ThemeParkPriest
Well-Known Member
Chapter 2: Project 2
PRIEST'S REVIEWS
This is my first time being a Judge on the Forums, and my only qualification is that I have been judged before. So this probably won’t be as polished as you are used to. Anyways, I play the role of a judge sometimes in my work, but that’s a story for a different day.
First off, I think it was a good thing that you guys had that extra day for the project. I realize that Waffle or I should have probably given a 24-hour reminder since there seemed to be some confusion among people.
Team Blair
Broadway at Disney's Hollywood Studios
You won the more active brainstorming thread, although it did hit some serious stalls. There was some good initial brainstorming and then a stall due to the focus on SYWTBAI. With the granting of an extra day, a quick flurry of brainstorming helped to put some energy back into the project.
I think it served you well to pick the theme that Shannon was passionate about! I first watched Little Shop of Horrors in my high school drama class. It fits the sci-fi mold of Twilight Zone, so it had some good initial potential (even before you fleshed out the idea). I really liked the concept art for it; it reminded me a bit of the Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout at California Adventure. It might be a bit impractical to have a 200-foot tall building on Skid Row in Compton, but the research facility explains it away as best as you can. I’m glad that you specifically included the detail about the large hallway where the cars go horizontal as it is what sets the original DHS version apart from the other later ToT editions. I have dreams/nightmares about the current ToT…maybe this ride would lend itself to guests having even more dreams/nightmares, which could be problematic for the little kids. But you went all-in on having plush Audrey II’s in the gift shop! On a side note, the Mel Brooks concept art for ToT was really interesting to see in the brainstorming thread!
Now for Who’s Tommy! I like the pinball concept for RnRC; it gives me the feel of the former RnRC at Walt Disney Studios (traveling a soundwave), which I prefer to the Orlando version. However, the difficult backstory and acid trip-like feel in the pre-ride seems like it might be tough for families to stomach. The music of the Who is generally a little bit older than Aerosmith, so I think it is a little bit more out-of-sync with the newer generations. I hadn’t heard of the musical before your project. It sounds like it has a good character arc in the story, but perhaps it would be better-suited for Universal for its more mature themes.
I think the Greatest Hits Live show would be a good family-friendly way to include some tunes from musicals!
For a while, you were not sure what to do with Lighting McQueen. Overall, I think the Monster’s Inc. PTTBWICFSHM(?) is a well thought out replacement for the space! My personal opinion (and not necessarily that of Waffle’s) is that it seems to me to be a bit similar to the Laugh Floor at Magic Kingdom.
Good job of putting together some extra shops and restaurants! For me, the rides/shows are the main thing to judge, but the detail in something like this can sometimes settle a “tie.”
Team Gurr
Half-Moon Valley
Tiki and Jokers had a lot of brainstorming on the first day although the rest of the team was busy. Things picked up the next day (as expected).
Using B-Movies (in Lightning McQueen’s space) came up quickly, although it sort of went on the back burner for a while. It gained a lot of traction on Day 2 and became the focus of your project. I think it was the most original of the themes you were considering, so I’m glad you decided to give it a try!
The setting of Half-Moon Valley Land is well thought-out. The aftermath of “The Incident” would provide some really good photo-ops for the guests!
Watching Mars Attacks as a kid was a bit traumatic for me; it made me scared of aliens for a while. When I watched it many years later, I found it rather funny! So I think the use of the IP here is family-friendly enough. I think the secret government base (sort of reminds me a little bit of Avatar: Flight of Passage) in a desert landscape facade (sort of like Big Thunder Mountain) would work well in this area, although one of the best parts of the RnR show building is the big electric guitar out front (maybe the crash-landed Martian space craft is right outside the queue?). And what can’t the Rock do? Apparently he can save a jungle cruise and now he can be president and defend the planet against aliens! This was the first I had heard about single-rail T-Rex coasters, but I see the value of trying to compete with the likes of Velocicoaster and Iron Ghazi! The multiple lift hills reminds me a bit of Expedition Everest. I think the current RnR launch coaster, though, certainly provides some exhilaration for the guests--something I know is enjoyed by a lot of people. Disneyland Paris even has two launch coasters--Space Mountain and the former RnR, so there’s definitely a market for them. But kudos for you not just running with the status quo! The AA of the Martian Girl (or is it “Martin” Girl?) sounds like a memorable moment for the guests. There is one minor thing about the current set-up of Hollywood Studios that would create some dissonance--the presence of Alien Swirling Saucers.That’s a few different types of aliens for a park that’s focused on all movies.
The Attack of the Mutant Director from Mars sounds like a creative and comedic take on the monster movies! It seems to combine elements of Universal’s monster shows but in an upbeat way like the former Martin Short’s CineMagique at Walt Disney Studios Paris.
I also have had some experience of MST3K, and I think that it is pretty well-known among millennials and older (except Tiki apparently). I was a bit curious to see how it would be integrated into a ToT ride system, especially as I see the show as comedic and not as sci-fi focused as Twilight Zone. In fact, one of the MST3K shows I watched was a short about how adolescents need to learn self-care. I assume the movies you would have chosen would have been in the sci-fi genre. Anyways, I would be interested to see how you guys would either flesh out this ride or Tiki’s idea of RedLetterMedia's Best of the Worst!
PRIEST'S REVIEWS
This is my first time being a Judge on the Forums, and my only qualification is that I have been judged before. So this probably won’t be as polished as you are used to. Anyways, I play the role of a judge sometimes in my work, but that’s a story for a different day.
First off, I think it was a good thing that you guys had that extra day for the project. I realize that Waffle or I should have probably given a 24-hour reminder since there seemed to be some confusion among people.
Team Blair
Broadway at Disney's Hollywood Studios
You won the more active brainstorming thread, although it did hit some serious stalls. There was some good initial brainstorming and then a stall due to the focus on SYWTBAI. With the granting of an extra day, a quick flurry of brainstorming helped to put some energy back into the project.
I think it served you well to pick the theme that Shannon was passionate about! I first watched Little Shop of Horrors in my high school drama class. It fits the sci-fi mold of Twilight Zone, so it had some good initial potential (even before you fleshed out the idea). I really liked the concept art for it; it reminded me a bit of the Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout at California Adventure. It might be a bit impractical to have a 200-foot tall building on Skid Row in Compton, but the research facility explains it away as best as you can. I’m glad that you specifically included the detail about the large hallway where the cars go horizontal as it is what sets the original DHS version apart from the other later ToT editions. I have dreams/nightmares about the current ToT…maybe this ride would lend itself to guests having even more dreams/nightmares, which could be problematic for the little kids. But you went all-in on having plush Audrey II’s in the gift shop! On a side note, the Mel Brooks concept art for ToT was really interesting to see in the brainstorming thread!
Now for Who’s Tommy! I like the pinball concept for RnRC; it gives me the feel of the former RnRC at Walt Disney Studios (traveling a soundwave), which I prefer to the Orlando version. However, the difficult backstory and acid trip-like feel in the pre-ride seems like it might be tough for families to stomach. The music of the Who is generally a little bit older than Aerosmith, so I think it is a little bit more out-of-sync with the newer generations. I hadn’t heard of the musical before your project. It sounds like it has a good character arc in the story, but perhaps it would be better-suited for Universal for its more mature themes.
I think the Greatest Hits Live show would be a good family-friendly way to include some tunes from musicals!
For a while, you were not sure what to do with Lighting McQueen. Overall, I think the Monster’s Inc. PTTBWICFSHM(?) is a well thought out replacement for the space! My personal opinion (and not necessarily that of Waffle’s) is that it seems to me to be a bit similar to the Laugh Floor at Magic Kingdom.
Good job of putting together some extra shops and restaurants! For me, the rides/shows are the main thing to judge, but the detail in something like this can sometimes settle a “tie.”
Team Gurr
Half-Moon Valley
Tiki and Jokers had a lot of brainstorming on the first day although the rest of the team was busy. Things picked up the next day (as expected).
Using B-Movies (in Lightning McQueen’s space) came up quickly, although it sort of went on the back burner for a while. It gained a lot of traction on Day 2 and became the focus of your project. I think it was the most original of the themes you were considering, so I’m glad you decided to give it a try!
The setting of Half-Moon Valley Land is well thought-out. The aftermath of “The Incident” would provide some really good photo-ops for the guests!
Watching Mars Attacks as a kid was a bit traumatic for me; it made me scared of aliens for a while. When I watched it many years later, I found it rather funny! So I think the use of the IP here is family-friendly enough. I think the secret government base (sort of reminds me a little bit of Avatar: Flight of Passage) in a desert landscape facade (sort of like Big Thunder Mountain) would work well in this area, although one of the best parts of the RnR show building is the big electric guitar out front (maybe the crash-landed Martian space craft is right outside the queue?). And what can’t the Rock do? Apparently he can save a jungle cruise and now he can be president and defend the planet against aliens! This was the first I had heard about single-rail T-Rex coasters, but I see the value of trying to compete with the likes of Velocicoaster and Iron Ghazi! The multiple lift hills reminds me a bit of Expedition Everest. I think the current RnR launch coaster, though, certainly provides some exhilaration for the guests--something I know is enjoyed by a lot of people. Disneyland Paris even has two launch coasters--Space Mountain and the former RnR, so there’s definitely a market for them. But kudos for you not just running with the status quo! The AA of the Martian Girl (or is it “Martin” Girl?) sounds like a memorable moment for the guests. There is one minor thing about the current set-up of Hollywood Studios that would create some dissonance--the presence of Alien Swirling Saucers.That’s a few different types of aliens for a park that’s focused on all movies.
The Attack of the Mutant Director from Mars sounds like a creative and comedic take on the monster movies! It seems to combine elements of Universal’s monster shows but in an upbeat way like the former Martin Short’s CineMagique at Walt Disney Studios Paris.
I also have had some experience of MST3K, and I think that it is pretty well-known among millennials and older (except Tiki apparently). I was a bit curious to see how it would be integrated into a ToT ride system, especially as I see the show as comedic and not as sci-fi focused as Twilight Zone. In fact, one of the MST3K shows I watched was a short about how adolescents need to learn self-care. I assume the movies you would have chosen would have been in the sci-fi genre. Anyways, I would be interested to see how you guys would either flesh out this ride or Tiki’s idea of RedLetterMedia's Best of the Worst!
