One Sentence Competition, Season 6, Episode 1 - The Soft Reboot

[snaggle]

POWERS OF TEN
at the Tomorrowland Expo

Replacing Disneyland’s Innoventions is the Tommorowland Expo, a World’s Fair style pavilion home to a black box dark ride whose rotating “exhibitions" explore exciting corners of science and technology, finally giving this land an attraction that can keep up with the times. Currently, the Tomorrowland Expo presents Powers of Ten, hosted by Professor Ludwig Von Drake, where his most extraordinary invention yet promises to shrink us to the size of the smallest quarks and molecules and zoom us out to the farthest reaches of the known universe (based on this famous short film’s “adventure in magnitudes”). While Disney might not deign to spend great sums of money on edutainment nowadays, this new pavilion sidesteps such a risky investment while bringing some inspiration back to Tomorrowland through deceptively simple screen-based scenes that capture the complex wonders of human knowledge.

Bonus: A series of promotional materials to be released through all major social media platforms pairs up Elon Musk, Bill Gates, representatives from NASA, and other leaders of science and technology with one of Disney's animated scientist or alien characters (think Apple Trade Shows + Space Jam) as they all make their way to the Tomorrowland Expo.​

 

[Evilgidgit]

Speaking of Tomorrowland...

 

[tcool123]

Speaking of Tomorrowland...

Well MILF cast was all let go along with all other shows that yet to reopen. This may just be a temporary thing until the theme parks are back to normal.

 

[DisneyManOne]

Well MILF cast was all let go along with all other shows that yet to reopen. This may just be a temporary thing until the theme parks are back to normal.

That's what I'm hoping. I really hope these shows will be able to come back once things are allowed to return to full capacity. I am positive Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue is safe because people literally pay to see it. After all, it is a dinner show, and people often spend a lot to be seated on the ground floor, where the cast interacts with them. Disney would be incredibly boneheaded to get rid of a guaranteed money-maker. I'd think Lion King is also safe, given how popular the show is.

Nemo, on the other hand, I wouldn't be too surprised if it was gone for good. I say that because schools across the nation will be allowed to perform it themselves within two years. Similarly. I won't shed too many tears for Beauty and the Beast and Little Mermaid. They've been playing for years now, and I'd say it's high time for something new.

The Citizens of Hollywood, I hope will be safe, because they really do add a lot to the DHS experience. And at least I can take solace in the fact that one of my favorite entertainment options in WDW -- the Main Street Trolley Show -- isn't Equity. The performers (as are all dancers at the parks) are character performers, so we may see that return when things get back up to speed.

 

[Brer Panther]

This may just be a temporary thing until the theme parks are back to normal.

Here's hoping. I'd hate for them to close Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor (unless they plan on moving it to Disney's Hollywood Studios).

 

[Disneylover152]

That's what I'm hoping. I really hope these shows will be able to come back once things are allowed to return to full capacity. I am positive Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue is safe because people literally pay to see it. After all, it is a dinner show, and people often spend a lot to be seated on the ground floor, where the cast interacts with them. Disney would be incredibly boneheaded to get rid of a guaranteed money-maker. I'd think Lion King is also safe, given how popular the show is.

Nemo, on the other hand, I wouldn't be too surprised if it was gone for good. I say that because schools across the nation will be allowed to perform it themselves within two years. Similarly. I won't shed too many tears for Beauty and the Beast and Little Mermaid. They've been playing for years now, and I'd say it's high time for something new.

The Citizens of Hollywood, I hope will be safe, because they really do add a lot to the DHS experience. And at least I can take solace in the fact that one of my favorite entertainment options in WDW -- the Main Street Trolley Show -- isn't Equity. The performers (as are all dancers at the parks) are character performers, so we may see that return when things get back up to speed.

I don't think we will ever see a return of the Citizens of Main Street/Hollywood or any smaller entertainment/streetmosphere like the Welcome show or the Trolley show ever return under this management.

I think things bigger things like Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, and Nemo will return sometime in the third quarter of 2021 if the current projection for the vaccine comes to fruition and tourism returns next summer.

One of the things I am actually pretty nervous about is the return of nighttime entertainment. Disney World I think has 7 nighttime shows (2 in MK, 1 in Epcot and 4 in DHS). Disneyland has already made their nighttime shows (minus WoC) weekends only, I'm pretty nervous if for a few years we only see nighttime shows weekends and seasonal. I'm just nervous about entertainment at Disney in general. Anything can happen with Lex Luther Chapek as CEO. He treats the parks like an ATM. He just does the minimum and keeps slashing budgets and cutting stuff for the sake of making even more money that won't go to the cast members. I don't think we will ever see stuff like Turtle Talk or Monsters Inc come back, Peoplemover will probably not return for a long time and I doubt the holiday celebrations will be as grand as they used to be. It's just depressing, but remember how Disney was cutting stuff and trying to get every penny out of you when Shanghai went over budget? The effects of the pandemic will be 20 times worse than that.

Sorry for that rant that has *nothing* to do with OSC I just get heated and emotional about the future of the parks because it's not bright.

 

[tcool123]

One of the things I am actually pretty nervous about is the return of nighttime entertainment. Disney World I think has 7 nighttime shows (2 in MK, 1 in Epcot and 4 in DHS). Disneyland has already made their nighttime shows (minus WoC) weekends only, I'm pretty nervous if for a few years we only see nighttime shows weekends and seasonal. I'm just nervous about entertainment at Disney in general. Anything can happen with Lex Luther Chapek as CEO. He treats the parks like an ATM. He just does the minimum and keeps slashing budgets and cutting stuff for the sake of making even more money that won't go to the cast members. I don't think we will ever see stuff like Turtle Talk or Monsters Inc come back, Peoplemover will probably not return for a long time and I doubt the holiday celebrations will be as grand as they used to be. It's just depressing, but remember how Disney was cutting stuff and trying to get every penny out of you when Shanghai went over budget? The effects of the pandemic will be 20 times worse than that.

Disneyland also has limits on what they can do due to being so close to residential areas, and Disney has much more liberties in Florida. In terms of shows here’s my idea of all the shows that been cut:

Magic Kingdom
- Welcome Show: Pretty Good Odds, the cast of characters were all meet and greet characters found in the park when it opens meaning it likely pulled from the meet and greets in the parks. These welcome events still happen with the calvacades when the characters go on the train station to wave at guests.
- Mickey’s Friendship Fair: 50/50, it has been well received and would be easy to social distance, but could see it ending in order to take opportunity to bring in a cheaper/new show for 50th
- Festival of Fantasy: Guaranteed, it’s popular and they have it in storage, parades are Disney’s thing and odds are they’ll have it come back.
- Happily Ever After: Guaranteed, it’s insanely popular and has merchandise to be pushed
- Once Upon A Time: 50/50, as it is never played every night, not as popular however it is cheaper to run than Happily Ever After and that may be its only saving grace. Won’t hold my breath and may see another small projection show replace it.
- MILF: 75/25, its popular and a crowd eater however not a major draw and not on the general populations must do list. However I think it should be back at some point due to being well liked and its capacity.
- Citizens of Main Street/Streetmoshpher: Thin Ice, Disney has been scaling back streetmoshphere for a while. This may be on of the last things to come back if it does.
- Peoplemover: this may not be a purely Disney issue, could be an issue with the parts manufacturer we are still in a pandemic and we have noclue on the manufactures capabilities right now

Epcot
- World Showcase Entertainment: slowly but surely pavilions will begin to have entertainment, as is we have four entertainment acts set for the holidays (mariachi cobre, jamminators, voices of liberty and acapaella group)
- Turtle Talk: 80/20, I dont see this going away tbh; its a small space one of a few things kids enjoy at Epcot. This has been a staple for the preschool crowd for years, only wya this doesnt come back right away is whatever Play City ends up being
- Epcot Forever: 80/20, Josh D’Amaro (Parks President) has stated it will come back prior to Harmonius, but if Harmonius is ready to go then it may as well go

Studios
- Citizens: On thin ice, have been slowly cut off but may be brought back far down the line like MK’s streetmoshphere
- Mermaid: On thin ice, this is an older show would be hard to do socially distanced, and in valuable real estate for the blackbox ride
- Beauty and the Beast: 50/50, an older show could be cut with out much of an outcry but could be brought back as a pared down version is possible.
- Indiana Jones: 80/20, while old still popular and eats up large crowds this represents a franchise disney is trying to bring back and has a big enough fan following
- Jedi Training: when a vaccine is widely adopted, and if the star tours area is still star wars
- Fantasmic: Guranteed, like happily ever after but could be brought back as a pared down version with social distancing if wanted. May get changes but not likely.
- Chinese Theater Nightime Shows: 50/50, good central location but not enough space nor are any shows a huge draw for anyone. Could see it going back to just Fantasmic with a return of this show for Studios 35th or Disney’s 100th anniversary

Animal Kingdom
- Lion King: Guranteed, this is a tentpole attraction for Animal Kingdom and I know people who refuse to go until this reopens
- Up Bird Show: Hopefully dead, the current bird show is an improvement
- Finding Nemo: 60/40, Lion King is a priority this show can be expensive and elaborate to get back up and running. However its not disliked and is held in high regard, could see a new show replacing it outright 2022/23

While Chapek doesn’t get it the current president of parks, Josh D’Amaro, cares about the owrks. He has been frequently been spotted at both resorts since being appointed, and is fighting for guests (keeping Splash open long enough to allow for final goodbyes). He is our only hope right now.

 

[Pi on my Cake]

Scene Nine
Little Black Box

You're an aspiring Imagineer in an elevator with Disney's CEO, Bob Chapek. You overhear him on the phone talking with Imagineers about a problem in the parks.

-The Problem-
Disney has SO MANY IPs and characters that they've either made or bought that there's no way they could ever include ALL of them in the parks! Leaving a lot of IP as underutilized or lost entirely. The strategy to fix this might just be the rumored Black Box Dark Ride that Disney has been rumored for a while to be looking at. Named for a Black Box Theater, a Black Box dark ride would be a trackless ride through big empty rooms with very little props and no animatronics with projections on nearly every surface. This would allow Disney to retheme these for a very low price in a very quick time. Which means they can either include some riskier IPs with out actually risking much. If people hate what they do, the ride can be transformed into some trendy IP like Froz3n in only a month or two!
So, what theme should they start with?

There isn't much time left in this elevator ride, but now is your chance to impress the Big Cheese and propose a solution that will earn you a place in the Imagineering Hall of Fame!

-The Prompt-
Propose a solution!
Propose a Black Box Dark Ride!
This is your chance to use a weirder or obscure IP! Or something like a TV Show or Video Game or other source material that Disney doesn't seem to want to use!
Almost total blue sky for what IP you choose.
Hollywood Land in DCA and Animation Courtyard in DHS are the two rumored locations for Black Box Dark Rides, so try to stick to one of those locations.

-Rules-
You may use between 1 and 3 sentences and up to 1 picture.
The deadline will be at 11:59 PM EST on Friday, October 30th

-Tips-
K.I.S.S - Keep it simple, silly.
This is an elevator pitch, not a full project!
It isn't about more detail, it is about the right details!

-Judging Criteria-
Is it creative?
Is it realistic?
Does it fit thematically/visually?

Good Luck everyone! Have fun! Go create!

Keep an eye out for the bonus from some big, angry, and GREEN!
​

Using a single sentence (and NO pictures), propose a viral marketing campaign for your dark ride.

Whether you do the bonus or not will have absolutely NO effect on the main prompt's winners or the medals. BUT the best bonus will get 1 Bonus Point towards the overall rankings!​

The Second to Last Scene ends tonight!
And the Grand Finale begins right after!

@tcool123
@spacemt354
@Disneylover152
@Outbound
@pix
@Disney Dad 3000
@surfdawg
@1HAPPYGHOSTHOST ​

 

[spacemt354]

The Clone Wars: Battle for the Republic

As an addition to Star Wars: Launch Bay synergistic with the theme of Animation Courtyard in DHS, and capitalizing on a current smash-hit in the Disney Star Wars Canon, The Clone Wars: Battle for the Republic will be a black box dark ride inspired by the CN/Disney+ show, The Clone Wars, and will bring guests right in the middle of the action, as you are guided by Ahoska Tano against an insurgence from the Separatists, cannonically taking place around Season 4 of the show.

As you gather intel from Captain Rex in the pre-mission briefing, you board your clone transporter to give a coded message to Ahoska on the battlefield about a secret base Count Dooku and General Grievous are located in, all while interacting with the popular ensemble cast of Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan, Yoda, fighting against the battle droids, a cameo from Darth Maul hiding out waiting for his moment to strike, and legions of Clone troopers fighting alongside you, culminating in the message being delivered to Ahoska, following her to the secret base with Anakin and Obi-Wan, as the pairs face off against the Sith lords.

Overall, this black box dark ride offers the opportunity for 'prequel' era Star Wars that is currently in popular demand, and a ride system that can be replaced if Animation Courtyard is eventually rethemed away from Launch Bay.

BONUS: To embrace prequel meme phenomenon, Disney Passholders will receive letters in the mail intended for General Grievous from Obi-Wan Kenobi in regards to the battle taking place in the new DHS attraction, with the simple line..."Hello there"

 

[tcool123]

The Nightmare Before Christmas / The Dream Before Halloween

Located in DCA and DHS from mid-August to early-January is this merrily creepy blackbox dark ride which takes guests throughout Halloweentown/Christmastown as they get ready to bring their respective holidays to the other world. Oogie Boogie's spirit has returned to possess Lock, Shock and Barrel causing them to sabotage the holidays, and it is up to Jack, Sally and Zero to break them out there trances before they ruin everything for everyone! From August to October 31st the attraction ends with Halloween coming to Christmastown, and from November 1st to January the attraction ends with Christmas coming to Halloweentown.

HULK BONUS: Hey, this wasn't here before!
Various Halloween and Christmas classics have various aspects in their backgrounds edited to reference the other holiday which will elicit googling to see if these details always been there (Ex. Xmas Tree in the Sanderson Sisters' Cottage); upon googling a page from Disney advertising not only the time exclusive ride, but a changing list of films that have been altered encouraging rewatches to find these changes every year.​

 

[DisneyManOne]

Disney Parks Blog

Welcome to the Disney Parks Blog! Discover the stories you know and love — from the locations, attractions, cruise ships, expeditions, products, and so much more.

disneyparks.disney.go.com

 

[pix]

Wasteland Adventure

Themed to the (underrated) video game series Epic Mickey, Wasteland Adventure takes guests through the different lands once familiar now dark and destroyed. Oswald and Mickey co-host this attraction and interact with groups as they take us on the journey to fight blobs and restore the lands to their former glory. Using projections adds to the charm of this video game world come to life as the paint and thinner change the ride right before guests eyes.

Hulk Bonus: Outside the ride is Disney's newest photo wall - the #inksplatterwall - and takes social media by storm with matching Team Mickey and Team Oswald merch lines. ​

 

[Disneylover152]

Disney Parks Blog

Welcome to the Disney Parks Blog! Discover the stories you know and love — from the locations, attractions, cruise ships, expeditions, products, and so much more.

disneyparks.disney.go.com

"like discovering Joy from “Inside Out” frolicking on the lawn near the Imagination! pavilion in EPCOT."

ahh yes guys don't worry the best Walt Disney World entertainment is still offered right now who needs Festival of the Lion King or the Main Street streetmosphere.

 

[TwilightZone]

"like discovering Joy from “Inside Out” frolicking on the lawn near the Imagination! pavilion in EPCOT."

ahh yes guys don't worry the best Walt Disney World entertainment is still offered right now who needs Festival of the Lion King or the Main Street streetmosphere.

Joy frolicking is the second best show next to Steps in Time of course

 

[Pi on my Cake]

@PostScott - The Great Fantastical Disney Movie Ride
Welcome to the game! Always great to see some new faces around here, especially someone with a lot of creativity and excitement! Minor quick note, you have 5 sentences and technically the game is to only use 3 (though with the next prompt being the finale that might change). But since this is your first round I won't hold that against you!

This would be such a fun and over the top idea! Big crossover shows in the parks are relatively common, but taking that fun concept and turning it into madcap ride would be a blast! And I love how you treat this as a crazy idea and throw a lot of details that imply this would be something big and over the top and fun! There's a lot of disadvantages to a black box ride compared to a regular dark ride, but your concept takes full advantage of something projection heavy and trackless to make something super fun!

@DisneyManOne - 101 Dalmatians Daring Escape
I love 101 and I think it would be a great fit for a zany, mad cap, Mr. Toad inspired dark ride. Though 101, like Mr. Toad, is a kind of dated madcap that I feel works amazingly for a bus bar, but I'm not sure if it would feel "big" enough for something focused on projection and trackless movement. The way you sell the tech it will use is showing off puppies and an animatronic of an old lady. A fantastic ride and movie! But feels like it might not be something that takes advantage of the ride system.

@TwilightZone - Steps in Time: Ready to Rock
Wow! This is a shocking IP choice!

Honestly though, this round the realism in the IP choice doesn't count. And the tie in to your previous project is a fun tie in. Steps in Time would lend itself well to a weird and crazy trackless, projection heavy ride. Though beyond the nostalgic gimmick of the goofy show it is based on, this is really just a simple crossover ride. Which isn't bad of course! Crossovers are always fun.

​

 

[Pi on my Cake]

@Brer Panther - #CoolRide
This was hilarious lol! I've warmed up to Black Box rides (as long as they are used sparingly) and WiR 2, but this was definitely my first thought with both of them haha. Ralph Breaks the Internet as the frame work for a crossover with projections to make the world feel crazy and chaotic could actually be pretty fun (if lacking in substance). Though maybe the real life version should leave Peter Griffin out of it

Also, *Skwad

@Evilgidgit - Kingdom Hearts: Gummi Ship Starway
Kingdom Hearts!

The Black Box Ride concept is essentially a different take on a simulator, and Kingdom Hearts lends itself well to a simulator. I like that you avoided it being another crossover (beyond some cameos from the sounds of it) and focused on the gummi ship flights. It might be slightly better as a traditional simulator, but it still works well here!

@DashHaber - The Disney Afternoon Adventure
Nostalgia for the 90s Afternoon shows are at an all time high right now and with all of these shows getting cameos and story arcs in the Ducktales revival, they would be familiar to kids too. This is a relatively simple crossover between them, but a crazy trackless ride with projections is perfect for these characters. It reminds me a bit of the Hannah Barbera ride from Universal. Simple and focused, yet still big and bombastic!
​

 

[Pi on my Cake]

@NateD1226 - Let's Dance in Hollywood Land
Trackless Rides do two things entirely well: Spinning and Dancing. What this idea lacks in spinning, it makes up for in spades with dancing!

This would be a really fun addition to the land that lends to theming and take absolute full advantage of the tech involved in it! There's a chance a Mickey themed, projection heavy ride would just get compared to runaway railway. And while this is fun, a simple black box ride compared to Runaway Railways 2.5D with a bunch of figures might make this ride seem underwhelming in comparison. BUT that's a small issue that I mostly just bring up because if I just write "This is neat!" then I feel like I'm not doing my job as a host lol.

@InspectorSpacetime - Powers of Ten
First off, Innoventions would actually be a great spot for a black box ride! And the ability to frequently change the ride would be perfect because Disneyland doesn't really have space to add things too often. Plus, locals like new small things and overlays.

As for your actual ride, it's a great use of a projection heavy ride system! Ludwig is a really fun character and including some epcot/old-school DL Tomorrowland style edutainment would be a really smart pick! This is the type of things that could easily stand on its own, stand as a loose adaptation of that short, or stand as a spiritual successor to Inner Space.

@spacemt354 - The Clone Wars: Battle for the Republic
So, fun story. My original draft for this prompt was to call out Launch Bay saying that it is time for it to go now that Galaxy's Edge is open. Between Galaxy's Edge and Star Tours, we don't need more star wars. So, the prompt was going to be about replacing Launch Bay with the rumored Black Box ride. Then I changed the prompt to expand it and not be too WDW focused.

I am glad I did because as skeptical as I was about more Star Wars, you did a great job convincing me and doing something different with it. Though that could be my excitement for Mandalorian speaking lol. Overall, the big, epic battle scenes Clone Wars is known for would creat an incredible experience for a trackless projection heavy ride! Plus, this would be a good way to tie in some fan favorite characters that have been largely left out by Disney in the parks. While more temporary Star Wars stuff might be overkill for the Studios, you find a good new angle on it and created something fun!



​

 

[Pi on my Cake]

@tcool123 - The Nightmare Before Christmas / The Dream Before Halloween
So, this is a rare instance where the review is actually kinda different depending on the park.
For DCA: This is just kind of a cheaper version of Haunted Mansion Holiday. Though the Christmas switcharoo is a nice touch.
For DHS: This is great! Holiday overlays are uncommon in WDW since they don't like needing to have ride closed for long periods. This would add some holiday fun that the west coast gets while only needing a very small down time! Plus, the change for Halloween and Christmas each having their own slightly different version is really cool!

@pix - Wasteland Adventure
Epic Mickey projects get suggested a lot in armchair imagineering. My reaction is almost always the same, "I love the idea and it would be fun, but the IP is dated and unpopular and it would never happen." BUT this prompt is centered around "realism doesn't matter with IP choice" which means it is the PERFECT time for Epic Mickey! The world of the games is so fantastical and the main gimmick of the games (paint and thinner creating and destroying things reshaping the environment) would lend itself incredibly well to a projection heavy ride like this. You take good use of the ride system and the prompt's special rules to create something cool and unique.


​

 

[Pi on my Cake]

A fantastic Penultimate Scene! A prompt designed to be self indulgent that led to a really fun Scene for the game. Even for people that hate the idea of Black Box rides, it lead to some really funny projects!

Everyone who submitted something gets 1 point just for playing, but medal winners will get extra points on top of that!

And now for the awards!!!!

Honorable Mention
@Brer Panther - #CoolRide
Honorable Mentions isn't necessarily "4th Place." This award goes to a project that excelled in one area, but had something else holding it back from the top 3. In this case, this project was #Y33T yo. And made me laugh out loud #lol.

Bronze Medal (1 Point)
@pix - Wasteland Adventure
Epic Mickey gets thrown around a lot and isn't super realistic, but that's not what this round is about. A Black Box Ride is the perfect choice for something self indulgent. And this is one where you take full advantage of the unique ride system to create something awesome and unique and very fitting for the game while still cool on its own!

Silver Medal (1 Point)
@NateD1226 - Let's Dance in Hollywood Land
This is just a really fun idea! It would add a lot to the land it is in and it would take full advantage of the trackless ride system to be more than just a weird dark ride. Fantastic job!

Gold Medal (2 Points)
@InspectorSpacetime - Powers of Ten
This was just perfect! Fantastic use of projections, fantastic use of IP, great location for the ride and for a Black Box Ride in general! It makes me surprised this wasn't already being built!
​

 

[D Hulk]

HULK SMASH BONUS REVIEWS!

This is a case where I’ll be judging the bonuses solely on their own merits. I honestly didn’t fully comprehend the main prompt , perhaps because my brain doesn’t yet acknowledge Chapek ideas. Happily, viral marketing has almost no rules at all, meaning the creativity potential is uncharted!

101 Dalmatians Daring Escape!
@DisneyManOne-Hundred-and-One
This is an ingenious viral marketing idea right out of the gate! As an opt-in on basically every Disney webpage, it’s simultaneously omnipresent but not intrusive. The 101 Dalmatians spots are an iconic visual which wordlessly, instantly convey your concept. Dalmatian-inspired, and simply inspired!

Steps in Time: Ready to Rock
@TwilightZone
Coverning the OG Steps in Time as part of a Disney+ show will reach some potential audience. Will it reach enough? A confession, I haven’t watched Imagineering Story even, and I’m ostensibly in their target audience. With something as wacky and memetic as Steps in Time, a far more “out there” viral idea would’ve been great!

Ralph Breaks the Internet: #CoolRide
@Brer Panther
This is totally #fetch! (Is “fetch” still not a thing yet?) I mean, okay, obviously you’ve approached this whole prompt as a joke. That...actually sort of fits the viral marketing style, actually! These Adobe Flash web animations, if they’re created with the right sort of anti-goodness which Internet denizens randomly seem to love, then you might very well “break the internet.” And that’s the standard you set for yourself! I kinda wonder where these animations would premiere...perhaps Disney’s troll farm and Twitter bots could disseminate them.​