I haven't the foggiest idea of what you mean
-
Welcome to the WDWMAGIC.COM Forums!
Please take a look around, and feel free to sign up and join the community.
A Twist In Time
- Thread starter tcool123
- Start date
Magic Feather
Well-Known Member
In the garden, well raked stones, and numerous bonsai trees greet guests into a calm atmosphere. The stones are re-raked every day with a new pattern by cast members to bring variety. From there, Stand-by guests rejoin the FASTPASS line in the Cultural Museum. Here authentic Japanese relics are found in cases, including kabuki masks and animal skeletons. The case at the merge point portrays the story of the legendary Kirin, an ancient unicorn of sorts. Guests are then invited to board their covered trains, which are comprised of five carts that seat six, except in the front car, which contains a guide facing the guests, and no guests. This ride is actually a MACK powered coaster, which makes use of motion bases.
Gambler's Challenge: I bet two points I can get anything but last.
TheOriginalTiki
Well-Known Member
TheOriginalTiki Presents: "Dragons"
A Brand New E Ticket Experience for Animal Kingdom's Asia
A Brand New E Ticket Experience for Animal Kingdom's Asia
For this project, I want to aim big and come up with an Imagineering concept that would truly fit in line with some of the most classic of Disney attractions. I'm talking the big boys like Pirates and Mansion. Dragons are a concept that's been around for almost as long as the modern form of storytelling.
When most people think of dragons their mind instantly goes to the more European style of the creature which has recently enjoyed superstardom thanks to Game of Thrones. This attraction is going to focus on a different kind of dragon entirely, one that's lesser known but just as culturally significant...The Chinese Dragon!
While the China pavilion in Epcot is nice and is home to a good CircleVision show, so many more things can be done with a land like this that I feel it only appropriate to have China move in as a sub-land to Animal Kingdom's Asia. This would also be a perfect way to work Mulan characters into the overall fabric of the land. The actual E Ticket will NOT include any Mulan, but in general it'd be an easy way to get a Meet N' Greet like that into the area.
Another great thing an expanded China area would accomplish is being able to recreate the Great Wall of China, something that's going to be absolutely prominent during my attraction. The mountain peak itself won't be as large as the concept for Expedition Everest would have been, but the span of the mountain takes up almost a square mile's worth of a footprint making for a mountain range even larger than the future Radiator Springs Racers in DCA. What makes this truly impressive is the forced perspective Great Wall that wraps around this soon to be icon of Animal Kingdom. The wall is built smaller as it reaches the higher peaks of the mountain, and on a larger scale when it's lower to the ground and closer to the guests. At any rate the mountain with the Great Wall snaking around it will provide a breathtaking centerpiece to this new addition.
Going back to my Pirates and Mansion comparison. There's one thing those rides did absolutely right that has arguably not been matched ever since, leading to those two being at the top of the pantheon in terms of iconic Disney attractions...That thing is DETAIL! Pirates and Mansion both pack a punch when it comes to creating a lived in environment that tells its own story. There's a choose your own adventure type feel to going on an attraction like Haunted Mansion and being able to spin a narrative in your head as you go through the experience based on all the subtle hints at the mansion's backstory. Absolutely the BEST thing these attractions do is restrain from telling the story for the guests outright. It's more a series of scenes that are happening within the middle of an ongoing narrative you're peaking into. That is absolutely the narrative goal I want to set out to accomplish with my Dragons attraction.
Exterior/Surrounding Area
As mentioned before, the exterior will be a dramatic mountain range in China that has the Great Wall wrapped around it, with the Wall itself sure to be a visual centerpiece to the park. There's a Chinese village scattered at the base of the mountain which will act as a bit of kinetic cultural energy before the main event. Much like the scrapped Everest concept, the Great Wall mountain will be located across the body of water that splits up the Asia section and will feature a walkway to get to the mountain that transitions you into the country and culture the attraction takes place.
As such you'll begin to see things paper lanterns hung on shacks, "wild" panda bears, and canvases of Chinese art as you approach the mountain's base. The village surrounding the mountain is small but is effectively a nice side area in Asia that you can spend time in even if you're not bold enough to venture onto the main ride, and should serve as a nice cultural diversion to add to the park's growing list of offerings.
The queue
The queue for "Dragons" is meant to resemble a classic queue in the vein of Pirates or Mansion. Speaking of which, having the name "Dragons" to begin with is a callback to the days when attraction titles were simpler and left more up to the imagination. Most of the queue takes place within a long-abandoned Shaloin temple that seemingly looks built into the side of the mountain. Within this temple we see art of Chinese dragons but also visual cues foretelling that the dragons might be more than just folklore...
We see claw marks on the floors, bones of a creature that doesn't look of this world, and other cryptic signs. In Chinese mythology dragons are meant to be protectors to the Emperor. Within this queue, the details come together to suggest that the monks who inhabited this temple perhaps were harboring a group of dragons to protect the Emperor, as we see portraits on the walls of different Chinese dynasties with dragons protecting them in the background.
As we continue deeper and deeper on into the temple, we reach the boarding area which is in the actual catacombs of the mountain facade. The line between the temple and the natural surroundings has blended in a very surreal yet naturalistic way. Above the boarding area we see a portrait carved into the rocks in chalk of a Chinese dragon hovering over the extent of the Great Wall. The ride uses boats that are very similar to those found on Pirates of the Caribbean to increase capacity and add to the realism.
Ride Through
The ride starts by floating by a few small caves before turning a corner as we find ourselves on the inside of the wall in an area that's not visible to guests looking at the attraction facade from a distance. We see there is a large skeletal ribcage of a dragon that looks like it's carved into the side of the mountain. Think of this like the T-Rex skeleton on Big Thunder but on a bigger scale. We go under the bones of the ribcage as we climb a lifthill to get to the base of the mountain.
Doing a quick turn around by the "big drop" (in the same style as the iconic first turn in Splash Mountain by the brier patch) We get some storytelling details again from the backside of the wall that's not visible to people on street level.
We see that parts of the wall are crumbling, as well as hints of a battle that has just taken place such as patches of arrows in the snow, a tent which is still freshly on fire, and a section of wall which as completely given in on itself.
Rounding another corner we come upon the second lift hill which is within another temple. This one looks more regal and better maintained than the one we went through in the queue. We see golden statues of various Chinese dragons, similar to the guardians chamber of Mulan. A slight visual homage but definitely not implying a direct Mulan connection within the attraction's storyline.
Rounding another corner on the outside, we drop down into the mountain and enter the main show room of the attraction. Within the middle of the mountain is the Emperor's palace. Similar to the Haunted Mansion we can see what is essentially the "shell" of the building from the outside of the attraction while the actual show building under the mountain facade is much larger.
The show building has two main rooms...inside the palace and outside the palace. The boats weave there way through various rooms of the palace as it comes under attack from the Hun army. One hallway we can see a project mapped shadow of a Chinese dragon taking on a Hun soldier before we go down a surprise double drop into the palace's elaborate gardens.
This room uses a Pirates style "night sky" effect" to convey the sense of being outside from within the showbuilding. In the gardens are a large group of over 20 AA monks dressed in golden yellow robes in the middle of a silent prayer.
We see a fire growing in the distance, which is situated in an elaborate miniature forced perspective view of the Great Wall from afar. The ground starts shaking and we see a large scale head of a dragon poke appear from the clouds looking down on us. The ground gives way and we as riders are shocked as our boat drops us down backwards into the catacombs of the palace as the dragon flies off to help protect the Emperor in the fight against the Huns.
After the backwards section, which briefly contains the first elements of the water coaster which will result in the ride's thrilling climax, we climb backwards up a lifthill as we hear the battle in action. Going up the lift we see that the temple we were in earlier actually was connected to the palace via the subterranean tunnels we just exploded. Visual cues remind us that were in the same temple that the queue was set in such as the same sort of layout to the rooms.
The lift in this section isn't a traditional lifthill, but a high tech elevator that is masked to look like an old fashion pulley system designed to get your boats back up from the temple to the mountains. As we rise up the false facade of the "mountain" we see the shadow of an enormous dragon projected onto the cliff's side.
Reaching the top of the the lift that serves as an outpost on the Great Wall, we are met by a general of the Chinese army who orders us to retreat on the wall to safety. This is where the water coaster takes place. It begins Inside the showbuilding as we careen across the wall, and then pops us out onto the "big dropped" we turned by at the start of the ride. The finale to the coaster section is a very visually kinetic water coaster ride across a section of the Great Wall built into the facade, which is soon to become an iconic element within the genre of Disney thrill rides.
Floating back into a cave in the side of the mountain we enter a smaller self-contained show building which houses the attraction's final scene. It is an elaborate parade on Chinese New Year features 18 AA human characters engaging in the festivities as well as three full scale Chinese Dragon floats.
The real meat of this final scene happens as the real dragon...modeled after the traditional floats but animated and designed to be very realistic and life-like, appears and flies across the room. The AA is 12 feet wide and 30 feet long...Among the largest AA's Disney has ever designed. With that we float back into the cavernous boarding area and leave our boats, putting the pieces of the story together in our mind.
And that concludes "Dragons". This is by far my favorite project I've completed on this season so far. I know I'm in trouble in terms of the rankings so if I go out, I'll be very satisfied knowing this is the effort I went out on. For this attraction above all else I wanted to give a sense of ambiguity to the storyline while also being accurate to showcasing certain historical references within the narrative. Much like Pirates and Mansion, Dragons provides a visually striking, slow moving, high capacity adventure that leaves you wanting to come back again and again to take in all the details, and leaving you with a slightly different interpretation of the story it's trying to tell every time you take the journey. That is the true goal of "Dragons".
Last edited:
spacemt354
Chili's
--Phoenix Mountain--
Development and Planning Phase
(January 2003 - March 2004)
Around the early 2000s, Walt Disney Imagineering leaned on a formal resignation of the Beastly Kingdomme concept for Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World. After talks stalled and some of the designers moved over to Universal Creative to design the "Dueling Dragons" attraction (a concept very similar to "Dragon Tower" of Beastly Kingdomme), WDI moved on to other ideas for expansion of their 4th WDW theme park.
Animal Kingdom was destined to be a celebration of animals, real and imagined. A few years after its inception in 1998, the masthead of the theme park still held out hope for a mythological component to the theme park, with a dragon front and center, however it looked as it if would never come to be. Until 2003, when WDI began taking research trips to Fenghuang, China, as well as various other mountain ranges across the country in preparation for a concept in development for Animal Kingdom. A concept that would utilize ancient mythological creatures along with Buddhist traditions of Shamanic dimensional travel to provide a once in a lifetime experience, and something unique to Walt Disney World and particularly Animal Kingdom that would not only entertain but immerse guests in another culture and mythology. It was at this time that the concept of Phoenix Mountain began.
Backstory
The term "Fenghuang" is derived from the Chinese vernacular of "feng" and "huang" the terms for a male and female phoenix respectively. The term combined represents the mythological phoenix of ancient Chinese mythology that was a guardian of peace and perseverance. Widespread throughout Asia, was (and still is) the ancient religion of Buddhism, in particular Tibetan Buddhism in Nepal along the western Chinese border. Buddhism in China was and is a very popular religious belief, and the belief stemmed from spiritual beings, known as shamans, having the ability to travel forward and backward through time, in addition to other mythological beliefs regarding certain traditional cultures.
Combining these two elements together would not only bring a unique experience, but the possibility of an exciting new endeavor to Animal Kingdom, that will fill the coveted hole of mythology in the theme park, but also assimilate "mankind's" belief of the creatures, and mankind's respect for the environment and natural wonders predominate in the modest living of mountain Buddhist cultures.
Early Concept Art
(March 2003)
Early renditions of the attraction were artistically inspired from Chinese folklore and depictions of the mythical creatures illustrated throughout the ages. While the attraction was based on the mythical, the setting and beliefs would be quintessentially realistic in their approach and design. In particular the depiction of a small mountain town in western China, inspired by quaint mountain villages that permeated the region, many of which were belief inspired and prayer oriented.
The mountain town would be home to Buddhist traditions and the guests themselves would travel through a monastery in the small town, travel through prayer gardens, and through a pre-show, with the ultimate goal of boarding a Chinese tea train in pursuit up Phoenix Mountain to a coveted temple on the mountainside that legend says gives you the ability to travel through dimensions, like a shaman, to bring these mythical creatures to life.
However, with such a quest, there is always an element of peril. The legend also claims that while good creatures such as the phoenix can be seen coming to life, other, more sinister creatures come to life as well, such as the Xiao, a demonic dragon creature that supposedly prowls the mountainside, and if brought to life, could wreck havoc and destruction. It has been said that there have been a few brave adventures up to the temple on top of Phoenix Mountain, but nobody has returned to tell the tale.
Area Blueprint
(October 2003)
The location of this attraction will be on the eastern side of Asia in Disney's Animal Kingdom, to the right of Kali River Rapids, and along the Discovery River. Taken from a bird's eye view, the location will be housed in about 6 acres of land, complete with an in-depth queue area, and a dark ride, roller coaster hybrid. Furthermore, the entire attraction will be encapsulated by a 189 ft mountain range inspired by the western Chinese forested terrains.
Modeling and Construction Phase
(November 2003 - February 2006)
As the project emerged from the blue sky and development phase, 3D models and designs were undertaken, in addition to beginning the 26 month long construction process to complete the attraction by soft openings in February 2006.
The design of the forested mountain range for the attraction is meant to be a unique addition to Disney's signature mountain designs. Unlike others that deal predominately in rockwork formation, which rocky edges and shapes are still a fundamental component, more emphasis was placed on the greenery that would shape the mountain.
Landscape Design - Viewpoint A
(March 2004)
On the 189 foot mountain, planting real trees and vegetation was a predominant goal of the project. While Animal Kingdom is very much about the animals and our care for them, it is also about our care for the environment and our natural surroundings on earth. Animal Kingdom is also a very realistic vegetative environment on a level most Disney Parks cannot compare to. So blending in with the surroundings of the park, the message of the park, and creating a realistic environment of western Chinese mountains were all factors in designing the attraction's facade.
Landscape Design - Viewpoint B
(March 2004)
In accordance with the design, the attraction itself will bend in and out of the facade on your high speed mythical adventure. Six "tunnel" entrances will be carved into the mountain's facade and rock-work, where the trains will fly into and out of the mystical mountain.
3D Phoenix Animatronic
(June 2004)
Phoenix Mountain will be an attraction that incorporates not only detail oriented settings and surroundings, but also technologically advanced animatronics that drive the story even further. Encased inside the mountain facade, during several "scenes", as guests roar down the tracks, animatronics will approach them, swing past them, among a variety of effects. Computer graphics teams have been hard at work assimilated the necessary movements needed to corroborate with providing guests the most visually stunning animatronics seen to date.
From the example above, imagineers are working on a new "flying" animatronic for the Fenghuang Chinese phoenix. This bird will flap its wings and soar over guests during a portion of the attraction, providing a truly incredible visual to all as they pass by.
New On-Ride Projection Technology
(October 2004)
In addition to the high-end animatronics, there will be state of the art projection mapping in certain scenes throughout the attraction, using a combination of IMAX screens and digital quality to enhance the visuals of the ride. At the top of Phoenix mountain as guests roll backwards after approaching the mountainside temple, they will be entranced with a digital star mapping emitting the illusion of billions of stars in the universe as you use dimensional travel through space and see the mythological creatures come to life. With an eclectic array of colorful visuals and effects, these scenes will be some of the highlights of the attraction as a whole.
Ride Vehicle Design
(November 2004)
Designed to represent a Chinese tea train rolling up the forested hills of the western Chinese towns and mountain ranges, the set of five trains will careen through the attraction with 12 rows per train of 2 guests per row. While the attraction as a whole is considered to be a thrill ride, there will be two dark ride scene elements at the top of the mountain, and towards the end of the attraction.
The ride vehicles will be specially designed to go forwards and backwards throughout the adventure. During your time above, on top of the mountain, the ride track will stop, and your vehicles will descend backwards through two dark ride scenes before continuing on the adventure, stopping, and pressing on forwards. Ultimately this type of attraction will bring dark ride, coaster, and thrill elements to Animal Kingdom, all aspects that at this time, the theme park is in need of in its attraction lineup.
Guests must be 44 inches tall to ride this thrill attraction.
Soft Openings Phase
(February 2006 - April 2006)
Attraction Walk-Through
Around the middle of February 2006, soft openings for Phoenix Mountain began for guests visiting during February break for the northeastern school systems.
As guests approach from Discovery Island, they cross over into Asia and begin the trek towards the "weenie" of Phoenix Mountain, rising high into the Animal Kingdom skyline.
Upon arrival to the attraction entrance queue, you pass by what looks to be worn, ancient Chinese Monasteries, with statues, gardens, and other various delicacies surrounding you. You see the massive Phoenix Mountain hovering over you and hear the screams of the guests racing down a large decline coming out of the mountain, and at that moment you know you've been transported into another land and are in for an adventure of a lifetime.
Town of Fenghuang
Attraction Queue Blueprint
The attraction queue is divided into four main segments, each unique in its design. The first component is the monastery library and historical statues, with hundreds upon hundreds of authentic Chinese Buddhism books and scriptures lining the bookcases. The meticulously crafted mahogany of the bookcases, combined with the worn feel of the environment, equates to a design that makes the guests feel as if they encompassed by a different culture and realistic surroundings.
Walt Disney Imagineers traveled and researched Chinese monasteries and culture to ensure that as guests walk through the queue and into the attraction, they are getting the most authentic interpretation as possible, as is the case with much of Asia and Disney's Animal Kingdom as a whole.
Monastery Library
After exiting the Monastery Library, you enter into a statue garden of sorts, including sculptures of mythological beings of prosperity and hope, as well as honored shamans of the Buddhism faith. As you press onwards you enter a Chinese temple and relish in the meticulous architecture and design of the building to replicate the craftsmanship of the region.
Prayer Garden
Continuing through the temple and out towards the prayer gardens, you are enveloped in lush green and varied forestation surrounding you in a peaceful and tranquil setting. Sounds of birds chirping in the trees, doves speaking on the horizon, and the rush of a small waterfall into a river below.
The serenity of the atmosphere is apparent and illustrates not only the affinity for mythological beings, but also the understanding of the environment, two elements that Animal Kingdom strives for in its design.
Temple Pre-Show
Background Music
Striding even further you eventually get to the pre-show element of the queue which offers the most breath-taking display of projection technology utilized for this attraction.
As you walk into the circular, winding queue and look above you, a show mesmerized you in bombastic acoustic melodies that entrance you to watching the story unfold in the "stars" The ceiling reflects as the night sky above us the dimensional travel of the shaman as chanting "hmms" drown out the powerful violin orchestra, as the display shows the phoenix in its glory, soaring through the night sky.
You watch the magnificent bird shimmer throughout the various world dimensions, traveling with the shamans through time and space in a peaceful and tranquil manner, until, the ferocious counterpart, the Xiao, a terrifying dragon-like creature opposed to the phoenix in the balance of Ying and Yang, prowls the edge. The sky turns red and a vision of Phoenix Mountain is seen with Xiao hovering over it, daring visitors to come with a grin.
The show ends and the lights come on in the monastery as you proceed to the loading dock. The show itself is replayed every 5 minutes in the queue.
Load Area
The ride vehicles themselves are themed to a Chinese tea train that is used by the inhabitants of the town for transport of goods to and from the countryside. However on this trip, it is being used to glide up the mountainside on a quest to find the hidden temple on Phoenix Mountain that legend says can bring mythical creatures to life, however is guarded in secrecy and is supposed guarded by Xiao, as with the rest of Phoenix Mountain, with expeditions leaving and never returning. However, pessimism aside, you are about to embark on your quest for knowledge of the unknown, as you board your tea train in pursuit of an expedition of your own.
On-Ride Music
Scene 1 - The Forest and Ascent
Leaving the station you veer up a small hill on an incline before dipping around and around the extension of the prayer garden forest area. This quiet and tranquil beginning to the attraction offers sweeping views of Phoenix Mountain and the temple rising from one of its top peaks, waiting to be explored. You then come face to face with a sharp incline up the face of the mountain, and begin your ascent. A swift ascent gives you magnificent views of all of Animal Kingdom, as well as some of the other Walt Disney World sites to your left from the incline. When you get to the top of the mountain, the temple is to your left and you veer around and them inside of it where your surroundings go to black and you hear a loud bang.
Your train stops its motion and then flickers of stars come out around you as you begin to drift backwards through the darkness.
Scene 2 - Dimensional Travel
As you continue to drift backwards you enter a dark ride scene with shapeshifting planets and star systems meshing and forming together like in the pre-show illustrating dimensional travel. There is a crisp cool air in the scene and the music begins to swell as you turn backwards even further into the next scene. A sharp ear will notice a phoenix caw, mixed with a faint roar of the Xiao.
Scene 3 - The Mythological World
You continue to circle backwards through dimensional travel as you see the mythological world in front of you, on a massive IMAX projection screen. The size and detail of the rotating world is immense, however at the same time, your fears are realized as the Xiao breathes from above and pushes you backwards as speeds of up to 42 mph, down a steep 25 foot drop and around a bend before finally your train brakes and rotates around to go further.
Scene 4 - Xiao Chase
In your stopped position in the middle of Phoenix Mountain, you are left with no option but to descend out of the mountain. Your vehicle jolts forwards and down a 60 foot drop at speeds over 50 mph before a sharp G-forced embedded turn back into the mountain, as you hear Xiao bellow and bring you back into his territory.
Scene 5 - Arrival of the Phoenix
You sweep down a spiraled section of the roller coaster track and nearly dodge a large audio-animatronic version of the Xiao which tries to devour you as you swirl away. In the distance you can see a projection of the Fenghuang phoenix coming into view to attempt to save the day.
Scene 6 - Final Battle
Diving around more dips at top speeds and slopping up and down steep curves, you approach the finale scene of the adventure which is the phoenix coming to your rescue and fending off the Xiao creature saving you as you make your escape out of Phoenix Mountain and back to the monastery. As the attraction comes to a screeching halt, you now have a look inside the mythical creatures of Asian cultures and their significance as well. The harrowing adventure then ends with the guests going out to look at their on-ride "drop" photos and to the quaint gift shop on the way out.
Gift Shop
This wooden design and old fashioned gift area offers a variety of options from mythology statues, to books, to memorabilia, and more. For anyone interested in learning more about Chinese mythology and Asian culture, or just wants a memory token of their adventure, there will be something to find for everyone in the family.
Conclusion
Ultimately, Phoenix Mountain will be a thrill impact E-ticket attraction in both detail and design to put Animal Kingdom on the map, and it will both distinguish and enhance the Animal Kingdom themes of animals, both real and imagined, as well as the natural beauty of earth and how we as humans interact with nature.
Thank you for reading!
Le Gamble
I will wager a quarter of my points.
Development and Planning Phase
(January 2003 - March 2004)
Around the early 2000s, Walt Disney Imagineering leaned on a formal resignation of the Beastly Kingdomme concept for Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World. After talks stalled and some of the designers moved over to Universal Creative to design the "Dueling Dragons" attraction (a concept very similar to "Dragon Tower" of Beastly Kingdomme), WDI moved on to other ideas for expansion of their 4th WDW theme park.
Animal Kingdom was destined to be a celebration of animals, real and imagined. A few years after its inception in 1998, the masthead of the theme park still held out hope for a mythological component to the theme park, with a dragon front and center, however it looked as it if would never come to be. Until 2003, when WDI began taking research trips to Fenghuang, China, as well as various other mountain ranges across the country in preparation for a concept in development for Animal Kingdom. A concept that would utilize ancient mythological creatures along with Buddhist traditions of Shamanic dimensional travel to provide a once in a lifetime experience, and something unique to Walt Disney World and particularly Animal Kingdom that would not only entertain but immerse guests in another culture and mythology. It was at this time that the concept of Phoenix Mountain began.
Backstory
The term "Fenghuang" is derived from the Chinese vernacular of "feng" and "huang" the terms for a male and female phoenix respectively. The term combined represents the mythological phoenix of ancient Chinese mythology that was a guardian of peace and perseverance. Widespread throughout Asia, was (and still is) the ancient religion of Buddhism, in particular Tibetan Buddhism in Nepal along the western Chinese border. Buddhism in China was and is a very popular religious belief, and the belief stemmed from spiritual beings, known as shamans, having the ability to travel forward and backward through time, in addition to other mythological beliefs regarding certain traditional cultures.
Combining these two elements together would not only bring a unique experience, but the possibility of an exciting new endeavor to Animal Kingdom, that will fill the coveted hole of mythology in the theme park, but also assimilate "mankind's" belief of the creatures, and mankind's respect for the environment and natural wonders predominate in the modest living of mountain Buddhist cultures.
Early Concept Art
(March 2003)
Early renditions of the attraction were artistically inspired from Chinese folklore and depictions of the mythical creatures illustrated throughout the ages. While the attraction was based on the mythical, the setting and beliefs would be quintessentially realistic in their approach and design. In particular the depiction of a small mountain town in western China, inspired by quaint mountain villages that permeated the region, many of which were belief inspired and prayer oriented.
The mountain town would be home to Buddhist traditions and the guests themselves would travel through a monastery in the small town, travel through prayer gardens, and through a pre-show, with the ultimate goal of boarding a Chinese tea train in pursuit up Phoenix Mountain to a coveted temple on the mountainside that legend says gives you the ability to travel through dimensions, like a shaman, to bring these mythical creatures to life.
However, with such a quest, there is always an element of peril. The legend also claims that while good creatures such as the phoenix can be seen coming to life, other, more sinister creatures come to life as well, such as the Xiao, a demonic dragon creature that supposedly prowls the mountainside, and if brought to life, could wreck havoc and destruction. It has been said that there have been a few brave adventures up to the temple on top of Phoenix Mountain, but nobody has returned to tell the tale.
Area Blueprint
(October 2003)
The location of this attraction will be on the eastern side of Asia in Disney's Animal Kingdom, to the right of Kali River Rapids, and along the Discovery River. Taken from a bird's eye view, the location will be housed in about 6 acres of land, complete with an in-depth queue area, and a dark ride, roller coaster hybrid. Furthermore, the entire attraction will be encapsulated by a 189 ft mountain range inspired by the western Chinese forested terrains.
Modeling and Construction Phase
(November 2003 - February 2006)
As the project emerged from the blue sky and development phase, 3D models and designs were undertaken, in addition to beginning the 26 month long construction process to complete the attraction by soft openings in February 2006.
The design of the forested mountain range for the attraction is meant to be a unique addition to Disney's signature mountain designs. Unlike others that deal predominately in rockwork formation, which rocky edges and shapes are still a fundamental component, more emphasis was placed on the greenery that would shape the mountain.
Landscape Design - Viewpoint A
(March 2004)
On the 189 foot mountain, planting real trees and vegetation was a predominant goal of the project. While Animal Kingdom is very much about the animals and our care for them, it is also about our care for the environment and our natural surroundings on earth. Animal Kingdom is also a very realistic vegetative environment on a level most Disney Parks cannot compare to. So blending in with the surroundings of the park, the message of the park, and creating a realistic environment of western Chinese mountains were all factors in designing the attraction's facade.
Landscape Design - Viewpoint B
(March 2004)
In accordance with the design, the attraction itself will bend in and out of the facade on your high speed mythical adventure. Six "tunnel" entrances will be carved into the mountain's facade and rock-work, where the trains will fly into and out of the mystical mountain.
3D Phoenix Animatronic
(June 2004)
Phoenix Mountain will be an attraction that incorporates not only detail oriented settings and surroundings, but also technologically advanced animatronics that drive the story even further. Encased inside the mountain facade, during several "scenes", as guests roar down the tracks, animatronics will approach them, swing past them, among a variety of effects. Computer graphics teams have been hard at work assimilated the necessary movements needed to corroborate with providing guests the most visually stunning animatronics seen to date.
From the example above, imagineers are working on a new "flying" animatronic for the Fenghuang Chinese phoenix. This bird will flap its wings and soar over guests during a portion of the attraction, providing a truly incredible visual to all as they pass by.
New On-Ride Projection Technology
(October 2004)
In addition to the high-end animatronics, there will be state of the art projection mapping in certain scenes throughout the attraction, using a combination of IMAX screens and digital quality to enhance the visuals of the ride. At the top of Phoenix mountain as guests roll backwards after approaching the mountainside temple, they will be entranced with a digital star mapping emitting the illusion of billions of stars in the universe as you use dimensional travel through space and see the mythological creatures come to life. With an eclectic array of colorful visuals and effects, these scenes will be some of the highlights of the attraction as a whole.
Ride Vehicle Design
(November 2004)
Designed to represent a Chinese tea train rolling up the forested hills of the western Chinese towns and mountain ranges, the set of five trains will careen through the attraction with 12 rows per train of 2 guests per row. While the attraction as a whole is considered to be a thrill ride, there will be two dark ride scene elements at the top of the mountain, and towards the end of the attraction.
The ride vehicles will be specially designed to go forwards and backwards throughout the adventure. During your time above, on top of the mountain, the ride track will stop, and your vehicles will descend backwards through two dark ride scenes before continuing on the adventure, stopping, and pressing on forwards. Ultimately this type of attraction will bring dark ride, coaster, and thrill elements to Animal Kingdom, all aspects that at this time, the theme park is in need of in its attraction lineup.
Guests must be 44 inches tall to ride this thrill attraction.
Soft Openings Phase
(February 2006 - April 2006)
Attraction Walk-Through
Around the middle of February 2006, soft openings for Phoenix Mountain began for guests visiting during February break for the northeastern school systems.
As guests approach from Discovery Island, they cross over into Asia and begin the trek towards the "weenie" of Phoenix Mountain, rising high into the Animal Kingdom skyline.
Upon arrival to the attraction entrance queue, you pass by what looks to be worn, ancient Chinese Monasteries, with statues, gardens, and other various delicacies surrounding you. You see the massive Phoenix Mountain hovering over you and hear the screams of the guests racing down a large decline coming out of the mountain, and at that moment you know you've been transported into another land and are in for an adventure of a lifetime.
Town of Fenghuang
Attraction Queue Blueprint
The attraction queue is divided into four main segments, each unique in its design. The first component is the monastery library and historical statues, with hundreds upon hundreds of authentic Chinese Buddhism books and scriptures lining the bookcases. The meticulously crafted mahogany of the bookcases, combined with the worn feel of the environment, equates to a design that makes the guests feel as if they encompassed by a different culture and realistic surroundings.
Walt Disney Imagineers traveled and researched Chinese monasteries and culture to ensure that as guests walk through the queue and into the attraction, they are getting the most authentic interpretation as possible, as is the case with much of Asia and Disney's Animal Kingdom as a whole.
Monastery Library
After exiting the Monastery Library, you enter into a statue garden of sorts, including sculptures of mythological beings of prosperity and hope, as well as honored shamans of the Buddhism faith. As you press onwards you enter a Chinese temple and relish in the meticulous architecture and design of the building to replicate the craftsmanship of the region.
Prayer Garden
Continuing through the temple and out towards the prayer gardens, you are enveloped in lush green and varied forestation surrounding you in a peaceful and tranquil setting. Sounds of birds chirping in the trees, doves speaking on the horizon, and the rush of a small waterfall into a river below.
The serenity of the atmosphere is apparent and illustrates not only the affinity for mythological beings, but also the understanding of the environment, two elements that Animal Kingdom strives for in its design.
Temple Pre-Show
Background Music
Striding even further you eventually get to the pre-show element of the queue which offers the most breath-taking display of projection technology utilized for this attraction.
As you walk into the circular, winding queue and look above you, a show mesmerized you in bombastic acoustic melodies that entrance you to watching the story unfold in the "stars" The ceiling reflects as the night sky above us the dimensional travel of the shaman as chanting "hmms" drown out the powerful violin orchestra, as the display shows the phoenix in its glory, soaring through the night sky.
You watch the magnificent bird shimmer throughout the various world dimensions, traveling with the shamans through time and space in a peaceful and tranquil manner, until, the ferocious counterpart, the Xiao, a terrifying dragon-like creature opposed to the phoenix in the balance of Ying and Yang, prowls the edge. The sky turns red and a vision of Phoenix Mountain is seen with Xiao hovering over it, daring visitors to come with a grin.
The show ends and the lights come on in the monastery as you proceed to the loading dock. The show itself is replayed every 5 minutes in the queue.
Load Area
The ride vehicles themselves are themed to a Chinese tea train that is used by the inhabitants of the town for transport of goods to and from the countryside. However on this trip, it is being used to glide up the mountainside on a quest to find the hidden temple on Phoenix Mountain that legend says can bring mythical creatures to life, however is guarded in secrecy and is supposed guarded by Xiao, as with the rest of Phoenix Mountain, with expeditions leaving and never returning. However, pessimism aside, you are about to embark on your quest for knowledge of the unknown, as you board your tea train in pursuit of an expedition of your own.
On-Ride Music
Scene 1 - The Forest and Ascent
Leaving the station you veer up a small hill on an incline before dipping around and around the extension of the prayer garden forest area. This quiet and tranquil beginning to the attraction offers sweeping views of Phoenix Mountain and the temple rising from one of its top peaks, waiting to be explored. You then come face to face with a sharp incline up the face of the mountain, and begin your ascent. A swift ascent gives you magnificent views of all of Animal Kingdom, as well as some of the other Walt Disney World sites to your left from the incline. When you get to the top of the mountain, the temple is to your left and you veer around and them inside of it where your surroundings go to black and you hear a loud bang.
Your train stops its motion and then flickers of stars come out around you as you begin to drift backwards through the darkness.
Scene 2 - Dimensional Travel
As you continue to drift backwards you enter a dark ride scene with shapeshifting planets and star systems meshing and forming together like in the pre-show illustrating dimensional travel. There is a crisp cool air in the scene and the music begins to swell as you turn backwards even further into the next scene. A sharp ear will notice a phoenix caw, mixed with a faint roar of the Xiao.
Scene 3 - The Mythological World
You continue to circle backwards through dimensional travel as you see the mythological world in front of you, on a massive IMAX projection screen. The size and detail of the rotating world is immense, however at the same time, your fears are realized as the Xiao breathes from above and pushes you backwards as speeds of up to 42 mph, down a steep 25 foot drop and around a bend before finally your train brakes and rotates around to go further.
Scene 4 - Xiao Chase
In your stopped position in the middle of Phoenix Mountain, you are left with no option but to descend out of the mountain. Your vehicle jolts forwards and down a 60 foot drop at speeds over 50 mph before a sharp G-forced embedded turn back into the mountain, as you hear Xiao bellow and bring you back into his territory.
Scene 5 - Arrival of the Phoenix
You sweep down a spiraled section of the roller coaster track and nearly dodge a large audio-animatronic version of the Xiao which tries to devour you as you swirl away. In the distance you can see a projection of the Fenghuang phoenix coming into view to attempt to save the day.
Scene 6 - Final Battle
Diving around more dips at top speeds and slopping up and down steep curves, you approach the finale scene of the adventure which is the phoenix coming to your rescue and fending off the Xiao creature saving you as you make your escape out of Phoenix Mountain and back to the monastery. As the attraction comes to a screeching halt, you now have a look inside the mythical creatures of Asian cultures and their significance as well. The harrowing adventure then ends with the guests going out to look at their on-ride "drop" photos and to the quaint gift shop on the way out.
Gift Shop
This wooden design and old fashioned gift area offers a variety of options from mythology statues, to books, to memorabilia, and more. For anyone interested in learning more about Chinese mythology and Asian culture, or just wants a memory token of their adventure, there will be something to find for everyone in the family.
Conclusion
Ultimately, Phoenix Mountain will be a thrill impact E-ticket attraction in both detail and design to put Animal Kingdom on the map, and it will both distinguish and enhance the Animal Kingdom themes of animals, both real and imagined, as well as the natural beauty of earth and how we as humans interact with nature.
Thank you for reading!
Le Gamble
I will wager a quarter of my points.
The following imagineers have yet to turn in a project -
@IDInstitute
@MonorailRed
@AdventurerEllie
You have about two hours left to submit your proposal.
For those who have already submitted you have two hours to edit your post if you wish.
@IDInstitute
@MonorailRed
@AdventurerEllie
You have about two hours left to submit your proposal.
For those who have already submitted you have two hours to edit your post if you wish.
DinoInstitute
Well-Known Member
A Twist In Time Challenge 4
IDInstitute's Project- Gua Rosa Expedition
Legend Of The Forbidden Caves
(Narrator): Welcome Expedition Gua Rosa team members. In just a moment, you will be joining our train to take a journey like nothing before. We look forward to seeing you there!
Oh, hey, IDI here! Before you get on the ride, let me tell you a bit about this experience! Welcome to 2006, and the grand opening of Disney's Animal Kingdom's newest thrill ride, Gua Rosa Expedition! This is perhaps the grandest single attraction addition to a Disney park ever, with it being a huge, highly themed roller coaster (kind of like it's mysterious other-dimension counter part Expedition Everest). However, it differs from Everest in several ways. While on Everest you are adventuring to The Forbidden Mountain of the tallest mountain in the world, departing the newly created village of Anandapur, here you are leaving the village of Alam Haiwan, exploring The Forbidden Caves of Gua Rosa (Deer Cave), one of the biggest caves in the world (As you can see, since Everest doesn't exist, we used some ideas that went along with it that were kind of cool and sitting in the back of Rhode's mind
). In addition, the ride vehicles are slightly modified, with the ability to rotate 360 degrees depending on what the show scene calls for.
What makes this a good addition to DAK? It is an experience through the best of what mother nature has to offer like nothing before. As the story of the attraction goes, guests are becoming a part of Gua Rosa Expeditions, a cheap but charming tourist service that allows guests to take adventures into the depths of these local Malaysian caves in order to observe the incredible, beautiful, unknown, and potentially dangerous wildlife (It's Animal Kingdom, of course!). This is where the mythology comes in... Caves, especially Deer Caves as huge as it is, are some of the most unexplored and still unknown lands on Earth. While some might have a belief about what it's like in there, nobody truly knows...until now.
Now, stop holding up the line! It's time to board! (How many?) Two! (Row 1) Cool, we got the front row! I'll be sitting next to you, so as we go through this adventure, you can get special "director's commentary" from me, an imagineer behind this ride! Let's go!
Hello again, Expedition Gua Rosa team members. Once on board, please store all excess equipment of yours in the cargo pouch in front of you. Please keep your hands, arms, feet, and legs, inside the train at all times. Thank you for choosing us for your vacation fun, and please enjoy the trip.
Ahh...we're going!! SO exciting!!
See that giant facade over there? It was a huge part of the project, and it turned out beautiful. It is a recreation of the actual cave entrance, of course a little smaller. In addition, we of course modified it so that we are entering via coaster train from the new small loading village outside the mountain.
Hello, I am your guide on this expedition, Amir Razak. Here we have made it to the most beautiful natural wonders Mother Nature has given us as me and my colleagues believe, Gua Rosa.
Here we begin the dark ride portion of the ride, with the most interesting scenes. I was particularly pushing for this part of the ride not not get any cuts, and luckily it ended up coming out quite well. You get an interesting look at many animatronics of the fauna of the caves. As we go through the cave scenes too, the vehicles will start to move and turn around to get unique views and motion.
Oh! And the soundtrack here!
Jerry Goldsmith is amazing at making amazing inspirational attraction music.
Isn't the cave a wonder to behold? Take a look around, there's so much to see! And if you miss anything, don't hesitate to purchase another trip with us! To the side, that bird is the Rhinoceros Hornbill, charming, isn't he? Over there, as your train turns, you will see a rare glimpse of a Bornean Bearded Pig venturing from the surrounding area into the cave! Oh, and there's the Gibbons, they are my favorites.
Let's continue on down the cave, shall we? Of course, the animals are a beauty, but nothing matches the natural wonders of the cave.
Now, we're about to get into the coaster section. Much like that last cave scene, this was a very fun part of the attraction to design, working in what we know about the cave and the mysteries it still has. However, I won't spoil what happens...let's ride!
[chk-chk-chk-chhkkkkkkkkkk]
My apologies everyone, it appears our train has come to a stop. We've been running these trains nonstop for weeks, I hope you'll understand they are getting a little run down. Please remain in the train as we come to stop by to assist.
[even bigger creak]
What..was that? Are the vehicles back up again?
[trying to talk through screaming and loud wind] THIS IS QUITE THE SCENE AND EFFECT, HUH?! No coaster in Disney history has done backwards switch like this before, with us suddenly falling backwards with the idea being that we are out of control now that the train has no power. We are loose through the caves, discovering new landscapes, and even encountering the sun bears of the caves!
And alas, here we are making it back to the load station! That was fun! A success if you ask me Thanks for riding with me today!
The Gamble!
I don't really have any faith in this Part of me wants to gamble for first just as a joke but I guess I'll go with betting 2 points for the anything but last hopefully
IDInstitute's Project- Gua Rosa Expedition
Legend Of The Forbidden Caves
(Narrator): Welcome Expedition Gua Rosa team members. In just a moment, you will be joining our train to take a journey like nothing before. We look forward to seeing you there!
Oh, hey, IDI here! Before you get on the ride, let me tell you a bit about this experience! Welcome to 2006, and the grand opening of Disney's Animal Kingdom's newest thrill ride, Gua Rosa Expedition! This is perhaps the grandest single attraction addition to a Disney park ever, with it being a huge, highly themed roller coaster (kind of like it's mysterious other-dimension counter part Expedition Everest). However, it differs from Everest in several ways. While on Everest you are adventuring to The Forbidden Mountain of the tallest mountain in the world, departing the newly created village of Anandapur, here you are leaving the village of Alam Haiwan, exploring The Forbidden Caves of Gua Rosa (Deer Cave), one of the biggest caves in the world (As you can see, since Everest doesn't exist, we used some ideas that went along with it that were kind of cool and sitting in the back of Rhode's mind
). In addition, the ride vehicles are slightly modified, with the ability to rotate 360 degrees depending on what the show scene calls for.What makes this a good addition to DAK? It is an experience through the best of what mother nature has to offer like nothing before. As the story of the attraction goes, guests are becoming a part of Gua Rosa Expeditions, a cheap but charming tourist service that allows guests to take adventures into the depths of these local Malaysian caves in order to observe the incredible, beautiful, unknown, and potentially dangerous wildlife (It's Animal Kingdom, of course!). This is where the mythology comes in... Caves, especially Deer Caves as huge as it is, are some of the most unexplored and still unknown lands on Earth. While some might have a belief about what it's like in there, nobody truly knows...until now.
Now, stop holding up the line! It's time to board! (How many?) Two! (Row 1) Cool, we got the front row! I'll be sitting next to you, so as we go through this adventure, you can get special "director's commentary" from me, an imagineer behind this ride! Let's go!
Hello again, Expedition Gua Rosa team members. Once on board, please store all excess equipment of yours in the cargo pouch in front of you. Please keep your hands, arms, feet, and legs, inside the train at all times. Thank you for choosing us for your vacation fun, and please enjoy the trip.
Ahh...we're going!! SO exciting!!
See that giant facade over there? It was a huge part of the project, and it turned out beautiful. It is a recreation of the actual cave entrance, of course a little smaller. In addition, we of course modified it so that we are entering via coaster train from the new small loading village outside the mountain.
Hello, I am your guide on this expedition, Amir Razak. Here we have made it to the most beautiful natural wonders Mother Nature has given us as me and my colleagues believe, Gua Rosa.
Here we begin the dark ride portion of the ride, with the most interesting scenes. I was particularly pushing for this part of the ride not not get any cuts, and luckily it ended up coming out quite well. You get an interesting look at many animatronics of the fauna of the caves. As we go through the cave scenes too, the vehicles will start to move and turn around to get unique views and motion.
Oh! And the soundtrack here!
Jerry Goldsmith is amazing at making amazing inspirational attraction music.Isn't the cave a wonder to behold? Take a look around, there's so much to see! And if you miss anything, don't hesitate to purchase another trip with us! To the side, that bird is the Rhinoceros Hornbill, charming, isn't he? Over there, as your train turns, you will see a rare glimpse of a Bornean Bearded Pig venturing from the surrounding area into the cave! Oh, and there's the Gibbons, they are my favorites.
Let's continue on down the cave, shall we? Of course, the animals are a beauty, but nothing matches the natural wonders of the cave.
Now, we're about to get into the coaster section. Much like that last cave scene, this was a very fun part of the attraction to design, working in what we know about the cave and the mysteries it still has. However, I won't spoil what happens...let's ride!
[chk-chk-chk-chhkkkkkkkkkk]
My apologies everyone, it appears our train has come to a stop. We've been running these trains nonstop for weeks, I hope you'll understand they are getting a little run down. Please remain in the train as we come to stop by to assist.
[even bigger creak]
What..was that? Are the vehicles back up again?
[trying to talk through screaming and loud wind] THIS IS QUITE THE SCENE AND EFFECT, HUH?! No coaster in Disney history has done backwards switch like this before, with us suddenly falling backwards with the idea being that we are out of control now that the train has no power. We are loose through the caves, discovering new landscapes, and even encountering the sun bears of the caves!
And alas, here we are making it back to the load station! That was fun! A success if you ask me
Thanks for riding with me today!The Gamble!
I don't really have any faith in this
Part of me wants to gamble for first just as a joke but I guess I'll go with betting 2 points for the anything but last hopefully
MonorailRed
Applebees
Challenge 4 – Disco is Dead!
Gambler's Challenge & Singular Elimination
Presentation by @MonorailRed
Presentation by @MonorailRed
Authors Introduction
I decided to take a different spin on this challenge, rather then focus on a coaster aspect, I decided to mix aspects of Maelstrom, Raging Sprits (Tokyo DisneySea), and the Maverick from Cedar Point (Cedar Fair) to produce a thrilling duo attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Though Dragon attractions have been done to death on the forum, since the attraction is not directly connecting to the dragon (A La Everest with the Yeti), I feel like it puts a different spin on a Chinese Mythology based attraction. Plus in the timeline, Dueling dragons may exist, but I can promise you – This beast isn’t a Universal Dragon.
I decided to take a different spin on this challenge, rather then focus on a coaster aspect, I decided to mix aspects of Maelstrom, Raging Sprits (Tokyo DisneySea), and the Maverick from Cedar Point (Cedar Fair) to produce a thrilling duo attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Though Dragon attractions have been done to death on the forum, since the attraction is not directly connecting to the dragon (A La Everest with the Yeti), I feel like it puts a different spin on a Chinese Mythology based attraction. Plus in the timeline, Dueling dragons may exist, but I can promise you – This beast isn’t a Universal Dragon.
Introduction
Through the dense jungle and forests of Animal Kingdom, a new discovery has emerged - The Cliffs of Mystic
This new attraction can be found in the “Asia” area of the theme park between Kali River Rapids and Tarzan Rocks!
This new attraction can be found in the “Asia” area of the theme park between Kali River Rapids and Tarzan Rocks!
Queue
Travel through the a queue themed to a tourism center in China. It has history and mythology exhibits.
Travel through the a queue themed to a tourism center in China. It has history and mythology exhibits.
Attraction
As you board your cable car vehicle, the first scene is conveyed through a simulator, where guests go up a cliff to the mountains.
As they get closer, it seems that something has landed on top of the Cable Car. As you look to the front you see the head of a green dragon, wrapped entirely around the Cable Car.
“Wise travelers, I will lead you to the magic of the lands and the wonders of the creatures of the mystic cliffs of China.”
As the simulation makes it feel as if you are flying to the mountains, and land, your vehicle is moving from a top track to a bottom track. Similar to what would have been done technology wise with the Atlantis attraction that was supposed to take the place of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
You enter a large show building where you see a heard of cute Qilin.
As you go deeper in the forest it becomes darker - enter the darkest part of the forest, filled with fog and dark trees. A Nue appears, as you hear “Follow me and you will find the riches of the mountains”
This almost becomes a darker version of the Tigger scene in the Winnie the Pooh ride, seeing the snake-like tale or the glow red eyes ever so often moving through the bushes while following the creature.
As you turn the corner you start to see large scale-y creature, with Golden fur and claws. You’re track is then blocked by the face of a Bright Golden, yellow dragon saying. When you head the Nue in the background “Following a Nue has seemed to led to misfortune. Prepare to face the fire Dragon of the Mountains!”
Your vehicle launches into a track similar to the Maverick at Cedar Point, wrapping around the Cliffs...
As your "misfortune" ends - guests slowly come back to the Lift Station/Tourism Center.
Gambler's Challenge
I'll bet two points please
As you board your cable car vehicle, the first scene is conveyed through a simulator, where guests go up a cliff to the mountains.
As they get closer, it seems that something has landed on top of the Cable Car. As you look to the front you see the head of a green dragon, wrapped entirely around the Cable Car.
“Wise travelers, I will lead you to the magic of the lands and the wonders of the creatures of the mystic cliffs of China.”
As the simulation makes it feel as if you are flying to the mountains, and land, your vehicle is moving from a top track to a bottom track. Similar to what would have been done technology wise with the Atlantis attraction that was supposed to take the place of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
You enter a large show building where you see a heard of cute Qilin.
As you go deeper in the forest it becomes darker - enter the darkest part of the forest, filled with fog and dark trees. A Nue appears, as you hear “Follow me and you will find the riches of the mountains”
This almost becomes a darker version of the Tigger scene in the Winnie the Pooh ride, seeing the snake-like tale or the glow red eyes ever so often moving through the bushes while following the creature.
As you turn the corner you start to see large scale-y creature, with Golden fur and claws. You’re track is then blocked by the face of a Bright Golden, yellow dragon saying. When you head the Nue in the background “Following a Nue has seemed to led to misfortune. Prepare to face the fire Dragon of the Mountains!”
Your vehicle launches into a track similar to the Maverick at Cedar Point, wrapping around the Cliffs...
As your "misfortune" ends - guests slowly come back to the Lift Station/Tourism Center.
Gambler's Challenge
I'll bet two points please
Last edited:
TheOriginalTiki
Well-Known Member
My write up is done. I should have the final formatting and pictures edited in by midnight.
TheOriginalTiki
Well-Known Member
Finished my edits just in time. I wish I had more faith in my finished product because I do really like my concept, but there's some REALLY strong entries here with fantastic artwork so I'm going to go the boring route of betting 2 points for not coming in last. Good luck, everyone!
AdventurerEllie
Well-Known Member
Sorry, I am super sick for the last couple of days
Aww, I hope you feel better!
Magic Feather
Well-Known Member
@tcool123 Worked last time.
Challenge 4 - Disco is Dead!
Reviews
Escape from Mythical Mountain by Tegan pilots a chicken
While I love the look of the artwork, it gives off a feeling of something that you could find in Discoveryland or a similarly themed futuristic area. I feel you should've been more direct with your region for the mythical creatures as there's some from China, Korea, Philippines, Japan, and Greece it just comes off as a hodgepodge of some iconic mystical beings. Secondly it seems that every turn there's a new creature, not really guests any thinking room until they see the next character. I could see some of these creatures supporting there own ride, but all at once it seems a bit cluttered. However with all that said, I do see potential within this concept.
The Forbidden City by kmbm777
During the preshow the members of SEA seem to lack any real emotions. It also feels that Tim is just merely an accessory of the doctor, and not really worked well into the script for the preshow. However it is nice for the guests to get to know the backstory of the ride. Wait when did we go underwater? Why are we underwater, that premise in the first scene is a bit weird It was also pretty predictable that Tim would be the bad guy, and now I'm not sure we're talking about the same SEA, is this the Society of Explorers and Adventurers? And what is SKY, and what does it mean, Sky Rocketing Yams?
Wait is this ride just all screens? That's kind of disappointing, and it pales in the wow factor in comparison with Expedition Everest. The dragon killed someone in front of guests, that doesn't feel very modern Disney like. I also agree with Claire What...How? While this ride does have plot, it's hard to follow at times. Along with it being a bit confusing. Also why is it called The Forbidden City, weren't we in a cave and the modern cities? Overall it is a great concept, but the story/script seemed to be hard to follow at times.
The Quest for the Kirin by Magic Feather
I am certainly getting an Everest vibe from this attraction, which isn't a bad thing. I also think the ever changing rock garden is a great touch, that adds to the immersion. Also the Red Panda is Chinese, and not Japanese. Also, isn't this a train, are the vehicles changing direction themselves, or is it just looping around on the track? Also why is our tour guide saying Oh so many times? Actually no I would be saying oh to if I found a wild Red Panda in Japan No, but really I feel like the Ohs are a bit overdone. After the guide is smoked out, I feel like the ride becomes a much more interesting experience, and do think the Kirin is an interesting bipolar creature. My biggest concern is with the lighting effects on the trees, wouldn't it be all for naught as that part of the ride of the ride is outside, and Animal Kingdom didn't begin to operate nightly until this year. Overall the ride had a great premise, but like the previous project the weak link was the script. Along with that red panda just chilling on vacation from China.
Dragons by TheOriginalTiki
The name in particular isn't the most original, but the visual of Disney building a replica of the Great Wall along with a mountain range is just breathtaking. Now its time to see if the ride itself can live up to the comparison of Pirates and Mansion, or if it's all bark and no bite. Overall the queue gives off an ominous tone, and overall the experience really hypes up the dragon. The pacing is really great, and I do think that up until the monks everything is really dynamic and breathtaking. The monks are neither, but add a level of depth. The dragon itself is a bit of it let down, but the ride itself is a well crafted narrative that sounds like a highly themed instant classic. That is the dragon is a let down, until the end where it flies over guests that I think will be visually stunning along with the already happening festivities of the room. Overall this project shows that you were dedicated to this challenge, and is by far the best thing I have seen in the competition from you yet.
Phoenix Mountain by spacemt354
I like how you formatted your submission it gives it an overall realistic tone. I really like how you went out of your way to go year by year along with picture progressions as well, I really liked what I sea , and while they may be little details it really does help when explaining to someone to have a picture as well. Much like Magic Feather's proposal I'm getting that Everest vibe which like before is not a bad thing. Also I like how you sneakily incorporated a bit of Inventus in there The preshow sounds like a great way to introduce guests to the story of the attraction, and a great wow moment. I fact I love how the ride slowly builds up for the reveal of the xiao, and I also really like the conclusion.
Gua Rosa Expedition by IDInstitute
I like the unique way you are presenting your ideas, it definitely adds to the experience. I love how meta this speech is, if you don't see it all buy another ticket, we've been running the trains every day. Oh and sun bears
Unfortunately none of this is mythological, so yeah there's that
The Cliffs of Mystic by MonorailRed
I thin your ride vehicle is pretty unique, and could be a cool concept, but are guests riding in a gondola the whole time? That seems pretty unsafe for a coaster. Overall you kept your story easy to follow, but I wonder what was the point of the Qilin, it didn't do anything. However I do think this could be a real run experience. I would've wished you have gone into more detail though.
_________ by AdventurerEllie
I hope you get better soon! Here's some chicken noodle soup to help!
Reviews
Escape from Mythical Mountain by Tegan pilots a chicken
While I love the look of the artwork, it gives off a feeling of something that you could find in Discoveryland or a similarly themed futuristic area. I feel you should've been more direct with your region for the mythical creatures as there's some from China, Korea, Philippines, Japan, and Greece it just comes off as a hodgepodge of some iconic mystical beings. Secondly it seems that every turn there's a new creature, not really guests any thinking room until they see the next character. I could see some of these creatures supporting there own ride, but all at once it seems a bit cluttered. However with all that said, I do see potential within this concept.
The Forbidden City by kmbm777
During the preshow the members of SEA seem to lack any real emotions. It also feels that Tim is just merely an accessory of the doctor, and not really worked well into the script for the preshow. However it is nice for the guests to get to know the backstory of the ride. Wait when did we go underwater? Why are we underwater, that premise in the first scene is a bit weird
It was also pretty predictable that Tim would be the bad guy, Wait is this ride just all screens? That's kind of disappointing, and it pales in the wow factor in comparison with Expedition Everest.
The dragon killed someone in front of guests, that doesn't feel very modern Disney like. I also agree with Claire What...How? While this ride does have plot, it's hard to follow at times. Along with it being a bit confusing. Also why is it called The Forbidden City, weren't we in a cave and the modern cities? Overall it is a great concept, but the story/script seemed to be hard to follow at times.The Quest for the Kirin by Magic Feather
I am certainly getting an Everest vibe from this attraction, which isn't a bad thing. I also think the ever changing rock garden is a great touch, that adds to the immersion. Also the Red Panda is Chinese, and not Japanese. Also, isn't this a train, are the vehicles changing direction themselves, or is it just looping around on the track? Also why is our tour guide saying Oh so many times? Actually no I would be saying oh to if I found a wild Red Panda in Japan
No, but really I feel like the Ohs are a bit overdone. After the guide is smoked out, I feel like the ride becomes a much more interesting experience, and do think the Kirin is an interesting bipolar creature. My biggest concern is with the lighting effects on the trees, wouldn't it be all for naught as that part of the ride of the ride is outside, and Animal Kingdom didn't begin to operate nightly until this year. Overall the ride had a great premise, but like the previous project the weak link was the script. Along with that red panda just chilling on vacation from China.Dragons by TheOriginalTiki
The name in particular isn't the most original, but the visual of Disney building a replica of the Great Wall along with a mountain range is just breathtaking. Now its time to see if the ride itself can live up to the comparison of Pirates and Mansion, or if it's all bark and no bite. Overall the queue gives off an ominous tone, and overall the experience really hypes up the dragon. The pacing is really great, and I do think that up until the monks everything is really dynamic and breathtaking. The monks are neither, but add a level of depth. The dragon itself is a bit of it let down, but the ride itself is a well crafted narrative that sounds like a highly themed instant classic. That is the dragon is a let down, until the end where it flies over guests that I think will be visually stunning along with the already happening festivities of the room. Overall this project shows that you were dedicated to this challenge, and is by far the best thing I have seen in the competition from you yet.
Phoenix Mountain by spacemt354
I like how you formatted your submission it gives it an overall realistic tone. I really like how you went out of your way to go year by year along with picture progressions as well, I really liked what I sea , and while they may be little details it really does help when explaining to someone to have a picture as well. Much like Magic Feather's proposal I'm getting that Everest vibe which like before is not a bad thing. Also I like how you sneakily incorporated a bit of Inventus in there
The preshow sounds like a great way to introduce guests to the story of the attraction, and a great wow moment. I fact I love how the ride slowly builds up for the reveal of the xiao, and I also really like the conclusion. Gua Rosa Expedition by IDInstitute
I like the unique way you are presenting your ideas, it definitely adds to the experience. I love how meta this speech is, if you don't see it all buy another ticket, we've been running the trains every day. Oh and sun bears
Unfortunately none of this is mythological, so yeah there's that The Cliffs of Mystic by MonorailRed
I thin your ride vehicle is pretty unique, and could be a cool concept, but are guests riding in a gondola the whole time?
That seems pretty unsafe for a coaster. Overall you kept your story easy to follow, but I wonder what was the point of the Qilin, it didn't do anything. However I do think this could be a real run experience. I would've wished you have gone into more detail though. _________ by AdventurerEllie
I hope you get better soon! Here's some chicken noodle soup to help!
Last edited:
kmbmw777
Well-Known Member
-Forbidden City is a real Chinese Palace surrounded by a river. Sorry should've clarified that more. And I wrong real sets in the flyover scenes, palace scenes, and the dragon encounter I believe.Challenge 4 - Disco is Dead!
Results
The Forbidden City by kmbm777
During the preshow the members of SEA seem to lack any real emotions. It also feels that Tim is just merely an accessory of the doctor, and not really worked well into the script for the preshow. However it is nice for the guests to get to know the backstory of the ride. Wait when did we go underwater? Why are we underwater, that premise in the first scene is a bit weirdand now I'm not sure we're talking about the same SEA, is this the Society of Explorers and Adventurers?And what is SKY, and what does it mean, Sky Rocketing Yams?
Wait is this ride just all screens? That's kind of disappointing, and it pales in the wow factor in comparison with Expedition Everest.
Challenge 4 - Disco is Dead!
Results
The Winnings
8. AdventurerEllie - 0
7. IDInstitute - 1 + 1
6. MonorailRed - 2 + 1
5. kmbmw777 - 3 - 1.5
4. Tegan pilots a chicken - 4
3. Magic Feather - 5 + 1
2. spacemt354 - 6 + 2.5
1. TheOriginalTiki - 7 + 1
Total Points
8. Tegan pilots a chicken - 9
7. IDInstitute - 12
6. AdventurerEllie - 13
5. MonorailRed - 14
4. kmbmw777 - 14.5
3. TheOriginalTiki - 16
2. Magic Feather - 26
1. spacemt354 - 28.5
Results
The Winnings
8. AdventurerEllie - 0
7. IDInstitute - 1 + 1
6. MonorailRed - 2 + 1
5. kmbmw777 - 3 - 1.5
4. Tegan pilots a chicken - 4
3. Magic Feather - 5 + 1
2. spacemt354 - 6 + 2.5
1. TheOriginalTiki - 7 + 1
Total Points
8. Tegan pilots a chicken - 9
7. IDInstitute - 12
6. AdventurerEllie - 13
5. MonorailRed - 14
4. kmbmw777 - 14.5
3. TheOriginalTiki - 16
2. Magic Feather - 26
1. spacemt354 - 28.5
Last edited:
@Tegan pilots a chicken it is with a heavy heart I bid you goodbye. I do hope you stay active around these boards, as I would hate it for your creative ideas to no longer be shared with the world. Keep in touch via the Discussion thread!
I do hope you stay active around these boards, as I would hate it for your creative ideas to no longer be shared with the world. Keep in touch via the Discussion thread!
Last edited:
DinoInstitute
Well-Known Member
I feel like we're gonna get to a point soon where the people ahead will have too many points for it to be possible to win enough to survive
kmbmw777
Well-Known Member
Bye @AimYourBrent !!! You will be missed!
spacemt354
Chili's
@AimYourBrent you're a budding presence on the forum and your artwork is getting really good! Congrats on your first competition and hope to see you in the next one! You'll be the one to beat!