Suchomimus
Well-Known Member
Technically, the facade uses the hotel that serves as the front of St. Pancras. The station itself is a single span iron roof.
You mean not just Mickey and Minnie?
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DisneySky - COMPLETE
- Thread starter D Hulk
- Start date
Evilgidgit
Well-Known Member
Well, now my headcanon to this park is just outright declaring that the balloon and Water-Vat were designed by Mr. Whitmore, and the same type used in the top secret "failed" Atlantis expedition...
Mr. Whitmore: What happened to Helga?
Cookie: Well, we lost her when a flaming zeppelin come down on her...uh, missing.
Mr. Whitmore: That's right. And Rourke?
Dr. Sweet: Nervous breakdown. You could say he went all to pieces.
Cookie: In fact, you could say he was transmogrified and then busted into a zillion...he's missing too!
Cookie: Well, we lost her when a flaming zeppelin come down on her...uh, missing.
Mr. Whitmore: That's right. And Rourke?
Dr. Sweet: Nervous breakdown. You could say he went all to pieces.
Cookie: In fact, you could say he was transmogrified and then busted into a zillion...he's missing too!
PIONEER FIELDS
Visit a small Chilean mountain village where early airplane pioneers fly high
TIME: March 17th, 1929
Pioneer Fields highlights the heyday of heavier-than-air flight, a time of barnstormers and daredevils and wing-walkers. In the decades since the Wright Brothers’ glorious achievement at Kitty Hawk, the newfound freedoms of flight have opened up new parts of the world to learners and adventurers. This quaint Chilean village, nestled at the southern feet of the Andes Mountains, is a thriving haven for pilots and pioneers. There is a sense of endless possibility! Handspun airfields grow from a crumbling colonial hamlet. The skies are abuzz with the sputtering of biplanes’ engines. The clouds above seem ever closer.
In the wake of World War One, the world of aviation was at a crossroads. Would flight be used for war...or peace? Choosing peace, S.E.A.’s Rudolph Blauerhimmel emigrated to South America and changed his last name to Diesel. While Rudolph was engaged in expanding Chile’s trade with new sky routes - exemplified by the hazardous cross-Andean trek, the terror of bush pilots everywhere - his son William Diesel first made his name as a stuntman aviator. A thriving, hardscrabble community of fearless flyers took shape. Crazy modern contraptions began to coexist with the traditional farming culture, showing how inventions like the airplane were reshaping daily life.
Guests will find Pioneer Fields to be the most family-friendly of DisneySky’s destinations, with several cartoon characters represented. But this IP intrusion only exists within the shops & attractions; on the outside, Pioneer Fields remains a deeply romanticized Spanish colonial pueblo. The burg is divided into two regions: the main plaza centered around a cathedral, and the farming fields to the south where aviators make camp. A great many activities await guests, from navigating their own biplane, to sailing in a hot air balloon, to an aerial bird-watching expedition into the Amazon jungle!
Land Layout & Details
Attractions: 45. UP Snapshot Safari, 46. Pedro's Mail Carriers, 47. Mickey's Plane Crazy, 48. Airtopia, 49. Carousel of Flight, 50. DisneySky JetRail
Dining: 51. Barnyard Barbecue, 52. Pie-in-the-Sky Pie Shoppe, 53. Launchpad McSnacks, 54. Air Tower Treats, 55. Da Vinci Delights
Retail: 56. Gearloose Labs, 57. Tienda Altiplano, 58. Cathedral Collections, 59. Jenny's Flying Circus, 60. Condor Imports, 61. Carl's Balloon Cart
Traditional Spanish colonial music provides the land music for Pioneer Fields. The quiet, distant mourn of the Spanish guitar transports guests to a far-off place, with just the right amount of romantic nostalgia for a time which maybe never really existed.
Arriving from either Mythic Realms or Discovery Glacier, guests will first encounter Pioneer Fields’ Paseo Plaza. The most picturesque arrival is via the Copper Arcade, shared with Discovery Glacier, whose vaulted iron entrance perfectly frames a park space complete with bandshell.
It is the 1920s now, but Pioneer Fields’ roots date back to Spanish colonial times. These influences impact the Plaza’s architecture. The setting is northern Chile (with accents of Bolivia and Peru), but the colonial vibe casts its visual net wider, taking influence from towns such as Guanajuato, Cartagena and Valparaiso. Brick-lined sidewalks border cobblestone streets. Building facades are festively multi-colored, offsetting finely-carved sandstone mouldings. Wrought iron balconies upstairs suggest a rich local life. Overhead, Dia de los Muertos style “papel picado” streamers continue the abundant color scheme, and draw the eye towards the central park where the trees’ bases are painted white to protect from bugs.
Spanish colonial influences on Paseo Plaza
This five-sided park at the center of Paseo Plaza gives the colonial downtown a careful geometric order. The park’s angular fifth point faces towards Discovery Glacier, with an obelisk sitting across from the arcade. At the park’s center is the Carousel of Flight. Ornate iron fencing and walkways divide up the green space with plentiful shaded walkways.
Facing towards the Copper Arcade, if we follow the Plaza’s storefronts southwards towards the farming fields, we find the Gearloose Labs apparel and folk art store run by the renowned “quack”pot inventor Gyro Gearloose. Next door in a converted windmill is the Pie-in-the-Sky Pie Shoppe, whose delicious baked goods can be smelled across the plaza. Small town false facades flank the entrances to both shops, adding enormous detail and complexity. It is in these storefront windows where we lay out the land’s backstory concerning Diesel (nee Blauerhimmel).
(Altogether, the town square’s false facades really flesh out Pioneer Fields, like the storefronts of Main Street or New Orleans Square. There is the guitar repair shop. There is the fire station, naturally located next door to Gyro Gearloose’s labs. There’s the post office, the farmland realtor office, and the Andean tour guide office featuring Condor Freight airlines. Further on, we find an upstairs Aviation School, offering pilots “crash courses,” as well as a land surveyor’s office with signage done in an ad hoc combo of English & Spanish.)
Following the storefronts northwards now, and traveling clockwise through Paseo Plaza, we first come upon Tienda Altiplano general store opposite Gearloose Labs (again with several false facades). Past the Tienda is Parque Condor, a relaxing little town park centered around a small circular fountain featuring a condor motif. The park is bounded by brick walls with faded Coke ads in Spanish, plus a mural of romanticized barnstorming at sunset. Note that from Parque Condor, guests may see the backside of Mythic Realms’ Mulan show building...which is decorated on this side like Chile’s Valparaiso. When Pioneer Fields eventually expands, the far end of Parque Condor is likely to be opened up as an “alley” pathway.
Past the park is the Cabildo Building, simply the plaza’s administrative building topped with a bell tower and dominated by white plaster archways. For now this is merely a covered relaxation area with a prime view of a performance stage in the park, and the Condor Imports retail cart next to it. In DisneySky’s future, the Cabildo Building is slated to become the entrance for a new Coco-themed dark ride.
A crumbling arched brick passageway to the Cabildo’s right marks the passage back towards Mythic Realms. Woven llama wool blankets rest draped across the stones, depicting Andean birds. The ancient stone wall dates back to pre-Columbian times; a bas relief in the Incan style depicts a “tower jumper,” a man with homemade feather wings preparing to leap from an Andean rope bridge. The space beyond this passageway connecting Pioneer Fields to Mythic Realms is a thematic neverland known as Clockwork Canyon, which we will explore in full when we visit its Da Vinci Delights canvas gyrocopter snack cart.
The far side of Paseo Plaza follows DisneySky’s eastern boundary, where views are restricted with a hilly berm of Chilean vineyards. Near a mossy, decrepit air tanker is Air Tanker Treats, a humble roadside cart serving tasty farmer’s market items. Beside that we find an ombu tree, a common sight on the pampas plains of Argentina and Uruguay. With their massive hollow bases, these trees are famed as the temporary lodging for gauchos...indeed, keen-eyed guests will glimpse just such a gaucho camp here on the town’s outskirts. More likely their attention will be commanded by the DisneySky JetRail pulling into the colorfully quaint turn-of-the-century Pioneer Fields Station.
Past the station, and past a restroom structure, dirt roads lead out into the farming communities. Only the mighty steeples of Cathedral Collections block our view. The Cathedral’s gardens, opposite the town park, are themselves overflowing with subtle aviation theming, theming such as a sundial pointing skywards or cathedral waterspouts resembling condor heads. A nearby wooden ox cart anticipates the farms beyond with its display of seasonal harvests. Ever changing, the cart features wheat wreaths, or spring flowers, or summer heirloom vegetables, or grape bushels, et cetera.
Facing towards the Copper Arcade, if we follow the Plaza’s storefronts southwards towards the farming fields, we find the Gearloose Labs apparel and folk art store run by the renowned “quack”pot inventor Gyro Gearloose. Next door in a converted windmill is the Pie-in-the-Sky Pie Shoppe, whose delicious baked goods can be smelled across the plaza. Small town false facades flank the entrances to both shops, adding enormous detail and complexity. It is in these storefront windows where we lay out the land’s backstory concerning Diesel (nee Blauerhimmel).
(Altogether, the town square’s false facades really flesh out Pioneer Fields, like the storefronts of Main Street or New Orleans Square. There is the guitar repair shop. There is the fire station, naturally located next door to Gyro Gearloose’s labs. There’s the post office, the farmland realtor office, and the Andean tour guide office featuring Condor Freight airlines. Further on, we find an upstairs Aviation School, offering pilots “crash courses,” as well as a land surveyor’s office with signage done in an ad hoc combo of English & Spanish.)
Following the storefronts northwards now, and traveling clockwise through Paseo Plaza, we first come upon Tienda Altiplano general store opposite Gearloose Labs (again with several false facades). Past the Tienda is Parque Condor, a relaxing little town park centered around a small circular fountain featuring a condor motif. The park is bounded by brick walls with faded Coke ads in Spanish, plus a mural of romanticized barnstorming at sunset. Note that from Parque Condor, guests may see the backside of Mythic Realms’ Mulan show building...which is decorated on this side like Chile’s Valparaiso. When Pioneer Fields eventually expands, the far end of Parque Condor is likely to be opened up as an “alley” pathway.
Past the park is the Cabildo Building, simply the plaza’s administrative building topped with a bell tower and dominated by white plaster archways. For now this is merely a covered relaxation area with a prime view of a performance stage in the park, and the Condor Imports retail cart next to it. In DisneySky’s future, the Cabildo Building is slated to become the entrance for a new Coco-themed dark ride.
A crumbling arched brick passageway to the Cabildo’s right marks the passage back towards Mythic Realms. Woven llama wool blankets rest draped across the stones, depicting Andean birds. The ancient stone wall dates back to pre-Columbian times; a bas relief in the Incan style depicts a “tower jumper,” a man with homemade feather wings preparing to leap from an Andean rope bridge. The space beyond this passageway connecting Pioneer Fields to Mythic Realms is a thematic neverland known as Clockwork Canyon, which we will explore in full when we visit its Da Vinci Delights canvas gyrocopter snack cart.
The far side of Paseo Plaza follows DisneySky’s eastern boundary, where views are restricted with a hilly berm of Chilean vineyards. Near a mossy, decrepit air tanker is Air Tanker Treats, a humble roadside cart serving tasty farmer’s market items. Beside that we find an ombu tree, a common sight on the pampas plains of Argentina and Uruguay. With their massive hollow bases, these trees are famed as the temporary lodging for gauchos...indeed, keen-eyed guests will glimpse just such a gaucho camp here on the town’s outskirts. More likely their attention will be commanded by the DisneySky JetRail pulling into the colorfully quaint turn-of-the-century Pioneer Fields Station.
Past the station, and past a restroom structure, dirt roads lead out into the farming communities. Only the mighty steeples of Cathedral Collections block our view. The Cathedral’s gardens, opposite the town park, are themselves overflowing with subtle aviation theming, theming such as a sundial pointing skywards or cathedral waterspouts resembling condor heads. A nearby wooden ox cart anticipates the farms beyond with its display of seasonal harvests. Ever changing, the cart features wheat wreaths, or spring flowers, or summer heirloom vegetables, or grape bushels, et cetera.
Tomorrow our exploration of Pioneer Fields takes us into the farmlands, before we dive deep into the land's myriad details.
Continuing our walkthrough of Pioneer Fields...
As we continue out into the farmland, we walk along hard-packed dirt roads. The ground bears track marks from both horses and airplanes. Embedded in the soil are airplane nuts & washers. Further from the reach of civilization, even bird tracks become visible in the pathway.
Nestled in a corner behind Cathedral Collections, a welcoming hacienda leads the way to Mickey’s Plane Crazy, a biplane track ride which could be considered an airborne Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. Next door is the relaxing Airtopia balloon tower ride, whose glistening red-and-yellow striped hot air balloon 100-feet in the air is sure to be Pioneer Field’s most-photographed “weenie.” Dwarfed by the balloon is a weathered mission archway spanning the roadway, church bells above its lodestone. A nearby altitude sign reads “8,250.”
The bucolic quietude of the farmlands is interrupted by evidence of modernity and barnstormers. Power lines overhead are totally overloaded with excessive wires. Fresh biplane tracks in the mud lead towards Barnyard Barbecue, a charming farmhouse restaurant with many a quaint, homey birdhouse in its front yard. Opposite that, alongside a mossy water well with shadoof (well pole), is the garishly-colored tent of Jenny’s Flying Circus, a children’s toy store with extensive barnstormer theming. LaunchPad McSnacks serves savory corndogs and more from a 1920s fire truck.
Two final attractions serve as anchors in the furthest farmland. Pedro’s Mail Carriers, inspired by a forgotten segment from Saludos Amigos, is a simple spinner ride which introduces guests to the adorable baby airplane Pedro. UP Snapshot Safari, found inside Carl Fredricksen’s house which he has relocated from Venezuela’s Paradise Falls, is a headlining interactive dark ride where guests go birdwatching aboard personalized hot air balloons. Accompanying this is Carl’s Balloon Cart, a simple-yet-adorable balloon vendor. The DisneySky JetRail glides over the wheat fields in the distance, adding extra energy to such a vibrant land.
At last, transition to Diesel Bay is marked by a covered wood bridge built atop a stone foundation. A spinning waterwheel connects to a gently flowing river below, which is mostly visible from the Pedro’s Mail Carriers queue. There is a rowboat moored beneath the bridge, and just out-of-sight beneath is a native encampment of Incan thatch huts. Thicker foliage spans the river, anticipating the wild jungles of Diesel Bay.
Cast member outfits
Cast members dress either as vintage leather-clad “aeronauts,” or instead in traditional Peruvian attire (heavy on the knit alpaca wool), with costumes selected befitting their story role within the land.
Walkaround characters
Pioneer Fields is a very character-centric land. Common character sightings include the cast from UP (most often seen in front of UP Snapshot Safari, naturally), Launchpad McQuack, the Fab Five dressed up like aviators, and the Three Caballeros. During the Halloween season, guests can instead expect to find roaming skeletons from Pixar’s Coco.
With such an expansive cast, several locations throughout Pioneer Fields serve as designated meet ‘n’ greet spots. Most notably is Cathedral Collections, with its connected character-based retail shop. Parque Condor and the Cabildo Building, out-of-the-way and shaded and otherwise lacking in purpose, also regularly host costumed characters.
Restrooms
A dilapidated wooden railroad storage shed serves as this land’s restroom. It is found due south from the DisneySky JetRail Station, past a disused railroad water tower whose leaking spigots imply the restroom’s purpose. In case this message is lost, there are also creaky old outhouses on display nearby. Meteorological instruments such as anemometers dot the shack’s upper levels, providing our thematic connection to the skies. The shack is centrally located equidistant from Paseo Plaza and the farmlands, making it a convenient drop-off spot for all guests.
Drinking fountains
A great many fountain designs appear depending on the location. In colonial Paseo Plaza, ornate curlicue brass drinking fountains dominate. In the farmlands, old-fashioned water hand pumps appear reworked, and set alongside animal troughs. The drinking fountain found near UP Snapshot Safari resembles a row of helium tanks.
Lighting
Gas street lamps in Paseo Plaza flicker and hiss. These inventions are very exciting to the townsfolk, having just been installed the previous year.
Dangling popcorn lights festoon the barnstormers’ encampments out in the fields, lending an appropriate carnival atmosphere to complement their shows.
As we continue out into the farmland, we walk along hard-packed dirt roads. The ground bears track marks from both horses and airplanes. Embedded in the soil are airplane nuts & washers. Further from the reach of civilization, even bird tracks become visible in the pathway.
Nestled in a corner behind Cathedral Collections, a welcoming hacienda leads the way to Mickey’s Plane Crazy, a biplane track ride which could be considered an airborne Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. Next door is the relaxing Airtopia balloon tower ride, whose glistening red-and-yellow striped hot air balloon 100-feet in the air is sure to be Pioneer Field’s most-photographed “weenie.” Dwarfed by the balloon is a weathered mission archway spanning the roadway, church bells above its lodestone. A nearby altitude sign reads “8,250.”
The bucolic quietude of the farmlands is interrupted by evidence of modernity and barnstormers. Power lines overhead are totally overloaded with excessive wires. Fresh biplane tracks in the mud lead towards Barnyard Barbecue, a charming farmhouse restaurant with many a quaint, homey birdhouse in its front yard. Opposite that, alongside a mossy water well with shadoof (well pole), is the garishly-colored tent of Jenny’s Flying Circus, a children’s toy store with extensive barnstormer theming. LaunchPad McSnacks serves savory corndogs and more from a 1920s fire truck.
Two final attractions serve as anchors in the furthest farmland. Pedro’s Mail Carriers, inspired by a forgotten segment from Saludos Amigos, is a simple spinner ride which introduces guests to the adorable baby airplane Pedro. UP Snapshot Safari, found inside Carl Fredricksen’s house which he has relocated from Venezuela’s Paradise Falls, is a headlining interactive dark ride where guests go birdwatching aboard personalized hot air balloons. Accompanying this is Carl’s Balloon Cart, a simple-yet-adorable balloon vendor. The DisneySky JetRail glides over the wheat fields in the distance, adding extra energy to such a vibrant land.
At last, transition to Diesel Bay is marked by a covered wood bridge built atop a stone foundation. A spinning waterwheel connects to a gently flowing river below, which is mostly visible from the Pedro’s Mail Carriers queue. There is a rowboat moored beneath the bridge, and just out-of-sight beneath is a native encampment of Incan thatch huts. Thicker foliage spans the river, anticipating the wild jungles of Diesel Bay.
Cast member outfits
Cast members dress either as vintage leather-clad “aeronauts,” or instead in traditional Peruvian attire (heavy on the knit alpaca wool), with costumes selected befitting their story role within the land.
Streetmosphere
Set across from the Cabildo Building, The Plaza Stage hosts a wide variety of appropriate acts. Daily rotating performers include gaucho guitarists, Coco-inspired mariachis, flamenco dancers, and Incan pan flute musicians.
Found elsewhere throughout the land, wandering barnstormer pilots advertise their stunt shows to guests - even approaching them unawares and handing out souvenir flyers. And if you don’t want to keep the flyer, don’t worry, because other cast members put on paper airplane-making lessons (with special care of course that the paper airplanes never create litter or harass passersby).
Set across from the Cabildo Building, The Plaza Stage hosts a wide variety of appropriate acts. Daily rotating performers include gaucho guitarists, Coco-inspired mariachis, flamenco dancers, and Incan pan flute musicians.
Found elsewhere throughout the land, wandering barnstormer pilots advertise their stunt shows to guests - even approaching them unawares and handing out souvenir flyers. And if you don’t want to keep the flyer, don’t worry, because other cast members put on paper airplane-making lessons (with special care of course that the paper airplanes never create litter or harass passersby).
Walkaround characters
Pioneer Fields is a very character-centric land. Common character sightings include the cast from UP (most often seen in front of UP Snapshot Safari, naturally), Launchpad McQuack, the Fab Five dressed up like aviators, and the Three Caballeros. During the Halloween season, guests can instead expect to find roaming skeletons from Pixar’s Coco.
With such an expansive cast, several locations throughout Pioneer Fields serve as designated meet ‘n’ greet spots. Most notably is Cathedral Collections, with its connected character-based retail shop. Parque Condor and the Cabildo Building, out-of-the-way and shaded and otherwise lacking in purpose, also regularly host costumed characters.
Restrooms
A dilapidated wooden railroad storage shed serves as this land’s restroom. It is found due south from the DisneySky JetRail Station, past a disused railroad water tower whose leaking spigots imply the restroom’s purpose. In case this message is lost, there are also creaky old outhouses on display nearby. Meteorological instruments such as anemometers dot the shack’s upper levels, providing our thematic connection to the skies. The shack is centrally located equidistant from Paseo Plaza and the farmlands, making it a convenient drop-off spot for all guests.
Churro carts
Cast members serve churros from the back of handmade carts made from local woods. Vintage jalopies pull these carts like oxen. Peruvian folk art painting covers the carts, with the land’s characters depicted in a charmingly vernacular style. Churros come filled with flan custard and covered in pine nuts, lending an airy flavor to this airy land.
Cast members serve churros from the back of handmade carts made from local woods. Vintage jalopies pull these carts like oxen. Peruvian folk art painting covers the carts, with the land’s characters depicted in a charmingly vernacular style. Churros come filled with flan custard and covered in pine nuts, lending an airy flavor to this airy land.
Drinking fountains
A great many fountain designs appear depending on the location. In colonial Paseo Plaza, ornate curlicue brass drinking fountains dominate. In the farmlands, old-fashioned water hand pumps appear reworked, and set alongside animal troughs. The drinking fountain found near UP Snapshot Safari resembles a row of helium tanks.
Trash cans
Old repurposed wine barrels serve this purpose.
Old repurposed wine barrels serve this purpose.
Benches
In town, Spanish colonial benches appear much as you’d expect to find in any Latin American village, with some made of copper and others of carved wood. Such niceties vanish in the fields, where instead guests sit upon non-itchy (in fact, fabricated) hay bales.
In town, Spanish colonial benches appear much as you’d expect to find in any Latin American village, with some made of copper and others of carved wood. Such niceties vanish in the fields, where instead guests sit upon non-itchy (in fact, fabricated) hay bales.
Umbrellas
A barnstorming motif defines the land’s umbrellas, which stand apart from their earth-toned surroundings with a bright red-and-white checkered pattern. Of course other umbrellas retain the traditional Andean look instead, with handwoven textiles and Inca-style knots.
A barnstorming motif defines the land’s umbrellas, which stand apart from their earth-toned surroundings with a bright red-and-white checkered pattern. Of course other umbrellas retain the traditional Andean look instead, with handwoven textiles and Inca-style knots.
Fencing
Colonial iron barriers of course populate Paseo Plaza, especially bounding Carousel of Flight’s greenspaces. Meanwhile, the farmlands feature nothing less than the forever-classic white picket fencing, befitting the land’s soothing domestic vibe.
Colonial iron barriers of course populate Paseo Plaza, especially bounding Carousel of Flight’s greenspaces. Meanwhile, the farmlands feature nothing less than the forever-classic white picket fencing, befitting the land’s soothing domestic vibe.
Lighting
Gas street lamps in Paseo Plaza flicker and hiss. These inventions are very exciting to the townsfolk, having just been installed the previous year.
Dangling popcorn lights festoon the barnstormers’ encampments out in the fields, lending an appropriate carnival atmosphere to complement their shows.
Misters
Steam emitting from pies cooling on a windowsill. It’s kind of a cartoony gag, but steeped in a delightfully corney vintage nostalgia.
Steam emitting from pies cooling on a windowsill. It’s kind of a cartoony gag, but steeped in a delightfully corney vintage nostalgia.
Stroller corrals & phone-charging stations
The charging station is found in a circus tent overhang attached to Jenny’s Flying Circus alongside Launchpad McSnacks. Inside, the rechargers are modeled after UP’s helium tanks.
The charging station is found in a circus tent overhang attached to Jenny’s Flying Circus alongside Launchpad McSnacks. Inside, the rechargers are modeled after UP’s helium tanks.
UP Snapshot Safari
D-ticket dark ride
Travel by balloon with Carl and Russell on an interactive bird-watching expedition
Adventure is out there!
The latest adventure which awaits is a derring, daring expedition with Carl and Russell from Pixar’s UP. Carl Fredericksen has recently relocated his floating house from Paradise Falls to Pioneer Fields. With the South American cross-continental winds, it’s only an evening’s flight. And while Carl might be looking for peace and quiet in this little Chilean hamlet, Russell and his accompanying Wilderness Explorer compadres see this trip as the perfect chance to secure their final merit badge: Bird-watching!
Balloon-borne floating clubhouses are waiting to whisk guests up into the skies and down into the jungles of South America! On this vigorous venture, guests will soar in the clouds. They will encounter countless brightly-colored bird species. And with the help of trusty cameras at the ready, guests can document their “snapshot safari,” earn their badges, and return home with a memorable tale of fun and merriment!
(UP Snapshot Safari is likely to be a later addition in DisneySky’s initial five-year-plan, to help jumpstart family attendance when it inevitably starts to flag.)
UP Snapshot Safari fuses many different winning Disney dark ride formulas. Suspended vehicles create a gentle flying sensation...and with seven decades of technological progress, we can overcome the capacity issues of Peter Pan’s Flight over in Disneyland. The on-ride cameras provide a fun interactive component...but without the gun-based violence inherent in shooter dark rides. Well-maintained, high-quality scenery - beautiful jungle vistas, expressively lifelike animatronics - recall the best dark ride efforts of Tokyo Disneyland. The wilderness must be explored!
(UP itself, by the way, is almost a perfect fit for Pioneer Fields. It has the right South American setting, the right type of flight, the right lighthearted tone. Unfortunately UP has a contemporary setting. Despite that, UP’s nostalgic aesthetic fits 1929 so very nicely, and by placing our attraction on the land’s far edge, any potential thematic intrusion should be minimal.)
Carl’s house is a natural fit for the outskirts of Pioneer Fields. Its quaint gables and vibrant colors nicely reflect the local styles. But there’s no doubt that Carl is an out-of-towner...the upturned soil mounds around his house’s foundation are proof he just landed. Empty helium tanks are strewn about. Nonetheless there are homespun signs of improvement around the perimeter, like a white picket fence or a “Carl & Ellie” mailbox.
This charmingly small-scale house is a simple facade - the real show building sits beyond it, hidden within slab-like Cambrian cliffs. Distant rolling hills and rock formations recede gradually into Mt. Helios’ foothills. This is a more naturalistic version of the rooftop forced perspective effect seen at Tokyo Disneyland’s Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall. The UP show building includes a green roof, since it’s plainly visible from the Skyliner baskets above.
Carl’s front porch serves as a meet ‘n’ greet setting for Carl & Russell & Dug. A nearby garden trellis houses FastPass distribution. Helium tanks of course serve as FastPass machines.
Queue - Wilderness Explorers Treehouse
The queue itself is found to the right of the house, in a ramshackle Wilderness Explorer treehouse built around an oak tree. This makeshift clubhouse is made from bits of sheet metal, wooden debris, and notably repurposed portions of Charles Muntz’s “Spirit of Adventure” dirigible. The front-facing treehouse facade includes the dirigible’s gondola prow. Other recycled elements include its anchor (dangling), an airship engine, and a mooring ladder.
When crowds are at their highest, overflow queueing winds around the treehouse’s shaded exterior. Winding garden paths meander through a trellis pergola, past a swaying tire swing and scattered model airplane toys. Paths also curve around bizarre tepui rock formations.
Within the Clubhouse
Gentling rising ramps lead up to the clubhouse’s treetop level, where the interior queue begins. The time is now several months after the events of UP - because sequel rides avoid “book report” problems - and Carl has established a new life with the Wilderness Explorers and a large pack of “talking” dogs. And under Carl’s tutelage, the Wilderness Explorers have created this truly vast sweatlodge, built organically around the twisting branches of the oak tree and the airship’s metal superstructure. Wooden planks are affixed in a meandering, wandering fashion, more like an oversized bird’s nest than typical construction.
Wistful, nostalgic snippets of Michael Giaccnino’s award-winning score play here in the queue and throughout the attraction.
The queue spirals around the central tree. Muntz’s old decor fills up space - a dog biplane mounted from a branch, or a giant bird skeleton. Up into the leafy treetops, guests find the Explorers’ hangout area - just sleeping bags and camping gear and junk food and comic books strewn about randomly. Behind a curtain, the silhouetted boys and their dogs are fast asleep, snoring. A Wilderness Explorer merit badge book sits open prominently on a table. Every badge is crossed out...except for bird-watching. (The bird-watching badge includes an illustration of Kevin the “snipe.”) Nearby there are Audobon bird-spotting books, and plans written in crayon detailing a balloon trip to Paradise Falls…
Pre-Show - Russell’s Workshop
Wooden halls lead to another chamber in this massive treehouse, a workshop room. Here, the FastPass queue and standby queue merge. Typical suburban window frames look out onto blue daytime skies. This is where the Wilderness Explorers have constructed our ride vehicles. Note all the empty helium tanks, sawed-up lumber, and crude blueprints on the wall. Mostly the room is bare except for the casual back-and-forth queue, ramping slightly downwards...set up this way for a low-key pre-show, one which simply plays occasionally as queueing guests pass through.
The workshop’s focal point is a bay window alcove. Russell formally marches up to the windows from outside - he is a basic screen effect. Russell announces himself with a bugle, clears his throat, and awkwardly recites by rote a safety spiel read directly from a handbook (like when Russell introduced himself to Carl):
“Good afternoon. My name is Russell and I am a Wilderness Explorer in charge of your safety. We are about to go on a snipe hunt. Are you in need of knowing how to stay safe on your ride? Very well. First of all, please remain seated at all times…”
At some point into Russell’s monotone spiel, he produces a camera. To demonstrate how we’ll be taking photos on the ride - but only with specially designated Wilderness Explorer cameras, NO personal flash photography permitted! - Russell tries to take a portrait photo of Beta the Rottweiler. Russell is interrupted by Gamma the Bulldog stealing chocolate from his backpack, and soon the scene descends into a literal dogpile as guests exit through a side door.
Tomorrow, we load up and set forth on our Snapshot Safari!
Welcome back. Prepare for flight as we board UP Snapshot Safari!
Loading - Treehouse Patio
At last the queue escapes the treehouse, exiting onto an open-air patio. Finely-sculpted tree branches soften the edges, filtering through artificial sunlight. The airy patio is directly across from the upper levels of Carl’s house. Cast members, dressed as Wilderness Explorers, direct guests into several pre-boarding aisles with white picket fence gates. As groups, guests board a flotilla of ramshackle, homemade flying clubhouses.
These ride vehicles are like flying soapbox derby racers - haphazardly-made winged fruit crates which hang from a net of multicolored latex balloons. These floating contraptions are somewhat like a suspended version of the carts seen on Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek, crossed with the latest Peter Pan’s Flight technology featured at Shanghai Disneyland - able to smoothly traverse the track’s elevation changes, and able to rotate as needed to face important show scenes. Each cart seats two to three guests, guardians accompanying minors.
Most importantly, each cart contains two flashbulb cameras. Cameras sit loosely mounted on the forward dash, held in place by string. These are the “blasters” of this interactive dark ride, as guests set forth on a bird-watching photo safari. The flashbulbs project a large circle of light, like the Monsters, Inc. flashlights. A great big red button takes the photo...or simulates it at least. Really, this photo-taking mechanic lets riders trigger fun little on-ride effects such as making animatronic birds tweet. We’ll learn more about these cameras as the ride progresses...
A ride operator behind a wooden crate control panel initiates takeoff. Behind the operator is a big, prominent crayon drawing of Kevin the bird. “MUST PHOTOGRAF THIS BIRD” the drawing reads, swiftly establishing a “snipe hunt” plotline for UP Snapshot Safari. Six balloon carts load at once, and carts then head out in groups of three. Dispatches are in 20 second intervals.
Ride Experience - Up, Up and Away!
Freed from their earthly bounds, balloon carts lift up and sail away, rising through the oak tree’s upper branches. A light, airy sensation immediately comes over riders, like anything is possible.
Carts reach the treetop, under the bright blue noontime sky. An animatronic Russell awaits us in his very own flying balloon cart, made from a red Radio Flyer wagon. Russell greets us loudly & warmly, and demonstrates the ride’s photography component by snapping a shot of a nearby parakeet in a nest. The bird chirps in response.
Riders’ carts spin to face a telephone line. As a simple demonstration of photo interactivity, eight bluebirds sit here in a row...followed by a large gangly bird in a clear homage to Pixar’s For the Birds. When riders photograph these birds, they sing. Snapping them all in a row produces a perfect musical octave...and a wretched screech from the gangly bird.
A whole cornucopia of birds will appear as UP Snapshot Safari continues, and all of them have interactive responses to riders’ cameras.
Russell in the Clouds
The balloon carts follow a counterclockwise route through the show building. They rise up into the clouds, through puffy & physical cumulonimbus cotton balls made of semi-transparent scrim. The clouds frame blue sky video screens, where more clouds transform into familiar shapes like in UP’s “Married Life” sequence. A “V” of migratory Canadian geese flies across the screen, providing riders with something to photograph. The geese honk in response!
On another blue sky screen, we see Russell sailing in his cart. A whole host of balloon carts follows his lead, each one packed full of Wilderness Explorer scouts and Muntz dogs. The carts are made from items such as shopping carts, bathtubs, wine barrels, and more.
Very soon, the horizon of clouds below parts as Carl’s house ascends into the heavens held aloft by thousands of balloons! Carl peers out from his living room window and accosts Russell.
“Russell, where are these people going?”
Russell responds, “Going bird-spotting, Mr. Fredricksen, at Paradise Falls.”
Carl groans in frustration. “But I just brought my house back from there!”
Riders’ carts swiftly descend downwards through a narrow cloudy tunnel, for just a few seconds within a raging thunderstorm! Lightning effects crackle within the cloudy scrim. Fans and misters complete the sensation.
Paradise Found
Bursting instantaneously from the mist-filled clouds, riders find themselves all of a sudden within the thick jungles of Paradise Falls. If there’s been a surfeit of birds to photograph thus far, then this massive jungle expanse is a major course correction! Birds absolutely teem throughout the treetop leaves and the forest floors! Think of it like a great big game room!
Ignoring the many multitudinous multicolored macaws (and all the other birds), let’s now discuss the show scene. Breaks in the jungle foliage reveal screen-based views of distant Paradise Falls itself. Riders drift past the Wilderness Explorers’ landed carts, physical props which have plowed into the soil, or snagged in trees, or teeter upon rock towers. Footprints, both human and dog, lead to a clearing. Here, animatronic scouts and dogs search the wilderness, calling out “Here snipe! Here snipe!”
There are a few gentle gags, like a scout peering through binoculars at a nesting bird one-foot away. One plant-framed video screen shows Carl’s house visible hovering in the sky; a physical Carl figure swings directly past us on a garden hose line, like Tarzan but without the grace.
Riders’ carts spin to face Dug the Golden Retriever, who just sits idly, panting vacantly, with a bird atop his head. If photographed, Dug responds (speaking through his voice collar): “Why did you photograph me? I am not a bird, I am a dog.”
These bird gags, as noted, continue on in every scene. But a simple ride storyline plays out as well - concerning the scouts’ search for Kevin - which we’ll concern ourselves with from now on.
I hope you're enjoying UP Snapshot Safari so far. Tomorrow we will conclude this joyous ridethrough.
Loading - Treehouse Patio
At last the queue escapes the treehouse, exiting onto an open-air patio. Finely-sculpted tree branches soften the edges, filtering through artificial sunlight. The airy patio is directly across from the upper levels of Carl’s house. Cast members, dressed as Wilderness Explorers, direct guests into several pre-boarding aisles with white picket fence gates. As groups, guests board a flotilla of ramshackle, homemade flying clubhouses.
RIDE STATS
Ride type: Suspended interactive dark ride
Capacity per balloon cart: 3
Hourly capacity: 1,620
Duration: 4:25
Height restriction: None
Ride type: Suspended interactive dark ride
Capacity per balloon cart: 3
Hourly capacity: 1,620
Duration: 4:25
Height restriction: None
These ride vehicles are like flying soapbox derby racers - haphazardly-made winged fruit crates which hang from a net of multicolored latex balloons. These floating contraptions are somewhat like a suspended version of the carts seen on Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek, crossed with the latest Peter Pan’s Flight technology featured at Shanghai Disneyland - able to smoothly traverse the track’s elevation changes, and able to rotate as needed to face important show scenes. Each cart seats two to three guests, guardians accompanying minors.
Most importantly, each cart contains two flashbulb cameras. Cameras sit loosely mounted on the forward dash, held in place by string. These are the “blasters” of this interactive dark ride, as guests set forth on a bird-watching photo safari. The flashbulbs project a large circle of light, like the Monsters, Inc. flashlights. A great big red button takes the photo...or simulates it at least. Really, this photo-taking mechanic lets riders trigger fun little on-ride effects such as making animatronic birds tweet. We’ll learn more about these cameras as the ride progresses...
A ride operator behind a wooden crate control panel initiates takeoff. Behind the operator is a big, prominent crayon drawing of Kevin the bird. “MUST PHOTOGRAF THIS BIRD” the drawing reads, swiftly establishing a “snipe hunt” plotline for UP Snapshot Safari. Six balloon carts load at once, and carts then head out in groups of three. Dispatches are in 20 second intervals.
Ride Experience - Up, Up and Away!
Freed from their earthly bounds, balloon carts lift up and sail away, rising through the oak tree’s upper branches. A light, airy sensation immediately comes over riders, like anything is possible.
Carts reach the treetop, under the bright blue noontime sky. An animatronic Russell awaits us in his very own flying balloon cart, made from a red Radio Flyer wagon. Russell greets us loudly & warmly, and demonstrates the ride’s photography component by snapping a shot of a nearby parakeet in a nest. The bird chirps in response.
Riders’ carts spin to face a telephone line. As a simple demonstration of photo interactivity, eight bluebirds sit here in a row...followed by a large gangly bird in a clear homage to Pixar’s For the Birds. When riders photograph these birds, they sing. Snapping them all in a row produces a perfect musical octave...and a wretched screech from the gangly bird.
A whole cornucopia of birds will appear as UP Snapshot Safari continues, and all of them have interactive responses to riders’ cameras.
Russell in the Clouds
The balloon carts follow a counterclockwise route through the show building. They rise up into the clouds, through puffy & physical cumulonimbus cotton balls made of semi-transparent scrim. The clouds frame blue sky video screens, where more clouds transform into familiar shapes like in UP’s “Married Life” sequence. A “V” of migratory Canadian geese flies across the screen, providing riders with something to photograph. The geese honk in response!
On another blue sky screen, we see Russell sailing in his cart. A whole host of balloon carts follows his lead, each one packed full of Wilderness Explorer scouts and Muntz dogs. The carts are made from items such as shopping carts, bathtubs, wine barrels, and more.
Very soon, the horizon of clouds below parts as Carl’s house ascends into the heavens held aloft by thousands of balloons! Carl peers out from his living room window and accosts Russell.
“Russell, where are these people going?”
Russell responds, “Going bird-spotting, Mr. Fredricksen, at Paradise Falls.”
Carl groans in frustration. “But I just brought my house back from there!”
Riders’ carts swiftly descend downwards through a narrow cloudy tunnel, for just a few seconds within a raging thunderstorm! Lightning effects crackle within the cloudy scrim. Fans and misters complete the sensation.
Paradise Found
Bursting instantaneously from the mist-filled clouds, riders find themselves all of a sudden within the thick jungles of Paradise Falls. If there’s been a surfeit of birds to photograph thus far, then this massive jungle expanse is a major course correction! Birds absolutely teem throughout the treetop leaves and the forest floors! Think of it like a great big game room!
Ignoring the many multitudinous multicolored macaws (and all the other birds), let’s now discuss the show scene. Breaks in the jungle foliage reveal screen-based views of distant Paradise Falls itself. Riders drift past the Wilderness Explorers’ landed carts, physical props which have plowed into the soil, or snagged in trees, or teeter upon rock towers. Footprints, both human and dog, lead to a clearing. Here, animatronic scouts and dogs search the wilderness, calling out “Here snipe! Here snipe!”
There are a few gentle gags, like a scout peering through binoculars at a nesting bird one-foot away. One plant-framed video screen shows Carl’s house visible hovering in the sky; a physical Carl figure swings directly past us on a garden hose line, like Tarzan but without the grace.
Riders’ carts spin to face Dug the Golden Retriever, who just sits idly, panting vacantly, with a bird atop his head. If photographed, Dug responds (speaking through his voice collar): “Why did you photograph me? I am not a bird, I am a dog.”
Bird Gags
Let’s pause now to discuss the birds! Simple, limited-motion animatronic birds are absolutely everywhere throughout the ride. When photographed, they chirp and sing and otherwise react. There’s always a new bird reaction to trigger, encouraging rerides! Some of the specific bird gags featured throughout include:
These bird gags, as noted, continue on in every scene. But a simple ride storyline plays out as well - concerning the scouts’ search for Kevin - which we’ll concern ourselves with from now on.
I hope you're enjoying UP Snapshot Safari so far. Tomorrow we will conclude this joyous ridethrough.
And now, the remainder of UP Snapshot Safari.
A Dog-Gone Snipe Hunt
Deeper into the overgrown jungle, we get our first Kevin sighting! Kevin’s peak pokes out from the bushes to nibble on Russell’s chocolate bar...Russell is completely unaware, of course, searching intently in the opposite direction.
There are a few dogs also searching fruitlessly. Beta points directly at a really wild, over-colored bird, exclaiming “Point!” Alpha the Doberman Pinscher directly addresses riders with gruff search party orders. Photography causes Alpha’s voice collar to short circuit, changing his vocal tones from deep to high-pitched.
Carl’s Cliffs of Calamity
A brief compression and release moment carries riders through a tighter cliff section, over uneven rocky ground and to a waterfall’s stream. Shadows grow longer as the cheery daytime gives way to dusk. Riders glide through undulating monadnock scenery. There are more members of the Wilderness Explorers snipe hunt party here:
Carl lies upside-down smashed against a boulder, his dentures out, his house line swaying in the breeze.
Gamma constantly repeats “Where’s the bird? Where’s the bird?” as photography caused his voice collar to change languages.
Russell blows his bugle, and a small bird pops out of it.
Dug sniffs at the ground. When photographed, he turns away and yells “Squirrel!”
Condor Cavern Camp
A break from character scenes follows. Carts float through Charles Muntz’s shadowy cavern. Passing nearby sandstone walls, past clay sparrow nests - birds pop out and sing. A sinkhole reveals an abandoned Wilderness Explorers camp, now overrun with South American condors. Kevin peers her head in sideways from behind a karst; she squawks when photographed.
Unseen dog voices yell out. “SNIPE!” The balloon carts spin around!
Kevin’s Canyon Maze
Suddenly we find ourselves in the otherworldly limestone canyon maze which Kevin calls home. More and more birds populate the stacked, eroded boulders. A few gaps in the rocky corridors reveal space shared with the earlier cliff scene.
Riders pass Kevin’s nest of gathered tropical fruits. There is a fruity smell effect. Kevin herself hides barely glimpsed behind a boulder which is shaped just like her.
Dog shadows rush across the crazy rock formations, in hot snipe pursuit. Meanwhile, other birds pop up like gophers (or whack-a-mole) from holes in the ground. Alpha balances precariously atop a rocky cairn, screaming “Help me! Heeelp me!” in a high pitch like in The Fly. Carl stands stock still, absolutely covered in dozens of small birds, grumpy, while Russell calmly photographs them.
Snipe Sighted!
Riders’ carts spin one more time, to reveal a gorgeous multilayered sunset by a tepui cliff overlook. This spells the climax of the bird-watching game. As a final treat, at last riders glimpse Kevin unobscured for the first time...seated on top of Dug, staring him down. Dug is unconcerned: “Oh, I have found the bird. May I keep it?”
Carts rise up, gliding past an ascending row of limestone columns. Kevin’s babies sit on these columns. When photographed, they cough up tennis balls from Carl’s walker...the final bird interactions of our “game.”
Farewell to Paradise Falls
Up, up and up we rise! Rotating carts discover a fantastic bird’s-eye-view of the entire Paradise Falls landscape below...This at last is our Peter Pan’s Flight moment, delayed until the ride’s finale, where we soar tranquilly over an astounding model of Paradise Falls far below. It is a moonlit twilight now, with the blood-red final wisps of the sunset on the horizon.
Passage through a brief starfield tunnel leads to a starry flight over the clouds. This parallels the initial daytime flight out, with similar physical cloud scrims and sky screens. Muntz’s dogs pilot their biplanes across the screen, spelling out “WELL DUN!” in skywriting. The dogs shout “Hooray! They saw the bird!”
Living Room Flyby
One more balloon cart rotation reveals Carl’s flying house right alongside us! We sail sideways past the front porch, where Russell and the other Wilderness Explorers cheer and wave celebratory flags. Alpha sits alone in a corner, wounded and wearing the “Cone of Shame” pet collar.
The carts glide up and through the living room bay windows, entering the house. An animatronic Carl pilots his home, maneuvering a contraption made of rope rigging and a sewing wheel. “Alright, that was fun, but now let’s go home!” The shelving sways as window screens depict a swift mid-flight course correction. The entire house pivots as we within it begin our official return to Pioneer Fields.
(Due to the nature of our ride system, Carl’s living room is a potential vehicle backup point. If this happens, Carl is programmed with more dialogue and movements.)
What’s Up, Dug?
Carts casually travel the house to a planned vehicle backup point in the entry room. An animatronic Dug (the proverbial UP dog) sits on the staircase. As the balloon carts rest here for a moment, Dug reviews a slideshow presentation of the photos guests took on their ride...photos which are available for purchase at nearby Jenny’s Flying Circus, or at participating Disney PhotoPass locations. (Software filters out any naughty pics wicked guests might take. Of course on-ride selfies are strongly encouraged!) Dug himself is an interactive animatronic like Roz in California Adventure, voiced by an unseen cast member who provides dimwitted dog comments through Dug’s voice collar. Dug is obsequious as he chats with riders, asking if they’ll be his master or if they have a ball.
The house shudders once more as it comes in for a landing. “This landing is going to be -” Dug says, before then barking out “Ruff!” Framed wall photos - of Carl & Ellie, and also of Carl & Russell & Dug - sway as the house touches down.
Garage Unloading
The three balloon carts then drift away into a newly-built garage add-on for unloading. This garage is wholly separate from the initial loading room. Seen from outside near Carl’s Balloon Cart, the garage sits to the left of the house facade, with a tile roof structure like the zoo in UP. The interior features fun Pixar props like an old jalopy, the Pizza Planet truck, and a dog’s biplane.
With the garage’s roll-up door sealed shut, guests exit down a curving wooden hallway. It acts like a sort of end credits for the ride. Michael Giacchino’s final UP suite plays. Framed photos line the walls, photos of Carl & friends on their ongoing adventures, photos like those featured in UP’s final credits. Guests return to Pioneer Fields with a spring in their step, feeling lighter-than-air after their joyful journey to the jungle!
A Dog-Gone Snipe Hunt
Deeper into the overgrown jungle, we get our first Kevin sighting! Kevin’s peak pokes out from the bushes to nibble on Russell’s chocolate bar...Russell is completely unaware, of course, searching intently in the opposite direction.
There are a few dogs also searching fruitlessly. Beta points directly at a really wild, over-colored bird, exclaiming “Point!” Alpha the Doberman Pinscher directly addresses riders with gruff search party orders. Photography causes Alpha’s voice collar to short circuit, changing his vocal tones from deep to high-pitched.
Carl’s Cliffs of Calamity
A brief compression and release moment carries riders through a tighter cliff section, over uneven rocky ground and to a waterfall’s stream. Shadows grow longer as the cheery daytime gives way to dusk. Riders glide through undulating monadnock scenery. There are more members of the Wilderness Explorers snipe hunt party here:
Carl lies upside-down smashed against a boulder, his dentures out, his house line swaying in the breeze.
Gamma constantly repeats “Where’s the bird? Where’s the bird?” as photography caused his voice collar to change languages.
Russell blows his bugle, and a small bird pops out of it.
Dug sniffs at the ground. When photographed, he turns away and yells “Squirrel!”
Condor Cavern Camp
A break from character scenes follows. Carts float through Charles Muntz’s shadowy cavern. Passing nearby sandstone walls, past clay sparrow nests - birds pop out and sing. A sinkhole reveals an abandoned Wilderness Explorers camp, now overrun with South American condors. Kevin peers her head in sideways from behind a karst; she squawks when photographed.
Unseen dog voices yell out. “SNIPE!” The balloon carts spin around!
Kevin’s Canyon Maze
Suddenly we find ourselves in the otherworldly limestone canyon maze which Kevin calls home. More and more birds populate the stacked, eroded boulders. A few gaps in the rocky corridors reveal space shared with the earlier cliff scene.
Riders pass Kevin’s nest of gathered tropical fruits. There is a fruity smell effect. Kevin herself hides barely glimpsed behind a boulder which is shaped just like her.
Dog shadows rush across the crazy rock formations, in hot snipe pursuit. Meanwhile, other birds pop up like gophers (or whack-a-mole) from holes in the ground. Alpha balances precariously atop a rocky cairn, screaming “Help me! Heeelp me!” in a high pitch like in The Fly. Carl stands stock still, absolutely covered in dozens of small birds, grumpy, while Russell calmly photographs them.
Snipe Sighted!
Riders’ carts spin one more time, to reveal a gorgeous multilayered sunset by a tepui cliff overlook. This spells the climax of the bird-watching game. As a final treat, at last riders glimpse Kevin unobscured for the first time...seated on top of Dug, staring him down. Dug is unconcerned: “Oh, I have found the bird. May I keep it?”
Carts rise up, gliding past an ascending row of limestone columns. Kevin’s babies sit on these columns. When photographed, they cough up tennis balls from Carl’s walker...the final bird interactions of our “game.”
Farewell to Paradise Falls
Up, up and up we rise! Rotating carts discover a fantastic bird’s-eye-view of the entire Paradise Falls landscape below...This at last is our Peter Pan’s Flight moment, delayed until the ride’s finale, where we soar tranquilly over an astounding model of Paradise Falls far below. It is a moonlit twilight now, with the blood-red final wisps of the sunset on the horizon.
Passage through a brief starfield tunnel leads to a starry flight over the clouds. This parallels the initial daytime flight out, with similar physical cloud scrims and sky screens. Muntz’s dogs pilot their biplanes across the screen, spelling out “WELL DUN!” in skywriting. The dogs shout “Hooray! They saw the bird!”
Living Room Flyby
One more balloon cart rotation reveals Carl’s flying house right alongside us! We sail sideways past the front porch, where Russell and the other Wilderness Explorers cheer and wave celebratory flags. Alpha sits alone in a corner, wounded and wearing the “Cone of Shame” pet collar.
The carts glide up and through the living room bay windows, entering the house. An animatronic Carl pilots his home, maneuvering a contraption made of rope rigging and a sewing wheel. “Alright, that was fun, but now let’s go home!” The shelving sways as window screens depict a swift mid-flight course correction. The entire house pivots as we within it begin our official return to Pioneer Fields.
(Due to the nature of our ride system, Carl’s living room is a potential vehicle backup point. If this happens, Carl is programmed with more dialogue and movements.)
What’s Up, Dug?
Carts casually travel the house to a planned vehicle backup point in the entry room. An animatronic Dug (the proverbial UP dog) sits on the staircase. As the balloon carts rest here for a moment, Dug reviews a slideshow presentation of the photos guests took on their ride...photos which are available for purchase at nearby Jenny’s Flying Circus, or at participating Disney PhotoPass locations. (Software filters out any naughty pics wicked guests might take. Of course on-ride selfies are strongly encouraged!) Dug himself is an interactive animatronic like Roz in California Adventure, voiced by an unseen cast member who provides dimwitted dog comments through Dug’s voice collar. Dug is obsequious as he chats with riders, asking if they’ll be his master or if they have a ball.
The house shudders once more as it comes in for a landing. “This landing is going to be -” Dug says, before then barking out “Ruff!” Framed wall photos - of Carl & Ellie, and also of Carl & Russell & Dug - sway as the house touches down.
Garage Unloading
The three balloon carts then drift away into a newly-built garage add-on for unloading. This garage is wholly separate from the initial loading room. Seen from outside near Carl’s Balloon Cart, the garage sits to the left of the house facade, with a tile roof structure like the zoo in UP. The interior features fun Pixar props like an old jalopy, the Pizza Planet truck, and a dog’s biplane.
With the garage’s roll-up door sealed shut, guests exit down a curving wooden hallway. It acts like a sort of end credits for the ride. Michael Giacchino’s final UP suite plays. Framed photos line the walls, photos of Carl & friends on their ongoing adventures, photos like those featured in UP’s final credits. Guests return to Pioneer Fields with a spring in their step, feeling lighter-than-air after their joyful journey to the jungle!
Suchomimus
Well-Known Member
I don't know if you've already knew about this but there's this thing at Disneyland called The Disney Cone.
Will your expansion of the resort also expand the cone?
Will your expansion of the resort also expand the cone?
DisneyManOne
Well-Known Member
That UP ride was so much fun! Much like with the Mulan show, I'd like to add this to my forthcoming Mirror Walt Disney World, and of course, I'll make sure to give you a shout-out when I get around to the point where I intend to use the concept.
I did not know about this. Very interesting.
Since the cone wasn't expanded for DCA, I doubt it would be for DisneySky.
DisneySky is actually designed around the surrounding neighborhood anyway. There are a few taller hotels north of the park, which are blocked by Grand Central Hangar and Storm Mountain. To the west is the Anaheim Convention Center and a cluster of other towers, and if they are visible from the park it would be behind the Avengers Airspace city skyline where they will blend in naturally. The other corners of DisneySky are zoned residential, so no worries there.
By all means, if credit is given, go ahead and clone from DisneySky. Inevitably Disney would do this anyway.
Mickey’s Plane Crazy
C-ticket family ride
Fly a biplane with Mickey Mouse while terrorizing the countryside
Get behind the controls of your very own biplane! Embark on a madcap, misadventurous flight! Buzz a cow, storm a barn, upset the citizenry, the sky is the limit on Mickey’s Plane Crazy, a family-friendly outdoor track ride which combines the Sunday afternoon scenery of Autopia with the frenzied zaniness of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride!
The premise comes from 1928’s Plane Crazy, the very first Mickey Mouse cartoon...Steamboat Willie was distributed first, sure, but this was completed first. And it is a doozy of a short film! Plane Crazy sees Mickey at his most puckish, effectively terrorizing a small farm community with his homemade biplane. It is an anarchic blast of fun! The tranquil farming village of Pioneer Fields could do with such a wake up call!
Queue - Wiseacre Rancho
From the very start of the queue, Plane Crazy’s frenzied tone is apparent. A wrecked Junkers J-1 monoplane “smokes” and sputters, having crashed nose-first into the roof of an adobe stable. Welcome to “Wiseacre Rancho,” as the entry archway states. Out front is a bronze statue of Mickey Mouse in his earliest 1920s “pie-slice” design, posed like the famed statue of Captain Eric “Winkle” Brown at Edinburgh Airport.
Vintage Victrola tunes from old Silly Symphony shorts play throughout the queue line. Guests begin outside around the perimeter of the rainbow-hued Technicolor farm hacienda. Under wisteria vine shade, they wait. Through the farm’s herb & flower gardens, peppered with crude vernacular art made from old backhoes and such, they wait. A simple interactive well pump helps young guests offload a little energy.
An exterior overflow queue extends into switchbacks with farm fencing under the stable building’s overhang roof. Farm tools and hay provide decor. The garish pink walls festoon with barnstormer posters, which depict Mickey & Pals whiz-jetting about in their period Ub Iwerks style. Open windows at the far end provide peek-in views of the ride’s loading platform.
(Note that while much of Mickey’s Plane Crazy is visible throughout Pioneer Fields - particularly its biplane ride vehicles cresting the treeline - specifically cartoony visuals are hidden away so that they don’t intrude. Also note that while Plane Crazy is in black-and-white, the attraction is rendered in full naturalistic color betting its land.)
Horse Stable
Entering the farm’s horse stable leads guests passing directly underneath the crashed Junker monoplane. Its nose propeller still whirs overhead. The placemaking is far more cartoony in here. This includes the limited-motion animatronic chickens roosting & clucking away in the rooftop rafters, done in the 1920s “rubber hose” style. Wall posters add to the cartoonish lunacy, like one poster of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Other posters - like ones for The Gallopin’ Gaucho (Mickey’s second film released) and El Gaucho Goofy - add some essential local Chilean color to better justify this attraction. That goes double for a metal ad for the “Cantino Argentino,” or the gaucho gear like hats and spurs hanging from the walls.
Of course the most noteworthy sight in this stable is a period film projector which plays Walt Disney’s original Plane Crazy on a far wall. At 6 minutes long, this is an extremely simple way to establish the ride’s premise for those few visitors who aren’t already intimately familiar with a 1928 black-and-white cartoon. (The cartoon is slightly edited to remove anything which no longer - ahem! - flies.) Plane Crazy is mixed in with genuine footage of period barnstorming.
A vestibule passage leads to the loading room. This passage includes a book titled “How to Fly” and Mickey Mouse’s chicken-scratch biplane blueprints.
Loading Stable
Loading takes place in a much higher-roofed stable. Mickey’s Plane Crazy shares a lot of DNA with the classic Fantasyland dark rides. That includes a room-sized mural set behind vehicle loading - this one a rustic “hand-painted” effort on oak wood walls, of a WWI-era biplane dogfight looking like the motion picture Wings and with literal dog pilots. Inexpertly-made half-finished biplanes litter the area - Mickey’s failed efforts. These clumsy wooden machines feature odd angles, wildly asymmetrical wings, are made of broomsticks and rocking chairs...altogether there are all sorts of errors. Broken carpentry tools pile up.
Guests board their own boxy, homespun biplanes. Could these things possibly be air-worthy? We’ll soon see!
RIDE STATS
Ride type: Outdoor track ride
Capacity per biplane: 6 (2 rows of 3)
Hourly capacity: 1,440
Duration: 2:00
Height restriction: None
Ride type: Outdoor track ride
Capacity per biplane: 6 (2 rows of 3)
Hourly capacity: 1,440
Duration: 2:00
Height restriction: None
Biplane seating recalls Fantasyland dark rides, with two rows, the rear bench mounted slightly above the front for views. Each bench can sit up to three, with a maximum of two adults. For efficiency planes board two at a time. Individual planes depart every 15 seconds. On-ride speakers pipe in the Plane Crazy soundtrack.
Each bench features a joystick like on Dumbo the Flying Elephant. The front bench joystick controls the plane’s elevation - guests can lift their plane up to 15 feet into the air, or glide it low-to-the-ground. The rear bench joystick controls the plane’s yaw - guests can tilt the plane its axis 15 degrees in either direction. Like on Dumbo, this is a wonderfully simple form of family-friendly interactivity! Also like on Dumbo, the biplanes ride on telescoping arms (painted in farm tones to blend in when seen from off-ride) which make all this guest-controlled motion possible.
Takeoff commences! Planes follow a clockwise route turning right out from the stable into the barnyards. This initial turn veers past an open stable door bearing the likeness of Mickey Mouse, his head hovering in front of a star-wheel like the opening of a vintage cartoon. The rear plane holds here for 15 seconds, entertained by safety instructions issued by Mickey with a chintzy Clutch Cargo mouth effect.
Then it’s off into the wild blue yonder!
Tomorrow, ridethrough.
Suchomimus
Well-Known Member
Mickey’s Plane Crazy
C-ticket family ride
Fly a biplane with Mickey Mouse while terrorizing the countryside
Get behind the controls of your very own biplane! Embark on a madcap, misadventurous flight! Buzz a cow, storm a barn, upset the citizenry, the sky is the limit on Mickey’s Plane Crazy, a family-friendly outdoor track ride which combines the Sunday afternoon scenery of Autopia with the frenzied zaniness of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride!
The premise comes from 1928’s Plane Crazy, the very first Mickey Mouse cartoon...Steamboat Willie was distributed first, sure, but this was completed first. And it is a doozy of a short film! Plane Crazy sees Mickey at his most puckish, effectively terrorizing a small farm community with his homemade biplane. It is an anarchic blast of fun! The tranquil farming village of Pioneer Fields could do with such a wake up call!
Queue - Wiseacre Rancho
From the very start of the queue, Plane Crazy’s frenzied tone is apparent. A wrecked Junkers J-1 monoplane “smokes” and sputters, having crashed nose-first into the roof of an adobe stable. Welcome to “Wiseacre Rancho,” as the entry archway states. Out front is a bronze statue of Mickey Mouse in his earliest 1920s “pie-slice” design, posed like the famed statue of Captain Eric “Winkle” Brown at Edinburgh Airport.
Vintage Victrola tunes from old Silly Symphony shorts play throughout the queue line. Guests begin outside around the perimeter of the rainbow-hued Technicolor farm hacienda. Under wisteria vine shade, they wait. Through the farm’s herb & flower gardens, peppered with crude vernacular art made from old backhoes and such, they wait. A simple interactive well pump helps young guests offload a little energy.
An exterior overflow queue extends into switchbacks with farm fencing under the stable building’s overhang roof. Farm tools and hay provide decor. The garish pink walls festoon with barnstormer posters, which depict Mickey & Pals whiz-jetting about in their period Ub Iwerks style. Open windows at the far end provide peek-in views of the ride’s loading platform.
(Note that while much of Mickey’s Plane Crazy is visible throughout Pioneer Fields - particularly its biplane ride vehicles cresting the treeline - specifically cartoony visuals are hidden away so that they don’t intrude. Also note that while Plane Crazy is in black-and-white, the attraction is rendered in full naturalistic color betting its land.)
Horse Stable
Entering the farm’s horse stable leads guests passing directly underneath the crashed Junker monoplane. Its nose propeller still whirs overhead. The placemaking is far more cartoony in here. This includes the limited-motion animatronic chickens roosting & clucking away in the rooftop rafters, done in the 1920s “rubber hose” style. Wall posters add to the cartoonish lunacy, like one poster of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Other posters - like ones for The Gallopin’ Gaucho (Mickey’s second film released) and El Gaucho Goofy - add some essential local Chilean color to better justify this attraction. That goes double for a metal ad for the “Cantino Argentino,” or the gaucho gear like hats and spurs hanging from the walls.
Of course the most noteworthy sight in this stable is a period film projector which plays Walt Disney’s original Plane Crazy on a far wall. At 6 minutes long, this is an extremely simple way to establish the ride’s premise for those few visitors who aren’t already intimately familiar with a 1928 black-and-white cartoon. (The cartoon is slightly edited to remove anything which no longer - ahem! - flies.) Plane Crazy is mixed in with genuine footage of period barnstorming.
A vestibule passage leads to the loading room. This passage includes a book titled “How to Fly” and Mickey Mouse’s chicken-scratch biplane blueprints.
Loading Stable
Loading takes place in a much higher-roofed stable. Mickey’s Plane Crazy shares a lot of DNA with the classic Fantasyland dark rides. That includes a room-sized mural set behind vehicle loading - this one a rustic “hand-painted” effort on oak wood walls, of a WWI-era biplane dogfight looking like the motion picture Wings and with literal dog pilots. Inexpertly-made half-finished biplanes litter the area - Mickey’s failed efforts. These clumsy wooden machines feature odd angles, wildly asymmetrical wings, are made of broomsticks and rocking chairs...altogether there are all sorts of errors. Broken carpentry tools pile up.
Guests board their own boxy, homespun biplanes. Could these things possibly be air-worthy? We’ll soon see!
RIDE STATS
Ride type: Outdoor track ride
Capacity per biplane: 6 (2 rows of 3)
Hourly capacity: 1,440
Duration: 2:00
Height restriction: None
Biplane seating recalls Fantasyland dark rides, with two rows, the rear bench mounted slightly above the front for views. Each bench can sit up to three, with a maximum of two adults. For efficiency planes board two at a time. Individual planes depart every 15 seconds. On-ride speakers pipe in the Plane Crazy soundtrack.
Each bench features a joystick like on Dumbo the Flying Elephant. The front bench joystick controls the plane’s elevation - guests can lift their plane up to 15 feet into the air, or glide it low-to-the-ground. The rear bench joystick controls the plane’s yaw - guests can tilt the plane its axis 15 degrees in either direction. Like on Dumbo, this is a wonderfully simple form of family-friendly interactivity! Also like on Dumbo, the biplanes ride on telescoping arms (painted in farm tones to blend in when seen from off-ride) which make all this guest-controlled motion possible.
Takeoff commences! Planes follow a clockwise route turning right out from the stable into the barnyards. This initial turn veers past an open stable door bearing the likeness of Mickey Mouse, his head hovering in front of a star-wheel like the opening of a vintage cartoon. The rear plane holds here for 15 seconds, entertained by safety instructions issued by Mickey with a chintzy Clutch Cargo mouth effect.
Then it’s off into the wild blue yonder!
Tomorrow, ridethrough.
I just realized you skipped over 46.
Attractions: 45. UP Snapshot Safari, 46. Pedro's Mail Carriers, 47. Mickey's Plane Crazy, 48. Airtopia, 49. Carousel of Flight, 50. DisneySky JetRail
Dining: 51. Barnyard Barbecue, 52. Pie-in-the-Sky Pie Shoppe, 53. Launchpad McSnacks, 54. Air Tower Treats, 55. Da Vinci Delights
Retail: 56. Gearloose Labs, 57. Tienda Altiplano, 58. Cathedral Collections, 59. Jenny's Flying Circus, 60. Condor Imports, 61. Carl's Balloon Cart
DisneyManOne
Well-Known Member
In a similar vein to @Suchomimus' post, when you get around to doing the Pedro attraction, might I recommend this song as a theme for the attraction? This song comes from a re-telling of Pedro created for the old Disney Channel show Sing Me a Story with Belle. If the ride is a dark ride, it could work in a similar fashion as "Yo Ho" does for Pirates or "Grim Grinning Ghosts" does for the Haunted Mansion. Just re-write a few of the lyrics to fit the ride, keep the chorus as is, and you're good to go!
Oh, and if you'd like to see the full version of the Pedro re-telling, narration and all, check out this link (starts at the 13:55 mark):
Fun fact: The actor who plays Brioche in the above link may be familiar to frequent WDW visitors. He's the guy who plays Officer Percival Peabody as part of the Citizens of Hollywood at Disney's Hollywood Studios, and he also plays Gus in the Disney's Magical Express video.
Oh, and if you'd like to see the full version of the Pedro re-telling, narration and all, check out this link (starts at the 13:55 mark):
Fun fact: The actor who plays Brioche in the above link may be familiar to frequent WDW visitors. He's the guy who plays Officer Percival Peabody as part of the Citizens of Hollywood at Disney's Hollywood Studios, and he also plays Gus in the Disney's Magical Express video.
Prepare yourselves for a zany ride on Mickey's Plane Crazy!
Mickey's Plane Crazy layout
Scene 1 - Barnyard Corrals
Emerging from the stables, planes rise up a little on their own; guests now have full joystick control.
An assortment of cartoon critters are assembled to see us off. These are toon animals realized with simplistic, limited-motion animatronics, with a cast including anthropomorphized pigs, dogs and ducks. All the animals wave to us. Even an outhouse door opens up, to reveal a waving goose.
The plane follows wide curves, gentle enough for now. A nearby field features a yellow Ford Model T, stripped of parts. Nearby is Mickey’s homemade biplane. Inside the wooden box, a twisted-up dog rotates and spins the propeller. The rear tailfin flaps (made from a turkey’s tail feathers); the turkey looks sadly at its bare bottom.
Scene 2 - Broad Side of a Barn
Picking up manic speed in a Mr. Toad-like fashion, the biplane strafes a cow stable built into the, well, the broad side of a barn. Animatronic cartoon cows poke their heads out from upstairs windows, then retreat in fear mooing as the plane passes by!
Higher up on the hot tin roof - for note that different setpieces are visible from different plane heights, to encourage rerides - an ash-covered chimneysweep cat leaps out in shock from a chimney, with a loud screech! Smoke flies from the cat’s bristle brush.
Swerving left away from the stables, the plane narrowly misses a shorter grain silo and its frantically spinning condor weathervane.
Scene 3 - Sunday Drive
A serene flight follows, drifting over an unfinished roadway which vanishes beyond the vineyard berm. The plane veers right...narrowly missing a billboard which advertises Walt Disney’s old pre-Oswald animated Alice Comedies. Several animatronic geese “fly” out (on guide poles) from behind the billboard, then squawk.
When the ride timing is just right, planes will also narrowly miss hitting the DisneySky JetRail as it glides past behind the billboard!
The roadway ahead gradually turns to the right into a wooded orchard. Without warning - honk! An oncoming delivery truck emerges, driven by a hog, carrying gourds and pumpkins. Planes suddenly make a hard right!
Scene 4 - Overgrown Orchard
The out-of-control plane careens into the thick apple orchard. Branches swing away in the nick of time like dark ride doors, creating a narrow flight passage.
If planes are down on ground level, screaming animatronic pigs - caught in the midst of gathering apples - leap out of the way. One squealing pig even peeks out from an overturned basket, an apple firmly in its mouth.
The plane twists to the left, dodging another biplane later in the ride entering the barn...in a nifty near-miss moment!
Scene 5 - Barnstormer Grandstands
The plane emerges from the orchards and enters a barnstorming show, actively underway! A speaker from an announcer’s tower even narrates our surprise late arrival. The plane sails beneath aerial finish line banners, sending a pair of duck-piloted JN-4 “Jenny” biplanes spinning (in place atop pole supports).
Great cheers rise from the grandstands! These stands, made ad hoc from stacked water troughs and such, are filled with simple static sheep who rise and lower slightly while baaing their applause.
Ahead, past a parked vintage ambulance, is a water tower. It actively leaks water into a stone well below - directly in our flightpath! Just in time, the water shuts off before riders sail through.
Scene 6 - Barbecue Flyby
Zagging right around a spinning metal windmill, the plane glides over cornfields which overlook the Barnyard Barbecue restaurant. Crop dusting sounds reverberate. Dining guests watch Mickey’s Plane Crazy from the barbecue patio...and riders enjoy the wafting scent of freshly-grilled treats.
This scenic moment is a brief respite from the ride’s zaniness. But there are still little bits of kinetic wackiness, like the farm sprinklers firing up from the fields below, narrowly missing the passing biplanes.
Scene 7 - Pete’s Power Lines
Forever veering right, the barn’s silo on the left and the water tower on the right funnel our plane into a trough created by low-level power lines. These wires right at plane-level buzz and crackle.
Sparking power lines directly ahead cause the plane to swerve left. If experienced from ground level, riders will see Pegleg Pete blocking the way in a Red Baron style Fokker triplane. Pete fires a mounted Maxim machine gun; air blasts pelt riders.
Swerving left, we crash straight into -
Scene 8 - Barn Storm
A barn!
Massive barn doors swing open, bearing a crash-through silhouette of Mickey & his plane.
This climactic barnstorming moment really spooks the critters inside! Animatronic cartoon chickens in the overhead rafters cluck, their necks stretching, laying an endless stream of eggs rolls down gutters below. An animatronic cow teeters on a ladder. On ground level, several animatronic sheep race in circles around a turntable - don’t count them! Horseshoes nailed to the walls spin.
Sliding barn doors on the far end seem just a tad too narrow. As we swiftly approach, they widen juuust in time! Planes burst from the barn!
Scene 9 - Turkey in the Straw
The escaped plane curves through an orange grove. Smell sprays come from the trees. This is a brief moment of denouement as the plane automatically lowers. It zooms past spinning scarecrows. Around laundry lines, where Minnie Mouse now dangles having parachuted to safety using her bloomers.
The lowered biplane sails across a muddy area, where an assembly of farm animals performs “Turkey in the Straw” a-la Steamboat Willie. A humanoid dog cranks a goat like a Victrola. Another dog plays a cow’s teeth like xylophones. The plane “lands” in the mud, sending out water sprays.
Rounding a right turn leads back into the stable load building. Our plane passes underneath Mickey’s crashed & smoking biplane, which has impaled the upper stable walls. An animatronic Mickey in the pilot’s seat sees spinning stars. The stable door ahead “crashes” open for riders!
Scene 10 - Crash Landing
“CRASH!” “BANG!” “ZOWIE!” “PIFF!” The plane zigzags through a blacklight crash room of colorful stars. There is a little automated up-and-down motion! Then through a Silly Symphonies “The End” doorway!
Mickey's Plane Crazy layout
Scene 1 - Barnyard Corrals
Emerging from the stables, planes rise up a little on their own; guests now have full joystick control.
An assortment of cartoon critters are assembled to see us off. These are toon animals realized with simplistic, limited-motion animatronics, with a cast including anthropomorphized pigs, dogs and ducks. All the animals wave to us. Even an outhouse door opens up, to reveal a waving goose.
The plane follows wide curves, gentle enough for now. A nearby field features a yellow Ford Model T, stripped of parts. Nearby is Mickey’s homemade biplane. Inside the wooden box, a twisted-up dog rotates and spins the propeller. The rear tailfin flaps (made from a turkey’s tail feathers); the turkey looks sadly at its bare bottom.
Scene 2 - Broad Side of a Barn
Picking up manic speed in a Mr. Toad-like fashion, the biplane strafes a cow stable built into the, well, the broad side of a barn. Animatronic cartoon cows poke their heads out from upstairs windows, then retreat in fear mooing as the plane passes by!
Higher up on the hot tin roof - for note that different setpieces are visible from different plane heights, to encourage rerides - an ash-covered chimneysweep cat leaps out in shock from a chimney, with a loud screech! Smoke flies from the cat’s bristle brush.
Swerving left away from the stables, the plane narrowly misses a shorter grain silo and its frantically spinning condor weathervane.
Scene 3 - Sunday Drive
A serene flight follows, drifting over an unfinished roadway which vanishes beyond the vineyard berm. The plane veers right...narrowly missing a billboard which advertises Walt Disney’s old pre-Oswald animated Alice Comedies. Several animatronic geese “fly” out (on guide poles) from behind the billboard, then squawk.
When the ride timing is just right, planes will also narrowly miss hitting the DisneySky JetRail as it glides past behind the billboard!
The roadway ahead gradually turns to the right into a wooded orchard. Without warning - honk! An oncoming delivery truck emerges, driven by a hog, carrying gourds and pumpkins. Planes suddenly make a hard right!
Scene 4 - Overgrown Orchard
The out-of-control plane careens into the thick apple orchard. Branches swing away in the nick of time like dark ride doors, creating a narrow flight passage.
If planes are down on ground level, screaming animatronic pigs - caught in the midst of gathering apples - leap out of the way. One squealing pig even peeks out from an overturned basket, an apple firmly in its mouth.
The plane twists to the left, dodging another biplane later in the ride entering the barn...in a nifty near-miss moment!
Scene 5 - Barnstormer Grandstands
The plane emerges from the orchards and enters a barnstorming show, actively underway! A speaker from an announcer’s tower even narrates our surprise late arrival. The plane sails beneath aerial finish line banners, sending a pair of duck-piloted JN-4 “Jenny” biplanes spinning (in place atop pole supports).
Great cheers rise from the grandstands! These stands, made ad hoc from stacked water troughs and such, are filled with simple static sheep who rise and lower slightly while baaing their applause.
Ahead, past a parked vintage ambulance, is a water tower. It actively leaks water into a stone well below - directly in our flightpath! Just in time, the water shuts off before riders sail through.
Scene 6 - Barbecue Flyby
Zagging right around a spinning metal windmill, the plane glides over cornfields which overlook the Barnyard Barbecue restaurant. Crop dusting sounds reverberate. Dining guests watch Mickey’s Plane Crazy from the barbecue patio...and riders enjoy the wafting scent of freshly-grilled treats.
This scenic moment is a brief respite from the ride’s zaniness. But there are still little bits of kinetic wackiness, like the farm sprinklers firing up from the fields below, narrowly missing the passing biplanes.
Scene 7 - Pete’s Power Lines
Forever veering right, the barn’s silo on the left and the water tower on the right funnel our plane into a trough created by low-level power lines. These wires right at plane-level buzz and crackle.
Sparking power lines directly ahead cause the plane to swerve left. If experienced from ground level, riders will see Pegleg Pete blocking the way in a Red Baron style Fokker triplane. Pete fires a mounted Maxim machine gun; air blasts pelt riders.
Swerving left, we crash straight into -
Scene 8 - Barn Storm
A barn!
Massive barn doors swing open, bearing a crash-through silhouette of Mickey & his plane.
This climactic barnstorming moment really spooks the critters inside! Animatronic cartoon chickens in the overhead rafters cluck, their necks stretching, laying an endless stream of eggs rolls down gutters below. An animatronic cow teeters on a ladder. On ground level, several animatronic sheep race in circles around a turntable - don’t count them! Horseshoes nailed to the walls spin.
Sliding barn doors on the far end seem just a tad too narrow. As we swiftly approach, they widen juuust in time! Planes burst from the barn!
Scene 9 - Turkey in the Straw
The escaped plane curves through an orange grove. Smell sprays come from the trees. This is a brief moment of denouement as the plane automatically lowers. It zooms past spinning scarecrows. Around laundry lines, where Minnie Mouse now dangles having parachuted to safety using her bloomers.
The lowered biplane sails across a muddy area, where an assembly of farm animals performs “Turkey in the Straw” a-la Steamboat Willie. A humanoid dog cranks a goat like a Victrola. Another dog plays a cow’s teeth like xylophones. The plane “lands” in the mud, sending out water sprays.
Rounding a right turn leads back into the stable load building. Our plane passes underneath Mickey’s crashed & smoking biplane, which has impaled the upper stable walls. An animatronic Mickey in the pilot’s seat sees spinning stars. The stable door ahead “crashes” open for riders!
Scene 10 - Crash Landing
“CRASH!” “BANG!” “ZOWIE!” “PIFF!” The plane zigzags through a blacklight crash room of colorful stars. There is a little automated up-and-down motion! Then through a Silly Symphonies “The End” doorway!
Planes sputter & cough to a halt in the loading stable. Riders unload a little giddy and dazed (and confused), and exit giggling out into a cute flower garden directly alongside Airtopia.
James G.
Well-Known Member
@D Hulk Amazing ride experience! But you know me- I found something little to point out might not be historically accurate (yes, I'm stuck in Americana 1900). "A nearby field features a yellow Ford Model T, stripped of parts." Model T's originally were made in four colors- blue, gray, green and red. They weren't made in the traditional black until they began to be mass-produced. They were never available in yellow. It took a long time for me to find something else to take issue of! Really, this ride is just another remarkable ride experience in DisneySky.
Evilgidgit
Well-Known Member
Well, it could have been painted over in yellow (badly).
Evilgidgit
Well-Known Member
How does painting a car yellow turn someone into an egomaniac!?
