Flippin'Flounder
Well-Known Member
These 2 projects are from the same week of TSI2, and went on to inspire Xanadu, the aforementioned greatest project of all time! @IDInstitute @JokersWild @TheOriginalTiki @IAmNotAHufflepuff @Matt7187 @WDW Guru @englanddg for Blairozah and @tcool123 @MonorailRed @spacemt354 @Flippin'Flounder @Ranky64 @Sam4D23 for Lassetoki!
Episode 2 Immunity Challenge: Downtown Do-Over
Disney's Boomtown!
For this challenge, we at the Blairozah tribe were asked to come up with a complete top to bottom do over of Downtown Disney at the Disneyland Resort. By far the most challenging part of the prompt was coming up with the backstory that was asked for by our gracious Jeff Probst impersonator.
After floating around many different ideas for centering the theme around different real California towns, we decided to go with the idea of a fictionalized town affected by the Gold Rush and how it's affected by modern day sensibilities. The theme of the Gold Rush is something that's surprisingly glossed over in California Adventure, with only a passing mention along historical plaques of the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail to show for its existence among the state's history.
Disney's Boomtown hopes to bring the age of the gold rush to a modern context in an ambitious new way as the most detailed and thematic "Downtown Disney" type area ever designed.
Backstory
The fictional town of Carmel Canyon, California was once a small mining community that literally struck gold as one of the biggest hot spots during the California Gold Rush in the Southern region of the state.
A huge economic boom hit the town and what was once a very small and desolate area became ripe with development and expansion. Disney's Boomtown is an idealized version of an old west mining town, with a modern twist of being surrounded by urban development.
Historical mines and oil rigs will visually go hand in hand with an urbanized hip downtown environment to create a unique flowing atmosphere filled with hidden Disney touches and treasures. The shopping and dining establishments located within Disney's Boomtown will all take on a centralized theme and ascetic approach.
The sides of the Grand Californian Hotel will be painted over in a layer resembling the Spanish Pueblo style. A forced perspective "canyon" wall showbuilding complete with mine carts and tunnels will be constructed on the west side of the area to give Disney's Boomtown a complete sense of immersion into the theme and storyline.
Keeping in line with the project requirements, we kept the same amount of retailers at 38, with upgraded experiences while keeping realistic. This list includes:
Restaurants
Retail
- Adventurer's Club
- Ben and Jerry's
- Boom Asian Fusion
- Boom Asian Fusion Outdoor Bar
- Boomtown Putt Putt Ice Cream
- Comida Comoda
- Golden Nugget Candy Corner and Soda Shop
- Naples Ristorante e Pizzeria
- Pacific Coast Bakery
- Senor Martes
- Starbucks Coffee
- Sundance Sandwich Shoppe
- The Wine Cellar
- "The Winery" by The Wine Cellar
- T-Rex Cafe
- AMC Theater
- Arribas brothers
- Art of Shaving
- Barnes & Nobles
- Boomtown Putt Putt Mini Golf
- Carmel Canyon T-Shirt Exposition
- Chaple Hats
- Cirque du Sundance
- Cirque du Sundance Boutique
- Disney's Character Workshop
- Disney's Pin Traders
- Fit2Run
- Gamestop
- Gold Touch Jewelers
- Movie Magic Memorabilia
- Munson's Chocolates
- PacSun
- Pandora
- Silver Springs Marketplace
- Solstice Sunglasses
- The Miners' Curios
- Uncle Grizzly's Toy Chest
- World of Disney
Now, for a look at how all of these new additions/replacements will fit into place in the current Downtown Disney, we invite you to explore our interactive map by clicking this link!
All in all, with the new theme, story, and thought that all went into this new shopping district, Disney's Boomtown is undoubtedly the best and most "Disney feeling" of the Downtown Disney districts around the globe. Thanks for reading, y'all come back real soon now!
In the early 1960s, Imagineers were hard at work building Walt Disney's Mystic Historical District of Disneyland, a new prototype community for all ages to live and discover. With a Disney touch, this was supposed to be a "test phase" for an early living community sponsored by Disney, only admitted exclusively for Club 33 members. This area included clubs, shopping, restaurants and entertainment.
However, during construction of the Mystic Historical District of Disneyland, an idol was stolen from the Jungle Cruise and construction was abandoned for decades because people thought the land was cursed. However, recently, the idol has been returned, but the concept of Mystic Historical District for Disneyland has long past and the jungles of Adventureland have consumed it.
Nevertheless, the Mystic Historical District would serve as inspiration for the creation of a new Disney "attraction." Based on the original plan of designing a prototype community, a modern contemporary "city" was built in conjunction with the Mystic Historical District. The community would be called Disney Commons - providing shopping, dining, and entertainment to people of all ages at the Disneyland Resort. The Disney Commons has all the amenities and areas you would find in an American city with a distinct Disney flare. Shop till you drop on Disney Avenue, catch a movie in the Theater District, gaze at the wonders of Chinatown, dine in the elegant Little Italy, show your athletic prowess at the Sports District, or explore the treasures within the Mystic Historical District.
It's all waiting for you at the Disney Commons....see you there!
http://lassetoki.wix.com/downtownchallenge2