cdunlap
Well-Known Member
Honestly, same here.
-
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Visions Fantastic: An Imagineering Competition (Game Thread)
- Thread starter PerGron
- Start date
We say farewell to @Mr. Sullivan who is exiting the game due to very exciting opportunities in real life and we wish them luck in their endeavors!
This loss, while sad, is no excuse to get comfortable as we will proceed with our DOUBLE ELIMINATION at the end of the speed rounds.
Thank you for your time Sully and great work in this game! For the rest of you, I am about halfway through reviews for the first few speed rounds and am on track to have them up late tonight if not tomorrow at the absolute latest!
This loss, while sad, is no excuse to get comfortable as we will proceed with our DOUBLE ELIMINATION at the end of the speed rounds.
Thank you for your time Sully and great work in this game! For the rest of you, I am about halfway through reviews for the first few speed rounds and am on track to have them up late tonight if not tomorrow at the absolute latest!
PerGron's Reviews
Alright teams, we're over halfway through the speed rounds and I hope you've been enjoying them thus far. For this review session, I'm going to review the first three projects, name winning teams for each round, and announce MVP for each round but will not be eliminating anyone. MVP for each round is an honorary one this time around as at the end of the six there will be the double elimination which everyone is up for. With that said, these reviews won't be crazy long due to the short nature of the projects. Just a paragraph or two except where really warranted. Without further ado, let's get into it.
Team Fantasy- Zootopia Express
When discussing unique transportation to the parks and to Animal Kingdom especially, a Zootopia themed train is probably the most obvious pick, but that doesn't mean it's the wrong pick. I think having a train be transport makes a ton of sense and fits the theme of the area you're servicing really well too. Trains take up less space, destroy less land, and produce fewer emissions than cars and roadways so having a train be the main source of transportation to and from the conservationally-focused park makes sense. I also think that thematically it works well enough. I'm not a very big proponent of Zootopia in the park when it comes to lands and attractions, but I do think having the Zootopia Express into the park fits really well. It uses the IP in a way that doesn't detract from the very real cultural and environmental messaging featured in places like Africa and Asia.
I really appreciate the routes you took with AKL, DAK, Blizzard Beach, and Coronado Springs all feeling like reasonable stops for a train like this. While I do think a train lends itself to extending beyond that (maybe an All Stars stop that services all three could've worked?), you picked the most crucial and thematically relevant. I really like the way you guys did your stops too with animal motifs and the way the screens showcasing the different biome areas to tie into the location of the train.
I do have a few minor issues here and there, particularly in that it just doesn't feel finished. You mention a line to Coronado Springs but there's no write up for that branch of the ride. I'm sure it came down to just running short on time and participants and I understand that 100%, but it would've been nice to have. That said, I really like the way you made this akin to the Hogwarts Express with the screens on the doors and the windows, that's a great way to get characters and landscape in there really well. I especially like the Blizzard Beach routes and the way the characters seem to actually be visiting the park. Maybe you went a bit too hard on the sunburn joke doing it so many times, but that's really a non-issue. Ultimately this was a safe choice but it ended up being a really strong choice too.
Team Wish- Walt Disney World Personal Rapid Transit
In comparison to Zootopia Express, this was definitely a really out there option using a transportation system I've never even heard of! Thanks to @ThemeParkPriest and his background in transportation I think you guys had a leg up because this was agreed upon basically day one and that let you guys really run with the project. There's clearly a level of passion here that shines through and works in your favor.
I adore the custom artwork and I always love a flipbook presentation (I also admire your commitment to the stupid Budweiser Zero joke I made YEARS ago at this point, it'll never not give me a chuckle how much of a life of its own that joke has taken.) The route too is great with all the stops I mentioned and also Hollywood Studios. It wasn't at all necessary to include that extra stop but it does add some realism where now the parks are more interconnected before and Animal Kingdom isn't the weird little sibling who is stuck playing all by itself.
The little bits put into the dialogue are fun, though maybe a bit negative? I don't know some of them felt a bit mean spirited, though not to a point that it detracts from the experience. It does interject a bit of personality into the transport, I just noticed it and had to mention it. I think my biggest concern though is just how long it would take for a single family transport to show up to get guests, especially after something like Fantasmic lets out. I won't question the logistics of how the transit works, but I do wonder if it's the most effective to move huge swaths of people via individual transport pods. Regardless though, I had a lot of fun with this presentation and I think you guys nailed it.
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Results
Alright teams, we're over halfway through the speed rounds and I hope you've been enjoying them thus far. For this review session, I'm going to review the first three projects, name winning teams for each round, and announce MVP for each round but will not be eliminating anyone. MVP for each round is an honorary one this time around as at the end of the six there will be the double elimination which everyone is up for. With that said, these reviews won't be crazy long due to the short nature of the projects. Just a paragraph or two except where really warranted. Without further ado, let's get into it.
Team Fantasy- Zootopia Express
When discussing unique transportation to the parks and to Animal Kingdom especially, a Zootopia themed train is probably the most obvious pick, but that doesn't mean it's the wrong pick. I think having a train be transport makes a ton of sense and fits the theme of the area you're servicing really well too. Trains take up less space, destroy less land, and produce fewer emissions than cars and roadways so having a train be the main source of transportation to and from the conservationally-focused park makes sense. I also think that thematically it works well enough. I'm not a very big proponent of Zootopia in the park when it comes to lands and attractions, but I do think having the Zootopia Express into the park fits really well. It uses the IP in a way that doesn't detract from the very real cultural and environmental messaging featured in places like Africa and Asia.
I really appreciate the routes you took with AKL, DAK, Blizzard Beach, and Coronado Springs all feeling like reasonable stops for a train like this. While I do think a train lends itself to extending beyond that (maybe an All Stars stop that services all three could've worked?), you picked the most crucial and thematically relevant. I really like the way you guys did your stops too with animal motifs and the way the screens showcasing the different biome areas to tie into the location of the train.
I do have a few minor issues here and there, particularly in that it just doesn't feel finished. You mention a line to Coronado Springs but there's no write up for that branch of the ride. I'm sure it came down to just running short on time and participants and I understand that 100%, but it would've been nice to have. That said, I really like the way you made this akin to the Hogwarts Express with the screens on the doors and the windows, that's a great way to get characters and landscape in there really well. I especially like the Blizzard Beach routes and the way the characters seem to actually be visiting the park. Maybe you went a bit too hard on the sunburn joke doing it so many times, but that's really a non-issue. Ultimately this was a safe choice but it ended up being a really strong choice too.
Team Wish- Walt Disney World Personal Rapid Transit
In comparison to Zootopia Express, this was definitely a really out there option using a transportation system I've never even heard of! Thanks to @ThemeParkPriest and his background in transportation I think you guys had a leg up because this was agreed upon basically day one and that let you guys really run with the project. There's clearly a level of passion here that shines through and works in your favor.
I adore the custom artwork and I always love a flipbook presentation (I also admire your commitment to the stupid Budweiser Zero joke I made YEARS ago at this point, it'll never not give me a chuckle how much of a life of its own that joke has taken.) The route too is great with all the stops I mentioned and also Hollywood Studios. It wasn't at all necessary to include that extra stop but it does add some realism where now the parks are more interconnected before and Animal Kingdom isn't the weird little sibling who is stuck playing all by itself.
The little bits put into the dialogue are fun, though maybe a bit negative? I don't know some of them felt a bit mean spirited, though not to a point that it detracts from the experience. It does interject a bit of personality into the transport, I just noticed it and had to mention it. I think my biggest concern though is just how long it would take for a single family transport to show up to get guests, especially after something like Fantasmic lets out. I won't question the logistics of how the transit works, but I do wonder if it's the most effective to move huge swaths of people via individual transport pods. Regardless though, I had a lot of fun with this presentation and I think you guys nailed it.
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Results
Team Fantasy- Zootopia Express
While I definitely enjoyed this and honestly think it's the more efficient of the two transportation modes presented, it was the safe option and also felt like it was missing a bit of the write-up. Obviously we had some really busy players this round and I can't exactly blame you guys, but I think just a little more detail would've put you guys in the first spot. This is the closest round of the game so far.
MVP: @TheOriginalTiki- The best parts of this writeup was the Blizzard Beach ride portions and so for designing that and writing some great gags, you take the victory here!
While I definitely enjoyed this and honestly think it's the more efficient of the two transportation modes presented, it was the safe option and also felt like it was missing a bit of the write-up. Obviously we had some really busy players this round and I can't exactly blame you guys, but I think just a little more detail would've put you guys in the first spot. This is the closest round of the game so far.
MVP: @TheOriginalTiki- The best parts of this writeup was the Blizzard Beach ride portions and so for designing that and writing some great gags, you take the victory here!
Team Wish- PRT
You guys had the more interesting and unique transportation style and while I do think the write-ups and logistics have issues that I wish had been touched up, the sheer amount of detail and passion here pushed you into the victory. The Personal Rapid Transport would be another instant classic mode of Disney transportation that I think fans would absolutely love.
MVP- @ThemeParkPriest- For spearheading the entire thing, I think this was a well-earned and deserved MVP position.
You guys had the more interesting and unique transportation style and while I do think the write-ups and logistics have issues that I wish had been touched up, the sheer amount of detail and passion here pushed you into the victory. The Personal Rapid Transport would be another instant classic mode of Disney transportation that I think fans would absolutely love.
MVP- @ThemeParkPriest- For spearheading the entire thing, I think this was a well-earned and deserved MVP position.
PerGron's Reviews
Round six was easily the round I was most excited about because (at least in my time armchair imagineering) I've never seen a D23 panel project in one of these games. I was excited to see what you guys came up with and I think ultimately we had another two absolutely killer projects.
Team Fantasy- Disney's Natural World
Alright you little sh*ts, you got me... Of course designing a D23 panel around Disney's connection with animals and the natural world is something that I'd be super interested in, but also yes, I think this would be an excellent panel to have going, especially if they could somehow get Joe Rohde back to host it.
Your selection of topics are great and follow Disney's timeline with nature-involved projects pretty much to the T. From Bambi at the beginning to IP integration in the modern day, this genuinely feels like something that would be present and honestly I'm pretty surprised it hasn't been at an event in the past. It's a super simple idea but you guys did everything you needed to in order to convey the who, what, where, when, and why of this project in a concise and really well-executed Google Slides. Great work team!
Team Wish- Lost Attractions
When you guys pitched a panel about shelved Disney attractions I was actually pretty excited to see what you guys came up with and while I was disappointed you ended up going a bit more tongue-in-cheek with it, I still think you guys put together a killer project that honors some of the most unique armchair imagineering projects in recent years. Much like your last project doing the Budweiser Zero bit, I'll always love seeing a #HippoSplatterWall show up as it remains possibly my favorite project I've ever taken part in (and also btw, they do now have poop themed animal facts at the Rafiki's Planet Watch bathrooms so did Team Princes predict the future???).
This project was fun and the Martin Short bits were incorporated really well and I love seeing the tribute to all of these projects, but I do have to say I wish this actually was focused on the real lost attractions of the Disney Parks, it would've involved a bit more research and time sure but it also would've felt less like an inside joke celebration than this final project ended up becoming. You guys had fun with it though and the end project is a blast and a fun walk through memory lane so I can't blame you for going in that direction.
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Results
Round six was easily the round I was most excited about because (at least in my time armchair imagineering) I've never seen a D23 panel project in one of these games. I was excited to see what you guys came up with and I think ultimately we had another two absolutely killer projects.
Team Fantasy- Disney's Natural World
Alright you little sh*ts, you got me... Of course designing a D23 panel around Disney's connection with animals and the natural world is something that I'd be super interested in, but also yes, I think this would be an excellent panel to have going, especially if they could somehow get Joe Rohde back to host it.
Your selection of topics are great and follow Disney's timeline with nature-involved projects pretty much to the T. From Bambi at the beginning to IP integration in the modern day, this genuinely feels like something that would be present and honestly I'm pretty surprised it hasn't been at an event in the past. It's a super simple idea but you guys did everything you needed to in order to convey the who, what, where, when, and why of this project in a concise and really well-executed Google Slides. Great work team!
Team Wish- Lost Attractions
When you guys pitched a panel about shelved Disney attractions I was actually pretty excited to see what you guys came up with and while I was disappointed you ended up going a bit more tongue-in-cheek with it, I still think you guys put together a killer project that honors some of the most unique armchair imagineering projects in recent years. Much like your last project doing the Budweiser Zero bit, I'll always love seeing a #HippoSplatterWall show up as it remains possibly my favorite project I've ever taken part in (and also btw, they do now have poop themed animal facts at the Rafiki's Planet Watch bathrooms so did Team Princes predict the future???).
This project was fun and the Martin Short bits were incorporated really well and I love seeing the tribute to all of these projects, but I do have to say I wish this actually was focused on the real lost attractions of the Disney Parks, it would've involved a bit more research and time sure but it also would've felt less like an inside joke celebration than this final project ended up becoming. You guys had fun with it though and the end project is a blast and a fun walk through memory lane so I can't blame you for going in that direction.
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Results
Team Wish- Lost Attractions
This was another incredibly difficult round where I waffled between both teams multiple times, but ultimately what ended up putting you guys here was the fact this was more of a WDWMagic project than a Walt Disney Imagineering project. I still loved every minute of it, but when it comes to picking a winner sometimes it just comes down to a nitpick and that's what happened here. You should all still be insanely proud though.
MVP- @Pi on my Cake- This was a Pi led round and it shows. The sheer amount of bits and humor fits what Pi is known for and I think it really added a lot to the project, so well earned MVP here!
This was another incredibly difficult round where I waffled between both teams multiple times, but ultimately what ended up putting you guys here was the fact this was more of a WDWMagic project than a Walt Disney Imagineering project. I still loved every minute of it, but when it comes to picking a winner sometimes it just comes down to a nitpick and that's what happened here. You should all still be insanely proud though.
MVP- @Pi on my Cake- This was a Pi led round and it shows. The sheer amount of bits and humor fits what Pi is known for and I think it really added a lot to the project, so well earned MVP here!
Team Fantasy- Disney's Natural World
Of course I must acknowledge my bias here, but at the same time my literal favorite project I've ever done is in the other project so I think it evens out. I just found this idea to be the one that stuck out just a little bit more. I think Team Fantasy's strength is going with the more obvious pick and nailing it which is what you did here. The natural world and Disney's connection to it is so important and clear that it just makes sense and I think you guys nailed what you were going for.
MVP- @AceAstro- Even though you were on vacation most of the round you were able to organize this project and put together a great slideshow and so for that reason I've gotta give it to Ace.
Of course I must acknowledge my bias here, but at the same time my literal favorite project I've ever done is in the other project so I think it evens out. I just found this idea to be the one that stuck out just a little bit more. I think Team Fantasy's strength is going with the more obvious pick and nailing it which is what you did here. The natural world and Disney's connection to it is so important and clear that it just makes sense and I think you guys nailed what you were going for.
MVP- @AceAstro- Even though you were on vacation most of the round you were able to organize this project and put together a great slideshow and so for that reason I've gotta give it to Ace.
Pi on my Cake
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
Funnily enough the pitch was actually to have a mix of real lost attractions and our "fake" lost attractions. But we all had so much fun with the meta walk down memory lane we wound up not doing any real history at all lol
Good luck, Sully!! Keep us posted!
Lizzy May Bee
Well-Known Member
Team Fantasy Proudly Presents…
The New Mickey Mouse Revue
The New Mickey Mouse Revue
Great work teams! We’re onto our final speed round now and this one is a doozy.
Challenge Ten: This is Halloween
Some of you may know, Halloween is my favorite holiday (maybe tied with Christmas, I waffle on that one), so whenever I host a game in the fall I’ve gotta sprinkle some All Hallow’s Eve into it. With HHN already ongoing, I think it’s time to look forward to the future…
Prompt: Design a new house or scare zone for Halloween Horror Nights 202
This can be based on an IP or entirely original. I won’t knock you guys for realism on whether or not Universal could get the IP so long as it’s not Disney owned (no Alien v Predator house or whatever). Otherwise, it’s fair game.
This project is due Monday, September 15th at 11:59 PM PST (2:59 AM EST, 1:59 AM CST, 3:59 PM PT)
Challenge Ten: This is Halloween
Some of you may know, Halloween is my favorite holiday (maybe tied with Christmas, I waffle on that one), so whenever I host a game in the fall I’ve gotta sprinkle some All Hallow’s Eve into it. With HHN already ongoing, I think it’s time to look forward to the future…
Prompt: Design a new house or scare zone for Halloween Horror Nights 202
This can be based on an IP or entirely original. I won’t knock you guys for realism on whether or not Universal could get the IP so long as it’s not Disney owned (no Alien v Predator house or whatever). Otherwise, it’s fair game.
This project is due Monday, September 15th at 11:59 PM PST (2:59 AM EST, 1:59 AM CST, 3:59 PM PT)
Architectural Guinea Pig
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
More reviews when? More than a week has passed oof
The last three will be after this last one is posted
TheOriginalTiki
Well-Known Member
The next one he has to review is the animal exhibits and instead of writing out reviews he's literally writing full blown freaking novels 
PerGron's Reviews
Apologies again for getting this one up late, I genuinely thought I had posted and it wasn't until @Architectural Guinea Pig asked about the next rounds that I realized it never got posted. Anyway, let's get back at it.
Team Fantasy- The Top 5 Craziest New Mascot Costumes!
So you guys tackled this project in a fun way where each of the meet and greets are wholly distinct and not tied to one another and I can definitely appreciate that approach. I think that allowed your selection of characters to just be wacky and fun without the restraint of sticking to a particular IP or even park. This allowed you to stretch from Universal to DCA to Six Flags Magic Mountain and all of that lends a lot of fun to your picks.
My first minor nitpick is that for this summer due to Jaws 50th, Quint WAS a meetable character, but it seems he is gone and so he technically fits the requirement of not CURRENTLY having a meet and greet, though by a pretty slim margin. That said, as a massive Jaws fanboy, I appreciate any love that movie gets in the park and the way you have Quint be interactive and improvy with guests sounds fun and the pictures aboard the Orca in different poses also sounds like a great and unique way to spice it up.
Gravity Falls is another solid choice, it's an IP that despite being off the air for like a decade at this point still has a huge fanbase and I think it fits Frontierland and the space of Tom Sawyer Island better than Cars does (assuming you mean the WDW one, it's not specifically mentioned if it's that or Disneyland). There is a lot of info here on the retheme of the area which I don't know was entirely necessary since the focus was on the meet and greets, but I do appreciate the extra bit of detail there. Choosing Stan and Soos as opposed to Dipper and Mabel is definitely a choice, but getting to meet a character performer of Gruncle Stan in the Mystery Shack would definitely be a blast and I appreciate adding in Soos as a little something extra.
Link Hogthrob was a low blow you... So any of you who have seen my Disney Debates knows my childhood fear of anthropomorphic pigs stemming from seeing a costumed character at a haunted house that translated into me being terrified of Link Hogthrob. When I saw you guys debating putting him in I figured it would be as a little in joke and whatever, ha ha let's move on, but I actually think the way you guys did it as a pseudo scare maze themed to a production of The Phantom of the Opera and featuring characters like Link and Crazy Harry was pretty genius. For anyone else other than me I can't see Link Hogthrob being a great fit for the scary Halloween party, but you guys made it fit so well and it's so creative that of every individual meet and greet from this project, this one was my favorite.
The Justice Gang makes sense, I think putting them into Magic Mountain and having them all be peeved about it is really funny and fits their characters pretty well and after the success (and it WAS A SUCCESS) of Superman this year, I think getting to meet Hawkgirl, Guy Gardner, and Mr. Terrific would be a great way to get people into the parks. I do think the Maxwell Lord pull was maybe a bit unnecessary, I think Terrific could stand on his own or honestly would've paired really well with a Superman or Lois Lane meet and greet (forgive me for my ignorance, I'm not sure if they have either of those characters already). That said, the Peacemaker and Vigilante team up with Peacemaker as a big fan of the park was a highlight for me and while I'm waiting to binge the whole season two, I know people seem to be enjoying it so I think including them would be a great choice too.
Finally, Nintendo Kings is very much not in my wheelhouse as you all know how much I am not a gamer, but adding more meet and greets and especially Bowser to Super Nintendo World would be a really great choice. Bowser is a beloved character and I could see this being really popular just with him alone. Including other oversized characters on rotation adds to the revisitability of this meet and greet to get them all and I really like the seasonal addition of Ganondorf for the Zelda fans (one of the few franchises I have some knowledge of outside Mario and Pokemon). The April Fools think is very much an "and one for me" type of deal, but I like it.
Overall, this was a really solid lineup of out of the box characters and I think you guys really nailed them overall. A few nitpicks here and there like with Gravity Falls and Quint being there already, but with everything you guys chose, I think it worked out really well. I didn't mention the presentation style with the Disney Dan laugh between each slide. I know you guys tried to get him for your project which didn't work out and I commend you for that, but you guys emulated his style well enough and jumpscared me with his laugh more than once, so job well done.
Team Wish- Y2K Throwback Weekends
So unlike the other team, you guys went and designed an event around your meet and greets to fold them in to a cohesive theme which also works really well. The theme you went with too is a really realistic one as now the later millennials and early Gen-Z are coming into bring their kids to Disney age, the 90s are out and the 00s are in babyyyyy! As an early 00s kid myself, I think this event is really wonderful and having grown up with essentially everything you focused on here, I can appreciate that from that level. Unfortunately, I will say I felt a bit too much focus on the event and not quite enough on some of the meet and greets the M&Gs are bad by any stretch, but reading through some of them they felt more like an afterthought than the main meat of the presentation if that makes sense.
The event does sound AMAZING and I'd be there day one to celebrate it if I could, with High School Musical, Cheetah Girls, Kim Possible, Phineas and Ferb, etc. all being very important to my youth, I appreciate these really fun events and the offerings you added. A special parade, attraction overlays, special entertainment, you guys kind of killed it and I appreciate that.
The meet and greets though felt a little lacking, especially here with Jake Long. I LOVED this show as a kid and the opportunity to meet Jake would've been a dream come true as a kid. The fact you put him in the Chinese Theater balancing the Chinese and American sides well (I saw that brought up in the PM) was fun. I get it's just a mascot character and not a deep themed and interactive meet and greet, but I would've liked a bit more that a plussed up My Disney Experience bio here. Maybe a bit about the room he's in, how the character interacts, etc. it just felt short for me.
Playhouse Disney also felt a bit lacking for me because while you designed the area really well, it didn't really feel focused on how this was organized. Is this a rotating cast or are they free roaming in the area? I do like the cast you included a ton, I imagine you guys would be shocked that I grew up on Stanley and Bear in the Big Blue House as two of my favorite shows (I'm nothing if not consistent) so I appreciate having Stanley, Bear, as well as Rolie Polie Olie, the Little Einsteins, Jojo and Goliath, Handy Manny, etc. but that's a LOT of characters for not having organization focused around it.
Lizzie McGuire is an obvious pick but also a great one, I think she fits the vibe wonderfully and I do think you guys nailed this writeup giving everything you needed. You described the set, the meet and greet, and had something unique with the animated Lizzie as a part of it. I'm sure some of our younger members have zero idea who Lizzie Mcguire is, but this is probably the best of all the individual meet and greets in this project... with one exception.
The Proud Family was one of those shows I watched when I'd get home even though I really had no idea what was going on. Having revisited it in the wake of Louder and Prouder's first season, I really came to appreciate the show and this would be a great meet and greet. Penny being there is a must, but I think Oscar would be the reason people would wait in line and I imagine the lines being LONG for something like this. This and Lizzie go back and forth and I think you really nailed both of them. The only thing holding the Proud Family back is man y'all needed to include Sugar Mama.
Kuzco and Yzma as a little bonus inspired by The Emperor's New School (an underrated show in my humble opinion) is a fun addition and I know it was a last minute choice, but again it's just missing a bit of that gusto that Lizzie and Proud Family had. I'd love to have these characters as Face Characters, I just wish there was more about it.
Ultimately, this project I think has some super strong elements and you guys nailed the event, but some of the meet and greets faultered and those should've been the highlight. Still, what was amazing was AMAZING so let's see how it all pans out.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Results
Apologies again for getting this one up late, I genuinely thought I had posted and it wasn't until @Architectural Guinea Pig asked about the next rounds that I realized it never got posted. Anyway, let's get back at it.
Team Fantasy- The Top 5 Craziest New Mascot Costumes!
So you guys tackled this project in a fun way where each of the meet and greets are wholly distinct and not tied to one another and I can definitely appreciate that approach. I think that allowed your selection of characters to just be wacky and fun without the restraint of sticking to a particular IP or even park. This allowed you to stretch from Universal to DCA to Six Flags Magic Mountain and all of that lends a lot of fun to your picks.
My first minor nitpick is that for this summer due to Jaws 50th, Quint WAS a meetable character, but it seems he is gone and so he technically fits the requirement of not CURRENTLY having a meet and greet, though by a pretty slim margin. That said, as a massive Jaws fanboy, I appreciate any love that movie gets in the park and the way you have Quint be interactive and improvy with guests sounds fun and the pictures aboard the Orca in different poses also sounds like a great and unique way to spice it up.
Gravity Falls is another solid choice, it's an IP that despite being off the air for like a decade at this point still has a huge fanbase and I think it fits Frontierland and the space of Tom Sawyer Island better than Cars does (assuming you mean the WDW one, it's not specifically mentioned if it's that or Disneyland). There is a lot of info here on the retheme of the area which I don't know was entirely necessary since the focus was on the meet and greets, but I do appreciate the extra bit of detail there. Choosing Stan and Soos as opposed to Dipper and Mabel is definitely a choice, but getting to meet a character performer of Gruncle Stan in the Mystery Shack would definitely be a blast and I appreciate adding in Soos as a little something extra.
Link Hogthrob was a low blow you... So any of you who have seen my Disney Debates knows my childhood fear of anthropomorphic pigs stemming from seeing a costumed character at a haunted house that translated into me being terrified of Link Hogthrob. When I saw you guys debating putting him in I figured it would be as a little in joke and whatever, ha ha let's move on, but I actually think the way you guys did it as a pseudo scare maze themed to a production of The Phantom of the Opera and featuring characters like Link and Crazy Harry was pretty genius. For anyone else other than me I can't see Link Hogthrob being a great fit for the scary Halloween party, but you guys made it fit so well and it's so creative that of every individual meet and greet from this project, this one was my favorite.
The Justice Gang makes sense, I think putting them into Magic Mountain and having them all be peeved about it is really funny and fits their characters pretty well and after the success (and it WAS A SUCCESS) of Superman this year, I think getting to meet Hawkgirl, Guy Gardner, and Mr. Terrific would be a great way to get people into the parks. I do think the Maxwell Lord pull was maybe a bit unnecessary, I think Terrific could stand on his own or honestly would've paired really well with a Superman or Lois Lane meet and greet (forgive me for my ignorance, I'm not sure if they have either of those characters already). That said, the Peacemaker and Vigilante team up with Peacemaker as a big fan of the park was a highlight for me and while I'm waiting to binge the whole season two, I know people seem to be enjoying it so I think including them would be a great choice too.
Finally, Nintendo Kings is very much not in my wheelhouse as you all know how much I am not a gamer, but adding more meet and greets and especially Bowser to Super Nintendo World would be a really great choice. Bowser is a beloved character and I could see this being really popular just with him alone. Including other oversized characters on rotation adds to the revisitability of this meet and greet to get them all and I really like the seasonal addition of Ganondorf for the Zelda fans (one of the few franchises I have some knowledge of outside Mario and Pokemon). The April Fools think is very much an "and one for me" type of deal, but I like it.
Overall, this was a really solid lineup of out of the box characters and I think you guys really nailed them overall. A few nitpicks here and there like with Gravity Falls and Quint being there already, but with everything you guys chose, I think it worked out really well. I didn't mention the presentation style with the Disney Dan laugh between each slide. I know you guys tried to get him for your project which didn't work out and I commend you for that, but you guys emulated his style well enough and jumpscared me with his laugh more than once, so job well done.
Team Wish- Y2K Throwback Weekends
So unlike the other team, you guys went and designed an event around your meet and greets to fold them in to a cohesive theme which also works really well. The theme you went with too is a really realistic one as now the later millennials and early Gen-Z are coming into bring their kids to Disney age, the 90s are out and the 00s are in babyyyyy! As an early 00s kid myself, I think this event is really wonderful and having grown up with essentially everything you focused on here, I can appreciate that from that level. Unfortunately, I will say I felt a bit too much focus on the event and not quite enough on some of the meet and greets the M&Gs are bad by any stretch, but reading through some of them they felt more like an afterthought than the main meat of the presentation if that makes sense.
The event does sound AMAZING and I'd be there day one to celebrate it if I could, with High School Musical, Cheetah Girls, Kim Possible, Phineas and Ferb, etc. all being very important to my youth, I appreciate these really fun events and the offerings you added. A special parade, attraction overlays, special entertainment, you guys kind of killed it and I appreciate that.
The meet and greets though felt a little lacking, especially here with Jake Long. I LOVED this show as a kid and the opportunity to meet Jake would've been a dream come true as a kid. The fact you put him in the Chinese Theater balancing the Chinese and American sides well (I saw that brought up in the PM) was fun. I get it's just a mascot character and not a deep themed and interactive meet and greet, but I would've liked a bit more that a plussed up My Disney Experience bio here. Maybe a bit about the room he's in, how the character interacts, etc. it just felt short for me.
Playhouse Disney also felt a bit lacking for me because while you designed the area really well, it didn't really feel focused on how this was organized. Is this a rotating cast or are they free roaming in the area? I do like the cast you included a ton, I imagine you guys would be shocked that I grew up on Stanley and Bear in the Big Blue House as two of my favorite shows (I'm nothing if not consistent) so I appreciate having Stanley, Bear, as well as Rolie Polie Olie, the Little Einsteins, Jojo and Goliath, Handy Manny, etc. but that's a LOT of characters for not having organization focused around it.
Lizzie McGuire is an obvious pick but also a great one, I think she fits the vibe wonderfully and I do think you guys nailed this writeup giving everything you needed. You described the set, the meet and greet, and had something unique with the animated Lizzie as a part of it. I'm sure some of our younger members have zero idea who Lizzie Mcguire is, but this is probably the best of all the individual meet and greets in this project... with one exception.
The Proud Family was one of those shows I watched when I'd get home even though I really had no idea what was going on. Having revisited it in the wake of Louder and Prouder's first season, I really came to appreciate the show and this would be a great meet and greet. Penny being there is a must, but I think Oscar would be the reason people would wait in line and I imagine the lines being LONG for something like this. This and Lizzie go back and forth and I think you really nailed both of them. The only thing holding the Proud Family back is man y'all needed to include Sugar Mama.
Kuzco and Yzma as a little bonus inspired by The Emperor's New School (an underrated show in my humble opinion) is a fun addition and I know it was a last minute choice, but again it's just missing a bit of that gusto that Lizzie and Proud Family had. I'd love to have these characters as Face Characters, I just wish there was more about it.
Ultimately, this project I think has some super strong elements and you guys nailed the event, but some of the meet and greets faultered and those should've been the highlight. Still, what was amazing was AMAZING so let's see how it all pans out.
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Results
Team Wish- Y2K Throwback Weekends
I really did flip flop here because while I think some of your meet and greets needed a bit more, you made up for it in the event itself. Still, where this was a meet and greet specific round, I think those weaker write ups did you guys in where the other team was more focused on the MEET and potatoes of it all.
MVP- @Brer Panther- Your willingness to try out the Playhouse Disney stuff was great and I appreciate the work you did put into it. Since there were no credits with this project it was hard to attribute much, but your messages in the brainstorming stood out to me, so good on ya!
I really did flip flop here because while I think some of your meet and greets needed a bit more, you made up for it in the event itself. Still, where this was a meet and greet specific round, I think those weaker write ups did you guys in where the other team was more focused on the MEET and potatoes of it all.
MVP- @Brer Panther- Your willingness to try out the Playhouse Disney stuff was great and I appreciate the work you did put into it. Since there were no credits with this project it was hard to attribute much, but your messages in the brainstorming stood out to me, so good on ya!
Team Fantasy- Mascot Costumes
This project was less organized than Team Wish's, but it did allow you guys to go whole hog (pun intended) into passion projects and it really paid off for you guys. Definitely had some standout stuff here like Link and the Justice Gang as well as the weird Nintendo Kings thing you guys did being very out of the box. A really solid set of passion projects that paid off.
MVP- @Lizzy May Bee- While your team worked together really well, I appreciate the amount of work you put into writeups and presentation here that this was a no brainer for me!
This project was less organized than Team Wish's, but it did allow you guys to go whole hog (pun intended) into passion projects and it really paid off for you guys. Definitely had some standout stuff here like Link and the Justice Gang as well as the weird Nintendo Kings thing you guys did being very out of the box. A really solid set of passion projects that paid off.
MVP- @Lizzy May Bee- While your team worked together really well, I appreciate the amount of work you put into writeups and presentation here that this was a no brainer for me!
AceAstro
Well-Known Member
Team Fantasy Presents...
The Latest Special Collector's Edition of GameInformer, covering everything BioShock, including a look at their new HHN maze!
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Reading Music:
The Latest Special Collector's Edition of GameInformer, covering everything BioShock, including a look at their new HHN maze!
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Reading Music:
tcool123
Well-Known Member
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Lizzy May Bee
Well-Known Member
It’s very funny that both teams went with Video Game IPs when it has been well established that Pergron does not play any games, he’s gonna have no idea what’s happening in either of our projects lmao
It’s to balance out all the animal projects we’ve done
Pi on my Cake
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
Good thing we went with Metroid which is at least a bit more accessible compared to my idea of a Pong Haunted house