, you turn another corner and Gru is meeting with guests. You go into Hogsmeade just to get something to eat and even the people behind the Butterbeer stands are in character.

It adds so much to the experience and really pulls you into the world.

Speaking of pulling into the world, the big draw of this was Super Nintendo World. As many may know from doing imagineering competitions with me here, while I do like Mario Kart and stuff, I am not a die-hard Nintendo fan...but boy does this land make me want to be. Even though this land doesn't have the Yoshi Adventure that Universal Studios Japan does, this land may be one of the best examples of imagineering I have seen!

It felt like I was walking through a forum project.

Everything was moving. The surroundings were so bright and colorful. Characters were galore. Kids and adults were walking around in awe. This is a home run for Universal.

I got the early access to Nintendo World so we got to walk-on Mario Kart. The queue is impressive in its own right. And while I tempered expectations for the ride because I knew going in that it was AR and a tracked experience, I can say for sure that it surpassed expectations! It felt like a combination of an AR version Toy Story Midway Mania mixed with a classic Fantasyland dark ride.

While it doesn't look fast on video, the launches do create the sensation of fast movement on the AR, especially in the beginning and on the rainbow bridge. And you move through the scenes at a frenetic pace that you almost have to ride multiple times to appreciate everything. Like the land...everything in the attraction moves and adds to the immersion. There are so many cool effects and I'm sure I didn't even see them all. All in all - an A+ attraction. It's not a thrill ride, but it doesn't have to be.

All I will say is that the Epic Universe land with Donkey Kong I think will add much more to the experience with a thrill component, and the Yoshi omnimover style attraction.

As for the rest of the park, the Universal Studio Tour was going through its 60th anniversary tour so it retro-fied their tram cars to the old red and white paint scheme. I wouldn't know the difference, but for those re-riding they said it's much better now than what it had been. I enjoyed it.

Wizarding World of Harry Potter was to be expected at this point, classic. Though because it sits on a mountain in the park, when you're in the lower lot it feels like it towers over you especially with the forced perspective. Jurassic World Raptor Encounter was great! Never experienced that before. And once they get the Fast and Furious coaster opened, this park will be even better. Will have to go back out there once that opens.

Park 2 will have Magic Mountain and Disneyland Resort!
 

spacemt354

Chili's
Brief Trip Report (Part 2)

Six Flags Magic Mountain

After spending the morning at USH, took the 35 min drive up to Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, CA. This park will be the most incomplete review because while it wasn't tacked on to the trip, the focus was on Disney and Universal. Having a Six Flags season pass though allows you access to all their parks, and with this close enough by it was an opportunity hard to pass up.

That being said upon arrival the park was packed. It was only open Wednesday during the week which may be contributing to that and it closed early around 6pm pst. So arriving at 3pm meant there was only 3 hours to experience as much as possible. Having been to other Six Flags parks, the goal was to do things that were not available elsewhere. Things like Batman were left out, but X2 was a top priority seeing as it's an Alan Schilke creation. It did not disappoint. Easily in the top 5 coasters of all-time for me, and possibly even #1.

I am a fan of 'intense' coasters (Intimidator 305 being my #1 prior) and X2's first drop flipping you forward as you come out of it was one of the craziest feelings on a coaster I have had. And the final turn provided one of the whippiest moments of G-force I've ever experienced. It's a short ride, but it almost needs to be with how intense it is. Awesome start!

Tatsu was 120 minutes and with a decent dozen other coasters available, unfortunately that one has to wait until next time. That is the one thing about Six Flags is one-train ride ops do hurt the opportunity to marathon coasters or be able to get a lot in without getting the Flash pass which was way too expensive for a few hours.

The park feels like Roller Coaster Tycoon. Some of the pre-built rides in the game are things like Goliath so it was pretty cool seeing the Goliath sign from the game in real-life. Twisted Colossus was only running one train as well so didn't get the dueling effect but it was a good RMC.

The other thing I like about the park is being on a 'mountain' everywhere you look you're surrounded by coasters. Not sure if that was intentional or if that was just a product of building so many coasters, but it held true that as you walked up one path you'd see a coaster, you turn around you see two more, etc. Just a coaster lovers dream and I can definitely see why it's @TheOriginalTiki 's favorite park in So-Cal.

For me, I'd need some more time in the park. Definitely going to be traveling out there again at some point, but I need to go when the park is open longer hours, and also spend a full day there to get the full effect and give it a proper ranking.

Disneyland
Last time I was here was in 2013 and while a lot was the same, certainly a lot has changed. To start, it's hard to not call this my favorite park, so I go in with that bias. Being a Disney fan since childhood it's hard to not appreciate the history of Disneyland. And having been to WDW far more frequently than DL, it's easy to pick up what feels different (and better) about Disneyland. For one, like USH, the walk-around characters, the street-cars, and just the streetmosphere in general adds so much to the experience. Main Street at Disneyland feels so much more alive than the MK. It feels small and quaint, while MK in comparison feels more like walking into something more grand in scale.

The first big change is Galaxy's Edge, and while I'm not necessarily a fan of the land itself, the placemaking makes this so much more tolerable in Disneyland. Approaching on foot from Critter Country, this land is so majestic and blends in so seamlessly with the surroundings. The transitions also make it hardly noticeable from the rest of Disneyland. I didn't go on the attractions because I have been on the DHS versions but suffice to say this was a surprise.

The second big change was Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway - which wow, that fits so much better in Toontown than DHS. The queue was perfect, and the whole facade blends in so well with the Toontown aesthetic. It made me enjoy the ride so much more, and I could notice even a few changes from the DHS version (the finale park scene for example is on the right hand side vs the left)

And naturally, I had to go on the classic Fantasyland dark rides. Alice and Mr. Toad are neck and neck for my favorite, Alice probably taking the cake. Pinocchio was a first time and it was very dark in tone. I could only imagine going from Snow White's Scary Adventure to Pinocchio right next to each other.

Went on Pirates as well, probably my favorite ride in the park. Going on the WDW version for so long, it's such a treat to be able to experience this version.

Haunted Mansion, Matterhorn, and Big Thunder were closed. But fortunately on the prior trip I was able to experience those. Tiana's Bayou Adventure will fit in so much better here at DL than WDW as well.

Disney California Adventure
The final park of the trip to experience was DCA. I had experienced Cars Land in the past which still leaves its mark, but Pixar Pier and Avengers Campus were new to me.

I actually liked Pixar Pier, I think it has a lot of charm to it and works well with Toy Story Midway Mania which was previously there. The Incredicoaster (after riding X2 the previous day) felt a little... tame haha, but it was still a great coaster.

Avengers Campus was a bit of a mess though. Poorly designed for thru-put, it felt congested and claustrophobic, perhaps why Team Boats wanted to put a D-Zone there!

But nevertheless, the theme left a lot to be desired. I do enjoy the rest of the park, but I wish they left this area alone until they could come up with something better. While Mission Breakout is a better attraction than the previous version of Tower of Terror, it all feels so forced into DCA.

Ironically DCA 1.0 had a more cohesive theme than I think the park does today. This was the park I spent the least amount of time in (even less than Magic Mountain) just because I wanted to go back into Disneyland and also relax in the Grand Californian (didn't stay there just love the lobby)

All in all had a great time, will be sure to go back out there again soon!
 

TheOriginalTiki

Well-Known Member
I would love to experience this park for the Knott's Scary Farm in Halloween season as well.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Scary Farm isn't just the best Halloween event I've ever been to at a theme park, it's straight up the best theme park EXPERIENCE I've ever had in my life. While HHN's budget is certainly higher, the sheer originality and park-wide atmosphere of Scary Farm just blows it out of the water for my money. You absolutely owe it to yourself to experience it. A Scary Farm/Magic Mountain Fright Fest combo would make for an awesome trip!

Out of curiosity, how did you feel about Mario Kart's interactive elements. Personally I loved them and was blown away by the Nintendo "Fun Factor" seal of quality being very much present. That being said, @JokersWild had done the attraction multiple times and gave me a lot of pointers before I got on it, so if you don't do your research on how to make the most out of the ARG stuff I could totally see it not being as instantly fun as it was for me. Regardless Super Nintendo World as a whole absolutely feels like an Armchair Imagineering project. I love all the kinetic energy and hidden out of the way areas even with the Land itself being pretty small. Pretty sure Mario Kart's queue is my new all time favorite (granted Disneyland's Runaway Railway queue certainly gives it a run for its money...)
 

spacemt354

Chili's
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Scary Farm isn't just the best Halloween event I've ever been to at a theme park, it's straight up the best theme park EXPERIENCE I've ever had in my life. While HHN's budget is certainly higher, the sheer originality and park-wide atmosphere of Scary Farm just blows it out of the water for my money. You absolutely owe it to yourself to experience it. A Scary Farm/Magic Mountain Fright Fest combo would make for an awesome trip!

Out of curiosity, how did you feel about Mario Kart's interactive elements. Personally I loved them and was blown away by the Nintendo "Fun Factor" seal of quality being very much present. That being said, @JokersWild had done the attraction multiple times and gave me a lot of pointers before I got on it, so if you don't do your research on how to make the most out of the ARG stuff I could totally see it not being as instantly fun as it was for me. Regardless Super Nintendo World as a whole absolutely feels like an Armchair Imagineering project. I love all the kinetic energy and hidden out of the way areas even with the Land itself being pretty small. Pretty sure Mario Kart's queue is my new all time favorite (granted Disneyland's Runaway Railway queue certainly gives it a run for its money...)
I thought the interactive elements were fantastic. I was initially concerned that the AR would be most of the effects, but it enhances the experience rather than being the full experience. I definitely didn't do much research prior so I'm sure there are elements of the attraction I missed but it is definitely an attraction that deserves multiple rides.

Will for sure have to go out for HHN and Knott's maybe this fall!
 

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