(copy-pasted from the miscellaneous thoughts thread)
Attraction idea: "Escape from the Wicked Witch," the ideal Snow White dark ride.
The ride is essentially an alternate variation of WDW's 1971 Snow White attraction, as in, a deliberately cold and nightmarish interpretation of the film in which Snow White herself never appears a single time, with riders in constant pursuit by the cackling, shrieking Witch through a series of grim, uninviting locations. Escape from the Wicked Witch, however, features an appropriately themed title, exterior façade, and loading queue, with not a even a single, passing reference to the character of Snow White to be found. No reason to be misleading; this ride is all about the Witch, and the menacing façade of the Queen's Gothic castle and the macabre dungeon queue area provide all the context you need. Additionally, a handful of prominent warning signs strewn about make clear that the ride may not be suitable for young, easily frightened kiddos.
The best Fantasyland dark rides are the ones that treat guests as if they are the main character, assuming the role of Alice or Mr. Toad or whoever else as the characters and setpieces within the attraction interact with guests directly. Escape from the Wicked Witch is no exception to this trend, although the way it goes about implementing it is slightly different, as I will soon explain. The issue with Snow White's take on this classic philosophy is that it has simply never made any sense for the titular heroine, and by extension the riders who assume her perspective, to be in most of the iconic locations from the film. Remember that the only places Snow White visits in the 1937 film which have also been featured as scenes in the dark ride are the castle courtyard, the scary forest, and the Dwarfs' cottage.
Needless to say, the mundane tasks of a dainty homemaker who spends most of her time in one location are not exactly prime material for a dark ride, and so basically every iteration of the attraction is predominantly focused on the sinister exploits of the Evil Queen in her peddler's disguise, with occasional appearances of the Seven Dwarfs. The notion that you, the rider, are meant to "be Snow White" despite being offered the poisoned apple by the Witch quite literally as she raises it from her cauldron, venturing through the Dwarfs' diamond mine, and witnessing the death of the Queen firsthand... is a bit on the wacky side, all things considered.
It was presumably for this reason that the classic "you are the main character" gimmick, for Snow White in particular, was abandoned beginning with the 1983 versions of the ride by means of including a figure of Snow White herself in the Dwarfs' cottage. This might have seemed like a solid remedy on paper, but it ultimately didn't succeed in making the ride's perspective any less perplexing. If you aren't supposed to be Snow White, then why does the Witch still offer you the apple, or attempt to dislodge a boulder onto you rather than the fairest maiden in the land?
Escape from the Wicked Witch, then, is a solution to the weird, inconsistent points of view riders have been made to assume in previous versions of the ride. The premise of the attraction is that the Magic Mirror has apparently deemed you—a prisoner in the Queen's dungeon—the fairest one of all. Shortly after "imprisoned" guests manage to break free from their cruel confinement (an event implied through the queue area by means of several decrepit cells with their iron bars filed away or tunnels burrowing through the ground), the mirror informs the Queen (in the first scene of the ride) that her "fairest subjects" have escaped, and will soon make their way into the enchanted forest nearby. As guests stealth their way past the castle's various grim chambers and weave through the dark woods, the icy matriarch responds to her situation appropriately, still by disguising herself as an old peddler and brewing up her poisoned apple(s) and what have you... still in an attempt to deceive and dispose of the fairest in the land.
This simple set-up allows all the familiar, classic scenes of the ride to remain intact in a way that actually makes sense, as once again, Snow White is no longer part of the equation. Guests simply "play" themselves now, so at no point does it "not make sense" for riders to be travelling through a particular location. Wicked Witch additionally serves as a long-awaited antidote to the 65-year-old complaint of the attraction being too scary, with too much Witch and too little (or no) Snow White, as now there is nothing vague about whether or not the ride contains frightening scenes or an overwhelming presence of the cloaked hag—it very obviously does, as its general sinister theming would suggest.
One subtle tool for giving a dark ride a certain character and mood is the design of its ride vehicles. The vehicles used for Wicked Witch are similar to those used for any other version of the Snow White dark ride; basically two-row benches constructed of fiberglass "wood," all rendered in the same stylized, hand-carved fashion as the Dwarfs' furniture from the film. However, their decorative engravings are far from pleasant, as carved into these vehicles are skulls, heart-piercing daggers, and menacing pairs of glaring eyes. In addition, written onto the front ends of the wooden carriages are not the names of the Seven Dwarfs, but the many deplorable components of the Evil Queen's cruel character: "Jealousy," "Spite," "Heartlessness," and so forth.
As guests board their carriages in the attraction's dim, deathly, atmospheric dungeon of a loading queue (which contains no windows so as to not let in any natural light), the cold and disembodied voice of the Magic Mirror delivers the usual instructional spiel: "Greetings, hopeless prisoners. To ensure the best of luck in thy treacherous escape from the callous Queen... remain firmly seated, and keep thy arms and legs inside the carriage at all times." As if there are any guests at this point who still have doubts as to whether this is a creepy kind of attraction, the all-knowing entity provides one final warning of the ride's namesake villain: "Be wary of the dangers that lie ahead... and remember: The Queen hath many tricks up her sleeve, and seeks the fairest in the land. She may very well be searching for thee. Farewell."
With these parting words, a set of wooden doors in the grimy stone wall creaks open to let riders out of the dungeon, thus initiating their perilous flight from the grasp of the wicked Queen. Here are the following scenes, each with a description and relevant information as to how it may be executed differently in order to accommodate the new gimmick:
Mirror Chamber
Riders first find themselves in a gloomy, regal room somewhere within the Queen's castle, where gargoyle sconces adorn the masonry walls and a diamond-leaded window reveals a foggy night sky outside. The voice of the Evil Queen herself is heard originating from somewhere nearby as she speaks to her enchanted mirror: "My fairest subjects have escaped from their prison?" the Queen questions coldly, "To where shall they flee?" "Surely to the seven-jeweled forest just beyond here, my grace," the mirror responds.
Having heard this exchange, guests are twisted around and shuttled under a pointed Gothic arch. The Queen is directly ahead, standing tall on a stepped platform embellished by curtains on either side. Her cloaked back is turned to guests at a 45-degree angle as she confers with the Magic Mirror in front of her, the entity's hollow face clearly visible as she speaks. "Magic Mirror on the wall..." the Queen chants in a commanding demeanor, before spinning around in a sudden cloud of smoke and revealing herself as the black-hooded, gravelly-voiced peddler, "With this disguise I'll fool them all!"
Realistically, the Queen wouldn't let any witness to her dark deeds escape her vicinity alive, so in this version of the ride, she simply does not see guests as they move past her. Instead of staring riders down as she turns around as the Witch, she shrouds herself somewhat by shielding the lower half of her face with her sleeve, one eye closed and the other looking away from guests. This dramatic pose—in addition to the smoke, the general dim lighting of the scene, and the fact that the Witch is positioned at a higher elevation than guests and faces their direction only briefly—makes for a fairly convincing scenario in which she simply doesn't notice riders, allowing them to effectively sneak past her.
Guests make a sharp turn away from the Queen as she transforms into the wretched hag, passing through another set of wooden doors into the further recesses of the foreboding lair.
Queen's Dungeon
It is here where the ride becomes truly gruesome. The dungeon, a twisting corridor characterized by disorienting perspective illusions in its stone architecture, is populated by skeletons—the calcium remains of prisoners not fortunate enough to have clawed a way to freedom. Whether dangling by their wrists from a rusted chain or grasping from the confines of a spider-infested cell, their restless spirits haunt guests with tortured, mournful pleas of, "Go baaaack..." The unsettling sounds of rattling chains and banging doors accompany a ghoulish orchestra of wailing souls as wary riders are carried through the horrific chamber, the whole of which is illuminated in spectral tones of green.
At the end of the scene, the animated shadow of the lurking Witch (whose sickly laughter is heard echoing from ahead) is seen projected onto a side wall, obviously originating from beyond an arched doorway to the wall opposite. A large open passage nearby leads off into a warmly lit stairwell, but as guests approach it, an iron portcullis slams down in front, blocking the safe way out and forcing riders to instead veer to the side and under the arch, right into the chamber where the Witch resides.
Cauldron Lair
This scene is arranged similarly to the 1971 WDW variant, as before guests see the Witch at her brew, they encounter the raven, who is situated on a stone shelf alongside human skulls, deadly potions, and books of dark magic. The corvid is visibly startled to see guests, and to no avail she attempts to warn her nearby master of their presence by letting out a shrieking caw and flapping her black wings. Riders then make a sharp turn into the direction of the Witch, who is stationed at her wicked laboratory, located in an arched alcove crowded by the usual test tubes, bookshelves, evil ingredients, and of course the oozing cauldron and massive spell book on its pedestal.
The old crone is fortunately facing away from riders as she pulls a newly poisoned apple out of the frothing, misty brew by its stem. "A special sort of death for our guests so fair..." she croaks as a thick coat of black drips off the bright red fruit. As guests pass by the cauldron, the Witch's cloaked figure turns toward them slightly, making for a clear profile view of her hideous, bony face as she delivers a grim cackle. Thankfully, she is too engrossed in her freshly spawned death device to notice riders sneaking past her in the dark, and guests quickly dart into the opposite direction, accidentally knocking over several wooden shelves stocked with bottled serums before narrowly escaping the lair through an iron-grate door.
Castle Moat
After a brief spell of darkness, guests find themselves outside the Queen's castle near its moat, now surrounded by tall, swampy grass and engulfed in mist. Adjacent to riders, from under a dark archway at the base of the castle's masonry exterior, the Witch shoots forth in a small boat, already in pursuit of her escaped prisoners. Still unaware of guests' presence as she remains focused on whatever might be ahead of her in the stream, the cloaked fiend lets out a horrid, hacking laugh as she manages an oar with both hands. Clearly visible inside the boat is a wicker basket filled with apples, each one an unnaturally bright hue of red.
Several large hollow logs submerged beneath the water assume the appearance of crocodiles, even lunging forward and snapping their splintery teeth at guests as they flee the moonlit marsh in search of some form of refuge.
Frightful Forest
The scene now shifts into one of a claustrophobic forest comprised of gnarled, looming trees with grotesque, utterly monstrous faces embedded into their bark, which are illuminated from behind in ghastly hues of green and pale blue. With arm-like branches, the wooden devils grasp and claw at riders attempting to thread their way through, some even lurching forward or twisting around by their roots. The distant, distorted cackles of the vile Witch spell imminent danger while a colony of bats swarms through, scurrying just over guests' heads. An owl with glowing red eyes screeches as riders approach it, more crocodile logs lunge and bite, and haunting, otherworldly noises come from sources unknown in every direction... not made any less unnerving by the dozens of menacing pairs of eyes staring from the darkness and following guests' movement.
Even upon escaping all of these spooks, riders are not in the clear. From behind a dead tree emerges the villainous Witch, this time staring directly into guests' souls with a piercing glare. Having successfully sought out her prized subjects in the woods as planned, she now commits fully to the deceitful façade of an old, unassuming peddler. With bulging eyes, a frightful grin, and a grimacing brow, the hag holds up her basket of bright red death for riders to see as they draw near, pointing at it with a skeletal index finger. "Like to try some apples, dearies?" she offers innocently, almost in a whisper.
Guests sensibly swing into the opposite direction, now darting straight toward the very first sight of solace within the attraction: the thatched-roof cottage of the Seven Dwarfs. The warm glow of a hearth fire emanates through its windows and seeps under the wooden front door, the latter of which creaks open to let guests inside as soon as they approach it.
Dwarfs' Cottage
The cottage in this attraction is arranged no differently than the standard, two-room "S-curve" cottage found in every single version of the Snow White ride since 1971. The original Claude Coats cottage scene featuring the Dwarfs scrambling for words on the stairs as they approached the shadow of a literal horned demon was an ingeniously evil fake-out, but for Escape from the Wicked Witch I have decided to employ the Dwarfs as an active part of the story, having them interact with guests in a meaningful capacity.
Guests' initial glimpse inside the cottage largely contradicts its inviting exterior. The Dwarfs' house is seemingly abandoned; quiet, shadowy, and without a single short, bearded fellow in sight. This first room contains their dinner table, various chairs and other wood-carved furniture, and a lit fireplace complete with a cooking pot of stew—some prospect of company within the near future. The lighting inside the Dwarfs' home is moody; virtually every surface is rendered in some dark shade of ultraviolet blue, though many are broken up by warm splashes and streaks of incandescent yellow-orange.
Turning into the opposite direction, guests approach a wash basin cluttered with dishes, above it an open window out of which a handful of woodland animals peer. A squirrel, chipmunk, rabbit, raccoon, and several blue jays are perched on the sill, and a deer stands outside behind them, only his head within the vicinity of the cottage. All are focused intently on riders drawing near, with wide eyes and gaping mouths. On the adjacent wall to the right is the Dwarfs' wooden staircase, and on its landing appears the first of the cottage's seven occupants: Sneezy.
"We've got some visitors, fellas," he says breathily, holding a candle and rubbing his nose. Just ahead are the other six dwarfs, seated or standing on either side of guests. "An old p-peddler is after ya?" worriedly questions a beard-tugging Bashful, followed by simultaneous interjections of "The Queen!" from a disconcerted Happy and a startled Sleepy. Their loud realization causes the inexplicable Dopey to pop out of a large barrel with a look of shock, the lid remaining flat on top of his head. "She's a mad witch, she is!" adds Grumpy, who raises a crooked finger high for emphasis. Finally there is Doc, motioning guests toward the back door as he stumbles over his own advice: "Better mide in the hi- Uh, hide in the mine! We'll hold her off!"
With these promising words, guests head back outside, and for the first time in the history of the Snow White dark ride, the Dwarfs have actually committed to helping guests in their perilous situation.
Dark Hollow
A brief scene lasting only ten seconds, this section is very similar to the stretch of forest between the cottage and the mine found in both 1983 attractions as well as the Paris version. Conditions here are dark, moody, and stormy, and the sounds of howling wind and rolling thunder are heard as guests approach a scenic mural of the Queen's castle looming in the distance under lightning-scarred skies. Two silent, grimacing vultures are perched overhead on a limb, hunched over as they stare riders down... providing an air of impending doom in one way or another.
Guests are far from safe here: From behind the brambles, the crooked crone appears once more—wicker basket in hand—to deliver her sinister goods. "Don't be afraid!" she insists, this time with a less subdued, more unhinged demeanor, "Go on, have a bite!" Jolting away from the villainous peddler once again, guests escape the scene through the wood-timber entrance to the Dwarfs' diamond mine, embedded within the side of a rocky cliff.
Diminishing Mine
Here begins a dark series of claustrophobic underground tunnels fitted with many rows of wooden beams to the sides and above. Rock walls are studded with gems of every color and size, which glisten brilliantly under ultraviolet light. The muffled sounds of thunder and wind still seep through from outside, while a distinctly discordant "twinkling" frequency is heard reverberating from the shining materials within the mine. Here and there, alcoves lead off into separate shafts, which are littered with wooden mine carts on their tracks and kegs overflowing with precious jewels. For a moment, guests approach one shaft extending impossibly far into the distance, its timbers contorted in a most inexplicable fashion and illuminated eerily by the radiance of flickering gemstones.
Unfortunately for guests, there is at least one very obvious danger present within the confines of the underground corridors: The old timber supports of the place seem to be very near the end of their days. The numerous beams creak loudly and incessantly, one indeed giving way down the middle and sagging dangerously close above riders' heads as they pass under.
Venturing into another tunnel, riders' worst fears are realized before their eyes as the Witch appears straight ahead, leering down from atop a huge pile of rocks with a demonic glare. "I'll crush your bones then!" she hisses, shoving forth a loose beam in a fit of maniacal laughter. Timber supports, both vertical and horizontal, now give way one by one all around riders as they scurry through the next shaft, but each miraculously stops just short of collapsing completely. This attempted cave-in considered, the Evil Queen has quite obviously abandoned her poisoned apples and is now vainly attempting to dispose of guests in a much more direct manner.
Ahead, beyond the final collapsing beam, is another alcove in the mine leading off into depths unseen. Here, a mine cart filled with shimmering diamonds suddenly comes screeching forward on its rails as the crooked laughter of the Witch is predictably heard echoing from the distance. Fortunately, the cart crashes into a pile of lumber on the ground before it can reach guests, who then veer off through a final set of timbers and escape the diminishing mine.
Stormy Climax
Guests now emerge in the final act of the ride: a thorny, mountainous place where a torrential storm is blowing through. Thunder, rain, and wind punish the scene as guests approach a high cliff sloped at a dramatic angle. Already ahead of guests, the Witch appears atop its peak, cackling with perverse delight as she attempts to pry forth a boulder with a long stick. Beginning at the bottom of the cliff and advanced upward in single-file fashion are the Seven Dwarfs, Dopey at ground level and Doc closest to the horrid hag, carrying a lantern. The seven little men, struggling to proceed further, urgently discuss their predicament as they hold the peddler off as promised: "Stand your ground, men!" "Don't let her get away!" "Look out!"
As guests advance closer to the Witch's rock perch, it becomes increasingly evident to them that she is not focused on toppling the boulder onto any dwarf... rather riders themselves. "GOODBYE, DEARIES!" the deranged crone screams with a sadistic laugh as she manages to tilt the huge rock forward in guests' direction. In an instant, and by means of a miracle, an ear-splitting bolt of lightning strikes the vile Queen down where she stands, the bright flash illuminating her tortured, grasping silhouette as she delivers a final echoing shriek of agony.
Evading the scene through a thorn-covered opening within the cliff face, guests continue into a black void where only the muffled, fading sounds of rain and distant thunder are heard. In the darkness ahead, two silent vultures—the very same ones encountered in the hollow fifty seconds prior—make for a fitting final impression for guests as they leer down from their perch, now donning satisfied, devilish grins. The nightmare is over, and guests shortly find themselves back in the loading queue, ready to disembark.
Miscellaneous notes:
>The large majority of the ride's scenery is three-dimensional, albeit to only a rudimentary extent. Most setpieces and props are simple and blocky, leaving elaborate black-light paint to convey detail just as in plenty of other classic Fantasyland dark rides.
>The ride's sets are predominantly made to appear in tones of dark, gloomy blue and sickly green; no stone wall is grey and no grasping tree or mine timber is brown.
>There are no projected animations in the attraction save for in instances where practical effects are unable to achieve better, such as the Magic Mirror in the transformation scene and the Witch's creeping shadow in the dungeon.
>Music is only heard in the queue area and a small handful of interior scenes. Most scenes have no music at all, only atmospheric ambient sounds such as howling wind, chirping crickets, thunder, and creaking timbers.
>Modern audio-animatronic technology is employed here, and each character is animated with fluid movement.
>The Witch's voice is portrayed largely the same as it is in the film—gravelly, ominous, and almost genderless at times—rather than being an approximation of the insane, high-pitched Ginny Tyler performance from the 1971 ride.
>The ride is slightly over two minutes in length, not dissimilar to any other version of the Snow White dark ride.
>The characters in the attraction will use singular pronouns instead of plural ones if only one person happens to be in a ride vehicle; the Queen will refer to her "fairest subject" and so forth, and Sneezy in the cottage will say, "We've got a visitor, fellas."
