kmbmw777
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So, You Want to be an Imagineer Season 16: Purists vs. Innovators (Official Hub Thread!)
- Thread starter TheOriginalTiki
- Start date
spacemt354
Chili's
Purists -- The Castle
Our Walt Disney 'roadside' attraction takes us back to the year 1950, as Walt and Lilly Disney decide to travel back to Walt's hometown of Marceline, MO for a marketing campaign for Walt's upcoming production of Cinderella.
Walt wanted to market the film differently than others. He wasn't as involved in this film's production as much as he had been on past projects such as Snow White, as he was focusing on the live-action Treasure Island film shot in Britain. Nevertheless, he wanted to reel himself in from the glamor and fame, and not forget where he came from.
While Los Angeles, Chicago, or New York could be better markets to reach more of an audience, Walt and Lilly both felt that they needed to return to his roots and his quaint hometown provided the perfect place for Walt to not only advertise his film, but also stay true to his upbringing as a young boy from the American Midwest with a dream.
At this time, Walt had recently returned from a trip to Griffith Park with his daughters Sharon and Diane, watched them ride a merry-go-round from a park bench, and thought that there should be something bigger...'something where both the parents and the children, can have fun together'
The initial drafts for a family friendly theme park rushed around his head. He knew that he could offer more than a Walt Disney Studios tour for the fans of his films and entertainment.
The early drafts of his first park centered around a Mickey Mouse Park, which would be an 8-acre park across Riverside Drive. However, he felt that was too one note for an entire park, but the idea of Mickey Mouse being an essential part of the park never strayed too far away from his subconscious.
Map of Marceline, MO
*Back in 1950, the surrounding homes close to the center of town were less developed, allowing Walt to add his Cinderella Castle in one of the green patches at the end of the main avenue of the town as a roadside attraction. To the left in the image above is the rail line through Marceline, MO with its station paralleling the center of town.
About a few months before Cinderella opened in theaters to the public, Walt traveled with Lilly to Marceline to observe the final day of construction before opening day of the Cinderella Castle attraction. As the castle opened, Walt watched as the people from his hometown put down their cold sasparillas and traveled down the main street of Marceline, Kansas Ave - towards the roadside attraction.
The Castle was an immediate smash hit with the town, and got the people very excited for the next Walt Disney animated film, the first in seven years. Walt and Lilly smiled and walked through the center of the castle and down Kansas Ave for a better look at the attraction.
As Walt turned around to look from far away...something clicked.
The 'theme' park he wanted to create had been a struggle conceptually, mostly because he didn't know what to center it around in order to reach a wide audience. But as he gazed down Kansas Ave, saw the quaint midwest shops, the American flag on the turn-of-the century lamps still standing from his childhood...and saw the castle towering in the distance as the end of the street...Walt had found his Disneyland.
"Lilly" Walt exclaimed "this is it! Disneyland needs to take guests from reality, and into a fairy tale. Who wouldn't want to get away from the hardships of life, the trials and tribulations...at Disneyland you enter a world of fantasy. The castle represents that...it will guide guests from the Main Street towards the rest of the park, bringing them from their daily lives into another realm for families and children of all ages, to laugh and learn together."
As Walt continued to look down the 'Main Street USA' - a powerful echo ran through his ears. The sound of a steam engine and bells of a train leaving the Marceline Station.
It began to click even more.
Walt's love of trains is well documented, but what says small town USA more than a steam train connecting one town to others? What if Walt built a railroad around Disneyland that connected Marceline to other realms of fantasy?
The Castle attraction meant more to Walt than just successful advertisement - The Castle roadside attraction began the development of Disneyland itself.
As planned began to be drawn up for what would become Disneyland - The Castle and Main Street remained as the backbone for all other lands. Engineers and architects asked Walt if he wanted to make an Adventure Park or a Future World Park, but Walt remained steadfast that The Castle would be the icon of Disneyland and it would be at the end of Main Street as a transition.
In 1955 Disneyland opened with what would be known as Sleeping Beauty Castle. Though Walt was biased toward a name of 'Cinderella's Castle' he understood it would be a good advertising tool for it to be named after an upcoming production...similar to how it was in 1950 for the roadside attraction.
When Disneyland opened, and Walt looked down Main Street USA, with the Disneyland Railroad bells and whistles leaving the turn of the century train station behind him, he was reminded of that Castle attraction in his hometown in 1950.
But Walt wasn't satisfied, as the Castle roadside attraction had a restaurant built into it, and the engineers left a wasted second floor in Sleeping Beauty Castle, which eventually was filled in with murals and a walk-through, harkoning back to the original intention of Cinderella's Castle in Marceline, MO.
Walt eventually passed in 1966 before his realization of 'Disney World' - yet while his bold dreams and aspirations for an entire city of the future, as well as airports, and more were not realized....Roy Disney made sure one aspect was included.
In 1971, Walt Disney World opened with the Magic Kingdom, and the park icon that Walt had envisions 21 years ago in his home town as a roadside attraction...
Cinderella Castle
Complete with Cinderella's Royal Table, a table-service restaurant within the castle, just like Walt wanted.
Since that roadside attraction Cinderella Castle -- Walt Disney's attraction has become a cultural icon not only of Disney Parks, but Disney films, studios, and more. And as a tradition to Walt's invention - every single Disney Resort has at least one castle as their main icon, continuing to evolve and transcend the original vision of a Castle at the end of a Main Street.
Ultimately, The Castle is a reminder that a dream is a wish, your heart makes...Walt Disney made his and it continues to awe and inspire generations of dreams for years to come.
invadersam
Well-Known Member
Sorry I've been busy
D Hulk
Well-Known Member
Remembering Snow White Park, Walt’s “Disneyland Before Disneyland”
D Hindley, Purists
Motorists on the I-5 in Burbank today barely realize they are driving past the site of what was once America’s premiere roadside attraction. There presently is Walt Disney Studios’ Animation Building. But from 1950 through 1957, Burbank proudly boasted Snow White Park, a tourist trap which served as Walt Disney’s personal laboratory for the ideas which would later mature into Disneyland.
Imagineer Tony Baxter recalls how he first learned about Snow White Park in 1952, at the tender age of 5. It is how most visitors discovered Walt’s first, tiny park, and it made a gigantic impact.
“I remember, my parents were driving north from Long Beach for a road trip to the Central Valley. To entertain myself, I would watch the roadside billboards. Many advertised familiar tourist traps, places with concrete dinosaurs or the world’s largest donut. But one billboard stood out. For one thing, it wasn’t held up by a steel pole. No, that Disney dwarf – um, Doc – he was holding up this huge storybook. Illuminated golden letters promised ‘ONCE UPON A TIME…’ And that was it. The seed was planted.”
A "Doc" billboard alongside I-25 (courtesy The National Historic Registry)
Six more billboards followed, each held up by another of Walt’s famous Seven Dwarfs, each continuing in beautiful medieval script to tell the tale of Snow White. They also counted down the miles, in true roadside fashion. At last on the final ad, clumsily held up by Dopey, a page declared “SNOW WHITE PARK – NEXT EXIT.”
And then, rising from the sprawl of Burbank, was a fairy tale hillside topped by an immaculate castle. Nestled within this hill were the tops of trees, the steeples of cottages. Modern eyes would find it all too quaint – just a train ride, a restaurant, and a few shops and characters – but for first-time guests like young Tony, Snow White Park was a magical world of make believe they’d never imagined…here realized in the flesh!
Creation
At one point, Snow White Park was equally unimaginable to Walt Disney himself. Reemerging from the thin war years, the Disney Studios of 1946 were strapped for cash and purpose, simply pumping out one funny animal cartoon after another. For Walt, continually seeking the next creative high, this was a sad state of affairs. He amused himself through personal hobbies such as model railroading and miniature building. Soon enough, the handmade Carolwood-Pacific Railroad was chugging away through Walt’s very own backyard. Much to Walt’s surprise, his passion project inspired others, and shortly he had visitors arriving at his front door to ride his Lilly Belle.
Walt saw potential in expanding his little train project. Two acres were set aside in the studio’s new lot in Burbank. For Walt’s imagination, of course, two acres were never enough, and he would continually seesaw between proposing a replica of small town America equivalent to Greenfield Village, or a futuristic submarine lagoon, or an Old West paddleboat, or…
An original Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs poster (courtesy Walt Disney Studios)
It was Walt’s elder brother Roy, ever the pragmatist, who suggested that this new attraction be based on Snow White. After all, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the studio’s greatest success, and what better way to guarantee success in a new medium than with a proven commodity. Some even say this return to fairy tales is what inspired the studio to create Cinderella.
And so, with a minute amount of funds, Walt set forth with fellow train enthusiast Ward Kimball to elevate the roadside tourist trap to an art form.
Opening
Roadside attractions were always considered seedy places, perhaps even more so than carnivals. Walt insisted his would be better, cleaner. It would be a perfect fantasy world, closed off from the surrounding Burbank smog…yet it would still need to be visible to motorists.
The main attraction was always going to be the train ride encircling the park; this was never in question regardless of theme. Walt soon realized that by placing his train up on a “berm,” he could achieve that immersion while still having his train visible from the highway. Train passengers would sit facing inwards, facing away from the “real world.” As a happy accident, free entry into Snow White Park occurred by necessity via a tunnel under this berm. Thus Walt created a natural portal into his fantasy universe, and he would continually fine tune this funneling experience with niceties like posters and an entry plaque. Disneyland scholars like Baxter love to point to such details as nascent moments in themed design.
The Dwarfs' mine inside Granite Mountain (courtesy The Walt Disney Family Museum)
The Seven Dwarfs Mine Ride was the park’s crown jewel, its draw and icon. Guests would board in a full-scale station above the berm’s entry tunnels, a station styled like the Dwarfs’ forest cottage. Guests rode in benches aboard a scale replica locomotive, the same ride system later “borrowed” by Knott’s Berry Farm’s Calico Mine Ride. (Baxter himself would later “borrow” many Calico details for Big Thunder in thanks.) First the train would pass out overlooking Cottage Square, then into the “Back One Acre” – a tranquil fairy tale forest with tiny model villages. Lastly the train entered a mighty granite mountain – actually a fairly primitive construction of lumber, chicken wire and concrete – and into the Dwarfs’ mine. Here were static Dwarf figurines, many recycled machettes from the studio next door, and other assorted set dressing, anything Walt and his designers could scrounge up on a budget.
Money was tight, forcing creative solutions. The model village was originally intended to be full scale. So too was Snow White’s Castle, the park’s landmark at the very top of Granite Mountain. With nearly all funds going towards the railroad itself, Walt settled on much smaller structures. Advised by Hollywood’s set decorators, here the Disney creatives first experimented with forced perspective, carefully placing their models where they would seem larger. And thus another classic Disney technique was born.
Ongoing Operation
Upon opening on December 5th, 1950 – Walt’s birthday – Snow White Park had only the Mine Ride. Trips cost 25 cents, which many at the time decried as “exorbitant.” Still, Walt was a continual presence , always questioning guests on how to improve his tourist trap. He noticed long lines forming. Much like how Walter Knott created rides to entertain guests waiting for food, Walt created food to feed guests waiting to ride. Initially this was just food brought over from the studio commissary. Soon Snow White Park started to specialize, with dinners inspired by the meal which Snow White cooks for the Dwarfs. Much to Walt’s surprise, guests even insisted on apple dishes, despite their association with the Evil Witch.
The Cottage Cook-Off facade subtly hid a larger interior, another nascent Imagineering technique (courtesy WED Enterprises)
In the spring of 1951 Snow White Park opened their Cottage Cook-Off restaurant, providing a permanent venue for fan favorite foods. The apple pies in particular, based on a recipe by Lillian Disney (or so the menus proclaimed), soon even outstripped the Mine Ride in popularity. Guests flocked specifically for the pies, and stuck around for the trains. On days when the baker was absent, and with him the smell of fresh apples, attendance dropped off. By pumping fake odors into the air, Walt found he could attract more guests. Despite this shameless ruse, Snow White Park itself became nostalgically linked with its fragrances, yet another subtle technique which saw greater use in Disneyland.
Walt spent more and more of his time in Snow White Park, even living in a small makeshift apartment in the attic above the train station. The studio soon noticed, and became more involved. Studio tours never took off. The sight of animators hunched over desks weren't as exciting as the tours Universal Studios was already offering across town.
Instead, entertainment came to the park. Actors from Walt’s new live action films would regularly amuse guests with songs of their choosing. Walt very quickly started to dictate their acts, insistent that nothing clash with the fantasy setting he’d created. Actors continued making appearances, but now in appropriate costume as Snow White or the Prince. The costuming department provided crude felt Dwarf costumes. Film production cast members became so ubiquitous that the term “cast member” quickly became a catchall for park employees.
Cast members in prototype Dwarf costumes (courtesy Walt Disney Studios)
Every few months, another sizeable addition would flesh out Snow White Park, from a themed diamond mine shop to a character meeting area around a wishing well. Walt was endlessly plussing his Mine Ride. The original static Dwarf figurines got placed on turntables or rocking platforms. Lighting was changed out regularly, often for free, as Hollywood’s cinematographers loved using the “dark ride” as their own little laboratory.
On a trip to New Orleans, Walt purchased a mechanical bird which he had his creatives disassemble. This was the nascent start of animatronic technology. At no point during Snow White Park’s heyday was the challenge fully resolved. The best Walt’s men could do was a sort of live mechanical puppeteering – hidden under a table, an artisan could animate a simple robot. Walt at first had wished to upgrade his Mine Ride with animatronic Dwarfs, but that never proved feasible.
The Buffalo Bills performing as the Four M's (courtesy Columbia Records)
Not one to waste an idea, Walt incorporated this live puppeteering into a dinner theater show at the Cottage Cook-Off. This new show, The Four M’s, ran from 1953 until 1955. It involved a barbershop quartet of cartoon owls, Marston, Melvin, Milton and Morgan, with their songs prerecorded by The Buffalo Bills. They delighted audiences, and brought the crowds back just as attendance was starting to sag. And yet the Four M’s bothered Walt, as they never quite fit into Snow White’s enchanted universe. Guests were demanding to meet more characters from other Disney films, characters like Mickey Mouse. The park’s size and its concept were simply too limiting for Walt’s interests, and even his humble plans to add a vintage carousel were considered unrealistic
Inspired by the promise Snow White Park had shown, Walt began to think seriously about opening his own amusement park. Here he could include his scrapped plans for the Burbank acreage, like sections for the future, the Old West, even a new True Life Adventure area. Disneyland was starting to form, and with it Snow White Park’s time was nearing an end.
Closure and Legacy
Disneyland opened on July 16th, 1955. As its centerpiece was Sleeping Beauty Castle, much larger than Walt’s original Snow White Castle, yet still smaller than hoped for. (Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom would eventually prove large enough.) Among Disneyland’s five lands, Fantasyland provided Walt's desired outlet for other characters, with dark rides based on Peter Pan, Mr. Toad and Bambi.
Snow White was conspicuously absent.
Walt didn’t want to jeopardize Snow White Park’s success by adding her to Disneyland. Even so, as more tourists flocked to Anaheim, fewer chose to visit Burbank’s increasingly-dated roadside attraction. Finally in 1957 Snow White Park was permanently closed…but not forgotten. Starting a trend he would continue with his World’s Fair attractions, Walt relocated huge portions of Snow White Park to Disneyland. The Seven Dwarfs Mine Ride reopened in Fantasyland in the hills behind the carousel.
Fantasy Village Canal Boats encircled by Seven Dwarfs Mine Ride, circa 1957 (courtesy Disneyland Resort)
Walt Disney, naturally, continued improving his original ride. The model village which was a major, ever-growing part of the Mine Ride also became the main draw of the new Fantasy Village Canal Boats. New models were continually being added, now representing new Disney films. With the Dwarfs’ train rushing past above, it seemed Snow White Park’s legacy was secure.
That was not to last. Under the new management of Michael Eisner and Paul Pressler, the Mine Ride fell into disrepair. New operators could not understand the vintage ride’s appeal. In 1995, Seven Dwarfs Mine Ride and also Fantasy Village Canal Boats closed permanently without a press release. They were replaced by a sunglasses shop. Fan outcry was extraordinary, but ineffective. For 15 years, the Disneyland site of Walt’s beloved first attraction remained fallow.
The year 2010 marked a pyrrhic victory. A newer generation of Imagineers, unable to resurrect the original ride thanks to accessibility laws, instead created a beloved homage in the form of the family roller coaster Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. The entire ride recreates famous scenes from the 1950 classic. Larger thrills and state-of-the-art animatronics brought in crowds. Though not wholly without controversy, this reimagination proved successful enough that it was cloned to Magic Kingdom in 2014.
Vintage props from the original Seven Dwarfs Mine Ride still survive, now on display at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco. They stand as a testament to Walt’s low budget creation. Snow White Park’s influence today is immeasurable. The Disney Parks empire sprang from its humble beginnings, inspiring generations of children just like Tony Baxter. The principles of themed design may be traced to this strange, ambitious tourist trap from Burbank, this quintessential piece of Americana.
Join @Pionmycake and I as we take a look at @spacemt354 and @MonorailRed's "Seuss Landing Water Park" proposed for So, You Want to be an Imagineer Season 15. Going live in about 15 minutes!
AceAstro
Well-Known Member
Over the past decade or so, we have seen a growing emergence of indoor water parks. A large competitor coming out of this theme is the Great Wolf lodge franchise including one that opened in 2016 that’s located down Harbour Boulevard from Disneyland.
To compete, Disney will start their own chain of Indoor Water Parks and hotel around North America, Disney’s SplashZone Resort.
Two locations will open to start with, one in the US and one in Canada to have different market focuses. The two locations will be based in St. Louis, Missouri and Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
St. Louis was chosen for many reasons. The first being that with the previous history between St. Louis and Disney with what was originally going to be the second Disney park, it is time Disney returns there with this new resort. The other reason is due to the competition in the area. There are no notable indoor water parks in the city of St. Louis. The closest Great Wolf Lodge is the next state over in Kansas City, Kansas. And lastly, the big water park in the area is a Six Flags water park but it is only open seasonally due to being outdoors.
Toronto was chosen as the second location for other similar reasons. The Toronto area has been linked multiple times as the next ideal place for a Disney resort. While I don’t think it’d work (or it’d have to be seasonal), a hotel and waterpark resort like this would work in its place. Canada’s Wonderland is one of the most visited seasonal parks in the world and is located just north of downtown Toronto. That being said, it is a seasonal park so Disney would have the business during the winter and may be able to keep customers during the summer months as well. The Great Wolf Lodge in this scenario is located in Niagara Falls. While that isn’t very far away, Niagara Falls also has a lot more tourists visit it so the Disney Toronto location would be able to have lower prices to compete.
To bring more appeal to this area, these hotel resorts will also be DVC resorts. By being DVC resorts, locals to those areas now don’t need to travel as far if they want to spend their points. There will be Studio rooms, 1 bedroom rooms, 2 bedroom rooms, and 3 bedroom rooms available throughout the resort. All rooms will be themed as if they were out at camp. Rooms will feature bunk beds as well as a pull-out couch to have lots of room for the whole family.
With the hotel out of the way, let’s move on to the waterpark.
Starting with the pool area, the main pool will be a large, 25,000 square foot wave pool. The wave pool will go in sessions of 10 minutes on, 5 minutes off. There will be an air horn that goes off to warn guests that the waves are about to start. There will also be a lazy river, a kiddie pool area, and slides.
The lazy/ rapid river ride will have guests in tubes go around an area of fast and slow rapids. It will look similar to this attraction (because of the 5 slides later, this one has to be just a link):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5ToWafoN8Q
The kiddie pool area will have two different areas. For the very small kids ( younger than 5), there will be very shallow water with a couple of slides and a small water splash area. The area will look much like the one below, except with a seal from the short Mickey and the Seal instead of the dolphins.
For older kids who are either too scared or too small for the other slides, a large water playground will be their place to play. Splash Zones, smaller slides, and other play areas will be featured in this area. This playground will have aspects like the one below.
This playground will be themed after Donald’s boat but be more of a play area similar to the old S.S. Rustworthy in California Adventure.
Now for the slides. Each slide has a varying intensity level. There won’t be descriptions of each slide as I felt videos would be better (thank you RCT3). Note: ignore the background around the slides, I had a lot of test slides. Most of these slides end by landing in the pool but this will not be the case at Disney's SplashZone where all of them will end in their own landing areas.
The Frightful Funnel
Up and Away!
Torpedo
Splashback
Drainpipe
Throughout the water park, guests can find many characters dressed in their swim trunks. These characters include Mickey, Donald, Daisy, Lilo, Stitch, and more!
Not only is there a water park, there are many other activities for families to do throughout the resort:
- Character Themed Mini Golf
- Bowling Alley
- Movie Theatre for daily Disney movie night
- Arcade
In addition to all of these activities, guests can also stop by the Disney store located in the hotel where they can get all of their favourite Disney-related merchandise.
These hotel resorts will also all feature a restaurant known as the Campfire Grill. This restaurant will be themed to be an outdoor camp area. The food will consist of an American theme. For Breakfast, it will become a large character dining area where all the characters become the camp counsellors of the area. Guests can join along for songs and campfire stories while enjoying their breakfast.
Like the Great Wolf Lodge, access to the Waterpark is included with staying in the hotel. All other attractions come at an added price that can be charged to your room card so you don’t have to worry about keeping your wallet with you at all times. One big difference in this chain compared to other competitors is the option of going to the park without staying in the hotel. One big complaint with the competitors is that locals want to go to the waterpark without having to pay the price to stay the night. With Disney’s SplashZone Resort, people not staying in the hotel can pay $35 to spend the day at the waterpark. A discounted rate of $25 is available for seniors (65+) as well as children under 10. For guests under 3, admission is free.
Disney’s SplashZone Resort is Disney’s new attempt at making family fun centres located in cities that are not near a park for guests to enjoy the Disney feel without having to travel too far.
These hotel resorts will also all feature a restaurant known as the Campfire Grill. This restaurant will be themed to be an outdoor camp area. The food will consist of an American theme. For Breakfast, it will become a large character dining area where all the characters become the camp counsellors of the area. Guests can join along for songs and campfire stories while enjoying their breakfast.
Like the Great Wolf Lodge, access to the Waterpark is included with staying in the hotel. All other attractions come at an added price that can be charged to your room card so you don’t have to worry about keeping your wallet with you at all times. One big difference in this chain compared to other competitors is the option of going to the park without staying in the hotel. One big complaint with the competitors is that locals want to go to the waterpark without having to pay the price to stay the night. With Disney’s SplashZone Resort, people not staying in the hotel can pay $35 to spend the day at the waterpark. A discounted rate of $25 is available for seniors (65+) as well as children under 10. For guests under 3, admission is free.
Disney’s SplashZone Resort is Disney’s new attempt at making family fun centres located in cities that are not near a park for guests to enjoy the Disney feel without having to travel too far.
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Pi on my Cake
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
Pionmycake presents an Innovators Proposal:
-The Disney Experience Center-
Coming to a city near you, the Disney Experience Center! A new, exciting way for guests of all ages (but mostly children) to live out their most fantastic Disney dreams! This is a series of interactive experiences that let kids live out their fantasies! It takes the concept of the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique to the extreme. A series of varied experiences that start by helping kids immerse themselves into these worlds by developing their characters and outfitting them for their adventure (sometimes involving a makeover). Then, they receive lessons on how to fill their role by someone from the universe they are joining. Finally, kids get an unforgettable experience that brings it all together! Each “world” also will have at least one thing aimed at either the whole family or specifically adults/teens. That way, this becomes a dream come true for all ages! The first-floor activities will be open every day, the experiences will usually only be done once a day (twice on weekends). The exact frequency of experiences is based on crowds.
To start, this will be built in cities close to Disney parks. Tampa in Florida and San Diego in California. This will then be expanded to more cities such as Austin and Chicago and international locations like Shanghai and Tokyo. Not every location will have the same 5 floor complex with all 8 possible experiences, but every new location will at least have the buffet, the princess experience, one Marvel experience, and one Star Wars experience. The character buffet restaurant will be built by itself (without any experiences) in more locations to bring Disney magic to more places. Also, a special travel version will be built to travel the country and operate out of convention centers or arenas for a week or two at a time helping to make this available to as many people as possible.
Just to clarify, the actual full experiences are aimed at kids, but really anyone can do them if they would like. There are things from each experience that are aimed at adults/whole families separate from the complete experiences though.
-Disney Dining Experience: Character Buffet-
On the first floor will be the Disney Dining Experience. A character buffet meant to emulate the restaurants that have been so popular at Disney parks. Meant to be a general Disney experience, the characters are kept rather general. Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse are always present. One princess is always here as well. One Star Wars character and one Marvel character are also usually present. Sometimes, Jack Sparrow can be seen too. That way, there is a wide range of characters (Between 4 and 6 depending on the location/day) available to represent the wide scope of Disney. The first floor also features a lobby/check in area, a Disney Store, and an arcade. This whole first floor is available for anyone even if they aren’t doing any of the experiences. Even without paying any money, it is not uncommon to find a character in the lobby taking photos with guests.
-Fairytale Dreams Come True-
On the left half of the Second floor is the Princess experience: Fairytale Dreams Come True! Young girls (and in much, much smaller numbers, boys) will get to have their royal fantasies come to life! It all starts by meeting your FGIT (Fairy Godmother In Training, pronounce Fidget). She will be the guide for your experience. Then, guests are taken for a makeover at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and get to choose their princess dress. The dresses are a selection based on Disney princesses as well as original dresses. Little boys can choose from a selection of prince outfits of choose a knight outfit from the Legend of the Dragon Slayer experience (Girl’s may also choose a knight outfit if they would prefer over a Princess dress).
Guests are then taken to meet their royal mentor! The royal mentor is of course a Disney Princess! Exactly who it is rotates. Possible princesses include Cinderella, Belle, Ariel, Rapunzel, Aurora, and Anna. The princess is dressed in their more casual outfits for this section. The princess starts by telling the story of her movie (this is done in an interactive manner with volunteers like Story Time with Belle). Then the Princess teaches the kids how to dance in a fun, playful lesson. She tells the kids they need to learn how to dance for the royal ball!
The big event for the princess experience is the Royal Ball! Each young Princess, Prince, and knight chooses a dance partner (it can be family member, or friend, or one of the professional prince charmings on staff). They royal dance pairs are announced as a very important guest as the enter the ballroom. A royal dance party takes place featuring all the young princesses! Their royal mentor Princess will be there too in her most elegant dress with her prince. It will be a magical, unforgettable experience! A true fairytale come to life. Not to mention plenty of photo ops with the royal mentor princess and props throughout the room such as Cinderella’s shoe and the Beast’s enchanted rose.
Kids get to take home a magic wand gifted by their FGIT and a small token from their royal mentor (like a bookmark from Belle or a fork from Ariel). For an extra fee, they can also take home the Princess dress.
-For Adults/Teens-
For older guests, Friday night is the special date night version of the experience. The Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique is available to be booked by older guest for the date night (Older guest can technically do the whole experience at any time, but it is only aimed at adults on Friday night). The lessons/story time with the royal advisor is skipped. The ball itself is done with a bit more focus on romance and elegance aimed at adult guests having a romantic evening. An unforgettable date night. Dancing in a ball next to a real Disney Princess will be sure to make your significant other feel like a princess of prince charming themselves. Guests get to take home an enchanted rose as a very special, romantic souvenir from their experience.
-Legend of the Dragon Slayer-
Also on the second floor is an experience that will bring the other die of the fairytale experience to life! The Legend of the Dragon Slayer! This starts with guests picking out their knight costume. These are based on different Disney kingdoms, but the definition of knight can be stretched a bit with costumes inspired by Hercules and Peter Pan. Guests do also have the option of becoming a warrior Princess or Prince and choosing one of those costumes. Kids will also get to pick out their sword and shield (foam toys, not actual weapons). Guests then get to meet their hero mentor. Usually this is Prince Phillip, but Hercules and Merida are also options (more options make casting easier for the locations). Their hero mentor starts things off with a story of heroism from their movie. Then a live sword fighting demonstration fighting off an evil knight working for Maleficent. The hero mentor will then teach the kids some sword fighting techniques and practice with them so these young knights will be ready to help defeat Maleficent.
The big event for this experience is a VR experience. Kids are given the special Dragon Slayer Sword and Shield (the ones with the sensors for the game). The kids are told to stay in the one spot and they will magically be taken to the battle, but if they move, the magic won’t work (That way the kid safely stays in one spot rather than running around trying to hit things with their sword). Then the Dragon Slayer Helmet (a themed VR headset) will be placed on the kid’s head. The game itself simply involves a bunch of dark knights charging at the kids and the kids swing the swords to fight them. There are different difficulty settings that can help make the experience fit the user, but you can’t lose the game. The higher difficulty just makes the process of winning require actually using some sword moves you were taught. The climax is a fight against Maleficent herself as a dragon blocking fire breath, cutting down thorns, and knocking fire balls back at her. A thrilling experience that will make kids feel like a true hero!
As a souvenir, kids get to keep the toy sword and shield they picked out. For an extra fee, the can also keep their costume.
-For Adults/Teens-
The VR experience can be done by older guests who don’t wish to do the whole experience (Or younger guests who either don’t want the whole experience or can’t afford it). The difficulty can be raised to match the skills (or lack thereof) for every guest of every age. A competitive version that allows you to compare scores can also be set up.
-Pirates: Quest in the Caribbean-
On the left half of the third floor is the Pirates of the Caribbean experience. Kids are taken to the Pirates League to become either a regular pirate, a skeleton pirate, a Neverland pirate, or a mermaid pirate. After reciting the Pirates code and being given their telescope and sword, kids are then taken to their ship to embark on a quest to save Captain Jack Sparrow who has been trapped in a cursed jewel! The ship is an updated version of the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction from Disney Quest where one kid gets to steer while the rest fire the cannons to defend the ship. After all, the Pirates attraction was pretty much the only thing that worked and didn’t make people nauseous or injured.
After making it to the island, kids are then given a treasure map and told to solve the mystery of the room they are in to save Jack Sparrow. This is an escape room with simple puzzles for the young pirates to solve. After they do so, they get to have photo op/celebration with Jack Sparrow and the treasure!
Kids get to take the toy sword and telescope with them as souvenirs as well as a “gold” coin from the treasure given to the kid by Jack Sparrow himself as a thank you for saving him. The costumes can be kept for an extra fee.
-For Adults/Teens-
For older guests, the Pirate ship game and the Escape room can both be booked separate from the experience. The escape room has the kids only mode, a family mode, and an adult focused mode. So, the game should be exciting no matter what guests are attempting it.
-Moana: Wayfinder Journey-
Also on the third floor is the Moana experience! Kids get to start off with getting outfitted with Wayfinder costumes based on the Motonui islanders from Moana. A Motonui Resident host then helps the kids work together to perform a song. Some kids will drum on coconuts, other dance, others bang actual drums, etc. After the fun musical party, Moana comes in! She tells the kids that she needs the help of some wayfinders to help recover Maui’s hook which has been stolen again by Tamatoa. Moana will then teach kids about being a wayfinder. Some sailing tips, how to read the stars, things like that. She also tells her story to the kids. Lastly, before going off on their adventure, she tells the kids they have to look tough if they are going to sail into Tamatoa’s lair. She tells them this by performing the deleted song “Warrior Face” except rewritten to be about Moana teaching the kids rather than Maui teaching Moana.
The kids then for the actual main attraction. This is a reskin of the Pirates game themed to Moana. The cannons become coconut launchers. The big difference is that no on steers, but Moana is with you and has some secret controls over events on the screen. Some monsters can’t be defeated by the coconut launchers so she has the kids do their warrior face to scare it off. Maui will appear in the ride, but he doesn’t show up in person for photos with the guests.
Afterwards, kids get to keep a special painted coconut signed by Moana as a souvenir. They can also keep their costumes for an extra fee.
-For Adults/Teens-
The game itself can be played separate from the whole experience by anyone (without Moana herself playing with you). Harder difficulties are available for older guests.
-Marvel: Avengers Adventure-
On the fourth floor is the first Marvel experience. Kids get outfitted to become a super hero by Stark Industries! Each kid suits up in a heroic costume, chooses their hero name, can gets a repulsor glove designed by Stark. The kids then meet a hero (Spiderman, Captain America, Thor, or Iron Man) who helps train them with their (toy) repulsor gloves with a little shooting gallery. The hero also shows them around Avengers headquarters with replica props and costumes from the movie telling the kids stories about the heroes. A news alert then comes on announcing Ultron’s return with a robot army attacking the city! It’s up to the kids to save the day!
The kids are set up with their own MK 2 Repulsor gloves (with sensors for the game) and power suit helmets (VR helmets). Kids are also buckled into a flying vehicle (they are buckled into a chair so they won’t move during the game and wind effects make it feel like flying). They get to do a special VR game similar to the dragon game, except this one is about flying through the city shooting lasers at robots. The other Avengers are seen fighting alongside you during the game! Eventually, kids get to work with all the Avengers to defeat Ultron for good! Iron Man and the others thank the kids and welcomes them to the Avengers. An unforgettable, and exciting super hero dream come true!
As a souvenir, kids get to keep the MK 1 repulsor gloves (the toys) as a souvenir. Plus, a special edition Daily Bugle with a front-page story about the Avengers saving the day and a group photo of the young heroes with the hero who showed them around the Avengers base.
-For Adults/Teens-
Tours of the Avenger base (done by a generic Stark Industries employee rather than a hero) and the VR game are available separate from the whole experience. Harder versions of the VR game are available for older guests.
-Marvel: Infinity Expedition-
Also on the fourth floor is the Guardians of the Galaxy experience! Star Lord himself greets the kids. He explains that the Infinity Stone from the first movie has been stolen by some Kree purists. So, the guardians are looking for some help. Star Lord is going to help train the kids in everything they need know to become a Guardian! He lets the kids introduce themselves, but immediately says “Come on! We can think of better names! You’re galactic outlaw heroes! I don’t go around introducing myself as Peter. No, it’s Star Lord.” He then helps the kids come up with similarly cool, heroic sounding code names. After they have their names, he helps them get some cool Ravager jackets.
Star Lord teaches the kids all the important things they need to know to become a Guardian such as how to fire the (toy) blasters the kids are given, how to fly the Milan (his ship), and, most importantly, how to dance! Every space hero needs some sweet moves ready for a dance off, bro!
Finally, the kids are set up in their ships. Rocket hacked into the Sovereign’s remote ships (From Guardians 2). So, the kids are actually just sitting at fancy looking arcade games. Star Lord walks around giving the kids tips and congratulating them as they fly and shoot down Kree ships. Other Guardians talk to the kids over video calls. Over all, this experience is like playing Star fox 64 with the Guardians. Eventually, the kids (working with the Guardians), defeat the Kree and rescue the Infinity Stone! Star Lord thanks the kids and they celebrate with a dance party!
Kids get to keep the blasters as a souvenir. The jackets can be kept too for an added fee.
-For Adults/Teens-
The arcade style game can be played (without Star Lord present) separate from the whole experience. As usual, a harder difficulty is available for older guests.
-Star Wars: Legacy of the Jedi-
On the fifth floor, the two Star Wars experiences can be found! The Jedi themed one takes place between Episodes 3 and 4. Now that the Jedi have been driven to distant corners of the galaxy, eager recruits must secretly train in faraway ancient temples. Under Jedi tutelage, rookies will learn how to use the Force—and their wit—to wield mighty lightsabers against the Empire’s most feared warriors. Kids get outfitted with Jedi robes, pick out their Kyber crystal, and design their lightsabers. A Jedi host walks them through the process and trains them. Kids get to actually make things float using the force! With the enclosed environment, more effects can be designed to make it feel more realistic. The Younglings are trained with lightsaber fighting too. In between using fun force powers and lightsaber fighting, the Jedi tells the stories of famous Jedi (from the prequel era/Star Wars Rebels only due to the time this experience takes place).
Suddenly! The hidden temple is discovered! The Jedi younglings must fight off Stormtroopers using the force, have lightsaber duels with Sith Acolytes, and even battle Darth Vader himself!
This expanded version of the Jedi Training Academy from the parks will be an unforgettable Star Wars experience! Guests get to take home their Jedi robes and Kyber crystals. For an added fee, they can also keep the lightsabers they built.
-For Adults/Teens-
Honestly, this is Star Wars. There isn’t a separate experience for older guests. Older guests will want to do this. Sessions specifically aimed at Jedi students over the age of 16 will happen once a week.
-Star Wars: X-Wing Flight-
Also on the fifth floor is the other Star Wars experience. Set not long before Episode 7, kids get to join the Resistance and pilot an X-wing to take down the First Order! Guests get outfitted in X-Wing pilot uniforms and trained for the Resistance by a generic soldier. They get taught how to use a blaster, how to fly a ship, and more! The kids then get to meet and interact with beloved Star Wars droids like BB-8 and R2-D2! Then, using a Pepper’s Ghost effect, Poe Dameron gives the kids their mission briefing as a hologram projected by BB-8. The kids are tasked with flying to a First Order base and getting the plans for Star Killer Base!
Then, kids are lead to their ships! This is very similar to the ship section of the Guardians experience, except Poe and BB-8 are the only characters talking to the kids. Once, you make it to the First Order ship, kids are lead into an escape room. They have to solve the puzzle to hack the system before Kylo Ren can find them! After solving the puzzle, the kids return to their ships for a final exciting flight as Poe thanks them for helping save the galaxy!
Kids get to keep their X-Wing pilot helmets. For an extra fee, they can keep the whole uniform.
-For Adults/Teens-
Again, this is Star Wars. Adults will want to do this. The same experience is offered to adults, but during special sessions focused on older guests, the puzzles in the escape room are more difficult. The escape room itself is offered without the rest of the experience with the same three levels of difficulty from the Pirates escape room.
-Disney’s Magic Anywhere App-
The new Disney’s Magic Anywhere App will help to bring this experience to anyone, anywhere! For one thing, this can help gather data on active users so Disney can bring the travelling version of this experience to cities with a high population of interested people. The app itself is built around collecting Pixie Dust! The pixie dust collected can be used for actual, real life discounts on the Disney Experience Center. Thus, helping make the experience affordable to everyone. Pixie Dust can be obtained by playing games on the app. There are simple phone games themed to each of the eight experiences.
The absolute best way to collect the most Pixie dust in the shortest amount of time is by volunteering with registered organizations! There is precedence with the Give a Day, Get a Day promotion Disney did, so Disney giving discounts as a reward for volunteer work is a realistic possibility. Plus, Disney can write it off as a donation to get a tax break.
The volunteer program will help encourage community involvement and help encourage giving back. It will also keep with the greatest Disney lesson of all: Dreams do come true to those that do good.
A desktop version of the app is available to so low-income families without a smart phone can still participate. The goal is to truly make this an experience anyone can participate in. Dreams are universal, not just for the rich.
Coming to a city near you, the Disney Experience Center! A new, exciting way for guests of all ages (but mostly children) to live out their most fantastic Disney dreams! This is a series of interactive experiences that let kids live out their fantasies! It takes the concept of the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique to the extreme. A series of varied experiences that start by helping kids immerse themselves into these worlds by developing their characters and outfitting them for their adventure (sometimes involving a makeover). Then, they receive lessons on how to fill their role by someone from the universe they are joining. Finally, kids get an unforgettable experience that brings it all together! Each “world” also will have at least one thing aimed at either the whole family or specifically adults/teens. That way, this becomes a dream come true for all ages! The first-floor activities will be open every day, the experiences will usually only be done once a day (twice on weekends). The exact frequency of experiences is based on crowds.
To start, this will be built in cities close to Disney parks. Tampa in Florida and San Diego in California. This will then be expanded to more cities such as Austin and Chicago and international locations like Shanghai and Tokyo. Not every location will have the same 5 floor complex with all 8 possible experiences, but every new location will at least have the buffet, the princess experience, one Marvel experience, and one Star Wars experience. The character buffet restaurant will be built by itself (without any experiences) in more locations to bring Disney magic to more places. Also, a special travel version will be built to travel the country and operate out of convention centers or arenas for a week or two at a time helping to make this available to as many people as possible.
Just to clarify, the actual full experiences are aimed at kids, but really anyone can do them if they would like. There are things from each experience that are aimed at adults/whole families separate from the complete experiences though.
-Disney Dining Experience: Character Buffet-
On the first floor will be the Disney Dining Experience. A character buffet meant to emulate the restaurants that have been so popular at Disney parks. Meant to be a general Disney experience, the characters are kept rather general. Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse are always present. One princess is always here as well. One Star Wars character and one Marvel character are also usually present. Sometimes, Jack Sparrow can be seen too. That way, there is a wide range of characters (Between 4 and 6 depending on the location/day) available to represent the wide scope of Disney. The first floor also features a lobby/check in area, a Disney Store, and an arcade. This whole first floor is available for anyone even if they aren’t doing any of the experiences. Even without paying any money, it is not uncommon to find a character in the lobby taking photos with guests.
-Fairytale Dreams Come True-
On the left half of the Second floor is the Princess experience: Fairytale Dreams Come True! Young girls (and in much, much smaller numbers, boys) will get to have their royal fantasies come to life! It all starts by meeting your FGIT (Fairy Godmother In Training, pronounce Fidget). She will be the guide for your experience. Then, guests are taken for a makeover at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and get to choose their princess dress. The dresses are a selection based on Disney princesses as well as original dresses. Little boys can choose from a selection of prince outfits of choose a knight outfit from the Legend of the Dragon Slayer experience (Girl’s may also choose a knight outfit if they would prefer over a Princess dress).
Guests are then taken to meet their royal mentor! The royal mentor is of course a Disney Princess! Exactly who it is rotates. Possible princesses include Cinderella, Belle, Ariel, Rapunzel, Aurora, and Anna. The princess is dressed in their more casual outfits for this section. The princess starts by telling the story of her movie (this is done in an interactive manner with volunteers like Story Time with Belle). Then the Princess teaches the kids how to dance in a fun, playful lesson. She tells the kids they need to learn how to dance for the royal ball!
The big event for the princess experience is the Royal Ball! Each young Princess, Prince, and knight chooses a dance partner (it can be family member, or friend, or one of the professional prince charmings on staff). They royal dance pairs are announced as a very important guest as the enter the ballroom. A royal dance party takes place featuring all the young princesses! Their royal mentor Princess will be there too in her most elegant dress with her prince. It will be a magical, unforgettable experience! A true fairytale come to life. Not to mention plenty of photo ops with the royal mentor princess and props throughout the room such as Cinderella’s shoe and the Beast’s enchanted rose.
Kids get to take home a magic wand gifted by their FGIT and a small token from their royal mentor (like a bookmark from Belle or a fork from Ariel). For an extra fee, they can also take home the Princess dress.
-For Adults/Teens-
For older guests, Friday night is the special date night version of the experience. The Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique is available to be booked by older guest for the date night (Older guest can technically do the whole experience at any time, but it is only aimed at adults on Friday night). The lessons/story time with the royal advisor is skipped. The ball itself is done with a bit more focus on romance and elegance aimed at adult guests having a romantic evening. An unforgettable date night. Dancing in a ball next to a real Disney Princess will be sure to make your significant other feel like a princess of prince charming themselves. Guests get to take home an enchanted rose as a very special, romantic souvenir from their experience.
-Legend of the Dragon Slayer-
Also on the second floor is an experience that will bring the other die of the fairytale experience to life! The Legend of the Dragon Slayer! This starts with guests picking out their knight costume. These are based on different Disney kingdoms, but the definition of knight can be stretched a bit with costumes inspired by Hercules and Peter Pan. Guests do also have the option of becoming a warrior Princess or Prince and choosing one of those costumes. Kids will also get to pick out their sword and shield (foam toys, not actual weapons). Guests then get to meet their hero mentor. Usually this is Prince Phillip, but Hercules and Merida are also options (more options make casting easier for the locations). Their hero mentor starts things off with a story of heroism from their movie. Then a live sword fighting demonstration fighting off an evil knight working for Maleficent. The hero mentor will then teach the kids some sword fighting techniques and practice with them so these young knights will be ready to help defeat Maleficent.
The big event for this experience is a VR experience. Kids are given the special Dragon Slayer Sword and Shield (the ones with the sensors for the game). The kids are told to stay in the one spot and they will magically be taken to the battle, but if they move, the magic won’t work (That way the kid safely stays in one spot rather than running around trying to hit things with their sword). Then the Dragon Slayer Helmet (a themed VR headset) will be placed on the kid’s head. The game itself simply involves a bunch of dark knights charging at the kids and the kids swing the swords to fight them. There are different difficulty settings that can help make the experience fit the user, but you can’t lose the game. The higher difficulty just makes the process of winning require actually using some sword moves you were taught. The climax is a fight against Maleficent herself as a dragon blocking fire breath, cutting down thorns, and knocking fire balls back at her. A thrilling experience that will make kids feel like a true hero!
As a souvenir, kids get to keep the toy sword and shield they picked out. For an extra fee, the can also keep their costume.
-For Adults/Teens-
The VR experience can be done by older guests who don’t wish to do the whole experience (Or younger guests who either don’t want the whole experience or can’t afford it). The difficulty can be raised to match the skills (or lack thereof) for every guest of every age. A competitive version that allows you to compare scores can also be set up.
-Pirates: Quest in the Caribbean-
On the left half of the third floor is the Pirates of the Caribbean experience. Kids are taken to the Pirates League to become either a regular pirate, a skeleton pirate, a Neverland pirate, or a mermaid pirate. After reciting the Pirates code and being given their telescope and sword, kids are then taken to their ship to embark on a quest to save Captain Jack Sparrow who has been trapped in a cursed jewel! The ship is an updated version of the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction from Disney Quest where one kid gets to steer while the rest fire the cannons to defend the ship. After all, the Pirates attraction was pretty much the only thing that worked and didn’t make people nauseous or injured.
After making it to the island, kids are then given a treasure map and told to solve the mystery of the room they are in to save Jack Sparrow. This is an escape room with simple puzzles for the young pirates to solve. After they do so, they get to have photo op/celebration with Jack Sparrow and the treasure!
Kids get to take the toy sword and telescope with them as souvenirs as well as a “gold” coin from the treasure given to the kid by Jack Sparrow himself as a thank you for saving him. The costumes can be kept for an extra fee.
-For Adults/Teens-
For older guests, the Pirate ship game and the Escape room can both be booked separate from the experience. The escape room has the kids only mode, a family mode, and an adult focused mode. So, the game should be exciting no matter what guests are attempting it.
-Moana: Wayfinder Journey-
Also on the third floor is the Moana experience! Kids get to start off with getting outfitted with Wayfinder costumes based on the Motonui islanders from Moana. A Motonui Resident host then helps the kids work together to perform a song. Some kids will drum on coconuts, other dance, others bang actual drums, etc. After the fun musical party, Moana comes in! She tells the kids that she needs the help of some wayfinders to help recover Maui’s hook which has been stolen again by Tamatoa. Moana will then teach kids about being a wayfinder. Some sailing tips, how to read the stars, things like that. She also tells her story to the kids. Lastly, before going off on their adventure, she tells the kids they have to look tough if they are going to sail into Tamatoa’s lair. She tells them this by performing the deleted song “Warrior Face” except rewritten to be about Moana teaching the kids rather than Maui teaching Moana.
The kids then for the actual main attraction. This is a reskin of the Pirates game themed to Moana. The cannons become coconut launchers. The big difference is that no on steers, but Moana is with you and has some secret controls over events on the screen. Some monsters can’t be defeated by the coconut launchers so she has the kids do their warrior face to scare it off. Maui will appear in the ride, but he doesn’t show up in person for photos with the guests.
Afterwards, kids get to keep a special painted coconut signed by Moana as a souvenir. They can also keep their costumes for an extra fee.
-For Adults/Teens-
The game itself can be played separate from the whole experience by anyone (without Moana herself playing with you). Harder difficulties are available for older guests.
-Marvel: Avengers Adventure-
On the fourth floor is the first Marvel experience. Kids get outfitted to become a super hero by Stark Industries! Each kid suits up in a heroic costume, chooses their hero name, can gets a repulsor glove designed by Stark. The kids then meet a hero (Spiderman, Captain America, Thor, or Iron Man) who helps train them with their (toy) repulsor gloves with a little shooting gallery. The hero also shows them around Avengers headquarters with replica props and costumes from the movie telling the kids stories about the heroes. A news alert then comes on announcing Ultron’s return with a robot army attacking the city! It’s up to the kids to save the day!
The kids are set up with their own MK 2 Repulsor gloves (with sensors for the game) and power suit helmets (VR helmets). Kids are also buckled into a flying vehicle (they are buckled into a chair so they won’t move during the game and wind effects make it feel like flying). They get to do a special VR game similar to the dragon game, except this one is about flying through the city shooting lasers at robots. The other Avengers are seen fighting alongside you during the game! Eventually, kids get to work with all the Avengers to defeat Ultron for good! Iron Man and the others thank the kids and welcomes them to the Avengers. An unforgettable, and exciting super hero dream come true!
As a souvenir, kids get to keep the MK 1 repulsor gloves (the toys) as a souvenir. Plus, a special edition Daily Bugle with a front-page story about the Avengers saving the day and a group photo of the young heroes with the hero who showed them around the Avengers base.
-For Adults/Teens-
Tours of the Avenger base (done by a generic Stark Industries employee rather than a hero) and the VR game are available separate from the whole experience. Harder versions of the VR game are available for older guests.
-Marvel: Infinity Expedition-
Also on the fourth floor is the Guardians of the Galaxy experience! Star Lord himself greets the kids. He explains that the Infinity Stone from the first movie has been stolen by some Kree purists. So, the guardians are looking for some help. Star Lord is going to help train the kids in everything they need know to become a Guardian! He lets the kids introduce themselves, but immediately says “Come on! We can think of better names! You’re galactic outlaw heroes! I don’t go around introducing myself as Peter. No, it’s Star Lord.” He then helps the kids come up with similarly cool, heroic sounding code names. After they have their names, he helps them get some cool Ravager jackets.
Star Lord teaches the kids all the important things they need to know to become a Guardian such as how to fire the (toy) blasters the kids are given, how to fly the Milan (his ship), and, most importantly, how to dance! Every space hero needs some sweet moves ready for a dance off, bro!
Finally, the kids are set up in their ships. Rocket hacked into the Sovereign’s remote ships (From Guardians 2). So, the kids are actually just sitting at fancy looking arcade games. Star Lord walks around giving the kids tips and congratulating them as they fly and shoot down Kree ships. Other Guardians talk to the kids over video calls. Over all, this experience is like playing Star fox 64 with the Guardians. Eventually, the kids (working with the Guardians), defeat the Kree and rescue the Infinity Stone! Star Lord thanks the kids and they celebrate with a dance party!
Kids get to keep the blasters as a souvenir. The jackets can be kept too for an added fee.
-For Adults/Teens-
The arcade style game can be played (without Star Lord present) separate from the whole experience. As usual, a harder difficulty is available for older guests.
-Star Wars: Legacy of the Jedi-
On the fifth floor, the two Star Wars experiences can be found! The Jedi themed one takes place between Episodes 3 and 4. Now that the Jedi have been driven to distant corners of the galaxy, eager recruits must secretly train in faraway ancient temples. Under Jedi tutelage, rookies will learn how to use the Force—and their wit—to wield mighty lightsabers against the Empire’s most feared warriors. Kids get outfitted with Jedi robes, pick out their Kyber crystal, and design their lightsabers. A Jedi host walks them through the process and trains them. Kids get to actually make things float using the force! With the enclosed environment, more effects can be designed to make it feel more realistic. The Younglings are trained with lightsaber fighting too. In between using fun force powers and lightsaber fighting, the Jedi tells the stories of famous Jedi (from the prequel era/Star Wars Rebels only due to the time this experience takes place).
Suddenly! The hidden temple is discovered! The Jedi younglings must fight off Stormtroopers using the force, have lightsaber duels with Sith Acolytes, and even battle Darth Vader himself!
This expanded version of the Jedi Training Academy from the parks will be an unforgettable Star Wars experience! Guests get to take home their Jedi robes and Kyber crystals. For an added fee, they can also keep the lightsabers they built.
-For Adults/Teens-
Honestly, this is Star Wars. There isn’t a separate experience for older guests. Older guests will want to do this. Sessions specifically aimed at Jedi students over the age of 16 will happen once a week.
-Star Wars: X-Wing Flight-
Also on the fifth floor is the other Star Wars experience. Set not long before Episode 7, kids get to join the Resistance and pilot an X-wing to take down the First Order! Guests get outfitted in X-Wing pilot uniforms and trained for the Resistance by a generic soldier. They get taught how to use a blaster, how to fly a ship, and more! The kids then get to meet and interact with beloved Star Wars droids like BB-8 and R2-D2! Then, using a Pepper’s Ghost effect, Poe Dameron gives the kids their mission briefing as a hologram projected by BB-8. The kids are tasked with flying to a First Order base and getting the plans for Star Killer Base!
Then, kids are lead to their ships! This is very similar to the ship section of the Guardians experience, except Poe and BB-8 are the only characters talking to the kids. Once, you make it to the First Order ship, kids are lead into an escape room. They have to solve the puzzle to hack the system before Kylo Ren can find them! After solving the puzzle, the kids return to their ships for a final exciting flight as Poe thanks them for helping save the galaxy!
Kids get to keep their X-Wing pilot helmets. For an extra fee, they can keep the whole uniform.
-For Adults/Teens-
Again, this is Star Wars. Adults will want to do this. The same experience is offered to adults, but during special sessions focused on older guests, the puzzles in the escape room are more difficult. The escape room itself is offered without the rest of the experience with the same three levels of difficulty from the Pirates escape room.
-Disney’s Magic Anywhere App-
The new Disney’s Magic Anywhere App will help to bring this experience to anyone, anywhere! For one thing, this can help gather data on active users so Disney can bring the travelling version of this experience to cities with a high population of interested people. The app itself is built around collecting Pixie Dust! The pixie dust collected can be used for actual, real life discounts on the Disney Experience Center. Thus, helping make the experience affordable to everyone. Pixie Dust can be obtained by playing games on the app. There are simple phone games themed to each of the eight experiences.
The absolute best way to collect the most Pixie dust in the shortest amount of time is by volunteering with registered organizations! There is precedence with the Give a Day, Get a Day promotion Disney did, so Disney giving discounts as a reward for volunteer work is a realistic possibility. Plus, Disney can write it off as a donation to get a tax break.
The volunteer program will help encourage community involvement and help encourage giving back. It will also keep with the greatest Disney lesson of all: Dreams do come true to those that do good.
A desktop version of the app is available to so low-income families without a smart phone can still participate. The goal is to truly make this an experience anyone can participate in. Dreams are universal, not just for the rich.
Magic Feather
Well-Known Member
Disneypoint is a new regional entertainment center that brings a slice of Disney Magic to cities in places where a full Disney Park is not feasible
History
1. The lack of tourist traffic to maintain attendance (why the Downtown Disney location lasted longer)
2. It was not a Disney Experience, it was a fancy arcade with Disney branding.
As such, Disneypoint sought to fix these two issues, by placing locations in tourist hotspots and make a truly unique Disney experience, which is how Disneypoint Galveston first came into existence. Eventually this is planned to be expanded to the following cities, with slight differences and experiences: New York City, San Francisco, Atlanta, Disney Springs, San Diego, Seattle, and even more!
The Layout
This beachside location will take over a portion of the current Rainforest Cafe and entire Hilton, which will be transformed into a parking structure (lavender) with flyover access ramps (teal). After parking there, or walking in on the other side, guests can clear security (light grey) and be on the inside of the security perimeter (red). Once inside, guests can view the Wishing Star Fountain (blue), visit the DisneyVillage Shops (dark green), eat at Rainforest Cafe (medium green). Once ready to experience the main attraction, guests can enter Disneypoint under BlairPoint, a tower themed to Mary Blair styles, whose motifs carry onto the side of the building.
once inside, guests can enter a whole new world of possibilities.
Interior
Guests enter on level one into an area surrounded by ticket booths, turnstiles, and the admission-free Disney Emporium. After purchasing admission, guests can enter through the turnstiles, and queue to view one of the enchanted galleries. Up until entering the gallery, everything has felt to be Blairian, but it has suddenly become gothic, as we are surrounded by portraits of favorite friends.
Eventually, in this small, enclosed gallery, the characters come to life, encouraging us to explore and adventure Disneypoint. After exiting, you step out into a foyer, on the second floor unbeknownst to visitors, where guests overlook from overhead balconies. There are three doorways, where guests can find themselves at the "Star Wars Starbase," "Princess Fairytale Hall," and the "Castle Quarters." Princess Fairytale Hall is where guests can meet two of their favorite princesses in a royal setting. In the CAstle Quarters, guests can visit the Royal Theater where a comedic retelling can be heard of a favorite tale. View attachment 259780 Additionally is the Enchanted Adventure, where guests will choose the the of Snow White, Tangled, or Sleeping Beauty, where you personalize the experience, which changes when you insert your royal key through series of turntables and projections that sync with your RV to make to three different ride experiences that's frequency can change on demand.
Finally on this floor is Star Wars Starbase, where you can explore the worlds of space and Star Wars. Meet characters in the Launch Bay, grab a bite at the Intergalactic Cantina, merely explore the atmosphere,
or ride Star Wars: Space Flight. This ride is an indoor version of Skyline's crazy coaster with a starfield effect similar to Space Mountain.
Up on the Third Floor is Fantasy Gardens, home to Fantsia Gardens and Wonderland. In wonderland is an indoor version of the Alice in Wonderland and the teacups. In Fantasia Gardens is a Fantasia Carousel from Shanghai, and a new whip ride themed to the sorcerer's Apprentice with brooms and buckets.
Finally, on the first floor is Celebration Plaza, home to the many cavalcades and stores, as well as the Temple. In the temple, guests can take a bridge to ride a heavily plussed version of the Rainforest River Adventure Ride with Jungle Cruise boats, to allow for comedic commentary and a temple finale that is a hybrid of Tokyo and Hong Kong's
Finally, Celebration Plaza is home to the center's seasonal parade and daily cavalcade. While it uses smaller floats, this still allows for a magical glowing parade and a seasonal parade to be held indoors, where light levels are controlled.
Whether it is dining in space or riding through the Jungle, guests will get a authentic, distinctly Disney experience: Disneypoint
This beachside location will take over a portion of the current Rainforest Cafe and entire Hilton, which will be transformed into a parking structure (lavender) with flyover access ramps (teal). After parking there, or walking in on the other side, guests can clear security (light grey) and be on the inside of the security perimeter (red). Once inside, guests can view the Wishing Star Fountain (blue), visit the DisneyVillage Shops (dark green), eat at Rainforest Cafe (medium green). Once ready to experience the main attraction, guests can enter Disneypoint under BlairPoint, a tower themed to Mary Blair styles, whose motifs carry onto the side of the building.
once inside, guests can enter a whole new world of possibilities.
Interior
Finally on this floor is Star Wars Starbase, where you can explore the worlds of space and Star Wars. Meet characters in the Launch Bay, grab a bite at the Intergalactic Cantina, merely explore the atmosphere,
Up on the Third Floor is Fantasy Gardens, home to Fantsia Gardens and Wonderland. In wonderland is an indoor version of the Alice in Wonderland and the teacups. In Fantasia Gardens is a Fantasia Carousel from Shanghai, and a new whip ride themed to the sorcerer's Apprentice with brooms and buckets.
Finally, on the first floor is Celebration Plaza, home to the many cavalcades and stores, as well as the Temple. In the temple, guests can take a bridge to ride a heavily plussed version of the Rainforest River Adventure Ride with Jungle Cruise boats, to allow for comedic commentary and a temple finale that is a hybrid of Tokyo and Hong Kong's
Whether it is dining in space or riding through the Jungle, guests will get a authentic, distinctly Disney experience: Disneypoint
Be sure to check out @Pionmycake return to Disney Debates in a special Imagineering edition featuring pitches for a Toy Story Land E-Ticket, a character overlay of an existing attraction, and which terrible Disney movie would make the best ride. Afterwards I'll be posting the prompt for Project Five. As usual written reviews will be posted throughout tomorrow with the podcast coming in the late evening.
Apologies for the delay, here's the next prompt.
Project Five: Meals on Wheels
Dining has always been an important part of the Disney experience, but no park is it more emphasized than Epcot. Between the highly themed hotspots like Garden Grill and Coral Reef in Future World to the multitude of options available in World Showcase the park has always been a staple for foodies. With this project you'll be taking the idea of Epcot as a food-centric theme park to the next level.
Purists: Your goal with this project will be to convert a pre-existing Epcot attraction into a dining experience. This can be either a ride or a show. The attraction and interior/exterior can be reworked to allow for such a thing to be implemented. The trick of this project will be in the system itself. Come up with a fun and creative experience that adds to the park's culinary offerings, and have it make sense from a logistics point of view with ordering, food distribution etc.
Innovators: The goal of this project will be to create a brand new attraction for Epcot that will double as a dining experience. It's a simple as that. This should be something beyond the concept of a dinner theater and much like the name of the project entails, should be a moving, "ride" based attraction. Once again the goal will be to come up with an innovative ride system that can cater to food service as well as providing a memorable culinary experience on top of a quality attraction.
Good luck, folks. Since this project is due Sunday, February 4th.
Project Five: Meals on Wheels
Dining has always been an important part of the Disney experience, but no park is it more emphasized than Epcot. Between the highly themed hotspots like Garden Grill and Coral Reef in Future World to the multitude of options available in World Showcase the park has always been a staple for foodies. With this project you'll be taking the idea of Epcot as a food-centric theme park to the next level.
Purists: Your goal with this project will be to convert a pre-existing Epcot attraction into a dining experience. This can be either a ride or a show. The attraction and interior/exterior can be reworked to allow for such a thing to be implemented. The trick of this project will be in the system itself. Come up with a fun and creative experience that adds to the park's culinary offerings, and have it make sense from a logistics point of view with ordering, food distribution etc.
Innovators: The goal of this project will be to create a brand new attraction for Epcot that will double as a dining experience. It's a simple as that. This should be something beyond the concept of a dinner theater and much like the name of the project entails, should be a moving, "ride" based attraction. Once again the goal will be to come up with an innovative ride system that can cater to food service as well as providing a memorable culinary experience on top of a quality attraction.
Good luck, folks. Since this project is due Sunday, February 4th.
As always, see my avatar for a tease at the next project. Also just a warning, this next project will be by far the shortest one of the season and will only last a few days. The prompt itself will be very simple. If you'd like to know the prompt in advance so you can prepare something in advance, let me know. I'll only be giving out the prompt for valid, scheduling conflict reasons.
AceAstro
Well-Known Member
To clarify, for the innovators prompt we are to make an attraction that also doubles as a dining experience? Or is it an attraction that is in the same pavilion as a new dining experience?Apologies for the delay, here's the next prompt.
Project Five: Meals on Wheels
Dining has always been an important part of the Disney experience, but no park is it more emphasized than Epcot. Between the highly themed hotspots like Garden Grill and Coral Reef in Future World to the multitude of options available in World Showcase the park has always been a staple for foodies. With this project you'll be taking the idea of Epcot as a food-centric theme park to the next level.
Purists: Your goal with this project will be to convert a pre-existing Epcot attraction into a dining experience. This can be either a ride or a show. The attraction and interior/exterior can be reworked to allow for such a thing to be implemented. The trick of this project will be in the system itself. Come up with a fun and creative experience that adds to the park's culinary offerings, and have it make sense from a logistics point of view with ordering, food distribution etc.
Innovators: The goal of this project will be to create a brand new attraction for Epcot that will double as a dining experience. It's a simple as that. This should be something beyond the concept of a dinner theater and much like the name of the project entails, should be a moving, "ride" based attraction. Once again the goal will be to come up with an innovative ride system that can cater to food service as well as providing a memorable culinary experience on top of a quality attraction.
Good luck, folks. Since this project is due Sunday, February 4th.
I think the lack of sleep lately is catching up to me
spacemt354
Chili's
I'm slightly confused on this prompt... is this asking for us to turn a ride into a moving restaurant and a show into a dine-in theater?
Or is this asking us to add a restaurant near an attraction/show? Similar to the Garden Grill overlooking Living with the Land, San Angel Inn in Mexico adjacent to the Gran Fiesta Tour boat ride, etc.
Or is this asking us to add a restaurant near an attraction/show? Similar to the Garden Grill overlooking Living with the Land, San Angel Inn in Mexico adjacent to the Gran Fiesta Tour boat ride, etc.
To clarify, for the innovators prompt we are to make an attraction that also doubles as a dining experience? Or is it an attraction that is in the same pavilion as a new dining experience?
I think the lack of sleep lately is catching up to me
An attraction that doubles as a dining experience.
Either turning a ride into a moving restaurant or turning a show into a dinner theater. Either/or basically.
spacemt354
Chili's
Fast Food while riding Test Track?
Most rides say no food/beverage on them that's why I was confused how you turn these attractions into essentially timed restaurants...going to have to eat quickly lol Realistically speaking - shows into dine-in theaters are probably more doable.
spacemt354
Chili's
Just re-open Wonders of Life as a dining experience where you eat then go into a Radiology attraction and watch your food be digestedHow about transforming Mission: Space into a vomitorium? Guests unload, eat all they can, ride to expel their meal, then continue the process endlessly!
Fast Food while riding Test Track?
Realistically speaking - shows into dine-in theaters are probably more doable.
I got the idea for this project from a Disney podcast talking about turning the PeopleMovers into a slow moving dining experience. You'd go around the track three to five times to finish your meal. I know most of the rides at Epcot don't lend themselves as well to the concept, but that's where the challenge comes in. You're absolutely right that turning a show into a dinner theater is the easier of the two options.
spacemt354
Chili's
I don't want to change the prompt -- but what you're talking about is essentially an after hours 'dinner party' event. They are common at Walt Disney World.
Universe of Energy party on the ride path itself. (And GMR during its closing)
Now that would make so much more sense to convert (temporarily) a ride/show into an after hours dining experience or something like that. That opens up some more options. Rather than trying to convert attractions full time into restaurants.