Carter Dunlap’s Concept Thread

[cdunlap]

Riverside Towns Of America: Guests follow a brown path located by The Haunted Mansion’s exit into a forest that leads to Sleepy Hollow. The main attraction here is Legends Of Sleepy Hollow And Salem. This is a Sleepy Hollow/Hocus Pocus/Princess And The Frog Themed Animatronic Show within a theatre with moving seats. The facade is The Sleepy Hollow Church, with a graveyard to Disney Villains by it. Guests queue through the graveyard and enter the church, only to find a room with a smoky cauldron, the BOOK with a blinking eye, and The Black Flame Candle. Guests exit into the theatre, decorated as a creepy forest at midnight, and with seats that move and vibrate in time with the show. An actor portraying Ichabod Crane walks onto the stage whistling and trembling. He turns to the audience and says, “Thank you for coming. I am Ichabod Crane, Sleepy Hollow Schoolmaster. I am returning home after a great festival of the fall. It is past midnight and I am scared. Witches may be out, along with the dreaded Headless Horseman. To keep safe from any supernatural beings, please silence all cell phones, do not take flash pictures, and watch your children please. Now, off I go!” Suddenly, a balcony with an animatronic of The Headless Horseman is lit. The spirit laughs, then performs “The Headless Horseman” in a voice similar to Thurl Ravenscroft, with bedsheet ghosts singing backup for him. The seats sway to the song’s beat. The Headless Horseman laughs one final time as he throws his pumpkin head, which explodes and lights up another balcony, revealing Doctor Facilier, who performs “Friends On The Other Side”. The seats sway to the beat of the song and begin rocking at the climax. The stage fades to black, then relights, revealing The Sanderson Sisters. Winifred and the sisters sing “I Put A Spell On You” as chairs sway and rock, lights in Halloween Colors move across the theatre, and The Ghosts, Facilier, alongside his spirit friends, and The Headless Horseman dance and sing along. The show ends as all the sinister figures laugh menacingly and the stage fades to black, only to reveal Ichabod Crane. He says, “You made it past Ghosts, Witches, Voodoo Wizards, and The Headless Horseman! Now, run across the bridge so they do not catch up! Farewell!” Guests exit the theatre by the iconic Sleepy Hollow Covered Bridge, where Ichabod Crane met his untimely end. Nearby, The Sanderson Apothecary sells Hocus Pocus, Sleepy Hollow, and The Haunted Mansion related items in a Colonial Pharmacy Setting. A waterwheel mill house with a wooden plank porch is on the riverside. Within the mill, Miller’s Tavern, a window service restaurant serving American staples, stands. Lanterns hang from wooden posts. The path is brown with horseshoe imprints. Guests have two choices from here, enter a shop which holds the entry to Halloween Town from The Nightmare Before Christmas, a clone of Hong Kong’s Halloween Town Experience or enter Rainbow Caverns, a Day Glow painted cave with vivid stalactites and stalagmites. This leads to Grizzly Peak. This redwood forest below a bear shaped mountain holds Grizzly Peak, A Mound, A Cliff Pueblo, A Plank House, A Village, A Geothermal Hotspot, A Spirit Cave, and several ancient legends. Guests can enter a mountain cave below Grizzly Peak and fight Mishpeshu, the Underwater Panther, with bows and arrows in Mishpeshu Mayhem. They can also ascend Grizzly Peak and ride on the back of a Thunderbird through the woods on the aptly named Flight Of The Thunderbird. Another activity guests can do is enter the plank house and participate in Legends Of The Totems, an interactive show about Native Mythology narrated by a Pacific Northwest Thunderbird Mask. The Cliff Pueblo holds Legends Of The West, a short walkthrough based on Hopi Kachina Legends. The Mound holds The Caverns Of Fear, a scary walkthrough of The Wendigo’s Lair. The Piasa breathes flame, the Wampus meows, a Horned Snake hisses, and the Wendigo growls. Guests can enter The Spirit Cave Of Powhatan and see Spirit Animals come to life in the form of cave paintings, with each animal explaining their symbolism. Guests enter Goldenrock Geothermal Hotspot, one of the largest splashpads in the world. Here, guest can play at The Feuding Geysers in a game of geysers dunking on the other tribe through the use of teams staffing color-coded water cannons. Players staff their cannons, but -- prevented from firing directly on the members of the other colored tribe -- they must hit targets and push balls into holes and goals to unleash giant plumes of water from above and air cannons from below that drench the other tribes. (This amazing geyser idea was originally made by @MisterPenguin, I just changed the name.) Guests can also engage in water play by the geysers in The Holy Prismatic Spring, a shallow pool inspired by Yellowstone’s Grand Prismatic Springs. Guests exit the forest by way of a Redwood Tunnel. Guests follow a wooden path through the forest to a farming community along the banks of the Snake. This area serves as a place for guests to unwind, relax, shop, socialize, and sit by The Rivers Of America in a peaceful setting lit by lanterns. The final path leads directly to Big Thunder by way of a plank walkway along the riverbank.

 

[cdunlap]

Fantasyland Dark Kingdom: To the left of the Tangled Restrooms, a haunted forest, filled with cobwebs and bare trees with menacing faces with glowing eyes holds a land of evil. At night, the forest is lit by will o’ the wisps and fog covers the ground at all times. The atmospheric soundtrack consists of the rattling of chains, the sighs of ghosts, the screaming of terrified individuals, and the laughter of Maleficent, Mistress Of All Evil!

The Legend Of Maleficent: This clone of Disneyland’s walkthrough based on the classic Disney film, Sleeping Beauty, is located within Maleficent’s tower, which is accessed by going left. It has the original Hall Of Goons and Maleficent jump scare end.

The Fire Swamp. Guests enter a forest off the Tangled restrooms, follow a path into a dark forest, turn right, and enter The Fire Swamp by way of a Ruined Gothic Crypt belonging to an unknown villain. This dreaded marsh is filled with three terrors, which Buttercup and Westley, portrayed on a screen, must face in order to make it to safety of Westley’s ship. What are the three terrors? Flame spurts, lightning sand, and the Rodents of Unusual Size. Guests enter a menacing forest with gnarled trees with faces alongside Westley and Buttercup. This exchange happens.

Buttercup (referring to the Fire Swamp): “We’ll never survive.”

Wesley: “Nonsense. You’ve only saying that because no one ever has.”

Then, the guests and heroes come upon Flame Spurts. At first, guests don’t know what to expect when they hear the popping sound. Then fire spurts up from the ground. And bam—Buttercup’s dress is on fire and she and Westley are trying to put it out. The first thing Westley asks Buttercup in this scene is if she’s hurt. She’s not. But now there’s the realization that this place they fled to for safety has the potential to be very painful. The heroes and guests know when they see the flames, that this is not going to be as easy as they believed, that they have to be on guard. And the potential for pain, the prospect of being hurt, “keeps you on your toes” as Westley says in that scene. The fire spurts are necessary so guests can prepare themselves for those things that will hurt. Guests need to know that going in so they can be ready. It will not be an easy journey.

Great! Westley and Buttercup survived the flames. Awesome. He told her all about where he’s been and life’s all good—that is until Buttercup is sucked under into some hole that she didn’t see. This is the Lightning Sand. Some guests get stuck in a pit of foam blocks and they don’t see it coming. In fact, guests NEVER see it coming or they would avoid it before it happened. When Buttercup falls into the sand, Westley fixes the problem immediately. He grabs on to a vine and jumps in. He saves Buttercup and pulls her out. But there’s this moment right after he jumps in, when guests are waiting and it’s silent. They are waiting to see what will happen—and when they are feeling the pressure, Westley and Buttercup return to view! They are out of breath, but safe! After facing the lightning sand, the very next moment announces the final threat!

Buttercup: We’ll never succeed. We may as well die here.

Westley: No. We have already succeeded. What are the three terrors of the Fire Swamp? One: the flame spurts—but we know there’s popping sound before each one comes. Two: The lightning sand—and you just discovered what it looks like so we can avoid it next time.

Buttercup: What about the ROUSes?

Westley: Rodents of Unusual Size? I don’t think they exist.

This is when the Rodents of Unusual Size show up! Westley doesn’t think they exist–and that’s when one attacks him. Now, he has to fight it. It’s survival. Westley or the ROUS. This is the clincher. This is the part guests never see coming. It’s the struggle, the stuff that comes AFTER they’ve braved all these other terrors. They get attacked from the outside. And they have to fight. The ROUSes don’t want anyone to succeed; they want to consume. Guests must never let them. They are fighting for all of the innocent guests. Westley can’t stop fighting or he will lose. It’s the man in black or the ROUS. The hardest part of dealing with the ROUSes and traveling through the Fire Swamp? Keeping up strength. Having hope. Staying sharp. Being patient. Believing. Believe in what Westley says—you’ve already succeeded if you’re this far because you’ve made it past all the other things.

When guests exit The Fire Swamp, it is going to change them. It will make guests braver, make them stronger, give them hope, teach them more than they could ever imagine. Guests exit by way of through the same crypt that this journey began at. Mortem In Lapis sells souvenirs related to The Fire Swamp in a mausoleum by the entry.

Bald Mountain Drop: Guests follow the path into the dark forest, turn left, and reach Maleficent’s tower. To the left of the tower, a graveyard leads to Bald Mountain Drop. This is a drop tower themed to the classic Fantasia segment. Guests enter a ruined castle near a cemetery at the end of the forest, which leads them to the fiery depths, where guests load a wraithlike spirit and ascend. Chernabog is atop the mountain. When vehicles fly up to him, he swats at the vehicles. The vehicles drop down to the lava to escape, then are erupted back to Chernabog, rinse and repeat for a few minutes and then guests unload and exit through a lava tube.

 

[cdunlap]

Haunted Mansion Live Experience:
This immersive experience is located to the left of the Haunted Mansion at WDW. Guests enter by following a path through a forest to a secret entrance to Gracey Manor located within a crypt. The waiting room, which is themed to the library and piano room, is home to a “face” character of Madame Leota, dressed in her 50th anniversary outfit. She interacts with guests, doing tea leaf readings, palm readings, card tricks with a tarot deck, and mind reading tricks with each guest which follow the Ghost Host's comedic stylings. The Ghost Host, voiced by Corey Burton, announces when each group can enter the dining room. Guests dine at the table in the Ballroom with an organist playing music. The singing busts sing along to the organist's melodies. Spirits in suits and ball gowns wander the room and ask guests if they want to join the party. If a guest agrees, the ghost dances with them. Waiters and waitresses dressed as maids and butlers serve the guests meals of the Victorian era. At the end of the meal, guests are ushered out to the cemetery, where they join in the iconic celebration and dance with such happy haunts as a headless knight, a ragtag band of Medieval minstrels, a mummy, a picnic by a crashed hearse, and some singing busts. Madame Leota will sometimes come to the ballroom or cemetery and perform her readings. The restrooms are designed after the exit crypt, complete with stone walls, arm sconces, and the hitchhiking ghost mirrors. Guests exit through a crypt which is next to the Haunted Mansion exit.

 

[cdunlap]

This is my idea for how Tiana's Bayou Adventure could work in WDW. It uses a small courtyard by Splash Mountain and turns it into The French Quarter.

Tiana's Palace is placed at the center of the courtyard, making it an icon of French Quarter. It will have the same menu as Disneyland's restaurant. To the left, a Mint Julep Bar serves Disneyland's famous non alcoholic mint juleps along with beignets.

The Court Of Angels is located to the right of Tiana's Palace. This courtyard has yellow walls and a blue spiral staircase. Within the courtyard, guests can enter Cristal D'Orleans, a jewelry store, and Madame Antoinette's Perfumes, a perfume shop.

To the right of the Court Of Angels, a sinister wrought iron gateway leads through a cemetery and into an area based on New Orleans myths and legends. Guests can enter one crypt and encounter the Rougarou, a Cajun werewolf that has a compulsive need to count little things on the ground yet cannot reach 13 in the Rougarou Encounter. Another crypt leads to Lafitte's Landing, a pirate themed seafood cafe complete with servers acting like pirates!

A path deep into the bayou leads to Bloodmere Manor. This is a Haunted Mansion styled walkthrough within a long abandoned Greek Revival plantation house haunted by the Blood Family, a massively wealthy and powerful family of cotton farmers whose extreme greed ultimately led to their eternal occupancy of the estate. The exterior of the attraction is the cursed plantation, with its decrepit wrought iron and boarded windows located at the end of a twisting trail leading down an overgrown, tombstone-littered lawn. Some of the tamer scenes encountered near the beginning of the attraction include a haunted piano playing eerie tunes all on its own and a hallway of menacing Blood family portraits that stare guests down as they move by. Things become far spookier deeper into the mansion, when the Blood ghosts themselves appear one by one to give guests a thorough lesson in terror. Bloodmere Manor gets plenty of mileage from the classic Pepper’s Ghost effect, which most of the well-dressed apparitions are rendered by way of. The whole aesthetic of the experience is defined by greyscale displays of nineteenth century art, architecture, cuisine, fashion, and musical stylings. The greyscale colors were influenced by old horror films like Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, 1932's The Mummy, Nosferatu, 1929's Phantom Of The Opera, and The Cat And The Canary.

A gateway on the opposite side of the entry leads to Dr. Facilier's Voodoo Emporium. This is a Savi’s type shop in which an employee of the doctor’s, dressed in his suit but with a fascinatior if female, leads guests in creating A talisman similar to the one on Facilier’s Necklace, A mask similar to the giant horned mask he displays, and A Mystical Staff, similar to Facilier’s cane. The talisman is made by putting the mouth on the top of the head. It has a button effect where the eyes glow red as drums play. The mask is a few pieces that connect. The two horns and the lower jaw go on the head. The effect is a button being pressed, causing it to project shadow demons from the eyes. The Cane, plastic ball on plastic rod, projects lavender and lime fireworks that explode into sigils, similar to the end of Friends On The Other Side while the song, beginning with Are You Ready, plays. The shop’s interior is lined with African masks that blink and move their jaw. The center is a crescent shaped desk with a red table cloth with packages containing materials for the objects.

The CM spiel for the shop is the following:

(The door creaks open on its own as flames jet from three skulls, illuminating the name)

(The CM walks out the door with a staff)

CM: Hello there, I’m [NAME] and I work for Doctor Facilier. Enter the Voodoo Emporium with me and be seated at the table, for I will teach you how to do the mystic art of Voodoo.

(Guests enter and sit on a stool in front of the desk. The CM enters first and goes to a large armchair)

CM: First, I shall teach you how to create a talisman, all you need is in the package.

(Guests open the package)

CM: Now just attach the lower jaw to the top. I can help if needed.

(After everyone finished, CM says this)

CM: Now, press the button on the back and hear spirits banging on the drums in the Other Side. Now, we shall move on to a Mystic Mask, just like the ones surrounding.

(The Masks blink and move their jaws)

CM: Now, attach the horns to the top, then, the jaw to the bottom. I can assist if needed.

(After everyone is done, CM says this)

CM: Now, press the button to release Spirit Shadows from The Other Side! The final thing is a Mystic Staff, like what I carry!

(They raise the staff)

CM: Attach your crystal ball to the rod, then press the button to release the spirits of The Other Side! It is with remorse that I bid you farewell now, exit and come back once more!

(The CM points at the door, which opens on its own. Once the CM is done talking, they run into a cabinet. This is to make it seem like they magically vanished.)

(Guests exit)

 

[MickeyMouse10]

I've been thinking about it...

The Beyond Thunder location would have been perfect for New Orleans Square as well.

Besides Coco and Encanto seem better suited for Epcot. They'd have to figure out how to hide Thunder Mountain from view though. Maybe place it on the left of "Splash", away from "Thunder". This way the right side can still be used for something more appropriate (Frontierland expansion, Native Territory).

 

[cdunlap]

Frontierland expansion, Native Territory

I think that would be interesting! What groups are you thinking of representing?

 

[MickeyMouse10]

I think that would be interesting! What groups are you thinking of representing?

Making a better Magic Kingdom (update on pg. 8)

The land to the right of the new frontierland expansion will be reservation land. This is themed to the land set aside for the Native Americans who lived in the Virginia region of the 13 original colonies. And will feature native princess Pocahontas of course from her self titled film. It’s kind...

forums.wdwmagic.com

I based it on an area in Virginia, where Pocahontas once lived in my version of Magic Kingdom.

 

[cdunlap]

Making a better Magic Kingdom (update on pg. 8)

The land to the right of the new frontierland expansion will be reservation land. This is themed to the land set aside for the Native Americans who lived in the Virginia region of the 13 original colonies. And will feature native princess Pocahontas of course from her self titled film. It’s kind...

forums.wdwmagic.com

I based it on an area in Virginia, where Pocahontas once lived in my version of Magic Kingdom.

Would work better in Liberty Square due to the setting.

 

[MickeyMouse10]

Would work better in Liberty Square due to the setting.

Yep, exactly.

That's why I put it right behind Haunted Mansion. This way it transitions from The Old West to Native to Colonial more effectively.

 

[cdunlap]

Liberty Square Expansion (I don’t have a name for it):

This expansion is located behind the Haunted Mansion (The facade/queue, not interfering with the show building). Guests go through a red brick carriage tunnel by an old mansion and enter a Colonial village. The main attraction in the village is Escape From The Headless Horseman, a maze themed to a dark forest that guests must run through to escape The Headless Horseman, who appears at the beginning and several other times! Guests can exit this village through a wooden covered bridge

If guests continue walking outside of the village, they enter a forest which is home to an Onondaga village of the mid 1700s. This is the Iroquois Experience, a 2 hour and 30 minute long experience that must be booked in advance. Guests to the experience get a tour of the village from a young Native male who explains how Iroquois society worked (Clan mothers and chiefs, elders, literally everyone else), Iroquois history, the other tribes of the Iroquois, and the significance of Wampum belts, a cultural icon. Then, a young Native woman teaches guests about Iroquois music (along with the word for music), which uses drums, rattles, and flutes. Then, a Native boy teaches guests the Seed Game, a memory game of sorts. Guests join a Hunter in a snowy forest (indoors) to search for animals (learning the word for Animal). A young native girl teaches guests about bead work, even allowing them to try their hand at beadwork. The next encounter is a British Trader who showcases friendly Colonist/Native relations. The elder of the village shows guests headdresses of the Iroquois Confederacy (authentic Native Iroquois designs). A clan mother leads guests through a Mythological Sojourn with encounters with a snipe (not Kevin), an Eel, a Bear, a Wolf, a Turtle, a Hawk, a Deer, and Heron (8 Clans of the Onondaga), The Underwater Panther (Evil spirit that lives underwater taking the form of a Panther with horns), Ga Oh (wind god), his moose (Eastern wind and rains), his panther (west wind and hurricanes), and The Great Peacemaker (Founder of the Iroquois Confederacy), all of whom explain myths of the Iroquois and their values. The mythology attraction starts with the creation of Turtle Island, which is the Earth as a giant snapping turtle. A chief teaches guests the myths of the skies from his longhouse, a hole on the roof for smoke to escape showing the stars (indoors) Finally, guests have an authentic meal of corn, beans, squash, pumpkin, potatoes, turkey, venison, cornbread, and cranberries with the natives. The young man from the beginning bids guests a final farewell in Iroquois and guests exit through a cave.

A dirt trail leads deeper into the woods, leading to Cascade Peak, a waterfall on a large mountain. Guests can go behind the waterfall and into Rainbow Caverns, a cave with brightly colored stone formations illuminated by black lights. The dirt path continues over a wooden bridge and deeper into the woodland, leading to Big Thunder Mountain.

 

[cdunlap]

So, I feel like WDW’s Adventureland is lacking a thrilling attraction, as DL and DLRP both have thrilling attractions in theirs, which is why I decided to create this. It's a Moana ride in which guests experience a Kakamora attack. Guests queue through a Polynesian-style longhouse by a mountain with a waterfall across from the Tiki Room and load boats decorated with the signature spiral shape associated with Moana. Guests start by passing through calm waters where fishers in canoes catch fish. Suddenly, rocks start showing up as guests approach the Kakamora barge. Suddenly, several Kakamora start throwing rocks at guests, simulated by puffs of air. Suddenly, the boat ascends onto the Kakamora barge where Moana and Maui are fighting them off. Kakamora start throwing shells and starfish, once again simulated by puffs of air. In the background, several Kakamora are performing what appears to be some sort of war dance. Moana uses her oar to knock Kakamora into the sea as Maui uses his hook to destroy the ropes and the whole ship gives way, causing guests to fall and splash down an outdoor waterfall, going down a mountain by the longhouse. The boat goes for a while before reaching the unloading dock! It should be noted that this attraction might cause a slight rerouting of the Jungle Cruise to accommodate the show building.

 

[Lord Fozzinator]

I have a suggestion about a thrill ride in Adventureland at MK. Maybe bring back fire mountain. A Moana theme could also work

 

[cdunlap]

My Ideal Jungle Cruise (written in 2022, will elaborate soon):

I’m writing an extended Jungle Cruise that’s as big as The Rivers Of America. It travels the same rivers in this order: Amazon, Mekong, Congo, Nile. It also has new scenes featuring a Masai and Xhosa influenced tribe of hunters in between the Mekong and Congo, a tribe of fishermen on The Congo, The Goliath Tigerfish on The Congo, The Pak Ou Cave, a Lao cave on the Mekong lined with buddha statues left by pilgrims, an endangered type of River dolphin on the Mekong, leaf cutting ants on The Amazon, a swimming anaconda, an attack by Nile Crocodiles, Egyptian ruins on The Nile, and a thrilling conclusion featuring The Rapids Of Tutankhamen. The ride encircles an island where most of the scenes are set up. The island has a volcano that smokes periodically in the center. The narration mixes fact with comedy. Fake Wax Palm (Amazon Only), Banana, Orchid, Papaya, Pineapple, Aloe, Sausage Tree (In Africa Only), Kapok (On The Amazon Only), Durian ( On The Mekong Only), Teak (Mekong Only), Mahogany, and Eucalyptus plants cover up the rainforest. Fog machines bellow throughout the jungles, adding a sense of mystery. The new lost expedition story isn’t used in favor of a simple plot concerning a voyage across the jungle rivers of the world. The Cambodian Shrine is changed into a lost Khmer city with new lighting, a shrine to Ganesh, a temple similar to WDW’s, and a prison with a skeleton prisoner. All of this helps guests reflect on the futility of Man’s quest to overcome nature.
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