One Little Spark Competition (Sponsored by Stealing Things)

[AceAstro]

Team Orange
Presents...

San Francisco
​

 

[Disneylover152]

TEAM PURPLE PRESENTS:
THE HAUNTED HARBOR

Encounter the Haunted Harbor​

 

[Pi on my Cake]

Great job teams! Reviews will be up as soon as I can get them! The next prompt, another individual round, will be posted right away!​

 

[Pi on my Cake]

--The Set Up--

Obviously, a competition themed to Dreamfinder and Figment, a round based in the Imagination Pavilion was inevitable. Though, there was a period of time where neither Dreamfinder nor Figment was able to be found in their home under the glass pyramids.

Journey into YOUR Imagination did away with the character of Dreamfinder entirely and only featured Figment in small cameos. It was a dark time in Disney history. Perhaps we can make that dark time a little brighter with just one little spark of light.

Kodak, who was the sponsor of the attraction at the time, wanted the pavilion as a whole to be hipper and cooler. This started five years earlier with the replacement of Captain EO with Honey, I Shrunk the Audience in November of 1994.

The biggest change that came from Kodak's desires was the complete redo of Journey into Imagination. The ride was shortened, but was mostly the same track. Everything else was changed. Including the removal of Dreamfinder and Figment. The rides new story was made to tie into Honey, I Shrunk the Audience and turned the Imagination Pavilion into the Imagination Institute. All with a rather low budget.

The new version of the ride, Journey into YOUR Imagination, was so hated that it was closed down on October 8th, 2001 (Meaning it still stayed open over twice as long as Superstar Limo did).

Disney realized that the removal of Figment and the new version of the ride was a mistake. A new new version of the attraction was then built as quickly and as cheaply as they could and that new new version is the one that currently stands.

Journey into YOUR Imagination was a disaster. It revealed the biggest problem with the sponsorship system EPCOT was originally built around. While there is definitely more to the story than my simplified version I wrote here, it all boils down to Kodak mandating a hipper version without Dreamfinder and Figment.

The interesting question I find myself asking when I think about this story is, "Could it have worked?" Could the imagineers have taken Kodak's requests and made it work? Let's find out!

--The Challenge--

Imagineers, this is your challenge.

You must each create your own pitch for Version 2 of the Imagination Pavilion following Kodak's requests (No Figment or Dreamfinder beyond cameos) and completed in 1999

This will include replacements for both Captain EO and Journey into Imagination.

In real life, the Imagineers were given a rather small budget. For the sake of a fun round, you guys will have whatever budget you would like as long as it is not too extreme. Stay somewhat reasonable, but have a little fun with it. And feel free to demolish, combine, or change things as you see fit, again, within reason.

This Scene is due Wednesday, 11/07 at
11:59 PM WDW Time (8:59 Disneyland Time)

You have 6 days to complete this project.


--One for All: Individual Based Project--

This Scene will be a One for All: Individual Based Project. There will be this one prompt that all players will have to submit their own individual projects for. Team brainstorming threads will still be sent out for this round and players are encouraged to help each other and brainstorm and talk about the project with their team!

Remember!

If someone on your team does not submit, it won't affect the team score.

If you do not submit. You may be eliminated.

--Final Eilimation Round--

At the end of this round, there will be eliminations leading to our Final Five that will go on to play in Act 4 (Semifinals) and Act 5 (Finals).

@PerGronStudio won immunity for taking first place in Scene 6. As such, as long as he submits anything for this round, even just a single sentence, he will not be eliminated.

2 Spots in the finals will be chosen based on the season so far and their activity throughout.

2 Spots in the finals will be chosen based solely on this project. The best two projects of this scene will move on.

Everyone else other than those 5 people...

It was a pleasure hosting this competiiton for you and I hope you had a great time. I look forward to seeing what you do in the future.

But this scene will be the final scene for everyone but those five people.

So, be sure to make it count.

Alright, teams. Have fun! Go Create! Dream Big!​

 

[spacemt354]

space's Reviews
(I'll just be going stream of consciousness on these)

Team Orange - San Francisco
A nitpick off the bat if this is the original DCA, wouldn't there be a Golden Gate Bridge as the entrance bridge to the park? What would happen with that if there is a San Francisco area in the south east corner?

Nice map - like the design and layout

Phase I: Napa Valley
I like the concept of adding more naturalistic elements to the park - makes it feel more like a Disney park and compliments the Grand Californian much better. The hot air balloon ride over the vineyards actually sounds amazing but would Soarin' again be a duplicate of this concept? Didn't the original have hot air balloons and vineyards?

1906: The Ride - eek, reliving a natural disaster as an attraction probably wouldn't be my go to option. I'm sorry, I'm just not feeling this one as a concept. With contemporary comparisons imagine Hurricane Katrina: The Ride - I'm not sure the reception would be good to that. I get that this is over 100+ years ago and not many people would have actually been affected by it, it just feels weird to me to base a disaster ride on an actual event.

Rather - I feel like you should have created a custom backstory, like Tower of Terror. Perhaps inspired by past earthquakes, but with a more Disney-fied atmosphere. This is all about making the park more 'Disney' like correct? Alien Encounter probably isn't the best inspiration for something of wide-Disney appeal, I would have gone with something more kid-friendly.

Chinatown - I really like the Mulan inclusions! I like it when you can combine history with appropriate IPs, and this is a nice way of including a modern IP (at the time) in a new park to make it feel more like 'Disney' the rest of the land is also designed very well - I also like the subtle price tag to the restaurant.

Phase II
Ok, Flynn's Arcade, subtle Tron, but this is before Tron: Legacy and the only Tron in the parks was that weirdo Tron tunnel on the Disneyland peoplemover - so I'm not sure how well Tron would be received here. Though you sold me at Ghirardelli lol

Escape from Alcatraz
Overall I like the coaster as an equivalent to BTMR - I really think BTMR is the perfect combo of family fun and thrill. Something everyone can go on but still packs a punch. 60 foot drop would probably put it at the biggest drop in DL so there's that as well - I'd wager that's a bit more intense than Thunder but overall it feels like a similar vibe. And RCT3 in any capacity always makes me happy

In the end, while there were some solid components to the project such as the coaster and Chinatown - I really wasn't sold on the passion behind this. It felt like, we gotta do something, let's do San Fran. There wasn't even a clever name to the land, it was just the name of a city. However, in a way I do understand it because for folks who have played in several comps over the last few months/years, there have been several DCA time-travel challenges that you've participated in. That being said I think this one was unique enough to separate from the bunch. A solid effort nonetheless though, I just know the talent on this team is capable of more.

Team Purple - Haunted Harbor
Nice Logo off the bat! Really enjoy the intro as well, it sets the stage nicely.

Good lorde the backstory to The Hotel California is fantastic. Seriously, @PerGronStudio you outdid yourself with this one - two thumbs way up, from the preamble to setting the stage with the queue, to even the eagles references, a great all around attraction. Even a pic from the Shining to boot.

The Queen Mary attraction I'm not as much of a fan of because I feel like this is falling into the trap of the original DCA 1.0 - just take already existing California items and put it in the park, with the actual Queen Mary less than an hour away in Long Beach, why would guests go on the Queen Mary attraction when they could see the actual Queen Mary during their trip? The attraction is nice I just think it's a bit redundant. Take me to places I can't experience in a trip to Cali!

I might be wrong, but didn't PotC come out in 2003? Isn't this land supposed to be completed in 2002? At this point we don't even know if the movie will be successful, so I'm skeptical about including this in the plan. If you had to include it - I would have added it as an amendment or Phase II expansion. Or you could have inserted any other character into Jack's role and it would have not been much of a different experience, imo.

Alcatraz tours go well with the haunted theme- which brings me to my point I keep making - where is the map? It doesn't take long to make, I feel like a broken record with this, but imma keep saying it because trust me it helps the reader so much and will improve your projects as a whole going forward. This is an amazing concept and design - especially with the more haunted elements - I would like to see a visual reference so that when you say it's to the left or right of something, I can as a reader go back to the map and check where it is you're referring to.

Entertainment and Restaurants are a delight - like the menu as well.

Overall, I actually think this is one of Purple's best projects to date, sans the few issues I had with it. Still can't get over the Hotel California backstory - great work.

 

[Pi on my Cake]

Team Orange
Presents...

San Francisco
​

Team Orange Review

You guys did a wonderful job staying true to the original vision of California Adventure and expanding on it in new and creative ways. The integration IPs seemed very natural and clever as well. Just enough to make the park feel a bit more Disney, but done in a way that it didn't over shadow the loftier goals of the park. Probably some of the best IP integration in that park if I'm honest.
​

• The presentation was simple, yet effective. With its ease as a group tool and lack of photo limits, Google Docs like this has kind of become the standard over forum posts. Nothing fancy, but it does its job. Sometimes a presentation being too fancy can start to distract and detract from the project. Sometimes simple is nice.
• That being said, this project had some easy to fix formatting issues. You switch between font sizes, and alignments multiple times. It is especially noticeable because it happens right up front. You start center aligned, small font. ThenNapa Valley has center aligned, large font. Then 1906 is back to center aligned, small font. Then Chinatown is all left aligned (no indents), small font. Then everything after is center aligned, small font. These are small issues, but very easily fixed and noticed. And they stand out more here because of the five changes right at the front.
• I'm not crazy about just calling this new area San Francisco. Every other land has a unique name. Even the Hollywood sections is the "Hollywood Pictures Backlot." This name just kinda feels like a placeholder. But names are not the most important thing, so it is not really a big deal.
• I adore the Napa Valley Expansion. Nice, simple, atmospheric. It feels very quiet and calm, yet with the ride and the movie previews, very fun still. I do worry that the flat right may be a bit too generic feeling (Especially considering you changed the uniquely named attraction to just be named after a famous location). But overall this sounds like a nice plussing of an area that was already there.
• 1906 sounds absolutely amazing! A visual spectacle. Intense. Exciting. Utilising a rarely used style of attraction. I have no complaints at all with the experrience itself. Well done!
• That being said, it also sounds very similar to Earthquake at Universal. Which at the time could be experienced on the tram tour in Hollywood or as a stand alone experience in Orlando. You do a lot to make your's a unique experience, but it is still very similar. Plus, the one at Universal is family friendly, your's is not. And family friendly rides was supposed to be a part of this expansions goals. That being said, if the Universal version didn't exist, I'd really have no issues with it.
• Chinatown feels like it would become a very distinct and memorable little section of disney. You do a PHENOMENAL job setting up and establish the atmosphere and the feel of the land. A very important step that is often overlooked. The map of the miniland is very helpful too. All the maps you guys have are great. the visuals across the board this round are fantastic.
• The playground is a nice touch.
• You didn't actually say what Dance of the Dragons is. Just that it is a kiddie flat ride. Which is surprising that such a key detail was left out when the rest of the Chinatown area is described so beautifully.
• The shops and restaurants are fantastic. The museum is a great touch that feels very Epcoty in a very good way.
• The fireworks factory shooting gallery is such a fun idea! I almost wish this was turned into a full ride. But just a shooting gallery is still great. And I love the collectible rewards.
• The Mushu and Mulan rides are both reall great! I especially love the Mushu spinner. It would look really great visually I think.
• I also think it is a nice touch to have the two Mulan themed experinces kind of tucked to the side. Not out of the way to the point where they'd be inaccessible or inconvenient. But enough that the fantasy China doesn't clash with the relistic Chinatown. It is a little touch that helps blend the real and the cartoon in a very natural way.
• The "World Showcase" food options is a really clever idea. I'd worry they'd clash with each other being that close and squished together, but if it was pulled off it would be a really fun and unique dining/shopping area.
• Splitting into 2 phases definitely gets you some realism points. Especially with how well thought out the split was. It felt intentional and planned rather than a quick decision.
• Flynn's Arcade is perfect. Especially since this was around when Disneyw as starting to bring Tron back out of the vault to test the waters for the sequel. A nice, subtle IP addition that blends smoothly with the land and is used in a good way.
• Nothing to say about Ghiradelli. Other than that their chocolate is overrated.
• I don't have much to say about Escape from Alcatraz beyond how much I love it! A few times where effects maybe felt more over the top than realistically possible. But overall a great, unique ride. Loved the inspiration from Paris's Thunder Mountain. That was clever.
• The Rollercoaster Tycoon visuals are always a nice addition.

Summing it all up, a very strong proposal with most issues being minor issues. The main problem is that this doesn't feel super distinct. Most of it feels somewhat generic and lackluster (With Chinatown and Alcatraz being the most stand out parts that suffer from this the least, but even they aren't exempt).

It feels like something is missing. Maybe a more exciting presentation style. Maybe more of an original story throughout the land. Maybe some original character hosts. Maybe something as simple as giving things unique names instead of naming them after whatever real place or historical event inspired them. Something to make it feel more unique and distinct rather than a walk through history lessons and recreations of real places.

Overall, a really great job with very few complaints. Just felt very basic throughout.

​

 

[Pi on my Cake]

TEAM PURPLE PRESENTS:
THE HAUNTED HARBOR

Encounter the Haunted Harbor​

Team Purple Review

Perhaps a bit too much "grim" and not enough "grinning" with your ghosts. But overall so really fantastically well don attractions and a great land with a wonderful and inviting backstory. Just maybe a bit too dark in a bit too many areas.
​

• The logo and the introduction are both top notch right off the bat.
• It is a little touch, but choosing a unique font and changing the font color for the presentation helps give it a bit more of a unique flair.
• Starting with the Hotel California was a smart move as it is probably the strongest part of the project (and one of the strongest rides of the competition).
• Tying the ride to the Eagle's song was an odd choice, but one that definitely works. Especially with this era of Disney. It seems very much like something they would have done and adds a lot of neat subtle elements to the ride without taking it over.
• Absolutely adored the backstory and how well written it was. @PerGronStudio, you really have a way with writing and creating and taking us on a journey with your writing!
• The ride itself is a great update to Tower of terror and does a great job tying the whole land together.
• My only issues is that the scenes were maybe a bit much at times. Especially since I was unclear if it was supposed to be screens or figures. A bit more info on how the scenes would actually be done (primarily on the final with the beast) would have been nice.
• Small issues aside, this was a fantastic attraction.
• Tales of the Queen Mary sounds like a great, very dark, scary dark ride. And a simple dark ride like this is a great thought for an addition.
• That being said, my main issue with Queen Mary and the Alcatraz tours is that they both are just too scary. Like, the way they are written makes them seem at least Alien Encounter level intense if not more. The problem with the park was not enough to do for families and kids. You build these two attractions that are the type kids can ride and enjoy. Then you make them too scary for kids to ride. They seem like both great attractions with well written write ups. But they're just too dark for the park at that time.
• Fort: Laguna was a really interesting and unique concept. This would have been an absolutely state of the art attraction, perhaps pushing the boundaries of realism a bit i that regard. A great mix of rides that would be a huge hit.
• I'm not sure why Jack Sparrow is here. The rest of the land is a run down vacation spot by the beach in California in the mid 1900s. That is neither the correct region of the world nor the correct era for Jack Sparrow. The ride also does not really fit the "haunted" or "scary" theme. It just doesn't seem to fit here.
• Though the idea of Captain Laguna tying to California through the fort inspired by a real life one is a nice way to integrate pirates, I just don't see why Jack is here.
• Plus, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that thisland is being built in 2004 when Tower of Terror was built in DCA in real life and thus after the first Pirate of the Caribbean movie. But a note about the timeline would have been nice.
• Overall, this pirate ride is a really fantastic attraction and I don't really have anything at all bad to say about the attraction it self. It is ambitious and creative while still being realistic. I just don't see how it fits into the land at all, much less the park. It would have been stronger without Jack Sparrow and maybe just having Captain Laguna as a ghost pirate. sure ghost pirates may be redundant with the original pirates ride in Disneyland across the street, but any pirate themed boat ride will be.
• Tom and Jerry Tom and Jimmy are absolutely delightful streetmosphere. This is the whole family experience that blends scares with light hearted moments I was hoping for with the Queen Mary ride. I can easily see these two becoming incredibly famous with a devoted fan base in the Disney fan community. Maybe even the west coast's equivalent to the Adventurer's Club in terms of fan base.
• Mickey's Spook Squad would make an excellent show. Seems like a great, distinct addition that is, again, good for the whole family. Plus, this use of IP feels a lot more natural than Jack Sparrow. Not too much to say about this other than that I like it.
• Something I have made the mistake of in projects myself in the past too. Dividing by category (rides, than shows, than shops/dining) is a risky thing. It can make your project feel disjointed. It is often better to put things that connect to each other spatially together in the write up. Like the rooftop restaurant coming right after the Hotel California. In this particular project, it didn't really turn out bad, but I have seen other projects where dividing them by category like this has made everything feel really disjointed.
• I love the rooftop restaurant. The Shining and Eagles references are great. Really help establish an atmosphere and an added fun element without ever taking over or feeling cheesey.
• The idea of the restaurant not actually being on the roof was very good and gets you some big realism points.
• I almost missed that the menu was a link. Make sure that is clear because i was very close to missing the menu entirely.
• The menu itself seems like a great, realistic selection. and the "about us" section was fantastic. Everything concerning Hotel California is just top notch.
• The store is another cleverly done bit of writing. I loved how it tied everything together. It really helped make this feel like a complete project rather than a disjointed group of parts. Well done.

Overall, this was a great project with some truely standout rides. My main issues was this being a bit too dark at times and Jack Sparrow feeling very shoe horned in. But every part was very well written and brimming with personality! There's enough ambitious and clever ideas at play to make up for the lower points. And a great story that ties it all together.​

 

[Pi on my Cake]

I know I say this every time, but it really is true every time. This was an incredibly close round. Team Orange was overall a lot more solid with less low points, but it lacked a solid identity. Team Purple had a very solid identity and some incredible high points, but did it do enough for families and were the low points a bit too low? It was a very tough decision.
But the winning team is...

Team Purple!

The award for winning this round will be another secret one! But it is not another Meme Bomb or Fun Fact Flashbang type thing. It actually won't come into play with Scene 8 at all. It will have mysterious effects on Scene 9 though.
​

 

[mickeyfan5534]

Team Orange
San Francisco was always the glaring omission of DCA 1.0. I love that you had the nerve to make the Napa area have a spinner for kids. Moving on to the nitty gritty, 1906. Yes. Absolutely. An earthquake ride is such a good idea. And making it a lighter version of Alien Encounter is such a smart move in my mind. And Chinatown! Another glaring omission from DCA 1.0. You pulled it off brilliantly. Other than the Mulan ride. Storywise, I'm confused about how 14th century Mulan came to modern Chinatown. But other than that, Phase I is an achievement.

Onto Phase 2!
The Tron series has always been an interesting enough world to fit in with the Disney Parks and I love seeing Flynn's Arcade. That said, that brings us to three arcades in the same general area. It would have been better to cut one of the arcades in Phase I. Now Escape from Alcatraz. Here's where you got me. I like this. I LOVE this. But overall, it seems like it's missing a certain something. Kudos for the RCT3 though. We stan RCT3 on this forum.

Team Purple
Congrats on the win. You know what? Space got everything I had in mind. Listen to Space. A little less "Grim" and a lot more "grinning" So to elaborate, make a guest laugh after you scare them instead of scream bloody murder. Look at the Haunted Mansion. Look at the Tower of Terror. There's an element of fun to the spooks. Disneyland Paris did a genuinely terrifying scare zone at the Halloween Soirée this year and it did... not go over well with the fandom. It's all about tone.

 

[PerGron]

I'm beyond glad everyone enjoyed the Hotel California write up, probably one of my favorite attractions I've done so far (maybe second only to the Sonny Eclipse Show)

 

[TheOriginalTiki]

 

[TwilightZone]

Team Purple
Journey into the Subconscious

 

[AceAstro]

Where in EPCOT is Carmen Sandiego?

In the 1990’s, everyone was asking the same thing: “Will Y2K be the end of the world? Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?” Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego was a famous video game/ tv show/ book series/ more that was seen by many through the years. Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego started as a game but quickly became a show in the 1990’s when National Geographic learned that many Americans didn’t know basic Geography. While the show was fun, it was also educational - known as “Edutainment”. And what was the biggest example of Edutainment? None other than EPCOT itself. This connection felt perfect for Kodak wanting a “hipper” and “cooler” attraction and nobody was cooler than Carmen Sandiego.

The Journey Into Imagination attraction becomes “Where in the Imagination is Carmen Sandiego”. ImageWorks will keep the same name while getting new layovers. Captain EO will be replaced with a new IP EPCOT-based film.

Where in the Imagination is Carmen Sandiego?
Attraction

Carmen Sandiego and her Crooks are well known for stealing many things in the past (The Tony’s, the Mona Lisa, The Matterhorn, and more). But they haven’t stolen anything worse than what they just stole now - your imagination! You and your fellow gumshoes must first find the crook that helped Carmen to then make your way to catch Carmen herself.

Briefing

Guests enter the briefing room to see the Chief come up on the screen. Chief explains the situation:

“Gumshoes. Carmen Sandiego’s pack of pestiferous picaroons has struck again. They’ve burglarized above your very eyes - your imagination! The dastardly duo known has Double Trouble have taken your imagination right before your very eyes.

Gumshoes. You’ve got to derail Double Trouble, re-capture your imagination, and then capture Carmen Sandiego! The loot is gone, and the chase is on!”

With that, the vehicles move on to the next room.

Here, the guests will have to figure out where exactly Double Trouble have taken your imagination. Guests pull into a horseshoe-like shape and look at a map of the US (same spot as the eye exam on the current attraction). Here we see an Audio-Animatronic version of the host of the show, Greg Lee, give the guests a few clues on where Double Trouble might be.

“Alright Gumshoes, here are your clues: They went to a theme park located in Florida, the main icon of the park is Spaceship Earth, and you are currently in that park now. Which park did they go to?

That’s right! They are in EPCOT. Let’s move on ahead to see if we can catch up to them and get your imagination back!”

As the vehicles move on forward mirrors are laid throughout the room that occasionally project Double Trouble and/ or park landmarks to make it look like guests are getting closer and closer to the crooks within the park.

Upon entering the new scene the guests see Double Trouble (AA’s) behind bars. As the guests are pulling up, Double Trouble starts talking:

“We are doing the jailhouse rock, but it just isn’t the same without Carmen Sandiego. You’ll find her in your imagination - that’s why we stole it!”

With that, guests move around the corner but first run into a little cameo that may be a clue that they truly do have their imagination back...



Now it is time for the guests to find Carmen Sandiego herself. As the guests come around the corner they can see another AA of Greg Lee this time standing with a TV (instead of a map like earlier).

Here, the Chief comes back on the tv and lets guests know how they can find Carmen: “Alright Gumshoes. We now know where Carmen Sandiego is, we just know have to get to her…

That’s it! Rockapella! It’s time for The Chase!”

With that, Rockapella can be heard overhead stating that it was time for THE CHASE.



In the show, it was seen where Greg Lee chased a Rockapella member around the studio audience. But in that studio audience, was theming of the different continents. That minor scene gets expanded on here with a brand new chase scene where gusts race through all 7 continents before reaching the end goal: a bright purple and orange room know as “Your Imagination”. Here you can see a Carmen Sandiego AA hiding behind a set of lower hanging clouds. Overhead guests can hear “We got her!” before being transitioned into the finale room.

Finale

Here, we come across one final set of screens, again, we see the Chief for one last time. The Chief explains how they did, in fact, catch Carmen Sandiego and they couldn’t have done it without you. She then goes on to say, “But she’s not all we caught” and much like the current version, the screens all drop down to reveal all the famous crooks from Carmen Sandiego’s crew locked behind bars!

Upon unloading, guests enter ImageWorks: The Kodak Crooks Lab. That’s right, now that all the crooks have been captured guests are free to explore the crooks laboratory. Here, the various map challenges from the gameshow can be found on the floor where the contestant has 45 seconds to place a marker on 8 countries in a continent.

And what is the reward for completing this challenge? The ultimate goal of going into Carmen Sandiego’s secret hideout, the former upstairs Imageworks. While a majority of it will remain unchanged, minor changes will be seen to Dreamfinder’s School of Drama and Figment’s Coloring Books.

Dreamfinder’s School of Drama becomes just the School of Drama and instead of the Wild West scene, guests can now act out what it would be like to be on the Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego show. Figment’s Coloring Books is demolished in favour of a Carmen Sandiego Meet & Greet (only when she’s on good behaviour).

Beanie Babies EPCOT Adventures
Captain EO replacement

What was another big thing of the 90’s? Beanie Babies

They were everywhere! And that is why the Captain EO replacement will be centred around the Princess Bear (a special tribute to Princess Diane) and it’s day through EPCOT.

Follow Princess Bear as she goes on the new Carmen Sandiego attraction, or Test Track, or Food Rocks, and so on and get to experience the life of a theme park goer through the life of a beanie baby.

And with that, Kodak updates the pavilion to have a fresher look while still keeping a familiar theme of imagination.

2006 Update

In 2006, we saw the introduction of the Living Characters Initiative and that gave us the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure. However, instead of Kim Possible, this adventure will now play around Carmen Sandiego's Crooks with each main crook taking a different country in the World Showcase.​

 

[Evilgidgit]

This is a bit of a long read!

Journey Into Your Imagination: Visage of Dreams

The year is 1999, and in an alternate reality where Disneyland Paris was a financial success, Project Gemini was initialised at Epcot. Though perhaps not exactly as planned by Imagineering, this version of Gemini successfully revived Walt Disney World’s second gate, but did not sacrifice the tone and life of the park for quick band aids. Spaceship Earth remains the same, Horizons is still there, Test Track is a fresh new attraction, The Land has gained Soarin’, while The Living Seas has gained a new attraction exploring the unknown beneath the waves, and the possibility of how mankind could thrive underwater.

And in the northern-east of Future World sits the magnificent glass pyramids and jumping fountains of the Imagination Pavilion, which has undergone some changes, and now sports the new enchanting attraction dubbed Journey Into Your Imagination: Visage of Dreams.

The Attraction
Though the Dreamfinder and Figment have flown away into the aether, the ride was not stripped of imagination in this reality (nor did Paul Pressler get put in charge of the theme parks, but that’s wishful thinking). Journey Into Your Imagination brings a new menagerie of phantasmagoria to the Imagination Pavilion, one which will hopefully live up to the legacy of the beloved attraction.

First off, the new attraction does have its track cut in half, and remains twelve minutes. The ImageWorks are still on the first floor, but have undergone renovations. Captain EO has also been replaced with a new theatre show. But, first, let’s go on a magic journey into the new version of Journey Into Your Imagination!

While Journey Into Imagination explored how the arts, literature, theatre, and science could trigger the imagination, its successor dives into a sensory realm where the imagination is sparked through the five senses – Sound, Smell, Sight, Taste, and Touch.

The attraction’s layout is the same, complete with that wonderful turntable. The loading bay is painted with mesmerising colours, like a permanent sunset met an aurora, and they sneezed out a rainbow. The walls are painted with several murals, depicting imaginative and spectacular murals – a view of the galaxy with planets and comets, an underwater landscape that appears to look alien, a fairytale forest, a desert where the sand is made up of many different shades, wintery mountains, etc. There are also quotes across the foyer, with quotes about imagination, creativity, and the mind, including some from Walt Disney, and other Imagineering legends.



The loading bay itself is painted with a mural that stretches from beginning to end, beginning with sunrise, slowly going through the cloudy day, to the sunset, and then a clear night with a full moon. Silhouetted on the moon is the Dreamfinder aboard his aircraft. But, this won’t be the only time we see him in the attraction.

Guests file through the queue line, and if they listen, they will here the melodious but familiar tune of “One Little Spark”. The loading bay’s soundtrack mixes various Disney and Epcot tunes including One Little Spark, the theme to Magic Journeys, “Tomorrow’s Child”, “If You Can Dream It”, amongst others. The ride vehicles are painted now painted individually within seven colours of the rainbow – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Each one has a star pattern on it, painted a different colour. Four vehicles set out at a time into the ride. And on we go into the pantheon of thoughts and ideas.

Leaving the loading bay, the Dreambuggies fly through the Star Map, a chamber decorated with glowing constellations. Before our eyes, each one spontaneously shimmers and shines, showing the spirit of the constellation (e.g. the Ursa Minor appears as a bear cub and lets out a call, to which its mother, the Ursa Major responds too). Hidden in the constellations are a couple of easter eggs, like a Hidden Mickey, and one constellation transforms into a familiar purple dragon, who winks as guests pass by. One Little Spark can be heard in a celestial, synthesized tune.

Then, we hear someone humming and soon singing the theme song, but it isn’t the Dreamfinder, but the smooth, angelic voice of someone new. Someone female.

We enter the circular turntable, dubbed Flights of Fantasy. The singing of “la-la-la-laa” soon turns into the chorus of One Little Spark. To the right, we pass by a permanent sunset, through an outline of black misty clouds, and we see the silhouette of an avian creature flying by. Facing the turntable’s right wall, guests behold the sunset, and are introduced to one of the attraction’s two new hosts.

A beautiful if peculiar creature resembling a mix between a flying unicorn and a hippogriff bursts through the clouds. She is majestic yet bubbly, like she jumped off a water colour painting or the side of an ornate merry-go-round. The back half of her body is covered in dark night sky feathers, and puffy clouds, with the back legs of a horse and the front legs of an eagle, coloured gold and silver. Her magnificent feathered wings are lined with gold tips, and change to the colours of an autumn sunset. Her flowing mane is a mix of teal, viridian, and mint, blowing in an unseen breeze, as is her tail. She has the head of a horse, but is beaked, and has a long twisting horn come out of her forehead. She flies with grace, but gallops playfully in the air. This is Mimsiemina or just Mimsi for short, a creation of Dreamfinder, helping in searching the universe for wonders that spark the imagination.

(Character reference/visual representation for Mimsi. Not actual artwork of my character. Art from https://pre00.deviantart.net/5b23/t...er_hippogriff_by_taiga_blackfield-dbrhhz9.png)

Mimsi notices she is not along and looks sideways at the guests as we follow her around the turntable. An enormous butterfly, made of pastel colours flies by her in the opposite direction. Various other oddities fly past, Mimsi eyeing them as they fly by.

“What a beautiful butterfly, made from the mind and colours of a great amazing mind. Welcome, welcome, so glad you could join me today! My name is Mimsiemina the Mimsicorn, but most people call me Mimsi. Much easier to say. What am I looking for? Glad you asked! I search the boundless realms to find anything and everything that can spark the imagination. There are no limits to the ideas that can be conjured up by the mind, and it often comes through the five fantastic senses – the sounds heard, the sights seen, the scents smelled, the tastes tried, and the things felt and touched. It is marvellous! But, there are other ways the trigger the imagination, even through fear and dread.”

Just then, the whole sunset vanishes in a flash of thunder, transforming into a stormy, rainy nights. Mimsi looks in brief bewilderment, but still smiles.

“Whoopsie! Sorry about that. Let me just take care of that, for something a little more calming.”

Mimsi works her magic, changing the scenery into a beautiful starry night with a full moon. But, an eagle-eyed glimpse may catch something black and winged fly across the moon just as it changes. A yellow shooting star flies overhead shortly after.

“That’s better. A beautiful starry sky, which brings about all kinds of ideas about what lies beyond our world, past the Moon, and beyond the stars. Oh, look, a shooting star! Fantastic! Quick, everybody make a wish. You know, they say if you wish upon a star, your greatest dreams can come true. Seeing a bright, shining star can really spark the imagination…speaking of which.”

She breaks into song, as the shooting star appears to slow down, releasing a stream of yellow twinkling lights, that grow stronger and stronger. Clustering together to take form, til a golden and pale yellow light rockets off across the sky, heading towards Mimsi and the clouds.

From the night sky; she comes-a sailing,
In a streak of light; never failing.
Eyes so bright, gazing through the dark,
And, there, behold! A curious little Spark!

It is here that we meet the second companion for the attraction. The soul or personification of a shooting star and the wishes that are granted from it. Spark is vulpine, with a long ferret-like body, shining yellow fur with streaks of green and blue further down towards her tail, which has five tips, each with a fluffy quill on the end. Her pointed ears resemble tiny wings, and her large bright eyes are a ghostly pink. Spark, being a shooting star, is quite old and has seen much of the universe, so she is a lot more seasoned and calm, but is still curious and fascinated by everything she sees. Like a more worldly Figment, but still has a bit of that childish delight about her. Spark flies up from the clouds and joins Mimsi, two animatronics 'flying' side-by-side.

Spark: “Evening, Mimsi. Friends of yours? Glad they can admire the cosmos they live in. Not exactly like I can, but they can still behold its wonders. The comforting light of the Moon. The warmth of the Sun. The glittering stars, like a thousand fireflies got stuck in the dark. The planets, the constellations, cosmic dust, meteorites, comets, and swirling galaxies. So much to take in. Isn’t it just spectacular?”

Mimsi: “You’ve got that right, Sparky. But there are so many places to dream about and imagine. Up in the stars, or below the sea, or even landscapes that don’t even exist. Those can could be, or never were, or through the endless figments of our own imaginations. And most of it can be created through the five senses. What do you say, Sparky? Wanna go have a look around for a little inspiration?”

Spark: “Well, alright then. Here we go!”

The duo sing the second chorus of One Little Spark as the Dreambuggies leave the turntable and into the rest of the attraction. We travel through the familiar Dreamport, a whimsical chamber full of colours, shapes, and oddities from the collection of the port – a bouquet of umbrellas, a giant teapot with multiple spouts pouring into floating teacups, a water can sprinkling upwards into a flowerpot. Mimsi and Spark discuss that ideas can come from anywhere, and often through a brainstorm. Mimsi gets the wrong end of the stick, and summons a literal brain storm. Leaving the Dreamport, we travel through a dark circular void where electric blue lightning bolts dance about in the dark – the aforementioned brain storm.

With our sparks ignited, the Dreambuggies travel into one of five realms where the senses are personified. First, we have the Sound Chamber, dedicated to the noises and notes we hear. The room winds through an enormous music hall, with floating chandeliers, forced perspective creating a sea of endless rows of red velvet seats, and drapes hang from unseen racks. Enormous musical instruments of every kind play in perfect harmony. Musical sheets fly about, and decorate every surface, most famous from across the centuries, and even a few Disney songs too. Together, the music plays a spectacular rendition of One Little Spark, changing into a variety of styles from classical, rock, jazz, and blues along the way. Spark stands on a podium above the whole display, conducting the procession.

Musical notes, make songs and dances,
To waltz and leap, through spins and prances.
Blow the horns, and beat those big drums,
For a dandy tune, tap fingers and thumbs.

As we exit, a giant violin case creaks open, and something black, with spindly arms, and glowing yellow eyes stares at us as we pass by…

Onwards to the Scent Chamber, where the nose picks up all kinds of interesting smells to spark the imagination. This chamber consists of a beautiful woodland, with enormous flowers that bloom as the Dreambuggies approach, spraying out familiar scents of roses, violets, lilies, and other plants. The air is filled with smells of pinewood, honey, cookies, mowed grass, vanilla, and other divine scents. All of the trees have faces within their bark, most of delight and peace, but some of disgust due to certain smells.

Around a corner we go, Spark peacefully smells a large sunflower to the right, while Mimsi is drawn to an enormous golden beehive built into the wall, with bees buzzing about it. She comments that a certain bear would love this. Up ahead is a pink elephant resembling and smelling like candy floss, but perched on a small hillock is a rather grumpy looking skunk, wearing a gas mask. A rather unpleasant stench of bad fish and smelly socks fill the air, driving us to head on to the next chamber. But, we do hear Mimsi and Spark sing the next verse of the song as we travel through.

While some smells, may send you reeling,
A lovely scent, can be appealing.
What it likes and hates, the nose certainly knows,
What wonderful ideas, it magically sows.

The next step on the fantastical tour is the Vision Chamber, based around what our eyes can see and experience. We enter a dark chamber, Mimsi commenting it is rather dark in the room, Spark offering a little light. Before guests, the room becomes illuminated with hundreds of “floating” yellow lanterns, and the room appears to stretch into infinity. Inspired by Yayoi Kusama’s “Infinity Mirror Rooms”, this room creates the illusion of an endless room with beautiful lights. But, that isn’t all we see. Various images from across the world and imagination appear on the mirrors, looking like they are misty mirages that come and go. There are 100,000 images that are randomly selected during the scene, so whatever images the guests see are completely different with each experience. There are many wonderful views like rainbows, sunbeams, beneath the ocean, and the smile of a child.

Through our eyes, we see such wonders,
And that spark, suddenly thunders.
When scared, our minds are prone,
To fear and dread, the mysterious unknown.

The Dreambuggies round a corner, as the lights suddenly go out. Thunder flashes in the distance, and we finally see or at least glimpse the strange creature following us through the ride. This is The Unknown, personification of fear. We can only see hints of his body: Spindly arms, a body covered in black hair, bat wings, and piercing, glowing yellow eyes that watch us as we pass by. Its head spins around like an owl, watching the Dreambuggies as they leave. Mimsi is creeped out, but reassures guests that they don’t have to be afraid. The Unknown is relatively harmless, only appearing as we imagine it.

(This was the least creepiest shadow monster image I could find.)

The ride goes on into the small Flavour Chamber, celebrating the sense of taste. To the left is a messy kitchenette resembling the set of a cooking show. The place is in a state of creative chaos, as Mimsi and Spark make one of many characters that decorate every inch of the kitchen. There are cakes on the counter, in the cupboards, on the floor, in the sink, in the breadbox, you name it. The fridge is open, with a familiar purple dragon tail poking out of the door. A mixing bowel magically stirs itself, as our two hosts continue their song.

Such lovely tastes, delightful flavour,
Ignites our minds, with food we savour.
Whether sweet, bitter, or gummy,
Creative cooking, pleases tongue and tummy.

Leaving the Flavour Chamber, guests head down a hallway for the final chamber. It appears to start raining multicoloured drops of water, with special effects creating the sensation that guests are being rained upon.

Mimsi: “Feel that? It’s a splendiferous kind of rain. The kind that is a knell for a rainbow of all colours!”

Spark: “Anything is possible when you use your imagination. Anything that your mind can conceive can exist within worlds within worlds…within worlds. Are you actually being rained on, or is it just a figment of your mind?”

Dazzling multicoloured lights guide us into the Touch Chamber, based in a semi-circle, for the big finale of the attraction. The entire chamber is filled with many arching rainbows, coming to and fro from various places like waterfalls, buckets, mirrors, floating rainclouds, and glass prisms of scientific value. A baby blue cloud machine stands in the background, producing rainbows from its periscope-shaped towers. In the ceiling, the sky grows dark and the stars are visible dancing around each other. Mimsi and Spark stand amongst the scenery, admiring the scenery. There are many other visuals to the chamber, emphasizing the important of touch, though obviously, guests can’t reach out to touch the props. But, there is a remedy to that, as we will see shortly.

We exit the final chamber turning right into Memory Lane, which is where guests have their photograph taken, for digital print or e-mailing. Mimsi and Spark speak as we stop in front of a tall black screen.

Mimsi: “Another sense that can inspire and store the imagination is memory. We don’t want you leaving without a parting gift to remember the good times you have had with us today. So, sit up, and give a big smile to our resident master of photography!

The black screen lights up, revealing noneother than the Dreamfinder, wearing a spiffy tweed jacket and dapper hat, standing behind an old fashioned camera. He cries “Say cheese!” and the photo is taken, become the vehicles move on to the final scene.

As we go into the Finale Farewell, we come across Mimsi and Spark as the horizon turns bright, signalling a new day of imagination.

Mimsi: We’re so glad you could come with us on our journey through your imagination. But, that isn’t where the fun ends. The imagination is something that belongs to everyone, and can be explored and tested. Join us now if our inspiring ImageWorks, our creative playground of the future, where imagination is brought to life through the latest technology.

Spark: And remember, that little spark inside can make your wildest dreams and ideas come to life!

The ride comes to an end, turning a corner, and into the unload bay, guests disembarking their Dreambuggies onto a people mover, and return to the foyer, where they can take a spiral staircase or elevators up to the brand new ImageWorks.

The Imageworks

The ImageWorks were never closed, but remained on the pavilion’s first floor. Up the stairs or the elevator, we find the ImageWorks have has technological upgrades, but most of the classic games and exhibits have remained, with some newcomers.

To the left of the stairs are the spectacular views of Spaceship Earth and Epcot. The ImageWorks remains open when IllumiNations occurs at night, offering a rarely unknown spot for viewing the fireworks. The ImageWorks also introduces us to a few more creations of the Dreamfinder, his Dreamcatcher now on display in the middle of the pavilion.

In the top left corner of the ImageWorks is Lullaby’s Music Maker, introducing the character Lullaby, a Wuzzle-esque critter who is a bear-sheep hybrid, and wears a nightcap and pyjamas. Lullaby is quite the sleepyhead, but will wake up and become a lot more lively when awoken by music. The Music Maker is an interactive game where six players need to do a Dance Dance Revolution-style matching game with their hands on screens to play music and awaken Lullaby. There is also a Team Mode where all six players can work together to create the ultimate musical score to wake up Lullaby.

Next to that are a cluster of attractions. In keeping the ride’s focus on the sensors, some attractions are based around the use of sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch. There is Sprinkle Dreams, an ice cream parlour, where guests may decorate their own ice cream, and buy Dole Whip too. The Kaleidoscopes remain too. In-between those and Sprinkle Dreams are five exhibition stands dedicated to focusing on the science behind the five senses, each with interactive features. The largest area is dedicated to interchanging exhibits, often from Kodak, or other companies that sponsor Epcot. The one catch is that these exhibits would and must incorporate the themes of the pavilion and Epcot in general. The Dreamcatcher is the centrepiece of this area.

To the left and in front of the staircase is the Gallery of Dreamers, a small walkthrough were the walls are dedicated to celebrating famed artists, inventors, and Imagineers. Familiar faces include Walt Disney, Ub Iwerks, and other noted Imagineers, but also famous people like Bob Ross, Vincent Van Gogh, Leonardo da Vinci, Einstein, Steven Spielberg, Mary Blair, etc.

In the southern corner of the ImageWorks is the Blue Sky Sketch Workshop, a seating area where guests can learn how to draw Disney cartoons by hand or on light screens, taught by cast members, with several rows of artist’s desks, ringed by a neon-coloured wall. Guests can take their sketches home or give them to place on a public wall.

Dreamfinder’s Super Star School of Drama is a new take on the classic attraction. Now using updated green screens and digital technology, the Dreamfinder uses a little magic to place guests into five choices of genre and be a part of the cinematic experience themselves. The fun part is that now the School of Drama is split between films and TV genres. Films include sci-fi, a western, a fantasy, a rom-com, and a spooky horror film. Television involves a cop show, an American soap opera, a comedy, a parody of Dallas, a news show gone wrong.

And finally, the Rainbow Corridor returns as part of the refurbished and new Polychrome Labyrinth, an interactive sight-and-sound based mini-maze, with the colourful tunnel now extended with many paths and dead ends within a confined space. The staple light and musical footsteps return, and touching them in specific orders can create wonderful tunes. We also meet another creation of the Dreamfinder’s – Arcenciel, the personification of the rainbow, appearing as a small girl with long multicoloured hair covering her face, which drags behind her, leaving a trail of paint. It is like she fell into a paint pot.

Magic Eye Theatre - A Figment Family Photo

And finally, in the Magic Eye Theatre, replacing Captain EO, is a brand new 15-minute animated short called “A Figment Family Photo”. Though perhaps not as rocking and cool as Captain EO, this replacement aims for a fun, wacky, but still adventurous and imaginative rollick. Figment and the Dreamfinder want to take a photo of all of their friends together, but while the Dreamfinder prepares the camera, Figment learns the photo will be taken in a matter of minutes. Taking inspiration from Mickey’s PhilharMagic or Cinemagique, the film is comical in tone, with Figment going in and out of various attractions and films as he tries to bring all of his friends together in time for the photo. Special effects occur in the theatre to create the illusion the characters are causing trouble as they jump from place to place.

Mimsi and Spark are involved, but also Lullaby and Arcenciel from the ImageWorks, and The Unknown appears in a neutral role, drawn to the camera out of curiosity, but old Figment thinks he is going to harm it and has to juggle that and dragging his pals back to the Imagination Pavilion for the click. We also meet another character named Blue, a high-flying bluebird who personifies “blue sky thinking”. While the photo doesn’t go exactly as planned, it ends on a high note, Figment managing to get all his friends together, with The Unknown being the one to take the picture.

And there we have it! I haven't had much time this week to work on this due to my job, and wanted to draw Mimsi and Spark, but didn't have the time. But, this was the version of Journey Into Your Imagination that I wanted to bring to life, and hope you enjoyed the read!

 

[Pi on my Cake]

Just over 4 hours left!

Just a reminder, after this round there will be multiple eliminations narrowing it down to the final 5.

1 Spot in the Final Five is already taken by @PerGronStudio for winning the immunity reward.

2 Spots in the Final Five are going to people based on the season so far.

And lastly, 2 Spots in the Final Five are going to the people who make the top two projects this scene.

Everyone but those 5 people will be eliminated.

But if you are eliminated tonight, that doesn't necessarily mean your journey in the One Little Spark Competition is over.

--------------------------------------------------------------

In the interest of getting Scene 9 started, I won't be writing full reviews tonight. I'll read through everything carefully and choose the top 2 projects so I can reveal the Final Five. But I'll only actually write out one sentence reviews tonight so Scene 9 can get started.

After the one sentence reviews, the top 2 projects will be chosen and the Final Five will be revealed. Then, Act 4 Scene 9 will be posted.

Full reviews from me should be posted tomorrow.​

 

[PerGron]

@PerGronStudio won immunity for taking first place in Scene 6. As such, as long as he submits anything for this round, even just a single sentence, he will not be eliminated.

In an effort to just continue to secure my spot in the final 5 based on this rule, Here’s my submission:

As an imagineer, I'm creating a new attraction go replace Journey into Imagination with an attraction called Journey into the 90s Imagination. It'll strip all of the good parts of Journey Into Imagination and introduce a new, hip style of the attraction. Loud hip hop music will play while bright lights flash all over the walls. That's it. It's just a long, slow, epileptic expedition through a ”hip 90’s club”. Thanks!

 

[D Hulk]

That's it. It's just a long, slow, epileptic expedition through a ”hip 90’s club”. Thanks!

Make that a “long, slow, epileptic expedition through a hip 60’s club” and you’d have what was by all accounts a genuinely good ride.

 

[PerGron]

Make that a “long, slow, epileptic expedition through a hip 60’s club” and you’d have what was by all accounts a genuinely good ride.

It's a Spiritual successor

 

[spacemt354]

Since Pi will be calling the shots on this one and while the projects look great, I don't just want to skim them and post half-hearted reviews. Y'all deserve better than that - so I will sit this one out as a reviewer and look forward to Scene 9

Everyone has done really well in this competition so far - you should all be proud of how far you've come since September in arguably one of if not the best fall competition we've had on the imagineer forum by far!

 

[NateD1226]

Team Purple

Enter The Magic​