One Sentence Competition - Season 4 Episode 4

[James G.]

One Sentence Competition

Challenge 2a

Imagineers are tasked to design everything (as far as I can tell) in the Walt Disney universe. Big, flashy, cutting-edge rides are possibly the most fun (and challenging) but someone has to imaginer the little things that make a trip to a Disney property so much fun- if we just take the time to look, enjoy and appreciate those little things. Starring at the Castle (any Disney Castle) can be a breathtaking experience, but everyone looks up at the towers, the pinnacles, the flags and banners. Who looks at the base? Who appreciates the design where the foundations of the massive walls meet the water of the moat? Possibly only the Imagineer who first created them.

No, your next challenge is not to design a rock, or a foundation, or anything so utilitarian. Your challenge is to design, or redesign if you so choose, a little touch of Disney magic that most people ignore or at best give passing attention to.

Crankers.

Crankers- those little animatronic robots/figures/whatever that appear to be turning the handle on the popcorn machines in Disneyland. They are specific to each land, and as far as I can tell they only exist in Disneyland Park. Your Challenge this week is to describe the crankers that you would add to the popcorn machines in any Disney park anywhere in the world. You can replace the crankers in Disneyland Park with special creations for a specific holiday or event, or create new crankers for a park that doesn’t already have them. You must describe one cranker for each land in the park.

For this challenge I’m going to wave the “one sentence rule”- sort of. It will probably be easier to include a list of each cranker for each land, but if you want to challenge your writing/descriptive skills feel free to describe them however you want. Keep the total number of sentences and lists to no more than three total, and since most of you ignored the rule of no images (except for @spacemt354) I’ll let you use one image.

Remember, think out of the box. Don’t just jump for the obvious, but remember to keep the crankers appropriate to the land…and have fun with this! These little bits of whimsy add so much to Disneyland- if we only take the time to look at them. Make the visitors to your park notice them, thus adding to their Disney experience.

 

[TwilightZone]

Wait! What about the rankings?

 

[D Hulk]

Wait! What about the rankings?

Awaiting moderator approval. @James G. cannot control his potty mouth.

 

[D Hulk]

SHANGHAI'S SEVEN HAPPY FRIENDS

上海七喜快樂

Shanghai Disneyland's seven lands will soon be overseen by Seven Dwarfs, who trade out pickaxes for popcorn as they "crank crank crank" the whole day through, each Dwarf donning his land's local costume for his new "daily grind."

Doc first welcomes guests to Mickey Avenue dressed as a train engineer; eternally childlike Dopey wears ill-fitting Chinese robes in the central Gardens of Imagination; Happy lives out a childhood fantasy in Toy Story Land cranking a jack-in-the-box; Bashful wears Tomorrowland's bright neon colors and spins a TRON crank; Sneezy endures the jungle pollen of Adventure Isle in a khaki adventurer's outfit; Sleepy oversees the lazy village of Pirate Cove clad as a swashbuckler; and finally Grumpy - the biggest crank of them all - is assigned to Fantasyland and forced to wear a gorgeous princess gown.​

 

[TwilightZone]

One Sentence Competition

Challenge 2a

Imagineers are tasked to design everything (as far as I can tell) in the Walt Disney universe. Big, flashy, cutting-edge rides are possibly the most fun (and challenging) but someone has to imaginer the little things that make a trip to a Disney property so much fun- if we just take the time to look, enjoy and appreciate those little things. Starring at the Castle (any Disney Castle) can be a breathtaking experience, but everyone looks up at the towers, the pinnacles, the flags and banners. Who looks at the base? Who appreciates the design where the foundations of the massive walls meet the water of the moat? Possibly only the Imagineer who first created them.

No, your next challenge is not to design a rock, or a foundation, or anything so utilitarian. Your challenge is to design, or redesign if you so choose, a little touch of Disney magic that most people ignore or at best give passing attention to.

Crankers.

View attachment 325648

Crankers- those little animatronic robots/figures/whatever that appear to be turning the handle on the popcorn machines in Disneyland. They are specific to each land, and as far as I can tell they only exist in Disneyland Park. Your Challenge this week is to describe the crankers that you would add to the popcorn machines in any Disney park anywhere in the world. You can replace the crankers in Disneyland Park with special creations for a specific holiday or event, or create new crankers for a park that doesn’t already have them. You must describe one cranker for each land in the park.

For this challenge I’m going to wave the “one sentence rule”- sort of. It will probably be easier to include a list of each cranker for each land, but if you want to challenge your writing/descriptive skills feel free to describe them however you want. Keep the total number of sentences and lists to no more than three total, and since most of you ignored the rule of no images (except for @spacemt354) I’ll let you use one image.

Remember, think out of the box. Don’t just jump for the obvious, but remember to keep the crankers appropriate to the land…and have fun with this! These little bits of whimsy add so much to Disneyland- if we only take the time to look at them. Make the visitors to your park notice them, thus adding to their Disney experience.

Epcot's popcorn crankers around the world

Epcot's world showcase and future world will now each get their own unique popcorn machine.
Future World gets three unique popcorn machines for three different areas, area 1 being wall e representing mission:space, area 2 getting a hot air balloon representing soarin', and area 3 getting figment representing imagination. World showcase has 1 for each country, japan gets Baymax from big hero six, America gets mickey mouse dressed as George Washington, Mexico gets dante from Coco, Italy gets a little chef, Norway gets Olaf, China gets mushu dressed as a chef, Germany gets pinnochio, Morroco gets carpet from aladdin, France gets remy, Canada gets a teeny replica of Martin Short, and the UK gets tigger.

 

[James G.]

OK, my friends, I need your input in this. When I was asked (encouraged, railroaded, fill-in-the-blank) to take over this competition, I was encouraged to simplify it. Go back to the beginning. Shorten it. I thought that was a great idea. Less sentences, no rankings, no pics, just pure Imagineering. That might be fine, but this isn't the same competition now than it was then. Nearly everyone ignored the "no images" thing, and that's ok. The images help in the presentation, so they're back in (please follow any limitations I ask for in your proposals, like only one image per entry). I cut back the number of sentences, because this is called the "One Sentence Competition," but this limitation can strangle the imagination. The Olympics aren't held in Olympia, Greece anymore, so why limit OSN to just one sentence? I'll allow three per proposal, unless stated in the challenge. Nothing says you have to use all three, and I might even look kindly on a proposal that can get their concept distilled down in to one sentence. What's more valuable- one diamond or three lumps of coal?

The biggest thing I want your opinion on is the rankings thing. It is called a competition, but if there is no "winner" announced how is it a competition? I hate having to decide who had the best proposal, but I've also been a competitor and I know what it's like to win- and to lose. If you all do want there to be rankings announced, I'll do it, and I'll use the following points system:

Participate 1
3rd place 2
2nd place 3
1st place 4
Bonus part. 1

This is all fine and good, but what about the first part of the competition, the part that @MickeyMousketeer ran? Do I include that part in the overall rankings? Do I start from scratch after I took the reins? And what about the fact that I, in my infinite wisdom, forgot to post a bonus for 2a? About that, I will be posting a bonus in a few days, so be watching for it.

OK, that's about all my sleep-deprived brain can come up with at this time. Please, I need your feedback. I feel strongly that most of my job is to be a servant for the good of the WDWMagic Imagineer family, to take this competition forward so that, hopefully, it will be in a better position in the future than it was in the past. Share your opinions with me, publicly or privately. I want to know your thoughts on this.

 

[James G.]

Awaiting moderator approval. @James G. cannot control his potty mouth.

@D Hindley, shut the (this word has been deleted by the moderator), (as has this word), (and this one), up!!!

 

[Suchomimus]

Germany gets pinnochio

Wouldn’t it make more sense to put him in Italy?

 

[spacemt354]

View attachment 325671

OK, my friends, I need your input in this. When I was asked (encouraged, railroaded, fill-in-the-blank) to take over this competition, I was encouraged to simplify it. Go back to the beginning. Shorten it. I thought that was a great idea. Less sentences, no rankings, no pics, just pure Imagineering. That might be fine, but this isn't the same competition now than it was then. Nearly everyone ignored the "no images" thing, and that's ok. The images help in the presentation, so they're back in (please follow any limitations I ask for in your proposals, like only one image per entry). I cut back the number of sentences, because this is called the "One Sentence Competition," but this limitation can strangle the imagination. The Olympics aren't held in Olympia, Greece anymore, so why limit OSN to just one sentence? I'll allow three per proposal, unless stated in the challenge. Nothing says you have to use all three, and I might even look kindly on a proposal that can get their concept distilled down in to one sentence. What's more valuable- one diamond or three lumps of coal?

The biggest thing I want your opinion on is the rankings thing. It is called a competition, but if there is no "winner" announced how is it a competition? I hate having to decide who had the best proposal, but I've also been a competitor and I know what it's like to win- and to lose. If you all do want there to be rankings announced, I'll do it, and I'll use the following points system:

Participate 1
3rd place 2
2nd place 3
1st place 4
Bonus part. 1

This is all fine and good, but what about the first part of the competition, the part that @MickeyMousketeer ran? Do I include that part in the overall rankings? Do I start from scratch after I took the reins? And what about the fact that I, in my infinite wisdom, forgot to post a bonus for 2a? About that, I will be posting a bonus in a few days, so be watching for it.

OK, that's about all my sleep-deprived brain can come up with at this time. Please, I need your feedback. I feel strongly that most of my job is to be a servant for the good of the WDWMagic Imagineer family, to take this competition forward so that, hopefully, it will be in a better position in the future than it was in the past. Share your opinions with me, publicly or privately. I want to know your thoughts on this.

I don't think the ranking are necessary for this episode since MickeyMousketeer didn't really keep up with them and the season is almost over.

However if you want to choose a winner of each challenge, I think that'd be a fair substitute. If it makes it simpler for you, pick one that you thought was the best and move to the next round.

 

[James G.]

I think that @spacemt354 has the right idea. I'll be announcing the "winner" of each round after I give all the critiques. No other rankings, just the "winner,' AND I'll also announce the winner of the bonus challenge- and it won't necessarily be the winner of the main challenge. There will be a bonus challenge for 2a coming in a day or two, so keep an eye out for it.

The winner of One Sentence Competition- Season 4, episode 1a is @Evilgidgit for "So Dear To My Heart."

The winner of the 1a bonus is @englanddg for "Zorro" (who won me over with the gluten free candies thing- wonderful, silly touch!)

 

[James G.]

It's bonus time! Yes, this is a HOLIDAY BONUS!!! Choose the next Disney attraction, at any Disney Theme Park, that will receive a major holiday overlay. Notice I said "holiday." It can be any holiday in any park. You can use one (1) or two (2) sentences. Three (3) sentences is RIGHT OUT!! You can also use one image. You have until Saturday, Nov. 17th at 10 p.m. E.T. to post- the same deadline as your entry for Challenge 2a.

 

[D Hulk]

NAKATOMI TOWER OF TERROR

Come out to Los Angeles to celebrate Christmas - and Disney’s inevitable takeover of Fox - with this Die Hard overlay of DCA’s Mission: BREAKOUT which places guests in “the wrong place at the wrong time” when their elevator to the Christmas party is interrupted by German mercenaries (as typically happens). The rooftop is set to explode, the FBI is making things worse, and only off-duty NYPD officer John McClane can rescue guests in a thrilling randomized series of drops!

Yippee kai-yay, motherer! ​

 

[TwilightZone]

Epcot's popcorn crankers around the world

Epcot's world showcase and future world will now each get their own unique popcorn machine.
Future World gets three unique popcorn machines for three different areas, area 1 being wall e representing mission:space, area 2 getting a hot air balloon representing soarin', and area 3 getting figment representing imagination. World showcase has 1 for each country, japan gets Baymax from big hero six, America gets mickey mouse dressed as George Washington, Mexico gets dante from Coco, Italy gets a little chef, Norway gets Olaf, China gets mushu dressed as a chef, Germany gets pinnochio, Morroco gets carpet from aladdin, France gets remy, Canada gets a teeny replica of Martin Short, and the UK gets tigger.

BONUS

To go along with these cranks, journey into imagination with figment gets a christmas overlay called journey into christmas with figment. It's the exact same ride, but figment is teaching nigel how to get into the christmas spirit, with christmas decor everywhere and the finale getting fake snow.

 

[Evilgidgit]

Hong Kong Disneyland - Popcorn Crank Connoisseurs

Image from here:

Hong Kong's shiny new popcorn stands comes with a theme of teritary classic Disney characters (with one or two differentiations), each wearing costumes that blend in with each land. Main Street has Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in a dapper suit; Fantasyland has Clarabelle Cow, dressed as she appeared in Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers; Adventureland has Horace Horsecollar as an explorer; Tomorrowland features Gyro Gearloose dressed in a self-made spacesuit (complete with bubble helmet); Grizzly Gulch fittingly has Humphrey the Bear; Mystic Point has Scrooge McDuck, dressed like Lord Henry Mystic; and Toy Story Land has the snowman from the Pixar short Knick Knack, swapping his snowglobe for a popcorn machine.

 

[spacemt354]

Prospect Popcorn
Along with the re-imagining of Disney's Hollywood Studios, a small aesthetic and atmospheric touch will be the aroma of popcorn as you enter the film inspired theme park, reminiscent of stepping into the movies. While Hollywood Boulevard travels linearly from the entrance gate to the Chinese Theater, the relatively overlooked Prospect Ave runs perpendicular and will be the location for 'Prospect Popcorn' a Steamboat Willie inspired contraption that sees Mickey churning the popcorn wheel inside the boat shaped chart.

Holiday Bonus - Waltmas Day
On December 5th at Disneyland, amidst the Christmas and holiday festivities, will be 'Waltmas' - a seasonal gathering to celebrate the birthday of Walt Disney, with special presentations and dedications at the attractions and shows that Walt had a hand in designing, including the Tiki Room, Pirates of the Caribbean, and much more.

 

[James G.]

Hey there, gang! It's just a bit over 24 hours before you need to get your entries in for Challenge 2a and the Holiday Bonus Round!

 

[Evilgidgit]

Storybook Land Canal Boats: Christmas Canal

Disneyland's iconic boat ride gets a merry Christmas overhaul for the holiday season, with all of the miniatures being replaced or rethemed to have have a wintery or Christmas-themed overlay: Mickey's Christmas Carol, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Frozen, Toy Story, Winnie the Pooh, Peter and the Wolf, Monsters, Inc. (Abominable Snowman), Bambi, and a finale featuring an original Santa's Grotto. Monstro is replaced with an enormous, open-mouthed version of Marshmallow.

 

[James G.]

Well, it's not really news- you've been waiting for this...and the results are in for Challenge 2a!

@D Hindley

“Shanghai’s Seven Happy Friends”

This was absolutely the perfect solution to this week’s challenge. I don’t know if they are well-known in China, but after this proposal is stolen by the Chinese they will be. You interpreted each “friend’s” personality perfectly in the choice of costuming to fit into each Land. Trying to single out any one thing that especially impressed me is impossible- this was a proposal that I would be proud to present.

Bonus- I do a lot of theatre, and I once joked about how funny it would be to watch an audience who came to see “Fiddler on the Roof” and when the curtain goes up the show being presented is “Les Miserable.” Their reaction would be a few minutes of complete bafflement. This is how I responded to your bonus proposal. Don’t get me wrong- I think it would be a great experience, but DCA has made the exterior of the old TOT so distinctively Guardians of the Galaxy that- no matter how excellently the overlay was presented or how well it was publicized, many would still expect to see Star Lord, Rocket Raccoon and Groot and would be completely bewildered when they are suddenly in a Christmas party with John McClane and German mercenaries. I think you’d need to make this a complete exterior overhaul to make it work. Brilliantly crafted, as always, but it misses the mark a bit.



@TwilightZone

“Epcot’s Popcorn Crankers Around the World”

When I came up with this proposal, the first park I thought of was Epcot because I felt that would be the park with the deepest sources of material to draw from. Looking back now, it was probably too deep, and I should have said that you could look at Future World and World Showcase as two different parks (which they originally were going to be anyway). Regardless, you did a fine job, if a bit incomplete concerning Future World. You ignored the entire left side (as you enter Epcot)- I would have liked to see something recognizing one of the attractions on that side. What you did use, though, was an excellent selection and your inclusion of a hot air balloon for Soarin’ was inspired, as was Aladdin’s Carpet for Morocco. I think I would probably not have even considered using “inanimate” objects as crankers- you did an excellent job of “thinking outside the box!”

World Showcase was covered very well, with a few stand-outs and two bumps. The bumps were Italy and Germany. Pinocchio is Italian and would have fit there better than in Germany. What to put in Germany? Sorry- I just create the proposals, but I know you can come up with something better, considering you gave me a big, long, laugh-out-loud experience with the “teeny replica of Martin Short” in Canada!!

Bonus- “Journey Into Christmas with Figment” was exactly what I was looking for in this bonus proposal. Simple, elegant, and it would have been both familiar to riders and a new experience perfect for the holidays. I don’t know if the image of the Christmas Figment was your inspiration for this proposal or a fortuitous discover, but it was the icing on the Christmas pudding. Great job!



@Evilgidgit

“Popcorn Crank Connoisseurs”

I think I have a pretty broad vocabulary, but I had to look up the word “teritary,” thinking it was a typo- even my spellchecker had never heard of it. Third-ranking Disney characters- I never would have thought to go that deep into the Disney vault, and there is the brilliance of your proposal. These are classic Disney characters that have been either ignored or forgotten by most (except for Scrooge McDuck, who’s always been one of my favorites) and bringing them back into the Disney Universe is a stroke of genius. Frankly I get a bit tired of Mickey-this and Mickey-that…these characters should be reintroduced, and I think your utilizing them in this way is a great way to begin their rehabilitation into the Disney lexicon. I loved how you integrated them into each land subtly and appropriately.

You’ve learned that I’m a sucker for the old stuff, the classics, but if you hadn’t done such a good job with this, I guarantee that I would have called you on it. I’m relieved that I didn’t have to.

Bonus- “Storybook Canal Boats- Christmas Canal.” I’ve never been to Disneyland at Christmas and am surprised to hear that the decorating folks at THPOE don’t already do this (except I didn’t think they would do the Marshmallow replacement of Monstro- if some kids are scared of the whale, what would they think of being eaten by a giant snow monster?!) I really like this proposal, but for some reason it doesn’t stand out as something unexpected, something that would make me look at the Storybook Canal Boats in a new light. It would be fun to ride and experience, but it didn’t jump off the page at me. Too predictable.



@spacemt354

“Prospect Popcorn”

Not really sure what to say, since it really touches on the challenge only peripherally. I asked for a cranker for each land in the park you chose, and even though DHS is going through some drastic changes it still does have official “lands” (Animation Courtyard, Echo Lake, Toy Story Land, etc.). It might well exist, but I couldn’t even find Prospect Avenue. Be that as it may, I’d love to see the Steamboat Willie contraption chugging out popcorn with Steamboat Willie cranking the popcorn wheel. It would be a lot of fun and a great visual to watch. I just wish you’d continued with this and covered each area in DHS.

Bonus- “Waltmas Day” Once again this was not really a response to the challenge. I wanted an overlay of a specific attraction, not a general special holiday event. Should Walt’s birthday be recognized? Absolutely, and if you could have come up with a specific overlay of a specific attraction to do this I’d have been excited to see what your remarkable imagination could have come up with.



This week’s winner of the One Sentence Challenge 2a is…I couldn’t decide. I tossed a coin and it rolled under the sofa, which told me that this week we have a tie.


@D Hindley and @Evilgidgit are co-winners this week!

The winner of the bonus round is @TwilightZone for his simple yet elegant “Journey into Christmas with Figment.” Congratulations!!!

 

[James G.]

I have posted my critiques. Still waiting for the moderator to release them. I didn't use any nasty words this time. I'll post the next (and final) challenge once my critiques from Challenge 2a get released.

 

[D Hulk]

MODERATOR PREPAREDNESS TEST
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1. ​
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4. ​
5. ​
6. Motherer​
7. Tits​