Imagineering 201 [DISORIENTATION]

[ThemeParkPriest]

Welcome fellow Imagineers to an Imagineering Theory course. I thought I would try making a thread that would pull out many of the things that are discussed in David Younger's Theme Park Design textbook (http://www.themeparkdesignbook.com/) and see if we can come up with either real world examples or things we would consider including in our own designs. I think it will make sense once we get going...so here we go!

The Five Senses [pg. 1]
-Sight
-Sound
-Smell
-Touch
-"Feelies"/"Holdables"
-Taste
Opposition
Pacing
Rationing
Controlled Choice

 

[ThemeParkPriest]

In his Design chapter (starting on page 149), one of the things he discusses is Design Techniques. Certainly theme parks build for the 5 senses.
Sight is an important sense and includes things like sightlines, colors, and textures. One example used elsewhere in the book was the the building of Tower of Terror. It could be seen from Epcot, so Imagineers had to color it in such a way that it wouldn't contrast too much with the architecture of the Moroccan pavilion.

Sound usually consists of things like music (he gives other sections on area/land and attraction music) and sound effects. In Tiki's recent videos from Islands of Adventure, he focused on things like the radio playing on Sneetch Beach in Seuss Landing.

What sights and sounds have you particularly noticed? Are there any that you would include in one of your own designs?

Next time: Smell.

Edit: Pictures added.

 

[spacemt354]

@TheOriginalTiki or @JokersWild might know better, but wasn't this author at one point a SYWTBAI player?

 

[spacemt354]

What sights and sounds have you particularly noticed? Are there any that you would include in one of your own designs?

The Tower of Terror example is a good one. Another one that I find interesting is how the forced perspective on the Castle as you walk towards it feels further away, but as you're heading towards the exit, the Main Street station appears closer.

In terms of sounds, the Haunted Mansion dog howl is iconic.

 

[JokersWild]

@TheOriginalTiki or @JokersWild might know better, but wasn't this author at one point a SYWTBAI player?

Yes! His name was ImagineerCole, and he played at least two seasons during the VisionsFantastic years. He also used to run The Neverland Files, if anyone remembers that site.

 

[MickeyMouse10]

In his Design chapter (starting on page 149), one of the things he discusses is Design Techniques. Certainly theme parks build for the 5 senses.
Sight is an important sense and includes things like sightlines, colors, and textures. One example used elsewhere in the book was the the building of Tower of Terror. It could be seen from Epcot, so Imagineers had to color it in such a way that it wouldn't contrast too much with the architecture of the Moroccan pavilion.
Sound usually consists of things like music (he gives other sections on area/land and attraction music) and sound effects. In Tiki's recent videos from Islands of Adventure, he focused on things like the radio playing on Sneetch Beach in Seuss Landing.

What sights and sounds have you particularly noticed? Are there any that you would include in one of your own designs?

Next time: Smell.

Amazing job and thread Priest.

For some reason I always forget all of the other elements (besides the ordinary ones) that Disney encompasses. They do a masterful job of making you feel like you are in a certain area like Frontierland, with background sounds and music. Even Citywalk at Universal seems to want to give off a party vibe with it's loud music playlist.

 

[ThemeParkPriest]

Another one that I find interesting is how the forced perspective on the Castle as you walk towards it feels further away, but as you're heading towards the exit, the Main Street station appears closer.

Very true. David spends some time in a later section, so we'll re-visit that.

---

Smell is sometimes used to aid with sales (e.g. popcorn popping at park opening). We might think of Smell as a more modern addition to themed attractions, but David cites an attraction called Mareorama at the 1900 World Expo in France that used smells of seaweed and tar to simulate a sea voyage. Perhaps this video explains the attraction: .
Epcot made it a point to use smells like animals and orange groves (Living with the Land?). More recently, Journey into Imagination with Figment, a skunk smell is used, which to paraphrase Tiki is a "total assault on the senses." Of course, Soarin' has probably used scents to the most noticeable appeal. Outside of Disney, Knott's Berry Farm has used to aerosol cans to simulate pine and berry smells.

What smells have you particularly noticed? Are there any that you would include in one of your own designs?

Up next: Touch

 

[MickeyMouse10]

McDonalds does the same thing with "Smell". I blame them for making me break my diet every couple of weeks.

 

[ThemeParkPriest]

Touch, although still slightly limited due to how the world was changed from experiencing worldwide Covid-19 pandemic, still remains an important sense at theme parks. Sometimes, touch refers to sensations that give guests the feeling that they are blasting off in a rocket (as in Epcot’s Mission:Space) or being stung by a bug (as in Animal Kingdom’s It’s Tough to be a Bug). Touch can also refer to sensations related to fire (as in PortAventura’s Templo del Fuego,
[4K] PORTAVENTURA - EL TEMPLO DEL FUEGO)
and water (as in the broomsticks at various Mickey’s PhilharMagic) or heat (as in Epcot’s original Test Track,
The ORIGINAL Test Track Ride Through 2011 HD 1080p POV Walt Disney World EPCOT)
and cold (as in SeaWorld Orlando’s Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin).

What touch sensations have stood out to you? Are there any that you would include in one of your own designs?

Up next: “Feelies”/”Holdables”

 

[ThemeParkPriest]

“Feelies” (as David calls them) or “Holdables” (as I call them) are things that a guest holds at a theme park attraction. They may be papers (like fictional business cards given out by street performers, such as at Hollywood Studios), stickers (like junior firefighter stickers at Disneyland’s Main Street Vehicles), items (like a commemorative LEGO brick at LEGOLAND California’s The LEGO Factory Tour), rode tokens (like wooden magic feathers on Disneyland’s Dumbo the Flying Elephant), and augmented reality game items (like a paintbrush on Disneyland’s Tom Sawyer Island).

Is there a handable that you treasure? What sort of handable could you see being used in an attraction?
Up next: Taste

 

[MickeyMouse10]

I don't know if it counts, but I used to love reading the park pamphlets. They were good for the bathroom, if you ran out of magazines during your vacation.

 

[ThemeParkPriest]

I don't know if it counts, but I used to love reading the park pamphlets. They were good for the bathroom, if you ran out of magazines during your vacation.

They were some of the best marketing materials especially when I was young!

 

[ThemeParkPriest]

Taste: Usually guests experience taste through the restaurants found in a theme park (which I think we focus on quite a bit, especially in our competitions). When Disney California Adventure opened, guests had the opportunity to sample tortillas from Mission Tortilla Factory and sourdough bread from Boudin Bakery Tour. Guests who visit Cadbury World in the UK can taste chocolate as well as ride on some rides (https://www.cadbury.co.uk/visit-cadbury-world).

Is there any taste that you think guests should be able to sample in a theme park?

Up next: We're done with the straight-forward senses, so we move on to Opposition

 

[ThemeParkPriest]

Opposition refers to the technique to go from one extreme to another so as to make both stand out even moreso than if they were independently included. For example, there's a huge contrast between the flat asphalt parking lot at Animal Kingdom and the lushness that awaits at the park. Or, the claustrophobic cavern scenes in Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean gives way to the big ship and fortress battle scene. A third example is the original Test Track that had a cold room followed by a hot room (only slightly warmer, but the contrast made it feel hotter).
Can you think of any other Oppositions that you've experienced? Or one to include in a design?

Up next: Pacing

 

[MickeyMouse10]

Opposition refers to the technique to go from one extreme to another so as to make both stand out even moreso than if they were independently included. For example, there's a huge contrast between the flat asphalt parking lot at Animal Kingdom and the lushness that awaits at the park. Or, the claustrophobic cavern scenes in Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean gives way to the big ship and fortress battle scene. A third example is the original Test Track that had a cold room followed by a hot room (only slightly warmer, but the contrast made it feel hotter).
Can you think of any other Oppositions that you've experienced? Or one to include in a design?

Up next: Pacing

Nice one Priest!

What a different way of looking at the parks. I've never really thought about Opposition as a technique. I used to feel it though, whenever I turned the corner and saw "The Osbornes Spectacle of Lights" at Hollywood Studios. It reminded me of when Dorothy first landed in the land of OZ.

 

[ThemeParkPriest]

Pacing refers to the idea that there should be a mix of exhilarating/fast-paced areas and calming/slow-paced areas in a park. Every park will be at a different level on the pace spectrum: Six Flags and Universal would be higher up than Disney parks as a whole. And within Disney parks, Hollywood Studios would be relatively high up whereas Epcot and Animal Kingdom are going to be relatively low.

Some of the shifting in pacing is rather practical. Most E-ticket rides are going to be rather fast-paced. Parks can't just build E-tickets because they have a limited amount of cash as well as land. A- and B-ticket rides are generally going to be slow-paced.

The need for variability in pacing within rides and shows is also worth discussing. Sure, some rides will be high-paced from start to finish (e.g. Hulk Coaster) whereas others are going to be slow throughout (e.g. its a small world). Some of the best (dark) rides are going to be a mix. For example, Pirates of the Caribbean has some rather slow scenes and then scenes in which all heck seems to be taking place.

Do you believe there are any rides that particularly do Pacing well? I think rides like Expedition Everest and Indiana Jones start with a rather slow pace in the queue and then ramp things up after the ride starts.

Up next: Rationing

 

[Snow Queen 83]

I hope that Epic Universe will strive to be more even in it's distributing of certain type of rides. Everyone doesn't like rollercoasters and screen based rides.

 

[ThemeParkPriest]

I hope that Epic Universe will strive to be more even in it's distributing of certain type of rides. Everyone doesn't like rollercoasters and screen based rides.

Life of Pets seems to be a good, slower-paced dark ride with a lot of animatronics. I think Universal would be smart to continue vary their rides a little more with Epic Universe. However, the themes (that we know about) seem to lend themselves to a rather high-pace. For example, the Monsters area has a confirmed roller coaster.

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Rationing refers to using particular design elements in a specific land or attraction. Color is one design element that can be rationed. For example, Disneyland's Adventureland is rich in greens, although attraction-wise, Jungle Cruise uses greens and browns whereas Indiana Jones: Temple of the Forbidden Eyes uses reds and blacks. Seuss Landing at Islands of Adventure has essentially a monopoly on curved lines in the park. Another design element is urban (e.g. Animal Kingdom's Africa) vs. rural (Animal Kingdom's Asia).

Can you think of other design elements that are rationed across lands or attractions?

Up next: Controlled Choice

 

[ThemeParkPriest]

Controlled Choice
Imagineers want to give guests the ability to explore their lands but doing so in a way that won't confuse them or overload them with choices. For example, when traversing a path, there should only be one spur at any one point (unless it is a hub like the Castle at the Magic Kingdom). That way, guests are only choosing between staying on the path or breaking off to the new path. Posted/app wait times (provided that they are rather accurate) give guests information upfront to decide whether they want to wait for the attraction.

One set of examples of Controlled Choice is the paths at Tom Sawyer Island that give the illusion that guests are exploring the island when, in fact, the progression was chosen by the Imagineers.

Can you think of any other Controlled Choice situations?

Up next: Toyness
(Also, I am updating the Index on Page 1)

 

[Snow Queen 83]

Yep, Magic and Animal Kingdom have many Controlled Choices. Without making you feel your route is being forced or manipulated.