So, You Want to be an Imagineer Season 16: Purists vs. Innovators (Official Hub Thread!)

[TheOriginalTiki]

@invadersam...Okay, time for some real talk. I love your passion and enthusiasm for the game, but frankly I'm going to need a bit more effort than just a paragraph. This is a good game to hone your creative writing skills...really that's the point to begin with, so I don't want you to get frustrated and give up over the low score. I want you to take this as a learning experience. Traditionally these projects are at least a few paragraphs long with at least a couple reference photos and proper formatting. I understand you might be limited on time and resources and I'll be happy to talk about each project you turn in regardless of the length, but suffice to say for higher scores and just to improve your overall writing you should be taking this advice to heart.

As for the project itself, there are things I liked about it. While making it a Peter Pan's Flight style ride wasn't the most clear cut for the carriages I at least appreciated that it was something different and in an odd way fits with the melodic tone of the film. I actually love the little detail of having the smell of mop water as you enter the showbuilding. Other than that you really didn't give me a lot to go on. Keep up the good vibes and high spirits, and I'm hoping to see bigger and better things to come from you in the future!

Creativity: 8/10 - Interesting choice in ride system
Realism: 7/10 -Wish I had more to go on, but from what's here it sounds feasible
Detail: 3/10 - Like the inclusion of the scents, but typically these projects are at least a few paragraphs long
Presentation: 1/10 - Please try to work to improve your formatting and spelling/grammar. I understand if you don't have the means to include reference photos but just a baseline spellcheck would do wonders to improve the professionalism of even just a paragraph of text.
Total: 19/40

 

[TheOriginalTiki]

@Pionmycake, generally speaking an incredibly strong project with a couple Achilles Heel level weaknesses to it. The biggest weakness is simply in the IP chosen. Frozen is probably among the least creative IPs you could have chosen anyways, the fact that the project specifically required an IP that hadn't yet gotten a dark ride and that this was an innovators project so you don't have the excuse of getting the timelines confused means your creativity score is unfortunately going to be very low. I hate doing that though, because the rest of the project is super strong! Honestly this is a fantastic 21st century upgrade to the typical dark ride structure. I love, love, LOVE the window scene. What a fantastic blend of traditional Disneyland design philosophy with the Innovator mindset at heart! Really this is about the best you could possibly do with a Frozen ride, it's just rather unfortunate that Frozen simply cripples the overall score based on what we were looking for from this project.

Creativity: 6/10 There's some really creative show elements in here, but I have to take off a point for the use of Frozen...not only an IP with a pre-existing dark ride but also just an obvious film to translate to the genre in general.

Realism: 7/10 - Hate to go this low, but the Let It Go scene alone would probably take up most of the Snow White half of the showbuilding. It baffles me that you guys keep recycling Village Hause instead of working it into the dark ride space, haha.

Detail: 10/10 - Pretty much the best account of a Frozen ride I could possibly ask for.
Presentation: 9/10 Very good reference photos, formatting, spelling/grammar etc.
Total: 32/40

 

[spacemt354]

Is Frozen a dark ride? Fwiw, to me Frozen Ever After is a boat ride not a dark ride, but it does have dark ride elements so it could go either way I guess.

 

[TheOriginalTiki]

Is Frozen a dark ride? Fwiw, to me Frozen Ever After is a boat ride not a dark ride, but it does have dark ride elements so it could go either way I guess.

I know it's technically a boat ride, but it's got the same overall structure as a dark ride. I'm being equal with everyone who IPs with pre-existing attractions as they all have different reasons for missing the memo on the rule not to include them. On the Purists side of things I'm guessing it's an issue with the timeline, and with Innovators as you said I'm guessing Pi didn't realize I'd consider FEA a dark ride. Just trying to make it as fair as I can for everyone affected by that technicality

 

[spacemt354]

I know it's technically a boat ride, but it's got the same overall structure as a dark ride. I'm being equal with everyone who IPs with pre-existing attractions as they all have different reasons for missing the memo on the rule not to include them. On the Purists side of things I'm guessing it's an issue with the timeline, and with Innovators as you said I'm guessing Pi didn't realize I'd consider FEA a dark ride. Just trying to make it as fair as I can for everyone affected by that technicality

Eh i mean...i think thats a little subjective to knock him down for not knowing that you consider a boat ride a dark ride..i do see your point, but Ill be curious if you have the same opinion of it as a dark ride after experiencing it next month

 

[TheOriginalTiki]

Eh i mean...i think thats a little subjective to knock him down for not knowing that you consider a boat ride a dark ride..i do see your point, but Ill be curious if you have the same opinion of it as a dark ride after experiencing it next month

I probably should have been a little more specific and just said not to do an IP with a pre-existing attraction as that was really what I meant by the wording. As I said, I could have been more clear with both prompts which is why I'm trying to be as fair and equal as possible with the judging on that technicality (which I imagine for good reason will be the most divisive thing score wise so far )

 

[spacemt354]

I probably should have been a little more specific and just said not to do an IP with a pre-existing attraction as that was really what I meant by the wording. As I said, I could have been more clear with both prompts which is why I'm trying to be as fair and equal as possible with the judging on that technicality (which I imagine for good reason will be the most divisive thing score wise so far )

I also say this because i was considering swapping to the innovator project to do a frozen dark ride because it would be the most realistic option, but then Pi did it so i didn't want to copy haha. So yeah the wording probably could have been more clear

 

[TheOriginalTiki]

To me, Frozen Ever After pretty much IS what I was already looking for with the innovators prompt...something that takes the general "Dark ride" format and pluses it to the 21st century through both the effects and the ride system. I get the frustration though. In the future I'll be more careful to be specific about what I'm looking for

 

[Pi on my Cake]

For what it's worth, I just misread it and didn't realize I couldn't use an IP that has been used before as long as it was a new take on it and not already in California. That's my bad. I'll actually agree that Frozen Ever After feels more like a dark ride on a boat than a boat ride. And I thought there was more room than I guess there actually is there, and that would've hurt my realism and all anyways.

Did this mostly for fun and because I was planning on doing this ride for Pi's Disneyland. Even the Village Haus was kept because the Frozen ride in that park is gonna be built partly on top of another rides show building to save space with the same two story set up. So, I don't mind the mix up hurting my score.

Also, @spacemt354, I find it really funny that you changed your mind on what to do based on me taking Frozen because the last straw that made me change my plans was you doing Bambi and not wanting to compete with your Bambi lol

 

[TheOriginalTiki]

For what it's worth, I just misread it and didn't realize I couldn't use an IP that has been used before as long as it was a new take on it and not already in California. That's my bad. I'll actually agree that Frozen Ever After feels more like a dark ride on a boat than a boat ride. And I thought there was more room than I guess there actually is there, and that would've hurt my realism and all anyways.

Did this mostly for fun and because I was planning on doing this ride for Pi's Disneyland. Even the Village Haus was kept because the Frozen ride in that park is gonna be built partly on top of another rides show building to save space with the same two story set up. So, I don't mind the mix up hurting my score.

Also, @spacemt354, I find it really funny that you changed your mind on what to do based on me taking Frozen because the last straw that made me change my plans was you doing Bambi and not wanting to compete with your Bambi lol

In terms of spacing...yea, the Fantasyland dark ride buildings on that side are literally RIGHT up against the side of Big Thunder Mountain. There's literally no breathing room beyond the space that's already there which is why using Village Hause was essential for realism and I'm baffled so far two out of two innovator projects didn't include the space in the actual ride, haha. Thanks for being so cool about the mixup

 

[spacemt354]

For what it's worth, I just misread it and didn't realize I couldn't use an IP that has been used before as long as it was a new take on it and not already in California. That's my bad. I'll actually agree that Frozen Ever After feels more like a dark ride on a boat than a boat ride. And I thought there was more room than I guess there actually is there, and that would've hurt my realism and all anyways.

Did this mostly for fun and because I was planning on doing this ride for Pi's Disneyland. Even the Village Haus was kept because the Frozen ride in that park is gonna be built partly on top of another rides show building to save space with the same two story set up. So, I don't mind the mix up hurting my score.

Also, @spacemt354, I find it really funny that you changed your mind on what to do based on me taking Frozen because the last straw that made me change my plans was you doing Bambi and not wanting to compete with your Bambi lol

I still see Maelstrom when riding Frozen It's a matter of taste, dark ride is a very broad term that can be applied to many things to different folks. So the more specific the better.

 

[TheOriginalTiki]

@tcool123, a rock solid presentation with just a couple speed bumps. I loved the idea of Winnie the Pooh being a Peter Pan's Flight style ride but unfortunately I feel like more could have been done to give it a panoramic feel. This is the problem I'm having with IPs with pre-existing rides and why I didn't want them involved in the project...it's borderline impossible to not compare the concepts.

Peter and the Wolf was a homerun and is a contender for my favorite overall ride in this round of projects. The one thing I wish we would have seen more of is the use of music (ironically for a short based on classical music you didn't include a video to set the mood ) At first I thought the ride was repetitive as it was essentially a series of wolf encounters in the forest...then it hit me that you were mirroring Snow White in a really accurate way and I was like BRILLIANT! Sadly I wish we would have seen more from your Dalmatians ride, notably the queue. What's there seems like a lot of fun.

Creativity: 8/10 Yes, Pooh drops you down a point, but the use of Peter and the Wolf had you at 9/10 regardless so you still come off with a really respectable score.

Realism: 10/10 To paraphrase Aquaman from Justice League...MY MAN!!! Loved how each ride accurately recreated and deconstructed the ride it was replacing, and the use of the queues sticking closely to the original Fantasyland ascetic was a simple but inspired touch.

Detail: 9/10 Again wish there was a bit more with Dalmatians, but the vivid descriptions in the other rides more than made up for it.

Presentation: 9/10 Solid reference photos and maps. Just because I'm WACKY with the bonus points I'm taking off a point for the missed opportunity of not linking a video of the Peter and the Wolf song. If I did it to @D Hindley I have to do it to you.

Total: 36/40

 

[Pi on my Cake]

In terms of spacing...yea, the Fantasyland dark ride buildings on that side are literally RIGHT up against the side of Big Thunder Mountain. There's literally no breathing room beyond the space that's already there which is why using Village Hause was essential for realism and I'm baffled so far two out of two innovator projects didn't include the space in the actual ride, haha. Thanks for being so cool about the mixup

To be fair, I did use half the restaurant and just left a smaller version behind. But still probably too tight for what I thought.

 

[TheOriginalTiki]

@spacemt354 Simply perfect! I honestly don't have much to say in writing and I'm sure Jacob and I will be talking about this in detail. I think the scores speak for themselves. There's really not much for me to actually critique here. The Tyrus Wong artwork is dare I say it...another GAME CHANGER when it comes to project presentation. The selection of attractions is totally and completely impeccable. I love how you go above and beyond the required themes to really dive deep into the spirituality that is a Disney story.

Great Prince of the Forest is one of the best dark ride presentations in the game's history. From the jaw-dropping artwork to the seamless flow of the narrative, everything about this attraction is perfect. It's often been joked that the only way to fit Bambi into the parks is through a shooter attraction and this proposal makes that way of thinking simply archaic.

Mickey and the Beanstalk brought back so many nostalgic memories. What a treat! Just for the sheer flow of it all it was almost as good as Bambi. The best scene was probably how you recreated the Fee Fi Fo song as a horror movie scene that quickly turns into a comedy. The harp out front is also a great touch. Man...that song just brings back ALL the memories, haha. Not much to say about Dalmatians other than it's a very solid recreation of the general Mr. Toad experience.


Creativity: 10/10
Realism: 10/10
Detail: 10/10
Presentation: 10/10
Total: 40/40

 

[D Hulk]

To be fair, I did use half the restaurant and just left a smaller version behind. But still probably too tight for what I thought.

That was exactly my reasoning too, perhaps being a little overzealous with available space. (SAVE THE VILLAGE HAUS!)

Also, my initial post exceeded the site's limits for YouTube music, and I whittled it down a bit too much in response. Forgive me!

 

[TheOriginalTiki]

@AceAstro easily my favorite of the Innovators projects! You know my tastes all too well. I never like to just recreate the films scene by scene which many projects this round as good as they were fell into. This proposal absolutely subverts this trope in a big bad way and I'm kind of in love with it for that reason! At first I was skeptical that this was going to be too similar to Ratatouille, but in the end I think you took all the best elements of the different trackless dark rides and melded them together into a truly special Disneyland experience!

Creativity: 10/10 Some really top level effects work and use of the trackless technology at play here.
Realism: 10/10 Definitely took the care to use all the space to its advantage, kudos to the extra detail in laying it all out like that.
Detail: 10/10 Everything is well and accounted for
Presentation: 9/10 Overall very solid, just didn't have the same "wow" factor as some of the original concept art we've seen.
Total: 39/40

 

[TheOriginalTiki]

@Disney Dad 3000, @kmbmw777, @Magic Feather...apologies but...I need a break I've been glued to my computer screen for the past four hours...glued in a good way though. In all honesty this might be one of the best rounds of the game ever quality wise! Hopefully I'll be able to get the last three reviews out before the Uniting Universal project, if not then definitely before the live podcast.

 

[TheOriginalTiki]

@kmbmw777 a very out of left field twist on a Fantasyland dark ride, well done! This has its fair share of narrative issues though. Most notably it once again falls into the familiar trap of replaying the movie beat by beat, something that could have easily been avoided with the mythic side of the MCU. Some of the scene descriptions I didn't really get a solid grasp on, most glaring being the hospital. With all that in mind it was an inspired choice to pick a Marvel property and Doctor Strange was a really great choice to get the treatment, especially considering the nature of what it means to be an innovator!

Creativity: 9/10 One of the most inspired film selections of the lot
Realism: 7/10
Detail: 7/10 Realism and detail kind of go hand in and on this one. There's certainly enough there, it was just hard for me to grasp how it would physically be achieved. This is why I vastly prefer projects that focus on scenes outside of just retelling the story. It's much easier for me to picture a ride-exclusive scene than a recreation of something I saw in a movie.
Presentation: 8/10 Very cool idea to do a slideshow, just next time pick a text that's easier to read
Total: 31/40

 

[TheOriginalTiki]

Apologies for the rushed nature of these reviews, I promise we'll talk about them in detail on the podcast. Just trying to get them out before Pi and I go on for the Uniting Universal podcast.

@Disney Dad 3000 a really great mix of dark rides, all having their own unique place. Loved how you justified Cinderella being a book report and acknowledged the trope. Sword in the Stone was really fun and interesting, basically a book report ride that spins off into Mr. Toad style craziness in the second half. The Mickey ride was definitely the highlight. Loved the way you retroactively saved GMR in the process!

Creativity: 9/10
Realism: 9/10
Detail: 10/10
Presentation: 9/10
Total: 37/40

@Magic Feather while I appreciate that you managed to get something in, this is another situation where were just going to need to see more. Having said that the idea of a Dumbo ride has always intrigued me. When I was a little kid I always thought Casey Jr. was a Dumbo dark ride before actually going on it. That was the highlight, but the other two were really bare bones. I give you credit for having a creative voice in your writing even under a tight deadline, though!

Creativity: 8/10
Realism: 7/10
Detail: 4/10
Presentation: 7/10
Total: 26/40

 

[TheOriginalTiki]

@Pionmycake and I will be going live in roughly ten minutes for the first of four special "Uniting Universal" podcasts!