March Mania S1:RESULTS

[JokersWild]

First, a project from the boards. Coming from SYWTBAI Season 13:
@SandyClaws, @Basketbuddy101, @FigmentsPigments, @OtherpeopleIdon'tknow

Team Mystic Presents​

Welcome foolish mortals... To The Haunted Mansion: Halloween Hijinks .. Team Mystic will be your hosts... Your ghost hosts... Kindly step all the way in please... There's no turning back now... The happy haunts have gathered to celebrate the ancient holiday of Hallows Eve... And you're invited to join them, for all eternity... MUAH HA HA HA... Do you find that thought dreadful? Do you want to run to the comfort of family or friends? But consider this dismaying observation... This chamber has no windows and no doors, which offers you this challenge... To find away out!... Of course, there's always our way... As your ghost hosts, we invite you to observe on the action of this Haunted Hallow's Eve instead, from the comfort of your own mysterious mansion... While reading, perhaps listen to a tune created by your's truly, your ghost hosts, and prepare to be horrified for all eternity! MUAH HA HA HA...

Oh, I didn't mean to frighten you prematurely, the real chills come later... Now, as they say, look alive... and we'll continue our little tour, as Team Mystic chillingly presents... The Haunted Mansion Holiday Hijinks...

During the daylight, guests walking up to the creepy old mansion will immediately notice the original placard has been replaced with a more Halloween themed appropriate design.

The mansion's exterior will remain mostly intact. Pumpkins will garnish the iron spires on the sloped roofs of the house. A few witch hats will adorn the concrete structures, and a wide banner reading "Happy Halloween" will be strung from one window to another. A large spider web can be seen attached to the eastern side of the mansion; a dancing cat and witch will be placed on the chimney tops, and some of the pointed concrete spires will be temporarily replaced with candy corn spires. The aesthetic changes, while subtle, will lend the mansion a conspicuous Halloween theme and presence. The bright, festive orange and yellow colors will draw guests in to the vicinity, and at nighttime, families will be treated to a brief light show utilizing projection mapping technology; the show will occur roughly every 45 minutes. Specific areas of the mansion will be utilized as focal points of projection, including the conservatory and the central tower. Guests will enjoy a brief narrative that involves some of the attraction's most famous tenants, including Madame Leota and the Hitchhiking Ghosts, celebrating the start of Halloween. The characters will come to life and, in true Haunted Mansion fashion, materialize and dematerialize in sync to the familiar tune of "Grim Grinning Ghosts." This, along with the bright violet and orange colors representing the Halloween overlay will help complete the attraction's Halloween overlay.

Interactive Queue​

This new queue usually features a whole lot of buttons that play music, splash water, and add to the overall experience of the attraction. But with the new Halloween overlay, these new changes can be found in the queue:

Walking through the gravestones, the familiar text has changed! As a Halloween trick, the ghosts have gone back and changed the text to better scare the visitors of the mansion.

"Can candy really be poisoned?", "Fell off her broomstick", "Currently resides in the Grand Ballroom" are just some of the new epitaphs. Of course "Trick or treat. Smell my feet. Give me something good to eat" makes an appearance. Under that gravestone is 2 AA feet that sometimes move, making guests wonder if it's one of the ghost's decorations, or something else.

Coming upon the musician’s crypt, the stone instruments that play when you touch them would get new sounds. These range from screeching cats, to ghastly howls, screams, and cackles, to thunder and lightning. And on top of that, some instruments play instrumental samples of Halloween classics like "Monster Mash" "Grim Grinning Ghosts" "Spooky Scary Skeletons" and "This is Halloween". The piano of the front end of the crypt has changed to reflect an older organ.
Captain Clyne's tomb with the water squirting uses lights in the cracks to turn the color of the water orange to keep in theme.

Prudence Pock has even gotten into the Halloween spirit with new spirited poems. One example would be "The Hitchhiking Ghosts went for some candy. As it turns out, this would be quite handy. For when the ghosts finally came back, they had to fill a giant... (sack)"
But now the time has come.. enter if you dare.. into the Haunted Mansion.

The guests are let in by a maid or butler into the Foyer.

Foyer​

"When hinges creak, in doorless chambers. And strange and frightening sounds echo through the halls. Whenever candlelights flicker, where the air is filled with spirited celebrations, that is the time when ghosts are present. Practicing their tricks, with ghoulish delight!"

The somewhat familiar spiel begins immediately as guests enter. Upon seeing the portrait of Master Gracey, he is already in his skeleton form, but slowly starts to change showing his in an obvious human mask. It seems as if he wanted to dress as in a mortal guise.

Stretching Room​

Ushered quickly into the Stretching Room, the guests notice that the portraits have changed.

The first portrait of the woman over the crocodile has a different appearance. The woman would be in the same position, but dressed as the Grim Reaper and with an ax instead of an umbrella. The crocodile would be a skeleton of one, and would be popping out of bloody red water against an orange sky.

The second portrait of the man would see him dressed as Theodore Roosevelt. And the dynamite would still be lighting, but would have the word "Soapbox" written over it like the mean was using it as a prop in his costume, before his untimely demise.

The third portrait would be a funny one. The heads on the women and the man would switch, showing an ironic and haunting scene of a man who had been axed. Beside him on the stone would be a crow.

The fourth portrait would have the three guys on top of each other each as a third of a totem pole.

"Welcome! Foolish Mortals, to the haunted mansion, I am your host, your ghost host. Hmmmm. Kindly step all the way in please, and make room for everyone. There’s no turning back now... “(room is now stretching)

“We spirits have noticed the strange and daft disguises you mortals where the time of year, and we were just dying to try it for ourselves. We have selected you to take our resident spirits out to the mortal coils for this…trick or treating. Your cadaverous parlor, betrays an aura of foreboding, almost as though you sense the terrifying journey ahead. You will not be harm, but you will not be released until you join us in our Halloween festivities in the graveyard. Which offers you this chilling challenge, to find A WAY OUT! HAHAHAHAHHAHA!!!!! Of course, there's always my way..."

Lightning flashes and the ceiling fades away to reveal the hanging corpse of the ghost host. Pumpkins line the border grinning down on the astonished guests. As the lightning flashes once more, the image of a demonic looking cat with one, big glaring eye yowls.

Load Area​

"Oh, I didn’t mean to frighten you prematurely, hhhmm. the real chills come later. Now, as they say, "look alive", and we'll continue our little journey, and lets all stay together, please."

Guests emerge from the stretching room, to find a long hallway. This hallways has been decorated by the happy haunts for Halloween. The various portraits along the walls have a Halloween twist, wearing costumes and various Halloween items.

Next, as guests are waiting to board their Doombuggies, they hear their ghost host:

"And now, a carriage approaches to carry you through the mansion to the Happy Haunts... They are waiting for you to teach them the frightening customs of Hallow's Eve... Take your loved ones by the hand, please, and kindly watch your step as you board your transport carriage..."

"Do not pull down on the safety bar, please; I will lower it for you. And heed this warning: the spirits will materialize only if you remain quietly seated at all times, otherwise you will be trapped in our haunted mansion for all eternity..."

It is at this point that the darkness of the attraction swallows guests whole, as their transportation to the graveyard begins...

The Changing Portrait Hallway​

"Oh yes, and no flash pictures, please! We spirits are frightfully sensitive to bright lights and we all know, Hallow's Eve is best experienced... In the dark... MUAH HA HA..."

The changing portraits of the ghosts are in their alternate forms, but turn back into their human form as the lightning flashes to show them gearing up in their costumes to Trick-Or-Treat in the mortal world once again. The pirate ship, alas, will not be participating as a kraken is seen attacking the vessel. When lightning strikes, it disappears.

The Library​

The library gets a truly frightening reinvention. The busts littered along the shelves get a festive addition. Some of them are replaced by Jack-O-Lanterns. Some busts are wearing masks and hats while books on the shelves seem to slightly move off of the shelves.

“We have spent many of our restless nights toiling over the ghost stories written by the greatest ghost writers the literary world has ever known.”

The Music Room​

A evil grinning pumpkin sits on the piano with the spectral pianist trying his hand at a familiar haunting refrain. The one eyed cat turns to glare at the passing guests.

“We have 999 happy haunts here in this ghostly retreat eagerly awaiting your presence in the graveyard. Best hurry along now..”

Staircase​

The doombuggies travel up the staircase nearly heading face first into one of the many spider webs that have taken over. There seems to be an endless stream of spider webs. Several small AA spiders wiggle at guests and their eyes glow blood red.

“Whatever you do, do not betray your presence by screaming. Just follow my voice. They are hungry for the taste of..candy. Please, do hold onto you treats tightly. Lest you find yourselves ensnared.”

The guests exit the staircase and come face to face with a trick or treater stuck in a huge web off to the side.

“Ahh, it looks as if someone was lagging behind”

A huge AA spider crouches over the trick or treater’s bag of candy, hissing threatening. It arms raise in warning and it’s eyes glow. One the other side, the wallpaper eyes blink and glare at the passing guest. If guests listen closely, they can hear several dark voices chanting, “Candy, candy.”

Endless Hallway​

We come across the endless hallway. The knight standing guard has the phrase, “This is my costume” written across his armor. Down the hall, one ghost struggles with his costume. The pumpkin head laughs and cackles as the ghosts tries to pry it off his head.

“Poor soul. We haven’t quite finished preparations, but he seems dead set of this disguise.”

Before the next room, a spider in his giant web has spun a ghastly grinning skull into its web.

The Conservatory
​

In the conservatory, another spider web has taken over the room, further trapping the coffin occupant inside. He struggles to raise the lid. With each push, his trick or treat bag can be seen. The one eyed black cat smirks and the lid rises up and down. It seems as if this particular ghost will not be joining in this year.

"It has been delightfully unlivable here in this ghostly retreat, every room has wall-to-wall creeps, anxious to be released to meet you. Shhh, listen..."

Corridor of Doors​

The sound of door knockers continuously bangs against the doors. But instead of growls and other unnatural sounds, the creeps knock and ask “trick or treat”. It seems that they don’t quite understand trick or treating yet. The breathing door chants candy as it bends and heaves. The ghostly portraits on the walls have been turned into pumpkins, still retaining their ghastly features. The last door has a pair of aged hands bending the top of the door, trying to desperately to get out into the hall. His pumpkin pail sways with each push.

“Ahh, it seems as if they are having a problem getting through. Perhaps Madame Leota can assist them.”

A spider has made its web at the end of the corridor, a simple message woven into the web, “Got Candy?”

The striking of the demon clock draws the attention of the guests. The green clock face has been replaced with a ghost face with slowly morphs into a skeleton face, then into a happily grinning pumpkin face, ending with the pumpkin grinning an evil grin. On the back wall, a giant eye ball blinks. As it pulls away, the image of the one eyed black cat appears before leaping away.

Séance Room​

Madame Leota’s chanting draws the doombuggies into her séance room. Floating candles and jack o lanterns are floating among the instruments. The one eyed cat is perched on the chair wasking it’s paw as if unconcerned about the floating objects.

Madame Leota’s new supplications are designed to help the ghosts with their Halloween preparations.

“Horntoads and lizards, demons who fell. Join us tonight before the clock strikes 12!

Ghost fiends and furies, old friends and new! Put on your costumes, we'll know if it's you!

Serpents and spiders, tail of a rat; call out to greet us, wherever you're at.

Rap on a table; it's time to respond. Send us a message from somewhere beyond.

Goblins and ghoulies from this Halloween. Awaken your spirits and haunt all our dreams.

Creepies and crawlies, toads in a pond; let there be fun and frights, from worlds beyond!

Wizards and witches, wherever you be, let us roam on All Hallows Eve!”

“The spirits have been freed from their unnatural confinement. They are assembling in the graveyard for their turn to trick or treat in the mortal world. And they’ll be expecting me. I’ll see you all a little later.”

Ballroom​

A Halloween party is taking place in the ballroom. Wraiths are flying through the windows carrying trick or treat bags or pumpkins for the pumpkin carving on the dining table. The ballroom table is covered in pumpkins and pumpkin bits. Obviously the ghosts are trying their hands at the foolish mortal custom of carving gourds. The rest of the table is filled with an assorted Halloween themed foods like, candied apples, candy corn, greenish punch "witch's brew" with some spiders floating on top, and "landyfingers". The ghost lying under the table clearly has had too much apple cider. The ghost peeking over the edge of the table is reaching for a candied apple, hoping that no one will notice him pilfering the treat.

The chandelier ghosts are holding candied apples instead of drinks. Pickwick is dressed as Zorro still swaying dangerously on the chandelier.

The organist has even dressed as the Phantom of the Opera still pounding away a haunting melody that the endless waltzers forever dance to. Each dancer sports a mask, too busy dancing to put on full costumes. On the other end of the hall, several ghosts have gathered to bob for apples, but one ghost is trying to take a bath. The blindfolded ghosts are dipping their heads in the bucket and completely oblivious to a ghost who's in the bucket itself, dodging the bites of the contestants.

The old woman in the rocking chair is still putting the finishing touches on her costume.

The dueling portraits are dressed as a union and confederate soldiers still determined to finish their feud despite the holiday.

The Attic​

Taking the place of the wedding junk, boxes and trunks are filled with costumes, some spilling out onto the floor. The pop-up ghosts jump up, eager to show off their costumes to the passing guests. Constance has stayed true to her desire to always be a bride and dressed as the Bride of Frankenstein. The one-eyed cat arches and hisses at her. The bride screeches and alternately coos, “Her, kitty, kitty.” She turns to the guests and menacingly asks, “trick or treat?”

Graveyard​

The guests escape through the window falling backwards. The one eyed cat sits among the tree branches, having escaped too.

The caretaker has a sheet covered over him and his dog with little eye holes cut out. The sheets are too short and his shovel is resting in a trick or treat bucket. The caretaker seems to be trying to fit in among the ghosts, although the sheet isn’t fooling anyone. The pop-up ghosts are dressed as a very familiar bellhop and hat box carrying host.

The singing busts have dressed up as the universal monsters: the creature from the black lagoon, the mummy, Frankenstein’s monster, the werewolf, and a vampire, They belt out a new tune made especially for this holiday overlay: The Mansion Mash.

Nearing the crypt, having passed the graveyard ghosts in various costumes, guests will also see the decapitated knight is dressed as Shakespeare, reciting Shakespeare. On the left, a skeletal hand is hanging out of the tomb he is sealed in, holding out a pumpkin pail. It seems as he doesn’t quite realize that he needs to leave his tomb to go trick or treating.

Overhead, the one eyed cat glares one last time at the guests.

Crypt​

"Ah, there you are! And just in time; the next group of ghostly trick or treaters is ready to leave. But beware, they may decide to play a trick on you instead!"

The doombuggies enter the crypt to see Phineas, Ezra, and Gus standing in their usual positions. However, all three have gotten into the Halloween spirit. Phineas, dressed in bright orange pumpkin costume, clutches an empty plastic pumpkin pail. Sadly, ol' Phineas cannot commit completely to the roll as he still insists on wearing his top hat.
Ezra, however, has gotten fully into his roll. The skeletal like figure is dressed in a gaudy Hawaiian shirt complete with board shorts and sandals. A camera hangs around his skinny neck. And a pair of sunglasses perches on his nose. He holds his own pumpkin pail aloft as if to indicate he's ready to go. The other ghosts may not understand his costume, but Ezra says that tourists are the scariest things he's ever seen.

Gus, unable to separate himself from his ball and chain, has decided to use it to his advantage. He is dressed as a pirate, holding his "cannonball" in his hand. And something is very familiar about his costume; could it be Gus is a fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie?

Moving past the three ghosts, the doombuggies turn to face a familiar set of mirrors, but we are too late to head the ghost host's warning. The hitchhikers has already started playing their tricks. Upon first glance one hitchhiker will appear and in a poof of spectral dust, the guests find themselves transformed into monsters (pumpkin head, sheet ghost, witch, mummy, and one especially humorous transformation is the Bride of Frankenstein complete with the crazy hairdo). But the ghosts are not just satisfied with that, sometimes, the guests will completely disappear only to be replaced by a cloud of bats or sometimes the ghosts will throw eggs at each other and at other doombuggies. Be careful you don't end up with egg on your face.

Going up the ramp, the doombuggies are nearing the exit, but not before they see the one eyed cat on and a leadge inspecting a bag of candy with great interest.

“Now, I will raise the safety bar, and a ghost will follow you out, kindly watch your step please, watch your step...”

Exiting the doombuggies onto the moving walk way, the guest exit the mansion and pass the pet cemetery.

Pet Cemetery​

At the exit to The Haunted Mansion: Halloween Hijinks, guests will find a newly decked out Pet Cemetery. The souls of the pets in this chillingly creepy graveyard have decided to join in on the Halloween action and have decorated their tombstones with various costumes.

But beware, occasionally, the gravestones will move! That's right, the classic (stationary) tombstones will be replaced with low-range-of-motion Audio Animatronics that move and glow once every few minutes, as if their former spirits are taking control!


Your ghost hosts, Team Mystic, chillingly thanks you for lending your mortal souls to reading... Now, as they say, look alive...


Mansion Mash Lyrics:

The Mansion Mash
It's All Hallows' Eve at the mansion tonight
And the happy haunts are taking flight
The ghosts so pale and the witches, green
Are celebrating Halloween

We did the mash, we did the mansion mash
The mansion mash, it was a graveyard smash
We did the mash, our worlds are sure to clash
We did the mash, we did the mansion mash

From the conservatory and the séance room
To the endless hallway of our tomb sweet tomb
Grim Grinning Ghosts from our familiar lair
Bound to trick-or-treat everywhere

We did the mash, we did the mansion mash
The mansion mash, it was a graveyard smash
We did the mash, our worlds are sure to clash
We did the mash, we did the mansion mash

Playful spooks out and about
Having fun and crying out
Trick-or-treat, it's us, come look
The living, oh so shook.

The graveyard busy, not a stone standing still
A ghost dressed in witch garb, cauldron to fill
Creepy creeps take to the streets, eyes glowing bright
Haunting happily this Halloween night.

They played the mash, they played the mansion mash
The mansion mash, it was a graveyard smash
They played the mash, our worlds are sure to clash
They played the mash, we did the mansion mash

Hitchiking ghosts you'll be sure to see
Moon climbing high o'er the dead oak trees
And those creepy creeps with their eerie eyes
Will soon give in to the fun and materialize

It's now the mash, it's now the mansion mash
The mansion mash, and it's a graveyard smash
It's now the mash, our worlds are sure to clash
It's now the mash, it's now the mansion mash

Now the mansion is vacant, no easy feat
On this special night of mischief, trick, and treat
We'll knock, trick or treat, laugh then disappear,
We can't wait to show you what we've planned for next year

Then you can mash, then you can mansion mash
The mansion mash, and join the graveyard smash
Then you can mash, our worlds they sure did clash
Then you can mash, they you can mansion mash

 

[FigmentPigments]

A little biased, but I'm proud of every potion of this project.

The Hufflepuff House Proudly Presents...
In Association with The House Cup...
Impressions de Temps​

Journey with us, as we travel through time to exotic places and outlandish events. A place where time stands still, but moves as fast as a bullet all at once. Where one can lose themselves in the rich stories of those who have lived in the past, present and future. Journey with us, as we experience Impressions de Temps.

This new land will open at Disneyland Park at Disneyland Paris in 2020, after a major overhaul and re-imagining of Discoveryland, the park's Jules Verne inspired land. Impressions de Temps (translated into English as Impression of Time) will transport guests into the magic of the fabric of time. Experience dazzling attractions, spectacular entertainment, diverse food and wonderful shopping.

Now, to explore more and dive into the wonderful world of time, visit:
http://hufflepuffdiscoveryland.weebly.com

@MonorailRed

 

[JokersWild]

And now a nomination twofer coming all the way from SYWTBAI Season 11 (all the way back in 2012ish.) First up:

@MANEATINGWREATH, @Basketbuddy101, @CoastaFreak (who is unfortunately not on these boards)

Team Asimov: MEW, CoastaFreak, BasketBuddy101

After many PM's, countless hours of hard work, and much stress, Team Asimov is proud to present an untold chapter in the Disneyland Saga...the legend of the notorious, and often ill-fated Mickey's Circus.

"Here is the world of imagination, hopes and dreams. In this timeless land of enchantment, the age of chivalry, magic and make believe are reborn - and fairy tales come true. Fantasyland is dedicated to the young and the young-at-heart - to those who believe that when you wish upon a star, your dreams do come true."

July 17, 1955 - opening day for the happiest place on earth, otherwise known as "Disneyland." On this warm summer day, we sit at home, windows and doors wide open to refresh us from the horrid summer heat. This by far has to be one of the hottest days of the year, one can only imagine how miserable those people at Disneyland are. Mother walks into the room with a pitcher of ice-cold lemonade, serving it to us graciously. "Would anyone like some cookies?" "Shhh! It's back on!" At the age of seven, you can only imagine how exciting it is to be sitting around with all the other neighborhood kids, watching the opening of what looks like the most magical place EVER. I for one want to go there more than ANYONE else in the neighborhood, school, or...well, ANYWHERE. I've been waiting for this TV special all month, counting down the days on the calendar, raising my hard-earned pennies to one day go to the park myself. Father says at the rate of my savings, I'll be able to afford a Disneyland ticket by August of 1969! "Whoopee!" "Jimmy, shhh! It's back on!"

​

Art Linkletter stands in front of the screen, joined by Mr. Walt Disney himself. Behind them is what appears to be a circus tent protruding from a castle, prominently labeled "Mickey's Circus." "Welcome back, all you home-viewers! I'm standing outside Mickey's Circus, a true three-ring circus filled with clowns, savage beasts, and Mickey Mouse himself! Why don't you tell us a little bit about Mickey's Circus, Mr. Disney?" Walt's eyes twinkle as he gives a big ole' smile. "Well, Art, I must say that out of all the attractions in Fantasyland, I'm the most fond of this one."A small, silent clip of Mickey's Circus plays as Walt speaks. "In Mickey's Circus, guests of all ages can experience the magic and wonder of a true circus as seen through the eyes of a child." The two men reappear on screen. "And can riders expect to see Mickey Mouse?" "Well, I would certainly hope so!" Art slings his arm over Walt's shoulder, sharing a laugh with Walt. "Say, Walt, I've got a swell idea! What if we take the home-viewers on a ride through Mickey's Circus?" "Why not?" The two men turn towards the tent, beckoning for us to follow. This is the moment we've been waiting all through the special to see one of these rides for ourselves...and now is our chance. The familiar voice of Thurl Ravenscroft narrates our adventure...oh, boy, oh, boy. I'm more excited than-than-than...well, I don't know!

(Skip 21 seconds into the video for full effect)​

"Hello, folks! Thurl Ravenscroft here. I'll be your ringmaster on your three-ring circus adventure! For now, we'll pass by the ticket-takers and ride for free - it's on Mr. Disney today." Aside from a series of steel switchbacks, the most notable feature of the queue is a large mural - a mural in which displays a glimpse of the ride ahead. Ringmaster Mickey stands in the middle of it all, conducting a three-ring act for a crowd of cheering orphans. Such visuals include Donald Duck conducting a choir of sea lions, Horace Horsecollar putting his head in a lion's mouth, Goofy preparing to lift a giant dumbbell, and much, much more. Parades of circus caravans appear in a line.

"On your journey, you will board a vintage circus caravan, directly taken from the circuses of an age gone by." The camera takes us to the POV of a rider, all the smiling children and costumed-characters in line waving goodbye, stock sound effects of cheering to accompany it. Up ahead is a mural of a distant circus tent, a sign labeled "ORPHANS FREE TODAY!!!!" as the subject of notice. Suddenly, the mural bursts into two; the caravan speedily zips through it. Cheering orphans appear on all sides, Donald Duck standing front and center. A pair of naughty sea lions refuse to listen to their tamer, folding their fins, one pointing to his open mouth. "Looks like those hungry sea lions aren't intent on obeying their master. Do you obey, your parents, children?" Speeding past a matte painting of animal cages, guests spot Horace Horsecollar suspended in the air by the jaws of a leopard; he's holding a chair in its mouth. "Uh-oh! Looks like we've stumbled upon a...rehearsal. Looks like that leopard's found him some lunch! Uh-oh! Look out! Behind you!" A roaring lion emerges from behind a wall, ready to take a bite out of guests, who appear to laugh nervously shown (the camera has since switched to third-person, occasionally jumping back to the rider's point of view). A close-up on a little girl covering her ears is shown. "That was a close one...

Well, how about that? Acrobatic cows! I've seen everything now!" A pair of Clarabelle Cow-look-alikes in tutus balance on tightropes high above. A large elephant hangs from her trunk on a tightrope, just about ready to crush riders! She gives a terrified cry. "You know, folks, that's just one of several elephants here at Disneyland. Mr. Disney was kind of enough to rescue each and every one of a wildlife preserve in Africa." Of course that's false information... A sound effect of giggling and chuckling comes into earshot, the sight of a large picket fence ahead. Gracing the fence is a huge sign reading "CLOWN WAREHOUSE - DO NOT ENTER!"

Various props and gags line the sides of the track, ranging from TNT crates to marionettes, floating balloons, rubber chickens and hula-hoops. A clown pops-up from behind a crate, shortly followed by a harlequin jack-in-the-box launching upwards rapidly, causing riders to jump. "This is the Clown Warehouse - the heart and soul of laughter, joy, and comedy." A gorilla in a cage (and clown costume) growls at riders, shaking the crate in jerky, mechanical movements. "A mad gorilla! Everyone, look out!" A clown pops-down from the ceiling. A mural of creepy-looking clowns adorns the left and right side of the scene. Turing a corner, we see an oversized cuckoo clock hanging from a wall, just about ready to burst. The clock goes off, unleashing a clown dressed as a doctor, rather than the usual canary. "Say, ah!" He shrieks. A pie is revealed in his arm, just about to hit the camera in the lens. Luckily, the wall beneath the clock opens up, rescuing riders from a pie-faced doom. A cutout of Donald appears in the next room, once again fighting with a couple of naughty cutout sea lions. Goofy, dressed as the strong man appear atop a stack of moving crates, his expression exhausted. The cutout figure is attempting to lift a huge dumbbell; the caravan is suddenly sent into a field of strobe lights. Large thought bubbles reading "Uh-oh! Poor Goofy! Yikes! Ouch," fill the room, obviously signaling that riders have been crushed by the dumbbell.

Guests have apparently survived and are now in the “Freak Show” room. "And now for the grand finale - the Hall of Freaks, a bizarre corridor of oddities and mysteries beyond your wildest dreams." Various creatures menace the riders from both a point of view and third-person perspective, much to the laughter and delight of the children. The Wolfman (a Big Bad Wolf-look-alike) snarls, Toadstool the Dragon (a mean-faced dragon), the Bearded-Lady's beard falls to the floor, Charlie the Creep (a green-eyed beast in a cage) glares out at the caravans, and last but not least, Carnie the Crocodile. Carnie (humanoid crocodilian) leans towards the camera with a growl, ready to bite. "Phew! Another close one!" But the danger isn't over yet. Organ music, clown-chuckling, and countless illustrations of laughing clowns line the next corridor, a creepy ending to an altogether creepy ride. The caravan bursts a vehicle full of passengers with shocked expressions pulls back into the loading area, obviously by crashing through another mural."We here at Fantasyland hope you enjoyed your day at the circus, and hope to see you real soon. So long, folks!" Although Mr. Ravenscroft's voice sounds jolly, the passengers disembarking seem a bit shook. Despite this, Art Linkletter returns into sight, still standing outside the facade.

Art raises his microphone, smiling at the camera. "How about that? Wasn't that everything I promised you?" A crowd of screaming children run out of the exit, closely followed by a man in a big-headed clown costume. "Hey, boys and girls, it's Wacko the Clown, that lovable scamp! Come here, Wacko!"Wacko, this bizarre, rather unknown Disney character comes forward. "Say, Wacko, what do you think of Mickey's Circus?" Wacko nods his giant head silently, pulling out a small horn and honking it. More screaming children run out of the attraction, Wacko turning his body and chasing them, perpetually honking that dang horn. "Well, isn't that something?" Mr. Linkletter, who can't help but chuckle at the clown, gives the audience a wink and walks off towards the castle, passing through its entrance, across the drawbridge and to the forecourt; Walt Disney approaches him. Linkletter puts his arm around Mr. Disney. "Well, Walt, that was quite a show back there, wouldn't you say?" Walt nods in agreement, grinning. “Now, I remember telling them not to make the thing too wild but even I can’t get in the way of some things, I guess.” Art puts his hand over his head. “I’ll tell you what, the Peter Pan flight was all fine and good, and Snow White was a real treat but Mickey’s Circus has to be my favorite ride.” He puts his arm around Mr. Disney as the two walk past the camera as the special cuts to commercials.

========================​

Mickey's Circus was not an initial hit, much to the displeasure of Walt and his Imagineers, particularly Ken Anderson, the ride's main designer. Parental complaints spoke word of children being terrified of the clowns, freaks, darkness, and general lack of Mickey Mouse. As with many other Fantasyland attractions, the character for the which the ride took its name DID NOT appear anywhere, other than the marquee-shield of course. The intention was that riders WERE Mickey experiencing the circus, preparing his performers for the show. No one understood. In 1971, a sign was placed near the entrance, a warning to parents of the horrors inside. This didn't stop the complaints. In 1979, Mickey's Circus closed, the interior left abandoned for quite a few years...

An Explanation
- All of the characters and scenery are cheap plywood-cutouts, a trademark of old dark rides. Black light-complimenting paint graces much of the scenery and characters, illuminated by hundreds of featured black lights.
- There are only four 3D static figures throughout the ride: the gorilla, Dr. Clown, and Carnie. The gorilla's cage is on a small motor that moves the cage, Dr. Clown emerges from a 2D-cuckoo clock drawn on the wall, and Carnie simply "falls" forward via a small platform.
- The gorilla resembles the gorilla seen in Donald Duck and the Gorilla. The leopard resembles the tiger from Tiger Trouble. The lion resembles an evil version of Lambert from Lambert the Sheepish Lion. All of the characters (like Horace and Goofy) resemble their look from 1937 and earlier.
- The murals that split into two are "crash doors," infamous dark ride gags giving the illusion of crashing through a wall.
- Obviously, the pictured "caravan" depicts a portion from the Casey Jr. Circus Train attraction near Dumbo. Oddly enough, the ride vehicles were and still are EXACT replicas of these train cars. Unlike their Casey Jr. counterparts, these incarnations feature two rows able to sea three people each, calling for the elimination of the signage. These ride vehicles remained in tact for all three major remodels of the attraction, always updated, restored, and refreshened to keep with the times.

A rare piece of highly realistic concept art by Herb Ryman, dated October 16, 1953. Changes are very much noticeable in the real-life facade. In a later interview, Ryman explained that Mickey's Circus was intended to be a stand-alone attraction, even featuring its own land. Due to budget cuts, Walt decided to use the circus ride as a "filler for Fantasyland," replacing what would have been the home of a Mr. Toad-themed ride.

Wacko the Clown as he appeared in 1969. The original Wacko costume was similar to that of the original Mad Hatter costume; big-headed, cartoonish, and ugly. Wacko never appeared in any Disney cartoon. He was strictly made to compliment Mickey's Circus. Wacko's was discontinued in 1973. All Wacko costumes were graciously donated to the up and coming Knott's Scary Farm event, which premiered in October of 1973.

=========================​

​

In preparation for a 1983 rehash of Fantasyland, all of the original dark rides were gutted, their 1955 incarnations a thing of the past. Coincidentally, Mickey's Circus had already been gutted in 1981, two years after closing. After much support and supervision from Tony Baxter, Mickey's Madcap Circus opened with the rest of New Fantasyland, a perfect tribute to its ill-fated predecessor. The attraction was smash hit, due in part to it finally featuring Mickey Mouse in addition to the sudden elimination of the sea of terrifying clowns and freaks.

Today, we'll be joined by Imagineering legend Tony Baxter, a friend of the family and man in charge of the Fantasyland remodel. "Hey, guys," he says with a smile. "Well, I would recommend checking out the new Snow White ride first, but I think you might like the other new 'scary' attraction better. You did tell me about how excited you were watching the opening day special as a kid, so it'd be my honor to take you on Walt's favorite ride, new and improved since you last saw it on TV." Memories come rushing back to us; our mother bringing us lemonade, Art Linkletter, Wacko the Clown, Walt Disney, the Freak Show, Thurl Ravenscroft, etc. This is an offer we can't refuse.

"As you can see, we've completely redone the old carnival facade." Sure enough, they have. The new exterior, inspired by the Barnum Museum, is intended to portray a sense of awe and excitement. While the design certainly has inherent elements of fantasy, it’s grounded enough so as to contrast with the whimsy that awaits guests inside. Tony leads us into a topiary garden, switchbacks guiding them along past the fanciful hedges. Finally, guests proceed through the arched doors and into the building itself. Tony gestures for us to enter, revealing a brand-new queue lined with brick-made switchbacks, and tons of vintage circus posters, straight from the Ringling Bros. & Barnum & Bailey shows of an era gone by. "When designing this, we really wanted to bring the spirit of the golden age of the circus to life, complete with vintage posters collected from antique stores and flea markets around California."

As expected, a new mural graces the loading area, this time showcasing the many characters of the ride, including Ringmaster Mickey, Captain Donald, the orphans, a mean lion, Horace Horsecollar, and much, much more. Newly-restored caravans pull into the loading area, waiting for us to board...which we do, graciously joined by Tony. "We even got Wayne Allwine to do the new safety spiel!" Mickey's voice rings out: "Hi'ya, folks! To best enjoy the circus, please keep your hands, arms, feet, and legs inside the caravan. And don't feed the animals! Oh, and don't forget - no flash pictures! And always keep an eye on your kids! A Spanish spiel shortly follows. And with that, the caravan departs, taking us right towards a huge image of Mickey's face (circa 1937), complete with an orange star-burst behind him. The drawing bursts into two, "Ah, the classic crash door trick; works everytime," Tony states.

​

Ringmaster Mickey greets us the second we enter, shouting "INTRODUCING CAPTAIN DONALD DUCK AND HIS PERFORMING SEA LIONS!"Continuing down the track, Donald is revealed behind another curtain, thanking the cheering audience. Suddenly, the lights go out, illuminating Donald's eyes. "Hey, what's the big idea?" The lights come back on to reveal Donald being held in a choke-hold by an angry gorilla. Donald's eyes pop out of his head. Across the track, a couple of mischievous sea lions fiddle with a large power switch, giggling at their tamer's misfortune. Wacky circus music begins to play, Tony clapping along (he REALLY loves his job). Up ahead is a terrified Horace Horsecollar figure, a giant butterfly net in hand; he is hiding behind a giant box of cat-nip,. A huge lion stands atop the crate, roaring at Horace, obviously having escaped from his cage. From a wooden salmon crate, a snarling polar bear emerges. From behind yet another salmon crate, a baby polar bear appears, grinning and wagging its stubby tail, a fish in its mouth. "Now's where things really pick up," Tony says with excitement. "The Merry-Go-Round-Broke-Down" plays, a perfect accompaniment to the following scene.

Humphrey Bear riding on a tricycle on a hidden track ahead of us, swerving out of the way in the nick of time. After nearly hitting a bear juggling three striped bowling pins, our caravan crashes into a pyramid of acrobatic cows, breaking them apart as they moo wildly. For some reason, the caravan rolls out onto a train track, swerving to the right and facing and oncoming train! "Here we go!" Tony gestures for us to put our arms up as the caravan bursts through the front of a steam engine. Awkwardly enough, the steam engine (which has a face) screams.

We've rolled right into the Clown Car of a circus train, surrounded by jeering clowns, ranging from Keystone Cop-clowns to the 1955 Dr. Clown, still wanting to throw a pie at us. Tony laughs. “Now, this particular clown is a favorite of mine. Since 1955, his only intention has been to bash us with pie. Fortunately, he hasn’t succeeded yet but…” A ballerina clown appears from above on a tightrope; she swirls her parasol around, oblivious to the crocodile (suspiciously reminiscent of the crocodile from Peter Pan) which rests in a dunk tank below her; the crocodile is a subtle a nod to the stretching room from the Haunted Mansion. Another clown rides a unicycle on a tightrope, waving at us from above. Our caravan bursts through a portrait of a pale-faced clown, taking us into the Animal Car where giraffes, elephants, zebras, camels, and a pair of angry rhinos watch us in awe. Both rhinos try hitting us with their horn, "knocking" us back into the circus tent and towards a collection of fireworks.

Donald pops-up from behind a TNT crate, muttering something about his misbehaving sea lions. Suddenly, a sea lion comes into view from atop a tightrope, holding a lit match. Donald screams, "Waaaah! Stop that!" But it's too late; the craven is sent directly to the heart of a series of explosions. Strobes, heated, and thought bubbles filled with classic "explosion words" help complete this relatively simple scene. Our caravan emerges in a burst of fog to the grand finale...the Dunk Tank.

Mickey and Donald appear on a platform high above us. "Watch this effect," Tony states. "It's my favorite." A huge dunk tank full of fish sits below them, murals of cheering orphans on all sides of the scene. Mickey takes a bow while Donald sits on his knees, praying gibberish. From across the room, a baby sea lion throws a fish at a target near the tank, thus dropping Mickey and Donald into the tank. Ironically, our caravans are also dunked, the tank exploding in a flash of blue strobe lights. In a matter of seconds, we are gently swerved through the circus - now underwater. Mickey, Donald, the orphans, clowns, and various animals float all over the place, bubbles filling the air. The usual circus theme can be heard, albeit muffled as if we really are underwater. The caravan passes through the mouth of a massive shark, its eyes glowing like fire. For a couple of seconds, guests are in darkness. Suddenly, the caravan finds itself back to the underwater setting. Guests assume that they were swallowed and subsequently digested by the shark. Turquoise-colored rock-work surrounds guests, bubble projections floating to the ceiling. A collection of sea lions clap as King Neptune from the 1932 Silly Symphony prepares to jab guests with his Triton. He sneezes, however, making bubbles disperse in every direction, and the caravan reenters the loading area; guests disembark. Tony smiles. "I'm really proud of that ride. It wasn't that scary now was it?" Little does he know of our excruciating fear of clowns. "If you think that was scary, wait ‘till I show you Snow White's Scary Adventures. Maybe the Witch will cheer you up. And who knows, we might actually see Snow White for once. “Oh, boy,” we think to ourselves.

=========================​

Hip, contemporary, and modern, Mickey's Madcap Circus drew in lines over an hour, even more popular than neighboring Peter Pan's Flight. Sadly, all good things must come to an end...

Around mid-2001, then-CEO Michael Eisner decided to pay a visit to the parks. When word of his visit came to the cast members working Madcap Circus, they were thrilled. No, not because they were star-struck - they wanted him to DESTROY the ride. Why for? The ride was a nightmare. In addition to frequent teens hopping out of their vehicles to scare other passengers (or to make out), technical issues were almost daily, the black lights had to be changed once a week, and the ride was reportedly haunted, scaring the wits out of those working late. So, why were they so excited about Eisner? This was their chance to sabotage the ride. Reportedly on the morning of his visit, cast members went into the show building, broke animatronics, hid figures from sight, turned spotlights towards graffiti written by teens, and purposely muffled the sound system. For extra measure, they pulled out the worst possible caravan they could find backstage; a bumpy, old, moldy vehicle barely able to move. When Eisner hopped aboard, ride operators made sure of frequent "break-downs" during his ride, often for five minutes at a time. Thirty minutes later, Eisner came wheeling into the loading area, frazzled and frustrated. The second he disembarked, he demanded that the ride be closed immediately, deeming it unsafe and in poor condition. Ironically, even though their wish was granted, all of the cast members were laid-off; their work had been closed down.

​

By the end of 2001, park officials had announced that in 2003, Mickey's Madcap Circus would make way for an attraction based on the popular Pooh franchise. The fan community did not take this well. Petitions began to occur both online and outside the park gates, hate-sites dedicated to Pooh and Friends appeared, hardcore fans wearing "Save the Circus" shirts made human shields outside the abandoned attraction. Even when Pooh-themed constructions walls went up around the exterior, they still made a barricade. Things worsened when guests started showing up in unofficial Pooh and Tigger costumes, standing up for the circus. Surprisingly, park officials announced that Pooh would come nowhere near Fantasyland (instead it would replace the Country Bear Playhouse; but that's another story). Instead, a Disney Princess meet-n-greet would replace the attraction. Fans were furious. So, those plans were cancelled as well. Construction walls baring the face of Pooh remained in tact. No promise of a replacement was made. There the old Barnum Museum stood for nearly ten years, abandoned, empty, reportedly haunted, and all-together eerie. Sneaky fans would often sneak past security and the walls, taking a walking tour of the moldy, eerily quiet interior. Shocking photos surfaced online, images of Ringmaster Mickey's head halfway decapitated, motionless clown animatronics bent in unnatural directions, and perhaps the saddest sight of them all...Donald Duck, shattered on the floor, his cracked-head the only surviving piece. Someone actually stole it. Its whereabouts are currently unknown. It is rumored that Tony Baxter has the head mounted above his fireplace.

There it stood...a haunting reminder of an era gone by...some say that the laughter of clowns and chimes of a circus organ could be heard floating on the midnight breeze...

An Explanation
- The ride seems a bit lengthy...because of the descriptions. The ride is the same length and size as Mr. Toad's Wild Ride currently is. No worries here. As a matter of fact, that's how it goes for the 1955 version as well. Same size, same length.
- As with the rest of the New Fantasyland dark rides, Madcap Circus features a combo of 3D figures, simple animatronics, and plywood-cutouts. I'm not going to go into who is a 3D figure, who is an animatronic, and who isn't. You can probably figure that out on your own.
- The finale (with the dunk tank fall) is accomplished by a fish prop being zip-lined down a wire and towards the target. A mechanism attached to the target activates the above platform, just like a real dunk tank. Mickey and Donald are attached to a track hidden in the wall, making it seem as if they are falling into the tank.
- The characters "underwater" are all painted on the walls.
- Again, black lights and black light-complimenting paint are prominently featured, along with multiple crash doors.
- The circus train (the steam engine) is a combo effect, a combo of a crash door and the train effect from Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. You can probably put two and two together.

The famous Barnum Museum which inspired the facade of Madcap Circus.

=========================​

At the 2011 D23 Expo, CEO Bob Iger announced that Mickey's Madcap Circus would be making its triumphant return, bigger and better than ever, even headed by the soon-to-be retired Tony Baxter. Almost immediately, new construction walls went up, this time promising a brand-new, state-of-the-art dark ride. The nearby Mad Hatter gift shop closed down to make room for an add-on to the relatively small show building.

Iger later announced a March 23, 2013 opening date for what he called "Madcap Circus 2.0." Sadly, on opening day, a fire in one of the scenes prevented the attraction from opening. Awkwardly enough, a dedication ceremony and legit circus performance were part of the day's festivities. All that was missing was the ride. So, on July 11, 2013, the ride FINALLY reopened, twelve years and almost seven months late. It did not disappoint.

Gazing up at the newly-restored Barnum Museum, we gleefully enter, ready to see our favorite attraction back in action. After watching it in 1955, experiencing it in 1983, and waiting for it to open, our tired old souls are ready to experience this ride as it should have always been. As it did in 1983, vintage circus acts are advertised in the queue, this time joined by rare sideshow artifacts. Featured displays include Dumbo's hat, the last remaining pod of magic beans, and many other oddities. Most notable of all is the usual mural. However, rather than a mural displaying the ride's characters, this one is a MASSIVE circus poster done in the style of all the real-life posters featured in the queue, featuring Mickey, Donald, and animals. Various statements attempt to grab our attention, wishing to pull us in to this wacky tourist trap. Well, these conman-like words worked. The next thing we know, we're boarding a caravan and readying for the next chapter in the "circus saga." After hearing the 1983 safety spiels (this time narrated by Donald), we depart, making an immediate right, chugging along the track. Directly before us is the smiling face of Mickey - only this time, he talks as we stop. "Hi'ya, folks! Welcome to Mickey's Madcap Circus! It is my pleasure to introduce our star attraction!" "Donald Duck!" Donald's face appears on the opposite wall. "No, not you! You!" Donald disappears. "Well, you better get going! The circus is about to begin!" And with that, our caravan bursts through Mickey's face and DEPART FROM THE TRACK.

A jolly circus organ plays "The Merry-Go-Round-Broke-Down" and other circus tunes, performed by a crazed orangutan in a cape and top hat. Monkey acrobats in tutus hang from the tightropes on the ceiling, chattering wildly. From this point on, our caravan moves in random directions. There is so much magic going on here that there's no way we can see it in any correct order. So, in no particular order, here is every sight and sound.

Goofy prepares to lift a giant dumbbell. As he prepares to lift the bell, his arms literally detach from his body, sending him backwards, complete with his famous yell. Horace puts his head into a lion's mouth, only for the lion to clamp down, causing Horace's body to raise in the air. Nearby hyenas laugh madly at this. Luckily, the lion's mouth reopens, revealing Horace is perfectly fine. Two monkeys scrub an elephant's body, one using a giant toothbrush on her butt. The elephant jumps, quickly spraying the monkey not brushing her butt with water. Clarabelle Cow's silhouette can be seen behind a window, warming up her singing voice rather horribly. Donald holds a bucket of fish, ready to feed a waiting sea lion. What he doesn't see is a sea lion behind him, holding a mallet high above the duck's head. Our caravan bursts through a flap in the circus tent, passing beneath a sleeping tiger snoring like a kitten.

The next scene features the 1983 circus train, this time parked off to the side, giving us a big smile. "Hello there, folks. Having a fun time at the circus?" Ballerina Minnie appears from behind a luggage cart. "Help! It's a train robbery!" Clowns dressed as cowboys and outlaws emerge from weird hiding places, guns at hand. "Stick 'em up, partner!" In a snap, the cowboys begin firing...only to reveal that they're using water-guns. Minnie appears near the scene's exit, giggling. "Ah, shucks, fellas. You almost scared me half to death!" The wall in front of us reads "Scary Sideshow. Look out!"

Our caravan stops. Weird artifacts surround us from all sides. Tribal chanting fills the air. Emerging from nowhere is a female clown in a hula skirt, a giant fruit basket on her head. Two male clowns in headhunter garb pound drums nearby, chanting. The room gives a red glow as the lady clown dances. Smoke begins to drift from behind the artifacts. In a flash of light, a fire emerges from the fruit basket hat, blasting us backwards and out of the room.

We finally make our way to the new grand finale, appropriately titled "The Grand Finale." Now we're on the mainstage, surrounded by a cheering crowd of orphans. Ringmaster Mickey stands on a podium dead center, proudly proclaiming "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN - INTRODUCING THE STAR OF OUR CIRCUS - THE AMAZING TOURISTS!" The circus theme plays as spotlights strike our caravan. Suddenly, a rhino emerges from the shadows, bucking our caravan forward and onto the stage. Again, this scene is so random that there's no order to give. Just sit back and enjoy the mayhem.

A circus band composed of droopy-faced dogs provide fitting music. For some reason, they don't see a baby sea lion popping in and out of their instruments. As a reference to The Band Concert short, Donald appears near the band, gleefully playing an unfitting flute rendition of "Turkey in the Straw." Little does he know that the same sea lion from earlier is going to pound in his head with a mallet. Dr. Clown, the only remnant from both 1955 and 1983 makes his second grand return, this time standing near an operating table. A clown nurse joins him. Their patient? A midget clown. "Say, ah," the doctor tells his patient. "Ahhh!" SPLAT. A pie splats right against the patient's face, subsequently causing him (the patient) to lick his face clean of goo. A pair of huge elephants balance on a tiny ball, unable to keep their balance, due in part not only to their size but also to the large bear standing on top of them. That dang baby sea lion rests near the ball, ready to pop it with a pin. You can imagine what would happen if he popped it...Goofy makes his return here, complete with mummified-arms where they were earlier detached. Once again, he prepares to lift the dumbbell. Sadly, he fails - his arms detach again, knocking him into another pit, complete with the holler. A small fence blocks off a brigade of animals, most notably a pair of camels who spit water, just barely missing us. WAY high above us rides a monkey on a tiny tricycle; on a burning tightrope with flaming loops every few feet. Last but certainly not least is the true climax to this true finale. The very last sight we see in this scene is a huge bull elephant munching on peanuts. Mickey's voice rings out. "NO!! He's allergic to peanuts!" The great pachyderm begins to suck in air, ready to sneeze. Our caravan slowly begins to back up. But alas, the elephant sneezes, blowing us backwards in a rush of strong wind. As we zip backwards through a corridor, we pass by circus performers all over the place, wrecklessly being tossed by the great sneeze.

In an instant, the winds calm. Our caravan turns back around and faces the right direction, turning our attention to a very frazzled Mickey, stuck inside a broken tuba (also surrounded by broken instruments; the legs of a musician can be seen draped over a drum).

"Well, ah, we hope you enjoyed your stay at Mickey's Madcap Circus, and, ah, we hope to see you real soon! Bye-bye!" The baby sea lion lifts up Mickey's hat and reveals it to be his hiding place. The seal gives a little wave with a bark, then goes back down. And so, our journey to the circus has finally ended. We disembark from our caravan and decide to get back in line. That was well worth the wait.

=========================​

CEO Bob Iger announcing Madcap Circus at the D23 2011 Expo.​

Mickey's Madcap Circus went on to be one of the most popular (not to mention praised) attractions in the entire resort, garnering lines over two hours at a time. Although it may not have been the same exact ride that so many fell in love with years ago, it still retained the charm that once was present, revealing that Imagineering is still alive and well, just as it was in 1955 and 1983.

Rumor has it that Madcap Circus will be coming to Walt Disney World's new Storybook Circus-area in the near future...hopefully the rumors are true!

An Explanation
- The new Madcap Circus takes a HUGE cue from Pooh's Hunny Hunt and Mystic Manor, utilizing 3D set pieces, NO plywood-cutouts, and pretty much ALL animatronics, of course with the occasional static figure. Every character is designed by Garner Holt Productions, the company solely responsible for most of Disney's animatronics nowadays.
- Everything is possible. This may seem like a HUGE endeavor for a Fantasyland dark ride, but it's about the same scale as Mystic Manor.
- None of the clowns walk around the train robbery scene. They all pop-out from behind a post or something. The water-guns do squirt water.
- Mickey and Donald at the beginning of the ride are really big animated-projections.
- Every character resembles their 1937-self. Of course, King Louie and the monkeys are from the 60's. However, they aren't ACTUALLY King Louie and his minions. They're just look-alikes.
- The ride is a randomly-programmed trackless system.
- The "volcanic fruit basket" is the same fire effect from Pirates. The dancing animatronic is similiar to an effect from the newly-refurbished Timber Mountain Log Ride, an effect in which features a lumberjack dancing on a rolling log. Her hips move though.
- Black lights are once again this ride's best friend.
- The ONLY main mural featured in the ride is the one of the orphans in the finale. Lighting makes them appear three-dimensional.
- The bucking rhino is hidden in a dark alcove. It "runs" out on a track similar to the Carnotaurus in DINOSAUR, a.k.a. Countdown to Extinction. It doesn't really hit the caravans...although it does feel like it.
- The flaming tightrope and hoops are the same fire effect from Pirates as well.
- The characters being thrown around by the elephant's sneeze are static and stuck in one place. The vehicles are moving so fast that it seems like they're moving. Mickey in the subsequent scene is an animatronic.
- The original 1955 & 1983 ride vehicles still are present and in use, even in 2013 - albeit, they have been completely refurbished, retooled, and remade to equip them with the necessary equipment to become trackless. Easy enough.

==========================​

And thus concludes Team Asimov's presentation of Project Six. We hope you enjoyed your day at the circus, and as in the words of Porky Pig...

 

[FigmentPigments]

Some of the best artwork and teamwork I've ever been apart of on the boards.

--In memory of unkadug--

Team Baby Groot Presents:

A land of the north,
A land of adventure,
A land of excitement,
A new Animal Kingdom land...

http://creatorgames1.weebly.com/​

 

[Magic Feather]

@kmbmw777 , maybe you should post catergories such as "International" "New Land" etc. to help form first catergories, and make nominations easier.

 

[spacemt354]

@kmbmw777 , maybe you should post catergories such as "International" "New Land" etc. to help form first catergories, and make nominations easier.

I was going to suggest something similar in that -- perhaps they can be categorized by project "form" and "era"

Instead of the East, West, South, and Midwest regional categories like in the NCAA - maybe something like...

Comp Projects (pre- Jan 2016)
Comp Projects (post- Jan 2016)
Individual Comp Projects
Freelance Projects

The pre-2016 date for comps would be because a lot of current members on here began in 2016, so comps that pre-date 2016 aren't as current and would be better to be narrowed down based on projects in their era. Then the post-2016 are remembered easier and more recent (and also completed by the people who will be voting more often than not).

Individual Comp Projects are (on average) less often than Team Comp projects, so there wouldn't need to be a year attached to it.

And Freelance Projects are to make sure that non-comp oriented projects get their time in the sun. And also -- if in the first round, a comp project that had a deadline of 5 days is compared to a freelance one that took a month, then it would probably be booted out earlier than it should.

 

[JokersWild]

And the second Season 11 nomination:
@monkey92514, @Snoopy

Team Orwell: Snoopy, Monkey4057,
Season Eleven, Project Six: "Be Obscure..."

Based on the 1949 film The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride is a thrilling attraction that envisions guests as the titular Mr. Toad, as he takes a wild ride through the streets of London. It first opened at Disneyland in 1955 and instantly became one of the most popular attractions in the park. So popular did it become that an expanded version of the ride was an opening day attraction in Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in 1971 (featuring two tracks that took guests on a unique ride depending on which side of the queue they chose), and a Toad Hall restaurant which was opened at Disneyland Paris in 1992 (also on opening day). Although many guests who ride the attraction haven't actually seen the film it was based on, the design of the attraction is so well done that this wild ride can easily stand on its own. For Project Six we were tasked with doing something similar to another obscure Disney property, and my teammates and I ultimately settled on the 1950 short The Brave Engineer.

1950s
The red, yellow and green tent façade looms over us as we approach. Shields with train engines hang from the edges. Above us is a sign reading "The Adventures of Casey Jones" The sound of singing and train engines can be heard inside. The rails guiding you into the line have the impression of train tracks on them. Hidden behind the shields are speakers playing "The Ballad of Casey Jones" as well as the Narrator saying, "'Tis a morning. 'TIS A MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORNING. Tis a morning and all the trains in the railroad yard are fast asleep. All except Casey’s, his engine is slow asleep. Good morning, Casey."

As we make our way through the line, we get to our vehicles. Each vehicle is fashioned like the front of a steam engine.

Similar to the front car of this coaster.​

As we sit in our train, the lap bar is lowered and away we go…

We turn the corner and find standard double doors, painted with rain on the front, that swing open. The Narrator says, "Nice day, wasn't it?" We move through them and they close behind us. The sound of thunder and rain can be heard above as our car cheerfully continues moving over the floor, painted as water. Animals (as with everything, they keep the charming 2D style) stand around on all sides, on the tops of submerged trees. The train turns right and into another hall that continues the flood. During all this, a song plays:

The rain was coming down five or six weeks
The railroad track was like the bed of a creek
It slowed him down to a 10 mile gait
And it made the western mail exactly eight hours late
Casey Jones
Plowing through the water
Casey Jones
Slogging through the mud
Casey Jones
Plowing through the wa-wa-wa-ACHOO!

The train goes onto a small hill, taking us onto dry land once more. We turn the corner and enter what appears to be a mountain. As the doors close behind us, we can hear and see dynamite off to the side of the track. We keep going forward, though, as the song from the short plays. The lights on the wick of the dynamite all light up and… KABOOM! The cartoon sound effect used for falling plays as the Narrator says, "Going down!" The train starts puffing, as if it’s working harder; the designs on the wall have been tilted at an angle as the train is moving up the broken track.

We turn the corner and see a bank robber jumping out at us. As we keep going, more 2D robbers pop out beside us. We keep going, the train making huffing and puffing noises. We turn another corner and come face to face with a bright green and blue mural of grassy hills ahead. The doors open and we keep going on our journey. The train keeps riding forward through the grassy hills, sounding like it’s going faster and faster. The sound of another train can be heard but we keep going. The Narrator says, "What's that? Sounds like a train. Egad! It is a train!"

As we turn towards a tunnel, we see Casey's crewman by the tunnel entry, frantically saying, "Casey! Here comes the freight! Look look look look!" We turn into the tunnel and are quickly approached by a light and the horn of a train. We collide with the train and there are the sounds of the crash as strobe lights flash.

We progress through some doors and arrive near the unload. An excited looking 2D railroad man, waiting for our delivery, is seen with a sign reading You're on time!

And that brings our ride to a close as we turn the corner and approach the unload.


Technical Explanations
~The sound effects are played on a timer, similar to other attractions at the time.
~The scene featuring the dynamite explosion is accomplished through strobe lights.
~The "2D robbers" are flats, connected to simple metal arms that pop out at the guests.
~The scenes where the train appears to go up and downhill are forced perspective paintings, with the walls painted at an angle and the lights shining to disorient the guests.
~The "collision" scene is of course similar to the effect used in the current Mr. Toad attraction, with a light above the track in a dark room simulating the illusion of being hit by a train.

-----​

The Adventures of Casey Jones made its debut on opening day of Disneyland park in 1955 and immediately became one of the park's most popular attractions. Guests were drawn to its unique, manic style that hearkened back to the days of the long-gone carnival dark rides, and thus were entertained in ways that they weren't necessarily on any other attraction in the park at the time. Although it did not necessarily fit in with the other Fantasyland dark rides which were based on European fairy tales, it did play into a sense of fun and adventure that encompassed the other attractions so well (plus, Walt Disney's love of trains certainly helped the ride's chances of being developed a bit more that it would have under other circumstances).

In the late 1970s, it was decided that the entirety of Fantasyland would be redone. Gone would be the temporary looking carnival tents, this New Fantasyland would be built to resemble a Bavarian village, as the Imagineers originally intended. This also meant that all of the dark rides in Fantasyland would be gutted and replaced with updated versions featuring modern technology, including The Adventures of Casey Jones. There were long debates between the Imagineers at the time regarding the rides theme, with some wanting to rip out the attraction and replace it with something more European to fit in with the rest of the dark rides, while others vehemently defended the attraction, claiming it was too important an attraction to be torn out. Ultimately a compromise was struck: Casey Jones would be replaced by a Pinocchio dark ride, while an expanded Casey Jones attraction (based off of the Florida version which featured two tracks) would be opened in the former Fantasyland Theater, better tying it in with Frontierland and helping to act as a transition between the two lands. Unfortunately the Casey Jones building was too small to accommodate what the Imagineers wanted to do with Pinocchio, and at the last minute the decision was made to keep Casey Jones where he was.

1980s
Like the other classic dark rides, The Brave Engineer has received a new façade. It now resembles a small train station.

We go inside and find ourselves at an indoor loading station. Guests ahead of us board small trains that take off and curve through a pair of doors into the ride. At the other end of the room, trains that have been through the ride enter through a pair of doors, turn a corner, and pull into the unload. A painting of Casey Jones hangs on the wall. The score of the short can be heard. The voice of the Narrator provides the safety spiel:

“Your train’s arrived! Please remain seated with your hands, arms, feet, and legs inside the train. And, egad! Watch your children! C’mon, Casey! Let’s get these folks on the right track!”

“Egad! You’re about to go on the ride of your life with that brave engineer, Casey Jones! Please remember to stay seated with your hands, arms, feet, and legs inside the train. And watch your children. So long!”

Having boarded our train, we set off through the doors and find ourselves in a small hallway. A pair of doors marked TO RAILROAD YARD are ahead. Windows offer a glimpse of day dawning over the railroad yard. The Narrator loudly sings, "TIIS A-MOOOOORRRRRRRRNIIIIIIING!"

The doors open and we find ourselves out in the railroad yard. The chorus continuously sings:

Come all ya rounders if you wanna hear
A story all about a brave engineer
Casey Jones was the rounders' name
On a high-ride wheeler he won his fame

The train turns towards the station, where we see large bags of mail. A sign next to them reads To Be Delivered by CASEY JONES. Turning away, we zoom by the tower, the force of which causes it to sway back and forth. The Narrator shouts, "They're off!" He shouts,"EEEEE-GAAAD!" as we zoom between trains, including two criss-crossing ones that move out of the way just in time. We advance through a downpour of rain, bringing us to a flood, where the rain relentlessly comes down. Small islands of land (some with houses), rooftops, barrels, tree branches, and the occasional piece of furniture are all that reach above the water level. A group of animals sits on a roof, watching us. Throughout this scene, the chorus sings:

The rain was comin' down five or six weeks
The railroad track was like the bed of a creek
It slowed him down to a ten-mile gait
And it made the Western mail exactly eight hours late

We approach a house on one of the islands that rests entirely above surface level and go through the front doors inside. We briefly speed through the house--startling two ladies having tea--and head out by bursting through the wall. Now we twist our way through a mountain pass. Wolves and mountains snarl from their spots on or near the mountains. A roaring bear appears from behind a rock. The Narrator exclaims, "Egad!" We escape by heading inside a mountain. Stalactites hang from above. A surprised hermit shouts either "What the-?!" or "Holy mountain lions!" as we pass by him. A tower of rocks wobbles back and forth, threatening to fall on us. We then pass by steams of smoke jetting out of the ground. The Narrator comments,"Not in condition. Smokes too much." Going out of the mountain, we find ourselves surrounded by fireflies.

One group of fireflies spells out <--THIS WAY. A curtain of fireflies opens letting us into another, albeit darker, mountain pass. Train robbers are seen on a mountain ledge. As we turn a corner and see an entire gang of train robbers, the Narrator says, "Hey, Casey, you got company." We turn and twist our way through a bunch of train robbers as the Narrator says, "Everybody out, everybody out!" Now we find ourselves right in the middle of town. The chorus sings:

Hours behind
There isn't time to fret
Keep knockin' at the fire door
Don't give up yet

A horse has reared up at the sight of us, his rider struggling to stay on. A plain housewife gazes out from a second story window. The Mayor and his wife argue in front of city hall. A young lady looks towards us with a poster of Casey Jones in one hand and a fountain pen in the other. We head towards a barn. The owner hangs near the barn doors on a rope; on the other end is a bale of hay, which nearly falls on us as we pass through the doors. Chickens fly around as a startled cow moos in fright. The Narrator quips, "What now, brown cow?" We pass through another set of doors and through a stable filled with horses. Leaving the stable, we turn and see a view of what looks like a train on the railroad tracks in the distance. The Narrator says, "What's that coming? Looks like a train!" Going around a tree and closer to a tunnel entry, we get a better view of the shape. "It is a train!" shouts the Narrator. Indeed, it is a freight train that happens to be going into the same tunnel. Going in the dark tunnel, we suddenly hear the freight coming and see its headlights shine through the dark, coming closer and closer. The Narrator shouts,

"EGAAAD!"​

CRASH!

Explosive lights flash as we make contact with the train. We turn into the dark as sad music plays. Suddenly, a train whistle can be heard. The chorus inquires: Casey Jones? The music cheers up as we find ourselves at the Frisco Railroad Yard. A man in the process of erasing Casey's name from a board of arrivals and departures has turned away, smiling, with a hand to his ear. "If that's Casey, I'm a Rhode Island Rooster," says the Narrator. We turn and see the bags of mail at the station. A sign next to them reads Delivered by CASEY JONES. The Narrator says, "Well, -a-doodle-doo." We head into the station through a pair of doors marked ARRIVING TRAINS and into an anteroom. The final notes of the score play as we turn towards a wall on which a sign reads Next Time, Take The Train! and then turn through a pair of doors and into the unloading area, where we disembark and head back out into the New Fantasyland.

Technical Explanations
~The following (like some of the cards on Alice In Wonderland) are flats that move back like doors to make way for the vehicle: the first two trains near the end of the railroad yard, a branch in the flood, the table with the two ladies, the robbers we twist our way through, and to an extent (not in our way but still moves back) the hermit.
~The criss-crossing doors move like automatic sliding doors.
~The downpour we pass through is simply a set of doors painted to look like a downpour of rain.
~The bear is a flat that swings towards the vehicle. If there was a Mr. Toad ride and it had a moment where riders almost get hit by a car, it would probably be the same type of effect.
~Unlike the flats in the rest of the ride, the wobbling rocks are three dimensional, using similar technology to the common falling crates gag.
~Similar to POTC, the fireflies are fiber optic lights hanging from strings. The "This Way" lights are embedded into the wall. The curtain of fireflies is a small traveller curtain of strings with fiber optics attached.
~The first sight of the freight train is painted onto a wall; on the corner of the wall is a flat of a tree. On the next wall, next to the tunnel entrance, is another painting of the freight, this time "closer in view" and headed into the tunnel
~The crash is accomplished with a light travelling towards the ceiling towards us and strobe lighting along with explosive imagery.

-----​

This new take on the Casey Jones attraction proved to be more popular than even the original. It was as if guests were reintroduced to the ride for the very first time, and the lines to get on certainly proved as much. Unfortunately, as the 1980s transitioned into the 1990s, the years of unexpected wear and tear began to take effect. You see, as the attraction was slated to move buildings not very much consideration was put into actually updating the original building, as the Imagineers in charge of the Casey Jones redo were told that the people moving into it with the Pinocchio attraction would take care of it. The last minute non-move meant that more time needed to be spent at the drawing board in figuring out how to make the expanded attraction work in a third of the space it was originally designed for, and not very much consideration was put into things like updating the electrical systems to handle the new effects or the structure to handle the heavier props. The attraction spent a good deal of its run in the mid 1990s down as maintenance workers applied band-aid fixes to the ride. The attractions fate was made even worse when Paul Pressler was placed in charge of the resort, and decided that the ride was more trouble than it was worth to keep open. Because of this it was made a seasonal attraction, and during off season its queue was used as spillover queue for the Peter Pan attraction next door - during these periods, a temporary wall was put in place to block the loading area and the Casey Jones attraction sign was removed from the front of the building.

Things did get a little better for the ride in 2003, when Matt Ouimet was named the president of Disneyland and decided to get the park looking as good as new for its 50th anniversary. Casey Jones, like many other attractions, was shut down for a lengthily refurbishment in the hopes of finally getting it properly working. It reopened in 2005 with all of its effects working, but the problems still persisted. After Ouimet left the company the ride was shifted back to seasonal mode by new president Ed Grier, until 2009 when Disney finally announced that a completely new version of the attraction was coming. Buoyed by the success of the new Sleeping Beauty Walkthrough, Imagineers decided to retool the attraction to become a bit more retro in its design, while at the same time updating the ride with mini-EMV like features on the ride vehicles as well as full 3D figures like the rest of the Fantasyland attractions. The building itself would also finally be completely redone, able to handle the electrical voltage and any modern props that were put into the attraction.

2010s
As we get nearer to the load dock, the classic, loud voice from the '83 version of the ride is heard, saying,

"Your train’s arrived! Please remain seated with your hands, arms, feet, and legs inside the train. And, egad! Watch your children! C’mon, Casey! Let’s get these folks on the right track!"

Once on board, our vehicle moves just past the cast member seated at the controls, and another classic spiel is heard,

"Egad! You’re about to go on the ride of your life with that brave engineer, Casey Jones! Please remember to stay seated with your hands, arms, feet, and legs inside the train. And watch your children. So long!"

Our train takes off, and just as we remember, we approach a pair of doors marked TO RAILROAD YARD with the same windows offering us a glimpse of what lies ahead.

"TIS A MOOOOOOOOORNIIIIIING!"

...the Narrator shouts as the doors swing open and we make our way into the first scene. The chorus is still cheerfully singing the same song as we pass by lots of bags of mail, with a man in a conductor's outfit holding a clip board now standing among them, shouting at guests,
"Get these bags to their destination on time, Casey!"

The Narrator then proclaims, "THEY'RE OFF!" as guests continue to zoom past trains, the two crisscrossing trains still acting as doors into the next scene. Once out of the train yard, our train suddenly begins to feel as though it's slanted, moving up a hill. This is done through the "mini-EMV" system. Just as quickly as we went uphill, we begin to move downhill, and once reaching the bottom of the hill, we hear a splashing sound as our train begins to "float" This "uphill, downhill, float" sequence continues throughout the scene. The chorus sings while we pass small islands of houses, floating barrels, a goofy looking man bathing in his floating bathtub, and an assortment of other things.

The rain was comin' down five or six weeks
The railroad track was like the bed of a creek
It slowed him down to a ten-mile gait
And it made the Western mail exactly eight hours late

Towards the end of the scene, we continue to head toward a house, only now, the house isn't located on top of a hill. Instead, it's seen floating back and forth in the water. We enter the front door of the flooded house, taking note of the chaos that's taking place here, including a fish in a fish bowl floating near us along with a cat holding a fishing pole on a floating dresser, attempting to catch the fish from his bowl. As we move further into the house, the two women can still be seen sipping their tea, completely oblivious to the flood but angry at us for passing through their house. "What are you doing in here!?" one woman shouts, "You'll completely ruin my house!"

We crash through the wall, finding ourselves on the mountain; this scene, along with the caverns, will remain virtually untouched.

Fireflies fill the next room, with several of them forming an arrow and spelling, This Way "Hey, Casey, you got company." the narrator says as we move into a darker cave, surrounded by train robbers. "Take that! And that! And this! And this!" he shouts, as our vehicles spin and jerk and bright colors and smoke fills the room.

Hours behind,
There isn't time to fret...

...the chorus begins as we travel through a cartoon town. Passing the same assortment of characters we passed in previous incarnations of the attraction, we then move into the barn. The ride then proceeds as before, and as we enter the tunnel, we meet the oncoming train like we did in the original attraction.

After crashing and jerking and twisting and turning, we move into a bright, sunny room, where a sad man can be seen from a train platform, about to erase C. JONES from a chalkboard on the wall. We stop by the platform, just as we begin to hear the faint sounds of a train whistle. The Narrator says, "If that's Casey, I'm a Rhode Island Rooster," Suddenly, from on the other side of a mountain, Casey Jones appears, mail in hand, riding his busted up train, and waving at guests. "Well, -a-doodle-doo," the narrator proclaims as we begin to move forward towards doors marked ARRIVING TRAINS. As we pull into the unload area, on the wall we see written, Next Time, Take The Train!


Technical Explanations
~The facade is identical to the 1980s version and the queue has been mostly unchanged. Just a few touch-ups and color changes here and there.
~The load/unload platforms have been re-formatted to accommodate the new ride system: a "mini-EMV" -- similar to The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh, simulating all types of motion.
~For the first time in the attractions history, it uses 3D figures as opposed to 2D painted flats. While this does shorten the ride a little compared to the 1980s version, it allows for a bit more scope and perspective than was previously offered in the ride.
~The train attendant at the end is the only "flat" character in the ride, made possible by a projection effect. Casey Jones is an AA that appears to the side of the vehicle.

 

[spacemt354]

First I'd like to nominate @MonorailRed 's Western Expedition attraction. Probably her best project, and one of the best period, to be put on the forums. (and it was just posted yesterday too!)

The Western Expedition
By MonorailRed:​

Forward
​

I've come to think of Marc Davis as one of the most interesting and experimental Imagineers that has come our way. Starting out in animation, he carried a lot of what he learned in storytelling to theme park design, and I feel theme park designers all over the world have him to thank for that. It seems every project he was earning from, and moving on to something greater. Most importantly for today's project, what he learned from his work in Pirates of the Caribbean he was going to put into The Western River Expedition.

The Western River Expedition was supposed to be a high point for theme park design and Walt Disney Imagineering in the 1970's, being an amazing journey through the Wild West as told by Marc Davis' with a dash of Mary Blair backgrounds. For more information on this old attraction, I recommend Jim Hill's Why Western River Went South Series, which really tells of what the attraction could have been in depth and how it came to be one of the top Imagineering concepts that never made it out of Flower Street. To really look at some previous artwork from the original concept, I also recommend looking up the old Virtual Ride-Through of the original concept, as narrated by Tony Baxter at the 2011 D23 Expo.

Though it's been on the shelf for sometime, I've always felt this concept has had incredible potential. The story of Western River's storyline phase of changing character designs, eliminating Native American scenes, and countless possible theme park homes for this concept, reminds me of the countless re-tellings of The Snow Queen before Walt Disney Animation Studios' final decision on Frozen (2013). In the words of John Lassater during one of the 2011 drafts of Frozen.

"That was the game changer. John sat down at this long table. And his first words were, I'll never forget this, 'You haven't dug deep enough,' " recalled Michael Giaimo, "Frozen" production designer, during a September roundtable session. "And I remember John saying that the latest version of the Snow Queen story that Chris Buck and his team had come up with was fun, very light-hearted. But the characters didn't resonate. They aren't multi-faceted. Which why John felt that audiences wouldn't really be able to connect with them."

I feel like for today's audience... This concept could use a facelift to bring it into the 21st century attractions list - without taking away from the original aspects in storytelling of Imagineers past. To do this, there's now a deeper storyline with resonating characters, subtle notes of effects to national parks and naturalistic areas in the western United States due to human impacts on the environment, and a naturalistic perspective of manifest destiny. So, without further adieu, The Western Expedition!

​

As you walk down a path of light brown cement in Frontierland you start to see colorful pebbles embedded in the ground. This trail of river rock soon makes a path itself past several trees and mesa rocks similar to what you would see at Big Thunder Mountain in the distance. Guests being to see signs of an old boom town, with overgrown wagons, a deserted western barn, and mining equipment. It seems the forest near the river has reclaimed it's old territory. A picket fence sign reads “Rainbow Ridge 10 mi ahead”. Could this be a sign that Tumbleweed had a competing mine town?

When you travel further down this path, the rockwork starts to get higher in elevation and redder in color, similar to Arches National Park. As the rockwork gets higher the calls of eagles and sounds of buffalo start to be heard in the area. Afterwards, you finally seen signs of water as a small river trickles next to the pebbled pathway. As you look at the bottom of the river, you see the colorful pebbles that have on your trail. Finally realizing where these pebbles have come from, you follow the river to an 8 ft. waterfall with rocks that have eroded that reads the letters “Western Expedition” within the falls.

As you turn around and wind through various rock formations and geysers, you go farther up the mountains to a beautiful green grassy area. From there, a wooden, old, abandoned mine tram plant. Curious, you move to explore the old plant.

Inside shows old photos and newspapers describing news of the olden day western town you saw down the river.

As you enter the second story of the mining platform, it seems there's an old mine caretaker to give any guests a tour of the mountain by the old, rusty gold trams used by Rainbow Ridge townsfolk back in the wild western days.

As you load into the tram and tie some old rope to keep in the tram (a themed seatbelt), you hear a voice in the background alto, deep southern, country accent.

​

SCRIPT:

SPOKEN: Please stay seated with your hands, arms, feet and legs inside the tram. You can't be too careful around here; Strange things have been known to happen in these parts!

Your tram then goes off directly into the magical Rainbow Ridge mountains.

As you travel past the green valley range in the mountains, you start to see strange brown rock formations, depicting different symbols and caricatures of Wild Western culture.

The tracks follow these formations into a cave, where we see more brown rocks in old western culture formations. As the tram travels, guests begin to hear the strum of a guitar and words sang by an alto, deep southern, country female vocalist.

SCRIPT:

PRELUDE SONG as sung by Amy the Armadillo:
Just another Dream in the Mountains
Lingering till’ the day is through
It’s Rainbow Ridge’s echo
Once again I’m dreaming of you.
Every night I search the land
Up and down the river shore
Rainbow Ridge is a callin’
And I wonder if you’ll come back once more
(Guitar strumming pauses with surprise as the Armadillo sees guests)

Amy the Armadillo (SPOKEN): Hello their folks! I’m Amy the Armadillo and Welcome to the Rainbow Ridge Caverns!(Pause for a few seconds as guitar strums) Wouldn't it be great if there was a way we could actually get back to the old West? You know, I can almost hear those old cowpokes singing around the campfire….

As guests go farther in the cave, more of these formations start to resemble geysers, and start erupting randomly with luminescent steam. This steam then turns the rocks luminescent, as guests keep traveling, dodging the erupting hot seam from the tram.

After the tram banks a curve nearly missing a geyser, we see a miraculous quintet of rainbow colored geysers erupting on musical sync, continuing the music from the Armadillo’s song.

SCRIPT:

Male Acapella Chorus Rendition (Geysers Scene):

As there’s music in the sunset
And yellow in the moon
The Wild West is callin’
And it’s callin’ for you

Rainbow Ridge has wonders
And stories to it’s name
The land is a callin’
and it’s callin’ your name

As the geysers come to the end of the chorus, you see them all erupt at once, causing eruptions surrounding the tram. The tram track seems to then move from going father into the tunnel of the cave, off into the mist of the exploding geysers.

The tram thrusts foreword into the multi-colored, mist-y steam, with the tram travelling through total darkness afterwards.

As guests look above, the tram seems to be flying on it’s own, with no rusty pathway in sight, just prairie skies. The same musical score we’ve heard in the caverns reappears as we turn to see a wild pack of coyotes in the distance, howling over a sunset.

SCRIPT:

Amy the Armadillo (SPOKEN) (EXCLAIMS): Looks like we’re back in the Wild West!

As you bank another turn, you see the sunset slowly has taking over the land. You start to hear the armadillo singing the second verse and chorus of the attraction’s score as you get a panorama of the mountains, rivers, canyons, and its residents.

SCRIPT:

(Interlude of Western Expedition Song, sung to the tune of Blue Shadows)

Shades of night have fallin’
Stars in the mountain sky above
At the sight of the moon
The animals stay in tune
To a song that sings, of the home they love

CHORUS (of the Western Expedition Song):
Though there’s droughts in the desert
And snow in the peaks
The Wild West is callin’
And it’s callin’ for me

To the rivers in the mountains
Out to the Mesas and the Plains
The land is a callin’
and it’s callin’ my name.

As, guests turn, they hear the final hook to the chorus fade out and see a set that showcases Cowboys and Cactus’s singing around a fire pit with a colorful canyon and artistic sunset.

After guests pass a small, dark room that used to break, the next scene is showcased. The tram is now flowing on a river, where we see two rattlesnakes coming out of an old bull skeleton head, slowly hissing and crossing each other, resembling an image of crossbones.

SCRIPT:

Armadillo (Spoken with Concern): Watch out for Bandits!

Guests have now made it to see the Wild West transition from day to nightfall. As the tram passes through a colorful yellow and orange arch, a group of bandits down the river blocks a train conductor coming out a goldmine. It's obvious that these men - who are dressed in all black and had eerie-looking horses– are the villains in this attraction, because they all wear kerchiefs to hide the lower halves of their faces.

Since, the leader of the Bandits is to enticed with singing the third verse of the Western Expedition song on his guitar to care about the guests witnessing the robbery, he implies that you’ll see him in charge of the town with riches from the mountains later on.

SCRIPT:

(Part 2 of Westerm Expedition Song)

Head Bandit:
There are miners in this here West
Who all think they’re the best,
And think they are the kings of Thunder Mesa.

HORSE: Snorts a laugh, nodding his head in agreeing with his owner.

Head Bandit:
Well, some may insist of their fame,
I’ll put them all to shame, Because
That Gold is a callin’
and it’s callin’ my name.

Accompanied Bandit 1:
We’ll let you go this time, don’t slip,

Accompanied Bandit 2:
Rainbow Ridge is up the cliff

Accompanied Bandits (Unison):
So long till’ your gold is a callin’
And it’s callin’ our name
(Evil Laughs insue from the Bandits)

ACCOMPANIED BANDIT'S HORSES: Snorts a laugh, nodding his head in agreeing with his owner.

Guests believe they’ll go under the Train Track robbery. That is, until the tram gets a mind of its own and passes right between the robbing bandits and the train conductor, who oddly looks very familiar to Tony Baxter.

(Note: I thought if Marc’s in Big Thunder, it’d be a nice touch to add Baxter to Western River – It’d also add to the new Thunder Mountain Backstory).

Steam pumps from the train, barely missing the tram as it decides to go up the waterfall in the background, right in time to see the lost boomtown of Rainbow Ridge.

As we go from a dense forest near the water to bright mesa backgrounds, guests are enticed by seeing Marc Davis original concept art come to life in the town’s residents as bold colors surround the town in a frontier nighttime fantasy. Bars, parties, and normal residents all in celebration of the Bullion Industries striking gold nearby. You can hear the town signing the chorus of the Western Expedition Song as guests travel foreword.

Chorus 2 (Rainbow Ridge Saloon Style Rendition) (Repeated x2):

Now there’s miners in the mountains
And riches in the Range
The Wild West is callin’
And it’s callin’ my name

The gold isa’ plenty
And the boomtowns are alive
Cut down a forest
And leave cabins behind

Pianos are a playin’
We’ve made it better as anyone can see
The Wild West is callin’
And it’s callin’ for me

As you turn around, you see a campfire left unattended, which quickly catches on the dry grass and spreads into a forest fire. The tram avoids falling trees and sudden run ins with flames as it quickly takes cover in a cave.

SCRIPT:

Amy the Armadillo (appears in a fallen tree): There’s a safe cave up ahead! You can escape the forest fire! Hurry - to the left!

As you go further into the cave, you see the tram heads back unto a track. It follows a bright sign labeled “Gold this way” and equipment that says “Bullion Industries” on it. Could this be the newly founded goldmine that started the Rainbow Ridge celebration?

The tram starts to quickly incline upwards, leading to the top of the giant mine shaft. As you take a couple turns, you notice more strange happenings, such as another rattlesnake, and mine workers tied to a work desk with red bandanas across their faces.

The final turn leads you to a large canyon underneath as the tram accelerates in speed and goes forward. It comes to a complete stop as you find the entrance to the gold area of the mine… and also the bandits you saw in the river.

SCRIPT:

Head Bandit (Sung):
This gold is mine to take
And it seems you took the bait
You’re gold is a callin’
And it’s callin’ my name

HORSE:
Snorts a laugh, nodding his head in agreeing with his owner.

Bandits begin to hold guests at gunpoint

Head Bandit (Spoken):
Since your reluctant to incline, to our raiding western life….It’s back to the canyon for you, Wranglers.

As you hear two clear gunshots go off, the head Bandit shoots the tram rope and causes the tram to accelerate backwards into complete darkness and out of the mine shaft. This also brings guests outside the show building and back into the exterior of the attraction, serving around mountains and trees.

As you make another small swerve, you notice the Armadillo has hit the brakes on the tram by pulling a large lever.

SCRIPT:

Armadillo: Hold On!

The Tram then glides down Rivers of America past waterfalls, rocks, and canoes down below until it makes a stop in Rainbow Caverns, a beautiful revision of the old Rainbow Caverns at Disneyland. At the end of these Caverns… We see the Armadillo one last time.

Final Chorus (Amy the Armadillo):
The Mountains are a singin’
And the geyser’s are alive
It’s Rainbow Ridge’s echo
It’s impossible to describe
The animals are dream of beauty
And it’s cowfolk dream of fame
Rainbow Ridge is a callin’
And it’s callin’ your name

As we hear vocals of the last verse and the chorus of the Western Expedition Song, we go to unload out of the tram, exiting out of the other side of the mine tram plant. We see newspapers of a new group taking over thunder mesa and more robberies from the bandits. The last newspaper seen by the exit has a picture of the main bandit we encountered with the picture seeming to wink at guests as they leave the Rainbow Ridge Mountains.

 

[spacemt354]

Next nomination would be @Imagineerland and his amazingly detailed attraction: "The Indiana Jones Adventure: Lost City of the Gods"

Hey Imagineering Forum!

I wanted to come by to share a project that I just finished that I am particularly proud of, an original and innovative Indiana Jones attraction for a Disney Studios Paris plan I recently put together. A lot of info below, but I hope you read and enjoy it!

​

​

The year is 1937, soon after the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Inspired by his recent successes, Doctor Indiana Jones has been brought to the city of Rome to unearth a long lost ancient temple, buried layers deep in the catacombs and caves below the historical city. Legend has that the temple is part of the first Roman city and may hold artifacts thought to be lost to history as well as the grand treasure of the international Roman Empire. He is not the first to attempt this search, but his skills and experience may just make him the most successful.

​

Indiana Jones and his team have come to a Basilica on the edge of the city, long thought to mark the entrance to the lost realm. They have excavated the ruins below the 12th century church to uncover the mysterious remains of an earlier 4th century church. But there is still more to explore, as the team has opened up a tunnel into the complex catacomb system below, stretching miles under the roads and buildings of Rome. The Lost City has been well hidden. That brings our reason for being here. As his archaeology students, he is sending us out in teams to explore the diverging paths and find the trail to the ultimate goal. We ride on specially built amphibious vehicles, allowing us to float through the underground rivers until we need to venture onto the rough and rocky land. Indy himself left in the team just ahead of us, so if we run into trouble, he is just a radio call away.

​

Of course on our adventure, that is exactly what happens as we quickly find an un-mapped temple, disturb a Roman protector spirit, and are swept away into the dark depths and dangerous traps of the Lost City. With Indy's help, we escape by going deeper into the mysterious darkness and, after a few more unexpected adventures, ultimately find the rumored treasure room before being swept away one final time and back to the safety of the ruins we began in, triumphant in our search, though it was a little more adventurous that expected.

​

This proposed attraction for the Disney Studios Paris Park is something I have been thinking about and working on for a few years actually. The first version was for Hollywood Studios Park and had a South American temple theme. For this park, I shifted to the Roman theme because I wanted to give some variety from the typical Indiana Jones jungle setting. It was also directly inspired by a church that I visited when I visited Rome a few years ago. The Basilica of San Clemente al Laterano is exactly what I described, a Middle Age Church built on top of a 4th century church, built on top of Roman ruins that include what is believed to be a small ancient Roman temple. I also visited some of the catacombs on the outskirts of the city and the extensive catacombs of Paris, inspiring this combined setting. They all felt exactly like places Indiana Jones would explore.

​

The creative innovation that has kept me drawn to this project has always been the ride system. Originally, I faced the option of bringing Indiana Jones into a hypothetical park plan by copying the existing ride or doing something new. Even though the original is in my opinion the best ride I've ever been on, I felt like I couldn't just copy something that was 22 years old. I wanted to try something new and to top the adventure and immersion of the original.

​

I quickly decided on trying something similar to the EMVs but doing it in water and including a flume element. This ended up making the most sense as a water coaster with a motion capable vehicle. I am no engineer, but after studying a lot of examples, I think what I have makes sense. The benefit of this system would be a huge variety of ride experiences in one vehicle. The attraction can have guests float calmly through a river, speed through choppy water (simulated with the motion capabilities), drive onto rough land and encounter obstacles, race along traditional coaster track elements, and fall down a controlled and smooth flume drop. That's like combining a few good rides into one great ride. This potential is what made me excited to keep working on this ride over a long development period. I'll give some more specifics about the vehicle later down the post.

​

I'll start by walking us through the queue and then the plan of the attraction.

​

The land is an authentic early century Roman streetscape, centered around a church, with a park like area across the road, bordered by high ancient Roman stone walls. The road leading from the Hub to the Church and entrance to the attraction is basically all themed retail. There is a street style Pizzeria, a high class Italian restaurant, and two other attractions. One is a family friendly exploration zone through a church and its catacombs and caves, built under the park berm, and the other is a special effects and animatronics show in the local Museum, featuring Dr. Jones collection of mystical artifacts that somehow come to life. The main church and its obelisk are the focus and the center of the land. It has a Baroque facade, similar to Santa Susanna below, but much smaller, and a bit less ornate to fit in the theme park scale.

Santa Susanna Facade
Notre Dame Architecture Library



San Clemente Basilica Interior
Michael Foley

​

The entrance to the actual attraction is to the right, where there is a truck unloading pile of crates and barrels, all apparently Indy's equipment. There is also one of the amphibious vehicles on the back of a flatbed. The boxes hold the marquee for the attraction and form the start of the queues that then lead into the side door of the church. Follow along the queue on the plans below.

​

Inside the church, the queues turn right and proceed down the right aisle, past the empty church, and then through more doors and into the next room. The church interior is again similar to a Baroque church, like the interior of San Clemente, but again much smaller and less detailed, instead just giving the impression of an ornate church. The queue barely spends any time inside the space, because I think it works better for it to just be a quick image, and it felt more right to leave it as an open space. The queues then enter a kind of Church museum gallery, which is something I saw in multiple churches in Rome. The queues wind around display cases and paintings, all appearing to be very old and special. Then they pass down a gallery hall where there are large paintings about the history of Rome, setting up the story about the current church being built on top of an older church and Roman ruins below. The queues cross a hallway, with a window to the light on the left, and enter the small library research room. Book cases on every wall frame a large desk, where Doctor Jones has apparently been working. Books on the desk are open to historical maps and drawings of the cave system, and notes describe his plan of exploration. The table in the middle of the room holds a large paper map that he has drawn on, and sketches for the ride vehicle.

San Clemente Basilica Diagram
Valerio b. cosentino



Sant'Ivo alla Sapien Cloister
Promich

​

Back across the hallway, we exit the building to the ground level of the church cloister. The cloister is an enclosed courtyard with covered colonnades on all sides. We walk along the exterior of the grassy center courtyard, looking up at the empty second level balcony and the sky above before reentering the building, into Indy's work room. Boxes and crates are on our right and we begin to hear the audio narration that instructs us of our job here. In the next room, there are two blackboards, one with a chalk map and had written directions to us, the archaeological volunteers, and the other with a flickery black and white video reel, showing off the brand new vehicles that we will be riding, also doubling as the safety instructions. The projector is perilously stacked on barrels and boxes in the middle of the room and a gramophone sits on a footlocker to the side. We finally reach the point that we will descend, by stair or elevator. The queues lead down the staircase, turn, and then descend into the dark and damp ruins.

Under San Clemente Basilica
Holly Hayes



Under San Clemente Basilica
Holly Hayes



Mithraeum Under San Clemente Basilica
Allie Caulfield

​

The queues turn left and weave between hefty rough stone pylons, what appear to be remnants of a structure from the past, some kind of chapel maybe. The rubble have begun to take over though, and through some gaps we can see the river beyond with ride vehicles swiftly passing. Imagine the setting like the picture above, but a little more disheveled and damp, like an active archaeological site. We pass through a lowered tunnel, and look down into an enclosed pit to our left where there is an ancient stone Roman altar in the process of being excavated, like the one above. The tunnel opens up into the main room of this lower queue, the historical church, where there are more thick stone supports holding up the shallowly arched roof. This is an impressive space. The queues weave between the pylons and piles of rubble and then reach the front of the room, where a cross vault spans over the river loading and unloading area. There are two loading docks to the left that load simultaneously and then both vehicles move up to two seat check stations. They then dispatch individually into a cave opening and the attraction beyond.

​

Back to the vehicle. It is a very detailed and complicated ride vehicle that seats 16 total. As for the look, it's easier to just let you look at the image collection below.

​

The main body is surrounded by a padded float and the tops of the non functional wheels just peek above the water line. The back holds a random assortment of boxes and supplies as well as extra tires. Each of the 4 rows has a storage bucket in front of them, which has a waterproof seal. The sections above show the mechanics of the system below the water.

The standard coaster track starts below water and a pretty standard chassis frame rides on that track. On this chassis is a 360 degree turntable which supports the lower half of the motion vehicle. This component is basically a basin with high walls on all sides, with all the mechanical equipment to create the motion sunk in the basin. The high side walls are able to slot into the vehicle above, so that the tops are actually above the water level, keeping the mechanical equipment out of the water. A bellow gasket along the high walls connects to the upper vehicle and helps to keep the water out of the lower vehicle basin. The upper vehicle, the show portion of the vehicle, then sits on top and overhangs the rest of the components below to hide them in the dark water. Guests actually ride above the water through the whole ride but the vehicle has enough bulk that this is not apparent.

Again, I am not an engineer, but I think this works and can provide a good amount of ride profile elements. It can pitch and roll from the upper motion components and the entire body can rotate 360 degrees as needed. Here's two video clips of this in action, animated and rendered in Blender.

​

This shows a rough approximation of the vehicle simulating swift rapids, the most active of the motions required in the attraction.

​

Back to the ride.

​

The vehicle launches from the seat check station and enters a dark cave opening. Even though the vehicle is able to move smoothly through the water since it is on a coaster track, the motion systems can give it a little bounce and rock as we pull away to make it more authentic. The dark cave is lit by just a trail of lanterns hanging from the stone, leading us right. As we enter, we get a radio call from Indy, telling us that were set to explore the upper river system while his group is in the lower catacombs. After we turn right, we encounter a shallow waterfall that we approach and then drive up. It is still dark, so we can't really see our path ahead. We can just tell from the sound, the mist, and the motion, that we are climbing a rough slope. On this drive up, Indy give us our final instructions: look for a temple at the mouth of a twin waterfall and let him know if we get into any trouble. At the top, we drop back into the river and begin our peaceful float exploration. At first, these are just normal catacombs, or as normal as catacombs can be. Rocky tunnels guide the river and portions of the walls are lined with bones to create intricate patterns and structures. We turn a bend and continue through these mood setting scenes.

But ahead we can see a set of Doric columns, standing proud in the water, reaching the high rocky ceiling. We float towards them, and notice that a waterfall sits on either side of the path. We turn to see the full temple, a grid of the same columns and a stone altar facade on the left side. We have found it. But before we can do anything, a flame erupts from the torches at the altar and a spirit voice warns us that we have made it too close to the lost temple. To our right, the water quickly bubbles and a geyser shoots off, causing us to speed up as we get away. The water around us is getting violent and we are rocking a lot now, of course simulated by the vehicle. As we race out of there, the vehicle and track actually rise up just enough so that the vehicle is completely out of the water, so that it can create more drastic motions without the resistence of the water. We are swept away and pass a projection surface on our right that seamlessly joins the cave set, showing a huge flood swiftly approaching us.

We out of control float left and enter a projection tunnel setup. The vehicle moves along between the two surfaces, which show the catacombs beyond engulfed in fire and being destroyed by the quickly rising tides. The vehicle spins and rolls like it is caught in rapids, rotating a full 360 degrees out of control. Controlled water splashes and mist adds to the effect. Another smaller boat zooms by, with Indy on board, telling us that we really found some trouble, and that we need to escape to the lower catacombs with him. We bank around a left turn and plunge down a slope in darkness to the level below, splashing down in the base of the quiet river. We escaped, for now.

At the bottom of the falls, we see the boat Indy was on, crashed into the rocks. We turn the corner and leave the river, roughly driving up onto land. As soon as we are up, we get another radio message from Indy, saying he is clearing the path ahead, but watch out for traps that he missed. We begin slowly driving through the caves, over a lot of rough terrain simulated with the motion vehicle. Quickly, the first trap comes at us from the left, as a huge column topples directly in our ride path, forcing us to swerve out of the way just in time. A second comes from the right, forcing us to speed away around the corner, but we immediately face a huge swinging hammer in front of us, stopping us in our tracks and then stuttering as we time our race through the path. A second of the swings is permanently propped up on the side, suggesting Indy already encountered that one. To the right is a nook of skulls and bones around a pit of lava, with a small fireball erupting just as we pass. We swerve left into a narrow path, where we quickly feel darts shooting past us. Air jets simulate the feeling and prop effect darts pop out of the side walls. We make it through the tunnel and see Indy at the end, standing on a a few small crushed stone balls. We slow and pause as he congratulates us for making it through the traps, but complains that we had to cause so much trouble. He points us on, and we speed around the corner and enter the largest space of the attraction.

This double level space that we have opened into features a 180 degree hemispherical screen ahead of us, blending into real rockwork on the edges. In front of the screen is a set of tall Roman columns, matching the curve of the screen. Between the center columns is a ledge a section of real rockwork, holding a few pieces of glistening gold and glowing stones. We are driving on a rock "bridge" over water on either side, gently bubbling. As we enter and approach the center of the room, we see projected Indy climbing the rock wall between two of the columns, trying to get to the treasure at the center. As he approaches, the room suddenly is overtaken again by the protector spirit, causing the bubbling water to begin flaming, and a column of steam shoots up in front of center columns. An abstract face appears on the steam, warning us to abandon our search. Indy jumps away just before all the walls begin to crumble, and one of the columns actually starts to crumble and tilt towards us, threatening to crush us. Through this whole scene, we have been slowly moving along the curved track, but the vehicle has always pointed forwards, so we are now really facing backwards. Just as the rock walls begins to fall, we start to slip away backwards and then go down a small dip backwards into the darkness.

We then go through a small coaster portion of the adventure. Still backwards, we zoom around curves through the cave pillars. Then, while we go around a larger curve, we rotate back to forward and continue speeding along the only path we can see. Indy is yelling at us to follow the light, which we can see ahead to the right. But we slam to a stop in a dead end cave, with light flooding to us from above. We are seemingly stuck, but then we start to rumble and shake and then shoot straight up in a cloud of steam and mist as we ride the hidden geyser. We come to a stop at the top and slide out into one last river, but this river is much lighter and more peaceful. We turn the corner and we can immediately see well preserved Roman architecture and a pile of treasure and artifacts. Included are various international objects representing the reach of the Roman empire. As we turn the corner, the water starts to move more swiftly and we begin to float away faster. Suddenly we hear the rush of a waterfall and know what is about to happen. We are quickly drawn forward, turn a corner, and drop down a tall flume and splashdown in a catacomb lit by Indy's lanterns. We peacefully float around the corner through caves and find the final room, the ruins of the original church we found, where Indy stands surrounded by a limited selection of the treasure we found. He says something about managing to get some of the most important pieces out of the lost city and thanks us for out help.

We continue through a final cave opening, through a vehicle holding area, and back into the load/unload room we started in. We unload, walk up a stair case or use an elevator, and exit into a gift shop on the edge of the cloister we passed through earlier, completing the experience.

​

And that's it! Let me know what you think. And thanks for reading!

​

 

[spacemt354]

Next one goes without saying This will always be my personal favorite project, and yes a bit biased -- but Xanadu by Team Lassetoki in The Sole Imagineer Season 2.

There is a story behind this in that, long story short -- we got called out for a weaker project the round before, and then changed all our avatars for the project to different Avengers characters and worked really hard to create this. It was the team effort more than anything.

@MonorailRed @tcool123 @Flippin'Flounder @Sam4D23 @Ranky64 and myself

Episode 3 Immunity Challenge
Second Land Stories

For this challenge, our remaining castaways will be designing a second land/phase for Shanghai Disneyland! However, this isn't an average blue-sky challenge. I want you all to focus on the story first! Due to the fact that this is a story-based episode, I want both tribes to develop a solid story first, and then tell it in a meaningful way. The story should be detailed and extensive, and then you should go ahead and explain what your expansion will entail and how your story applies to it!
.

The Tales of Xanadu

Chapter 1 - A.I.R. Assembled
"We are visionaries and explorers, pioneering the 23rd century to visit worlds beyond our solar system, while branching out into the unknown"
- Emmanuel Wu (founder and president of A.I.R.)

The year is 2171, in the dawn of a new era of space exploration. Upon successful missions to Mars, the construction of space colonies, and the global advancement in aeronautic technology, the United Nations agreed to privatize space exploration. While government funded space research facilities could still operate, space enthusiasts and explorers would have the opportunity to travel into space on their own.

The decision ignited a prodigious campaign to explore outer space. The moon base became open to the public, visits aboard the International Space Station were abound, and a trip to Mars became a popular "study abroad" program in colleges for engineering majors. This contemporary society bread imagination and answered questions that the human race had for thousands of years...our place in the universe.

Amid the vast interest in space exploration was a group of entrepreneurs that had dreamed of the opportunity to push the boundaries of human potential. To travel where only the imagination could envision. From a young age, Emmanuel Wu was surrounded by the theme of exploration. His great-grandfather, Alexander Wu, was part of the astronaut team that first landed on and colonized Mars way back in 2067. Considering the significance of his family name ("Wu" in Chinese means shaman), his great-grandfather would communicate with Emmanuel via intergalactic transmission logs, and inspire him to never give up on his dreams.

Those stories and intergalactic transmissions from Mars have been replayed over and over by Emmanuel throughout his childhood and early adolescence as inspiration when he could one day follow in his family heritage. Emmanuel also spent his childhood reading a book given to him by his great-grandfather called the Society of Explorers and Adventurers, which enticed and motivated Emmanuel to want to seek the beyond.

His success as a researcher and engineer gave him the prowess to design his own private spaceship, called 发现 Discovery and form a group that today is known as A.I.R - the Association for Intergalactic Reconnaissance - with the goal of pushing the limits of space travel.

Emmanuel's passion for the cosmos inspired several others to join A.I.R., including his future wife, Xanadu. Since the organization's inception in 2182, A.I.R. has traveled far beyond the limits of modern space travel, being the first to land on Saturn's Moon of Titan. Emmanuel and Xanadu led the mission with three of their A.I.R. colleagues; Sam Davis - a medical practitioner on the A.I.R. space missions, Maggie Wright, a chemical engineer and former pilot, and Tom Edson, an astro-paleo-botonist.. After the monumental landing and return from Titan, A.I.R set their sights on cracking the code of hyperspace travel by breaking the time dilution that light years of space travel takes.

However, tragedy struck the campaign as during a test run of the new Aries rockets Emmanuel had been working on. The main hydrocarbon engine fuel started to leak and spark. For the crew to escape, one of the members needed to stay behind to make sure the rocket landed in an uninhabited zone. Against Emmanuel's wishes, Xanadu stayed behind as the rest of the crew was able to escape.The crushing lost almost deterred Emmanuel from A.I.R and space travel all together, though he knew Xanadu would want him and A.I.R to continue the quest for new discoveries.

Nevertheless, After one of their long-range telescopes picked up a potentially habitable planet in the Atlas Star System, 2.5 light years away, Planet X171. Emmanuel Wu regained inspiration as continued his pursuit of discovery as Xanadu would have wanted. A.I.R sent orbiters to the planet to research its contents and determine if it was a habitable planet.

Their scanners brought back the following information:

Computer: "Scanners have determined that this planet is very much like Earth atmospheric wise...however there are the aspects you should be aware of if you venture to the planet - also be warned that you'll need to break the hyper-speed barrier or this trip will take several years"

With this knowledge, A.I.R. set off on the most daring mission of mankind, to break the limitations of modern space crafts, travel through hyperspace, and land on a planet in a different galaxy...

Chapter 2 - The Adventure
In the months prior to the opening of the new land, Disney released a comic series called The Adventures of A.I.R depicting in detail the organization's history, resurgence, and pursuit of space exploration. Below is the final issue of the comic book series, in which A.I.R travels through hyperspace and lands on the new planet.

THE ADVENTURES OF A.I.R.
Volume 7 - Series Finale

Page 1
​

Page 2
​

Page 3


Page 4


Chapter 3 - The Discoveries
Once the team landed on Planet Xanadu, they explored far and wide on the alien planet, and recorded their findings via transmission logs, as generations of explorers had done before them. Below are the transmission logs from the team - which end on a promising note for the people of Earth and Tomorrowland!



Chapter 4 - The Age of Xanadu
With the discovery of the wormhole acting as a portal to Tomorrowland, Xanadu will be open to the public at Shangai Disneyland!

Land Overview:

This location was chosen specifically because it offered the largest expansion space on property (without demolishing the bus/tram area) and is right next to Tomorrowland to tie in with the "futuristic" theme. Much like Adventure Isle/Treasure Cove as well as Gardens of Imagination/Fantasyland, the Tomorrowland/Xanadu transition is seamless and the story connects well with one other.

Zoomed in view...

The A.I.R. Museum
The A.I.R. Museum was founded by Emmanuel Wu soon after colonists started arriving on Xanadu. He created it so newcomers would be able to experience the history of A.I.R. and why it came to be. You can also find displays in the museum about indigenous life on Xanadu as well as the colonies on Titan and Mars. You then proceed to enter...the wormhole.

Wormhole
As you wind around the A.I.R. Museum you discover the portal from Earth to Xanadu and you approach what looks like a wormhole straight out of science fiction. You step onto a giant moving walkway surrounded by lights, lasers, projections, and galaxies galore as you go whizzing past them in your approach to Xanadu. Aside from the moving walkway, there is also the option to walk, however the experience is best suited when you are standing still and gazing around at the magnificent achievement of inter-dimensional travel.


You then enter the land of Xanadu...​

The Colony
After arriving on Xanadu through the wormhole, you step out onto the alien world and see the A.I.R. colony to your right. Inside the colony you can find an eclectic variety of activities...from an eatery designed by Sam Davis himself, to a gift-shop where you can bring home some of the magic of Xanadu, and finally a guest services/restroom facility as accommodation. It's all waiting for you at the Colony!

Davis Plaza
A quick service dining location offering some of the favorite items from Sam Davis of the A.I.R. team.

Menu
Chow Mein Noodles
Low Mein Noodles
Noodle Soup

Kung Pao Chicken
Teriyaki Chicken
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Chicken & Broccoli
Chicken Fried Rice

All Chicken options available fried or grilled, and come with white or brown rice. Tofu available upon request​

Atlas Constellations
Step inside this quaint location that offers guests a unique variety of memorabilia from Xanadu. Among the options are: exotic plants including Aquilegia anacardium from the Decoris Canyon, parts of the planet's rock formation, as well as a wide assortment of "A.I.R." clothing and equipment.

Journey to the Lavender Moon

Synopsis:
Travel to the Lavender Moon of Xanadu on a mission to retrieve a plutonic igneous rock for experimental testing. Be warned though, that you are venturing out to new territory, and it's unknown what...or who...you may run into along the way.

Queue:
You enter through one of the colonized areas of Xanadu, where the A.I.R. members had assembled a space telescope to gaze out at the surrounding stars. You enter through the laboratory and notice that the mission log for today is to travel to the Lavender Moon, the largest moon of Xanadu. Passing through the rest of the laboratory, you see a transmission from the Aries rocket orbiting the planet. Emmanuel Wu comes online and greets the guests.

Dr. Wu: "Welcome A.I.R. enthusiasts. It's so exciting that you made the expedition to visit our colony and we are so glad to share this discovery with you. Today's mission is to discovery this rock - called Secretous787 - which by our tests and analysis, is unique to the Lavender Moon. We haven't found this rock formation on any other planet or moon we have visited in the past, and we'd like to do some tests on it and maybe it could be valuable for the people of Earth and Tomorrowland, as some of our other discoveries have been.

You'll be traveling in this custom designed Space Pod - specialized to break Xanadu's atmosphere and pilot around the moon. You'll need to be split up into teams for this quest and for that I will turn you over to Dr. Wright who will describe what your tasks are"

Dr. Wright: "When you enter your pods, you will notice specialized dashboards in from of each of your seats. You will have to work as a team in order to complete this mission. One of you will pilot the pod throughout, another engage liftoff, another will ensure the shield is deployed, and lastly one of you will deploy the landing gear. Your pods are uniquely designed by Dr. Wu himself to ensure safe travels for you space enthusiasts. Happy exploring and thanks for joining us for this mission!"

You depart the land and enter the liftoff zone beyond it. There you board your vehicles and prepare for your mission.

Ride Vehicle and Attraction Layout:

This attraction uses a brand new technology that merges a dark ride with a rollicking simulated thrill ride. As you travel along the track in your space pod (which seats 4 each) you are sent through a mesmerizing display of visuals including projection screens and physical sets that simulate a flight in outer-space and a voyage to the Lavender Moon.

(Click play for read-along attraction music...)


Ride-Through:

Dr. Wu: "Engage liftoff procedure Discovery 1."

Your vehicles swiftly ascend into the liftoff position at a 90 degree angle relative to the ground. You feel the force gravity pressing you back into your seat as you hear the countdown to ignition in the background. Your vehicles move up the chain and into the sky with projection screens 180 degrees surrounding you as the vehicle make its ascent. The ascent feels faster than it really is given that the screens around you are projecting visual stimuli such as the ground becoming smaller and the clouds becoming thinner.

You hear on your on-board audio from the control center monitoring your progress

Dr. Wright: "O2 stat 97%, cabin pressure 1 atm, Nitrogen levels steady, prepare for hydrocarbonite engine boost and breaking of the atmosphere..."

Zoom...

You feel a thrust as your vehicle leaps over the incline and levels out in Xanadu orbit.

Dr. Wu: "Nice work in there. You can see us in orbit to your left...you're going to want to pilot the vehicle towards the planet, but be warned, the atmospheric pull of Xanadu might make the trip a bit bumpy"

You pilot the vehicle towards the Lavender moon as the projection screens around you create the sense of space travel and your vehicle stimulates turbulence by swaying and bumping along towards the planet.

Dr. Wright: "Excellent, now initiate the landing gea-....wait a minute....what's that coming towards you?

Ahead you see a bright light and a spaceship coming from the moon directly towards you and it fires a laser beam at you. Your vehicle sways to narrowly miss it...but the ship keeps coming closer and firing at your pod.

Dr. Wu: Abort mission! There's life on this moon...and they clearly don't want us here!

Bang...

Your space pod is hit and your vehicles spin 360 degrees around and dip towards the moon's surface...

Dr. Wu: You've been hit, quick, initiate the shields...forget the rocks you just need to get out of there!

Dr. Wright: They may not have enough fuel to last that long!!

You swerve in and out of the canyons of the moon as you are chased down by the extra-terrestrials who inhabit the moon...large, steep curves left and right give you the sensation of flying through the moon in a desperate attempt to escape.

Dr. Wu: You're going to need to need to activate the turbine engines!

Dr. Wright: But that's never been tested!

Dr. Wu: Well it will be now, those people are in danger...

You continue to fly across the alien landscape in a visceral display of projections and physical sets and on-board audio which put you right in the center of an other-worldly adventure as you fly around this moon to escape with your life.

Dr. Wright: Activating the turbine engines....now!

Dr. Wu: Hang on everyone!
​

Your vehicle thrusts forward and spirals up and away from the surface of the moon, evading capture from the inhabitants. The stars surround you as your vehicle soars through the atmosphere and makes a direct path back to Xanadu. In a last ditch effort, your landing procedure is initiated and you tip down at a 90 degree angle back to the landing platform and laboratory....

Dr. Wright: They made it...

Dr. Wu: Goodness...well that was certainly a quest for the ages...glad you all made it back in one piece. There was definitely something on the Lavender Moon....but maybe it's best to keep those things a mystery. Hopefully now you can see how unpredictable an adventure can be....thanks for flying with us...and enjoy the rest of your time on Xanadu.

Guests exit the launch platform and head towards the planet surface once more.

The Voyage to Sivad

Queue:
Guests first find themselves going under a large sign that looks like a giant solar panel arch-like structure reading “The Voyage to Sivad.”

Directly after going through the sign, guests enter the queue area of the attraction; which is distinctly noticeable by clever use of sculpted “space rock” and rod fencing themed as “energy poles” for the A.I.R. founded colony (More can be found out about energy poles in the colony’s museum).

The interactive queue features interactive space “droids“ that can be used to view and drive exploration of the planet’s sources, but be careful! You may spot some solo space explorers in remote areas of the planet trying to find Sivad, the most valuable resource found on the planet, said to make each person who finds a new supply the richest man in the galaxy. Sivad is a green/yellowish sandstone like substance with a purple illumination surrounding the rock, some Sivad can even be shown though the queue (in limited amounts under top care, of course).

Depending how long the queue is, may even find you experiencing some “fun” on the planet with “break-time drone races” the explorers and scientists have adopted to keep them occupied near the site.​

After going through the queue you enter inside one of these amazing rock formations (Show Building scene begins). Inside these rock formations seems to be a pathway to a hidden forest in the planet, with towering odd shaped rock formations that seem to only be held by gravity. This is a major surprise to guests, considering greenery is limited in the land they experienced just minutes ago. Another surprise to guests is that it has suddenly become moonset on the planet’s surface – A bizarrely beautiful sky that showcases luminous greens and purples, with stars accenting the dark, black night sky.

Visitors would then walk across an odd bridge made out of the trees in the dense forest. This moves guests over a swiftly moving, neon-blue river that runs through the forest. On the other side of the river, they would look to see a camp formed by A.I.R. colony members (This serves as the attractions load / unload area), and one of the projection screens from the camp shows the mission at hand.

Load/Unload:

Load/Unload Concept Art

The narrator is Tom Edson - an astro-paleo-botonist, extra-terrestrial animal specialist, and founding A.I.R. member - who greets you as you board:

Narrator: "Greetings fellow explorers! We're pleased to offer you this adventure into the uncharted landscape of this exotic world."

Guests board boats that are suitable for plasma travel that would take them downstream for the moonlit expedition to the treasures of Xanadu.

Scene 1
After guests board the boats, the river bends to a beautiful forest and desert landscape; yellow clouds can be seen slowly moving in the night sky. You start to see strange plant-life, which almost acts like animals, as your boats travel along. Soon enough, your boats move up the raging, colorful, plasma waterfall ahead.​

Scene 2
Narrator: "Wouldn't it be great if there was a way we could actually Communicate with these spectacular animals? You know, I can almost hear they can mimic our sounds now."

The guests hear various musical sounds, coming from planets and wildlife surrounding them. As the boat turns another bend, they see an audio animatronic creature called a Trakertops that looks to be part-ram and part-elephant. This animal is strumming some sort of plant creature with a guitar like sound.

The Trakertops then sings to guests the opening verse of the "Voyager’s Riches" song, a song heard throughout their expedition in the attraction. What makes this opening scene of the ride particularly funny is - just across the river - a quartet of explorers, seeming to go on their own search, have run into their own troubles with the rest of the pact from the singing creature, they seem to be up a pointed space rock, with the Trakertops waiting for them to come down to make a “point” to their search.

Scene 3
As the boat continued along, riders would pass a various other creatures- where other AA alien animals will sing the song’s chorus. As they headed downriver, they'd also see plants and nature play along in time with the music..

Soon, you start to hear another transcription come though from the Narrator on the boat.

Narrator: The landscapes on this side of the planet are just beautiful. The wildlife only makes this area more unique! But be warned, even the most beautiful dream can turn into an overwhelming nightmare.

Scene 4
Two giant lizard like creatures called Septaurs would sit on a space rock on the left side of the river, forming an X between the two. Below them lays human bones. The Septaurs turn to track the boat - and its passengers - as they head downriver. Flora also starts to slowly turn from vibrate colors, to a pitch black.

Narrator: Be on your guard! Your all heading into Indigenous territory on this planet, and I got a tip that they aren’t very fond of the colony searching for their resources!

Scene 5
Around the next bend of the river, guests start to see a group of Indigenous warriors raiding a moving, Space Rover crew. This crew seemed to have their own treasures acquired from the planet. But it seems like their lucky strike won’t be alive to long.

Thankfully, the warriors are so busy extracting the Space Rover’s explorers from their treasures that they don't have the time to attack the boat travelers. But - as they sing to the guests in the boats as they drift on the waters - the warriors sing that they will come around another bend.

Narrator: I just discovered on the Location device that the two main alien settlements are at war with each other, so be careful!

Scene 6
Narrator: "We are entering Decoris Canyon - home to the Ritaki tribe. The tribe is notorious for their colorful displays but also their fierce competition with the Lupica tribe further on. Let's continue with caution...but to your right you can see Ritaki tribe illuminate the night with their tapestries and garments."

You sail on further through the Decoris Canyon and veer to the right as you enter a new scene.

Scene 7
Narrator: "It looks like the Lupica tribe is invading...I'm not sure what they want...but we better get out of here before we are caught in the crossfire!"

The boats sway to the left as a the Ritaki tribe and their colorful tapestries engage with the Lupica tribe in the distance as you make your escape out of Decoris Canyon

Scene 8
As the boat floats out of the lines of fire, guests start to hear the sound of drums and voices coming up.

Narrator: This is bad…You're starting to enter a spirit ceremony for the gods of Xanadu! Watch out! Some strange things had been known to happen at these type of events…

As the boat comes around the next turn in the river – guests see below them on the right that a whole group is dancing around a crystal fire. Loud drums, swinging axes, musical instruments, these natives go the nine yards awaken to the gods of Xanadu.

The dance works and the spirit of “Rialb”, the goddess of misfortune, awakens and appears In the smoke of the crystal fire. As an odd occurrence, Green Thunder and Lightning crash the sky. A stray lightening bolt strikes a tree in the forest that now flanks the river. That tree burst into flame. That fire then quickly spreads to several other trees in the forest. As guests continue down river, they now found themselves floating in the middle of a raging forest fire with smoke surrounding them. The plasma in the river seems to moving faster and feels considerably rougher than earlier in their journey.

Scene 9/Finale
Narrator: There’s a dock that we’ve already established up ahead! We have to have to get you off the boat! The- (Static then breaks the rest of the communication as we hear the laugh of the goddess we’ve been introduced to earlier)

Of course, to add to the trouble, we see up ahead that the indigenous warriors have caught up with us, though they aren’t singing, they’re serious. Their weapons are pointed directly at guests in the boat, as the head warrior states. “A hand for your situation for our hand at your treasures.”

When, of course, people seem reluctant to hand over their belongings, the lead warrior laughs and says: "Then face the wrath of Rialb as you plummet the falls!"

An effect though the mist in front of the falls shows the goddess of Rialb coming though a mystic portal of sorts, almost to be beckoning the boat to the falls. The boat wobbles at the top of the cascades for a second ... then zips down toward the pointed rocks below.

Even though things looked bleak, all guests survive the voyage down the waterfall. The boat zips briefly back out into the edge of the main base for the Colony, before the current from the plasma river drives the boat back into the massive forest (show building) where the guests exit their boat.

Nightlife of Xanadu

Decoris Canyon
Sprawling the surface and towering 40 ft into the air is the Decoris Canyon. Seen from the original A.I.R. orbital data, Decoris Canyon is a beautiful, yet mysterious place. it's been identified that there are other inhabitants on Xanadu, and while we still haven't communicated with them, beware of entering their territory as you never known what you may find within...

Tapestry of Galaxies
Welcome one and all! Welcome to a celebration of curiosity! Discovery! Wonder! Welcome to the Tapestry of Galaxies! On certain nights, your trek through the canyons are met with a dazzling display of colorful garments and tapestries from the Rataki tribe, that only the imagination could create.

An overwhelming orchestrated soundtrack begins to play.
​

Unit 1 - Ancient Astonishment

Sage of Space : As far back as the Roklins, Encos, and even Graaks the stars and planets played a role in their society. Their curiosity of the stars had been deemed as one thing; gifts from the gods.

The first drum float rolls into view. On the sides of the drum will be various constellations. These constellations will be lit by fiber optics, and will seem to be made of real stars. Riding along this float will be two performers in a toga with alien features on their faces banging on various drum pads on the actual rotating drum.

Several puppets follow the drum. They will Incan masks with alien features for their face, and their wings will be adorned with glowing stars. After three of those puppets a large puppet invoking an appearance similar to Mama Kilya.

Unit 2 - World Wonderment

Sage of Space : As time went so did the curiosity of the humans. The Chenoco found a way to 'capture' the stars in, fireworks. The Urbs created the astrolabe, a tool used to track the position of the stars, and other celestial objects. Sailors used the North Star to navigate. The galaxy has helped the way we live through keeping track of time to even navigation.

A new piece of music goes into the background of the theme with an oceanic sea shanty vibe now emitting from the music.

The next drum float comes into view. On the sides of the drum fireworks going off via fiber optics. Riding along this float will be two performers in traditional Ancient Chinese apparel with an alien twist banging on various drum pads on the actual rotating drum.

Following the drum will a puppet covered in blue silk. The blue silk represents the seas, and the puppet itself seems to be holding the North Star. Behind it is several Sprite puppets made of various sades of blue silk. Which together all seem to form a roving ocean guided by the North Star holding puppet.

Unit 3 - Space Race

Sage of Space : As hundreds of years went by so did the innovations of various species. Humans figured out ways to travel into space, and landed on Xanadu. While the people of Xanadu split into two; the Ritaki and Lupica tribes.

A new piece of music goes into the background of the theme with a beat of something one would expect to hear from Native American instruments.

The next drum float comes into view. On the sides of the drum rockets seem to fly by, and their fire glows via fiber optics. Riding along this float will be two performers in spacesuits like Wu's banging on various drum pads on the actual rotating drum.

Following the drum are a massive number of eight puppets. Four of them resemble the Ritaki, and the other four resemble the Lupica. They seem to be "fighting", but in reality they're just dancing. Following them is a puppet resembling Abra; the mother of all gods and godesses, and one of the few spiritual beings the two tribes share. Her costume will seem to made of the cosmos.​

Unit 4 - Xanadu

Sage of Space : As time goes by one thing is on the mind of everyone, peace on Xanadu.

The original theme of this parade returns with no additional songs with it.

The next drum float comes into view. On the sides of the drum comets seem to fly by, and their tails glow via fiber optics. Riding along this float will be two performers in Ritaki apparel banging on various drum pads on the actual rotating drum.

Following the drum is the most amount of puppets yet. Puppets representing all three humanoid populations on Xanadu are represented. It will be grand, and wondrous. It'll be something one would have to see themselves to understand the detail and grandness of the puppets.

Sage of Space : Now as our parade comes to close I wish to all of you a farewell. Enjoy Xanadu, and all it's natural beauty. Be curious and discover the wonders of Xanadu. So for now goodbye.

Nighttime Projections
Each night, the stars beyond the Lavender Moon dazzle guests with LED projections in the sky, synchronized to music. Watch this breathtaking display of astronomy as constellations from the Atlas Star System light up and tell the history of Xanadu's solar system.

Shows begin at 9:30 PM CST and 10:30 PM CST nightly.​

Chapter 5 - A New Beginning
​

 

[spacemt354]

Last nomination from me so my picks don't dominate the tally (I could go on though) but Team Baby Groot's Princess and the Frog attraction from The Creator Games.

@FigmentPigments @OvertheHorizon @Jsly @MCParradox @Brer Oswald @Poe Dameron @Expedition626 @C. E. Myatt @Disney Dad 3000

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PRESENTATION: https://goo.gl/gHdHo2
*To move through the presentation, click and pull the corners like a book!

If you are unable to view Flash File you can scroll to bottom of page to view as PDF​

 

[Imagineerland]

Next nomination would be @Imagineerland and his amazingly detailed attraction: "The Indiana Jones Adventure: Lost City of the Gods"

Yep that was the one I was going to submit so thanks for doing it for me. That's my favorite thing I've done. I'll think if there's anything else I think I should submit, but if you want to keep it to 1 from me, it would be that one.

 

[Pi on my Cake]

I'll make a nomination or two!
First, I have a project from the One Sentence Comp.
The Elemental Calvacade Parade by @Sephirenn
Easily one of my favorite proposals from Episode 1 of Season 3 and one that I feel is described well enough (even with only a couple sentences) to fit in here.

Press Release

OSC Corp is proud to announce a new addition to Walt Disney World's Epcot park in the form of the most spectacular parade a human has ever witnessed; incorporating the latest in imagineering technology and Disney magic, this parade is themed after Walt's original vision of Epcot, including both grand ideas and specific characters from some of EPCOT's past and present attractions.

The Elemental Cavalcade Parade

Your senses will explode as you witness a simutlaneous procession of:
- Land based performers and floats utilizing the latest in hand-held lightning creation, bubble creation, and drone take-off and landing
- Sea based fountains and light projections, fire, and characters jumping out of the water (props attached to submarine drones)
- Air based drones carrying lights, lasers, cameras, and large hanging props, some of which take off and land on the parade route in real-time

There are even new ways to interact with the parade for those that find parades less interesting then Epcot's other attractions: guests can control cameras on the parade's air and sea drones for live bird's eye (or fish eye) views at terminals located in Innoventions; or with special purchase(s) you can interact with parts of the land based parade, like buying a lightning stick which a performer can "shock" for you as they walk by, renting/buying a Cavalcade radio so you can hear characters talk directly to you as they walk by, or even having a drone recognize your magic band and fly near you to drop a special confetti surprise.

 

[Pi on my Cake]

Ill also nominate what I think might be one of my favorite, if not my favorite, projects I've ever works on.
The Legacy of Olympus by Team Cap for SYWTBAI season 14.
@TrevorA @kmbmw777 @ThatGuyFromFlorida and your's truly.

Team Cap Presents...

THE LEGACY OF OLYMPUS
by @ThatGuyFromFlorida, @kmbmw777, @Pionmycake, and yours truly.​

---TrevorA

 

[Imagineerland]

I have two other suggestions. Use them if you want, but I understand if you want to stick to the one Indiana Jones project.

First, something that I like that did pretty well, but was a couple years ago so many of you may not have seen it. A design for an Adventureland in a new small park, including a Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. I like this a lot.

http://imagineerland.blogspot.com/2015/06/sydney-summer-adventureland.html

And second, something a little stranger than didn't get much attention, and that I am pretty happy with and proud of. A proposal for a extra ticket Halloween Event for Hollywood Studios. Note that it uses a park design of my own, so its extremely different than what is there and actually being built. This is totally different than what I normally make, but I had an idea and wanted to make it work.

http://imagineerland.blogspot.com/2015/10/halloween-at-dhs-and-halloween-town.html

 

[Daveeeeed]

My all time favorite group project. This one was just a blast, and I love the concepts we created. As a diehard fan of Disneyland Paris, I feel this would work perfectly and stayed true to the vision of the dreamers in all of us.

Year Six : Imagineers and the Half Built Land
Ravenclaw Proudly Presents!!!

There is a dream of the future. Many have seen it. Jules Verne has, so has H.G. Wells, Leonardo da Vinci has too, in fact so many creative minds have seen the future. The have touched the future, and have transformed it in many different ways. Time travel, submarines, airships, subterranean life, these are all dreams of the future those visionaries have touched. We can all be visionaries, we just have to have the imagination to do so. What dream of the future will you touch? It's all there you need just need to find it. Perhaps you need inspiration to be a visionary. Well look no further to Discoveryland, as the inspiration you're looking for is here.



Discoveryland -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/mhv2j5df8zgs8hj/^FD8C3FDC89D60CE01CD418D4A0FA831BE2C8891D51BC436A24^pimgpsh_fullsize_distr.jpg?dl=0
As curious guests leave Main Street USA they encounter Constellations a spectacular store themed around astronomy. Guests soon find the newly opened Journey to the Center of the Earth, an omnimover shooter attraction putting the likes of Buzz Light year Laser Blasters to shame. Also in the ares is Astro Orbiter, Cool Station, Space Mountain, and Aircycle: de la Avenir which is a fast paced ride sending riders around the world. Lastly in the area is Cafe Hyperion and the Hyperion Theater. Within the Hyperion Theater is a whole new IMAX film featuring the Timkeeper known as Un Voyage a Travers le Temps Encore.

In the next area guests can board the Disneyland Railroad, that takes guests around the park. Adjacent to the station is the Magic Eye Theater now showing Dreamfinder and Figment's Skyhigh Adventure. Beneath the railroad guests can find the Edison's and The Turn of Time.

The final area is Coruscant from the famed and beloved Star Wars Universe. Guests can can experience a relocated Jedi Training Academy located within the Ruins of the Jedi Temple. Guests can stop by for a quick bite at Dex's Diner or if they wish for something a bit more elegant that can visit The Emperor's Outlook. In the back of the area there's Star Tours : The Adventure Continues, Flight of the Millenium Falcon; the much beloved Star Wars attraction from Disneyland, and the ultimate Star Wars store in Europe, Star Traders; serving as the gift shop for both rides.

New Attractions -

Spoiler: Journey to the Center of the Earth

Queue -

As guests enter from Discoveryland they enter Lidenbrock Laboratories. News clippings describe the events in the book leading up to now. Guests are being hired as explorers for an excursion back to the center to the earth. Guests eventually reach the location where Professor Lidenbrock is along with his newly created drilling machine.

Professor: Good day, fellow explorers! I am Professor Lidenbrock, and you have all been hired to accompany me to the center of the Earth. Yes you will go ahead of me in your Inner Earth Traveler. I have equipped the vehicle with a stun ray in case you meet any danger. I will follow suit in this machine you see here. If anything were to happen such as a cave in, I will simply drill though it allowing further travel. Well, it's best you off now. Go!

Guests continue through the queue seeing blueprints for their ride vehicle. Throughout the queue are various monitors that show the anatomy of the creatures to be found on the journey. Well all except for one. Guests continue and pass by equipment from the last excursion including the remains of a hastily put together raft. Finally guests reach the loading area.

Ride Stats & Info -

Attraction Type: Omnimover
Vehicle: The Inner Earth Traveler
Theme: Journey to the Center of the Earth
Amount of People per Vehicle: 2
Duration: 6 Minutes
Height Restriction : None
Ticket Rating : D-Ticket

Vehicle Description -

The Inner Earth Traveler will be a repurposed omnimover car from the former Buzz Lightyear attraction. The vehicles will be repainted to be an array of bronzes, silvers, and golds. Invoking a steampunk feel really. The stun rays will be painted a sharp orange. The guns will be detachable, and guests will be able to rotate the vehicle with a joystick in the center. The stun rays will shoot out red laser beams. Guests will be able to hit a red circle target for 100 points, a green square target for 1000 points, a purple diamond for 10,000 points, and a blue triangle for 100,000 points.

Ride Experience -

Room 1: Lava

The vehicle leave the loading area and enter a volcano. The vehicles turn on setting the scores to zero, and allowing guests to stun. All around it will seem as if they were in the middle of a volcano as lava seemingly flows all around the guests truly creating a remarkable beginning. The professor warns the guests that they are now entering the jungles in the center of the earth.

Room 2: Carboniferous

Guests are transferred to a rocky jungle where there are bugs the size of dinosaurs something truly terrifying. All over the room there are Meganisoptera (Giant Dragonflies), Pulmonoscorpius (Giant Scorpions), Arthropleura ( 1 - 7.5 Feet Long Millipede like creatures), and scariest of them all the Dictyoptera the daddy of all cockroaches. Guests will be allowed to stun these giant insects as they threaten to ruin the expedition. Guests will finally reach the largest creature in the room the Arthropleura as it menacigly tries to reach into the vehicles to stop the invaders.

An Attacking Arthropleura

Room 3: The Glowing Plants

Guests escape the giant insects, and enter a cave. Guests can now stun mushrooms, petrified trees, flowers, ivy, and other plant life. When ever a guests stuns the plant life it actually begins to glow until someone else stuns it. As the vehicles careen through the plant ridden cave they come upon another cave opening, and go through it.

Room 4: Mesozoic

As the vehicles leave the safety of the cave they enter a primeval jungle once more. This time however dinosaurs conquer. Guests must stun dinosaurs that may harm the expedition such as tyrannosauruses, spinosauruses, velicoraptors, and many more. As guests proceed trough the room they can even stun pterosaurs in flight. Far off in the background are several prehistoric humans that are supposedly 12 feet long. The vehicles quickly progress into another chamber.

Room 5: Mysterious Creature

The vehicles enter another cave. Guests can stun the skeletons of mastodons and other large skeletons. But it raises the question what could've caused such great beast to die here? The professor chimes in that his detectors have picked up several lifeforms of an unknown species. He presses the explorers to go on. He has just made a grave mistake. As the vehicles continue they encounter a large boulder. Various geysers shout out steam. The boulder begins to turn around, and reveal that it is a monster. As guests continue to stun it, it simply intensifies its angers seemingly invulnerable to the shock of the stun. The professor informs the explorers he is on his way.

Room 6: Disaster

As the vehicles enter a rather large chamber the Professor's drill is on the cave floor with the professor inside the machine. He tells guests to hurry as they have just entered the nesting grounds for that monster. He isn't kidding. Several of the monsters seen before are in the chamber terrorizing whoever who enters. The professor urges the explorers to escape via the tunnel he has constructed with the drill.

Room 7: Escape Tunnel

The vehicles enter a tunnel covered in a projection scrim. Lava is rising endlessly as the monsters are jumping from side to side. The professor allows the stun rays to turn into death rays for the safety of the explorers and the people on the surface. If a guests is able to hit one of the beasts there score will be multiplied by 2. Eventually the vehicles will shoot out of the tunnels, and enter the safety of the laboratory.

Room 8: Laboratory

The last room in the ride tells guests what score they received, and where they rank with their score. The professor thanks the explorers, and tells them that they are welcomed back into the laboratory at any time. The guests are allowed to exit their vehicle, and enter the gift shop.

Spoiler: Aircycle: de la Avenir

French for Aircycle: the Future, this attraction re-model of Autopia combines elements from the Test Track, Tron Light Cycle Run, and a Jules Verne storyline for a new spin on Autopia.

Guests will go into a rusted-over copper building where they see a museum type setting that showcases all of Jules Verne’s ideas and inventions, with the queue winding through giant pages of Verne’s inventions that will start out as sketches and later come to life through projection effects.

Entering the preshow, a copper robot named SIR will introduce to guests one of Jules Verne’s hidden inventions that is now being put to the test : a motorcycle-like contraption called the air-cycle used to fly around the world in record time. SIR explains that the guests will load unto these and race to test which fuels and models are more powerful than others.

After guests go through the preshow, they quickly load unto the air-cycles. The aircycles launch in and out of giant projector rooms with footage used from Soarin’ Around the World. the finale room is racing through giant gold fireworks exploding around Space Mountain, welcoming you back to Discoveryland.

Spoiler: Un Voyage a Travers le Temps Encore

Description

The return of an opening day Disneyland Paris attraction the time keeper. Both characters Time Keeper and Nine Eyes would be found in a new home in the Videopolis Theater. This brand new version of the beloved attraction would be the first randomized 3D movie. The Visionary you would get, the locations and time you take them to are all randomized. The visionaries include Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Walt Disney, Nikola Tesla and Gustave Eiffel. This would bring back an attraction truly made for the French people.

Queue

The line would be weaving through a lab that was maybe once use to build a time machine. It would be located in the once open Videopolis arcade. In turns of lend the line would be about as long as the Laugh Floor queue. Spliced through the line are references to extinction Discoveryland attractions and the visionaries in the show.

Pre-show

The pre show shows the previous time travel excursions. Some of with are failed test and missions. The entire thing quickly turns into a gag real. This would be very funny and set the tone for the show.

Show

The main show is in an IMAX dome theater hosted in the place that once was a stage style show. Out in front is a small stage that host the animatronic pair of Timekeeper and Nine Eyes. Not much dialogues changes from the original to make it easy to clone into America using Robin Williams voice.

Spoiler: Dreamfinder and Figment's Skyhigh Adventure

Queue -

Guests gather in the Gardens of Imagination as they wait to be allowed into the lobby. In the Gardens of Imagination there will be a lot of exotic plant life that seems imaginary. Like the pink puff-puff flowers with cotton as soft as a blanket, or maybe the golden rods flowers made of pure gold. As guests weave they enter the covered part of the queue. Various posters hang on the wall of various famous stage shows starring Figment. As guests continue they are allowed entry into the lobby where they wait for the theater to open. In the lobby guests are able to pick

Show Stats & Info -

This show will feature 3D, water squirters, smellitzers, air blasters, and hydraulics hidden beneath the theater floor. This attraction will be cofunded by Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World, and Disneyland Paris. In Disneyland Paris the show will be shown in English and French. English for half the day and French for the other half.

Attraction Type: 4D Show
Theme: Figment
Amount of People per Showing: 600
Duration: 15 Minutes
Viewers per Hour : 2,400
Viewers per Day : 24,000 - 33,600
Height Restriction : None
Ticket Rating : C-Ticket

Show Synopsis -

A purple curtain covers the screen. An instrumental version of One Little Spark begins to play, and as it does the curtain goes up. The movie begins to countdown from 3. As the instrumental for One Little Spark ends the film starts. Clouds are seen as a large steampunk airship appears. Figment and the Dreamfinder are seen on board. The camera gets closer as viewers find out that they have been called up here by someone named N.M. Wondering aloud who it can be the question is soon answered as a ghastly airship appears with Nightmare aka N.M. appears.

An airship example

She tells Dreamfinder to give up Figment so that she can use his dragon abilities to rule the skies. The begins a battle between the two airships. This leads to comedy as the crews of both ships fight with Imagination Guns (Fart Ray, Rainbow Blaster, Thunder Clapper, etc). Figment occasionally breaks the fourth wall slipping out from the screen and escaping Nightmare's crew. It is an overall light hearted show that ends with Nightmare being defeated by the power of Imagination, and of course a new song sung by Dreamfinder and Figment.

Spoiler: Jedi Training Academy/Star Wars Land

With the re-imagining of Discoveryland Paris and the expansion of a mini Star Wars Land themed to the planet Coruscant, The Jedi Training Academy will be undergoing its own changes. The exterior of the theater will get a facelift and redesigned to more closely resemble the remains of the original Jedi Temple on Coruscant.

The theater set up itself will remain intact, however the backdrop and set will be completely redesigned to take the young potential padawans inside the old Jedi Temple. A replica of the Jedi council chambers will form the basis of the set with an animatronic Yoda playing a part in the experience secretly meeting new Jedi recruits.

With the indoor theater, the “force” effects can still be utilized and cast members will assist Yoda in taking the recruits through the trials of being a Jedi. The finale of the show will still end with Darth Vader discovering the secret training and the padawans will fight him off to escape to continue their training.

Spoiler: Jedi Training Academy/Star Wars Land

To complete its smaller scale Star Wars Land within Discoveryland, a brand new E ticket will be added. The ride will be mimicked after the Millennium Falcon ride going in Disney World Hollywood Studios and DisneyLand. While using the ride vehicle and technology from those parks, the ride itself will be specially themed to Discoveryland’s version of Star Wars Land as you pilot the Falcon in and around Coruscant.

Sent on a fact finding and intel mission you are discovered before your mission is complete. In the opening scenes you’ll need to pilot among trade vessels and the planet defenses to arrive safely at the designated site to proceed. Things will go quickly awry as sentries are alerted to your presence and trigger an all-out planet watch for the Falcon.

You’ll be forced to fly in and out of the planet sized city to fend off the Imperial forces bent on bringing you to Darth Vader. You’ll have plenty of chances to shoot your way out of trouble brining down as many Tie Fighters, and other planet defenses as you can.

Be on the lookout though as Darth Vader is not the only one after you. A certain Hutt has numerous bounty hunters who are alerted to your presence and could also join in the fray.

Ride Data

Height Requirement : 48 in

Duration: 4min

Riders: 5 (2 drivers/scouts and 3 gunners)

Also Star Tours' Queue will have a new entrance in Star Wars Land up from where Star Tours is placed now.

​

Spoiler: The Turn of Time (E-ticket)

Image

The Turn of Time

Designer Ravenclaw Design
Theme Time Travel
Site area Approximately 60,000 sq ft. (5,574 m2)
Vehicle type Suspended enhanced motion vehicle
Vehicles 17
Riders per vehicle 12
Rows 3
Riders per row 4
Riders per hour 2,400
Speed 16 mph (27 km/h)
Sponsor British Airways
Duration Approximately 3:00 Minutes
Height restriction 46 in (117 cm)
Hosted by :
English/French
Hank (George Clooney/Vincent Cassel)

Disney's Fastpass available

Single rider line available[2]

Must transfer from wheelchair
Assistive listening available

Closed captioning available

Ride System

Guests board a Suspended Enhanced Motion Vehicle (SEMV) although thoughtfully designed to appear as steampunk time machines.

Story - Explained in the preshow (The preshow is optional, you can skip it for repeat ridings.)

Host: "You are in Discoveryland, a place where visionaries and dreamers come to together to envision and create the future. Jules Verne, Gustave Eiffel, H.G. Wells, and Thomas Edison came together to discover a way to see the future. The Perception Cannon was created with inspiration from Jules Verne’s Catapult Cannon, so that they can see a future based on their visions of the future, but it only can become a reality in another dimension. Thomas Edison found that Plasma energy could be harnessed by using the Eiffel Tower as an energy point, which is what they needed to power the powerful Perception Cannon. The only problem is once you’re there, you can’t come back, so they brainstormed, and as they always never gave up. They found out that you needed to remain in a metal object for the energy to not dissipate. And that’s why you’re here, to test this new contraption out! I, Hank in case you didn’t know, have recruited all of you for this first time operation, there is no room for failure. Oh and by the way, it flies, they’ve always thought that there’s no point of a vehicle that remains grounded, because they have this new hover technology that uses the Earth’s magnetic field. Anyway back to business. So you are going to go on this ‘time machine’ into a place that only its designers know of with the exception being me. And don’t worry I’ll guide you through the other dimension using um… I think they called it speakers? Good luck!”

Exterior

(This structure in this photo except as part of a building)
The story takes place before you even ride the attraction. Discoveryland as a whole is a place for visionaries and dreamers to build how they see the future, but those that want to dive deep into the future must build a way to see it. And it has been built. The exterior’s design is that of a massive plasma generator for the cannon. It is connected to a fine dining restaurant called Edison’s themed as a 19th century steampunk inspired mess hall turned fine dining.

Queue

You wonder through the heavily detailed queue through walkways between contraptions and parts that make up the generator (Think The Tower of Terror Boiler Rooms with a Steampunk flair and on a significantly larger scale). The preshow is in two different “Elevators” (they are fake) one being English and the other one in French. They’re themed to an elevator taking you thousands of feet below the Earth’s surface under the generator as the power of the Perception Cannon is like no other. Then, once you receive the story from Hank while the elevators simulate going into the Earth (The French Version is George Clooney dubbed by Vincent Cassel) once complete, the elevator doors open, and you proceed down steps to the duel loading area. If you speak French you will be directed to the right side, if you speak English you will be directed to the left side. This marks the first ride that allows for full understanding in two languages without having the languages mixed together.

Ride experience

The vehicles simulate flight, whether turbulence, changes of altitude, or gliding. This works by uses a new form of EMV technology that is suspended. The main difference is the track as it is more similar to a suspended coaster track. The track is also not ever visible to the rider as the vehicles have ceilings, and the loading station has an angled ceiling.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/a2zaxeot5va7qv0/IMG_3294.JPG?dl=0
A – Edison’s (Fine-dining restaurant)
B – Queue
C – Shop and restrooms
D – Load/Unload
E – Perception Cannon
F – Begin flight with turbulence
G – Soaring high above the cities of the future
H – Thunderstorm begins
I – Thunderstorm ends
J – Vehicle goes through future factory
K – In the middle of an airship battle
L – Accelerate to get away
M – Buildings start collapsing from the explosions
N – Panic ensues to get back as it might not even work
O – Back through the Perception Cannon

Ride Vehicle
View attachment 147255

That Concludes it!​

 

[Daveeeeed]

Overall just spectacular work by @Imagineerland. Another perfect way to perfect Disneyland Paris!

Spoiler: Disney's Hollywood Adventure Paris Park Plan

Disney's Hollywood Adventure Paris Park Plan

The Avengers, Iron Man, Spider-man, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Robbin Hood, The Little Mermaid, The Jungle Book, Beauty and the Beast, Toy Story, Ratatouille, Inside Out, Finding Nemo, plus Disney Animation Studios, the Twilight Zone, and classic Hollywood cinema. That' s the outline of this new version of an expansion plan for the current Disney Studios Paris. It's a big lineup that makes this a true top tier movie park.

I posted a version of this plan a year and a half ago, a version that was admittedly under developed. I wanted to leave plenty of expansion area and I had already committed some big properties, including Star Wars, to the Disneyland Park, so the plan was light, and therefore, under received.

Since the result of that post, my plan was to come back with a larger and more ambitious design that includes the full spectrum of the film properties that are in the Disney company. That meant moving Star Wars and Indiana Jones to this park to consolidate the IP heavy hitters and save the Disneyland Park for more original areas. This is a firmly Hollywood IP style park, and should be, so I have no issue using almost completely IPs to create immersive worlds from the best films of the Disney family.

So I decided to structure the park around the big four film families of the company plus a entrance land based on classic Hollywood, all set around a modified hub and spoke that utilizes a good portion of the existing park layout and infrastructure.






Now for the details.

Old Hollywood is the substitute Main Street but is more substantial with multiple attractions. I kept the forecourt, water tower, and Stage 1, which I know many have suggested removing, but I believe it is an effective sequential entry path in this design, and personally think it is necessary to the park.

Stage 1 serves the same purpose as the Train Station by compressing the visual distance at the entrance of the park and creating a series of thresholds and steps to the ultimate experience of the inner park. The problem is that the existing park tries to make it the Train Station, Town Square, and Main Street all in one space, which does not work both because of crowding and density, and just because it does not make sense. If the interior space is not treated so heavily and instead can just be a transition space, really just a tunnel through to the other side, and not somewhere where guests are encouraged to linger, I think it can be a successful step into the real Main Street that I add ahead, and succeeds in blocking the view to the central park from the exterior park.





So the inside of Stage 1 is redressed as a classic golden age Hollywood set in the middle of filming, maybe a 1950's New York street, dressed for the big Singing in the Rain style musical number that is perpetually about to be filmed. The lights are on, the sound is rolling, and we have entered the idea of Hollywood. So now that we are not lingering in here to shop or eat, we move out of the building on the other side and find ourselves back in time in the streets of the ideal Hollywood. We pass under another studio arch, showing that we are now exiting the "studio" and entering the "real city". A roundabout, with Partners in the center, branches left, right, and straight ahead. Realistic city facades surround us, no fake studio style buildings visible except the one we just exited. Imagine the architecture style of Buena Vista Street for all this. The area that is currently just concrete wastelands is planned with streets and plenty of planted areas with trees.

Right is a short street that leads to Pixar Place, with a new large facade with retail on the existing theater and new facades on the current animation building. The Crush's Coaster building that terminates the street is rethemed as a classic aquarium, so the architecture blends into the Hollywood city style.

Straight ahead is the more normal Main Street section, but a little flipped. The current animation building with all new facades becomes exclusively retail as the main "Emporium" of the park. Beyond that on the right, replacing the Green Army Men Parachute ride, is The Brown Derby with outdoor seating looking to the Hub. The left side of the street has a new retail building in front of the Tower of Terror, and a small bakery building in the shadow of the tower. The Hub itself is similar to the traditional, and actually matches the dimensions of the Disneyland Park Paris Hub. The icon is the Chinese Theater, because what else says Hollywood. I mean, except the actual Hollywood letters, but making a hill an icon doesn't really work. I tried.

To the left is the most substantial area of this land with three attractions. Around another larger roundabout is more city facades, including the existing Cinemagic with a new facade and retail and the existing Tower of Terror which absolutely does not get rethemed. Even if the Twilight Zone theme leaves, it stays as a golden age Hollywood story. The new attraction replaces and reuses the Playhouse Disney building to create a modern attraction in the spirit of The Great Movie Ride, similar to what I proposed in my plan for California Adventure. The actual building is a movie theater, much smaller than the Chinese Theater, set for a Hollywood premier. Instead of just a tour through significant films, the attraction has the more interactive goal to put us in the movie making process as the stars of Hollywood instead of just being bystanders. This attraction is on a long term list of attractions to develop in the future. There is also a Red Car Trolley that runs through the land.


Pixar is the least affected of the lands but still gets changes. Like I mentioned, half of the existing Toy Story land is removed so that the Hub and the pathway into the Pixar area can be developed. The path leads to a central generic Pixar open area between the four film specific areas. Adjacent to this area is also a Pixar Cafe counter service location, with the same style as Pixar headquarters, and a meet and greet building and adjacent gazebo at the former animation building. Ratatouille is unchanged.

The Toy Story area extends north and includes three new attractions in the oversized toy world. There is a carousel where guests ride on a large toys, a balloon race style spinner, like Fliks Fliers, and a new big version of Toy Story Mania, set in an oversized board game box. The ride uses the same idea as the existing, but I would like to see a version that combines real sets and triggered effects and the digital game scenes, so that is what I propose here. Digital scenes are interspersed with larger than life toy sets that are filled with triggers and a few animatronic figures of the main characters.

I decided on Inside Out for the last expansion area, replacing the costuming building, and let this be a traditional dark ride through the world of the inner mind, using the train of thought as a ride vehicle.

The Finding Nemo area includes Crush's Coaster redressed and themed as an aquarium, with a larger interior aquarium lobby with limited example exhibits and a version of Turtle Talk.


Across the park, Marvel also reuses a few existing buildings. There are two areas in this land: Stark Expo, which uses Rockin Roller coaster, Armageddon, and the restaurant building, and New York, which is new construction. Thematically, these choices seemed obvious. Because of the extreme variety of characters and locations in the franchise, this needed to be a kind of median space where all the stories could come together, and that seems to often be New York. Coming from the left side of Hollywood, guests come down a promenade between modern and high tech facades on the existing buildings towards a large rotating video sphere at the end of the road, marking the Iron Man exhibit at the Expo. The existing restaurant building stays as a high tech counter service location, and the Armageddon building becomes a technology showcase area, with cool interactive technology games and exhibits about Iron Man and the Avengers. Rockin Roller Coaster is redressed as a Stark flying vehicle prototype attraction. The queue moves through preshows of Tony showing off his suit and the new vehicle we are getting to test and then we board for a flight around the Expo. This is done with both some physical sets that we fly by inside the dark building, and some projections along the side of the track, like in the Tron coaster and Hyperspace Mountain.

The New York area begins at the Hub and leads down a street, also towards the Stark Expo icon sphere. Limited retail on the left and right lead down to the intersection with the New York streets on the right. These are much larger facades to hide the large showbuildings. To the right is a Spider-man dark ride that uses a new or custom system to bring the swinging and height to the adventures of Spider-man. I am thinking something similar to the fabled Pandora's Box ride system that never really happened, where the ride vehicle is able to traverse through scenes both on the ground and up through the air. Spider-man deserves to be able to leave the ground. Across the street is the large Avengers attraction, which is some kind of motion based media attraction and would feature the entire Marvel roster, since this is the premier attraction of the land and the IP. Retail and a snack location or two fill in the facades.


The Lucas Studios land is two areas with two of the most popular stories of all cinema: Indiana Jones and Star Wars. The Star Wars area is a copy of what is coming to the American parks, and the drawing itself is based on my best interpretation of the art. I also included the possible future 3rd attraction, though I do not know what it is.

The Indiana Jones area is a little different that the other Indiana Jones theme park lands. Those are all jungle and temple themed, and those definitely work, but I wanted to try something a little more urban and play into another area that Indy has explored and add variety. I decided on creating a thrilling adventure through the underground catacombs of Rome, so the land is formed of an intersection of history-rich Roman streets and an open hilled park sitting along the crumbling Aurelian Walls, which is the border to Star Wars.

The land begins at the Hub and passes through a bit of a transition to move us from the Hub to Rome. The corridor between the Spider-man and Chinese Theater showbuildings is dressed as a backlot that gently fades into the real treatment of Rome, as if we are stepping onto a set and then into the film. Therefore, along this leg of the path, the facades are a little more fake and there is a Backlot Express counter service location. But turn the corner and it is full Rome, and once you are on this section of the street, the backlot theme is not visible at all.

The main attraction is on the right side, and begins in a historic church. The queue takes us through to the second level of the cloister, modeled on Bramante's Cloister in Rome and then down through the entrance to the ancient ruins below the church, where Indy is exploring for a lost ancient relic. The attraction is a new version of an EMV/water coaster hybrid that I am developing. Expect a post soon. The attraction floats us through a river of the catacombs where we encounter a lost Roman city in ruins, leading to dark ride and coaster portions of the attraction, before a final splashdown drop back into the catacombs river. This concept is based on some real Roman churches that I visited, specifically the Basilica of San Clemente al Laterano which is a 12th century church on top of a 4th century church on top of 1st century Roman ruins that includes a Roman cult temple. Literal layers of history the deeper you go, and somewhere that Indiana Jones would definitely explore.

Across the street is a pizzeria and retail, and the other side is an obelisk and the Roman Forum park, gently sloping up to the massive walls, blocking Star Wars. There is another smaller church building along the park, on the path leading to Star Wars. This is another entrance to the catacombs, but this is more of an exploration walk through attraction where you can explore a little area built under the sloping hill. The final building on the other side of the park holds a fine dining restaurant on the second floor, looking over the land, and an attraction on the ground floor set in an Antiquities museum. This is more of an animatronics and special effects show where we find some mysterious artifacts that Dr. Jones has recently found.


The last land is Walt Disney Studios and is the most diverse. I was a little unsure of how I wanted to go with this and what films to represent. I decided to do a single animation based area because so many of the animated films are already in the other park, and multiple individual areas based on the top live action films. The animation went in the Chinese Theater and attached interior space, which I think is a nice reminder of the central importance of the animated films to the success of the Disney company. Inside the interior land is a interior animated courtyard like the one in DCA, meet and greets, animation studios and interactive classes, and a new 360 degree version of Philharmagic, which uses the CircuMotion theater design.

For the other areas, I had to decide what films to represent. A look at the recent live action releases of the studio that are not Marvel or Lucas shows that the only thing that has shown real success is the live action classic animation films, so that was my direction. This was actually considered last time too, but it wasn't as definite that they were going to have success. I decided to set this up as basically a live action Fantasyland Forest, so the films needed to fit that feel. Also I wanted to do 3-4 lands now and leave room for 2-3 based on what finds success. So my picks: The Jungle Book because of its strong international success, Beauty and the Beast and the Little Mermaid because of their success potential based on how loved the classics are, and for the last slot, I'm making a prediction with Robbin Hood, which is supposed to be in the same vein as Pirates of the Caribbean. I think all of those have the potential to be popular and enough and an interesting enough themed environment to warrant space in the land.

The main entrance from the Hub moves along a long forested path, with the animation building on the left and Toy Story Land on the right. Once past Toy Story, we are in Belle's Village, with her cottage on the left and the village on the right. The cottage is a meet and greet, the village holds a large Gaston's Tavern and retail, and beyond is the Castle sitting on the rocky hill. Paths lead over a stream and through the woods towards the rock entrances to the undergrounds of the castle. Inside is a version of Be Our Guest but in a Ballroom that is even more regal based on the film design, and a large traditional dark ride through the story of the film.

Paths continue to the next area and transition to the jungles of the Jungle Book. This is much more densely vegetated to transport us deep in the jungle. The main attraction is a large classic boat ride through the world of the film, including sets and mixed media scenes. There is also a chain swing ride themed as swinging vines and a retail location inside a ruined temple.

Next, around the bend of the path, is The Little Mermaid area. We cross a bridge and look out over the new lagoon with Eric's castle on the other side. Ahead is a fishing village style area with a full size sailing ship that can be explored. Aside the castle is the entrance into the attraction, which is a "trackless" suspended dark ride like my proposal for UP that is also similar to the Tony Baxter Little Mermaid attraction concept. The ride exits to a large under the sea post show area. Inside the expansion on the showbuilding is Ariel's underwater kingdom with interactive play space, meet and greet, and retail.

Last is the Forest of Nottingham, where guests find a small town square in the woods with a castle looming above. In the town is a Nottingham Tavern that is seedy and mysterious. The castle is the entrance to the ride, which is some kind of large action filled media ride, with carriage ride vehicles that explore the exciting world of Robbin Hood. Back in the forest is a ropes course attraction high above the forest floor. Again, this area is based on a movie that is years away and I can only speculate that it will be successful because of its comparison to the Pirates franchise.

And this area loops back to the Indiana Jones Rome area, completing the park.


There is also a new parade route, which is noted with the red dash on the plan. It is approximately the same length as the castle park routes, matching the Magic Kingdom route closest. It stays in the front half of the park where there are the best defined paths instead of the back area which is too densely vegetated for a parade to really work.

There is also extra room in front of the Chinese Theater for roll out stages like Hollywood Studios has done before. I think this is a better option that a permanent stage.

And finally, for the nightly event, there is infrastructure includes for both projection and limited fireworks. Towers are included in the Hollywood architecture to project on the full Chinese Theater facade and the entire height of the Tower of Terror, creating more space for the show to be seen from. There is a main fireworks launch on the Indy building and smaller side launches behind and to the side as well as to the side of the Tower of Terror. The main launch could handle 3" shells with minimal closed fallout area, basically just part of Rome and the rest would just shoot low level pyro effects that don't require large fallout. If really needed, a large launch site could be located behind the park, past the public space, but night shows are getting lighter on fireworks, so I do not think it is necessary. Low level and projection effects should be enough.


This plan brings the park up to having 29 attractions vs the current 16 or so. Amazingly there are only 7 attractions that are not substantially changed, so it is an addition of 22 attractions. Only 4 see absolutely no change: Tower of Terror, Ratatouille, and the two remaining rides of Toy Story Land. This is alot of change for this park that makes it a real top level themed environment. I am much happier with this plan.


So what do you think about the plan? Did I include the films you wanted? Any suggestions for those last few expansions? Let me know!

 

[Daveeeeed]

And last but not least, is a wonderful post by @MonorailRed in a competition that introduced me to the forums. @BryceM's Master of the Parks!

Spoiler: Tomorrowland Restoration

“A vista into a world of wondrous ideas, signifying man’s achievements….a step into the future, with predictions of constructive things to come. Tomorrow offers new frontiers in science, adventure, and ideals: The Atomic Age, the challenge of outer space, and the hope for a peaceful and unified world.”
-Walt Disney
July 17, 1955
____
I really strived to base Tomorrowland off of this quote. I knew that I wanted to include science, adventure, ideals, outer space, and an idea of a peaceful and unified world.
I also wanted to go back to the basics of Tomorrowland, by asking the question "What is the story of Tomorrowland as of today?" Well, there isn't much, other then it's a land, with futuristic rides. I wanted to change that, making this a total redesign, story-wise and remodel.
The New Tomorrowland Story:
I wanted to make this not only a reflection on what Walt wanted for EPCOT, but also a look into what a child's imagination of what Tomorrowland could be, gone wild. I really wanted to take advantage of the views of the Contemporary Resort in Tomorrowland. So, I wanted to make this story that Tomorrowland isn't just a land, it's a small suburb of a much larger, much more complex area named Progress city.

I wanted to make a story behind this expansion, and what better way to make this story about a familiar character? I decided to work with the father in The Carousel of Progress
Progress City's new Mayor John Elias has been busy at work to make this city of the future the biggest and brightest it can be. His latest projects have been in taking place the suburb area, which he has grown up working and living, Tomorrowland.
"Tomorrowland is receiving a brand new look on the future" John Elias says to the press. "There's been a interesting outlook on what this area could be and what the progression of the future is since I was born in the City!" He adds.
Tomorrowland itself is extremely proud of Progress City's new Mayor, and John's ancestry, so much that a museum of his ancestor’s progression into the future, The Carousel of Progress, is the main event of Tomarrowland's historical museum itself!
John is excited to retire the old Autotopia speedway in the north end of Tomorrowland in place of new, hyperspace travel at the new Progress city rental car center. "This form of travel has been known since the astronauts with Space Mountain travel, but the Progress City Labs have perfected it to a point where you can go from one part of the city to the next in a matter of seconds!" Elias adds, "The Labs have been so well with perfecting this travel I'm working with the community to form their own lab. Right here in Tomorrrowland!"
But the biggest endeavor to this new take on Tomorrowland is the new Downtown district "This new area is very promising, I can't even to begin to say what we have planned! A tribute to Wall-e, Robot Coliseum, entertainment, and the relocation of the Laugh Floor!"
You've heard it here, you humans, aliens, monsters, and robots. A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow is even closer then you think to Tomorrowland's future.
This new theming will make different distinct areas of Tomorrowland. The Community District, The Travel District, and the Downtown District. Each District will have it's own theming, and own unique attractions. Tomorrowland itself will all be tied together with the one thing that will make this land: The Story
The Community District:
This is where you see Laugh Floor and Stitch's Great Escape today. This area will get a new, fresh coat of paint, and different, neon lighting at the top of the buildings opposed to the generator satellite dish type objects you see today on there.

The rock formations at the entrance to Tomorrowland will be taken out and replaced with a Futuristic, gate-like area.
This area is also getting 2 newly themed rides. Cadet Space Training and The Tomorrowland Labs.
Space Cadet Training will be a new, one-of-a-kind ride to Tomorrowland the will Replace Laugh Floor. It will be a Sorain' type ride with Superman Ultimate Flight type seating
This ride will feed into the idea that you in "Flight Training” for Tomorrowland's Security Agency. You are lead by a flying robot like instructor. The trainees start off being launched from Tomorrowland to Planet MMXVI an "Uninhabited" planet for training. There, you and your "Flight team" (other guests) will be dodging asteroids, the planet's lava and geysers. You star to go into a cavern like area for closed space flight tests, when you see this guy. He's not too happy to see you.
Your Robot guide starts to take you outside the cavern as fast as you can, trying to go back to the landing/launching site on the planet. The part of the ride with the most tension is when there is a 3-2-1 countdown for returning to Tomorrowland, and the creature is only a couple feet away from the audience waiting for blast off. When you arrive back to Tomorrowland Landing Site, you are named honorary Space Cadets and as they exit, are told if they have extra time, to help Buzz Lightyear defat Zurg.
With Buzz Lightyear in the same show building, this will make the entire building feel like a Police Department for this building of Tomorrowland.
For a new restaurant theming I wanted to play off of the new Security building in the Community District, so I thought what's more iconic for Police and Security snacks then Coffee and Doughnuts. The Tomorrowland Terrace will be re-themed to a new restaurant, themed as Dane's Intergalactic Doughnut Shop. This new theming will be themed to a futuristic doughnut shop, with unique offerings. Of course, Starbucks will move from the Main Street Bakery and come over here for Coffee and other specialty drink offerings. There will also be sweet classic doughnut offerings, Plain, glazed, powdered, filled, and others like Beignets and Churros. They will also be more unique sweet offerings, like Melon, Green Tea, Cheesecake, and Pineapple Upsidown doughnuts. The real pull here is the savory doughnuts options: The Monte Christo, the Pizza filled doughnut, the corn dog doughnut, Sour cream and Potato, cheese, coffee, and the doughnut burger. You have classic sides to go with it, salads, fries, onion rings, and the unique side: Sweet Doughnut fries with a raspberry dipping sauce. You might also see some Tomorrowland Police Officers to chat with.

The Tomorrowland Labs will totally gut out Stitch and the ride system in it. Even an Expansion of the show building towards the entrance of Tomorrowland. It's a new, original story, tying in with the new Progress City Theme.
The Tomorrowland Labs it an interactive, auido-anametronic show. It first starts out with you picking you own touring team with "Lab assistants", Orange (Intense) or Green (Less Intense). I decided to make them these colors because it's the same colors used for Mission Space, so the guests have less confusion on which colors to pick.
The Main Theme is it will showcase a brand new, tour of the labs. With different experiments and newfound discoveries galore! But when you go into a Main Lab rotunda, a code red appears, something goes wrong and the entrance and exit doors close.
With the green team, you are stuck in the chemist lab section of the Tomorrowland Labs. In a tube full of mixing chemicals, an Alien like monster is made with chemicals that have been released. (You might remember Skippy form Stitch's Great Escape and Alien Encounter…) When you figure out the right button the Lab assistant even says, "He might even make a good pet, I think I'll call him Skippy."

With the Orange Team, you are stuck in the Greenhouse testing facilities, with a plant-like monster created, more fearsome, and to add to the experience, the main lights in the room are turned off, the only one's showing are the Lab's "Emergency Lights". I wanted to make this creature look like a Bat, a bug, a mythical monster, a Venus Fly trap, and a few other plants.

The interesting part of this experience is the host and guests have to find the correct button in the lab with hints from blueprints and other things in the lab to get out. Different buttons cause different things to happen, making this show/attraction different from time to time.
Outside the Labs will be A Lab assistant holding Skippy, an interactive way to make the Labs feel more "immersive". I like to compare it to the Dreamfinder and figment old walkarounds.

Mickey's Startraders will mostly be kept the same merchandise-wise. Nothing new at all except for new merchandise based on Space Cadet Training and the Tomorrowland Labs. But a new ice cream/soda shop will be near the entrance of Startraders called The Lab Fountain.
The story behind it goes that in the first lab in Progress City, the Scientists brought in an ice cream mix, but with nothing to make ice cream, the scientists came up with their own way to eat this delicious treat, liquid nitrogen. Soon, all of Progress City heard about this new ice cream, so much they opened a shop! As the Original in Progress city became more popular, they decided to start a chain with one in Tomorrowland.

The last piece of this district is the Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress. Carousel of Progress will get the TLC it's needed, but it will mostly stay the same. It'll receive a new, indoor, museum-like queue to go with the new Tomorrowland story.

The Travel District:
The one thing that will be putting together the Community and the Travel District is the PeopleMover. I'm going to give it an entirely new signage and a new design on the building. Astro Orbiter will be demolished for a new, neon blue and white light display that'll be the center of attention to Tomorrowland at night. The Launching Pad will also go in favor of a mist station that'll be nice in the summer months.

The Old Skyway building is going to be taken down and replaced by a new attraction, Progress City Car Rental.
Progress City Car Rental will be the solution to replacing Autotopia and a brand new ride. It gives you a car to drive on a track, much like Autotopia, but, sometimes a robotic, interactive GPS takes control of your car and you go on a crazy ride through the city. It'll be a cross between Autotopia, Test Track, and Roger Rabbit ToonCar Spin.

Highlights of this ride include a brand new, completely refurbished model of Walt Disney's vision for EPCOT model, right on the new second floor of the Carousel of Progress. It'll be shown much like the flying over London Scene in Peter Pan's Flight.

The more you keep going into the travel District the more… Apple Product White the buildings get.

The Arcade by Space Mountain turns into a Gift shop for Tomorrowland. The only other real change for this building is that it'll be repainted to an Apple-like white.
Rockettower Plaza Stage will be also getting a new white apple product-like paint.
Space Mountain stays the same, I love the ride, and it’s a classic to me.
The Downtown District:
As mentioned before, Autotopia will be torn down for a brand new downtown part of Tomorrowland for it's new "city" feel. It's going to have a color scheme much like the future City in Meet the Robinsons. But, its buildings will be made of brick. Kind of an old-downtown with a Futuristic Look Fusion.
The Laugh Floor will be moved to the Downtown area, making more sense as a "Downtown Comedy Club"
I also made a "Meet the Robinsons" Themed Gift Shop. The story is the Robinson Industries is having an expo in the newly rented Downtown District space. You'll even be seeing audio animatronic frogs sing on chandlers as you shop.
Also, there will be a free-roving audio-animatronic "Newsie" Robot around this Area, giving out the Tomorrowland Galactic Gazette. The latest new is that Monsters Inc. and Progress City have made a new power deal. If they supply power for Tomorrowland, they can have the new, spacious club downtown.
This means you'll get to see these guys roaming around filling up power stations in various places in Tomorrowland. Also, free-roving audio-animatronics.

I made this the downtown area so the Starlight Cafe could make sense as a "Downtown Eatery" It'll also be given a new coat of Meet the Robinson Paint.
Robot Coliseum will be found on the left side of Cosmic Rays. On the outside, it looks like a regular brick building, on the inside; you'll see a huge stadium. This will be home to the newest show, Robot Wars. The show will be a way to see the basics how robots are made and you can also see them fight firsthand! There will be audio-animatronic robot announcers, who keep track of the action. And with the Announcerbot, they have similar humor to Statler and Waldorf (The Two Old Guys) from the Muppets. The Announcerbot is the host of the show, introducing different wars and explaining different robotic functions.

Lastly, nestled in between the Dumbos and the end of the Building Robot Wars will be a Calm, Wall-e Grotto Area. With it's forest-y feel, this will be a good area that will blend in well for the "in between" part of Fantasyland and Tomorrowland.

 

[Flippin'Flounder]

So many great projects! I'll start with Team World's Yangtze River Expedition from the Creator Games @InfiniteRightEar97 @AdventurerEllie
http://wdwforumschallenge2.weebly.com/

 

[Flippin'Flounder]

Also from TCG1 by @MCParradox

Session One: Seize the Future - Concept Creation Challenge

An Adventure In Time

This attraction sees the building currently housing Stitch's Great Escape returned to its previous role as the Tomorrowland Interplanetary Convention Center, with a new show inside taking inspiration from the original ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter, the now defunct Timekeeper from across the road, and Mission To Mars / Flight To The Moon. The layout of the attraction remains mostly the same, with the two theatres, preshow room and entrance hall remaining roughly the same, with large overhauls to better fit the story. The biggest change of the three is the entrance hall, which has gone from a darkened corridor to the wide open, glass walled Exposition Hall of the Convention Center, with the TTA looking down into the space as it passes. The preshow room is the same structurally as before, only with new colour schemes and designs, and a newly fitted screen behind the central desk. The two theatres have the same seating, but the walls and ceiling have been completely rebuilt to accommodate the new elements required for the show. To better accommodate the new floor to ceiling windows now looking out onto the Avenue of the Planets, the existing Fastpass+ kiosks have been moved to the old extended queue area, while the outdoor portion of the queue now extends up towards Rockettower Plaza, with the existing exit of the ride rerouted to run into Merchant of Venus.

The Show:

The Tomorrowland Interplanetary Convention Center - Exposition Hall:

Guests enter the main exposition hall of the Tomorrowland Interplanetary Convention Center, a large open space with floor to ceiling glass windows on the left, and exposition posters for such events as "Mission to Mars: History or Hoax?" And "XS-Tech Teleportation: Seize the Future" on the right, with planters and benches scattered throughout. The Tomorrowland Transit Authority looks into this hall from above, as guests are ushered into The Professor's booth.

[Above: The Tomorrowland Interplanetary Convention Center Exposition Hall]

The Preshow Stage:

As guests enter, they are greeted by BEN-E, the most advanced robotic simulation of intelligence, who has a quick demonstration of the professor's technology for the guests. He sits at a control panel, and is fumbling with the controls when guests enter. To either side of the control panel sits a time manipulation tube, and within each is an observation robot (SKP-1 and SKP-2), broadcasting a live feed of its vision to a screen behind the control panel. As the robots scan the room, showing the guests' faces on the screen, BEN-E introduces the professor's invention, describing the wondrous things it can achieve. He notes that he has a few destinations already planned out, and sends the two scouts off into the past and the future.

[Above: BEN-E]

With that, the lights dim, both tubes fill with smoke, and electricity flashes in the tubes. When the smoke clears and the lights return to normal, the two robots have disappeared, and their feeds on the screen have gone to static, with time/date indicators over the tubes flashing and changing. The first robot, SKP-1 arrives in the Jurassic period, it's feed displaying tropical foliage and a distant volcano. BEN-E explains that it is scouting around for landing locations, and takes it out to explore, locating a nest of Stegosaurus along the way. BEN-E then realises that the second robot is still moving forward through time, and pulls it out, a lot further into the future than intended. He proudly announces "the future!", but the location SKP-2 has arrived at is a post apocalyptic wasteland, with no living things in sight. The robot sets off to explore, finding nothing but rubble and dust. BEN-E initiates a lifeform scan, and finds a reading directly behind the robot. Turning it around, guests see a quick glimpse of a Morlock, before the feed switches to static.

[Above: Preshow Chamber]

BEN-E panics, and pulls both scouts back into the vortex. The lights flicker off, the tubes fill with smoke, and electricity flashes again. SKP-1 rematerialises intact, and begins scanning the room again. SKP-2, however, has been reduced to a pile of scrap metal, broken and sparking. BEN-E assures the guests that everything will be fine, and ushers them into the theatre.

Main Theatre - The Time Capsule:

As guests enter the time machine's passenger chamber, they see a central vortex induction coil, surrounded by 4 tiers of seats, each with a safety harness. On the walls behind the seats are a series of shutters, behind which lie CircleVision screens, and two large portholes on either side of the chamber. Below these screens are various vents, displays and machines, and above the guests heads are a series of supporting vaults. Between each vault is a metal mesh screen, above which are assorted pipes and tubes, and a maintenance catwalk. BEN-E appears on screens surrounding the top of the vortex induction coil, and encourages guests to move around the rows and fill every available seat. Once guests are seated, the harnesses lower onto their shoulders, the main lights are dimmed, and a series of spotlights illuminate the coil.

[Above: The Time Capsule]

BEN-E informs guests that they will first be visiting the Jurassic period, and that the scout robot has located a suitable landing site. He flicks a few switches on his panel, and the machine whirs into life. Lights flicker and fluctuate on the various pieces of machinery around the room, and the vortex induction coil begins to glow blue, as the containment tube fills with smoke. Electricity courses through the tube and the supporting ceiling vaults, and guests' seats rumble as time/date indicators tumble backwards rapidly. BEN-E suddenly realises that he forgot to compensate for the additional passengers, and boosts the power, inadvertently sending the chamber back too far. He opens the shutters, and the CircleVision screens show a fiery, molten world outside as the chamber begins to heat up. The guests have ended up at the birth of the planet, and BEN-E quickly attempts to send them forwards again.

[Above: The Time Capsule, In The Vortex]

When the shutters reopen, the environment outside is a lush, prehistoric jungle, with numerous animals flying over the capsule. A T-Rex is spotted a few metres away, and seems to be looking right at the capsule. BEN-E assures the guests that it can't see them, as the transpari-phase system is activated. Nevertheless, the T-Rex begins pacing towards the capsule, while an eye appears just outside the opposite porthole. With an ear-splitting roar, the chamber shakes and creaks, and smoke starts to pour out of one of the vents. BEN-E reactivates the machine, leaving the shutters open as it enters the vortex.

With the transpari-phase system functional again, BEN-E informs the guests that they are heading somewhere "more civilised", and they materialise at the Paris 1889 Exposition Universelle. They arrive a few years early, and BEN-E moves them forward 'slowly', so they can watch the Eiffel Tower being constructed outside. After watching Paris develop a little, they move to the 1964/65 New York World's Fair, and then EPCOT Center, watching both grow and develop around them, before BEN-E takes the guests into the future.

Unfortunately, BEN-E has loaded up the time co-ordinates from the second scout, and the capsule arrives in the post apocalyptic distant future. As the machine phases in, it begins to malfunction. The landing was not properly planned out, and so the machine phases into the same space occupied by a Morlock nest. Sparks fly, lights flicker, and the room begins to fill with smoke. A Morlock phases into the vortex induction coil containment tube, a few ceiling panels fall, allowing loose pipes and wires to dangle above guests' heads, and the lights go out completely. BEN-E is panicking, making a lot of noise and getting nothing done, while Morlocks roam the capsule. Binaural sounds, misters, warm air, water spray, seat vibration, and restraint motion all combine to create the illusion that the Morlocks are really there, while the occasional flash of light reveals one hanging onto the ceiling snarling at guests, or standing on the broken containment tube. Eventually, BEN-E gets the power working again, and pulls the capsule back into the vortex. The electricity flashing around the room catches the Morlocks, and they begin to screech until it causes them to explode, showering the guests with blood (water).

[Above: The Time Capsule, Crashed]

[Above: Development for Morlock]

The capsule arrives back in Central Florida, and the view out of the windows shows a fully functional Tomorrowland city, with the TTA and monorail whizzing around, and Space Mountain and the Astro Orbiter visible in the distance. The Tomorrowland Interplanetary Convention Center is being constructed around the guests, and once complete, the capsule lands with a thud, and the lights flicker back on. The smoke begins to clear, and BEN-E lifts the restraints, wishing guests a happy trip onwards, and pleading them not to mention the "little detour". As guests leave the theatre, he can be heard muttering about how much this will cost to fix, and how much work he will have to put into it.

[Above: The Time Capsule, In The Future]

Exiting the theatre, guests will now enter either Mickey's Star Trader's or Merchant of Venus, depending on which theatre they entered, both of which now stock items based on the experience, and the characters of BEN-E and the Morlocks.

References and Easter Eggs:

Throughout the experience, there are many references to previous attractions. Firstly, when you enter the main Exposition Hall, there are posters on the wall advertising "Mission to Mars: History or Hoax?" and "XS-Tech Teleportation: Seize The Future", referencing Mission to Mars and ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter, respectively. Then, BEN-E refers to himself as "the most advanced robotic simulation of intelligence, a reference to SIR, who hosted the preshow for Alien Encounter. The two scout robots in the preshow are named SKP-1 and SKP-2, in tribute to Skippy, who appeared in the two tubes in both preceding versions of the show. Finally, throughout the experience, many pipes, tubes, displays and panels are labelled with the following codes:

• CL-NCH
• LC-C
• SP-LK
• Fe-MS
• GN-2
• X-STK
• ST-CH
• L1-L0
• M2M-75
• F2-TM-71
• AIT-16

See if you can work out what these reference for yourselves!

Realism:

The whole experience was designed to be something that Disney would realistically build, as opposed to a fantastic pipedream that has no chance of ever happening. Therefore, the layout was kept roughly the same, with only minor structural changes, and many show elements were retained from previous iterations of the attraction. The biggest structural change is the new glass wall for the Exposition Hall, followed by the new wall and ceiling structure for the two theatres. The preshow area is kept the same structurally, with a new copper and brass colour scheme to better fit the new story, a few new props, and a new TV monitor installed behind the control panel to display the two scout robots' feeds. BEN-E is a repurposed SIR / Sergeant 90210 animatronic, featuring a new head and body panelling.

Inside the theatre, the seating is the same, with enhanced effects and a new colour scheme. The teleportation tube now contains the vortex induction coil, and has a space at the base of the tube for the Morlock animatronic to rise from, along with another section of coil. This Morlock animatronic is a repurposed Stitch animatronic, and the Morlock hanging from the capsule ceiling is a newly built version of the same model, mounted onto a system whereby it can be swiftly lowered into and raised out of the theatre, allowing it to appear to scuttle around the ceiling vaults. The walls and ceiling of this theatre have been completely rebuilt to accommodate all of the assorted machinery, vents, ceiling vaults and panels, pipes and tubing, and the CircleVision screens and portholes necessary for the new story.

Technical Specification:

Preshow length: 5 minutes
Main show length: 12 minutes
Load / unload: 3 minutes
Theatre capacity: 162
Theoretical hourly capacity: 1296
Fastpass+: No
Ticket rating: C-Ticket
Height restriction: 40in (101cm)
Notice: This attraction may be too scary for young audiences

Other Notes:

The attraction would be the launching point for a return to the New Tomorrowland update that launched Alien Encounter, with the TTA now referencing buildings such as the Tomorrowland Interplanetary Convention Center, Tomorrowland Metropolis Science Center, and Rockettower Plaza again. This would provide a cohesive overall story to the area, and remove all of the characters and IPs that don't really belong in a futuristic spaceport city such as Tomorrowland.

If you want to see all of the development images for this project in one place, follow this link to the Imgur album: http://imgur.com/a/rGupq