One Little Spark 3: The Spark Squad - Main Competition Thread

spacemt354

Chili's
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DCA's Chinatown
Team B

For unexplained reasons, I’m only seeing a two-slide presentation. If that can be fixed, I’ll be happy to review this.
The DCA's Chinatown was a link to their project maybe that was the issue?

 

Tegan pilots a chicken

Sharpie Queen 💜
Premium Member
I’m unfortunately not going to have time during my work day to give reviews, because I want to give each project the praise and attention it deserves. I have thoroughly read through each of them however, and I genuinely love all three!

My reviews and the round results should be posted by 4:00pm WDW time (give or take 15 minutes) and as my thanks for being patient with me, I will post the next prompt tonight!
 

CreateDisney

Active Member
Hi everyone, my reviews will be short. Hope to be longer next time.

Team A
Your road trip land was very creative. The California Bears was my favorite, great job with the new characters. I also liked the roller coaster in Big Sur. This was my favorite of the 3.

Team B
The dark ride felt like Mystic Manor, and I love that. However, this project felt like it was a Chinatown land and not for California.

Team C
There was a lot of unnecessary drama on this team, but your project was my 2nd favorite because even though it uses Chinatown as the theme you set it in California.
 

Disney Warrior

Well-Known Member
I was responsible for it after Hulk and the team gave some ideas for it. But I don’t know too much about Pokémon though.
I thought it was PerGron’s because it was animal themed. The reason why I mentioned Pokemon though, was because there is a common theory (that is probably true) that all of the fire type starter Pokemon (such as Charizard, the Pokemon in my avatar, Typhlosion, and others) are based on animals in the Chinese Zodiac.
 

Brer Oswald

Well-Known Member
I really like the dark rides in this project. The Goofy one, the Chinese manor, 1906. The coaster ideas are all great too. The coast one reminds me of the perilous drive my family took to get from San Fran to LA. Fireworks Factory sounds colorful (probably would fit well in ToonTown as well). The dragon coaster is also a must for a China Town area.
 

Tegan pilots a chicken

Sharpie Queen 💜
Premium Member
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REVIEWS

TEAM A

Team A came out swinging in their brainstorming, throwing out a variety of ideas early on. Perhaps even to their detriment, as halfway through this round the team was still questioning some of their choices in direction. Nonetheless, they brought it all together for a very impressive project.

I absolutely love the map! Everyone who has played an Imagineering game on a team with me know that I really enjoy a good map! And this one is fantastic!

The boardwalk is a lovely touch. These kinds of charming little details are what makes the Disney parks unlike any other place. I appreciate this inclusion a lot.

A thunderous round of applause for California Bear Jamboree!! The characters look wonderful and the story feels like an appropriate tribute to the original attraction while still having its own identity. This would definitely be an instant classic.

It’s about time we got some Goofy Movie love! This ride captures the spirit of classic Disney dark rides and fits very appropriately in this proposed land.

Pacific CoastUR. Sign. Me. Up!
A terrain based family coaster suited for all ages with incredible views of the surrounding portions of the park. I couldn’t ask for more! Well done!

Golden Viewliner is a nice added touch. Not every attraction needs to be a gate busting E ticket, nor should they be. Smaller attractions have an important place in every park and land. This is a wonderful way to use inexpensive, proven tech to supplement a project.

Wonderful selection of dining options. In the mood for a quick snack? Got that covered! What about a lovely meal in a relaxing location? Yep! I know dining and retail are often overlooked in reviews, but I appreciate the effort that went into these.

Trail Mix Up!!! Let’s go!!

Let the trash can wars commence!!


Even the name is well thought out! Love the reference to Walt’s personal backyard railroad!

Overall, this gets a gold star from me! You’ve used the real estate efficiently, all your ideas are well thought out and developed. Really great job, team!

TEAM B

Team B went hard brainstorming and settled on a theme right away. I think that swift decision making is evident in how well developed this project is.

A tremendous backstory accompanies this new land, setting the tone for all of your offerings. Backstory is often taken fir granted, but when the story of the land is established, the attractions are better able to supplement that story and that helps to unify everything.

The map is simple but effective. I appreciate its inclusion very much!

Scales. The. Dragon. 🥰🥰🥰🥰
I want them on a shirt and I want to wear it all the time!!

Chimera Manor sounds like a band name. At first I was concerned that this attraction would be a little to similar to Midway Mania. But you’ve done so much to make it different that I think only theme park nerds on a dedicated forum would really notice. 😉
Rickshaws are a really unique choice for ride vehicle! Overall the ride sounds like an absolute blast and would lend itself well to multiple rides by visitors wanting to see everything. And again, the backstory. Love it! Very nice job!

Soaring Dragons Coaster is everything I want. An approachable and fun thrill suited for all ages and tolerance levels, bolstered by immaculate theming. I would definitely take multiple trips on this ride during a day at DCA!

March of the Animals is an excellent example of how to use something extremely simple to significantly plus a land. At its core it’s just a simple off the shelf flat ride, but the storytelling elements involved elevate it beyond that.

Not sure if you’re sucking up to the hostess with the Shang Chi stage show. But it’s working! Everyone who has been on a team with me before knows how massive a place Marvel has in my heart. This is a fantastic addition to this land and I’m so glad you included it! Bonus points for utilizing the WoC viewing area for it. I love when locations have multiple uses like that.

Cast members leading Tai Chi demos and inviting guests to participate feels so World Showcase to me and I love it! Another excellent example of world building!

Splendid dining and retail choices. This is how you fill out a land and make it a full experience.

This is a very strong project! Chinatown just makes perfect sense in DCA. And I really appreciate that it’s mostly rooted in authenticity with only minor IP inclusions where necessary. But even those feel authentic and genuine.

And we got another adorable mascot out of it! 💜

Great job!

TEAM C

Team C was slower to get out of the gate than the other two teams. But what they ended up with is a very ambitious proposal with many unique elements. There is a lot to like here.

San Francisco makes perfect sense for a land in DCA. The fact that it hasn’t seen more representation already is kind of baffling to me.

Inside Out gardens is exactly the kind of thing I love in parks real and fictional! Taking a successful Pixar franchise and extrapolating it into an abstract walk through attraction is no easy task, but the characters of Inside Out lend themselves to this perfectly! Oh! And I can get a custom pizza?! (Pineapple and mild peppers please!)
Very nice job!

Clearly Chinatown was a popular choice! Nice to see the contrast here where one team went all out with the idea whereas in this case it’s used to bolster a wider story. Both are effective.

I really appreciate how much of this proposal consists of environmental and atmospheric theming. The scenery and dining are almost headliner features on their own. Embracing this strategy in a park that is already kind of light on rides might be a risky proposition, but in a vacuum I truly dig it.


Fireworks Factory is a cool addition. I’d probably ride it once. I get dizzy. But I’m sure this would be a very popular addition to the park! It’s amazing how taking a simple coaster and placing it indoors just makes the ride an order of magnitude stronger.

Let’s talk about 1906. This is a very bold choice to me. For one you definitely get realism points for deciding to simply repurpose the existing Little Mermaid attraction, track and all, to tell the earthquake story. But I think a different ride system may have lent itself better to the attraction. I think I might be concerned about how locals would receive it. But I give you major kudos for having the guts to try it! This is definitely the most unexpected addition to this entire prompt, and that’s definitely worth something to me.

Yes this project is missing a few things but it’s honestly a strong effort, especially considering the inactivity issues. I really hope to see this team blossom in the second round.

Great job teams!!
You all did an outstanding job!!
I don’t envy the hosts!!


…..DAMN!
 

Tegan pilots a chicken

Sharpie Queen 💜
Premium Member
RESULTS

Team C

The riskiest project of the three. If pushed a little further this could definitely have won. There is a lot of creativity on this team and I am really looking forward to what they do for the rest of the game. Especially in the next prompt.

Team A

This was close! I think your mild hesitance to fully commit to a concept early was likely the difference maker. The longer this prompt went on the stronger this team got! Fantastic brainstorming all around! Really looking forward to what else they create!

Team B

Settling on an idea early allowed them to complete this project efficiently and purposefully. That doesn’t mean deciding on a topic/theme immediately is the automatic key to success. But in this case I think that was what put Chinatown over the top. This team has also really gelled in the brainstorming, and I’m very excited about what they do going forward!
 

DisneyFan32

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
Yes
Let’s discuss your team names,…

THEY’RE HORRIBLE!!!

So unimaginative and lacking any identity or personality!! Yuck!!

So! We’re gonna change that right now!

But here’s the thing,…
You’ve already chosen your team names
How about I'm calling my team, Team California Dreamin'. Get it?:cool: Y'know, @Tegan pilots a chicken we shall do Disney-MGM Studios Sunset Blvd expansion next for 1990s era.
 

Tegan pilots a chicken

Sharpie Queen 💜
Premium Member
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--The Set Up--

Recently a group of "eccentric" characters were added to the Spark Squad!

Also, you may have noticed that your team names are a bit... uninspired. They almost seem like boring placeholders or after thoughts! Maybe it is time we changed that. Or rather, time YOU changed that!

--The Challenge--

Imagineers, your challenge has two parts:

First, now that you have all chosen a Spark Squad member to accompany us on our journey, that teammate will now be your team's mascot!

As selected by YOU! The teams,…

Team A Ron Swanson!
Team B Sasha Banks!
Team C Wario!

Now, you must design a ride for any theme park inspired by your team mascot!
Although we recommend not biting off more than you can chew too early in the game (Sometimes less is more), feel free to let your imaginations run CRAZY!!

Second, you must come up with a Team Name and design yourself a Logo! You can have that be related to the mascot or it can be entirely unrelated!



images


--A Note on Judging--

This should go without saying, but just to be clear: your team name and logo won't factor into judging/winners for this Scene. But a nice logo might give you a nice bonus!

This is our last "warm up" scene. So, feel free to try something different and just have fun with this scene! The skills, chemistry, and comradery you build in these early scenes will help immensely during the more serious prompts later on! So, for now worry less about realism and our judging and focus more about seeing how your skills can blend together to make something amazing!

Annnnnnnd,…. We have another new addition to the cast! Please welcome @NateD1226 to the soon-to-be-formerly-known-as Team C!

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Alright, Teams. Have fun! Go Create! Dream Big!

This project is due on
Friday January 28th at
11:59 PM WDW Time
 

DisneyManOne

Well-Known Member
Team B Guest Review: Chinatown

Team B, I think you've struck gold with this concept. I'm honestly surprised that Disney never considered doing a full-blown Chinatown for DCA before, especially given that they still do Lunar New Year events every year, and have been since 2004, I believe. This concept of yours has just proven that Chinatown at DCA absolutely needs -- nay, deserves -- to be a real thing.

I appreciate your decision to do an original character for your mascot, instead of an IP. Given the circumstances, it would be so easy for Mushu to be the mascot (Scales even resembles him slightly!), but Scales seems to be a worthy successor. Also, I really dig the location of your rides. You have a dark ride replacing a roller-coaster, and a roller-coaster replacing a dark ride. The sheer detail and Blue-Sky-ness of this project prevented you from going down the cheap route, and that is something I applaud.

Chimera Manor was incredible. I love the blend of Mystic Manor and Ride and Go Seek; I love the idea of playing with these animals; I love the idea of absolutely everything about it. Plus, the possibilities for merchandising stuffed toys of all those little critters would mean big bucks for the company. I can easily see the likes of Chapek and D'Amaro green-lighting this area just for that and that alone. As for Soaring Dragons, the ride system you designed for it alone earns this portion high marks from me. The idea of having a coaster that looks like it's actually flying is absolutely incredible, and would be an absolute delight to experience, whether you ride it or not. It would bring so much kinetic energy over to that side of the park; and like you said, the sheer visual of it would be breathtaking! And March of the Animals was a clever twist on yet another spinny thing added to that side of the park. However, part of me can't hear the name "March of the Animals" without thinking about this bizarre procession that entranced (and slightly unnerved) my young childhood mind...

For the entertainment side of things, I was fully expecting you guys to do something with Mulan, but Shang-Chi was a refreshing change of pace. It definitely makes sense to include him, given that Avengers Campus is naught but a stone's throw away. The Tai Chi and dragon dances were also quite pleasant, in my opinion, and definitely help breathe life into the area.

I admit, I am not too keen on the name of the Get Sum restaurant. If anything, it frankly sounds like the sheer myriad of puns that plagued location names in DCA 1.0. But the concept itself is rather nice, and the idea of having dim sum is really mouthwatering. As a hardcore Disney fan, I love the fact that you went back to the early days of Imagineering to revive the Confucius Tea House, naturally updating it for a new generation. The concept is incredible, the detail is incredible, and I really dig the idea of having the dishes named after Confucius' sayings. Very clever! And the bakery was another nice touch, as well. Those pictures of the Chinese baked goods made me so hungry! And the shop being themed around the Zodiac was really clever. However, I do imagine a whole bunch of those really tacky social media influencers that will gladly pose with their respective Zodiac stuffed toys. Oh well.

Excellent work, Team B -- er, should I say, Team Wario -- and I look forward to seeing what else you have up your sleeve this season!
 

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