The Sole Imagineer Season 2: Redemption Island

tcool123

Well-Known Member
Episode 1: Reward Challenge
A Totally New Tower

twilight-zone-tower-of-terror-00.jpg


Backstory -
An aristocrat named Nadir reining from Morocco came to America. Seeing the possibilities in America he decided to open a business, and he had heard of a land where magic is real. He ventured to California, and bought a large plot of land on Sunset Boulevard. He decided to build an astounding hotel that represents his home country that he misses, but at the same time it would blend in with the surroundings of Sunset Boulevard. Construction commenced immediately on this new hotel. However while Nadir was wealthy he was extremely greedy so he wanted the hotel done on the cheap, and the best way to save money was to sacrifice the quality of the elevators.

Without further ado the hotel opened in 1939. A large party was hosted on the stormy opening night. Nadir invited plenty of stars, and many attended. As the party ended the guests were all escorted to the rooms. When a family entered an elevator to their room they were met with a quick rest. The news quickly got out how on opening night an elevator had already failed, and crashed all the way to the basement. Depressed Nadir rode an elevator to his penthouse on the 13th floor, and lighting struck. Lets just say he got his just desert.

Many years have passed, and the hotel has once again mysteriously opened just as it had been left. Many skeptics had a fear of this hotel, and to dissolve this fear the famous Detective Knoetal was hired. Now join him as his assistants as the mysteries of the forgotten Hollywood Tower Hotel are revealed.

Queue -
Guests line up, and go through a garden that has been untouched. Then through a lobby with layers of dust and cobwebs. From here guests will enter a library. The doors will close behind them as the last guest is admitted in. Various artifacts from North Africa are scattered throughout the room. The television flickers to life as a commercial for Detective Knoetal's Office is played with a mysterious and ominous jingle with it. After the quick commercial Dectective Knoetal comes on screen.

Knoetal (with an English accent) : Well, hello there! You must all be my new assistants on my newly taken case. I was hired to investigate the mysteries of The Hollywood Tower Hotel, and it is so great to see you. My last assistants have mysteriously gone missing in the Bahamas, or at least that is what there note left for me said. So sad to see them missing they were jolly old chaps. Now back to the case at hand we seem to be trapped in here, but I am sure there is a way out.

A shadowy figure appears behind Knoetal as it pushes down a vase's shadow. This causes the vase to fall and shatter. Knoetal jumps back in fear as he lets out a girlish scream.

John-Morey-nosferatu.jpg


Knoetal : None of you have heard that scream from me. It came from that lovely mam in the back. Now that the vase has fallen it seems to me that it was a hiding a secret button.

Knoetal pushes the button as a bookcase behind begins to move. Paralleling that a book case behind guests begins to slowly move screeching as it does.

Knoetall : That will do. You'll shall go through that secret entrance while I go through mine. I hope to see you all in person soon. Head to the elevators, and I shall meet you at the 13th floor location of the penthouse. Just remember if you happen to cross a supernatural forget it, it's all a vision.

As guests leave the library they enter the boiler room unchanged, and board their elevators.

Ride Experience -

As their elevators go up their shaft they come to a screeching halt. The elevator doors open wide to an empty hallway. The temperature in the elevator quickly goes down, as ominous music plays, and the lights flicker all off. The family who died in an elevator appear. A little girl beckons you to join them. Just as quickly as they all appeared they disappear leaving guests with an unsettling smirk. Electricity soon covers all the walls sending off sparks. The hallway turns pitch black as the same mysterious shadow appears blocking out the moonlight from the windows.

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The elevators lurch upward again. The elevators stop on the thirteenth floor. Electricity once again covers the walls as the elevators float out of the shaft. As they do eerie music plays in the background as a quiet mysterious voice speaks the word "closer" multiple times. Guests will pass by Knoetal pale as a ghost, and behind him the mysterious shadow sneaks up on him. The shadow chokes Knoetal's shadow. Knoetal lets out a gasp out of pain as the elevators turn away. Guests are unaware of his fate or theirs. The mysterious shadow finally appears, and a face soon forms to reveal that it is the ghost of Nadir. He gives the guests a sinister smile as he tells the guests to join him, and he follows with a blood curdling laugh.

The elevator now drops randomly every time. The elevator crashes into the ground. Electricity sparkles back to life once more. Knoetal appears once more.

Knoetal : Don't tell anyone. They'll think your crazy. You'll be put in asylum. Forget what you saw, and return to your lives.

Changes -
- The Tip Top Club Proudly Presenting Charlie Crooner (Replaces Tip-Top club Proudly Presenting Anthony Fremont)
- Map of Berber’s Caravan Route (Replaces To Serve Man Book)
- Letters to Barnabas T. Bullion and Nadir (Replaces Letters to Victoria West and Rod Serling)
- Various Books from Authors from North Africa (Replaces Twilight Zone Manuscripts in Library)
- Moroccan Vase (Replaces The Mystic Sheer)
- Moroccan Set of Plates (Replaces Miniature Space Man)
- Removal of All Twilight Zone References not Mentioned above. Except the trumpet and the glasses as they're more generic.

Realism -
First off the exterior of the Tower of Terror will not change one bit as in my opinion it's great as it is now. The queue will also not change except for the changes I had mentioned above. By keeping everything relatively the same it saves Disney a lot of money that could be used to fix parts of the park that actually need help, or build new rides. Also by having little to no changes this allows for a smaller amount of downtime which is very good for a park that currently only has five rides, and by this happens seven more since Star Wars Land is rumored for 2020. The Tower of Terror will close for refurbishment in mid February 2019, and will reopen in mid May 2019.

Thank you for Reading!​
 

TheOriginalTiki

Well-Known Member
TheOriginalTiki Presents:
The Hollywood Heights
A New Tower of Terror

For this first reward challenge we were asked to design a Tower of Terror without any Twilight Zone elements. This would have been easy to do from the ground up and put into any park...the problem is specifically having to redo the Disney Hollywood Studios version and having to maintain the old school Hollywood Sunset Boulevard theme. My favorite version of the Tower is easily Tokyo's, but with the Hollywood locale doing something that far removed from the original concept of a haunted hotel in the heart of LA a little more difficult.

My main inspiration for this project is this one image...one of my favorite film endings of all time...
k44965ShiningPictureq228.jpg


That's right, I've decided to take a few cues from The Shining...arguably the greatest horror movie ever made. This won't be a straight up Overlook Hotel version of Tower of Terror. Rather it will take some of the motifs of the story...specifically madness and the mysteries of time.

The Hollywood Heights was originally a swanky hotel on Sunset Boulevard in the height of Hollywood's golden age. This much remains unchanged from the original. Instead of lightning striking the tower, the "elevator incident" this time around will be the elevator cables mysteriously being snapped, sending the passengers plummeting to their deaths...and not into the Twilight Zone.

Here's where the story gets interesting. Upon police investigations it is determined that foul play was definitely involved in cutting the elevator cables, but no solid evidence can be pointed towards one person in particular. This leads the hotel to remain open, but with a nasty reputation filled with harsh rumors, and a severe decline in business leading the hotel into a state of disrepair.

The hotel's owner...wait for it...Harrison "Harry" Hightower the Fourth...fell victim to the brunt of the rumors, and most of Hollywood began to think of him cutting the elevator wires and killing those people as a fact. Of course there was no way to prove it and put Harry behind bars, so the hotel just sat there, unable to be closed down due to the vast wealth that Hightower had accumulated from a particular famous relative.

The attraction will take place in modern day with an elderly Harry Hightower inviting a crew of ghost hunters into the hotel to prove once and for all his innocence and that supernatural spirits were at fault for the hotel's dark history. If that can't be done...at the very least the TV exposure should lure would be ghost hunters to the hotel out of curiosity.

We are a crew of interns assisting the main ghost hunters as they face Hightower in an elevator ride of their lives. The story will incorporate the mystery of a potential mad-man, a dark and grisly history of the hotel, and the modern day ghost hunting genre as storytelling devices.

The queue will remain largely unchanged from the gardens to the lobby, minus all the Twilight Zone props being removed. The cobwebs and disrepair won't be quiet as present in the lobby, instead the lobby is actually very pristine and well kept...almost too well kept considering the fact that barely anyone ever stays here.

It's the library where things start to get really different. We have a similar set up with lighting striking and our attention being called to the TV, but instead of Rod Serling we see a live feed of Hightower in his study welcoming us. Hightower is played by legendary screen actor Bruce Dern in this attraction. The man's mannerisms are more than a little unnerving. He switches radically between nice and welcoming and scolding and threatening.

video-the-hateful-eight-bruce-dern-on-quentin-tarantino-videoSixteenByNine1050.jpg


"Welcome, my friends. Welcome to my humble abode. I've invited you all here to prove that I am in fact...not a mad man. You will come to find in my stay that I am...quiet sane...and if you think otherwise then you're well...you're welcome to leave. I know there's a lot of you, I know these types of investigations require a lot of man power.

It will be better than the...last investigation...This is an investigation of a different kind. We have plenty of time and resources for you all to conduct your experiments, so for the time being you may retire to your rooms. Do not wander around the hotel...If I catch you wandering I will take this very...very seriously. I want all investigations conducted under my supervision. That is the condition for you all staying here. It's my hotel, I make the rules. Please proceed past the ballroom and make your way to the service elevators."

Guests are then lead into the hotel's ballroom, completely redone from where the Boiler Room used to be. The ballroom maintains the same air of being very well kept but creepy at the same time. 1930s style swing music will be prominently playing. The elevators will be at the end of the ballroom. There will now be four main shafts all boarded from floor level. It's worth noting that the bellhops instead of being morbid and into their roles will be noticeably timid and frightened, especially when Hightower's voice comes over the intercom announcing the safety spiel.



Once boarded, we hear Hightower's voice in a strange, disembodied fashion. We go up a few floors and the door opens to reveal a hallway. Instead of seeing the ghosts we see a bunch of objects like lamps, plants, food trays and old fashioned children's toys moving around in a Poltergiest fashion. The lights flicker on and and all the doors to the rooms slam open and shut at will.

Rising a we more floors we get to the site of the former Fifth Dimension scene. We see a room filled with artifacts collected by Harrison Hightower the Third (main character of the Tokyo version) which has been passed down to his son Harry. In the center of the room is the Tiki idol of Shiriki Utundu

shirikiutundu2.jpg


The idol is revealed to be the cause of the Poltergeist and starts moving all the artifacts around the room, and the elevator around with it as our vehicle leaves the shaft and travels through the room at a much faster pace than the original version. Think of it as our elevator being controlled by the Idols "force powers" ;)

We then see an AA of Bruce Dern as Harry Hightower. His eyes are glowing red and he's got a large hatchet in his hand. Lightning strikes as we start to ascend. Higher and higher, we hear the chants of the idol and Harry's voice comes in, but now very much distorted...

"This is what I brought you all here to see" Harry says. "It wasn't me who killed those people..."

At this point we reach the top floor and to our surprise the room of the elevator slides away revealing an AA of Harry at the cables. Glowing red eyes, a manic face, and hatchet in hand as the wires of the elevator dangle above us.

"No...it was never me...People assume it's me, and they're WRONG. The real evil of the hotel..."

He says as the idol "levitates into view..."IS SHIRIKI UTUNDU"

The chanting grows to a fever pitch as Hightower swings the hatchet to cut the wire. A wire is cut and we are sent plummeting about seven feet down in a tease of a drop. Hightower then cuts the second emergency cable and were sent plummeting down into the drop sequence. Once the drop sequence ends the door opens to the garage of the hotel where we see the ghost hunting company has packed up all their equipment and are evacuating in a hurry.

So the question is...was Hightower truly evil, or was he simply a puppet of the idol. That's a question that guests are left to ponder as they disembark from the elevator and make their way back onto Sunset Boulevard.
 

RMichael21

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Episode 1 Reward Challenge: A Totally New Tower
Critiques

Fantastic job these past few days everyone! I know time constraints restricted everyone, so props to everyone for working so hard this week! :) Also, apologies if I make a mistake in critiques, as I'm kind of in a rush to finish these. :p

@Ranky64
Great job this challenge! We'll start with the good. I think you did a good job of removing any Twilight Zone references, which was part of the challenge and you didn't have any holes in your story lines. Also, I absolutely LOVE the idea of a steampunk Tower of Terror. However, there were most certainly things that stood out to me as a little out of place. How does the Steampunk theme fit in with the rest of Sunset Boulevard? I feel like a steam punk attraction would only work if it were in its own steam punk land or mini-land. How do Figment and Dreamfinder fit in with the storyline of the attraction and what's their purpose? Also, why is Mickey there if he has nothing to do with the story line of the attraction? In addition, I never have really liked story lines that incorporate elements of Walt Disney Imagineering abandoning or creating attractions. I think it works better when story lines stay away from the people who are creating it. Finally, while I feel like your idea was there, you could have gone into more detail. Finally, I think your project could have benefited from some images. Overall, great potential in this project, but there were still things left to be desired which in the end could cost you this reward.

@IDInstitute
Fantastic concept IDI! Let's start is the good stuff. First, I really liked the name. I think that it fits well with Sunset Boulevard's theme. I think that you took a big risk in taking out the attraction aspect of Tower of Terror. I think that this both has worked for and against you. While it certainly is a unique idea (points for that), DHS desperately (and I mean desperately) needs rides. At the moment, there's only around 4. Even with the new expansions, there'll only be 5 attractions added. Compared to the 40+ attractions at MK, that's still only 8 rides with your proposed plan. I think that something that could have worked in your favor would to have been extend the building to include a restaurant but also update the ride. Also, most of these rooms seem pretty small to house a dining venue (especially the library and lobby). Would these rooms be expanded? But, besides that, I think that your idea is pretty solid. I think that the idea of quick service by day and table service by night could work well, but would there be a central place to get food or order during the afternoon? How would the service work? Would they serve your food to you on a cart. Also, what would the menu be like? I think there's a lot of missed potential on this project, but that's to be expected considering the time restraints of this project. In sum, superb concept, but lack of detail could be just enough to cost you this challenge.

@IAmNotAHufflepuff
Stellar job this challenge Hufflepuff! Let's see how you did... First, I love your writing style. Very descriptive and great use of adjectives and superb flow to your writing. Also, I think you played it safe this round with keeping the attraction relatively the same, and I think that it played off. You didn't have the most creative submission, but you still were descriptive as if you were describing the attraction to someone that had never heard of it before. Also, I liked the idea of adding holograms to the top level when the vehicle comes out of the shaft. However, there were some flaws. In addition, I enjoyed how you added little things that weren't necessarily needed like the gift shop, a nice touch. I didn't really enjoy your decision to remove narration from the attraction altogether. Personally, I believe the attraction really benefits from the narration and provides an eerie commentary of what's going on. Also, I honestly believe you could have been A LOT more creative with this challenge rather than just simply removing the Twilight Zone references. There's so many opportunities with this challenge, but I don't think you were able to hit any of those. Overall, stellar writing, but your lack of creativity may be enough to cost you this reward.

@DSquared
Good proposal this challenge DSquared! Let's start with the good. I think you took a big risk in using Roger Rabbit. I believe that it paid off. I can imagine it fitting well in with Sunset Boulevard, as Animation/Cartoons are very "hollywood"-y. :p Unlike some other submissions, you took this challenge in a unique route, and that is greatly appreciated. However, there were some flaws with the attraction. Firstly, while you decided to change the word "hollywood" and paint over the burnt parts of the building, the architectural style of the facade does not match what your describing the lobby and queue as AT ALL. I believe that you would be benefitted from a complete facade redo. Also, you never really mentioned any back story or how the story of the attraction is explained to guests, which I think your proposal definitely needed. Finally, your attraction segment was very vague. For me, it was impossible to figure our where in the current attraction things were happened in, as the formatting and language weren't exactly clear. Also, your proposal was full of spelling and grammatical errors, which I think could have been prevented had you done a few proof-reads. Overall, good job and good for you for taking a risk, but many flaws throughout the proposal had me wondering if you were deserving of this reward.

@JokersWild

Great project this challenge Jokers! Let's see how you did. Firstly, I really liked the backstory. It was very interesting to read and was definitely fresh. However, the fact that your going into the hotel is never really set up properly IMO. There's really no high stakes if you just say "many people have gone missing... will you?", as there's no backstory on what happened to those people who went missing. Also, I really liked the idea of expanding the lobby and having guests travel deeper into it, as I feel that could be extremely cool to see, so well done there. But, then the guests go into the tea room and gardens and it's never really explained how they get into the elevators and where they go in between. Finally, I feel like your lack of time led to MANY missed opportunities with the actual ride. There was so much potential with your backstory, and all we got were bullet points. Overall, nice first half of a concept, but your lack of time to finish may have cost you reward.

@MonorailRed

Amazing concept this week Red! Let's start with the best things about this proposal. I LOVED the idea of Goosebumps. I've never read any of the books, but it seems very fitting in this attraction IMO. It makes sense to replace 1 eerie property with another, which was the route I was hoping a lot of people would take. Also, your writing was fantastic, as it was detailed and full of rich words. I enjoyed the interactive queue, perfect for this kind of setting. In addition, great pre-show and build up to the attraction. However, I'm not sure if the paintings would work for telling the backstory, as some people may have passed by them or not paid them any attention. But, if someone did stop to notice these paintings, this amazing backstory would give them well, Goosebumps. ;):p Also, I LOVED the scenes in this attraction and the narration was spectacular, well done. Something that I did find a little weird was the name. I'm not sure how I feel about it. Also, while I liked the map, it took me a little while to figure out which line was pointing to which building :p. In addition, I would have liked to see you mention any changes to the facade. In sum, spectacular proposal Red, but some small flaws may be enough to cost you the reward challenge this week.

@Perry2x2

Fantastic concept Perry! Let's see how you did... In general, you really thought of something unique and I definitely enjoyed it. The name of your revamped tower didn't really roll of the tongue. Something incorporating Psycho could have been cool. But, the backstory was VERY interesting and I really liked it. The realism aspect is what was a major plus of your proposal. You didn't simply remove the Twilight Zone elements, but added a new backstory while keeping many of the attractions elements the same which I definitely can see Disney doing. Adding on, you didn't keep the actual ride too similar, as I really enjoyed the additions to the 13th floor scene. But, I think that you could have been a tad bit more creative with changes to the facade and queue (like make it interactive), but the way your story is laid out I'm not sure how you would do that. Overall, great proposal, but some flaws may prevent you from winning this week.

@spacemt354

Amazing proposal this challenge space! Let's start with the good. First, I really enjoyed the article at the top, really interesting presentation to explain the timeline of the project's creation, it was a really creative touch. Also, your research of the attraction and references to The Twilight Zone really shows in your proposal, as you detailed every reference that would be removed. Thirdly, I LOVED the blueprints, they really helped me visualize your version of the attraction. Adding on to that, your art work in general was fantastic, including the last drawing, which I was surprisingly impressed by. However, there were some flaws. The first one that I noticed was a lack of clear focus. While some proposals incorporated extra details and elements, I think you went kind of overboard with these. I really didn't need a full list of new merchandise and all of the details about the movie and the timeline weren't really needed. Secondly, if the entire ride is a parallel of the movie (that's what I got out of it), then wouldn't guests know what was coming? I don't know, I just don't think that having the ride be exactly like a movie works as well as having a ride be in the same realm as an IP like the previous incarnation of the ride. Overall, fantastic concept this week space, but some flaws could prevent you from receiving a reward.

@Flippin'Flounder

Man... I don't really know what to say for this one. I'm very disappointed. First of all, it doesn't meet The Sole Imagineer's 5 sentence minimum requirement. But, my main issue was detail. I know nothing about your redo except a little bit of backstory. No changes to the facade, queue or attraction? I expected more from you, to be honest. There was absolutely no creativity or effort in this proposal. It probably took you less than 30 seconds to type this. I know that this sounds harsh, but it's the truth.

@tcool123
Fantastic submission tcool! Let's see how you did! First, I really enjoyed the new backstory. It retained to the original attraction perfectly, while still being fresh and exciting. Secondly, I wish that you had added more elements to the queue to make it retain to your theme better. Also, I would have liked to see something about the investigator in your backstory, because he kind of appears out of nowhere. In addition, who is the little girl in the 1st scene and why is she significant? You never specified that in your backstory. FInally, there really weren't that many changes to the attraction itself, which I think was a missed opportunity. However, I really don't have problems with what you did do with the ride. Overall, great job, but your several minor flaws may put your chances of victory in jeopardy.

@TheOriginalTiki
And now for our final project! Let's get started! First of all, I'm not sure how I feel about the name. Hollywood Heights seems a little short and doesn't really foreshadow any themes or events in the attraction. However, your writing is fantastic Tiki and it really conveys this new version of the attraction and its story well. In addition, I LOVED the backstory. It was very detailed and unique. One of the reasons why I liked it was because it tries to prove someone's innocence and not just explore past events, which gives it new layers. However, the idea of "Ghost Hunters" sounds a little out of place, so a different name could have worked better, IMO. Also, I really enjoyed the idea of a ballroom. I think that it works extremely well with your backstory, well done. Something that I thought was underused was the first scene on the "9th floor". There really wasn't any point to it and I wished you had incorporated it more into your backstory. The 5th dimension scene is where things turn to just okay, IMO. All of a sudden, this idol which was previously unmentioned appears and it feels really out of place IMO. Then, having Harry cut the cords after all, which I finds contradicts the story even if the idol ends up controlling him. A final flaw of mine is that you never specified how the drop sequence would work. Would it just be 2 drops? If the cords were cut, how would it rise back up if there were more than 2 drops? Also, would the big doors on the side of the building open up? Overall, fantastic proposal, but some quirks may cost you this reward challenge.​
 

RMichael21

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Episode 1 Reward Challenge: A Totally New Tower
Results


The results are in! And...

@MonorailRed

MonorailRed had a fantastic and unique proposal this week, so she has won individual reward.

@TheOriginalTiki

TheOriginalTiki turned in a stellar project with a truly unique backstory, so that is why he has won individual reward.

The Overall Rankings Are...
1. @MonorailRed
2. @spacemt354
3. @TheOriginalTiki
4. @tcool123
5. @IAmNotAHufflepuff
6. @DSquared
7. @IDInstitute
8. @Perry2x2
9. @JokersWild
10. @Ranky64
11. @Flippin'Flounder
12T. @Brer Panther, @Matt7187, @DisneyPrincess and @Sam4D23

That means @MonorailRed and @TheOriginalTiki have won individual reward and @MonorailRed has won reward for Lassetoki Tribe. I'll give details as to what the reward is in my next post.​
 

RMichael21

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Twist
Just Out Of The Gate...


Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to your first twist! This twist has occurred in many season of Survivor where Redemption Island has took place...

That's right, the original plan for this twist was to have each tribe vote out one of their members and have those two members wait for their shot at redemption on Redemption Island. But @Simon Sulk leaving the competition has given us a problem, a little bit a drama, per se. ;)

So what is supposed to happen now?

Lassetoki will vote out one of their members as planned and that person will go to Redemption Island and await their shot at redemption. Blairozah will not vote, as @SimonSulk has left the competition. This will leave the tribe numbers even.

That means that those voting will be:
@MonorailRed
@tcool123
@IAmNotAHufflepuff
@Brer Panther
@IDInstitute
@spacemt354
@Flippin'Flounder
@Ranky64

You must have voted by Thursday, January 7th, at 7:50 PM EST.

In addition @MonorailRed and @TheOriginalTiki will receive individual advantages in the game that will be revealed to them in private.​
 

RMichael21

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Sorry for those who were interested, but we'll be moving on with 15 people. Whoever is voted out right now will be joined on Redemption Island by whoever is voted out at Imagineer's Council. Those two will play in next episode's Redemption Duel.
 

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