Disney's Solar Expanse: More Coming Soon!

Mickeynerd17

Mickeynerd17

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Large Planets... Intricate Architecture... The Spirit of Technology...

What Could It Be?​

Planets Art 1.jpg
 
Mickeynerd17

Mickeynerd17

Well-Known Member
Original Poster

The Park Icon, called Sol, will be both a geosphere and the tallest structure on property, rivaling Spaceship Earth in size and scope.
Sol with Front Entrance 1.jpg


Prelude:

I'm so excited to begin sharing this ambitious project! Although I can't release the name yet, I can say it will be a unique blend of classic EPCOT Center and Tomorrowland ideals from Disney Parks around the globe!
The idea for this project came to me back during the 1986 competition when I was listening to Gustav Holst's The Planets. I've also been inspired by @D Hulk 's presentation style for his incredible DisneySky project and may be following a similar style for each attraction / area of my project I'll be covering. This park I will be revealing over the next few months, or even a year+, will be a tribute to quality edutainment, extreme thrills, the beauty of outer space, and the quality of design found at any Disney Park. There will be LOTS of concept art, hopefully a Minecraft recreation when everything is done, and long descriptions of attractions, shows, and restaurants/shops. I hope this lives up to a true quality armchair imagineering project and I appreciate any and all comments, both positive and critical.

Buckle your seat belts, because this thread is going to be OUT OF THIS WORLD!

Thank you.
-Mickeynerd17​
 
D Hulk

D Hulk

Well-Known Member
Mickeynerd17 said:

The Park Icon, called Sol, will be both a geosphere and the tallest structure on property, rivaling Spaceship Earth in size and scope. View attachment 545919

Prelude:

I'm so excited to begin sharing this ambitious project! Although I can't release the name yet, I can say it will be a unique blend of classic EPCOT Center and Tomorrowland ideals from Disney Parks around the globe!
The idea for this project came to me back during the 1986 competition when I was listening to Gustav Holst's The Planets. I've also been inspired by @D Hulk 's presentation style for his incredible DisneySky project and may be following a similar style for each attraction / area of my project I'll be covering. This park I will be revealing over the next few months, or even a year+, will be a tribute to quality edutainment, extreme thrills, the beauty of outer space, and the quality of design found at any Disney Park. There will be LOTS of concept art, hopefully a Minecraft recreation when everything is done, and long descriptions of attractions, shows, and restaurants/shops. I hope this lives up to a true quality armchair imagineering project and I appreciate any and all comments, both positive and critical.

Buckle your seat belts, because this thread is going to be OUT OF THIS WORLD!

Thank you.
-Mickeynerd17​
Click to expand...
Very excited for this! And thanks for the shout out. Holst’s Planets was a minor part of DisneySky (the nighttime spectacular), so I’m stoked to see how it’s inspired you.

Getting some strong SpaceStation Earth / WestCOT vibes from Sol. What a beautiful, purposeful icon. Just beware it doesn’t reflect sunlight into guests’ eyes like DCA 1.0’s Sun Icon (aka Hubcap).
 
Mickeynerd17

Mickeynerd17

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
D Hulk said:
Very excited for this! And thanks for the shout out. Holst’s Planets was a minor part of DisneySky (the nighttime spectacular), so I’m stoked to see how it’s inspired you.

Getting some strong SpaceStation Earth / WestCOT vibes from Sol. What a beautiful, purposeful icon. Just beware it doesn’t reflect sunlight into guests’ eyes like DCA 1.0’s Sun Icon (aka Hubcap).
Click to expand...
No problem! Your project was phenomenal!

I am definitely aware of the Hubcap from DCA while designing Sol. That icon was an embarrassment to icons and looks more like a piece of Castle decor than anything else. Such a Magnificent thing as the sun needs more glory.

Sol will do just that!
 
Mickeynerd17

Mickeynerd17

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Solar Expanse Title (1).jpg


Dedication:

Solar Expanse Dedication Plaque.jpg

Introduction:

Space, the final frontier.
The exploration of the stars has been a passion of scientists and the general public ever since the Greeks began looking at the midnight sky. Since then many have dreamed of traveling to the stars and viewing the magnificence of our planet and its neighbors. Only in recent times have humans developed the technology to begin reaching beyond our atmosphere and explore the wide open spaces above. Now, with ever-increasing technological understanding, we've come to learn more about the incredible worlds orbiting our sun, the star that produces warmth for our planet, and now its been brought to you. Solar Expanse has been created as both a showcase of the knowledge we've obtained from our solar system and a place of optimism as we continuously envision future methods of exploration.

All the attractions, shops, and restaurants are located in ten spheres; each one is for every planet in the solar system including the Moon. They range in sizes, and their attractions range in size too. All the planets are connected with intricate pathways and beautiful gardens designed to evoke a natural, ethereal flow. The park is truly a marvel of architecture.

Now that we've touched the edge of this place, lets explore the different spheres and areas in detail. Along the way we'll see incredible design, mind-blowing attractions, and delicious food. We'll start at the entrance in the Constellation Gateway.

Enjoy!


Author's Note:

This park has been sitting in my mind for months and I'm finally starting to piece all my ideas together. Updates may take anywhere from a day to multiple days. Please be patient as most of the content in this park is difficult to conceptualize and artwork takes me a while to draw. Thanks for your understanding!

Directory:
​
 
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Mickeynerd17

Mickeynerd17

Well-Known Member
Original Poster

Park Map:

Solar Expanse Park Map.jpg
​

The park is laid out in the classic hub-and-spoke fashion with some twists. The entrance "wave" is Constellation Gateway, which serves as the entrance plaza for the park. This leads to Sol, the park icon. Sol will serve both as a "main street" structure and as an attraction. Surrounding Sol inside the asteroid belt is Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, and the Moon. The four planets will feature attractions and exhibit areas while the moon will feature a multi-level dining experience and museum. The asteroid belt is a series of sculpted rock formations around the park that will feature play areas and fountains. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune will be similar to the other planets in featuring attractions while Pluto will be an interactive indoor playground (think Wonders of Life exhibits in the main dome).

Around Sol are fireworks viewing areas for the nighttime spectacular, which features Sol. A specialty high-speed monorail called the Comet will transport guests to and from StarBase 21: A Disney Resort and Spa.​
​
 
Mickeynerd17

Mickeynerd17

Well-Known Member
Original Poster

Location, Location, Location...

InkedLandUse1_LI.jpg
​

The location of Solar Expanse (park in orange and hotel in blue approximately) is an important one for two reasons. First, it's close to the TTC and would have a monorail connection. Secondly, despite the need to develop the land for construction purposes, the amount of space in this part of the property would be best suitable for a park of this magnitude. Other considered locations would be the construction-ready plot where the 13 is on the map, but it would be too close to Fort Wilderness to keep the integrity of the "wilderness" aspect of the campground solid. The sight chosen would be away from other parks and resorts while still being easily accessible from them too. The new resort hotel, StarBase 21, would be in the plot of land behind Animal Kingdom situated as to not disturb the animals of Kilimanjaro Safaris. The Epcot Center Drive turnoff area would be rebuilt to accommodate a second turnoff towards Solar Expanse and StarBase 21 from both directions of the highway.
 
Mickeynerd17

Mickeynerd17

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
IP and Solar Expanse

1619021013521.png


The use of IP in Solar Expanse will be minimized to the Fab 5 in space-themed outfits similar to EPCOT Center in the 80's albeit with solar system themes. This is to keep the vision and core message of the park strong and prevalent. Now, this isn't going to block merchandise sales because most of the classic merchandise from the other parks will be available inside Sol along with these beauties:
1619021222301.png

The planets will also be walkaround characters. All of them will be found in a massive meet-n-greet experience inside Sol as well as around the park near their respective planets. Aside from meet-n-greets, they will be featured on Solar Expanse-exclusive merchandise including hats, pins, cups, shirts, and more!​
 

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