Constrained Imagineer Challenge

[ᗩLᘿᑕ ✨ ᗩζᗩᗰ]

Constrained Imagineer Challenge​

Armchair Imagineering is always a fun pastime. But can you do it with limitations?

As park fans, no doubt there are countless scenarios where we might feel a little tweak here or a small adjustment there would make an attraction that much better. Let's spitball ideas on how we can IMPROVE a ride or attraction with a simplistic quick fix, one that could be realistically conceived on a "penny pincher" budget or other constraining factors. As a past guest reviewer in imagineering competitions; one of my metrics for deciding the fate of a player was if their entry could "realistically" exist at a Disney park. Often it seemed that a player's imagination ran wild and the bluesky pitch presented far exceeded realistic standards, lacking the constraints of current technology, construction setbacks, time in which something of a grandiose scale could ever really be built and limited budget. Therefore, I want to challenge past and present armchair imagineers (as an aside to the current Imagineering/Spark competition in progress) to come up with quick-fix solutions and ways to make an existing attraction "better" within the very real constraints that Walt Disney Imagineering often faces.

For this game specifically, I want to know if YOU can imagineer an improvement to a current Disney attraction within the constraints of real world factors. Let's see if a few limitations can breed YOUR creativity.

 

[ᗩLᘿᑕ ✨ ᗩζᗩᗰ]

Game Rules:
Players take turns solving the problem outlined in the previous player's challenge limited by critera like budget and/or time. (Player A) posts the name of an attraction describing it's "problem" or challenge. The follow up player (Player B, etc) decides how to fix it and posts the next attraction challenge.

*Players can make it as challenging or as easy as they wish based on their own limitation critera.

Example:
Attraction: Monster's Inc Laugh Floor
Challenge: Located in Tomorrowland yet it doesn't fit the land's aesthetic and theme.
Limitation: 3 months, $25,000 budget
Solution: INSERT IMAGINEERING IDEA HERE

Think you can quick-fix a ride like Pirates of the Caribbean on a shoestring budget? Then you my friend, would be Disney's Golden Goose! If imagineering is "easy," let's see if an arbitary smallish budget or time constraint can make armchair imagineering more challenging. Can you IMPROVE an existing ride or attraction with a simplistic quick-fix, one that's hampered by limitations.

Use the above example to start the challenge.

 

[MickeyMouse10]

Very interesting idea MC87.

I like the idea of a limited budget, it prevents things from going too far. People can't say "Well I'd have Disney build a rollercoaster to the moon."

Monsters Inc Laugh Floor is a really tough one though. Because it is such a massive problem theming wise. I'm not sure what I'd do with it. I'd have to ponder that one for a while.

 

[MickeyMouse10]

Our favorite Monsters get an unlikely group of visitors. At first Mike is terrified and hides behind Sully when he sees their UFO. That is until he finds out they are harmless creatures. They tell them they don't know what the words "Funny" and "Laughter" means. So Mike and the gang give them some examples, with of course a little help from their human audience.

Next up: Tomorrowland Speedway (on a limited budget)

 

[mharrington]

Next up: Tomorrowland Speedway (on a limited budget)

As a matter of fact, I have had several ideas about what to do with the Speedway, at least in part. It mainly involves removing part of it, the northernmost end of the track and repurposing it as part of Fantasyland. I was thinking of doing something with a Mack water thrill ride, based on the new rocking boat technology and themeing it to Pinocchio's escape from Monstro the Whale.

However, since I'm on a budget (at least in physical space, if not money), I've also thought of doing a spinning water ride, known as a Twist 'n' Splash, also from Mack, involving what looks like Pinocchio's encounter with Monstro. The technology is something like this, from a SpongeBob-themed ride at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in the UK:


The raft with Pinocchio and Geppetto on it would be in the center, with a figure of Monstro at one end (possibly the far end to help block out the contradictory view of Tomorrowland) and Jiminy Cricket in the bottle at the other.

Also, to avoid further contradictions with Tomorrowland, there will also be some rocks at one end. The Fantasyland end will look like rocks on a seashore while the rocks on the Tomorrowland end will resemble moon rocks.

I'm not sure about a name, though. Any ideas there?

Up next: a replacement of sorts for Mickey's PhilharMagic.

 

[PrinceCharming617]

The raft with Pinocchio and Geppetto on it would be in the center, with a figure of Monstro at one end (possibly the far end to help block out the contradictory view of Tomorrowland) and Jiminy Cricket in the bottle at the other.

Also, to avoid further contradictions with Tomorrowland, there will also be some rocks at one end. The Fantasyland end will look like rocks on a seashore while the rocks on the Tomorrowland end will resemble moon rocks.

I'm not sure about a name, though. Any ideas there?

I love your ideas, but it kinda differentiates from the topic. Getting rid of Tomorrowland Speedway would not be a cheap redo.

 

[mharrington]

I love your ideas, but it kinda differentiates from the topic. Getting rid of Tomorrowland Speedway would not be a cheap redo.

That's what @MickeyMouse10 opted for, so that's what I'm trying to do. But I don't know much about financial constraints, only physical constraints.

 

[MickeyMouse10]

I think it would be pretty cool if they had 3 alternate versions of the show. This way repeat visitors won’t grow tired of the experience.


Classic Version

• “Someday My Prince Will Come” from Snow White

• "I've Got No Strings" from Pinocchio

• “When I See an Elephant Fly” from Dumbo

• “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo” from Cinderella

• “The Unbirthday Song” from Alice in Wonderland

• “You Can Fly!” from Peter Pan

• “Once Upon a Dream” from Sleeping Beauty

• “The Mickey Mouse Club March” from The Mickey Mouse Club


Modern Version

• “Part of Your World” from The Little Mermaid

• "Be Our Guest" from Beauty and the Beast

• “A Whole New World” from Aladdin

• “Eye to Eye (I 2 I)” from A Goofy Movie

• “I See the Light” from Tangled

• “Let it Go” from Frozen

• “How Far I'll Go” from Moana

• “The Mickey Mouse Club March” from The Mickey Mouse Club


Next up: Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin

 

[ᗩLᘿᑕ ✨ ᗩζᗩᗰ]

I think it would be pretty cool if they had 3 alternate versions of the show. This way repeat visitors won’t grow tired of the experience.


Classic Version

• “Someday My Prince Will Come” from Snow White

• "I've Got No Strings" from Pinocchio

• “When I See an Elephant Fly” from Dumbo

• “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo” from Cinderella

• “The Unbirthday Song” from Alice in Wonderland

• “You Can Fly!” from Peter Pan

• “Once Upon a Dream” from Sleeping Beauty

• “The Mickey Mouse Club March” from The Mickey Mouse Club


Modern Version

• “Part of Your World” from The Little Mermaid

• "Be Our Guest" from Beauty and the Beast

• “A Whole New World” from Aladdin

• “Eye to Eye (I 2 I)” from A Goofy Movie

• “I See the Light” from Tangled

• “Let it Go” from Frozen

• “How Far I'll Go” from Moana

• “The Mickey Mouse Club March” from The Mickey Mouse Club


Next up: Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin

Yep! That would be awesome! Any chance to see A Goofy Movie reference is a win in my book. Good call. Keeps the attraction mostly the same but updates it with different showings.

 

[Goofy Ninja]

Yep, as you can see by my avatar I'd be totally for "A Goofy Movie" segment.

 

[MickeyMouse10]

We get messages on various screens in the queue from Buzz himself telling you he’s been captured by the Evil Emperor Zurg. And it’s up to “YOU” the star commanders in training to save him “His life and the world may depend on it.”

We board Zurgs ship which is similar to the one shown in Toy Story 2. Aboard it is some of the worst alien villains. Zurg has enlisted not only evil robots, but an alien race called the Grubs to combat us. All that would be needed for the attraction is some scenery changes and to move the Buzz Lightyear animatronic to the end of the ride.

Next up : Walt Disney World Railroad (Magic Kingdom)

 

[MickeyMouse10]

If I had anymore money left over in the budget I'd also fix the laser blasters. Each laser should have it's own color so you know which one is yours. I figure 6 different colors would be enough.

 

[ᗩLᘿᑕ ✨ ᗩζᗩᗰ]

If I had anymore money left over in the budget I'd also fix the laser blasters. Each laser should have it's own color so you know which one is yours. I figure 6 different colors would be enough.

Now that's a smart and cheap fix. Genius!

 

[mharrington]

To @Magicart87...

I don't believe we ever settled on a name for my Pinocchio water spinner ride. The best I could come up with is "Pinocchio and Geppetto's Rickety Rafts", but what do you think?

 

[ᗩLᘿᑕ ✨ ᗩζᗩᗰ]

To @Magicart87...

I don't believe we ever settled on a name for my Pinocchio water spinner ride. The best I could come up with is "Pinocchio and Geppetto's Rickety Rafts", but what do you think?

It would need to hint as to the purpose of the ride type: Splash or Spray or... as based on the Mack attraction. If you don't mind my asking what would guests be doing on the attraction? Are we battling Monstro?

 

[mharrington]

It would need to hint as to the purpose of the ride type: Splash or Spray or... as based on the Mack attraction. If you don't mind my asking what would guests be doing on the attraction? Are we battling Monstro?

The guests from off the ride would mostly be squirting at guests on the ride. The Monstro theme is really just a gimmick. Maybe he could try and douse you with his water spout.

I have received no help on this ride whenever I put it up elsewhere on the forums. They usually want me to put it someplace else, even though there's really no place to put it. I brought this up, but they seem to be saying that I should just ignore logistics and just accept that this idea will remain blue sky and just go hog wild on the theme, regardless of space, as if the blue sky process is the only thing that matters. But no one seemed willing to help me to my exact specifications. They would usually suggest very different ideas, regardless of physical space.

Others have suggested using the space for something themed to "Alice In Wonderland", given the proximity to the teacups nearby.

It was also suggested to do a copy of the Pinocchio ride at Disneyland someplace here, but again, there's really no footprint big enough to put it in. Some have suggested putting a Pinocchio ride, any ride, over by the Village Haus, even taking out Small World for it.

I've also thought of a ride concept with the brand-new rocking boat concept that Mack just recently put out before the pandemic shut everything down:


I was thinking of basing it off of the old concept of a Monstro-themed water slide that was considered in the early days of Disneyland. I even came up with a crude rendering of the space for it (using a Mack boat ride called Kapt'n Nicks Piratenschlacht from Legoland Deutschland):

It was hard doing it by myself, as unlike me, the people here liked to not be constrained by reality and just be pure blue sky. I didn't know how doable a fancy water ride could fit in the Speedway space (especially given its proximity to Tomorrowland), but there's really no other place to realistically put it. So, as a compromise, I went with the Twist-n-Splash concept, but again, when I asked how I could do it, no one seemed willing to step forward and help.

As for constraints, most people seem to think that physical constraints, such as roads, trees, etc., can be easily overcome, and that the only constraint that can stop a project is money. Admittedly, I have no idea how much a ride concept could cost, but I'm trying to stay within physical bounds.

So what do you think?

 

[MickeyMouse10]

List of statues and animatronics along the side of the tracks

Adventureland

(wild animals, like tigers and birds)​

Frontierland

(farm animals, like cows and chickens)​

Fantasyland

(fantasy animals, like dragons and unicorns)​

Storybook Circus

(circus animals from dumbo, like giraffes and lions)​

Tomorrowland

(alien animals, made specifically for the land and tunnel projections)​

Next Up: Tomorrowland Speedway (version 2)

Budget: Not much, other than that the only stipulation is that you can’t change the track layout. And this time around you can’t just demo it, you have to work with the ride system that already exists.

 

[Rambozo]

Good idea, maybe they could buy the old Animal Kingdom unicorn back. The fella that owns it just uses it for decoration.