Triassic City
A WED99 Concept
The Good Dinosaur is a Pixar film currently in production. It is due for release on May 30 2014. The plot is what would the world be like if the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs missed. When this challenge was first introduced, I struggled to come up with an idea. As I was sitting in class, it struck me! Create a land based on The Good Dinosaur. But there was one problem, it hasn't been released yet. So I decided to create an original land, with how I think a modern city would be like if Dinosaurs were never extinct. The end result was Triassic City!
Triassic City is an extremely detailed land, introducing guests to an entire new lifestyle. It is surrounded by skyscraper facades (Red Line on Map) and a few forced perspective buildings. It is home to 4 new attractions, 3 of which are just based on a fundamental part of city life, transport! The city is full of references to modern culture, but altered to be more Jurassic. One of the biggest differences between Triassic City and other areas in the Disney parks is a brand new feature, Live Atmosphere!
Live Atmosphere
What exactly is Live Atmosphere? Well it's the thing you see when walking down a street. People enjoying their day, cars driving around, dogs being walked. All the things but make you feel like your not alone. This is exactly what will happen in Triassic City but with actors! People will be employed to follow a routine each day of them living their day to day lives as citizens of Triassic City. They will dress like them, talk like them, walk like them even eat like them! All to make guests feel like they're not in a theme park, they're in a city. It's basically plussing the "Disneyland is a show" concept Walt insisted on.
A few examples of Live Atmosphere are:
-A lady walking around with her baby Triceratops
-A man enjoying a T-Rex steak
-A lady calling out to guests from her apartment window
-A young boy trying to sell this weeks copy of The Triassic Times (which can be bought!)
These are only a few examples of the live atmosphere, but there is more! I did say dinosaurs weren't extinct right? So where are they? Scattered around the city are 3 Photo Ops. Each is a large animatronic dinosaur that interacts with guests. One is a Triceratops, another is a T-Rex and the last one is a Diplodocus. The live atmosphere actors interact with these dinos throughout the day. Another little detail that adds to the experience is a Pterodactyl that flies across two buildings randomly throughout the day. It is easily overlooked, but if spotted can be a great memory! Here is a concept of how it will work below (Pardon my misspelling of Pterodactyl)
As great as the Live Atmosphere will be, guests come to the park for one main thing. Attractions! And Triassic City does not disappoint! The first ride I will talk about is a D-Ticket Roller coaster that focusses on the most popular form of public transport, Trains.
Triassic Metro Line
To replace Primeval Whirl I decided to put in an underground train route so citizens of Triassic City can travel with ease. Unfortunately, no city is perfect and occasionally pests can be a problem. Guests will find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. I covered the entire Primeval Whirl with a show building to allow for dark scenes and set theming.
Facade
I was inspired by a real life train station for this one. Something I felt suited the City. Here is an image below of the station the facade will replicate. They will be near exact apart from "Triassic North Station" written on the front of one.
Queue/Load Zone
The Queue will look like your average underground train station. Very plain and straight to the point. To keep guests entertained however, every few meters a different advertisement poster will be on the wall. Each poster will be unique and exaggerate the dino theme. The Load Zone will look like an average train platform, safety line and all.
Ride Vehicle
I was stuck with the challenge of making a train that looked modern but was able to spin on the ride. I quickly realised it was too difficult. Luckily, Triassic City is my version of what I think a dino city should look like, so I was able to make the trains how I felt! Below is what I ended up with...
It allows for Primeval Whirl track to stay the same and can carry a large number of guests in comfort.
Ride Experience
I did the same as last week and wrote up a script for the ride. However it is a roller coaster so it is mainly descriptive writing. I suggest comparing the writing with the youtube link posted below of the current ride, makes it easier to understand.
https://www.box.com/s/2epjjp672rqg3u55ohk2
The Metro Line is sure to be a thrilling adventure for all ages. But if your not into coasters, don't stress! The next attraction will take you on a clam bus ride through the city.
Triassic Bus Transit
If the pest problem on the trains is a little to intense for you, the Bus Transit is here for your use! Guests will travel down the express route their driver (real actor) who can be a bit reckless. They end up in a few sticky situations but everything works out alright.... sorta.
Facade
I once again based this Facade on a real life bus station. It had to fit the theme of the train station next door so I settled with the image below. Just change Greyhound to T-Rex Transit and you're finished!
Queue/Load Zone
As guests wait for their bus to arrive, they will walk through the halls of the bus station and learn the history of Triassic City represented through photos and captions on the walls. The Load Zone will be outside and themed as, well just a bus stop!
Ride Vehicle
The ride vehicle is the most important part of the attraction. It is nto only the transport, it is the entire show! Guests will board this full scale bus and be delightfully shock when they discovered it does not move like your average bus. It has EMV properties meaning it is basically a very long simulator on wheels. You may be wondering why the track shown in the overhead map is so boring. It is because the track is only there to increase capacity, the entire ride is actually a motion simulator unlike any other! As show in the image below, inside the bus is LCD screens that make guests feel like there is actually a window there, when in relaity there isn't!
LCD Screens
To save money, instead of buying hundreds of projectors for this attraction, I put specially constructed LCD 4K HD screens into each vehicle. This allows for a crisper more controlled image. The screens will cover every opening in the bus vehicle, so guests can get a 360 view. By using the screens instead of real sets, I can take guests further into Triassic City, into areas impossible to build. The LCD Screens are curved and put a certain distance away from the guests to allow them to get multiple points of view. If the screens were just pressed up on the window, they could not look in different directions. It's like trying to look at something off screen on your TV!
Ride Experience
Below is the link to the Ride Experience. Remember it is all simulated and the driver is a real actor.
https://www.box.com/s/s40fzogubc60td5exq79
After a rough trip on the bus, take the time to discover more of Triassic City! The Dino Cabs are perfect for soaking up the atmosphere!
Dino Cabs
Roaming the streets of Triassic City and adding to the atmosphere are Diplodocuses pulling carts with guests in them. These are the Dino Cabs, a fun way to learn about Triassic City!
Queue/Load Zone
As this is only a minor attraction, the queue is almost non existent. Following the same path as the main street vehicles, guests will wait at a Cab Stop outside the Dinoco Gas Station. When the Cab arrives, they hop onboard. Quick and Easy!
Ride Vehicles
This ride vehicle was inspired by the very popular, Lucky the Dinosaur.
However, this vehicle is much larger in size. A young Diplodocuses pulls a wooden cart full of people around the entire city. The route can be seen in Green on the overhead map. The diagram below explains everything needed to know about the ride vehicle.
Live Atmosphere
The Dino Cabs are a great example of Live Atmosphere. Not only do they allow guests to experience it better, but they add to it as well! Guests will be in awe will the large dino stomps past them for the first time. Actors will interact with the cab as it goes around the City. Each cart will have it's own cabbie who explains a bunch of information about the city on your trip. Even the photo op dinosaurs will roar at them when they get close. It's all apart of the show!
The final attraction in Triassic City is a new show to replace Finding Nemo The Musical. I know it is a good show, but everything has to change eventually!
Continued in next post