Project One: So...Ya Like Star Wars?!?!?
Star Wars will be one of the VERY few acquired IPs not originally created by Disney to be featured this season, but since The Last Jedi has become the most divisive film in the long history of the series I figured this would be a good subject to start with. You might be wondering...(picture this in BlueDragonFive's voice if you're familiar with it...) "But Tiki, where does the Purists vs. Innovators theme come into play?"
Why, that's a great question! Each project this season will essentially be different riffs on the same prompt, with one being catered more to the traditional side of things, and the other with an eye towards the future of Imagineering. Many of the projects on the "Purists" side of things will include an alternate timeline element...including this one!
Purists...your goal is to create a hypothetical alternative Star Wars attraction to replace Star Tours in the timeline. By this, I mean something with full blown AAs and sets. Something that would essentially be a predecessor to the scale of AAs and set pieces were going to be seeing with Battle Escape when that E Ticket adventure opens with the rest of Galaxy's Edge. The only catch is you can only use technology available prior to 1990 to keep with the "Alternate Timeline" angle. It does NOT matter where this is placed. You can place it in the original Star Tours spot replacing Disneyland's Adventure Through Inner Space, or you can place it in an entirely different resort and park as long as it follows the pre-1990 criteria.
Innovators...With Galaxy's Edge not even open yet and only rough concepts of what the experience will be like to go off of, you must use that knowledge to craft a second phase to the famed "Star Wars Land". This means an entirely new "Galaxy's Edge" in either California Adventure or Epcot/Animal Kingdom/Magic Kingdom connected to Galaxy's Edge in Disneyland or Hollywood Studios. This new land must feature two attractions and a recreation of a Star Wars planet. One of the attractions must double as transportation between the two parks.
If the answer to the question posed by the title of the prompt isn't yes...don't worry, you can still participate! If you flat out don't like Star Wars then you can turn in an alternate project designing an E Ticket thrill ride for Tomorrowland NOT based on a pre-existing IP.
All the prompts will be graded on the same rubric and all of them come with their own set of challenges. You may only turn in ONE prompt per round to be counted towards your leaderboard. If you wish you may turn in projects for all three prompts, but if that's the case please specify ONE to be graded towards your overall leaderboard score.
1. @spacemt354 72.5/80
"Ahch-To Island" (Innovators) https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads...fficial-hub-thread.936734/page-2#post-8009145
@TheOriginalTiki's review
As much as Pi's project was a homerun for the Purists, this has "Innovators" written all over. Another wonderful start to the season and a great illustration of why I picked Star Wars to represent the "Purists vs. Innovators" theme. Space, realism is definitely a factor here but I don't want you to get frustrated with that. I love the risks you took with the main walk through. Much like Last Jedi itself there are fundamental shifts in the way you'd typically design a theme park attraction of this scale, not everyone in the park would 100 percent love it, but it'd most certainly be something that would be talked about. The Porg encounter is honestly my favorite part of the project just because of how realistic and funny it is, no disrespect to the star attraction.
Creativity: 9.5/10 - I'm halfway hesitant to theme a whole land around a recent Star Wars location from a divisive movie (coming from the side of loving The Last Jedi btw
) Generally speaking though, this takes big risks and pays off fantastically from the creative side. Detail: 9/10 - Solidly written all the way through.
Realism: 6/10 - Like I said, there's a few things here I'd worry about. Notably the repeat factor for the main attraction after you've experienced the two variations. To me it seems like a do it twice and then you've had your fill sort of situation. Don't get me wrong, I love everything you set up, and I love the idea of this being a "boutique" Star Wars expansion...I'm just not sure Disney is as forward thinking as the project itself is leaning.
Presentation: 8/10 - The maps definitely help give a picture of the layout and the reference photos perfectly showcase how the island blends in with the rest of the park. Solid work!
2. (TIE) @Pionmycake 68/80
Rebel Heroes" (Purists) https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads...tors-official-hub-thread.936734/#post-8007507
@TheOriginalTiki's review.
..honestly, couldn't have asked for a better project to kick off the season with! I loved this. As a Nintendo fan-boy who's currently having a boarderline-romantic relationship with my Switch the inclusion of the Duck Hunt style blasters was wonderful. I love how practical this all was. By far my favorite touch is how the gun element doesn't actually keep score. I also love how the update seems like something that would divide the fanbase just like in real life. The light speed tunnels were an inspired design element. Only slight qualm I have is there could have been more of a transition from the queue to the actual ride.
Creativity: 8/10 - Blends elements of different ideas such as Peter Pan, Space Mountain, and Space Ranger Spin and does so incredibly well. On its own the scenes don't really amount to much beyond a "best of" reel, but in a sort of "Forbidden Journey" kind of way that flows well into each other to creative a cohesive experience.
Detail: 7/10 - Overall very strong, just could have used a bit more about the boarding process/loading area besides just the fact that it's a continually moving platform. Boarding areas and the transition between queue and ride can make or break a project and I simply didn't feel like I got enough of a grasp on it.
Realism: 10/10 Definitely the strong point of the project. Everything on display was alarmingly accurate.
Presentation: 7/10 Solid reference photos and formatting
2. (TIE) @Disney Dad 3000 68/80
"Kashyyyk" (Innovators) https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads...fficial-hub-thread.936734/page-4#post-8015733
it's a shame you didn't have time to fully complete this because I was absolutely in love with the concept from what I read. The sense of scope and forced perspective when you describe the forest is simply impeccable. I'm also going to give a full BONUS POINT for being the one person to figure out the transportation. How interesting is it that we got three innovator projects based on three different WDW parks, and yet all the proposals fit their respective parks incredibly well. I love the conversation message here with the Wookies, I love how mysterious and built up the Wookies are while walking through the land, and I love the idea of the "Shadow Lands". Please complete the ride some time and I'll give feedback on it in a future podcast, because this is one hell of a starting point!
Creativity: 9.5/10 - Wonderful use of Animal Kingdom's conservation themes, and major props for including transportation. Something as simple as a spruced up monorail really can go a long way.
Realism: 7.5/10 The idea of each monorail trip being a mini meet n greet is intriguing to say the least, but I definitely have some concerns when it comes to staffing. Also while a monorail is probably the most practical way to get people from point A to point B, it's also among the most expensive. The forest itself had a great sense of scale to it that really pulled me in.
Detail: 7/10 Should probably be lower given the ride is missing, but what's here is just really good!
Presentation: 8/10 Solid reference photos and formatting all around.
2. (TIE) @DisneyManOne 68/80
"Battle of the Force" (Purists) https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads...fficial-hub-thread.936734/page-4#post-8016726
@TheOriginalTiki's review
.Loved it! This is absolutely the type of project I was hoping for when giving out the Purists prompt. First off, I really like how you kept Star Tours in this continuity but addressed that WDW shouldn't have gotten a clone of it. I haven't been to DHS myself but the Star Tours placement seems rather out of place compared to the natural fit of a space airport within Tomorrowland. Excellent job keeping the action confined to one setting and having a brisk pace to the experience while still being something families can enjoy. This might be one of my new favorite original spins on the "Peter Pan's Flight" Style suspended dark ride. I'm really lost in admiration for this presentation. Perhaps the best project of the opening round!
Creativity: 8.5/10 - Wonderful use of the Peter Pan tech. Parts of it seemed heavily inspired by Battle Escape which isn't in itself a bad thing. Essentially the whole structure of the ride experience is a live action Star Wars which while using some Member Berries to create the intended effect went a long way in making those nostalgic feels ever so sweet.
Realism: 9.5/10 - Truly a shining point in the attraction. An excellent example of a family thrill ride which used a little bit of everything that was available at the time in terms of technology to blend it into a ceaseless experience.
Detail: 8/10 - Everything was fleshed out very well. Perhaps a bit more on the queue would have been nice.
Presentation 9/10 - Great use of reference photos and the humor and wit present throughout did not go unnoticed.
An important note to hit on is that crafting your own unique voice in your writing is just as important as visuals when it comes to the presentation grade. 3. @kmbmw777 67/80
Imperial Outpost" (Innovators) https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VfKKu7bCPMhqAGCZM05UoOPruDY53GXdezR6QcKXBRU/edit
@TheOriginalTiki's review
solid job all around. First off, I love how different all of these projects are and how they can fit into various parks. EPCOT works well as a transitioning point from the Science of the franchise to the Fantasy of a Disney attraction. Detail was your achilles heel. You started out strong but I really wanted to see more out of the actual attraction. Having said that I very much commend you on the choice of doing a Doc as the presentation method. It allowed for a level of visual stimulation you simply can't repeat on just a forum post. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the use of the Calrissian family as well as the casino theme feels like you're trying to improve on the much maligned Kanto Bae.
Creativity: 7/10 - Tying it into Epcot was a good touch, though I question the energy attraction having all that much to do with Star Wars. The casino theme felt a bit too Last Jedi, but as I said it felt like you were trying to improve things that felt off about that movie's interpretation of a casino planet so I'll give you a bonus .5 point!
Realism: 9/10 - While I wish there was more to it, for pure practicality sake given Epcot's sheer size and the fact that the tech outlined feels to match right at home with where were at in the industry, this is definitely among your strongest categories.
Detail: 5/10 Pains me to score this low, but this really felt like half a project given that we wanted most of the emphasis to be on the E ticket. Keep it up though, as I really appreciated the world-building and the inclusion of the Calrissian family.
Presentation: 9/10 Very solid website design and concept art. As others have pointed out the yellow is a bit striking, but my eyes adjusted to it pretty easily. Just because I'm in a good mood I'll throw in another bonus .5 point for the website!
4. @tcool123 66/80
"Fragments of the Empire" (Purists) https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads...fficial-hub-thread.936734/page-5#post-8019508
@TheOriginalTiki's review
this was a very ambitious effort for a Purist project, and probably the best example out of the first round of blending the spirit of the two ideas to create a single concept. Realism is going to take a hit in much the same way that it did with Space's project, but again I don't want that to frustrate you. Jabba's Palace is one of my favorite locations in all of Star Wars and I feel like it's just begging for an attraction. Props for also using other parts of the Tatooine wastelands. A bit of a missed opportunity not being able to pick up some power converters at Tosche Station, I must admit.
Creativity: 8/10 Jabba's palace is a rather stock location, but a colorful one that you nailed by putting a strong emphasis on the world building on the surrounding areas.
Realism: 6.5/10 The shuttle loop is ambitious and a great idea. Some of the scale of the scenes seems a little off, especially the number of AAs in any one set vs. how fast you'd be traveling through the scenes.
Detail: 9/10 From top to bottom everything was explained really well.
Presentation: 8.5/10 Another great example of using your own "voice" in the writing to convey what you're trying to say. Fantastic use of reference photos throughout.
5. @AceAstro 63.5/80
"Path of the Sith" (Purists) https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads...fficial-hub-thread.936734/page-4#post-8015519
@TheOriginalTiki's review
gotta admit, I'm conflicted about this one simply because I'm a huge fan of Inner Space and know the layout and space of that attraction really well. This is where research would have come in handy for you because out of any past Disney attraction Inner Space is one that has a ton of resources for information. Another issue I have is the timeline really didn't seem coherent. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but it didn't seem like there was any reason why we started post-Jedi and then went back into the past for the rest of the attraction. Also jumping between different moments in the original trilogy felt a little off. Honestly I feel really bad about being so harsh about this because all these gripes are just fanboy things that you had no way of avoiding or knowing about.
Creativity: 6/10 - As I said, the timeline of this seemed a bit jumbled. I think it would have worked better if you stuck the ride in one time period and stuck to it instead of jumping to different iconic moments.
Detail: 8.5/10 Everything you had was really well fleshed out. Good job going scene by scene.
Realism: 7/10 I'm honestly giving you a bit of a free pass of the space issue because there's NO way there would be room for all this. Top marks for considering reusing the Inner Space track and everything. Also I very much enjoyed the new spin on the Omnimover you came up with. Ehhh...see what I did there...spin...
Presentation: 10/10 I honestly want this to be an example going forward that even if you don't have a ton of resources at your disposal, you can still use visuals to outline your points in a way that amounts to a slam dunk. Top marks!
@Magic Feather 63/80
"Galactic Journey" (Purists) https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads...fficial-hub-thread.936734/page-5#post-8021049
Short but sweet. Presentation as usual with you is a strong suit. Great use of maps to lay out the ideas. It's rather unfortunate that Tcool's project uses the same theme and has a lot more detail to it, as it does have the tendancy to overshadow this one in spite of your best efforts.
Creativity: 8.5/10 Great use of the Carousel theater as more of a thrilling experience. Really nice twist on a classic ride system!
Realism: 8/10
Detail: 6/10 Sadly this felt like another half a project.
Presentation: 10/10 And deserving every point of it! This is what really made this project shine!
Total: 32/40
Project One Review Podcast!
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