Planet

[Jr Imagineer]

I have been thinking about this park for about a year now. The idea is loosely based on the idea that extraterrestrial life has some relation to life here on earth. The pyramids have been my primary focus of attention. Some believe these structures have been created by life on another planet, and a film that I find really interesting and related to this topic is Stargate. I have started out with this somewhat simple idea and concieved the beginning stage of the park. In the middle of nowhere (or what seems to be nowhere) will be a building, nothing elaborate, in fact as simple and as boring as possible. The building will read "Interplanetary Research Center". Guests will not really know they are entering into a theme park, obviously they will pass through ticket booths and gates, etc but after that they will enter into a building. The building will reflect a simple office building, where there is a food court that serves breakfast and lunch only, a place to buy film and pre-park merchandise, guest services and everything. As the guests stroll down the hall they turn the corner and see the entrance into a hangar of some kind. They enter the hangar where they see 3 floors of space ships waiting to take off. The guests are briefed before they enter the ships and recieve a handbook which is like a park map, but includes more information such as language, identification of creatures, etc. (I would really like to hear some feedback on ideas to why the guests must travel to the other planet, it has been one of the hardest things to think of, I am more of a visual thinker so thats why I focus more on the movement of the guests and the environment they are in instead of the why) They enter the ships, sit like it was an army plane or something and they were all ready to jump out with their parachutes. The vehicle will move through a garage door type thing and into another room where the door will close behind them. The vehicle is a motion simulator and in that room it will undergo its transportation from earth to a planet, a structure is recognized on the planet that seems like a docking station so the ship lands and when the doors of the ship open the guests are in a completely different world and kind of oversee the entire park from their docking station. They then board some type of elevator system and are brought underground and exit into the park. I have some other ideas for the park, but I haven't really focused on them yet. The important thing was to have guests go from something unspectacular to something incredibly spectacular. Also I want them to feel as if they are actually some place different and it is incredibly important that they believe it.

Any ideas, suggestions, additions, drawings, etc are more than appreciated, im sure all of Disney's parks were not designed by one person.

Thank You




Here is a conceptual painting of the entrance.

 

[Mikejakester]

Nice

Very nice idea, something different. But there are a few draw backs... Your motion simulator is "The monorail or the ferry boat of MK" If you don't get in one of those you don't get into the park, though making the simulation with low key movement and excitement and trill rating low due to the handicap ppl that go to the park, or another solution for this is to have a handicap walk way in which you can skip the simulator and enter the park, which after a while ppl or gonna want to use that walk way to skip the simulation do to the fact that they already saw it and that usually simulator are slow loaders making them do the first long Queue line without still been able to enter the park. It's a really good idea though, it will be something like that in Sea world's: Wild Arctic in which you take a helicopter simulation ride to Antarctica, enter thru doors that close after you, experience the simulation and the doors in the opposite side of those in which you came open and fall into Antarctica, and your able to see the polar bears and whales and so on... There is another concept very similar to yours, you enter a motion simulator in a journey to another planet, but the only difference is you have to have reservations for it, It's a restaurant in New York, I think it's called mars. once you get to your destination your greeted by aliens which are your waiters for the evening. But from my point of view this whole planet concept would fill in really well as an island. Meaning Part of a park. Like islands of adventure. I don't know, that just ran through my mind right now, it might be better to have it as part of a park instead of having the concept Planet as a whole park, it will be easier and leaving you with more ride and theme options for that park but other than that, it's really good imagination running wild.

Ohh and the people might want to get in the spaceships because there has been a plague of an alien virus that has spread around, and the earth needs immediate evacuation, the only way to survive this plague is by leaving everything behind, your key of survival, the spaceship ticket (which is the park ticket) while buying the ticket maybe you can have like actors around as guides showing you to the ticket both in a dramatically way, like "hurry this way please, there is little time left!!" and after buying the ticket instead of saying have a nice day it would be like "have a save trip, may God be with you" or something to make the ppl feel the drama of what's going on. Something else nice would be the trolley ride from the parking lot to the entrance... another dramatic actor would go nice there. But let me tell you.... children would be terrified by all this commotion.

 

[Seano846]

Will they be taking off for Pluto?

 

[Mikejakester]

Poor pluto...

Maybe we could...who knows...Honey I shrunk the guest and are are somewhere in pluto...then they could intereact with lice and Dog stuff....
uhmmm NAAAAH!

besides pluto has no atmosphere...

 

[wagner92]

Hey, I love reading about other theme parks, but the problem is that there is no HOOK. You have to make people CARE. While I understand that it is part of your theming, it still doesn't work. I recall what an imagineer told me once, if they aren't hooked by the first step into the park then its a pile o' crap. Nice painting.

 

[Seano846]

Re: Poor pluto...

Originally posted by Mikejakester
Maybe we could...who knows...Honey I shrunk the guest and are are somewhere in pluto...then they could intereact with lice and Dog stuff....
uhmmm NAAAAH!

besides pluto has no atmosphere...

As long as it's not Uranus

 

[Mikejakester]

LOL

True true true....

but the problem is that there is no HOOK. You have to make people CARE. While I understand that it is part of your theming, it still doesn't work.

explain yourself,

what would be the hook? what does not work?

 

[Mikejakester]

What would be your first Step?

So tell me what would be your wonderfull first step in shadowlands?

 

[wagner92]

Hey Mike, isn't this a discussion of Planet, not Shadowlands? But since you asked, I'll answer, but in the future, use my Shadowlands page... ok? Like I said, the idea is good, but what kid dreams of going to Planet? What I'm trying to say is there is no hook... the Magic Kingdom draws you in with the Main Street USA and the visible Cinderella's castle. Epcot has the golf ball. MGM, which is my favorite park by far, has the great art deco and art noveau styling of the golden days of hollywood, and the Mann's Theatre at the end of the street. Additionally, Twilight Tower is visible from anywhere. I haven't been to Animal Kingdom, but they have the tree and Oasis. My Shadowlands has run-down buildings, sort of like a haunted street, but I do admit it is the least developed part of the park... it would be a short street. However my HOOK is across the lake with Chernabog coming out of the mountain... in front of Mythic Island. Seeing as how the whole thing would be about as tall or taller than the Twilight Tower, it's a heck of a hook. What needs to be done with Planet is to create an icon or landmark that can be easily recognized as being Planet. Just look at the tickets... Magic Kingdom is the castle, Epcot is the ball, MGM is the eariffel tower, Animal Kingdom is the tree... (and Shadowlands is Chernabog/Bald Mountain) And the front of the park needs work... It's not exciting enough... All and I mean all of the park entrances.. including the water parks are very open and immediately give a sense of the scope and scale and theming of the park. But its a good start.

 

[Jr Imagineer]

There is an Icon, it's a Pyramid.

Although it can't be seen from the entrance, the park is oriented much like Animal Kingdom where when you do finally see the icon you are in complete awe. AK I think is the best designed "park" so far.

 

[wagner92]

Well, I will reserve judgement on AK until they finish at least half of the park! It is the most uncompleted park that has ever opened in the history of WDW. You know, I do share your fascination about the Atlantis, Egypt connection... have you read the books on the connection between Atlantis, Egypt, Mayans, Incas, Angkor Wat... let me know if you want to... it's fascinating stuff. May I make another suggestion.... cut the park in half.. and don't call it a park... call it something like an interactive adventure... like Discovery Cove... and have guests try to figure out the secret behind the pyramid.... and the connections... have them push buttons and stuff and be rewarded by the secret location to a ride that would teach them more about The Secret... and if a guest solved The Secret, they could win stuff... it would be ultra-exclusive and hard to make money off of, but who cares.

 

[Chad]

Hey, this Idea is great! As soon as I read it I started thinking of stuff! Here's some thoughts on it. Kids LOVE outer space, the majority of them love rockets and stuff. This is what I Think. Don't let any of the guests see the rest of the theme park. When you first enter animal kingdom, you see nothing. You can't see the tree or anything, all you see is bushes and the entrance turnstiles. Make yours similar. Make the building on the side of a large hill that blocks the rest of the park behind it, make it seem like the only thing visible is this lab or research center. Have big SETI styled sattelite dishes on the top, and on the side, hows this for a hook, A mock space shuttle, maybe even a little futuristic styled (like the XTS shuttles for Mission Space) Ready for launch, complete with smoke flashing lights, and even occasional mission launch updates that can be heard throught the entry area. (Mission Control, this shuttle maintenance, all systems are go.) And why not make it a little spectacular? From the entrance into this facility, none of the guests KNOW whats beyond this research center, leave little foreshadowing hints. I see things like MIB, have an area with AA aliens in research centers, sort of like an 'Alien zoo' as a side attraction here. And why restrict yourself to ONE planet? The Motion simulator is something I don't think is too good of an Idea...Alot of people get sick on motion simulators, and repeat visitors would get very tired of them.

Here's my Idea. Hand out the manuals, and have the premise that you were chosen as the first visitors to these newly discovered planets. Sorta like Sally ride (I think that was her name, the teacher that went up in the challenger?).
And inside the facility, there would be a big round room, Maybe named the 'Transport Nexus' with three Portals that you would step trhough, these could actually look alot like the Stargate, and thye would be tunnels that you could walk through. Imagine all the neat special effects you could use in these tunnels!! Anyways, I'm seeing three different planets, but you guys can correct me. I see the egypt one, an Atlantis one, and an easter island one. And then, to get from planet to planet, each planet could have another transport tunnel it....How does that sound? I would love to team up with you and help develop some of these ideas, because it sounds GREAT

 

[StarscreamLSU]

Sally Ride was the first woman in space

Kristen McCalluha (at least I think that was her name) was the teacher who died in the Challenger


Anyway, I also like this idea - especially with Chad's additions. It would be funny to have an 'redneck' area...I mean, after all who usually gets abducted anyway? So what if what people knew of humans came strictly from Bubba and the boys?

 

[Jr Imagineer]

Thanks for the ideas!!! They are AWESOME!!

 

[wagner92]

This is definitely not a traditional theme park. So perhaps it shouldn't have rides in the sense that we all think of rides. It should be more like an interactive adventure. Almost like a video game that came to life. But not really like that. There would be puzzles and the sort. Rewards could be rides... Something like that.

 

[Chad]

When i thought about this park, i thought it should have a combination of the two. Have these amazing intereactive adventures that take a good hour to complete, but have traditional rides aswell as something to do between the interactive fun, giving it an even balance.

 

[Jr Imagineer]

Ya I was thinking of having it like that, I want guests to feel like they are one of the first human guests of this planet (or planets). All they will recieve is a small geographical and maybe some cultural information about the planet in say a video and be given a guide book where they would have to decode words and phrases written in an alien language. Realism and believeability is the strongest part of this theme park. Thrills and adrenaline rushes come second. I believe strongly that the sensations one feels within a park are a direct result of how much they believe they are some place different than the world outside the park walls.

 

[Chad]

Yes, that is very understandable...

One Idea for an attraction that I wanted to discuss with you would be similar to Posidians fury, in a way. Iw ould be like a giant scavenger hunt, that would involve a guide, a group of about 15 people, and huge amount of space. I figured something like this could go into the pyramids you were talking about.
Let me explain:

Bascially, you would be touring the pyramid, when your guide stumbles upon a secret door, which of course, you all would walk into, an alien 'security system' would lock the door, in the middle would be a console, with holes in it, and directions that the guests would have to translate, it would read somethign like,"Activate using power crystals, secrets of the stars will be revealed' I know that sounds cheesy, but I'm no writer...Anyway, the rest of the 'ride' would be you going from room to room, solving puzzles, and when you solve it, you would rewarded with one of the crystals, and some AMAZING special effects, lazers, explosions, floating stuff, holograms...at the end, when you finally get them all, with some help from your guide, you would re enter the room, (it would actually be a different room, just modeled the same) all the crystals would be put into the console, and then the room would go pitch black, the walls, the console everything would disspaear, and you would be in a room were everything a screen, the walls, the roof, the floor, everything, and you would soar through the universe, witnessing the creation of earth (stuff similar to Mission to Mars) then at the end, the room would be restored and you would be able to exit. Thats the one I've come up with, But this would be one of those arttractions guests would only go on once,thats why the need for other attractions would be evident, because repeat visitors are important

 

[goofy]

Great Idea

The story you follow is

Its Years in the future and the Moon has been colonised. All these peolpe goin to the park are commuting to the moon for work or somethin. The enter the Moon Dispatch building and once in that building u go down into the ground. You then bored a futuristic Monorail (like an underground Monorail) This monorail usualy takes u to the moon. It drives along the track for a bit and then enters a room where it seems ther is no way out. This is the teleportatoin room. The room goes dark lights flash and then the lights come on (the tunnel u entered through has been closed of and a new tunnel has opened) The train drives off again when it emerges from the tunnel the train arrives at a station. There is then a voice which comes on telling u there was a problem that the co-ordinates must have been wrong and u have arived at some unidentified planet. (the teleportation system is similar to the star gate and there could be similar statoins all over the universe which are undiscovered) (i am all rady thinking of future parks)

Anyway the train comes to a stop u r told to stay calm. But then a cast member (who is dressed as a member of the public) says somethin that like "no way am i stayin here to be found by creatures am goin to find the creatures b4 they find me" he brakes through the door (or makes it look like he does) and runs off into the park. The rest of the people then leave the train and go off to explore the planet (park)



Thats wat i came up with to get u there as for wat is there wen u get there havent thought of that but i think u need rides and lots of them coasters and gentle rides.


Something which i dont seem mentoned is your exit from the park.

Basicaly here all u do is enter another staoin and bored your broken train. The would be hero has taken charge of the train and shouts "get on board and lets get the hell out of here" (similar words but no hell as their will be kids) The train then slowly judders forward enters the dark room. Room goes dark lights flash u leave through another tunnel and u are bak at the begining


I think that idea seems good but ypur opinion maybe different

 

[Chad]

When I thought about it, I wantd there to be a human factor. Your idea seems more like a ride then an entire theme park. What are you gonna do for shops? For resteraunts? If it's and uncharted distant planet, are they gonna have restrooms? You would run into a big problem trying to theme these in convincingly. I think it would be better if it was like an archealogical outpost on this unknown planet thst you arrive at...It wqould also give the guests a false sense of security