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.

 

[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

 

[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

 

[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

 

[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

 

[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.

---

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)

 

[ThemeParkPriest]

Toyness: sometimes it is better to create a toyish land (or building) rather than "an entirely realistic themed environment" (p. 166). This artificiality can lead to guests being able to take in the theme park in a more childlike perspective. Certainly Toy Story Land takes this idea to the extreme. But a ride like Its a Small World, especially with its the facade/entrance (I'm thinking especially the ones at DL/DLP/TDL/HKDL but even the one at the Magic Kingdom), makes one young at heart again.

What other places at theme parks do you realize their Toyness?

Up next: Managing Expectation

 

[ThemeParkPriest]

Managing Expectations: the basic idea is that underselling of an attraction (or land) will ultimately improve the guests' satisfaction. Younger cites two examples. The first is that Main Street U.S.A. is successful as an entrance land, because it slows things down for the guests. That way they are better able to appreciate the thrills and stories that await them in the other lands. The other example is Pooh's Hunny Hunt (Tokyo Disneyland) that appears in the facade and queue to look like just another dark ride but then only to open up to a trackless ride after the loading station.

What other places in theme parks manage expectations well? Compared with its neighbor Tower of Terror, Rock 'n Roller Coaster's simple stage show building facade implies that we are just going backstage at a studio (the underselling was especially the case before the multi-colored sign with the attraction name was added). As another exam, the entrance and queue for Pandora Flight of Passage (Animal Kingdom) do not necessarily portend the giant screen simulator ride that follows.

Up next: Payoff

 

[ThemeParkPriest]

Payoff: In some ways, Payoff is the opposite of Managing Expectations. It’s the design philosophy—lived out in the experiences of guests—that believes that big things in a theme park should have big rewards. If an attraction is going to beckon a guest to come to it (as in the case of a “wienie”), it needs to live up to the hype. The park “icons” (so to speak) like Spaceship Earth at Epcot, the Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom, Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Mysterious Island at Tokyo DisneySea all live this out well. Younger, in the book, talks about how Sleeping Beauty Castle did not have appropriate payoff when Disneyland first opened.
Were else in the parks have you experienced payoff for a land or attraction? Or another way of putting it, when were you clearly not underwhelmed by something?

Up next: The Wow

 

[The Great Gonzo]

I see what you're talking about, but I don't ever think the castles ever give off a Payoff. The non castles landmarks definitely do though. So you are definitely right with most of them.

 

[Disney Dad 3000]

Payoff: In some ways, Payoff is the opposite of Managing Expectations. It’s the design philosophy—lived out in the experiences of guests—that believes that big things in a theme park should have big rewards. If an attraction is going to beckon a guest to come to it (as in the case of a “wienie”), it needs to live up to the hype. The park “icons” (so to speak) like Spaceship Earth at Epcot, the Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom, Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Mysterious Island at Tokyo DisneySea all live this out well. Younger, in the book, talks about how Sleeping Beauty Castle did not have appropriate payoff when Disneyland first opened.
Were else in the parks have you experienced payoff for a land or attraction? Or another way of putting it, when were you clearly not underwhelmed by something?

Up next: The Wow

MFSR and Forbidden Journey are two that are such a huge tease for me. The reveal for MFSR is top notch (it gets me everyt time) and the buildup is solid as well with the queue, Hondo animatronic, and staging area (if a bit rushed here), but the ride experience leaves too much to be desired if you are stuck with 5-year-olds piloting and without multiple missions like ST. Forbidden Journey is a bit similar, though it's not the reveal, because you are clearly drawn to it, and I love the perspective. Again, really good build up, and parts of the ride are fantastic, but other parts were a miss.

 

[spacemt354]

Payoff: In some ways, Payoff is the opposite of Managing Expectations. It’s the design philosophy—lived out in the experiences of guests—that believes that big things in a theme park should have big rewards. If an attraction is going to beckon a guest to come to it (as in the case of a “wienie”), it needs to live up to the hype. The park “icons” (so to speak) like Spaceship Earth at Epcot, the Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom, Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Mysterious Island at Tokyo DisneySea all live this out well. Younger, in the book, talks about how Sleeping Beauty Castle did not have appropriate payoff when Disneyland first opened.
Were else in the parks have you experienced payoff for a land or attraction? Or another way of putting it, when were you clearly not underwhelmed by something?

Up next: The Wow

Tower of Terror and Expedition Everest are two I can think of that live up to the 'payoff' category. Same with Velocicoaster at IoA and Cars Land at DCA.

I agree with Disney Dad that while a nostalgic queue, FJ is a bit convoluted and underwhelming of an attraction. Perhaps it was the novelty of it in 2010 that garnered so much praise, but it doesn't hold a candle to any classic dark rides. I wonder if Rise will maintain its status in 10+ years.

New Fantasyland is something that for me could have been so much more. 7DMT is a solid attraction but surrounding it you have Little Mermaid which could have housed 2-3 Disneyland busbar rides vs one elaborate D/C Ticket ride with an E-Ticket queue. Then rather than a ride we have a ride footprint for a restaurant and a small show. Then we removed a dark ride for another M&G. Combine that with 3-4 years to construct and it felt very underwhelming.