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The Sorcerer's Apprentice Season 2: International Edition
- Thread starter jdmdisney99
- Start date
Challenge 8 is now due Sunday, September 13th (tomorrow), at 9 PM EST.
MonorailRed
Applebees
Challenge 8 - A Haunting in Shanghai
This Presentation is Brought to you by Team Sea
The Haunted Tower
Nestled in between Shanghai Disneyland's Fantasyland and Adventureland lies an eerie surprise. A new take on the classic attraction of The Haunted Mansion.
The twist becomes of it being a Haunted Tower, hidden in a menacing, foggy forest with overgrown Chinese vegetation throughout, lies an Ancient Chinese Temple with it's impeding danger of The Haunted Tower, which the attraction is named after.
The Tower has been cursed for centuries. Every soul who has come is, has not come out. Which offers guests a chilling challenges: To solve the mystery of the missing while avoiding becoming one of the missing themselves…
Foolish Mortals who wish to Discover a Deadly Visual and Script Walkthrough of the Attraction may feel free to view our website.
http://63.135.165.8/HM
Oh, and one more thing, Beware of Hitchhiking Ghosts. Our sprits in Shanghai have been dying to meet you.
This Presentation is Brought to you by Team Sea
The Haunted Tower
Nestled in between Shanghai Disneyland's Fantasyland and Adventureland lies an eerie surprise. A new take on the classic attraction of The Haunted Mansion.
The twist becomes of it being a Haunted Tower, hidden in a menacing, foggy forest with overgrown Chinese vegetation throughout, lies an Ancient Chinese Temple with it's impeding danger of The Haunted Tower, which the attraction is named after.
The Tower has been cursed for centuries. Every soul who has come is, has not come out. Which offers guests a chilling challenges: To solve the mystery of the missing while avoiding becoming one of the missing themselves…
Foolish Mortals who wish to Discover a Deadly Visual and Script Walkthrough of the Attraction may feel free to view our website.
http://63.135.165.8/HM
Oh, and one more thing, Beware of Hitchhiking Ghosts. Our sprits in Shanghai have been dying to meet you.
Last edited:
DinoInstitute
Well-Known Member
Team Land- Challenge 8- A Haunting in Shanghai
This week, competitors are tasked with creating Shanghai Disneyland's version of the beloved Haunted Mansion. You aren't necessarily obligated to fit it into a currently planned land, but if you do put it in your own thought up land you should focus on details of this attraction and not the rest of the land. The twist this week is that this mysterious manor must be a walkthrough attraction. You should create an enthralling backstory and mystery that is solved by guests along with one or more assisting cast members throughout the house. I recommend a whodunit mystery. You should include intriguing fictional patrons as well as perfectly surprising endings...
This week, competitors are tasked with creating Shanghai Disneyland's version of the beloved Haunted Mansion. You aren't necessarily obligated to fit it into a currently planned land, but if you do put it in your own thought up land you should focus on details of this attraction and not the rest of the land. The twist this week is that this mysterious manor must be a walkthrough attraction. You should create an enthralling backstory and mystery that is solved by guests along with one or more assisting cast members throughout the house. I recommend a whodunit mystery. You should include intriguing fictional patrons as well as perfectly surprising endings...
The Cursed Palace
We now tell a tale of haunting proportions,
An ancient story of epic distortion.
So beware now that you have begun to read this,
If you turn back now, you receive a death kiss.
A long time ago in a great Chinese Kingdom,
An Emperor ruled who had some great wisdom.
He enforced brand new laws to help out the land,
But some townsfolk rebelled and they took a stand.
One of these rebels had powers of magic:
A Sorcerer, who used them for purposes tragic.
With a flip and a flash and a dash of the hand,
He hid his opinions and kept them all canned.
The evil sorcerer spied on the emperor
by getting a job and becoming a member
of the group of servants who work in the palace
And used his position for revenge fueled malice.
But this sorcerer does not look like himself,
disguised to look nothing but like someone else.
And with his dark magic the sorcerer put,
a curse on the castle; every inch, every foot.
This haunting curse brought spirits to the mansion,
and allowed the house to grow with massive expansion:
Hallways and stairs and doors that go nowhere,
as well as bad ghosts that fly through the air.
This horrible spell could not be reversed,
unless many things happened, but first...
The Sorcerer must be in the castle every minute,
or it is not possible for the emperor to win it.
Now this means that the curse is forever,
unless the spy leaves, but he won't, for he's clever.
So the only way to find out the true criminal,
is to catch him in the act, which would need a true miracle.
So that is where you, the guest, will come in,
for the emperor needs you, before hope grows thin.
This dangerous curse will now wear him out,
unless you solve this, I don't have a doubt.
Now good luck to you in this haunted place,
you will definitely need it, but pick up the pace.
Time's running out and we need you to hurry,
But the Sorcerer's lurking, so try not to worry.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Experience:
The Cursed Palace is located in Fantasyland in Shanghai Disneyland Park. Just above is the story that this attraction follows, of an old Chinese Palace that has turned haunted. However, there are a lot of things that go into designing the specific scenes and making all of the special effects work. It is pretty frightening though, it is not recommended for young ones or those who get scared easily. Continue reading for this full description of the scenes.
The facade is the wonderful, fancy palace. What could make this place terrible?
Scene 1: After a brief, outside, vegetated pathway, you will enter the palace into, what we refer to as, The Stretching Room. This is the same name a room in the Haunted Mansion queues that some of you may have noticed. There will be three different Stretching Rooms, each starting at separate times, in order to keep the guests being able to enter without having to wait very long. In this room, the haunting narrator will explain to you the story of the attraction, which is explained above. There will be portraits on the walls that depict the wonderful kingdom, villages, and palace, but as the story goes on, the images will change as they become more dark, destroyed, and overrun by terror and monsters. The room also changes too, as the lighting becomes much darker, there are "creaking" sound effects, and a chandelier appears to look older with spider webs and dimming and cracked lights. The scene ends with the narrator concluding the back story, but before you can exit, all lights go off for two seconds as a hologram of a ghost appears at the top of the room to give you the first of frightenings to come....
Scene 2: Exiting the Stretching Room, you enter the Throne Room, now on the second floor. However, it is not the fancy room you'd think, but instead a dark, dusty nightmare. In this second scene, once again, there is not much walking, but instead you meet the high-tech animatronic of the Emperor. He introduces to you that your mission is to interview all five of the remaining servants in the palace to figure out which one is the sorcerer that can turn back the nightmare. The entire spiel is about one minute long, and then the doors open up for the full walk-through part. During the walk through section, the space that is there for walking is about the width of of two normal queues, on average for the rest of the attraction.
Scene 3: This third scene is a hallway...but coming from this house, it is no ordinary hallway. Instead, we call this the Endless Hall of Portraits. In this hallway maze, there are a few major effects, as well as similar spooky theming. First, the halls, as said in the title, never end. Instead, simple mirrors create illusions that the hall never ends. There will be a few turns, but it is almost all the same. Using similar technology, there will be endless staircases which come out from the halls. Part of this section will include walking up/down them. Another big thing is the portraits- like in the Haunted Mansions, there are paintings on the walls that the eyes follow you as you walk. Other frames have a very unique effect that is sure to spook. Using a combination of different simple special effect tricks, a 3 dimensional ghost spirit will appear as if it is coming right out of the painting! In Chinese culture, when someone dies, it is important to perform the correct rites to ensure that the departed ancestor does not become a wandering ghost. However, as many of the servants have passed in these halls and rooms, no such rituals took place. Wandering ghosts will haunt these halls...
Scene 4: Scene 4 is the first interview scene. For these scenes, you are allowed to bypass them if you choose, but if not, which the majority will not, there is an extra section of standing space coming out from the queue in which you can go over to stand to interview the suspect. With this first one, you enter the creepy room of the adviser. With the animatronic sitting behind his desk, he will try to convince you why it was not him. When interviewing the servants, we use a version of The Living Character Initiative. Therefore, you truly can interview the people to see what happens. Whatever questions are asked, the adviser's answers are often very technical, you can tell he has a large vocabulary and is quite smart, but may also come off as a little condescending. While this may be the main part of the stop, if you look around, there is no missing out on the haunted atmosphere of the palace. There is a constantly creaking closet door, evil portraits, and project shadows of ghost moving on the floors and walls.
Scene 5: After you exit the Adviser's room, the continued path goes through a short hallway into the library. This is one of the spookiest rooms of the whole palace, even though there aren't any interviews. The lighting is pretty dim, and outside the windows (partially covered with ripped up, sheer curtains) there is a huge windy and rainy storm. A creepy song plays in the back ground, mixing terror with traditional Chinese music. There are giant shelves that tower the room, and if you look closely at the titles and markings on some of the scrolls there will be some creepy ones, but also some classic Disney references. Scrolls are scattered among the floor, and some even seem to be floating in the room. Turning a corner in the library, there is one large scroll in the middle of the room, which has a hologram above it. The hologram effect is used to portray what the story is of what is written, and it coming to life...It so happens that the story is of a ghost that liked to awaken spirits and terrorize, and a deep, dark voice in the background repeats that message. Continue walking through the library and you'll make it to the Grand Family Room, were the second interview will take place.
Scene 6: Walking into the family room, there will be a house maid animatronic, who you will "interrogate" in order to see if she is the sorcerer. When interviewing he, it is evident that she is pretty nervous and scared, and really tries to convince you that she is innocent. The room is themed to the same design of the library. After this scene, guests can continue walking down a hall and into the next room.
Scene 7: This next room is a walk through of the Grand Dining Hall. The theming is haunted, but you can tell that through the spider webs, peeling paint, and dust, that the room used to be beautiful. There is a long table, with each plate filled with an oddly fresh-looking meal. Some will have hidden mickeys too, like the rest of the house, so keep your eyes peeled! Exiting the room, if you look back you can get a glimpse of ghosts dancing on the side, a newer take on the same, amazing effect used at the Haunted Mansions. This is not only a guest-favorite effect, but in this attraction it represents something more- a "ghost marriage", which is a part of traditional ghost tales of Chinese culture, where both people are deceased and they are set up for wedding with each other.
Scene 8: The next scene right after the dining room is the kitchen. Again, you can now stay and hear the Emperor's chef plead a case on why he is not the sorcerer. Asking him many questions, he will not only deny much of what you say, but use a lot of food references and metaphors! Meanwhile, the food is not going stop being prepared as there are bowls of salad and batter that has only a spoon that mixes itself, and there are cabinets that open on their own. Are the spirits craving a meal?
Scene 9: Exiting the kitchen, you now go through large, slightly cracked, glass doors that exit you out into the garden. Walking on a stone path, you go through a very large garden that has a lot of greenery. Many bushes are along the path, although so are a lot of dead plants and chopped up flower petals on the ground. Under the shade of huge trees, there is a little stream and pond that has continually moving water, as well as the upside-down water fountain effect. Looking back at the palace, it seems a lot darker, older, and destroyed than it did on the front before the sorcery took place. Before you exit the garden up to the patio, there are a few mysterious grave stones and "The Four Dragon Wall", Like the famous Nine Dragons Wall, but instead because 4 is an unlucky number...
Scene 10: Before you go back inside, you can stop on the patio to interview the gardener. The gardener is very nice and welcoming you to interview him and has a very big heart, although he is of course still denying everything,and he might seem a little tense when you accuse him. This is just like the others, except something weird happens....While he is talking, some of the potted plants begin to rapidly grow and move. Once you decide to leave the scene, you don't go inside- instead, you head downstairs into the basement through the cellar outside, into the next scene...
Scene 11: Of course, the next room is the basement. It is the darkest, and there are plenty of spider webs, antique treasures, and there are creepy ghost voices in the background. Before you head upstairs however, there is a huge burst of light from a fireplace that suddenly ignites for 5 seconds, every 10 seconds. A creepy effect, as the fire continues to burn....
Scene 12: Once you make it upstairs, you are in the main hall of the palace. This is the scene in that you can interview the main guard of the palace. He is very proper when you talk to him, very straight forward and doesn't like to waist time and fool around with the answers, let alone care to talk to you. The guard is dressed in a protective knight outfit, like the ones of the..."statues" in the hall. As you exit, these statues, if you look closely, may appear to be slightly moving their weapons and turning their head, and there is a grand portrait of the emperor that will stare you down, before entering back into the throne room....
Scene 13: Now that you have interviewed all five of the servants, you head back into an identical throne room to talk once again with the emperor. On a large magic mirror, it replays the highlights and important information from the interviews. We report that we cannot decide who is the sorcerer, and so he talks to all of them through the mirror, commanding the culprit fess up. This is when his frustration gets the best of him, and it turns into anger. The emperor declares that if the sorcerer does not fess up, they will all be killed. No one admits, and before you can tr to stop him, he commands ghostly spirits of the house to take control and kill them all. The lights go out, a creepy cackle fills the hall, as well as a few screams. Once the darkness is over, we look back to the magic mirror. Four servants lie dead- except for one. One is still alive. This one servant is the sorcerer, who was not killed by his own powers. Now that he is figured out, before anything worse happens, the sorcerer promises to bring it all back. Now, is the grand finale. Not only with the switch back of the curse bring the four servants and many other servants that are now spirits back to life, using many special effects, as the sorcerer works his magic, the room turns dreary to majestic before your eyes! The emperor thanks you not only for his help, but also apologizes for all this mess. The attraction is now over, and you are directed to exit the palace.
Wait, we forgot something? Who was the sorcerer, you ask? Well, we won't tell you that. Maybe you can use some of your own detective skills to figure that out!
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Sam Magic
Well-Known Member
Sam’s Critiques
TEAM SEA @Voxel @MonorailRed @englanddg @tcool
I was thoroughly impressed by your proposal this week. Not only did it meet the criteria of this weeks challenge, but it gave something more: originality. The concept itself was very unique a different from other similar rides in the Disney universe. At the same time it harbored a sense of home on comfortableness. Another highlight of your proposal was the connection to Chinese culture which in my mind assists theses parks in connecting with the Chinese people. Your proposal this week was top notch.
The story was one that worked very well with your teams overall vision of the attraction. Additionally it was something that I felt fit the ride perfectly. At the same time this story solved something that has always irked me about the Disney World and Land versions of this ride; the lack of cohesive story telling. While the concept of a family is not entirely new, the way it was elaborated and executed offered a refreshing look at this ride and something that I would love to ride. All of the characters made me want to ride it more, they were dark, funny, polite, inviting, and jubilant. The ‘Ghost Host’ was also a nice part and was a smart tool to not only introduce the family, but create a very intriguing narrative. I will confess that my favorite guys were the Chinese hitchhikers, they honestly fit this ride very well.
The tour/building itself, however, was not as unique as I would have liked. It featured too many parts that are seen in the other variations of this attraction. I would also like t point out that the interactive bits scare me a bit into wondering if the Chinese would be comfortable with them. Though credit is due where credit is due and I really love the spin on the ‘ballroom/party” scene. This reindition of it perfectly fit the ride. The exit was also really clever and I loved it.
Façade/location wise everything worked well together. I like that it was in the Adventureland area, but still covered by a faux forest which properly divided everything well.
The art could have been a tad better, but still the best photoshoping I have seen in these challenges. The pictures gave off an errie and spooky feeling which fit very well. In future challenges I would suggest to continue using Photoshop, but also looking up a few PS tutorials in order to give off an even more realistic appearance.
The website was a MASSIVE improvement from the last one. It looked great, flowed great, and was easy to use. My favorite part was the departure from a more map based site to an experience based one. It made me feel like I was on the ride and going through the different rooms. Very good job!
Overall you guys did great! Everything this week played off of each other and worked cohesively together.
TEAM LAND: @Zweiland @RMichael21 @IDInstitute
This was an absolutely fantastic proposal this week. This proposal met all the criteria and introduced a unique concept and idea that works very well with the ride. It definitely is one of the best proposals this week and mounts a tough offensive against Team Sea. Like Team Sea you guys brilliantly tied Chinese culture into this attraction in a seamless and perfect way. Despite the idea being foreign it was exciting and massively engaging. The Cursed Palace not only fits in China, but fits this group and your talents.
The story sounds like an old Chinese fable and I absolutely love it. It rhymes and when I was reading it I used my best British accent…it made it even better. The story also sets up a very interesting plot for the ride. The music also goes very well with the concept as a whole, it has a spooky feel, but a flavorful Chinese influence. Additionally the story perfectly introduces all the characters and feel of the ride.
The ride itself was well thought out and designed. While I would have preferred fewer similarities between the other HM’s, but I think your other features make up for it. I absolutely love all of the extra features like the statues and flames. The interviewing really caps it all off brilliantly. However, I did feel as though some parts were not as fleshed out as they could have been. This irks me because I know that when you guys fully flesh out everything it means an ever better project. I really like the placement, it seems to fit in Fantasyland. I think this is simply because of the way the ride is structured. The twists and cliffhanger is genus and I love that we do not know who the sorcerer is. I also love the stretching rooms, they were all very, very, creative. While there are so many great things about this I’m running out of words to say. Generally speaking though, the ride is fantastic, works with your theme, and exploits the talents of your team.
I like to think of myself as a frank person and so I say the following: Your presentation was terrible. Granted it had its clever parts it was not that great. The art was not cohesive and what was bad is that the cohesiveness could be seen. You had photoshoping mixed with really good art and then bad art. As a whole it did not represent properly the quality of the ride. I think one of the problems this team has as a whole is the ability to tell people in full honesty what they think about ideas or artwork, etc. The key to making a team great is honesty and being able to tell team members what works and doesn’t and when artwork or and idea is not good. We are in the eighth challenge and it is time to step up the quality. I understand that some of you are busy or new to graphic art, but that should be more motivation to create something even beyond what you yourself thinks you can create. I hope that this advice is taken into account and will be used as we near the final five.
Now for the positives of your presentation, as I said earlier the poem is top notch and the music is brilliant. The organization of each part was very well done. The presentation also had a certain simplicity about it that I feel has been lost amiss all the websites. Good presentation as a whole.
This week you guys created a ride that was culturally in tune, played to your teams abilities, and something that would fit like a glove in Shanghai Disneyland.
TEAM SEA @Voxel @MonorailRed @englanddg @tcool
I was thoroughly impressed by your proposal this week. Not only did it meet the criteria of this weeks challenge, but it gave something more: originality. The concept itself was very unique a different from other similar rides in the Disney universe. At the same time it harbored a sense of home on comfortableness. Another highlight of your proposal was the connection to Chinese culture which in my mind assists theses parks in connecting with the Chinese people. Your proposal this week was top notch.
The story was one that worked very well with your teams overall vision of the attraction. Additionally it was something that I felt fit the ride perfectly. At the same time this story solved something that has always irked me about the Disney World and Land versions of this ride; the lack of cohesive story telling. While the concept of a family is not entirely new, the way it was elaborated and executed offered a refreshing look at this ride and something that I would love to ride. All of the characters made me want to ride it more, they were dark, funny, polite, inviting, and jubilant. The ‘Ghost Host’ was also a nice part and was a smart tool to not only introduce the family, but create a very intriguing narrative. I will confess that my favorite guys were the Chinese hitchhikers, they honestly fit this ride very well.
The tour/building itself, however, was not as unique as I would have liked. It featured too many parts that are seen in the other variations of this attraction. I would also like t point out that the interactive bits scare me a bit into wondering if the Chinese would be comfortable with them. Though credit is due where credit is due and I really love the spin on the ‘ballroom/party” scene. This reindition of it perfectly fit the ride. The exit was also really clever and I loved it.
Façade/location wise everything worked well together. I like that it was in the Adventureland area, but still covered by a faux forest which properly divided everything well.
The art could have been a tad better, but still the best photoshoping I have seen in these challenges. The pictures gave off an errie and spooky feeling which fit very well. In future challenges I would suggest to continue using Photoshop, but also looking up a few PS tutorials in order to give off an even more realistic appearance.
The website was a MASSIVE improvement from the last one. It looked great, flowed great, and was easy to use. My favorite part was the departure from a more map based site to an experience based one. It made me feel like I was on the ride and going through the different rooms. Very good job!
Overall you guys did great! Everything this week played off of each other and worked cohesively together.
TEAM LAND: @Zweiland @RMichael21 @IDInstitute
This was an absolutely fantastic proposal this week. This proposal met all the criteria and introduced a unique concept and idea that works very well with the ride. It definitely is one of the best proposals this week and mounts a tough offensive against Team Sea. Like Team Sea you guys brilliantly tied Chinese culture into this attraction in a seamless and perfect way. Despite the idea being foreign it was exciting and massively engaging. The Cursed Palace not only fits in China, but fits this group and your talents.
The story sounds like an old Chinese fable and I absolutely love it. It rhymes and when I was reading it I used my best British accent…it made it even better. The story also sets up a very interesting plot for the ride. The music also goes very well with the concept as a whole, it has a spooky feel, but a flavorful Chinese influence. Additionally the story perfectly introduces all the characters and feel of the ride.
The ride itself was well thought out and designed. While I would have preferred fewer similarities between the other HM’s, but I think your other features make up for it. I absolutely love all of the extra features like the statues and flames. The interviewing really caps it all off brilliantly. However, I did feel as though some parts were not as fleshed out as they could have been. This irks me because I know that when you guys fully flesh out everything it means an ever better project. I really like the placement, it seems to fit in Fantasyland. I think this is simply because of the way the ride is structured. The twists and cliffhanger is genus and I love that we do not know who the sorcerer is. I also love the stretching rooms, they were all very, very, creative. While there are so many great things about this I’m running out of words to say. Generally speaking though, the ride is fantastic, works with your theme, and exploits the talents of your team.
I like to think of myself as a frank person and so I say the following: Your presentation was terrible. Granted it had its clever parts it was not that great. The art was not cohesive and what was bad is that the cohesiveness could be seen. You had photoshoping mixed with really good art and then bad art. As a whole it did not represent properly the quality of the ride. I think one of the problems this team has as a whole is the ability to tell people in full honesty what they think about ideas or artwork, etc. The key to making a team great is honesty and being able to tell team members what works and doesn’t and when artwork or and idea is not good. We are in the eighth challenge and it is time to step up the quality. I understand that some of you are busy or new to graphic art, but that should be more motivation to create something even beyond what you yourself thinks you can create. I hope that this advice is taken into account and will be used as we near the final five.
Now for the positives of your presentation, as I said earlier the poem is top notch and the music is brilliant. The organization of each part was very well done. The presentation also had a certain simplicity about it that I feel has been lost amiss all the websites. Good presentation as a whole.
This week you guys created a ride that was culturally in tune, played to your teams abilities, and something that would fit like a glove in Shanghai Disneyland.
Last edited:
Challenge 8 - Critiques
Team Land - Project Manager @IDInstitute, @Zweiland and @RMichael21
Really great concept this week. You integrated the concept right into Chinese culture and were able to make it into an intriguing storyline. The tale between the emperor and the sorcerer was perfect for a whodunit mystery like this, and leaving the killer up to us was a clever way to end it (though it was a bit of a cop-out for righting details for each character). Honestly, it was my preferred backstory this week. However, it wasn't my preferred execution. The art and images need to be more consistent. Going from pictures to one art style to another, less sleek art style just doesn't help make the presentation cohesive. Though, I do applaud the use of a regular post this week versus a website, which has become the new norm. There were some other weaknesses that really stood out to me as well. For one, the interview thing confused me. Why have an animatronic with a voice actor backstage when you could just have a live CM? And furthermore, I don't think people would thoroughly enjoy having to thoroughly interview people and take note. People like to have the story be unveiled in front of them, while also allowing them to think about it for themselves in the back of their minds. One scene you had included the Pepper's Ghost effect, which is completely impossible in this situation. Make sure you do some research when including things in your design. Overall, however, you guys had a real nice concept this week!
Team Sea - Project Manager @MonorailRed, @tcool, @englanddg and @Voxel
The presentation this week was spectacular. The website design was sleek and easy to follow, and it included key design elements that added to the overall feel your concept put off. Your overall idea was wonderful as well, weaving the local culture into the already existing Haunted Mansion setup, allowing for a fitting attraction. The execution was nice as well, as the story was fun and included a variety of eerie locales. However, I do have a few questions that I didn't pick up on my read through of the website. Is the Ghost Host an animatronic, Cast Member, or projection? Or is it a combination of them all? It seems like a very advanced effect if so. Also, I was a tad confused with the whodunit aspect of your storyline. I 'm pretty sure it was the Ghost Host that was the criminal who was revealed at the end, but it didn't seem to have that big of a "reveal" moment. It just sort of pattered out to me. On the other hand, your show scenes sounded really fun and the art displaying them was beautiful and consistent. Lovely job overall!
Team Land - Project Manager @IDInstitute, @Zweiland and @RMichael21
Team Land- Challenge 8- A Haunting in Shanghai
This week, competitors are tasked with creating Shanghai Disneyland's version of the beloved Haunted Mansion. You aren't necessarily obligated to fit it into a currently planned land, but if you do put it in your own thought up land you should focus on details of this attraction and not the rest of the land. The twist this week is that this mysterious manor must be a walkthrough attraction. You should create an enthralling backstory and mystery that is solved by guests along with one or more assisting cast members throughout the house. I recommend a whodunit mystery. You should include intriguing fictional patrons as well as perfectly surprising endings...
The Cursed Palace
We now tell a tale of haunting proportions,
An ancient story of epic distortion.
So beware now that you have begun to read this,
If you turn back now, you receive a death kiss.
A long time ago in a great Chinese Kingdom,
An Emperor ruled who had some great wisdom.
He enforced brand new laws to help out the land,
But some townsfolk rebelled and they took a stand.
One of these rebels had powers of magic:
A Sorcerer, who used them for purposes tragic.
With a flip and a flash and a dash of the hand,
He hid his opinions and kept them all canned.
The evil sorcerer spied on the emperor
by getting a job and becoming a member
of the group of servants who work in the palace
And used his position for revenge fueled malice.
But this sorcerer does not look like himself,
disguised to look nothing but like someone else.
And with his dark magic the sorcerer put,
a curse on the castle; every inch, every foot.
This haunting curse brought spirits to the mansion,
and allowed the house to grow with massive expansion:
Hallways and stairs and doors that go nowhere,
as well as bad ghosts that fly through the air.
This horrible spell could not be reversed,
unless many things happened, but first...
The Sorcerer must be in the castle every minute,
or it is not possible for the emperor to win it.
Now this means that the curse is forever,
unless the spy leaves, but he won't, for he's clever.
So the only way to find out the true criminal,
is to catch him in the act, which would need a true miracle.
So that is where you, the guest, will come in,
for the emperor needs you, before hope grows thin.
This dangerous curse will now wear him out,
unless you solve this, I don't have a doubt.
Now good luck to you in this haunted place,
you will definitely need it, but pick up the pace.
Time's running out and we need you to hurry,
But the Sorcerer's lurking, so try not to worry.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Experience:
The Cursed Palace is located in Fantasyland in Shanghai Disneyland Park. Just above is the story that this attraction follows, of an old Chinese Palace that has turned haunted. However, there are a lot of things that go into designing the specific scenes and making all of the special effects work. It is pretty frightening though, it is not recommended for young ones or those who get scared easily. Continue reading for this full description of the scenes.
The facade is the wonderful, fancy palace. What could make this place terrible?
Really great concept this week. You integrated the concept right into Chinese culture and were able to make it into an intriguing storyline. The tale between the emperor and the sorcerer was perfect for a whodunit mystery like this, and leaving the killer up to us was a clever way to end it (though it was a bit of a cop-out for righting details for each character). Honestly, it was my preferred backstory this week. However, it wasn't my preferred execution. The art and images need to be more consistent. Going from pictures to one art style to another, less sleek art style just doesn't help make the presentation cohesive. Though, I do applaud the use of a regular post this week versus a website, which has become the new norm. There were some other weaknesses that really stood out to me as well. For one, the interview thing confused me. Why have an animatronic with a voice actor backstage when you could just have a live CM? And furthermore, I don't think people would thoroughly enjoy having to thoroughly interview people and take note. People like to have the story be unveiled in front of them, while also allowing them to think about it for themselves in the back of their minds. One scene you had included the Pepper's Ghost effect, which is completely impossible in this situation. Make sure you do some research when including things in your design. Overall, however, you guys had a real nice concept this week!
Team Sea - Project Manager @MonorailRed, @tcool, @englanddg and @Voxel
Challenge 8 - A Haunting in Shanghai
This Presentation is Brought to you by Team Sea
The Haunted Tower
Nestled in between Shanghai Disneyland's Fantasyland and Adventureland lies an eerie surprise. A new take on the classic attraction of The Haunted Mansion.
The twist becomes of it being a Haunted Tower, hidden in a menacing, foggy forest with overgrown Chinese vegetation throughout, lies an Ancient Chinese Temple with it's impeding danger of The Haunted Tower, which the attraction is named after.
The Tower has been cursed for centuries. Every soul who has come is, has not come out. Which offers guests a chilling challenges: To solve the mystery of the missing while avoiding becoming one of the missing themselves…
Foolish Mortals who wish to Discover a Deadly Visual and Script Walkthrough of the Attraction may feel free to view our website.
http://63.135.165.8/HM
Oh, and one more thing, Beware of Hitchhiking Ghosts. Our sprits in Shanghai have been dying to meet you.
The presentation this week was spectacular. The website design was sleek and easy to follow, and it included key design elements that added to the overall feel your concept put off. Your overall idea was wonderful as well, weaving the local culture into the already existing Haunted Mansion setup, allowing for a fitting attraction. The execution was nice as well, as the story was fun and included a variety of eerie locales. However, I do have a few questions that I didn't pick up on my read through of the website. Is the Ghost Host an animatronic, Cast Member, or projection? Or is it a combination of them all? It seems like a very advanced effect if so. Also, I was a tad confused with the whodunit aspect of your storyline. I 'm pretty sure it was the Ghost Host that was the criminal who was revealed at the end, but it didn't seem to have that big of a "reveal" moment. It just sort of pattered out to me. On the other hand, your show scenes sounded really fun and the art displaying them was beautiful and consistent. Lovely job overall!
RMichael21
Well-Known Member
Good Luck to My fellow teammates in the boardroom! 
Sam Magic
Well-Known Member
You are in the boardroom too.Good Luck to My fellow teammates in the boardroom!
Voxel
President of Progress City
No he isn't. He has immunity for the challenge. Speaking which I wonder how many day I got for mine
Sam Magic
Well-Known Member
Ah your right. RMichael forgive me for that confusion.
RMichael21
Well-Known Member
Sam Magic
Well-Known Member
Yeah, the Chinese complicates things sometimes.Not a problem! I understand your confusion!
RMichael21
Well-Known Member
@englanddg has been transferred to Team Land for this challenge and the foreseeable future in order to even out the teams.
Challenge 9: I'll SEA You in Tokyo
This week, competitors are obligated to create a new "port" for Tokyo DisneySea at the Tokyo Disney Resort. You are to design a land to fit to the left of Lost River Delta in the map below. Please don't suddenly go cold on this challenge, and keep up the good work. Don't start dragging now or you could end up frozen in your tracks, which is bad. Remember this isn't the first challenge, but it won't be the last. You've got to bring your game and creativity to design a wonderful, incredibly detailed land to fit with the high standards of the park. Make sure it fits well with the theme and carries a cohesiveness with it's neighbors, wonderfully showcasing a whole world on the sea. If you break the theme, your land will stick out like a sore thumb, a troll, an invader in the park. Please get this one right and don't let it disappear disappear from your consciousness.
This weeks Project Managers are;
Land
@Zweiland
Sea
@tcool
@MonorailRed is the holder of the immunity idol this week, as she was the winning Project Manager in Challenge 8.
This week, as usual, @BryceM will be acting as an adviser along with @Matt7187, like Trump's children and associates on the show.
Please provide at least 5 photos and at most 15, in order to display your new land. Also, you are not allowed to use a website platform this week, but you are required to have a musical selection posted from YouTube to be played while reading your submission. You guys may communicate amongst your teams in the PM I have created. Ask me any questions there. Due date is Wednesday, September 24th, at 9 PM EST. From here on out, there will be no voting on original due dates, in order to keep on schedule. After you post your ideas please do not get into personal conflicts with the other team about concepts, or actions of punishment will take place.
Good Luck!
This week, competitors are obligated to create a new "port" for Tokyo DisneySea at the Tokyo Disney Resort. You are to design a land to fit to the left of Lost River Delta in the map below. Please don't suddenly go cold on this challenge, and keep up the good work. Don't start dragging now or you could end up frozen in your tracks, which is bad. Remember this isn't the first challenge, but it won't be the last. You've got to bring your game and creativity to design a wonderful, incredibly detailed land to fit with the high standards of the park. Make sure it fits well with the theme and carries a cohesiveness with it's neighbors, wonderfully showcasing a whole world on the sea. If you break the theme, your land will stick out like a sore thumb, a troll, an invader in the park. Please get this one right and don't let it disappear disappear from your consciousness.
This weeks Project Managers are;
Land
@Zweiland
Sea
@tcool
@MonorailRed is the holder of the immunity idol this week, as she was the winning Project Manager in Challenge 8.
This week, as usual, @BryceM will be acting as an adviser along with @Matt7187, like Trump's children and associates on the show.
Please provide at least 5 photos and at most 15, in order to display your new land. Also, you are not allowed to use a website platform this week, but you are required to have a musical selection posted from YouTube to be played while reading your submission. You guys may communicate amongst your teams in the PM I have created. Ask me any questions there. Due date is Wednesday, September 24th, at 9 PM EST. From here on out, there will be no voting on original due dates, in order to keep on schedule. After you post your ideas please do not get into personal conflicts with the other team about concepts, or actions of punishment will take place.
Good Luck!
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Sam Magic
Well-Known Member
Given as though Jdm is unavailable I feel as though it is my job to provide you with an answer, this by no means is final, but it is the most definite answer I can give you until Jdm returns. my first inclination would be say yes, but split it in half so an extra 12 hours are added on to the contest. This would make it due Thursday at 9AM EST. Given the strict schedule this would be the furthest I could see us stretch the contest. Hopefully that would give you all sometime to finish the project this week. Once jdm is back I'm sure he can provide you all with a much more definite answer.
Good luck!
^What he said^
12 hours would be best.
englanddg
One Little Spark...
I think the answer then, given schedules, is effectively "no".^What he said^