It Could Always Be Worse [CONCLUDED]

Brer Panther

Well-Known Member
Okay, here's my submission...

Galaxy Odyssey: Tour the Universe
When ordered to create a new space-themed attraction for EPCOT to replace Mission: Space, Imagineers were stumped. Many ideas were tossed around - one Imagineer suggested a WALL-E attraction, but Iger and Chapek shot it down on the grounds that it wasn't a popular enough movie. Chapek suggested something Star Wars-themed, but the Imagineers talked him out of it as there were already a lot of Star Wars attractions in Disney's Hollywood Studios. After three hours of spitballing ideas, somebody suggested a Stitch attraction. Somebody else replied, "We tried that, and it was a disaster."

However, the mention of Stitch put an idea in the Imagineers' minds - to quote that one pigeon from Bolt, audiences love aliens. An attraction featuring a cast of aliens had the potential to be a lot of fun. Then somebody else admitted that they missed when EPCOT had more "whimsical" attractions like Journey Into Imagination and World of Motion. Many of the other Imagineers agreed, and thus the decision was made to have the attraction be a family-friendly dark ride in the style of those early, "whimsical" attractions that have since been removed from EPCOT. Immediately, the Imagineers got to work, sketching up ideas for gags involving aliens and researching the solar system.

Iger and Chapek were initially hesitant to greenlight the attraction since it wasn't based on an IP. The Imagineers managed to convince them to do it by bringing up two things - EPCOT didn't have enough kid-friendly attractions (most of the attractions there were either thrill rides or slow-moving educational rides like Spaceship Earth and Living With the Land that Iger and Chapek shrugged off as "boring") and the attraction would feature lots of cartoony aliens that could easily be made into plushes... resulting in large merchandise sales. Upon hearing the second one, Chapek immediately agreed to let the attraction get built.

Sources tell me that the upcoming attraction, to be called "Galaxy Odyssey: Tour the Universe", will open "once construction has been completed". At the moment, Disney's construction crew is in the process of bulldozing Mission: Space's incredible exterior (an Imagineer has told me that they wanted to keep the exterior for Galaxy Odyssey, but they didn't think it would fit the new attraction very well). Where it once stood, guests will find a futuristic-looking space station. Colorful signs outside will invite guests to "EXPLORE THE SOLAR SYSTEM!" and "SEE THE OTHER SEVEN PLANETS!".

Inside, guests will meet Tom Morrow (a reference to the Flight to the Moon character), an advanced audio-animatronic figure and the head of the Outer Space Exploration Corporation (O.S.E.C. for short). He tells us that, for the first time, normal civilians - as in, people without astronaut training - will get to explore outer space. We won't even need helmets or oxygen tanks. Apparently, the Imagineers tried to think of an explanation for how the riders would still be able to breathe (as they knew somebody would question that), but they couldn't think of one. Then one Imagineer said, "Well, Space Mountain never explained it, so..."

In the load area, guests climb aboard spacecrafts. Concept art for the spacecrafts I was shown resembled a cross between the ride vehicles from Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin and the rockets from Astro Orbitor. The attraction will be a rail-suspended dark ride, with the track above the ride vehicles, a la Peter Pan's Flight to better simulate the spacecraft's floating through the stars. Each spacecraft will fit four people (two rows of two).

Once aboard the spacecraft, riders will hear Tom Morrow say, "Ten... nine... eight... seven... six... five... for... three... two... one... ignition!" Suddenly, you "blast off" through the clouds, eventually finding yourself in a field of stars. An Easter Egg to keep an eye out for in this scene is a constellation of Horizons' iconic Robot Butler.

Eventually, the spacecraft approaches the planet Mercury. Upon landing, riders find themselves at the entrance to - oddly enough - a mine. Our curiosity peaked, we head inside and discover goofy-looking alien miners, chipping away at the walls of the mine with pickaxes. What are they mining for? Why, Mercury, of course!

The next planet riders visit is Venus. Like Mercury, Venus is inhabited by aliens - all of whom are very attractive, blue-skinned women, with not a single man in sight (a reference to that old "men are from Mars, women are from Venus" expression). Since Venus is actually hotter than Mercury despite being further from the sun, the room is heated. The Venusians use the high temperature as an excuse to get a nice tan.

Next, it's off to Mars. Since Mars is the RED planet, naturally, the entire room is colored red. Mars' inhabitants are your typical cartoon aliens - green skin, large foreheads, big black eyes. Like Earthlings, they have their own space program, and many martians in astronaut suits can be seen climbing aboard a rocket ship. Their mission: to land in Roswell, New Mexico!

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The aliens in the "Mars" section of the attraction should look very much like this.

Jupiter is our next stop. Since it's the fastest-spinning planet in the solar system, the entire room seems to rotate as we glide through. The aliens that live on Jupiter seem to be constantly dizzy, all of the spinning has caused them to go mad. As a reference to Alice in Wonderland, one alien wears a hat identical to the Mad Hatter's.

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The aliens on Jupiter will look similar to this.

Saturn, according to the Imagineers I spoke with, is going to include a scene where the spacecrafts seemingly slide down the planet's iconic rings. When Chapek found out that Saturn was made of gas, he encouraged the Imagineers to include lots of fart-based humor into this scene (his exact words were "People think farting is funny, right?"). The aliens seen on Saturn resemble stinkbugs, with furry skunk-like tails, guzzling down cans of baked beans like soda. I would recommend that riders bring nose plugs.

Then it's off to Uranus, also known as "the sideways planet" because it rotates on its side. Inspired by the "upside-down house" sequence in another EPCOT attraction, Journey Into Imagination With Figment, the entire room appears to be sideways. Not only that, but since Uranus is nearly four times larger than Earth, the aliens are all gigantic. I have no idea how the Imagineers plan on pulling this scene off - they simply told me, "It'll be really, really cool."

The ride culminates in a visit to Neptune, the coldest planet in the solar system. The planet is covered with ice, and its residents are clad in winter clothing. Since Neptune shares its name with the mythical god of the sea, the aliens bear a striking resemblance to sea creatures. Two can be seen building a snowman in King Neptune's likeness.

After that, the spacecrafts land back on Earth and guests disembark into - what else - a gift shop, O.S.E.C. Outpost. Here guests will be able to get their hands on plushes, t-shirts, pins, and more merchandise featuring the ride's cast of outrageous aliens.

The Imagineers have high hopes for Galaxy Odyssey. "We're hoping that it will bring a bit of whimsy back to EPCOT," one of them told me. "It'll give younger guests something to do if they don't make the height requirement for Test Track." The attraction certainly sounds like a lot of fun to ME. If nothing else, maybe if it's successful we might get more "original" attractions not based on IPs, the kind that we haven't gotten since Expedition Everest. We'll just have to wait and see.
 

Tegan pilots a chicken

Sharpie Queen 💜
Premium Member
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Join the God of Thunder himself for a sensational adventure on the Bifrost! Maintaining the ride system from Mission: Space, but entirely reimagining everything from the show building, to the story, and the ride vehicles themselves (now more spacious and comfortable), the controversial “space pavilion” is destined to become a family favorite!

Guests now enter the pavilion via Heimdall’s Ovservatory, countless stars are visible overhead. The voice of Odin is heard, telling the story of the creation of the Nine Realms, accompanied by projections against the star-filled sky.

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Exiting the Observatory, guests find themselves in Odin’s weapons vault, featuring many ancient artifacts and weapons of cosmic proportions, including The Eternal Flame, the Tesseract, and an Infinity Gauntlet (sans Infinity Stones).

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After finishing their time in the Vault, guests finally find themselves deep in one of Asgard’s corridors, and are greeted by the one and only Thor (via AA).

Thor explains that the “Asgard” we are experiencing is all an illusion being cast by Loki, who he thought was very dead, but has apparently found a way to amplify the reach of his power. As “Avengers in training,” Thor needs our help searching the Nine Realms for his mischievous brother, and putting an end to whatever ridiculous scheme he’s hatched.

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Thor reminds guests that they lack the ability to travel through space, but that’s where he comes in. Thor will channel the Bifrost with Stormbreaker to actually power our Quinjets into deep space in search of the infamous trickster.

The Thor AA has eyes and armor plates that glow, and lighting effects are present throughout the pre-show room.

Finally, guests are taken to their Quinjets for a thrilling adventure to distant worlds! Each ride will take guests to three of the nine realms; Asgard, Jotunheim, Svartalfheim, Vanaheim, Nidavellir, Niflheim, Muspelheim, Alfheim, and of course Midgard, which is where each ride will eventually conclude.

Along the way, guests will encounter many other characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe including; the Frost Giants on Jotenheim, the Dark Elves on Svartalfheim, Surtr on Muslelheim, Hela on Asgard, and a plethora of cameos including The Grandmaster and members of the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Throughout the journey, Thor remains convinced everyone we are encountering is one of Loki’s illusions. However, between the second and third destinations, the Quinjets and Thor are suddenly pulled out of the Bifrost and sent across space and time at unfathomable speed, eventually coming to a sudden halt.

Everything is pitch black for a moment, until the location is revealed.

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The Citadel at the End of Time.

Guests soon discover the true source of the illusion, Sylvie, a variant of Loki from a branch in time, is being held prisoner by Kang the Conquerer, who is amplifying her enchantment power and wielding it across the Multiverse!

What follows is a brief battle involving Thor, riders in the Quinjet, Sylvie, and a small army of Kangs from across multiple timelines. Throughout the journey thus far, and especially during the final battle, riders will be able to use buttons on their consoles to fire the Quinjet’s many high powered weapons.

The ending will play out slightly different in each experience, but will always result in Thor and guests back on Earth in New Asgard. A familiar and friendly face quickly joins the group.

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Valkyrie, clearly concerned, but ready for action, inquires about the sudden appearance of her friend and his new friends.

“Thor!! Where have you been?! Who are these people?! Are you all alright?!”

Thor takes a few deep breaths to compose himself,…

“We need The Avengers!”

Queue the familiar fanfare as the ride comes to an end!

Guests disembark their Quinjet and exit down a short hallway before finding themselves in a marketplace on New Asgard. Here guests may purchase a plethora of Thor merchandise including the standard apparel, action figures, toys, high end collectibles, and some really cool new items such as a deluxe lightweight replica of Stormbreaker that uses built in LEDs and a prism to cast a brilliant rainbow on any nearby surface. The rainbow of course is meant to represent the Bifrost.

Yes I know this can’t actually happen right now. But,…ChaosVerse! Disney got the rights back!
 
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JokersWild

Well-Known Member
Hey guy, just wanted to let you know ahead of time that I'm not going to be submitting a project for the first round. Like I said in the SYWTBAI thread, I had a pretty crazy weekend and unfortunately just didn't have any time to dedicate to writing. My summer vacation starts in like two days so I'll be back with a vengeance for Project 2.
 

Chaos Cat

Well-Known Member
Hey guy, just wanted to let you know ahead of time that I'm not going to be submitting a project for the first round. Like I said in the SYWTBAI thread, I had a pretty crazy weekend and unfortunately just didn't have any time to dedicate to writing. My summer vacation starts in like two days so I'll be back with a vengeance for Project 2.
Yeah, honestly, same here. Parents were out of town, so I had to housesit for them. Didn't have time to work on a project.
 

PerGron

Well-Known Member
Hey guy, just wanted to let you know ahead of time that I'm not going to be submitting a project for the first round. Like I said in the SYWTBAI thread, I had a pretty crazy weekend and unfortunately just didn't have any time to dedicate to writing. My summer vacation starts in like two days so I'll be back with a vengeance for Project 2.
I’m gonna try to get something in but last week was hell for me and I’m just catching up.
 

MickeyWaffleCo.

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
In the Parks
No
Hey guy, just wanted to let you know ahead of time that I'm not going to be submitting a project for the first round. Like I said in the SYWTBAI thread, I had a pretty crazy weekend and unfortunately just didn't have any time to dedicate to writing. My summer vacation starts in like two days so I'll be back with a vengeance for Project 2.
Yeah, honestly, same here. Parents were out of town, so I had to housesit for them. Didn't have time to work on a project.
I’m gonna try to get something in but last week was hell for me and I’m just catching up.
No problem! These first two rounds are pretty much a warm-up to the team-based part of the competition, so participation isn’t essential yet.
 

ThemeParkPriest

Well-Known Member
Introducing...Discover: The Solar System (Sponsored by Space X)!

The Main Issues with Mission: SPACE

One of the biggest problems with the current ride is the intensity (and motion sickness) of the Orange version. That was the original version of the ride. The Green version brought down the intensity level a lot, so now there’s hardly anything exciting in that version. The signage helps guests to choose which one might be better suited to them. But neither option is great.

Another issue with Mission: SPACE is that there is no variability in rides. This makes it less likely for people to re-ride the attraction. Similar simulator rides like Star Tours and Rise of the Resistance offer greater re-rideability.

Finally (and most importantly for the educational dimension of Epcot), the current ride does not really inspire future astronauts. When anyone can push a button, it sort of trivializes the actual work that goes into being an astronaut. The best parts of space are not highlighted well in the current ride.

The Ride

The pre-show has the normal safety announcements but speaks about how Space X is bringing us on a special journey to somewhere in the solar system.

Using the same ride system as Mission: SPACE but dropping some of the most intense moments (like blasting off), this new ride will inspire wonder in guests, particularly young ones (who are the future astronauts of the world). Guests will travel across the solar system to see firsthand what makes each planet (or the sun or the moon) unique. Each ride begins somewhere in space (a zoomed-out view) that eventually closes in on the space body. The motion simulator will show the unique gravitational pull of each space body as well as its atmosphere as the space shuttle orbits the space body. The most intense rides will be less intense than Mission: SPACE Orange, although there will also be a Green option(of comparable intensity to the current Green version). Throughout the ride, the narrator informs the guest flyers of relevant statistics and facts of the space body. After seeing all of the points of interest, the space shuttle leaves the atmosphere. The narrator concludes by inviting the flyers to join them again on a different flight soon.

There will be re-rideability in Discover: the Solar System as there will be 10 different flight locations—the Moon, the Sun, the other 7 Planets, and the dwarf planet Pluto.

Following the ride, guests can take a look at Space X’s newest developments in a showroom. Guests also exit through a gift shop.

Merchandise Item: Solar System Pin Passport

To make it more exciting to complete all of the missions, a passport has been designed in which guests keep track of which missions they have done. The pins are also good stand alone pins (just like how some guests currently get individual Disney pins at shops).

Conclusion

Discover: The Solar System is a relatively inexpensive update to Mission: SPACE, but one that fixes many of the current issues. Guest flyers, especially young ones, will come away with wonder of the solar system—and maybe a great souvenir Solar System Pin Passport!
 

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