Arctic-Xodus
Active Member
Will you ever continue this project with the other areas? I'd really like to see the rest of this amazing park.
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DisneySky - COMPLETE & RESTORED
- Thread starter D Hulk
- Start date
Suchomimus
Well-Known Member
Sadly I think you’re both right. Tokyo DisneySea cost $4 billion to open, and their additions since 2001 are likely just as costly. And DisneySea has been my main frame of reference in creating DisneySky.
@Suchomimus beat me to it slightly, but YES, I am nowhere at all close to finishing with DisneySky! Runway One concludes tomorrow, and then we’re off to Mythic Realms!
Twilight_Roxas
Well-Known Member
@ExoWareMasses It’s meant to be a reference to the song of the World of Color that had the part Earth, Sea, and Sky.
Twin air hangars serve as the facades for both Mach 1 and Lindy's
Mach 1
Media store
Stationary, electronic media, and digital photo supplies
Mach 1 - sub-named “Sound Investments” - is a stationary and photo supply shop themed to Chuck Yeager. Donald Duck portrays the famous test pilot. Signage jokingly identifies Donald as “Duck Yeager.”
A window display tableaux (a little static 3D scene) depicts Donald in an experimental suit in the high desert saluting for a photo. He struggles to retain his dignity, but his head is covered awkwardly by a parachute. Donald is also burnt slightly by his nearby X-1 experimental plane - not named “Glamorous Glennis” like Chuck’s X-1, but rather “Delicate Daisy.”
The shop is set in a basic, unadorned cylindrically-roofed airplane hangar. The insides remain mostly plain and industrial, with work benches and tables functioning as merchandise shelving. The main visual highlight is a replica of the Bell X-1 plane which first broke the sound barrier, which hangs from a (partial) B-29 mothership on the ceiling. The X-1 occasionally belches real flame! This is accompanied by an echoing, reverberating noise crossing the tinny space - the sound barrier audibly being broken.
Mach 1 serves as DisneySky’s primary PhotoPass outlet. The shop’s rear features the interior or a vintage air traffic control tower. The radar screens and other monitors display guests’ PhotoPass pictures for viewing and purchase.
Lindy’s
Household goods store
Household and other interior goods
Mach 1’s “twin” is Lindy’s, set alongside Mach 1 and directly opposite from Rosie’s. (All these connected hangar-side shops share internal passageways.) This shop is dedicated to Charles Lindbergh. The exterior window display sees Goofy portraying Lindy, standing alongside his Spirit of St. Louis plane in Paris having accomplished his famous first-ever transatlantic flight.
A prominent interior banner proclaims Lindy’s to be “The Lindy Shop.” While this hangar’s bare structure is the same as Mach 1’s, the finishings are far more domestic. The whole hangar has been converted into Lindy’s personal Craftsman den, with the sort of finely carved wood furniture you would expect to find in a Frank Lloyd Wright house. Shelving overhead stores “Goofbergh’s” aviator equipment. Rafters house engines, propellers and more, all bits scavenged from many different planes.
The shop’s rear includes Lindy’s “man cave” alcove, complete with overstuffed chair, Tiffany lamps and a makeshift fireplace. On the wall is a map depicting the transatlantic flight, along with framed newspapers commemorating the achievement. There are mementos from Lindy’s earlier barnstorming career, many of them recycled elements from Goofy’s Barnstormer in Magic Kingdom.
Lindy’s is DisneySky’s main rotating seasonal shop. It regularly features specialized goods for the season, with unique merchandise on display for Christmas, Halloween, Easter, and more.
Planetary Marketplace
Post-ride shop
Accessories, apparel and more
Inspiration Observatory’s western Art Deco wing houses the Planetary Marketplace. Guests leaving both Inspiration Observatory Tours and In an Ocean of Stars are deposited in here, where space-themed merchandise greets them after an adventure across the skies and stars.
It is no accident that the space age Cosmic Crater is located nearby. Planetary Marketplace expands on that stellar theme with all its decor. Set under a vaulted Art Deco lobby are chandeliers of varying sizes representing the Sun and the eight planets. (As a subtle joke, on the shelf nearest Neptune is Pluto the dog in an astronaut suit sitting forlorn.) Walls are filled with star map murals. Store shelving abounds with astronomical instruments from across the centuries, instruments like telescopes, pendants, quadrants and more. Wood panels in the cabinet walls feature astronomical equations made by important astronomers, from Ptolemy to Galileo to Newton.
The shop’s centerpiece is a Foucault pendulum set above a circular display cabinet. This suspended bronze sphere swings due to the natural rotation of the Earth, knocking over a circle of pegs as it completes its daily journey.
Flyer Suppliers
Wagon cart
Wagon with caps, cases, hairbands and light-up items
East of Inspiration Observatory (in the garden space shared by the Refueling Center) is a merchandise stand erected around the base of a Ford Tri-Motor biplane. This plane is personalized with handmade nose art; like so many vintage examples, this one features an unauthorized, off-model drawing of Donald Duck.
Merchandise is set up all around the Tri-Motor, set atop cargo crates and steamer trunks all surrounded by hand dollies. All this is protected under a military tarp.
Flyer Suppliers is one of many small-scale “wagon cart” shops throughout DisneySky selling impulse products (regularly changed out) or basic touring needs such as sunscreen or water bottles.
At long last, well over a month into this project, we reach the end of DisneySky's entry land. Tomorrow we head east, both within the park and thematically, and visit a new land...Mythic Realms.
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James G.
Well-Known Member
Found the first typo! "interior or a vintage air traffic control" . I really like the nod to Pluto, sitting forlorn. BTW, the photo of the Ford Tri-Motor? It has the "City of Port Clinton" on it. Those planes for decades flew from Port Clinton and Sandusky to the Lake Erie Islands. In the winter they were the only connection the islands had to the mainland, unless Lake Erie froze over enough for vehicles to drive across.
History lesson over. Great work!!
History lesson over. Great work!!
Arctic-Xodus
Active Member
Will you find a way to include a version of StormRider into this park? Probably in Discovery Glaicer...
Also,
Also,
MYTHIC REALMS
Discover a distant Chinese paradise of mystery, myths and ancient human flight
TIME: 500 B.C.
Mythic Realms plunges guests into the very cradle of aviation history. In these ancient times, the skies remained an impenetrable mystery. They were a place of legends and myths, of dragons and phoenixes. Mighty gods lived in the clouds, or so mankind thought, using their incredible talents to manifest both powerful typhoons and life-giving rains. Even the nearest mountaintops were beyond Man’s ken, forbidden and inaccessible realms of fable. Out of these superstitious mists, great inventors such as Mozi and Lu Ban devised the very first man made aircraft - simple creations like the kite or the bamboo rotor.
Ancient China is the intersection of myth and science. Welcome to Mythic Realms, DisneySky’s easternmost land in every sense. This destination borrows freely from all eras of Chinese history, fusing disparate elements into a singular oriental fantasy. This is sure to be a popular land, especially for the many Asian communities surrounding Anaheim.
Imagine a spectacular Chinese garden brought to glorious life. Guests discover a Zhou Dynasty water village filled with vibrant Chinese artisans and ornate imperial architecture. Beyond the village’s red-tile roofs, the verdant subtropical peaks of the Kunlun Mountains mark the edge of man’s domain, and the beginning of legend. Like DisneySea’s Arabian Coast with Aladdin, Mythic Realms folds in elements of a Disney animated property - in this case Mulan - while mostly retaining a realistic cultural aesthetic.
Guests visiting Mythic Realms may undertake a perilous boat voyage into the forbidden peaks of Kunlun, the land of gods and monsters. They may explore a vibrant water village in Kunlun’s shadow, where fine silk handicrafts and succulent Asian cuisine entice and enchant. Guests may take in an acrobatic show, sail on a man-carrying kite, or enter cursed caverns in search of a flying carpet. Here all the splendor of Ancient China comes alive. Embrace the mystery!
Land Layout & Details
Dining: 29. Zodiac Noodle House, 30. Floating Lantern, 31. Qilin Tea Hut
Retail: 32. Lu Ban's Kite Shop, 33. Monsoon Marketplace, 34. Fireworks Cart
A Chinatown-style tile roof gateway marks the passageway from Runway One to Mythic Realms. A glacial river flows alongside the gate into Mythic Realms, passing under an arch formed from a granite wall covered in ferns. On the gateway’s other side, the land is bermed by a pink stone wall inspired by Lijiang Old Town - as is much of the village beyond. Paved walkways instantly recall the Great Wall of China, cobbled from grey stone and brick when they’re not carving straight through natural limestone deposits.
Soothing Chinese Zen serves as Mythic Realms’ land music. Played on traditional instruments like the erhu and the guzheng, it perfectly accompanies Mythic Realms’ lush eastern splendors.
The entry gate immediately frames views of the distant Kunlun Mountains, which like a fusion of the Huangshan Mountains and Zhangjiajie Mountains are an otherworldly paradise of vertically sculpted limestone cliffs and sandstone pillars covered in foliage. The Kunlun Mountains completely line Mythic Realms’ northern barrier. Their forced perspective peaks - which max out at 115 feet, still dwarfed by mighty Mt. Helios - provide a necessary berm to hide views of the tall WorldMark Anaheim hotel north of DisneySky.
The glacial river branches off. The entry pathway crosses over the river’s western fork, which flows past twin kinetic rotating Lijiang waterwheels before disappearing around a bend into a thick willow tree forest. The eastern waterway creates a natural moat separating the pathway from Lu Ban’s Kite Shop. This is the land’s centerpiece shop, accessed from several sides. From this west-facing side, the facade perched atop river limestone resembles the city of Fenghuang. A “bamboopunk” assortment of wood-and-tile huts sits precariously atop bamboo poles jutting from the waters. Kites sail over the shop complex, held aloft by thin scaffolding resembling strings. Weeds sprout out from the rooftops all throughout this area.
Ahead, the path veers right around a Su Song clock tower. Next to it is a smaller pagoda which houses a big bronze Buddhist bell. Guests may ring this bell with a carved log hanging from ropes - a nifty interactive addition to the land. Red glowing sky lanterns dangle from strings.
Across from these towers, in the land’s “weenie” location, is the entrance to Storm Mountain found within an imposing stone fortress with a terraced guard tower. Guests who dare enter this edifice shall embark upon an E-ticket shoot-the-chutes boat voyage into Kunlun’s peaks. Right of Storm Mountain is Monsoon Marketplace, a post-ride shop housed in a Lijiang Town bazaar and topped with a red pagoda tower. Tiny, ancient stone birdhouses line the Marketplace’s facade - cute little chirps come from within - their design reflecting a larger Forbidden Palace-style structure atop Kunlun’s highest summit.
As we follow the pathway east past Monsoon Marketplace, the land opens up onto a pair of water features. To the left and lapping the base of the Kunlun Mountains is East Lake - a classic Chinese garden pool inspired like so many others by Hangzhou’s West Lake. To the right is Floating Lantern Pond, a quaint lily pond, more tranquil and contemplative. A small stream connects these pools. Crossing it is a covered bridge, red with terraced temple-style roofs, leading to Mythic Realms’ open central square.
But if we instead turn right and cross a smaller moon bridge, we reach an island in the center of Floating Lantern Pond. Here among garden rockwork is Fireworks Cart, a small merchandise wagon housed in an ox cart.
Crossing another stone bridge to the opposite side of Floating Lantern Pond, we find the other entrance to Lu Ban’s Kite Shop. This section - still growing up from the waters below - represents the more monied region of Mythic Realms, with facades inspired by Shanghai’s Ming Era Huxinting Tea House. Under this storefront is a game of “go” in progress. A pavilion to the left (inaccessible, as it houses a kitchen facility) features a traditional Chinese mural of Fa Mulan in her family’s garden - think of the Princess Jasmine tile mural in Arabian Coast for how this can tastefully blend into the land. Behind, the northeastern slopes of Mt. Helios - seemingly an impenetrable wall of vertical limestone formations - hide views of Discovery Glacier.
Floating Lantern Pond
Following this southern edge of Floating Lantern Pond, first we come across primitive fishing poles. This is another interactive feature, as guests may reel in the lines. This will reveal treasures hidden in Floating Lantern Pond’s waters, from an empty crabbing box to a Han urn. Nearby in the pond’s waters, a simple fisherman’s boat is moored to the stone docks.
Floating Lantern Pond’s centerpiece is its eponymous Floating Lantern restaurant. This eatery is exemplified by a golden “Quanrao” dragon boat - a combo of dragon sculpture and palace floating on the water. This unreal structure houses food ordering windows, while dining is mostly located past the covered bridge on the shores of East Lake in a simple tea house.
Tomorrow: We continue exploring the layout & details of Mythic Realms.
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Twilight_Roxas
Well-Known Member
Cool, and wonder how Raya and the Last Dragon would fit in Mythic Realms?
Arctic-Xodus
Active Member
Is that a reference to the planet Xanadu I see pop up on this website every now and then?
Last edited:
Evilgidgit
Well-Known Member
MYTHIC REALMS
Discover a distant Chinese paradise of mystery, myths and ancient human flight
TIME: 500 B.C.
Mythic Realms plunges guests into the very cradle of aviation history. In these ancient times, the skies remained an impenetrable mystery. They were a place of legends and myths, of dragons and phoenixes. Mighty gods lived in the clouds, or so mankind thought, using their incredible talents to manifest both powerful typhoons and life-giving rains. Even the nearest mountaintops were beyond Man’s ken, forbidden and inaccessible realms of fable. Out of these superstitious mists, great inventors such as Mozi and Lu Ban devised the very first man made aircraft - simple creations like the kite or the bamboo rotor.
Ancient China is the intersection of myth and science. Welcome to Mythic Realms, DisneySky’s easternmost land in every sense. This destination borrows freely from all eras of Chinese history, fusing disparate elements into a singular oriental fantasy. This is sure to be a popular land, especially for the many Asian communities surrounding Anaheim.
Imagine a spectacular Chinese garden brought to glorious life. Guests discover a Zhou Dynasty water village filled with vibrant Chinese artisans and ornate imperial architecture. Beyond the village’s red-tile roofs, the verdant subtropical peaks of the Kunlun Mountains mark the edge of man’s domain, and the beginning of legend. Like DisneySea’s Arabian Coast with Aladdin, Mythic Realms folds in elements of a Disney animated property - in this case Mulan - while mostly retaining a realistic cultural aesthetic.
Guests visiting Mythic Realms may undertake a perilous boat voyage into the forbidden peaks of Kunlun, the land of gods and monsters. They may explore a vibrant water village in Kunlun’s shadow, where fine silk handicrafts and succulent Asian cuisine entice and enchant. Guests may take in an acrobatic show, sail on a man-carrying kite, or enter cursed caverns in search of a flying carpet. Here all the splendor of Ancient China comes alive. Embrace the mystery!
Attractions: 25. Storm Mountain, 26. Mulan: Reflections in Dance, 27. Beastly Kites, 28. Magic Carpet Caverns
Land Layout & Details
Dining: 29. Zodiac Noodle House, 30. Floating Lantern, 31. Qilin Tea Hut
Retail: 32. Lu Ban's Kite Shop, 33. Monsoon Marketplace, 34. Fireworks Cart
A Chinatown-style tile roof gateway marks the passageway from Runway One to Mythic Realms. A glacial river flows alongside the gate into Mythic Realms, passing under an arch formed from a granite wall covered in ferns. On the gateway’s other side, the land is bermed by a pink stone wall inspired by Lijiang Old Town - as is much of the village beyond. Paved walkways instantly recall the Great Wall of China, cobbled from grey stone and brick when they’re not carving straight through natural limestone deposits.
Soothing Chinese Zen serves as Mythic Realms’ land music. Played on traditional instruments like the erhu and the guzheng, it perfectly accompanies Mythic Realms’ lush eastern splendors.
The entry gate immediately frames views of the distant Kunlun Mountains, which like a fusion of the Huangshan Mountains and Zhangjiajie Mountains are an otherworldly paradise of vertically sculpted limestone cliffs and sandstone pillars covered in foliage. The Kunlun Mountains completely line Mythic Realms’ northern barrier. Their forced perspective peaks - which max out at 115 feet, still dwarfed by mighty Mt. Helios - provide a necessary berm to hide views of the tall WorldMark Anaheim hotel north of DisneySky.
The glacial river branches off. The entry pathway crosses over the river’s western fork, which flows past twin kinetic rotating Lijiang waterwheels before disappearing around a bend into a thick willow tree forest. The eastern waterway creates a natural moat separating the pathway from Lu Ban’s Kite Shop. This is the land’s centerpiece shop, accessed from several sides. From this west-facing side, the facade perched atop river limestone resembles the city of Fenghuang. A “bamboopunk” assortment of wood-and-tile huts sits precariously atop bamboo poles jutting from the waters. Kites sail over the shop complex, held aloft by thin scaffolding resembling strings. Weeds sprout out from the rooftops all throughout this area.
Ahead, the path veers right around a Su Song clock tower. Next to it is a smaller pagoda which houses a big bronze Buddhist bell. Guests may ring this bell with a carved log hanging from ropes - a nifty interactive addition to the land. Red glowing sky lanterns dangle from strings.
Across from these towers, in the land’s “weenie” location, is the entrance to Storm Mountain found within an imposing stone fortress with a terraced guard tower. Guests who dare enter this edifice shall embark upon an E-ticket shoot-the-chutes boat voyage into Kunlun’s peaks. Right of Storm Mountain is Monsoon Marketplace, a post-ride shop housed in a Lijiang Town bazaar and topped with a red pagoda tower. Tiny, ancient stone birdhouses line the Marketplace’s facade - cute little chirps come from within - their design reflecting a larger Forbidden Palace-style structure atop Kunlun’s highest summit.
As we follow the pathway east past Monsoon Marketplace, the land opens up onto a pair of water features. To the left and lapping the base of the Kunlun Mountains is East Lake - a classic Chinese garden pool inspired like so many others by Hangzhou’s West Lake. To the right is Floating Lantern Pond, a quaint lily pond, more tranquil and contemplative. A small stream connects these pools. Crossing it is a covered bridge, red with terraced temple-style roofs, leading to Mythic Realms’ open central square.
But if we instead turn right and cross a smaller moon bridge, we reach an island in the center of Floating Lantern Pond. Here among garden rockwork is Fireworks Cart, a small merchandise wagon housed in an ox cart.
Crossing another stone bridge to the opposite side of Floating Lantern Pond, we find the other entrance to Lu Ban’s Kite Shop. This section - still growing up from the waters below - represents the more monied region of Mythic Realms, with facades inspired by Shanghai’s Ming Era Huxinting Tea House. Under this storefront is a game of “go” in progress. A pavilion to the left (inaccessible, as it houses a kitchen facility) features a traditional Chinese mural of Fa Mulan in her family’s garden - think of the Princess Jasmine tile mural in Arabian Coast for how this can tastefully blend into the land. Behind, the northeastern slopes of Mt. Helios - seemingly an impenetrable wall of vertical limestone formations - hide views of Discovery Glacier.
Floating Lantern Pond
Following this southern edge of Floating Lantern Pond, first we come across primitive fishing poles. This is another interactive feature, as guests may reel in the lines. This will reveal treasures hidden in Floating Lantern Pond’s waters, from an empty crabbing box to a Han urn. Nearby in the pond’s waters, a simple fisherman’s boat is moored to the stone docks.
Floating Lantern Pond’s centerpiece is its eponymous Floating Lantern restaurant. This eatery is exemplified by a golden “Quanrao” dragon boat - a combo of dragon sculpture and palace floating on the water. This unreal structure houses food ordering windows, while dining is mostly located past the covered bridge on the shores of East Lake in a simple tea house.
Tomorrow: We continue exploring the layout & details of Mythic Realms.
Mythic Realms walkthrough concludes:
A zig-zagging bridge leads back to the mainland, to the central plaza. At the plaza’s center is Qilin Tea Hut, a humble tea wagon. Beyond it, the plaza is dominated by the Celestial Theater, a scale replica of Beijing’s Ancient Observatory which is host to the Mulan: Reflections in Dance live musical extravaganza. Right of the Celestial Theater (leading back towards Lu Ban’s) lush peppertree groves hide three Terracotta warrior statues depicting Yao, Ling & Chien-Po - the three comic relief soldiers from Mulan. Sitting in front of the Theater is a faux-bronze replica of Zhang Heng’s armillary sphere, held atop an oxidized copper dragon statue.
Left of the Celestial Theater is Zodiac Noodle House, a rural Chinese inn and eatery found across a koi pond. Several interactive features line the pathways before it. Little coin-op “pagodas” provide fish food so that guests may feed the koi. On a nearby wall is a large interactive Chinese abacus. A few unaccompanied jiao (royal litters) provide good photo opportunities.
Further east we find Beastly Kites - a pair of man-carrying kite spinners individually called Phoenix Kites and Dragon Kites. Both sit overlooking Mythic Realms on raised circular platforms inspired by the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests - considered by some the most beautiful building in the world.
Opposite of Beastly Kites, the shores of East Lake continue before terminating at the jagged foothills of Kunlun. Many more details dots these shores. Several “scholar rocks” (or “gongshi rocks,” repurposed Chinese river rocks) stand tall. Upon their alien, curlicue forms is Chinese calligraphy which translates to phrases such as “Peace in the heavens” and “Blue sky.” Tiny stone pagodas festoon the waters of East Lake. Among them, a covered circular pavilion provides panoramic views of East Lake and Storm Mountain’s climactic splashdown - Mythic Realms’ major focal point, which we will be going over later.
Nearby are raised pedestals. The one before Beastly Kites holds the Tianchi rain gauge - a fine example of ancient Chinese invention. Another pedestal holds a replica of the bronze Gansu Flying Horse. This one sits before Magic Carpet Caverns, an Aladdin-themed “funhouse” walkthrough housed within a palace carved straight into Kunlun’s cliffs. As Aladdin is originally an Indian folktale, this facade mostly resembles India’s Orchha Temple - with a bit of Chinese influence, naturally.
At last we come to the edge of Mythic Realms. Continuing with this corner’s subtle Indian influence, archway transition out of the land is through minimalist stone Hampi Aqueducts. From Mythic Realms’ side they look newly-made, while from the other side they are crumbling and weed-eaten.
Streetmosphere
Musicians playing upon the “pipa” (an ancient Chinese stringed instrument) regale guests. They primarily appear at Floating Lantern’s teahouse patio alongside East Lake, thus also serenading passing riders on Storm Mountain.
The East Lake plaza is regularly host to a small scale Chinese New Year style parade, complete with acrobats performing a dragon dance. Both these performers and the musicians also appear in the Reflections in Dance stage show, which dictates their streetmosphere appearances. This and similar acrobatic shows in Mythic Realms are similar to Epcot’s “The Jeweled Dragon Acrobats.”
Lastly, custodians write “ephemeral poetry” on the land’s sidewalks. Using giant water brushes, they create Chinese calligraphy (and Hidden Mickeys) in the cobblestone.
Walkaround characters
Mythic Realms features walkaround characters from both Mulan and Aladdin, with an emphasis on the former. They are most commonly found in the lakeside pavilion overlooking Storm Mountain and East Lake.
Restrooms
The first of two restrooms is found near the Runway One transition in a replica of Lijiang Town’s watermill, across a flowing river. (You will note that most DisneySky restrooms are thematically connected to water.) A stone bridge provides guest access. Squirting Qilin fountains flank the bridge. Inside, rural Lijian style decorates a modern restroom facility.
The second restroom is on the land’s opposite end in a rock cliff near Magic Carpet Caverns. This one is stylistically connected to the nearby Orchha Temple facade with carved entry in the rockface like China’s Longmen Grottoes. In place of a carved Buddha, our facade’s rock relief depicts the Emperor from Mulan. The restroom’s interior continues that carved-out cavernous feel, in the style of Longmen or Petra. Polished stone floors maintain the theme without sacrificing needed comfort or cleanliness. Carved bas reliefs in the moldings add to the ambiance.
Lighting
Much of Mythic Realms’ nighttime lighting comes from hanging sky lanterns. More lighting comes from elaborate bronze lanterns held from poles and buildings - these lanterns feature creatures like Qilin, Phoenix or Pixiu.
Additionally, fake fireflies - simple fibre optic strings blown by fans - provide a heavenly reflective glow to East Lake’s evening surface.
Misters
To help cool off overheated guests, every land (except Runway One) provides themed misters which spray out chilled fog.
Mythic Realms’ misters are found in stone statues, which all resemble legendary flying creatures such as dragons and pixiu (winged lions).
A zig-zagging bridge leads back to the mainland, to the central plaza. At the plaza’s center is Qilin Tea Hut, a humble tea wagon. Beyond it, the plaza is dominated by the Celestial Theater, a scale replica of Beijing’s Ancient Observatory which is host to the Mulan: Reflections in Dance live musical extravaganza. Right of the Celestial Theater (leading back towards Lu Ban’s) lush peppertree groves hide three Terracotta warrior statues depicting Yao, Ling & Chien-Po - the three comic relief soldiers from Mulan. Sitting in front of the Theater is a faux-bronze replica of Zhang Heng’s armillary sphere, held atop an oxidized copper dragon statue.
Left of the Celestial Theater is Zodiac Noodle House, a rural Chinese inn and eatery found across a koi pond. Several interactive features line the pathways before it. Little coin-op “pagodas” provide fish food so that guests may feed the koi. On a nearby wall is a large interactive Chinese abacus. A few unaccompanied jiao (royal litters) provide good photo opportunities.
Further east we find Beastly Kites - a pair of man-carrying kite spinners individually called Phoenix Kites and Dragon Kites. Both sit overlooking Mythic Realms on raised circular platforms inspired by the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests - considered by some the most beautiful building in the world.
Opposite of Beastly Kites, the shores of East Lake continue before terminating at the jagged foothills of Kunlun. Many more details dots these shores. Several “scholar rocks” (or “gongshi rocks,” repurposed Chinese river rocks) stand tall. Upon their alien, curlicue forms is Chinese calligraphy which translates to phrases such as “Peace in the heavens” and “Blue sky.” Tiny stone pagodas festoon the waters of East Lake. Among them, a covered circular pavilion provides panoramic views of East Lake and Storm Mountain’s climactic splashdown - Mythic Realms’ major focal point, which we will be going over later.
Nearby are raised pedestals. The one before Beastly Kites holds the Tianchi rain gauge - a fine example of ancient Chinese invention. Another pedestal holds a replica of the bronze Gansu Flying Horse. This one sits before Magic Carpet Caverns, an Aladdin-themed “funhouse” walkthrough housed within a palace carved straight into Kunlun’s cliffs. As Aladdin is originally an Indian folktale, this facade mostly resembles India’s Orchha Temple - with a bit of Chinese influence, naturally.
At last we come to the edge of Mythic Realms. Continuing with this corner’s subtle Indian influence, archway transition out of the land is through minimalist stone Hampi Aqueducts. From Mythic Realms’ side they look newly-made, while from the other side they are crumbling and weed-eaten.
Cast member outfits
Cast members appropriately appear in traditional period Chinese attire.
Cast members appropriately appear in traditional period Chinese attire.
Streetmosphere
Musicians playing upon the “pipa” (an ancient Chinese stringed instrument) regale guests. They primarily appear at Floating Lantern’s teahouse patio alongside East Lake, thus also serenading passing riders on Storm Mountain.
The East Lake plaza is regularly host to a small scale Chinese New Year style parade, complete with acrobats performing a dragon dance. Both these performers and the musicians also appear in the Reflections in Dance stage show, which dictates their streetmosphere appearances. This and similar acrobatic shows in Mythic Realms are similar to Epcot’s “The Jeweled Dragon Acrobats.”
Lastly, custodians write “ephemeral poetry” on the land’s sidewalks. Using giant water brushes, they create Chinese calligraphy (and Hidden Mickeys) in the cobblestone.
Walkaround characters
Mythic Realms features walkaround characters from both Mulan and Aladdin, with an emphasis on the former. They are most commonly found in the lakeside pavilion overlooking Storm Mountain and East Lake.
Restrooms
The first of two restrooms is found near the Runway One transition in a replica of Lijiang Town’s watermill, across a flowing river. (You will note that most DisneySky restrooms are thematically connected to water.) A stone bridge provides guest access. Squirting Qilin fountains flank the bridge. Inside, rural Lijian style decorates a modern restroom facility.
The second restroom is on the land’s opposite end in a rock cliff near Magic Carpet Caverns. This one is stylistically connected to the nearby Orchha Temple facade with carved entry in the rockface like China’s Longmen Grottoes. In place of a carved Buddha, our facade’s rock relief depicts the Emperor from Mulan. The restroom’s interior continues that carved-out cavernous feel, in the style of Longmen or Petra. Polished stone floors maintain the theme without sacrificing needed comfort or cleanliness. Carved bas reliefs in the moldings add to the ambiance.
Churro carts
In Mythic Realms, churros are sold from simple Qing Dynasty horse carts. This land’s specialty flavor is custard-filled and coated in crumbled up fortune cookies.
In Mythic Realms, churros are sold from simple Qing Dynasty horse carts. This land’s specialty flavor is custard-filled and coated in crumbled up fortune cookies.
Drinking fountains
Ornate bronze dragon statues hold up fountain bowls.
Ornate bronze dragon statues hold up fountain bowls.
Trash cans
Trash cans (while shaped normally) are colored to resemble Han Dynasty era pottery - relatively primitive porcelain products.
Trash cans (while shaped normally) are colored to resemble Han Dynasty era pottery - relatively primitive porcelain products.
Benches
Like the walkways and bridges, benches are carved from monolithic stone.
Like the walkways and bridges, benches are carved from monolithic stone.
Umbrellas
Red umbrellas physically fashioned like Lu Ban’s kites rest atop bamboo stands.
Red umbrellas physically fashioned like Lu Ban’s kites rest atop bamboo stands.
Fencing
Again like the benches and bridges, fencing is largely made from simple carved stone, often topped with dragon heads. For variety and texture, Mythic Realms’ poorer or more rural areas feature fencing hastily created from dried bamboo reeds.
Again like the benches and bridges, fencing is largely made from simple carved stone, often topped with dragon heads. For variety and texture, Mythic Realms’ poorer or more rural areas feature fencing hastily created from dried bamboo reeds.
Lighting
Much of Mythic Realms’ nighttime lighting comes from hanging sky lanterns. More lighting comes from elaborate bronze lanterns held from poles and buildings - these lanterns feature creatures like Qilin, Phoenix or Pixiu.
Additionally, fake fireflies - simple fibre optic strings blown by fans - provide a heavenly reflective glow to East Lake’s evening surface.
Misters
To help cool off overheated guests, every land (except Runway One) provides themed misters which spray out chilled fog.
Mythic Realms’ misters are found in stone statues, which all resemble legendary flying creatures such as dragons and pixiu (winged lions).
Stroller corals & phone-charging stations
Dedicated stroller parking is found under a tile roof pavilion near the Celestial Theater, in a space near the Mulan mural. Cell phone charging stations are themed as ancient Chinese compasses on pedestals.
Dedicated stroller parking is found under a tile roof pavilion near the Celestial Theater, in a space near the Mulan mural. Cell phone charging stations are themed as ancient Chinese compasses on pedestals.
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Arctic-Xodus
Active Member
Is it just me, or does Howard H. Hummel looks like the basis for every live-action comedy film protagonist?
Howard H. Hummel
Pi on my Cake
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
I can't believe that this project is so well thought out that you even have benches/trash cans/fences figured out! This park is incredible!!!Mythic Realms walkthrough concludes:
A zig-zagging bridge leads back to the mainland, to the central plaza. At the plaza’s center is Qilin Tea Hut, a humble tea wagon. Beyond it, the plaza is dominated by the Celestial Theater, a scale replica of Beijing’s Ancient Observatory which is host to the Mulan: Reflections in Dance live musical extravaganza. Right of the Celestial Theater (leading back towards Lu Ban’s) lush peppertree groves hide three Terracotta warrior statues depicting Yao, Ling & Chien-Po - the three comic relief soldiers from Mulan. Sitting in front of the Theater is a faux-bronze replica of Zhang Heng’s armillary sphere, held atop an oxidized copper dragon statue.
Left of the Celestial Theater is Zodiac Noodle House, a rural Chinese inn and eatery found across a koi pond. Several interactive features line the pathways before it. Little coin-op “pagodas” provide fish food so that guests may feed the koi. On a nearby wall is a large interactive Chinese abacus. A few unaccompanied jiao (royal litters) provide good photo opportunities.
Further east we find Beastly Kites - a pair of man-carrying kite spinners individually called Phoenix Kites and Dragon Kites. Both sit overlooking Mythic Realms on raised circular platforms inspired by the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests - considered by some the most beautiful building in the world.
Opposite of Beastly Kites, the shores of East Lake continue before terminating at the jagged foothills of Kunlun. Many more details dots these shores. Several “scholar rocks” (or “gongshi rocks,” repurposed Chinese river rocks) stand tall. Upon their alien, curlicue forms is Chinese calligraphy which translates to phrases such as “Peace in the heavens” and “Blue sky.” Tiny stone pagodas festoon the waters of East Lake. Among them, a covered circular pavilion provides panoramic views of East Lake and Storm Mountain’s climactic splashdown - Mythic Realms’ major focal point, which we will be going over later.
Nearby are raised pedestals. The one before Beastly Kites holds the Tianchi rain gauge - a fine example of ancient Chinese invention. Another pedestal holds a replica of the bronze Gansu Flying Horse. This one sits before Magic Carpet Caverns, an Aladdin-themed “funhouse” walkthrough housed within a palace carved straight into Kunlun’s cliffs. As Aladdin is originally an Indian folktale, this facade mostly resembles India’s Orchha Temple - with a bit of Chinese influence, naturally.
At last we come to the edge of Mythic Realms. Continuing with this corner’s subtle Indian influence, archway transition out of the land is through minimalist stone Hampi Aqueducts. From Mythic Realms’ side they look newly-made, while from the other side they are crumbling and weed-eaten.
Cast member outfits
Cast members appropriately appear in traditional period Chinese attire.
Streetmosphere
Musicians playing upon the “pipa” (an ancient Chinese stringed instrument) regale guests. They primarily appear at Floating Lantern’s teahouse patio alongside East Lake, thus also serenading passing riders on Storm Mountain.
The East Lake plaza is regularly host to a small scale Chinese New Year style parade, complete with acrobats performing a dragon dance. Both these performers and the musicians also appear in the Reflections in Dance stage show, which dictates their streetmosphere appearances. This and similar acrobatic shows in Mythic Realms are similar to Epcot’s “The Jeweled Dragon Acrobats.”
Lastly, custodians write “ephemeral poetry” on the land’s sidewalks. Using giant water brushes, they create Chinese calligraphy (and Hidden Mickeys) in the cobblestone.
Walkaround characters
Mythic Realms features walkaround characters from both Mulan and Aladdin, with an emphasis on the former. They are most commonly found in the lakeside pavilion overlooking Storm Mountain and East Lake.
Restrooms
The first of two restrooms is found near the Runway One transition in a replica of Lijiang Town’s watermill, across a flowing river. (You will note that most DisneySky restrooms are thematically connected to water.) A stone bridge provides guest access. Squirting Qilin fountains flank the bridge. Inside, rural Lijian style decorates a modern restroom facility.
The second restroom is on the land’s opposite end in a rock cliff near Magic Carpet Caverns. This one is stylistically connected to the nearby Orchha Temple facade with carved entry in the rockface like China’s Longmen Grottoes. In place of a carved Buddha, our facade’s rock relief depicts the Emperor from Mulan. The restroom’s interior continues that carved-out cavernous feel, in the style of Longmen or Petra. Polished stone floors maintain the theme without sacrificing needed comfort or cleanliness. Carved bas reliefs in the moldings add to the ambiance.
Churro carts
In Mythic Realms, churros are sold from simple Qing Dynasty horse carts. This land’s specialty flavor is custard-filled and coated in crumbled up fortune cookies.
Drinking fountains
Ornate bronze dragon statues hold up fountain bowls.
Trash cans
Trash cans (while shaped normally) are colored to resemble Han Dynasty era pottery - relatively primitive porcelain products.
Benches
Like the walkways and bridges, benches are carved from monolithic stone.
Umbrellas
Red umbrellas physically fashioned like Lu Ban’s kites rest atop bamboo stands.
Fencing
Again like the benches and bridges, fencing is largely made from simple carved stone, often topped with dragon heads. For variety and texture, Mythic Realms’ poorer or more rural areas feature fencing hastily created from dried bamboo reeds.
Lighting
Much of Mythic Realms’ nighttime lighting comes from hanging sky lanterns. More lighting comes from elaborate bronze lanterns held from poles and buildings - these lanterns feature creatures like Qilin, Phoenix or Pixiu.
Additionally, fake fireflies - simple fibre optic strings blown by fans - provide a heavenly reflective glow to East Lake’s evening surface.
Misters
To help cool off overheated guests, every land (except Runway One) provides themed misters which spray out chilled fog.
Mythic Realms’ misters are found in stone statues, which all resemble legendary flying creatures such as dragons and pixiu (winged lions).
Stroller corals & phone-charging stations
Dedicated stroller parking is found under a tile roof pavilion near the Celestial Theater, in a space near the Mulan mural. Cell phone charging stations are themed as ancient Chinese compasses on pedestals.
Even more amazing is that you made something this detailed still be interesting! I'm on the edge of my seat reading about themed misters lol
Storm Mountain
E-ticket boat ride
Board a boat bound for the forbidden Kunlun Mountain, witness beautiful fantasy creatures and face the wrath of the gods
HEIGHT REQUIREMENT
The Kunlun Mountains are the edge of the known world. In ancient Chinese myth they represent paradise itself - immortality, wealth, wisdom. They are the source of the rains, thus earning the local nickname “Storm Mountain.” They are the homeland of fantastical creatures and the gods who made them.
And yet, the Kunlun Mountains are forbidden!
The misty peaks hide great treasures, but also great dangers. Few have dared explore its hallowed waterways...until now. Get ready to board a boat and ascend high into a mythical dominion beyond man’s ken...but beware the gods’ wrath! Should they find you trespassing on their mountain, there is a very swift way back to earth!
Storm Mountain is an E-ticket shoot-the-chutes boat ride which is at times filled with beauty and wonder, and at times a hair-raising white-knuckle waterfall adventure. It is a lengthy, scenery-filled voyage through the Kunlun Mountains which make up Mythic Realms’ entire northern boundary. Here guests will discover a lush paradise of azure pools, hovering rocks and precious jade nestled across from East Lake, beckoning all who pass through. Kunlun’s jagged vertical limestone cliffs (pockmarked with ferns, plum trees and natural springs) echo fantastical real landscapes like China’s Huangshan and Zhangjiajie Mountains. Even from the land’s walkways, guests are intrigued by Storm Mountain’s faint soundtrack...original music by Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Then there is the plunge...Dragon Falls! All along the shores of East Lake, guests can see it: Kunlun’s highest summit. Mossy granite shards seemingly form the shape of a dragon’s head. Perched atop, in fantasy forced perspective miniature, is the shimmering Jade Palace, “pillar of the sky.” Waterfalls plummet from the stone dragon’s teeth - a 90’ drop with a 55 degree vertical angle! - straight down Kunlun’s slopes and through a graveyard of wrecked junk ships.
For brave and adventurous souls, Storm Mountain boards from a stone fortress downstream from Dragon Falls. This fortress resembles Kunlun in miniature, perched atop overgrown limestone cliffs and with more limestone crags somehow growing from its rooftops. The fortress is like a fortified Chengyang Wind and Rain Bridge with its brick base and its tiered wooden gables. Before it sits a moat, its depths filled by waters magically raining from the fortress walls.
FastPass distribution is found across from the fortress under a Su Song clock tower. FastPass machines are made from bronze Chinese earthquake detectors - a real Zhang Heng invention from nearly 2,000 years ago.
Storm Mountain's queue building
Queue - The Storm Fortress
The queue begins across a bridge flanked by stone pixiu. A wrecked junk sail marquee over the fortress gates spells out “Storm Mountain.” The dank, cramped corridors within branch off left and right.
To the left is our overflow queue, set in a covered Chinese walkway known as a “Long Corridor”. The walkway navigates calming Chinese gardens flanked by the high fortress walls and overlooking the first tranquil section of Storm Mountain. This is always a great way to build rider anticipation!
There is plenty to see here, from nearby Chinese bonsai on display to a Chinese dam which ride boats drift past. This dam is in fact Storm Mountain’s water overflow cistern, dressed up with ancient leaking stones and a moored fisherman’s boat. A willow-lined river feeds it from a spillway. Distant hills covered in rice terraces lead to an old crumbling stone wall which blocks backstage views. And while the “Long Corridor” contains switchback queues, the bucolic scenery makes up for it.
Thunderstorm Corridors
The right path, meanwhile, ferries guests through the fortress’ Chengyang Bridge interiors. A few corners block out the outside light. This makes the fortress feel more like the real Chengyang Bridge, complete with latticed beams shuddering and creaking from an audible storm outside. Guests hear rains on the rooftop. There are thunderclaps and lightning. A foreboding tone anticipates Storm Mountain’s tempestuousness.
Deeper guests go into the safety of the fortress, into low-slung stone passageways. There are flickering, swaying lanterns on the ceiling. The FastPass and standby queues run parallel to each other, divided by a small open water drainage canal running through the room’s center. Netting blocks it off. Like Magic Kingdom’s Pirates of the Caribbean queue, these two routes diverge and reconnect down a maze of chambers. The queues ramp upwards, past ancient Chinese artworks on display which depict the Great Flood overseen by Leigong, mythic Thunder God.
Gongshi Caverns
Eventually these earthen corridors let out onto an arched moon bridge crossing waterways. Here the FastPass queue merges with standby. The lines immediately split back into two, thanks to the dual loading platform which is visible below the bridge.
For now the queues continue across the river and to Kunlun’s foothill cliffs. A storybook waterfall drapes over Gongshi rocks. Behind is a curlicue rock cavern like the Longmen Grottoes. The furthest wall features larger-than-life carved deities: Leigong with his bat wings and bird face creating a fantastical storm atop Kunlun, aided by his assistants Leizi (“Goddess of Lightning”) and Yu Shi (“Rain Master”).
Cramped cavern passageways split off and ramp down, doubling back towards the waterways. Artworks carved into the walls feature the deities who make up the greater Kunlun pantheon. Moss and ferns grow everywhere. Water drips from stalactites. Shafts of light shine from above. Bamboo scaffolding holds up sections which threaten to cave in.
Loading - Monsoon Canals
The queues conclude on a wooden loading platform built over the stream. Across the river is the fortress and adjacent Monsoon Market shop, all with exterior facades suggesting the canals of Lijiang Town. (Unloading is on this side.) A pavilion rooftop provides shelter from Leigong’s rains. Two bridges flank this space: The queue bridge which ride boats first pass under, and a suspension bridge opposite it which provides ADA access to the ride.
RIDE STATS
Ride type: Shoot-the-chutes
Capacity per boat: 25 (5 rows of 5)
Hourly capacity: 3,000
Duration: 8:39
Height restriction: 42”
Ride type: Shoot-the-chutes
Capacity per boat: 25 (5 rows of 5)
Hourly capacity: 3,000
Duration: 8:39
Height restriction: 42”
Guests load onto unpainted wooden river boats, five per row, and pull down on their communal lapbar. The craft flows at a defined pace, able to trigger timed scene effects. The voyage begins as boats drift under the queue’s moon bridge archway and into the placid subtropical fields beyond.
Tomorrow, the boat ride begins.
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James G.
Well-Known Member
Two comments: First, if the rest of your lands are as detailed as Mythic Realms (and knowing you as I do, they are) a tour- even a self-guided one- would be another attraction in itself, a tour explaining in-depth the culture behind the visual imagery that would almost bombard visitors. Your historic research is worthy of a Master's Degree.
Second (you know with me there is always a second), I was a bit jarred when you said that the music for Storm Mountain's soundtrack was by Lin-Manuel Miranda. There is absolutely no doubt as to his talent, and perhaps he did the music for this attraction's source attraction, but why not use a composer from the source culture? Undoubtedly there are Chinese composers who could create music that would be appropriate for the attraction while infusing a cultural "sound" that a Puerto Rican composer might not be able to access.
As always, a breathtaking creation!
Second (you know with me there is always a second), I was a bit jarred when you said that the music for Storm Mountain's soundtrack was by Lin-Manuel Miranda. There is absolutely no doubt as to his talent, and perhaps he did the music for this attraction's source attraction, but why not use a composer from the source culture? Undoubtedly there are Chinese composers who could create music that would be appropriate for the attraction while infusing a cultural "sound" that a Puerto Rican composer might not be able to access.
As always, a breathtaking creation!
Storm Mountain ride layout
Ride Experience - East Lake Bamboo Forest
The journey starts out peacefully as boats placidly drift past the “overflow” dam and the queue’s Long Corridor. The waterways veer to the right and grow narrower, vanishing from the queue’s sight into a bamboo forest. Thick, lushly green shoots blot out the sun. Their roots grow up and over an abandoned stone shrine. At night, LED fireflies bring an ethereal glow.
Sprouts far from the shrine rumble. An albino tiger rushes from the bamboo...and quietly regards guests. Like on Jungle Cruise, this and the many more outdoor creatures to come are limited-motion figures, not as complex as full animatronics but beautifully realized nonetheless. All of Storm Mountain’s characters share a distinctive “magical realist” aesthetic, a tactile stylization similar to Disney Animation’s current CGI look.
Magic Crane Waterfall
The bamboo parts and boats pass under a great Chinese gate. Kunlun’s foothills ahead rise up at a gentle slope. A waterfall coats the overgrown hillside and magically appears to flow upwards towards the mountain - not just the exterior lift which carries boats upslope, but even the spillways flanking the lift thanks to fountains which propel the waters up tiered limestone terraces.
Majestic white cranes - which represent good luck on Kunlun - perch on these tiered cliffs. They spit arcing water spigots ahead of (and over) the rising boats, but never soaking guests. The waterfall terminates above at a towering red pagoda. The pagoda’s receding gables mark passage to Kunlun.
Monkey King Pagoda
Boats enter the pagoda and turn right. This is a brief transitional space, an outpost for former explorers of Kunlun. As such, the pagoda is stocked with the mountain’s treasures, with items such as magical glowing peaches and precious jade. These crated items lie abandoned now floating in the flowing waters, overrun by playful monkeys. The monkeys play comically: A monkey tail pokes out from inside a crate. A monkey stares mesmerized clutching a glowing peach. One monkey vogues before a Monkey King painting, striking a similar pose.
Kunlun Baize Pools
Passage from the pagoda marks the grand reveal of Kunlun Mountain’s magical pools. Formless gentle flood plains are bordered by Chinese elms, oaks, lily pads, ferns, and moss-drenched river rocks. This is a marsh out of distant legend. Calming waters flow around stones. More monkeys frame this poetic sight, dangling by their tails from overhead branches.
Multiple hoofed animals eat ferns on the shore, facing away. The nearest creature turns to face riders, as the apparent branches behind it turn too and are revealed to be the creature’s leafy, treelike antlers. With its hypnotic human face, what seemed to be a blue elk is really a Bai Ze - a fantastical creature which brings good dreams. Several Bai Zes line the lawns grazing; one tries to snag dangling river reeds from another’s mouth.
From the crystalline pool’s clear waters, a gigantic clam rises up - a mythic Shen. Its open shells reveal a sparkling foot-wide pearl inside. One of the many dangling monkeys reaches for the pearl.
The waterways wind to the left. Boats traverse a watery mesa high over Mythic Realms and secluded by swampy foliage. The very faintest subtle notes of Miranda’s ride song “In the Eye of the Storm” start to echo - for re-riders, an ominous anticipatory hint, for now played in a happy major key and without lyrics. This merry, mystical tune accompanies tigers on the shore - no normal felines, but storybook beasts with rainbow-hued stripes and fantastical proportions. Tiger cubs bat at fish splashing in the waters while their mother snores. Flying fish leap about in the streams. Boats drift towards Kunlun’s jagged northern vertical crags, towards more perilous passages.
Panda Canyon
Sheer cliffs line a windswept valley. The increasingly tumultuous river passes by under a forested glen. Above, glittering willows glisten with fiber-optic lights - fashioned like plants of jeweled emerald. Lights reveal a family of frolicsome storybook panda bears, white with rainbow spots. One panda rolls on the ground. Another scratches its back against river-formed Scholar Rocks. At the canyon’s far mouth is a sage, blue-glowing Qilin standing guard. This Chinese chimera with gold-tinted horns and carp whiskers represents passage deeper into the wilderness.
Shangyang Springs
A straightaway section ferries boats directly below tree roots perched atop the rocks. These belong to a magical glowing peach tree, set in a spring where Miranda’s orchestral tune grows more pronounced. Monkeys stand on pillars of Zhou artifacts trying to grab the peaches.
A mystical geyser spring spreads out beyond the mighty tree. Rocky hovering islands (some with foliage and roots dangling) float high up in the air, held aloft by some unseen magnetic force. In actuality, waterfalls which tumble down their crevasses hide supports. More watery splendors dot the oasis. Flying “Shangyang” rainbirds hover in place around the springs; rainfall tumbles from within their wings. Fountain poles - quite like Enchanted Tiki Room’s central feature - rise and lower from the pools. Rather large butterflies sporting Chinese kite patterns sun themselves on boulders. Lights sparkle from within the waters, like amethysts in the streams.
Mushroom Rapids
The river rocks grow jagged, and the river grows restless. The boats proceed with a bit more urgency past rougher waters and splashing effects. Bizarre, otherworldly mushrooms (plus other fungi) line the rocks. Cute-yet-oversized insects are seen eating them; one or two insects appear from inside a toadstool. All around is the wreckage of simple Chinese fishing boats, spilling ill-gotten gemstones their crews failed to steal from Kunlun. Monkeys scavenge these crafts. One boat lifts up suddenly - perhaps shocking first-time riders! - lifted up and dwarfed on the back of a monstrously massive Mekong catfish.
Immense towering cliffs close in. Boats sail past sheer waterfall drop-offs to East Lake below, gaining suspenseful views of the ride’s final 90’ drop - just as another boat tumbles down! For now, boats near an ominous cavern mouth which expels great clouds of mist. Jade stones line the entry. Chinese calligraphy on the rockface states “Forbidden Caverns.”
Forbidden Caverns
Boats drift into cavernous darkness. The only lights come from jade and jasper embedded in the walls. Riders hear the sound of distant rumbling thunder - a storm is coming to the Kunlun Mountains…
A wind howls. Voices carry with it. The gods are singing Miranda’s “In the Eye of the Storm” in a threatening minor key, going on about protecting Kunlun’s treasures with heavenly storms. Boats drift past a large wall containing a “cloud tank” effect - smoke flowing underwater looks like possessed thunder clouds. Lightning flashes, revealing the god’s silhouettes looming over these clouds. Leigong is prominent with his wings and beak.
There is another lightning flash directly ahead! With perfect synch, boats tumble down a surprise 30’ indoors drop!
To be concluded...
James, your critique about Miranda is spot on! I folded that element in sort of as an afterthought, and I defaulted to the biggest songwriter within reach. At the moment, the ridethrough still mentions his song, but it's likely that I'll come back to this later on and improve things.
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The conclusion of the Storm Mountain shoot-the-chutes water ride...
Monsoonal Rains
Boats splashdown and continue on in the torrential inky blackness. Riders are within the massive mountainous show building now. These are the peaks of Kunlun at nighttime, ravaged by a terrible storm and flood. Waters rage down spillways from every wall, over drenched and rocky terrain. Fans and light water sprays immerse riders. Debris flows in the choppy waters. An animatronic tree gives way and tumbles forward, narrowly missing riders!
Thunder rumbles. The gods’ song grows distant. A bolt of lightning reveals the skeleton of a Chinese dragon spanning over the boat’s path, crashed against boulders. More lightning reveals the skull of a different dragon, a tiger skull within its mouth and a fish skeleton within the tiger’s jaws.
Ahead, the Monkey King Pagoda now lies collapsed on its side. Flood waters propel riders directly into this wrecked creation.
The Flooded Pagoda
Boats wend through the toppled, twisted and obliterated pagoda. Jade and peaches bob in the churning rapids. Riders pass below a bronze bell - its engravings depict Leigong the thunder god - swaying dangerously overhead on a frayed and flimsy rope.
Dragon Whirlpool
The boats reach a turnaround in a tall chamber room - this interior route has sent them doubling back to the mountain’s western extremes.
The chamber is dark and chaotic, filled exclusively with storm effects. Boats circle rightwards around a whirlpool. This physical effect borrowed from Shanghai Disneyland’s Roaring Rapids is married to a physical effect from DisneySea’s Indiana Jones Adventure - a waterspout whirlwind swirling upwards from the whirlpool’s vortex. Screens lining the outer circular walls (framed by toothy breakwaters) depict horrendous hurricane winds and waves. Screens depict a living water dragon, revealed by thunderclaps flying in this horrid downpour. This is nature’s fullest rage! The name “Storm Mountain” is fulfilled!
The Divine Tornado
Another Chinese gate leads to the final lift hill. Boats travel upwards and eastwards, compelled towards Kunlun’s greatest summit. At first everything is darkness and the continued roar of the storm. Then lights come on, and boats are revealed to be within the massive spinning vortex of a tornado! Imagine Space Mountain’s spinning lift hill tunnel scaled up. Lightning crackles beyond the whirlwind walls. Miranda’s song begins in earnest as boats rise up towards Kunlun’s mountaintop palace...
The Jade Palace
That palace soon becomes visible at the top of the ever-going lift hill. This is the Jade Palace - a fantastical mixture of the Forbidden Palace and the Temple of Heaven - the abode of the gods set atop falling skyborne waterfalls. The song grows louder. Nearing, the palace’s jade doors open up and boats pass into the sacred inner halls.
The lift hill concludes within a circular alcove painted and latticed with divine splendor like Beijing’s Temple of Heaven. All of Kunlun’s precious gems - the jade, jasper, emeralds & amethysts - enliven illuminated panels. Boats turn towards the right in this paradisiacal eden, down a sculpted canal. Lining the recesses are gigantic colorful enameled statues of Kunlun’s Eight Immortals - eight “xian” deities of great power. Musion projection effects bring these gods to life before their statues, “living” CGI spirits (depicted in the Walt Disney Animation house style) all singing “In the Eye of the Storm” with great climactic gusto.
Leigong’s Wrath
Boats continue their rightwards turnaround. The Immortals fade away. The room darkens. Storm god Leigong appears in a Musion projection from the ceiling. He spreads his golden batlike wings. His eyes glow red. Leigong bangs a drum and mallet, producing thunder and typhoon clouds. “Who DARES to trespass on Kunlun Mountain? The skies were not meant for Man.”
A great bronze gate ahead glows out of the darkness. Embedded neon carvings depict its subject - Kunlun beset by a monsoon, living waters plummeting down its cliffs. The gate opens to the outside, revealing Mt. Helios dead ahead. Below...is nothing.
“NOW BE GONE!”
Leigong banishes riders! They plunge 90’ down Kunlun’s slopes!
Boats splashdown through the hull of a wrecked, split junk ship!
Peacock Pools
Boats slow to a crawl in East Lake’s placid pools. Riders, drenched and exhilarated, collect their composure. The ride drifts along East Lake’s lily paddies, back in Man’s dominion, turning right past the Floating Lantern tea house patio. Boats pass little stone pagodas in East Lake.
Zagging around polished Gongli rocks beyond sight from shore, boats glide under a real rainbow - a sign that the storms have passed. Set under the controlled shade of a willow tree, this rainbow effect is achieved with water mist and a prism. The colorful arch seems to emerge from an animatronic peacock on the far grassy shore. This is riders’ final peaceful sight as they pass under a bridge back to a familiar Lijiang Town loading dock.
Riders unload to the left, with alleyways leading to the Monsoon Marketplace post-ride shop. Guests are now back squarely in the world of Man. Artwork on the marketplace walls harkens back to their adventures on Storm Mountain, whose lush and mystical slopes embody all the aspects of Nature. The wilderness can be peaceful but it can also be dangerous. Storms are destructive and life-bringing. Storm Mountain combines these opposing tones in a singularly beautiful, thrilling, entirely unique ride experience!
Monsoonal Rains
Boats splashdown and continue on in the torrential inky blackness. Riders are within the massive mountainous show building now. These are the peaks of Kunlun at nighttime, ravaged by a terrible storm and flood. Waters rage down spillways from every wall, over drenched and rocky terrain. Fans and light water sprays immerse riders. Debris flows in the choppy waters. An animatronic tree gives way and tumbles forward, narrowly missing riders!
Thunder rumbles. The gods’ song grows distant. A bolt of lightning reveals the skeleton of a Chinese dragon spanning over the boat’s path, crashed against boulders. More lightning reveals the skull of a different dragon, a tiger skull within its mouth and a fish skeleton within the tiger’s jaws.
Ahead, the Monkey King Pagoda now lies collapsed on its side. Flood waters propel riders directly into this wrecked creation.
The Flooded Pagoda
Boats wend through the toppled, twisted and obliterated pagoda. Jade and peaches bob in the churning rapids. Riders pass below a bronze bell - its engravings depict Leigong the thunder god - swaying dangerously overhead on a frayed and flimsy rope.
Dragon Whirlpool
The boats reach a turnaround in a tall chamber room - this interior route has sent them doubling back to the mountain’s western extremes.
The chamber is dark and chaotic, filled exclusively with storm effects. Boats circle rightwards around a whirlpool. This physical effect borrowed from Shanghai Disneyland’s Roaring Rapids is married to a physical effect from DisneySea’s Indiana Jones Adventure - a waterspout whirlwind swirling upwards from the whirlpool’s vortex. Screens lining the outer circular walls (framed by toothy breakwaters) depict horrendous hurricane winds and waves. Screens depict a living water dragon, revealed by thunderclaps flying in this horrid downpour. This is nature’s fullest rage! The name “Storm Mountain” is fulfilled!
The Divine Tornado
Another Chinese gate leads to the final lift hill. Boats travel upwards and eastwards, compelled towards Kunlun’s greatest summit. At first everything is darkness and the continued roar of the storm. Then lights come on, and boats are revealed to be within the massive spinning vortex of a tornado! Imagine Space Mountain’s spinning lift hill tunnel scaled up. Lightning crackles beyond the whirlwind walls. Miranda’s song begins in earnest as boats rise up towards Kunlun’s mountaintop palace...
The Jade Palace
That palace soon becomes visible at the top of the ever-going lift hill. This is the Jade Palace - a fantastical mixture of the Forbidden Palace and the Temple of Heaven - the abode of the gods set atop falling skyborne waterfalls. The song grows louder. Nearing, the palace’s jade doors open up and boats pass into the sacred inner halls.
The lift hill concludes within a circular alcove painted and latticed with divine splendor like Beijing’s Temple of Heaven. All of Kunlun’s precious gems - the jade, jasper, emeralds & amethysts - enliven illuminated panels. Boats turn towards the right in this paradisiacal eden, down a sculpted canal. Lining the recesses are gigantic colorful enameled statues of Kunlun’s Eight Immortals - eight “xian” deities of great power. Musion projection effects bring these gods to life before their statues, “living” CGI spirits (depicted in the Walt Disney Animation house style) all singing “In the Eye of the Storm” with great climactic gusto.
Leigong’s Wrath
Boats continue their rightwards turnaround. The Immortals fade away. The room darkens. Storm god Leigong appears in a Musion projection from the ceiling. He spreads his golden batlike wings. His eyes glow red. Leigong bangs a drum and mallet, producing thunder and typhoon clouds. “Who DARES to trespass on Kunlun Mountain? The skies were not meant for Man.”
A great bronze gate ahead glows out of the darkness. Embedded neon carvings depict its subject - Kunlun beset by a monsoon, living waters plummeting down its cliffs. The gate opens to the outside, revealing Mt. Helios dead ahead. Below...is nothing.
“NOW BE GONE!”
Leigong banishes riders! They plunge 90’ down Kunlun’s slopes!
Boats splashdown through the hull of a wrecked, split junk ship!
Peacock Pools
Boats slow to a crawl in East Lake’s placid pools. Riders, drenched and exhilarated, collect their composure. The ride drifts along East Lake’s lily paddies, back in Man’s dominion, turning right past the Floating Lantern tea house patio. Boats pass little stone pagodas in East Lake.
Zagging around polished Gongli rocks beyond sight from shore, boats glide under a real rainbow - a sign that the storms have passed. Set under the controlled shade of a willow tree, this rainbow effect is achieved with water mist and a prism. The colorful arch seems to emerge from an animatronic peacock on the far grassy shore. This is riders’ final peaceful sight as they pass under a bridge back to a familiar Lijiang Town loading dock.
Riders unload to the left, with alleyways leading to the Monsoon Marketplace post-ride shop. Guests are now back squarely in the world of Man. Artwork on the marketplace walls harkens back to their adventures on Storm Mountain, whose lush and mystical slopes embody all the aspects of Nature. The wilderness can be peaceful but it can also be dangerous. Storms are destructive and life-bringing. Storm Mountain combines these opposing tones in a singularly beautiful, thrilling, entirely unique ride experience!
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Suchomimus
Well-Known Member
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