TEAM NUCITRA PRESENTS:
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QUEUE
The queue takes you next to the Haunted Mansion and out to the ride entrance behind the mansion. Part of the queue will be set in a forest where multiple different cryptids and monsters of Algonquian legend can be spotted. Throughout the queue, you can also pick up one of the many variations of the Wendigo legend found in Algonquian legend, pieced together in a story in the lodge, helping to set the mood for the attraction.
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The Hunter
This tale can be pieced together by reading signs posted throughout the lodge in the queue, helping to set up the attraction and the lore of the Wendigo.
There was once a hunter, the fiercest and most ruthless in the land. Known for hunting the largest of beasts and keeping their heads as trophies. One day, he heard about a mysterious creature known to some as the Wendigo, the spirit of greed and corruption. Immediately intrigued, the hunter set out to capture the Wendigo and add it to his vast collection of slain animals to further his ego.
After entering a mysterious wood, he came across the Algonquian people, who have ties to the Wendigo, and demanded to the chief that they grant him knowledge of the Wendigo. The Algonquian people reluctantly told the hunter what they knew about the malicious beast. They told him about how the Wendigo takes over the bodies of those consumed by greed and the eternal hunger that the Wendigo forever searches to fulfill. They granted him knowledge of the Wendigo’s hideous appearance. It’s desiccated skin pulled tightly over its bones. With its bones pushing out against its skin, its complexion the ash-gray of death, and its eyes pushed back deep into their sockets, the Wendigo looked like a gaunt skeleton recently disinterred from the grave.
Ignoring their warnings, the hunter set out to capture the Wendigo. He spotted an albino creature followed by voices in his head tempting him to chase the creature. After a tedious chase through the woods, the hunter cornered the creature until it vanished in front of his eyes. Confused, the hunter looked around until he felt a terrible sensation. Consumed by greed, he began to transform into the Wendigo, the same creature he sought to capture. Every inch of humanity he had left began to fade away when the intense hunger started, trying to kill everything in sight. Some say he still roams the woods to this day, trying to satisfy his indefinite starvation.
RIDE-THROUGH
Once you pass through the queue, you board your keelboats from the backside of the trapper’s lodge. Your keelboat leaves through the docks and sets out into the forest. This portion is outside as you pass through a serene forest with the sounds of birds chirping and other animal noises. As you pass through this short, calm segment, you can spot some animatronic animals lining the banks of the river. A gentle deer and her fawn look on as you pass, while a grizzly bear scratches its back on a tall pine tree. A wolf and her pups play by the water’s edge as a moose wades in the river. You finally reach a fork in the river, but it appears a family of beavers dammed up one route, so you are redirected down the other path, into a darker portion of the forest.
You pass through dense trees into the main show building. The atmosphere changes from the serene outdoors with the chirping birds to a darker atmosphere, most light not peaking through the dense forest canopy. Here, we see the glowing yellow eyes of forest predators peering at us as we approach a campsite. A fire is lit where an Algonquian shaman stands, surrounded by the people of his village. He wears the skull and antlers of a stag atop his head and his movements indicate he is telling a story, yet it is being told in the Algonquian dialect. Among the Indigenous folks surrounding the fire stands a white man donned in furs and pelts, a rifle by his side. The shaman continues to tell his story as our boat rounds a corner to see the shaman discussing with the trapper, this time, in English.
Trapper: “After beaver I am, care to point me towards em?”
Shaman: “Just downriver is a beaver’s lodge. Yet, I must warn you, I have seen you trapping before, you take entire families. If we consume all of the trout in the river, there will be no food for winter, a beaver and a trout are not so different. If we trap all of the beaver, there will be nothing left in our future. Go well, but do not be greedy, for continuing down the path you are on will lead you down the curse of a Wendigo.
Trapper: “Your tales of monsters worry me not shaman. I ain’t gonna turn into no man-eating monster for killing some extra beaver or nothing.”
Shaman: “Heed this advice, take only what you must, should you hope to return a human and not a wendigo. Believe me or not, greed only consumes you, until you can never get enough, an insatiable appetite, feasting on the flesh of man, but your hunger never subsides. That is the curse of the wendigo. Be wary traveler, should you hope to not regret this.
Our boat passes through a clearing in the trees as we encounter our trapper standing by a pile of cleaned pelts, a beaver’s lodge smoldering from the flame, the sweet and smokey smell of the maple branches used in the lodge filling our nostrils as it burns. From across the way, we see a white stag, a rare creature, one believed by many in the Algonquian culture to be the embodiment of a spirit or soul visiting, something that mustn't be killed. We watch as the trapper lifts his rifle and we hear a gunshot. The white stag vanishes into thin air as we pass, rounding a corner as we hear a horrifying scream from where the trapper was, the sounds of bones cracking and immense pain growing, we hit a rough patch of water, our boats tossing and turning as we pass through. The sounds of the forest change from the chirping of birds to the hooting of owls, an omen of death in many Algonquian cultures.
A baby begins crying off in the distance, and our boat turns to follow the sound, hoping to rescue the baby from whatever consumed the trapper. We round the corner as the wind begins to whip, blowing rough and hard, rocking the boat. The air becomes bitter and cold, and the atmosphere of the forest becomes darker and scarier as the sound of the baby crying changes into horrifying shrieks. We reach an embankment where the sounds are the loudest, and, from the bushes, we see a pair of white, boney antlers. Our boat stalls as the antlers begin to rise, showcasing the entire beast. Standing at eight feet tall, the beast stares at us, it’s body lanky and incredibly thin, it’s patchy black fur on skin stretched tightly across its boney body, its ribs and bones clearly visible. Where it’s head should be, the decaying skull of a stag, the eye sockets, a complete void of darkness and evil, with sharp teeth. The creature opens its mouth, emitting a terrifying shriek, mixed with the cries of a baby, the hoot of an owl, and the screams of the trapper, all at once, as our keelboat rushes backwards down the river. Just as fast as the creature appears, all light is snuffed out, and it is gone.
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Our boat careens backward down the river, the sense of dread still filling us as we hear the sound of a massive creature galloping towards us along the bank on all fours, breaking leaves and twigs as it goes, pushing aside and shaking trees, and startling animals from their hiding spots. The sounds the creature was emitting before still echoing from its cavernous skeletal mouth. We reach an embankment, but it is too close and we feel the boat stop as if grabbed from behind. The boat begins shaking as something climbs atop the roof of the boat, growling. Some seats will feel dripping from above as the creature salivates, thinking of its next meal. The boat shakes again as the creature leaps off the roof, grabbing the boat again. However, we hear chanting similar to that around the Algonquian fire earlier. The beast shrieks and throws our boat as we screech across the ground, running over rocks and gravel, before sliding back into the water.
We continue, rapidly, down the river, the rapids picking up as we speed down in an attempt to escape, and suddenly, the running stops. Nothing can be heard except the sound of crickets. Our boat slows down, only to reach another beaver dam, this time blocking our path. From behind the dam, the same, horrifying creature from before rises up, somehow having gotten ahead of us. We all watch as it lurches forward on all fours, its lanky legs and arms spindly and long creeping towards us as a predator stalking its prey. However, the chanting begins again, and from the forest emerges the shaman, chanting at the beast. He is able to approach it, chanting and emitting light from his torch, lighting the beast aflame. Through a series of effects, we watch as the creature transforms from its horrific self to our trapper, shaken, but alright.
The shaman tells the trapper that he did not heed his warning and allowed his greed to consume him, and that is why he became the ravenous wendigo. Luckily, some wendigo can be saved by a holy man who knows the spirits, should their ancestors wish to save him.
Shaman: Greed is among the greatest evils. Should we take too much, very little is left for others. Everything we encounter in these woods is a part of a cycle. To interrupt the cycle and destroy a crucial step is to destroy life itself. You are lucky, our ancestors were looking down at you, for many who cross the line between human and wendigo cannot be saved.
Trapper: “I didn’t believe it. I didn’t think anyone would be hurt if I took a little bit extra, but now I see.”
Shaman: “Nobody aims to become a wendigo, it is not about thinking, it is about doing. Take what you must, but leave more for tomorrow. Leave more for those around you. This is the true way to defeat a wendigo. To succumb is to allow yourself to be consumed by your greed, and now you know what it is like. Go well travelers, and beware of the curse of the Wendigo.”
The beaver dam splits in two as our boat gently cruises out of the forest, passing by a larger Algonquian village, longhouses, and shacks, as children play and men and women work. Here, we see a society working together for the betterment of the group, the birds singing again as we pass by. Right before returning to the dock, we pass by a final setpiece, right outside of the village. Here, in a forest clearing, we see the White Stag. It winks at us as we pass by, vanishing once the whole boat goes by, and with that, we return to the dock, now understanding
The Curse of the Wendigo.
TECHNICALS
Technology Behind the Ride
Curse of the Wendigo will use the best of modern, advanced theme park technology to create an E-Ticket unlike any other. Truly pushing the bounds of attraction storytelling and unique thrills!
The Power of the Ride System
The Base Ride System is the same as Shanghai Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean. Essentially, the front end and back end of the boat are both tethered to separate tracks under the water. They are guided along the tracks using magnetic propulsion.
The tethers are not rigid, which means the boats can realistically float on the water without feeling like a vehicle on rails. The two tracks can separate meaning the boats can move backward, sideways, wobbly paths, turning, and diagonal just as easily as they can move forwards. The magnetic propulsion means there is near-total control of speed (up to a certain limit, this cannot turn into a roller coaster) as well as the ability to stop on a dime and fully lock into place.
This gives Imagineers a lot of freedom to creatively bring the story on the Wendigo to life. A boat ride with nearly as much maneuverability as a trackless ride system (without the quick spinning). And this is just the beginning of the technology we plan to use!
Bringing The White Stag to Life
While the vast majority of sets, animatronics, and figures in the ride are fully practical (or only use projections to help enhance what is already there), The White Stag (implied to be a spirit) will be brought to life with projection mapping over a blank simple motion figure, similar to how the figures in Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway are brought to life. This will lend it an otherworldly quality and shimmer compared to the full physical animatronic. Helping the White Stag be a standout figure.
The projection mapping coupled with a Pepper's Ghost effect (the trees in the false forest make it easy to hide glass panes) will also allow the White Stag to simply and completely shimmer in and out of existence before our very eyes more realistically and mystically than either effect individually could.
How Guests can be Stalked by the Wendigo
Most of the effects for the sequence of the ride where guests are chased by the Wendigo are pretty simple. Figures with various levels of complexity jumping out at guests. The creature running at us with greenery covering the mechanics like the Carnotaurus in Dinosaur. Loud, shocking noises, and bright flashing lights. All the usual and expected stuff.
One effect will be a true stand out using, as of yet unutilized, tech from Disney Imagineering. A Stuntronic of the Wendigo.
The most high-tech of the stuntronics are animatronics designed to be able to leap through the air at dizzying heights performing complex acrobatics and reposition itself to land safely. This ride won't require the tech pushed to its limits like that. A simplified version will be developed that can replicate the Wendigo leaping over the heads of guests. As they pass through a section of the river with high, rocky walls on with side, the Wendigo Figure will be launched directly over guests. Clawing and growling at them in midair like has never been seen before, and then it will safely land on the other side in a net that will be set to slide it into a launcher.
There will be two Wendigo Stuntronics so that it can rotate and have time to be reset. It also will alternate what side it launches from, so there is no need for it to be able to fully reset. It can just keep bouncing back and forth. This will have the added benefit of increasing rerideability since there are multiple places it can launch from (one for each side for each animatronic, four total) giving it a sense of unpredictability.
Knocked out of the Water; The Dock and Lock
At a certain point during the chase, The Wendigo knocks guest's boats out of the water causing them to skid across the rough forest ground before splashing back into the water. This is achieved through an effect that is being referred to as a
Dock and Lock. The concept is pretty simple, The boat locks very quickly and fully into place using the magnetic propulsion system, then supports are raised from below that dock the boat (coupled with some added high friction coating that further locks it into place, then the section of the track that it is now locked onto begins to move.
What the boats Dock and Locked onto is a motion simulator base on a track. Essentially a simplified, makeshift EMV (like Dinosaur or Indiana Jones Adventure). This will allow us to simulated the movement of being thrown and sliding across a rough, rocky terrain before coming back to the water where the Dock and Lock procedure will happen in reverse. Four of these EMV style bases will be made. At any time 1 is in use, 1 is waiting for the next boat, 1 is having its boat leave, and 1 is returning to the start.
With the tech in place already, the entire Dock and Lock process will be almost instantaneous leading to incredibly smooth transitions creating a very thrilling and unique segment that will be utterly unexpected in a boat ride.
The Transformation Climax
As was mentioned earlier, the ride system allows for boats to move smoothly sideways. This means we can have guest's boats move around a circular set piece while facing inward at a climactic scene. Such as the end of the ride. In that scene, The Wendigo tries to attack guests, the Algonquin chief intervenes, The Wendigo is healed by the chief and returned to his human form. Three phases.
Essentially, each phase of the scene is a separate set. Very careful design and very carefully placed mirrors give the illusion that this is one, large, complete set. This allows each phase to have figures and effects built solely for one moment rather than trying to accomplish everything. The fact that this ride takes place in dark woods is a key factor in making this work. Trees can be used to easily hide divisions, mirrors, and effects. Lighting effects are easy to implement in the dark setting of the ride too. Plus, with all the rides facing towards the center of the circle, Pepper's Ghost effects are easy to implement with things just behind and above guest's heads being seen in reflections on glass hidden in plain sight. This gives Imagineers all the freedom needed to create dazzling, showstopping effects unlike anything seen before using technology that already exists.
Mood Sensing Technology to Manage Fear/Engagement Levels
Disney filed a patent in 2018 for technology to sense guest's moods through things such as heart rate monitors in lap bars, breathing, facial expressions, and more. The patent can use this knowledge of guest's moods to alter ride paths and experiences.
Imagineers are aware this is a darker, more intense ride than guests and families expect from the Magic Kingdom. They are also aware of the complaints the previous surprisingly intense ride, Alien Encounter, received. Along with warnings in the queue, this mood sensing technology will be implemented to help keep it from scaring anyone too badly. Certain effects can be automatically toned down or even turned off for boats with younger or more scared guests. Jumpscares skipped, lights less jumpy, noises less loud. Still a more intense than normal ride, but steps can be taken to keep guests within an acceptable level of fear without compromising the ride experience. Any guests really too scared (such as hysterically crying kids) can alert a cast member to meet them at the exit with stickers and a cuddly stuffed animal to hug to help cheer them back up and minimize the effect this will have on the rest of that family's day. Possibly even give an automatic flex FastPass to the family if they have My Disney Experience and Magic Bands that the system can track. Conversely, if guests don't seem engaged enough these same effects can be cranked up creating an even more exciting and terrifying experience!
This can go further than simply managing guest's fear levels though. The story of the Wendigo is not well known, especially the true story rather than the simplified zombie/werewolf hybrid often seen in Hollywood films. The plot of the ride is more esoteric with a lesser-known source material compared to common theme park attractions. If the mood sensors see that guests are too confused, extra voices in the distance or narration can be added to help clarify plot points. A voice made to sound like a fellow guest riding the boat could gasp and say
"wow, a spirit" to clarify what the White Stag is or the Algonquin chief can be heard from just out of sight saying
"The man has been consumed by his greed. Cursed by it. He is a man no more. He is the Wendigo!" for the scene where the trapper transforms into the beast in case there's a boat full of Joe Normals and Karen Intitolatos who don't quite get what is going on.
THE LONGHOUSE
The Longhouse is an optional extra exhibit at the exit of the attraction, reminiscent of the AFI Villains display formerly at Hollywood Studios after the Backlot Tour. Here, guests can meander through a series of exhibits displaying artifacts, artwork, and stories of the many different Algonquian tribes.
The Algonquian culture is not a singular tribe, but instead a group of tribes spanning from the Great Lakes region, through most of Eastern Canada, and into New England. Each tribe has their own individual cultures, traditions, and stories, all of which are reflected here in this exhibit display. Many items here are on loan from the Smithsonian Archives, especially from the Museum of the American Indian.
Should guests not want to visit the exhibit, they may bypass it, but for any guest looking to enrich themselves in a brand new series of cultures, and to learn more about the story of the Wendigo and many other monsters and myths, this exhibit provides a perfect educational opportunity to do so.
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Thanks for reading! I wanted to give a special shoutout to my dear friend Dr. Jane Doe (for anonymity purposes) one of the many amazing anthropologists the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian for being our cultural consultant and making sure that our attraction was able to accurately and respectfully portray the cultures of the Algonquian people and their beliefs and legends. We couldn't have done it without you!
