Pi on my Cake
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
Alright, since teasers are catching some steam here is mine!
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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
Just finished the podcast - great job guys! And a shoutout to @iamaninsomniac for his first judging role with the projects.
For the season 15 show I would come on to help out, but for some reason my video/audio has become faulty the last few weeks and I haven't had the time to fix it or look into it. Would someone else be willing? If not, I can probably give a cheat sheet or something for the project
For the season 15 show I would come on to help out, but for some reason my video/audio has become faulty the last few weeks and I haven't had the time to fix it or look into it. Would someone else be willing? If not, I can probably give a cheat sheet or something for the project
D Hulk
Well-Known Member
CHALLENGE 2 - INNOVATORS
FANSTASIA WALTZ
Enter a musical world of your choosing and “conduct” a symphonic landscape inspired by Walt Disney’s triumphant Fantasia
The west side of Disneyland’s Fantasyland corridor has always represented Walt’s “Golden Age.” Even with the loss of Snow White’s Scary Adventures and Pinocchio’s Daring Journey, this focus on Walt’s earliest triumphs shall continue with Fantasia Waltz. ("Waltz" to imply both dancing and Walt.)
Fantasia Waltz is to be a E-ticket trackless dark ride, a massive masterpiece requiring all the show space on Fantasyland’s west side. But while one ride is replacing two, its high capacity, branching ride experiences and regular updates all promise a tremendous improvement which shall delight families for years to come!
FAÇADE
Fantasyland guests will first find the facades to Snow White and Pinocchio transformed. The land’s European village aesthetic remains, with Snow White’s gothic castle façade transformed into a sorcerer’s alchemy lab. Impressive stonework still forms towers and turrets. The walls rot and crumble with age, held in place by twisted tree roots. Where the Evil Queen once peeked out from an upstairs window, now keen guests will notice the sorcerer Yen Sid occasionally appearing from behind velvet curtains. He surveys the land, silently, judgmentally, yet benevolently.
Yen Sid invites guests to a “concert program” within his fortress. With his powerful magic, Yen Sid has joined together time periods, drawing together classic music spanning the centuries. Scattered all about the fortress’s base are musical instruments from innumerable cultures and eras.
Sid’s naïve-yet-eager apprentice, one Mickey Mouse, has tossed together hand drawn signs promoting his master’s concert. Hastily drawn, smeared with wet paint, Mickey’s glove-prints staining the nearby fortress walls. These signs ask guests to “choose your own program” and “conduct your world.”
Lastly, replacing the Pinocchio façade are the ride’s FastPass distribution machines. These devices – which resemble an orchestra’s transportation containers – help with Fantasia Waltz’s expected popularity and expected re-rides.
QUEUE
Following outdoors overflow queueing amongst music-themed topiaries, guests enter Yen Sid’s laboratories along the familiar Snow White queue. Here they round an old stone chamber. Once the Evil Queen’s quarters, now this room belongs to Yen Sid. Here he practices his powerful magic. The great sorcerer’s shadow projects on the wall, commanding smoke. The smoke coalesces from a cauldron – achieved with a simple Musion effect (projections combined with Pepper’s ghost) – forming into a lovely butterfly…and then disintegrating.
Guests continue further into the cold stone antechambers. Magically, these rooms start to resemble a timeless concert hall without ever losing their medieval masonry texture. The sounds of a distant orchestra to echo through the halls – music from both Fantasia and Fantasia 2000, all the pieces not presently featured on the ride.
This main chamber is a rare Disneyland example of an interactive queue. Musical instruments appear on display. Guests are invited to toot, whistle, plunk and boom to their hearts content. Play the xylophones. Bang the drum. Pluck a violin’s strings. Blow air into the brass section. Better still, the far corner features a screen – tastefully held within a medieval stone arch – housing Fantasia’s Soundtrack. This anthropomorphized sound graph reacts to guests’ cacophony of sounds in an adorable, colorful manner.
Down further halls, with framed concept art for the assorted Fantasia segments. Finally guests reach a fork – the FastPass merge. Here a cast member clad in usher black tie directs guests to their concert hall section. In fact it's guest choice: Four Fantasia segments, and four unique ride experiences, each now with separate branching queues.
With so many tuneful tales to choose from, the choice is rarely the same. Here upon opening, Fantasia Waltz offers a choice between The Nutcracker Suite, Dance of the Hours, Night on Bald Mountain, or Pines of Rome. Like Fantasyland’s original dark ride breakdown, these options represent different moods – exciting, humorous, frightening and beautiful, respectively.
Guests continue down one of four final queue halls, with décor dedicated to their unique choice. Here they’ll see sheet music, artwork and appropriate props.
Loading is found on four distinct platforms in a row. In practice, Fantasia Waltz loads similarly to Mystic Manor or Pooh’s Hunny Hunt, with four vehicles leaving at once. (One vehicle for each segment.) This loading takes place within an abstracted, minimalist stone concert hall. In place of the traditional dark ride mural, here we find a velvet curtain with projected silhouettes or the orchestra members. They tune and practice their instruments. There is an uncontainable energy; the concert is ready to begin!
RIDE VEHICLES
Fantasia Waltz is a trackless dark ride, Disneyland’s first. Vehicles resemble balcony box seats, with two rows of three.
Each row features a interactive addition to the trackless genre: a touchscreen. These are tastefully, subtly incorporated, much like those on Efteling’s Symbolica. When the screens light up – as they’ll do three times during the ride – it’s an invitation for guests to “conduct” the music and the landscape before them.
Combined with the trackless vehicles’ wonderful ability to dance, glide and spin, this feature shall further immerse guests into the enveloping world of classical music which lies ahead!
RIDE STATS
Riders per vehicle: 6
Vehicles per dispatch: 4
Dispatch interval: 30 seconds
Hourly capacity: 2,880
Ride duration: 6:15
Inversions: 0
PROLOGUE
As the cast member behind her “ride op” conductor’s podium wraps her baton, the vehicles move out. They pass through spreading curtains, and face a proscenium arch.
Here via screen projection is the silhouette of master conductor Leopold Stokowski. With “Fantasound” onboard speakers, riders hear the music begin to swell. Fantasia narrator Deems Taylor also appears over the speakers, introducing the ride’s first act (of three):
“There are three kinds of music on this Fantasia program. First up is the kind of music that exists simply for its own sake. Absolute music.”
ACT ONE
TOCCATA AND FUGUE IN D MINOR
Vehicles dance together into an abstract chamber of light and sound. Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue” plays. (Fantasia Waltz, with its screens and on-ride soundtrack, is designed to change out regularly. This sequence can easily feature Beethoven’s “Fifth Symphony” from Fantasia 2000 on occasion instead.)
SCENE A
Riders slowly transition from the concert hall into fantasy. Projected musician shadows display against plain walls, all dominated by ever-shifting primary colors. Vehicles move in time with their music. As the harpist plays, the lights turn cool. As the drummer pounds, lights turn red.
SCENE B
Here vehicles split along our first branching path. "Exciting" and "humorous" glide left towards the orchestra's String Section, while "frightening" and "beautiful" veer right to the Brass Section. Either way, these two vehicles join two more from the previous dispatch in a fog-shrouded room of pure abstraction.
Physical set pieces suggest a mental landscape inspired by music. Colorful discs sail around overhead. For the String Section, strange poles (vaguely reminiscent of violin bows) dance from behind an undulating hill. Lights flash across strings. For the Brass Section, abstracted trombone handles rise up from swirling horn-shaped pipes. Colors race across a tangle of tubes.
Vehicles pause before different screens. Their touchscreens light up, inviting guests to “conduct.” The patterns they create are duplicated on the large screens. Patterns form of clouds, of lights, of shapes…all animated abstractions familiar from Fantasia’s opening sequence.
ACT TWO
BRANCHING PROGRAMS
“The next kind of music is the type that, while it has no specific plot, does paint a series or more or less definite pictures.”
Vehicles reverse into darkness, where they secretly branch away once again. Here for Act Two, guests enjoy their unique musical selection.
No matter their choice, each Act Two follows a similar pattern. First solo vehicles glide through a small hallway mostly defined by screens, again allowing guests to “conduct” live-rendered imagery (very easy to switch out as needed whenever Fantasia Waltz alters its segments).
The second scene joins the solo vehicle with the two vehicles which left ahead of it on this same path. (By “mixing and matching” vehicle groups like this, Fantasia Waltz can pack multiple cars together in a smaller space like similar trackless rides.) Here vehicles dance together to the music surrounded by physical scenery and animatronics.
Here’s how this works in practice:
OPTION A (EXCITING)
THE NUTCRACKER SUITE
Riders pirouette through forest scenes depicting the seasons. Screens, framed by physical trees and vines, display beautiful 1940 animation. Guests “conduct” the fall leaves, winter snowflakes and other elements, all while nature sprites dance and celebrate.
Then riders begin the Mushroom Dance, surrounded by charming animatronic Chinese mushrooms. Trackless vehicles spin and swirl around each other in tune with Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece.
OPTION B (HUMOROUS)
DANCE OF THE HOURS
Ponchielli’s “Dance of the Hours” begins in a hall of Greco-Roman columns, which frame screens of dancing elephants and ostriches. While these clumsy animals struggle to perform a delicate ballet, guests “conduct” bubbles flying from the elephants’ trunks.
The dance room introduces riders to animatronic hippos and crocodiles, along with the ballet’s rousing upbeat crescendo. Once again, trackless vehicles peerlessly dance to the tunes!
OPTION C (FRIGHTENING)
NIGHT ON BALD MOUNTAIN
Vehicles cautiously creep amidst towering crags. Between them, guests glimpse horrifying specters rises from their tombs. They conduct these eerie demons.
The music builds and builds, ultimately revealing a huge animatronic Chernabog flanked by flame effects! Vehicles dance in a circle around their profane overlord, surrounded by screens of gyrating demon revelers!
OPTION D (BEAUTIFUL)
PINES OF ROME
Icy glacier walls frame a starry nighttime under the aurora borealis. Guests conduct flocks of seabirds. As the music builds, a pod of whales rises from the ocean’s surface below…and flies into the heavens.
Vehicles dance gracefully, beatifically around a glowing spectral orb. Above them, animatronic whales soar weightlessly, in a scene of pure transcendence.
(All these scenes – even the animatronics – are designed to be regularly changed out, much like Haunted Mansion and its holiday overlay. This allows us to occasionally feature other beloved Fantasia segments in the future, bringing guests back again and again. These future segments shall include The Steadfast Tin Soldier (exciting), Rhapsody in Blue (humorous), The Firebird (frightening), and Pastoral Symphony (beautiful).)
INTERMISSION
As Act Two ends, the fours vehicles secretly join together within a star field room. Deems Taylor introduces the ride’s climax as the on-ride music changes:
“Finally there is the kind of music which tells a definite story. A very ancient story, about a sorcerer who had an apprentice…"
Dukas’ symphonic poem – the most beloved, most famous of all Fantasia’s segments – carries us into a chamber. Vehicles pause before an animatronic Mickey Mouse asleep at a desk, dreaming, the shadows of hardworking brooms projected on the wall behind. In a Pepper's ghost effect, Mickey's spirit seems to rise from his body and float away.
ACT THREE
THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE
SCENE A
We follow Mickey's spirit to a mighty crag. Here, animatronic Mickey with sorcerer's hat magically commands the stars above and the waves below. Guests similarly control the earth and heavens with their touchscreens, performing feats of wondrous wizardry right alongside Mickey!
SCENE B
Soon we awake from our reverie! We’re back within Yen Sid’s masonic chambers, where a veritable army of living broomsticks endlessly fills a water well. These animatronic brooms are among Fantasia Waltz’s neatest tricks – they too are trackless, able to weave and dance amongst ride vehicles!
This is the ride’s climax, held in a massive room with 12 ride vehicles (three dispatches), much like the Heffalump room in Pooh’s Hunny Hunt. Trackless cars zoom from one show scene to another. They spin around broomsticks. They pause by a hallway where Mickey’s shadow is scene chopping brooms into splinters. They skirt around the well, overflowing with projected water. Gliding across a “watery” floor – really just blue-lighting – vehicles pass an animatronic Mickey upon a gigantic book struggling to reverse his spell.
SCENE C
As a grand finale, the four original vehicles twirl together around a deadly whirlpool projected upon the floor. Endless rows of brooms march the stairs above us!
A huge door swings open! Animatronic Yen Sid spreads his arms, and the waters splash away (minor spray effects). Vehicles sit atop a hidden motion base – another Hunny Hunt trick – where they feel a little rumble with every downbeat, with every gesture of Yen Sid’s arms. The music crescendos…and ends.
EPILOGUE
The concert program concludes. Escaping vehicles pause before a final screen of conductor Leopold Stokowski. Mickey Mouse, also in silhouette, rushes up to congratulate Mr. Stokowski. They shake hands.
Mickey: "Mr. Stokowski. Mr. Stokowski!...My congratulations, sir."
"Congratulations to you, Mickey."
"Gee, thanks! Well...so long. I'll be seein' ya!"
UNLOADING
Vehicles lastly arrive in a separate unloading chamber, the orchestra’s temporary backstage within Yen Sid’s fortress. Soggy instruments are chaotically strewn about, suggesting the aftermath of Mickey’s misadventure with the brooms. (Also in here is a dedicated ADA loading platform.) Guests unload amidst this mess, and exit via stone hallways (where once we exited from Pinocchio) back out into Fantasyland.
THE ORCHESTRA PIT
Lastly, the Village Haus restaurant is transformed into The Orchestra Pit, a Fantasia-themed eatery to match the new ride. The exterior keeps its European appearance, now altered slightly to resemble a cheerier version of the village from Night on Bald Mountain. The town’s steeples and rooftops intertwine with Yen Sid’s nearby fortress.
These storefronts are the temporary housing for Yen Sid’s visiting orchestra, who have taken rather abrupt residence in the villager’s bakeries and shoe shops and cellars. Instruments are artlessly scattered among the furniture. It is here where the musicians take their meals.
Guests do likewise, ordering quick service delights under the town's clock tower. Fantasia Waltz takes up a substantial portion of the old Village Haus, but there's still room enough for ordering windows, outdoor seating and tables enclosed under porch roofs. Guests then enjoy their healthy meals while live cast member musicians roam the restaurant, ready to serenade diners with Fantasia music at a moment’s notice!
CONCLUSION
With its next-gen trackless ride system, branching paths, and interactive elements, Fantasia Waltz should bring a renewed energy to Fantasyland without sacrificing Walt’s original touch. It will appeal to the entire family. It will wonderfully compliment Peter Pan’s Flight and Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride across the courtyard. Best of all, Mickey Mouse – in his most iconic role – finally has an original Disneyland ride to call his own!
Thank you for enjoying my composition.
FANSTASIA WALTZ
Enter a musical world of your choosing and “conduct” a symphonic landscape inspired by Walt Disney’s triumphant Fantasia
The west side of Disneyland’s Fantasyland corridor has always represented Walt’s “Golden Age.” Even with the loss of Snow White’s Scary Adventures and Pinocchio’s Daring Journey, this focus on Walt’s earliest triumphs shall continue with Fantasia Waltz. ("Waltz" to imply both dancing and Walt.)
Fantasia Waltz is to be a E-ticket trackless dark ride, a massive masterpiece requiring all the show space on Fantasyland’s west side. But while one ride is replacing two, its high capacity, branching ride experiences and regular updates all promise a tremendous improvement which shall delight families for years to come!
FAÇADE
Fantasyland guests will first find the facades to Snow White and Pinocchio transformed. The land’s European village aesthetic remains, with Snow White’s gothic castle façade transformed into a sorcerer’s alchemy lab. Impressive stonework still forms towers and turrets. The walls rot and crumble with age, held in place by twisted tree roots. Where the Evil Queen once peeked out from an upstairs window, now keen guests will notice the sorcerer Yen Sid occasionally appearing from behind velvet curtains. He surveys the land, silently, judgmentally, yet benevolently.
Yen Sid invites guests to a “concert program” within his fortress. With his powerful magic, Yen Sid has joined together time periods, drawing together classic music spanning the centuries. Scattered all about the fortress’s base are musical instruments from innumerable cultures and eras.
Sid’s naïve-yet-eager apprentice, one Mickey Mouse, has tossed together hand drawn signs promoting his master’s concert. Hastily drawn, smeared with wet paint, Mickey’s glove-prints staining the nearby fortress walls. These signs ask guests to “choose your own program” and “conduct your world.”
Lastly, replacing the Pinocchio façade are the ride’s FastPass distribution machines. These devices – which resemble an orchestra’s transportation containers – help with Fantasia Waltz’s expected popularity and expected re-rides.
QUEUE
Following outdoors overflow queueing amongst music-themed topiaries, guests enter Yen Sid’s laboratories along the familiar Snow White queue. Here they round an old stone chamber. Once the Evil Queen’s quarters, now this room belongs to Yen Sid. Here he practices his powerful magic. The great sorcerer’s shadow projects on the wall, commanding smoke. The smoke coalesces from a cauldron – achieved with a simple Musion effect (projections combined with Pepper’s ghost) – forming into a lovely butterfly…and then disintegrating.
Guests continue further into the cold stone antechambers. Magically, these rooms start to resemble a timeless concert hall without ever losing their medieval masonry texture. The sounds of a distant orchestra to echo through the halls – music from both Fantasia and Fantasia 2000, all the pieces not presently featured on the ride.
This main chamber is a rare Disneyland example of an interactive queue. Musical instruments appear on display. Guests are invited to toot, whistle, plunk and boom to their hearts content. Play the xylophones. Bang the drum. Pluck a violin’s strings. Blow air into the brass section. Better still, the far corner features a screen – tastefully held within a medieval stone arch – housing Fantasia’s Soundtrack. This anthropomorphized sound graph reacts to guests’ cacophony of sounds in an adorable, colorful manner.
Down further halls, with framed concept art for the assorted Fantasia segments. Finally guests reach a fork – the FastPass merge. Here a cast member clad in usher black tie directs guests to their concert hall section. In fact it's guest choice: Four Fantasia segments, and four unique ride experiences, each now with separate branching queues.
With so many tuneful tales to choose from, the choice is rarely the same. Here upon opening, Fantasia Waltz offers a choice between The Nutcracker Suite, Dance of the Hours, Night on Bald Mountain, or Pines of Rome. Like Fantasyland’s original dark ride breakdown, these options represent different moods – exciting, humorous, frightening and beautiful, respectively.
Guests continue down one of four final queue halls, with décor dedicated to their unique choice. Here they’ll see sheet music, artwork and appropriate props.
Loading is found on four distinct platforms in a row. In practice, Fantasia Waltz loads similarly to Mystic Manor or Pooh’s Hunny Hunt, with four vehicles leaving at once. (One vehicle for each segment.) This loading takes place within an abstracted, minimalist stone concert hall. In place of the traditional dark ride mural, here we find a velvet curtain with projected silhouettes or the orchestra members. They tune and practice their instruments. There is an uncontainable energy; the concert is ready to begin!
RIDE VEHICLES
Fantasia Waltz is a trackless dark ride, Disneyland’s first. Vehicles resemble balcony box seats, with two rows of three.
Each row features a interactive addition to the trackless genre: a touchscreen. These are tastefully, subtly incorporated, much like those on Efteling’s Symbolica. When the screens light up – as they’ll do three times during the ride – it’s an invitation for guests to “conduct” the music and the landscape before them.
Combined with the trackless vehicles’ wonderful ability to dance, glide and spin, this feature shall further immerse guests into the enveloping world of classical music which lies ahead!
RIDE STATS
Riders per vehicle: 6
Vehicles per dispatch: 4
Dispatch interval: 30 seconds
Hourly capacity: 2,880
Ride duration: 6:15
Inversions: 0
PROLOGUE
As the cast member behind her “ride op” conductor’s podium wraps her baton, the vehicles move out. They pass through spreading curtains, and face a proscenium arch.
Here via screen projection is the silhouette of master conductor Leopold Stokowski. With “Fantasound” onboard speakers, riders hear the music begin to swell. Fantasia narrator Deems Taylor also appears over the speakers, introducing the ride’s first act (of three):
“There are three kinds of music on this Fantasia program. First up is the kind of music that exists simply for its own sake. Absolute music.”
ACT ONE
TOCCATA AND FUGUE IN D MINOR
Vehicles dance together into an abstract chamber of light and sound. Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue” plays. (Fantasia Waltz, with its screens and on-ride soundtrack, is designed to change out regularly. This sequence can easily feature Beethoven’s “Fifth Symphony” from Fantasia 2000 on occasion instead.)
SCENE A
Riders slowly transition from the concert hall into fantasy. Projected musician shadows display against plain walls, all dominated by ever-shifting primary colors. Vehicles move in time with their music. As the harpist plays, the lights turn cool. As the drummer pounds, lights turn red.
SCENE B
Here vehicles split along our first branching path. "Exciting" and "humorous" glide left towards the orchestra's String Section, while "frightening" and "beautiful" veer right to the Brass Section. Either way, these two vehicles join two more from the previous dispatch in a fog-shrouded room of pure abstraction.
Physical set pieces suggest a mental landscape inspired by music. Colorful discs sail around overhead. For the String Section, strange poles (vaguely reminiscent of violin bows) dance from behind an undulating hill. Lights flash across strings. For the Brass Section, abstracted trombone handles rise up from swirling horn-shaped pipes. Colors race across a tangle of tubes.
Vehicles pause before different screens. Their touchscreens light up, inviting guests to “conduct.” The patterns they create are duplicated on the large screens. Patterns form of clouds, of lights, of shapes…all animated abstractions familiar from Fantasia’s opening sequence.
ACT TWO
BRANCHING PROGRAMS
“The next kind of music is the type that, while it has no specific plot, does paint a series or more or less definite pictures.”
Vehicles reverse into darkness, where they secretly branch away once again. Here for Act Two, guests enjoy their unique musical selection.
No matter their choice, each Act Two follows a similar pattern. First solo vehicles glide through a small hallway mostly defined by screens, again allowing guests to “conduct” live-rendered imagery (very easy to switch out as needed whenever Fantasia Waltz alters its segments).
The second scene joins the solo vehicle with the two vehicles which left ahead of it on this same path. (By “mixing and matching” vehicle groups like this, Fantasia Waltz can pack multiple cars together in a smaller space like similar trackless rides.) Here vehicles dance together to the music surrounded by physical scenery and animatronics.
Here’s how this works in practice:
OPTION A (EXCITING)
THE NUTCRACKER SUITE
Riders pirouette through forest scenes depicting the seasons. Screens, framed by physical trees and vines, display beautiful 1940 animation. Guests “conduct” the fall leaves, winter snowflakes and other elements, all while nature sprites dance and celebrate.
Then riders begin the Mushroom Dance, surrounded by charming animatronic Chinese mushrooms. Trackless vehicles spin and swirl around each other in tune with Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece.
OPTION B (HUMOROUS)
DANCE OF THE HOURS
Ponchielli’s “Dance of the Hours” begins in a hall of Greco-Roman columns, which frame screens of dancing elephants and ostriches. While these clumsy animals struggle to perform a delicate ballet, guests “conduct” bubbles flying from the elephants’ trunks.
The dance room introduces riders to animatronic hippos and crocodiles, along with the ballet’s rousing upbeat crescendo. Once again, trackless vehicles peerlessly dance to the tunes!
OPTION C (FRIGHTENING)
NIGHT ON BALD MOUNTAIN
Vehicles cautiously creep amidst towering crags. Between them, guests glimpse horrifying specters rises from their tombs. They conduct these eerie demons.
The music builds and builds, ultimately revealing a huge animatronic Chernabog flanked by flame effects! Vehicles dance in a circle around their profane overlord, surrounded by screens of gyrating demon revelers!
OPTION D (BEAUTIFUL)
PINES OF ROME
Icy glacier walls frame a starry nighttime under the aurora borealis. Guests conduct flocks of seabirds. As the music builds, a pod of whales rises from the ocean’s surface below…and flies into the heavens.
Vehicles dance gracefully, beatifically around a glowing spectral orb. Above them, animatronic whales soar weightlessly, in a scene of pure transcendence.
(All these scenes – even the animatronics – are designed to be regularly changed out, much like Haunted Mansion and its holiday overlay. This allows us to occasionally feature other beloved Fantasia segments in the future, bringing guests back again and again. These future segments shall include The Steadfast Tin Soldier (exciting), Rhapsody in Blue (humorous), The Firebird (frightening), and Pastoral Symphony (beautiful).)
INTERMISSION
As Act Two ends, the fours vehicles secretly join together within a star field room. Deems Taylor introduces the ride’s climax as the on-ride music changes:
“Finally there is the kind of music which tells a definite story. A very ancient story, about a sorcerer who had an apprentice…"
Dukas’ symphonic poem – the most beloved, most famous of all Fantasia’s segments – carries us into a chamber. Vehicles pause before an animatronic Mickey Mouse asleep at a desk, dreaming, the shadows of hardworking brooms projected on the wall behind. In a Pepper's ghost effect, Mickey's spirit seems to rise from his body and float away.
ACT THREE
THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE
SCENE A
We follow Mickey's spirit to a mighty crag. Here, animatronic Mickey with sorcerer's hat magically commands the stars above and the waves below. Guests similarly control the earth and heavens with their touchscreens, performing feats of wondrous wizardry right alongside Mickey!
SCENE B
Soon we awake from our reverie! We’re back within Yen Sid’s masonic chambers, where a veritable army of living broomsticks endlessly fills a water well. These animatronic brooms are among Fantasia Waltz’s neatest tricks – they too are trackless, able to weave and dance amongst ride vehicles!
This is the ride’s climax, held in a massive room with 12 ride vehicles (three dispatches), much like the Heffalump room in Pooh’s Hunny Hunt. Trackless cars zoom from one show scene to another. They spin around broomsticks. They pause by a hallway where Mickey’s shadow is scene chopping brooms into splinters. They skirt around the well, overflowing with projected water. Gliding across a “watery” floor – really just blue-lighting – vehicles pass an animatronic Mickey upon a gigantic book struggling to reverse his spell.
SCENE C
As a grand finale, the four original vehicles twirl together around a deadly whirlpool projected upon the floor. Endless rows of brooms march the stairs above us!
A huge door swings open! Animatronic Yen Sid spreads his arms, and the waters splash away (minor spray effects). Vehicles sit atop a hidden motion base – another Hunny Hunt trick – where they feel a little rumble with every downbeat, with every gesture of Yen Sid’s arms. The music crescendos…and ends.
EPILOGUE
The concert program concludes. Escaping vehicles pause before a final screen of conductor Leopold Stokowski. Mickey Mouse, also in silhouette, rushes up to congratulate Mr. Stokowski. They shake hands.
Mickey: "Mr. Stokowski. Mr. Stokowski!...My congratulations, sir."
"Congratulations to you, Mickey."
"Gee, thanks! Well...so long. I'll be seein' ya!"
UNLOADING
Vehicles lastly arrive in a separate unloading chamber, the orchestra’s temporary backstage within Yen Sid’s fortress. Soggy instruments are chaotically strewn about, suggesting the aftermath of Mickey’s misadventure with the brooms. (Also in here is a dedicated ADA loading platform.) Guests unload amidst this mess, and exit via stone hallways (where once we exited from Pinocchio) back out into Fantasyland.
THE ORCHESTRA PIT
Lastly, the Village Haus restaurant is transformed into The Orchestra Pit, a Fantasia-themed eatery to match the new ride. The exterior keeps its European appearance, now altered slightly to resemble a cheerier version of the village from Night on Bald Mountain. The town’s steeples and rooftops intertwine with Yen Sid’s nearby fortress.
These storefronts are the temporary housing for Yen Sid’s visiting orchestra, who have taken rather abrupt residence in the villager’s bakeries and shoe shops and cellars. Instruments are artlessly scattered among the furniture. It is here where the musicians take their meals.
Guests do likewise, ordering quick service delights under the town's clock tower. Fantasia Waltz takes up a substantial portion of the old Village Haus, but there's still room enough for ordering windows, outdoor seating and tables enclosed under porch roofs. Guests then enjoy their healthy meals while live cast member musicians roam the restaurant, ready to serenade diners with Fantasia music at a moment’s notice!
CONCLUSION
With its next-gen trackless ride system, branching paths, and interactive elements, Fantasia Waltz should bring a renewed energy to Fantasyland without sacrificing Walt’s original touch. It will appeal to the entire family. It will wonderfully compliment Peter Pan’s Flight and Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride across the courtyard. Best of all, Mickey Mouse – in his most iconic role – finally has an original Disneyland ride to call his own!
Thank you for enjoying my composition.
Last edited:
MonorailRed
Applebees
@TheOriginalTiki it might be better to hear your review for Season 15 first from an outsider's perspective. Someone reading it for the first time.
You used to do that for the Elite Eight and then interview the contestants in separate podcasts. Could be fun to do it that way
spacemt354
Chili's
Completely agree! All the information needed is really on the site itself for Universal Australia. I would be curious to hear a sort of roundtable review from Tiki @iamaninsomniac @SandyClaws BlueDragonFive, etc like those old podcasts of Elite Eight and SA Season 2 used to be. Sorta like a movie review from critics.@TheOriginalTiki it might be better to hear your review for Season 15 first from an outsider's perspective. Someone reading it for the first time.
Even if I could go on the podcast I feel like I would end up doing most of the talking lol and everyone here already knows my opinion on it
DisneyManOne
Well-Known Member
CHALLENGE 2 - INNOVATORS
FANSTASIA WALTZ
Enter a musical world of your choosing and “conduct” a symphonic landscape inspired by Walt Disney’s triumphant Fantasia
The west side of Disneyland’s Fantasyland corridor has always represented Walt’s “Golden Age.” Even with the loss of Snow White’s Scary Adventures and Pinocchio’s Daring Journey, this focus on Walt’s earliest triumphs shall continue with Fantasia Waltz.
Fantasia Waltz is to be a E-ticket trackless dark ride, a massive masterpiece requiring all the show space on Fantasyland’s west side. But while one ride is replacing two, its high capacity, branching ride experiences and regular updates all promise a tremendous improvement which shall delight families for years to come!
FAÇADE
Fantasyland guests will first find the facades to Snow White and Pinocchio transformed. The land’s European village aesthetic remains, with Snow White’s gothic castle façade subtly transformed into a sorcerer’s alchemy lab. Impressive stonework still forms towers and turrets. Where the Evil Queen once peeked out from an upstairs window, now keen guests will notice the sorcerer Yen Sid occasionally appearing from behind velvet curtains. He surveys the land, silently, judgmentally, yet benevolently.
Yen Sid invites guests to a “concert program” within his fortress. With his powerful magic, Yen Sid has joined together time periods, drawing together classic music spanning the centuries. Scattered all about the fortress’s base are musical instruments from innumerable cultures and eras.
Sid’s naïve-yet-eager apprentice, one Mickey Mouse, has tossed together hand drawn signs promoting his master’s concert. Hastily drawn, smeared with wet paint, Mickey’s glove-prints staining the nearby fortress walls. These signs ask guests to “choose your own program” and “conduct your world.”
Lastly, where the Pinocchio façade once stood is now a colorful tournament tent. Underneath are the ride’s FastPass machines. These devices – which resemble an orchestra’s transportation containers – help with Fantasia Waltz’s expected popularity and expected re-rides.
QUEUE
Following outdoors overflow queueing amongst music-themed topiaries, guests enter Yen Sid’s laboratories along the familiar Snow White queue. Here they round an old stone chamber. Once the Evil Queen’s quarters, now this room belongs to Yen Sid. Here he practices his powerful magic. The great sorcerer’s shadow projects on the wall, commanding smoke. The smoke coalesces from a cauldron – achieved with a simple Musion effect (projections combined with Pepper’s ghost) – forming into a lovely butterfly…and then disintegrating.
Guests continue further into the cold stone antechambers. Magically, these rooms start to resemble a timeless concert hall without ever losing their medieval masonry texture. The sounds of a distant orchestra to echo through the halls – music from both Fantasia and Fantasia 2000, all the pieces not presently featured on the ride.
This main chamber is a rare Disneyland example of an interactive queue. Musical instruments appear on display. Guests are invited to toot, whistle, plunk and boom to their hearts content. Play the xylophones. Bang the drum. Pluck a violin’s strings. Blow air into the brass section. Better still, the far corner features a screen – tastefully held within a medieval stone arch – housing Fantasia’s Soundtrack. This anthropomorphized sound graph reacts to guests’ cacophony of sounds in an adorable, colorful manner.
Down further halls, with framed concept art for the assorted Fantasia segments. Finally guests reach a fork – the FastPass merge. Here a cast member clad in orchestral black tie offers guests a choice. Four Fantasia segments, and four unique ride experiences, each now with separate branching queues.
With so many tuneful tales to choose from, the choice is rarely the same. Here upon opening, Fantasia Waltz offers a choice between The Nutcracker Suite, Dance of the Hours, Night on Bald Mountain, or Pines of Rome. Like Fantasyland’s original dark ride breakdown, these options represent different moods – exciting, humorous, frightening and beautiful, respectively.
Guests continue down one of four final queue halls, with décor dedicated to their unique choice. Here they’ll see sheet music, artwork and appropriate props.
Loading is found on four distinct platforms in a row. In practice, Fantasia Waltz loads similarly to Mystic Manor or Pooh’s Hunny Hunt, with four vehicles leaving at once. (One vehicle for each segment.) This loading takes place within an abstracted, minimalist stone concert hall. In place of the traditional dark ride mural, here we find a velvet curtain with projected silhouettes or the orchestra members. They tune and practice their instruments. There is an uncontainable energy; the concert is ready to begin!
RIDE VEHICLES
Fantasia Waltz is a trackless dark ride, Disneyland’s first. Vehicles resemble balcony box seats, with two rows of three.
Each row features a interactive addition to the trackless genre: a touchscreen. These are tastefully, subtly incorporated, much like those on Efteling’s Symbolica. When the screens light up – as they’ll do three times during the ride – it’s an invitation for guests to “conduct” the music and the landscape before them.
Combined with the trackless vehicles’ wonderful ability to dance, glide and spin, this feature shall further immerse guests into the enveloping world of classical music which lies ahead!
RIDE STATS
Riders per vehicle: 6
Vehicles per dispatch: 4
Dispatch interval: 30 seconds
Hourly capacity: 2,880
Ride duration: 6:15
Inversions: 0
PROLOGUE
As the cast member behind her “ride op” conductor’s podium wraps her baton, the vehicles move out. They pass through spreading curtains, and face a proscenium arch.
Here via screen projection is the silhouette of master conductor Leopold Stokowski. With “Fantasound” onboard speakers, riders hear the music begin to swell. Fantasia narrator Deems Taylor also appears over the speakers, introducing the ride’s first act (of three):
“There are three kinds of music on this Fantasia program. First up is the kind of music that exists simply for its own sake. Absolute music.”
ACT ONE
TOCCATA AND FUGUE IN D MINOR
Vehicles dance together into an abstract chamber of light and sound. Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue” plays. (Fantasia Waltz, with its screens and on-ride soundtrack, is designed to change out regularly. This sequence can easily feature Beethoven’s “Fifth Symphony” from Fantasia 2000 on occasion instead.)
SCENE A
Riders slowly transition from the concert hall into fantasy. Projected musician shadows display against plain walls, all dominated by ever-shifting primary colors. Vehicles move in time with their music. As the harpist plays, the lights turn cool. As the drummer pounds, lights turn red.
SCENE B
Soon enough, vehicles glide into a fog-shrouded room of pure abstraction. Physical set pieces suggest a mental landscape inspired by music. Strange poles, vaguely reminiscent of violin bows, dance from behind an undulating hill. Colorful discs sail around overhead. Lights flash across strings.
Vehicles pause before four different screens. Their touchscreens light up, inviting guests to “conduct.” The patterns they create are duplicated on the large screens. Patterns form of clouds, of lights, of shapes…all animated abstractions familiar from Fantasia’s opening sequence.
ACT TWO
BRANCHING PROGRAMS
“The next kind of music is the type that, while it has no specific plot, does paint a series or more or less definite pictures.”
Vehicles reverse into darkness, where they secretly branch away from each other. Here for Act Two, guests enjoy their unique musical selection.
No matter their choice, each Act Two follows a similar pattern. First solo vehicles glide through a small hallway mostly defined by screens, again allowing guests to “conduct” live-rendered imagery (very easy to switch out as needed whenever Fantasia Waltz switches up its segments).
The second scene joins the solo vehicle with the two vehicles which left ahead of it on this same path. (By “mixing and matching” vehicle groups like this, Fantasia Waltz can pack multiple cars together in a smaller space like similar trackless rides.) Here vehicles dance together to the music surrounded by physical scenery and animatronics.
Here’s how this works in practice:
OPTION A (EXCITING)
THE NUTCRACKER SUITE
Riders pirouette through forest scenes depicting the seasons. Screens, framed by physical trees and vines, display beautiful 1940 animation. Guests “conduct” the fall leaves, winter snowflakes and other elements, all while nature sprites dance and celebrate.
Then riders begin the Mushroom Dance, surrounded by charming animatronic Chinese mushrooms. Trackless vehicles spin and swirl around each other in tune with Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece.
OPTION B (HUMOROUS)
DANCE OF THE HOURS
Ponchielli’s “Dance of the Hours” begins in a hall of Greco-Roman columns, which frame screens of dancing elephants and ostriches. While these clumsy animals struggle to perform a delicate ballet, guests “conduct” bubbles flying from the elephants’ trunks.
The dance room introduces riders to animatronic hippos and crocodiles, along with the ballet’s rousing upbeat crescendo. Once again, trackless vehicles peerlessly dance to the tunes!
OPTION C (FRIGHTENING)
NIGHT ON BALD MOUNTAIN
Vehicles cautiously creep amidst towering crags. Between them, guests glimpse horrifying specters rises from their tombs. They conduct these eerie demons.
The music builds and builds, ultimately revealing a huge animatronic Chernabog flanked by flame effects! Vehicles dance in a circle around their profane overlord, surrounded by screens of gyrating demon revelers!
OPTION D (BEAUTIFUL)
PINES OF ROME
Icy glacier walls frame a starry nighttime under the aurora borealis. Guests conduct flocks of seabirds. As the music builds, a pod of whales rises from the ocean’s surface below…and flies into the heavens.
Vehicles dance gracefully, beatifically around a glowing spectral orb. Above them, animatronic whales soar weightlessly, in a scene of pure transcendence.
(All these scenes – even the animatronics – are designed to be regularly changed out, much like Haunted Mansion and its holiday overlay. This allows us to occasionally feature other beloved Fantasia segments in the future, bringing guests back again and again. These future segments shall include The Steadfast Tin Soldier (exciting), Rhapsody in Blue (humorous), The Firebird (frightening), and Pastoral Symphony (beautiful).)
INTERMISSION
As Act Two ends, the fours vehicles secretly join together within a star field room. Deems Taylor introduces the ride’s climax as the on-ride music changes:
“Finally there is the kind of music which tells a definite story. A very ancient story, about a sorcerer who had an apprentice…”
ACT THREE
THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE
Dukas’ symphonic poem – the most beloved, most famous of all Fantasia’s segments – carries us into a dreamtime chamber. Much of Fantasia Waltz might change out seasonally or annually, but this finale remains forever the same…as it should!
SCENE A
Here, an animatronic Mickey Mouse with sorcerer’s hat stands atop a mighty crag. He magically commands the stars above and the waves below. Guests similarly control the earth and heavens with their touchscreens, performing feats of wondrous wizardry right alongside Mickey!
SCENE B
Soon we awake from our reverie! We’re back within Yen Sid’s masonic chambers, where a veritable army of living broomsticks endlessly fills a water well. These animatronic brooms are among Fantasia Waltz’s neatest tricks – they too are trackless, able to weave and dance amongst ride vehicles!
This is the ride’s climax, held in a massive room with 12 ride vehicles (three dispatches), much like the Heffalump room in Pooh’s Hunny Hunt. Trackless cars zoom from one show scene to another. They spin around broomsticks. They pause by a hallway where Mickey’s shadow is scene chopping brooms into splinters. They skirt around the well, overflowing with projected water. Gliding across a “watery” floor – really just blue-lighting – vehicles pass an animatronic Mickey upon a gigantic book struggling to reverse his spell.
SCENE C
As a grand finale, the four original vehicles twirl together around a deadly whirlpool projected upon the floor. Endless rows of brooms march the stairs above us!
A huge door swings open! Animatronic Yen Sid spreads his arms, and the waters splash away (minor spray effects). Vehicles sit atop a hidden motion base – another Hunny Hunt trick – where they feel a little rumble with every downbeat, with every gesture of Yen Sid’s arms. The music crescendos…and ends.
EPILOGUE
The concert program concludes. Escaping vehicles pause before a final screen of conductor Leopold Stokowski. Mickey Mouse, also in silhouette, rushes up to congratulate Mr. Stokowski. They shake hands.
UNLOADING
Vehicles lastly arrive in a separate unloading chamber, the orchestra’s temporary backstage within Yen Sid’s fortress. Soggy instruments are chaotically strewn about, suggesting the aftermath of Mickey’s misadventure with the brooms. Guests unload amidst this mess, and exit via stone hallways (where once we exited from Pinocchio) back out into Fantasyland.
THE ORCHESTRA PIT
Lastly, the Village Haus restaurant is transformed into The Orchestra Pit, a Fantasia-themed eatery to match the new ride. The exterior keeps its European appearance, now altered slightly to resemble a cheerier version of the village from Night on Bald Mountain. The town’s steeples and rooftops intertwine with Yen Sid’s nearby fortress.
These storefronts are the temporary housing for Yen Sid’s visiting orchestra, who have taken rather abrupt residence in the villager’s bakeries and shoe shops and cellars. Instruments are artlessly scattered among the furniture. It is here where the musicians take their meals.
Guests do likewise, ordering counter service delights under a central enclosed town square. Windows overhead feature a series of animated soloist musical performances. Guests then enjoy their healthy meals in the assorted lodging rooms, or outside under the skies. Live cast member musicians roam the restaurant, ready to serenade diners with Fantasia music at a moment’s notice!
CONCLUSION
With its next-gen trackless ride system, branching paths, and interactive elements, Fantasia Waltz should bring a renewed energy to Fantasyland without sacrificing Walt’s original touch. It will appeal to the entire family. It will wonderfully compliment Peter Pan’s Flight and Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride across the courtyard. Best of all, Mickey Mouse – in his most iconic role – finally has an original Disneyland ride to call his own!
Thank you for enjoying my composition.
[Gonna come back around later with some improved graphics and whatnot, just wanted to mark my territory with this 90% complete thing first.
Beautiful concept! If you don't mind me asking; could I use this idea for my WDW idea thread. I really would like to use it for Hollywood Studios.
D Hulk
Well-Known Member
Sure, go ahead.
invadersam
Well-Known Member
I'll make sure "Wayne"
After that it's just a matter of scheduling. If I'm being honest Dragon is really stubborn and jumped ship entirely after the first couple rounds didn't garner as much activity/material as he was expecting. I doubt he'd be up to do it again. Sandy is also a bit weird when it comes to scheduling these days. He's got his own podcast interviewing people in the animation industry so that's obviously his top priority. He doesn't really like to come on for things other than pre-established series like Disney Debates. Jacob however is getting to be the person who's easiest and most agreeable to work with so I'm sure at the very least the two of us could work something out. Scheduling is definitely an issue though with me having started a new job a couple weeks ago.
As per the argument regarding the Elite Eight podcasts...the big difference is that yes I went into reading those projects blind but the podcasts themselves actually had the people who worked on the material. So really I don't see that much of a correlation. Then again I'm just trying to pull semantics at this point
As per the argument regarding the Elite Eight podcasts...the big difference is that yes I went into reading those projects blind but the podcasts themselves actually had the people who worked on the material. So really I don't see that much of a correlation. Then again I'm just trying to pull semantics at this point
spacemt354
Chili's
After just updating the Podcast thread, I think Red was referring to the initial Elite Eight podcast you did with Jokers reviewing the projects without the contestantsAfter that it's just a matter of scheduling. If I'm being honest Dragon is really stubborn and jumped ship entirely after the first couple rounds didn't garner as much activity/material as he was expecting. I doubt he'd be up to do it again. Sandy is also a bit weird when it comes to scheduling these days. He's got his own podcast interviewing people in the animation industry so that's obviously his top priority. He doesn't really like to come on for things other than pre-established series like Disney Debates. Jacob however is getting to be the person who's easiest and most agreeable to work with so I'm sure at the very least the two of us could work something out. Scheduling is definitely an issue though with me having started a new job a couple weeks ago.
As per the argument regarding the Elite Eight podcasts...the big difference is that yes I went into reading those projects blind but the podcasts themselves actually had the people who worked on the material. So really I don't see that much of a correlation. Then again I'm just trying to pull semantics at this point
It was after that initial review you then did the interviews of the contestants with additional podcasts.
If it's too much work/scheduling -- it's not a problem. The only reason why I have been asking was because I think Season 15 was truly something unique in the SYWTBAI lore. Really this season wouldn't be happening if Season 15 didn't finish, and I think Season 15 opened up a ton of new interest from folks who might never have played in SYWTBAI -- who are now and/or can say they did. I just didn't want to see it get swept under the rug and forgotten about haha.
Poe Dameron
Well-Known Member
I can agree with this. After playing in Season 13 I wasn't planning on doing this competition again. But Uniting Universal was such a fun project, so much so that I might submit a few projects for this season. Love the work so far by everyone.
DisneyManOne
Well-Known Member
For this round, I once again chose to play on the “Purists” side, mainly because I’m more familiar with Disney World than I am with Disneyland. Although the idea of creating one massive new dark ride was tempting, I opted to play in more familiar territory.
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Dateline: October 1st, 1971. On this day, Walt Disney World is set to open its gates. The final dream of the man himself, Walt Disney, Walt Disney World promises a world of wonders like no other.
The resort’s crown jewel is the Magic Kingdom, essentially a bigger and grander version of the original Disneyland. Although quite a few favorites from Disneyland will be found here, you’ll also find a bunch of all-new experiences to try out. For example, Fantasyland will still feature a few beloved attractions from Disneyland—“it’s a small world”, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, the Mad Tea Party and the Carrousel; but with it will come new attractions like The Mickey Mouse Revue, an audio-animatronic show showcasing the best of Disney music; a new version of the popular Submarine Voyage based around 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, as well as three new dark rides, serving as analogues for the three major dark rides of Disneyland’s Fantasyland.
The dark rides of Disneyland’s Fantasyland can be broken down into three categories: “scary”, “fun and crazy”, and “beautiful”. At Disneyland, the “scary” title goes to Snow White and Her Adventures; the “fun and crazy” title goes to Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride; and the “beautiful” title goes to Peter Pan’s Flight. And here at the Magic Kingdom, we have three new dark rides that will take up those titles here in Florida.
It’s no secret that Pinocchio is one of the darkest films to come out of Walt Disney’s animation studios; and as such, it makes sense that this particular film becomes a “scary” dark ride. This ride proposes all sorts of spook-house scares (but nothing too dangerous), loud sounds and flashing lights. And, from what I’ve heard, there’s a reason why it’s gonna be so scary: According to the people who worked on this ride, this is supposed to be a ride through a nightmare Pinocchio is having; re-living all the scary sights he came across on his journey to be a real boy.
Entering underneath a Renaissance-style tent, as with all the other attractions in Fantasyland, we find ourselves passing through the switchbacks and arrive at the loading area. A mural features the places and locations found in the story of Pinocchio. It’s a beautiful mural that offers us a sense of safety and comfort, showing no signs of the horror that awaits us in store.
Our ride vehicle is a woodcarver’s cart, seemingly designed by the kindly old Geppetto himself. The fronts of each vehicle are carved with the likeliness of a certain character from Pinocchio: the titular wooden boy; Jiminy; the Blue Fairy; Figaro; Cleo; Monstro or Honest John. Once all are aboard, we set off.
Our first scene is actually rather light-hearted: a quaint stroll through Pinocchio’s village (1). It’s a beautiful morning. The birds are chirping; the sun is shining; nothing can go wrong. But then, we see two familiar figures in animatronic form: Honest John and Gideon (2). Honest John calls out to us: “My dear lad, you shouldn’t be going to school. If you want to take the easy road to success, you go to the theater! Come with us, we’ll take you to see Stromboli! He’ll make you an actor!” Sure enough, we head towards the entrance of Stromboli’s puppet theater (3).
However, popping up from a wall nearby is a small figure of Jiminy Cricket (4). He calls out to us, desperately: “You can't go with those ill winds in cheap clothing! You can't be an actor! You've got to go to school!" However, his complaints fall upon deaf ears as we arrive inside the theater (5). Puppets dressed like Dutch girls, French can-can dancers, and Russian dancing men all perform a wild, disorientating show, set to some sped-up rendition of “I’ve Got No Strings”. As we head out of the theater, we hear a deep booming Italian voice: “Where do you think you’re going?!”
Heading backstage, we find ourselves in the presence of a towering Stromboli, looking down menacingly at us (6)! “To ME you are belonging now!” And with a maniacal cackle, we speed through the backstage area (7), passing by various scared-looking dolls and puppets in cages, some of them even calling to us, begging for help. Adding to the terror, Stromboli’s laughter grows louder and louder until...
CLANG! With a deafening sound, we find ourselves being “thrown” into our own cage (8)! The laughter practically echoes as we make a worried circle around the cage. Fortunately, we find our way out and speed through a dark tunnel (9) to freedom.
At last—hope! We’re back in town, riding along the cobblestone streets. We come across a fork in the road, marked by a tall signpost (10) .One points the way to Geppetto's Workshop and the other points the way to Pleasure Island. From the way the signs are pointing, you (and by extension, Pinocchio) seem headed in the right direction...
“Not so fast!” Suddenly, popping their heads out from behind the signpost, are Honest John and Gideon! The fox laughs uproariously while the cat hiccups, as they turn the signpost the other way. Jiminy calls out, "Wait! You're going the wrong way!"; Indeed we are, crossing a stone bridge over some water, towards the gate to Pleasure Island (11)...
Our trip through Pleasure Island should be both warm and inviting, yet strange and disorienting altogether. There are various sights to be seen, such as a candy cane Ferris wheel and a lollipop-themed merry-go-round (12). To the right, you see a literal soda fountain; that is, a fountain that spouts soda. And rising in the background is an ice cream mountain down which lemonade cascades. In the foreground, roller coaster tracks crisscross (13). In the sky, fireworks explode. One car travels through a gingerbread house (14), and below a tree adorned with donuts (15). We pass by a giant box of popcorn, and a giant candy apple with a green worm popping its head out (16).
We go past Foulfellow and Gideon playing a hi-striker game, and enter the Rough House (18), in front of which a figure of a tough guy wearing a derby and wielding a club entices boys to come in and pick a fight, only to split up one more time. We then go along Tobacco Row (19), where wooden Indians stand at the ready to toss out cigars. On the ground, the road is paved as a giant strip of chewing tobacco; and then for a brief jaunt through the Model Home, open for destruction (20). A giant stained glass window had been shattered completely and inside, furniture is wrecked, mud tracks crisscross everywhere and the Mona Lisa is hanging at a cockeyed angle and is wearing a mustache besides.
Finally, we approach into the Pool Hall shaped like a giant 8-ball (21). Here, the truth about Pleasure Island hits, as Lampwick, in a style similar to the Queen’s transformation on Disneyland’s Snow White ride, turns from a boy into...a donkey (22)! Lampwick’s human reflection is in a mirror, but when he face us, he’s a donkey, braying fearfully.
Leaving the Pool Hall, you see donkeys in crates, some wearing boys' clothing and either braying a melancholy bray or crying, "Mama!" and "I wanna go home!" (23) while the Coachman’s voice says, "Ah, I see you’ve found out our little secret. You see, once you step foot on Pleasure Island, you never come back...as BOYS!” As he says “BOYS”, we see the Coachman’s large, frightening face pop up from out of nowhere (24)! Hey, this wouldn’t be a scary Pinocchio ride without featuring one of the most frightening stills in Disney history!
And now, I've probably given you nightmares on contact. I regret nothing.
Somehow, you manage to slip by, and you come across a stormy sea, which is occasionally illuminated by flashes of ligthning. Here, Jiminy stands on a sign reading, "Beware of Monstro, the Terror of the Deep!" (25), while the cricket himself warns, "Watch out for Monstro! Nothing escapes from him!" You head forward into darkness, where you hear an unearthly roar. One last flash of lightning reveals that you're approaching the huge gaping maw of a whale... (26).
We sail through Monstro’s stomach, littered with shipwrecks (27). Upon one lonely barge is Geppetto, sighing forlornly. “If only I knew where Pinocchio was...” (28) As we leave, we hear the sound of a monstrous sneeze, indicating we have been sneezed out of the whale. However, our freedom is short-lived as we hear the whale roar again. Picking up speed, our cart tries desperately to escape. We find ourselves coming head-on with a rocky cliffside (29). And not only that, Monstro is quickly coming up on us from the side (30). As his jaws get closer and closer, we head towards the cliff...
...CRASH! In the darkness, we hear an earth-shattering crash as lights strobe. What happened? Did we die? Did Monstro die? What happened? Sadly, these are questions that are never answered, as we find ourselves coming back towards the loading area, safe and sound.
...Yeah, I’m sure there’s no way on Earth that this ride will become one of the most infamous attractions in Disney history, and become the source for many a child’s traumatization.
“A legend is sung of when England was young
And Knights were brave and bold.
The good King had died, and no one could decide
Who was rightful heir to the Throne.
It seemed that the land would be torn by war,
Or saved by a miracle alone
And that miracle appeared in London Town:
The Sword in the Stone."
So began Walt Disney’s 1963 animated feature; an animated take on the story of how King Arthur became known as such. Now, the thing about Disneyland’s dark rides is that the story’s main characters are nowhere to be seen; because the guests are supposed to be filling in their parts. This has caused confusion so, with the deliberate exception of Pinocchio’s Adventures, you will see Arthur—or “Wart” as he is more commonly called—in this ride.
Entering under a purple tournament tent; we find ourselves in a queue designed to look like the interior of a grand castle. Stone pillars and sconces fill our field of vision as we pass through the switchbacks and arrive at the loading area. The loading area prominently features a mural detailing the various characters and scenarios from The Sword in the Stone. Prominently featured in the center of the mural is the Sword itself; a silhouetted knight standing nearby, trying to pry it free; a crowd of men standing nearby. On the other side, Arthur and Merlin are pictured having tea in Merlin's cottage, with Archimedes perched angrily nearby. Our ride vehicles are inspired by Merlin’s magic bag, which is nice, because we’re going to need quite a bit of magic as we sail through the story.
Once we are aboard our magic bags; we set off for the dark forests of England. Dark trees tower high above; as an ominous mist sets. Soon, we come across young Wart himself, trying to retrieve an arrow (1) as a hungry wolf licks his chops (2). However, we come across a more pleasant sight: Merlin’s house.
“Ah, there you are!” we hear him say. “I’ve been expecting you. Now come along, we’ve got to get ready!” Heading further into the cottage, we see Wart seated amidst a number of moving objects: books, chairs, teapots, etc. Merlin stands atop a large bucket as he conducts the items like an orchestra, singing “Higitus Figitus”. The vehicle maneuvers through the cottage, out the back door, and towards a castle.
We find Merlin and Wart standing along the banks of a moat (3). "Have you ever imagined what’s it like to be a fish?” Merlin asks as he waves his wand in the air. The vehicle dips into the pond, going “underwater” and through a colorful world of fish and underwater plant life. Merlin and Wart, who have become fish, sing "That's What Makes the World Go Round," as they wiggle amidst the scene.
Leaving the moat, we find an opening in the wall and emerge back inside the castle. Guests find themselves in a room crowded with spinning dishes, pots and pans; Wart gazes in amazement as Merlin makes the kitchen equipment wash itself (4). The vehicle then travels along a series of dark corridors and into a dining hall (5), where Sir Ector scratches his head, while Kay enjoys a turkey leg.
Heading back outside, we see Merlin wave his wand again (6). As we pass by, we enter a forest, where we see that Merlin and Wart have turned into squirrels (7). And what’s more—Wart’s caught the eye of a lady squirrel! As Wart desperately tries to avoid her; Merlin comments on young love, singing “It’s a Most Befuddling Thing”. However, as we leave, we see Wart, once again a human, staring at the lady squirrel; heartbroken to find out that Wart is human (8). “Y’know, lad”, Merlin says, “that love business is a powerful thing.” “Greater than gravity?” Wart asks. Merlin replies: “Well yes, boy, in its way… yes, I’d say it’s the greatest force on earth.”
As we leave the forest, we hear Merlin say: “Now, come along. We’ve got much to see! I say it’s time we take to the skies!” Sure enough, through the magic of Pepper’s Ghost, we see Wart transform into a bird! (9). “Archimedes, show him how it’s done!” Merlin says. Indeed, we take to the skies; a dimly-lit room illuminated only by blacklight. Guests see only the peaks of large pine trees and thick, fluffy 'clouds' alongside the room. With a flash of light, guests find themselves in the cottage of Mad Madam Mim.
Inside, we see Mim trying to swat Wart with a broom (10). The vehicle turns a corner and guests find Merlin standing angrily across the room (11). "Now, Mim," he says sternly, "This has gone far enough. Time to end this the old fashioned way: with a Wizard’s Duel.”
The Wizard’s Duel may be the most famous scene from the movie; so I want to do it justice in this ride. First of all, we see Mim and Merlin deciding on rules as Arthur and Archimedes watch on (12).
MIM: If you don’t mind, I’ll make the rules.
ARCHIMEDES: Rules?! Hah! She only wants rules so she can break them!
MIM: Rule One: We can only turn into animals. Rule Two: No make-believe animals; like pink dragons. Rule Three: No disappearing.
MERLIN: Rule Four: No cheating.
We pass through the forest; watching as Merlin and Mim change into different animals. At last, we come across a cliff where Merlin stands as a goat; watching in horror as Mim emerges from the moat as...a dragon (13)?! “Now, Mim”, he says, “remember the rules? No dragons!” “Did I say no purple dragons? Did I?” Mim responds. But as we turn the corner; we hear a “poof” of magic; and the voices of Mim and Merlin. “No disappearing, Merlin!” Mim calls out. “I haven’t disappeared”, Merlin responds. “I’m a germ. Specifically, I’m a germ of a very rare disease called Malagolintomontorosis. And you caught me, Mim!”
Turning the corner, we see Mim, still in dragon form, but incredibly sickly. “See, boy?” Merlin tells Wart, once again human. “It’s like I told you: brains over brawn.” (14)
Leaving the forest behind; we hear the sounds of a tournament: blaring trumpets, cheering crowds. But, we’re not there. We’re at an old inn (15); where Wart (dressed like a squire) and Archimedes stand, worried. “Oh, no!” Wart cries. “I forgot Kay’s sword! It’s in there; and the door’s locked!” “Look!” Archimedes says, pointing his wing. “I think there’s a sword right there!”
Indeed, the vehicle enters a snowy courtyard, where Wart pulls the glowing sword from the stone to the praise of several onlookers (16), one of which exclaims "This boy is our king!" Sir Ector and Kay bow respectfully as light beams down from the ceiling, bathing Arthur in a stream of golden light.
The vehicle enters the final show scene in the attraction. Wart—now known as King Arthur—is seated happily on the throne; Archimedes is perched alongside him. Merlin stands nearby (17). "I knew you had it in you, my boy! King Arthur! King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table! Unless, of course, err, you'd rather have a square one." “No, round’s fine”, we hear Arthur say. As we exit this scene; we hear a triumphant chorus sound out: “Hail King Arthur! Long live the king!” Soon, we find ourselves back in the loading area; our jaunt through King Arthur’s tale completed.
Appropriately situated underneath the shadow of Cinderella Castle, Cinderella’s Midnight Journey offers us a pastoral voyage through scenes and moments from the 1950 masterpiece. To be honest, I’ve always wanted to see how Cinderella would be translated in a dark ride form, so this is my chance to see how it would work.
Passing underneath a blue tournament tent, we pass through wooden switchbacks, before arriving at the loading area. Once again, there’s a mural, but there’s something far more detailed about it. Given that this is supposed to be the “beautiful” dark ride, this mural seems to sparkle like a precious diamond.
Our ride vehicles are cleverly designed: half-pumpkins, decorated with ivy, and rolling about on wooden wheels. Basically, it’s a more “rustic” approach to the iconic pumpkin coach from the story.
Anyways, once all are aboard their pumpkin, we set off, passing by the bucolic countryside, before heading towards the Tremaine Manor. Outside, we see Cinderella herself, feeding the animals (1).
Heading inside, we pass through the manor’s grand foyer. The calm, peaceful mood is instantly shattered as we are soon greeted by the sounds of the stepsisters shrilly calling for Cinderella. Fortunately for us, this doesn’t last long as we head towards Cinderella’s room to meet the mice. Inside, we see the mice and the birds preparing a dress for Cinderella to wear to the ball. They work quickly and happily; singing “The Work Song” as they go.
However, this joy is soon snuffed out like a light. As we head out of the manor, we see the silhouette of the stepsisters, tearing Cinderella’s dress apart (2). Heading out into the garden at night, we see an animatronic Cinderella, crying (3). “There’s nothing left to believe in”, she says through tears. Suddenly, through the magic of Pepper’s Ghost, her Fairy Godmother appears before her. “Dry those tears, my child”, she says. “You can’t go to the ball looking like that. Now, let’s see...what are those magic words again?”
As we hear the Fairy Godmother sing “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo”, we pass through the garden as she works her magic...her Pepper’s Ghost magic, that is. A pumpkin turns into a magnificent coach (4). The mice turn into gallant steeds (5). The dog and the horse turn into coachman and footman, respectively (6). And last but not least, we watch as Cinderella’s rags turn into a magnificent gown! (7)
As we head out of the scene, we hear the Fairy Godmother’s voice: “Remember, Cinderella: On the stroke of twelve, the spell will be broken.” We pass by Cinderella in the coach, waving goodbye to the Fairy Godmother (8). On the other side of the track, we see her wave back, before disappearing (9).
Ahead of us are “crash doors”, painted with a mural depicting the Castle in the distance. Passing through the doors, we find ourselves in a beautiful garden. The trees gently sway in the breeze, a river gently burbles, and up ahead, we see Cinderella and Prince Charming sharing a romantic waltz to the instrumental strains of “So This is Love” (10). All in all, the mood is very pastoral and romantic. In fact, our pumpkin even slows down to take it all in.
Unfortunately, the mood is once again shattered by another unpleasant sound: the sonorous chime of the clock tower. “Oh, no!” we hear Cinderella’s worried voice say. “It’s midnight! Good-bye!” This is soon followed by the Prince’s voice: “No, wait! I don’t even know your name! How will I find you again?”
Picking up speed as we leave the garden, we find ourselves before the staircase of the castle. We see Cinderella rush down the staircase (11) (or rather, glide down, ‘cause she’s a static animatronic), but as she passes by one step, we notice that one of her glass slippers has fallen off. The Prince’s silhouette is at the top of the staircase, desperately reaching out towards her. The clock tower stands a few feet behind the staircase in forced-perspective, both hands reaching towards the 12.
Making a left, we find ourselves heading towards the Tremaine Manor once more. We hear the voice of a herald: “Hear ye! Hear ye! The Prince has decreed that he shall marry the girl whose foot fits the glass slipper!” Heading inside we see the stepsisters, each with one bare foot and sour looks on their faces. It is obvious that their attempts to try on the slipper failed. The Grand Duke is preparing to leave. “Well, if there are no other ladies here...” “Wait!” we hear a voice call out to him. It’s Cinderella, at the top of the staircase (12). “May I try it on?”
However, as we pass by this scene...a third unpleasant sound hits our ears: CRASH! Indeed, on the wall, we see the silhouette of the Footman trip upon Lady Tremaine’s cane. We hear the anguished wail of the Grand Duke. “Oh, no! What shall I do now?” Cinderella responds: “Perhaps, if it would help...” “No, nothing can help now”, the Grand Duke says through his tears. But then, we hear Cinderella say: “But, you see, I have the other slipper.”
At last, we see it: Cinderella is seated, as the Grand Duke slides the slipper onto her foot. It’s a perfect fit! (13) Leaving the manor at long last, we see a glorious celebration: Cinderella and the Prince have been married! As a triumphant instrumental of “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” fills the air, we see Cinderella—once again in her ballgown—and the Prince waving farewell to us (14). The King and the Grand Duke stand nearby, throwing rice. The mice wave goodbye from atop a railing. The birds, the dog and the horse stand nearby. And just before we leave, we see the Fairy Godmother appear before us, saying: “Remember: the dreams that you wish will come true.” (15) With that, we pull back into the loading area; our midnight journey complete.
I’m glad to say that after all these years, these three dark rides are still standing.
The Sword in the Stone was almost slated to close to make way for a dark ride based on Winnie the Pooh, but fan protests were so great, the management kept the ride open. Some say the protests were because of the fact that The Sword in the Stone was the last animated film Walt saw all the way through to completion (and we all know how Disney fans will always decry anything new because “It’s not what Walt wanted.” -_-).
Cinderella’s Midnight Journey was also rumored to be closing when the Fantasyland Expansion was announced to feature a meet-and-greet featuring the princess; but a few months later, it was announced that that particular plan was to be replaced with an immersive roller-coaster based around the Seven Dwarfs’ diamond mine. This was good news in two ways: One, Cinderella's Midnight Journey would still delight guests; and two, after almost 40 years, the Magic Kingdom was finally going to get a ride based on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs!
As for Pinocchio’s Adventures, in 1994, the ride was announced to get a major refurbishment. For years upon years, the ride was derided for being too intense for little ones, and with the recent successes of Pinocchio’s Daring Journey at California, Tokyo and Paris, it was decided that Florida’s was to get a refurbishment to bring the ride up to their “kid-friendly” status.
With the opening of the Fantasyland Expansion in 2012, Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland looks bigger and better than ever. It really makes you wonder what would’ve happened if, in 1971, they just scrapped these ideas and replaced them with clones of the Disneyland dark rides...
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Dateline: October 1st, 1971. On this day, Walt Disney World is set to open its gates. The final dream of the man himself, Walt Disney, Walt Disney World promises a world of wonders like no other.
The resort’s crown jewel is the Magic Kingdom, essentially a bigger and grander version of the original Disneyland. Although quite a few favorites from Disneyland will be found here, you’ll also find a bunch of all-new experiences to try out. For example, Fantasyland will still feature a few beloved attractions from Disneyland—“it’s a small world”, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, the Mad Tea Party and the Carrousel; but with it will come new attractions like The Mickey Mouse Revue, an audio-animatronic show showcasing the best of Disney music; a new version of the popular Submarine Voyage based around 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, as well as three new dark rides, serving as analogues for the three major dark rides of Disneyland’s Fantasyland.
The dark rides of Disneyland’s Fantasyland can be broken down into three categories: “scary”, “fun and crazy”, and “beautiful”. At Disneyland, the “scary” title goes to Snow White and Her Adventures; the “fun and crazy” title goes to Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride; and the “beautiful” title goes to Peter Pan’s Flight. And here at the Magic Kingdom, we have three new dark rides that will take up those titles here in Florida.
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If you’re brave enough, I suggest we start with the “scary” one first, just to get it out of the way. For this one, we’ve got to walk to the far left of Fantasyland, where “it’s a small world” is located. Small World shares building space with the Pinocchio Village Haus restaurant; and the developers of the Magic Kingdom decided to take advantage of the landscape and place a dark ride based upon the 1940 classic just steps away. This is where the “scary” ride comes in...SCARY: Pinocchio’s Adventures
It’s no secret that Pinocchio is one of the darkest films to come out of Walt Disney’s animation studios; and as such, it makes sense that this particular film becomes a “scary” dark ride. This ride proposes all sorts of spook-house scares (but nothing too dangerous), loud sounds and flashing lights. And, from what I’ve heard, there’s a reason why it’s gonna be so scary: According to the people who worked on this ride, this is supposed to be a ride through a nightmare Pinocchio is having; re-living all the scary sights he came across on his journey to be a real boy.
Entering underneath a Renaissance-style tent, as with all the other attractions in Fantasyland, we find ourselves passing through the switchbacks and arrive at the loading area. A mural features the places and locations found in the story of Pinocchio. It’s a beautiful mural that offers us a sense of safety and comfort, showing no signs of the horror that awaits us in store.
Our ride vehicle is a woodcarver’s cart, seemingly designed by the kindly old Geppetto himself. The fronts of each vehicle are carved with the likeliness of a certain character from Pinocchio: the titular wooden boy; Jiminy; the Blue Fairy; Figaro; Cleo; Monstro or Honest John. Once all are aboard, we set off.
Our first scene is actually rather light-hearted: a quaint stroll through Pinocchio’s village (1). It’s a beautiful morning. The birds are chirping; the sun is shining; nothing can go wrong. But then, we see two familiar figures in animatronic form: Honest John and Gideon (2). Honest John calls out to us: “My dear lad, you shouldn’t be going to school. If you want to take the easy road to success, you go to the theater! Come with us, we’ll take you to see Stromboli! He’ll make you an actor!” Sure enough, we head towards the entrance of Stromboli’s puppet theater (3).
However, popping up from a wall nearby is a small figure of Jiminy Cricket (4). He calls out to us, desperately: “You can't go with those ill winds in cheap clothing! You can't be an actor! You've got to go to school!" However, his complaints fall upon deaf ears as we arrive inside the theater (5). Puppets dressed like Dutch girls, French can-can dancers, and Russian dancing men all perform a wild, disorientating show, set to some sped-up rendition of “I’ve Got No Strings”. As we head out of the theater, we hear a deep booming Italian voice: “Where do you think you’re going?!”
Heading backstage, we find ourselves in the presence of a towering Stromboli, looking down menacingly at us (6)! “To ME you are belonging now!” And with a maniacal cackle, we speed through the backstage area (7), passing by various scared-looking dolls and puppets in cages, some of them even calling to us, begging for help. Adding to the terror, Stromboli’s laughter grows louder and louder until...
CLANG! With a deafening sound, we find ourselves being “thrown” into our own cage (8)! The laughter practically echoes as we make a worried circle around the cage. Fortunately, we find our way out and speed through a dark tunnel (9) to freedom.
At last—hope! We’re back in town, riding along the cobblestone streets. We come across a fork in the road, marked by a tall signpost (10) .One points the way to Geppetto's Workshop and the other points the way to Pleasure Island. From the way the signs are pointing, you (and by extension, Pinocchio) seem headed in the right direction...
“Not so fast!” Suddenly, popping their heads out from behind the signpost, are Honest John and Gideon! The fox laughs uproariously while the cat hiccups, as they turn the signpost the other way. Jiminy calls out, "Wait! You're going the wrong way!"; Indeed we are, crossing a stone bridge over some water, towards the gate to Pleasure Island (11)...
Our trip through Pleasure Island should be both warm and inviting, yet strange and disorienting altogether. There are various sights to be seen, such as a candy cane Ferris wheel and a lollipop-themed merry-go-round (12). To the right, you see a literal soda fountain; that is, a fountain that spouts soda. And rising in the background is an ice cream mountain down which lemonade cascades. In the foreground, roller coaster tracks crisscross (13). In the sky, fireworks explode. One car travels through a gingerbread house (14), and below a tree adorned with donuts (15). We pass by a giant box of popcorn, and a giant candy apple with a green worm popping its head out (16).
We go past Foulfellow and Gideon playing a hi-striker game, and enter the Rough House (18), in front of which a figure of a tough guy wearing a derby and wielding a club entices boys to come in and pick a fight, only to split up one more time. We then go along Tobacco Row (19), where wooden Indians stand at the ready to toss out cigars. On the ground, the road is paved as a giant strip of chewing tobacco; and then for a brief jaunt through the Model Home, open for destruction (20). A giant stained glass window had been shattered completely and inside, furniture is wrecked, mud tracks crisscross everywhere and the Mona Lisa is hanging at a cockeyed angle and is wearing a mustache besides.
Finally, we approach into the Pool Hall shaped like a giant 8-ball (21). Here, the truth about Pleasure Island hits, as Lampwick, in a style similar to the Queen’s transformation on Disneyland’s Snow White ride, turns from a boy into...a donkey (22)! Lampwick’s human reflection is in a mirror, but when he face us, he’s a donkey, braying fearfully.
Leaving the Pool Hall, you see donkeys in crates, some wearing boys' clothing and either braying a melancholy bray or crying, "Mama!" and "I wanna go home!" (23) while the Coachman’s voice says, "Ah, I see you’ve found out our little secret. You see, once you step foot on Pleasure Island, you never come back...as BOYS!” As he says “BOYS”, we see the Coachman’s large, frightening face pop up from out of nowhere (24)! Hey, this wouldn’t be a scary Pinocchio ride without featuring one of the most frightening stills in Disney history!
And now, I've probably given you nightmares on contact. I regret nothing.
Somehow, you manage to slip by, and you come across a stormy sea, which is occasionally illuminated by flashes of ligthning. Here, Jiminy stands on a sign reading, "Beware of Monstro, the Terror of the Deep!" (25), while the cricket himself warns, "Watch out for Monstro! Nothing escapes from him!" You head forward into darkness, where you hear an unearthly roar. One last flash of lightning reveals that you're approaching the huge gaping maw of a whale... (26).
We sail through Monstro’s stomach, littered with shipwrecks (27). Upon one lonely barge is Geppetto, sighing forlornly. “If only I knew where Pinocchio was...” (28) As we leave, we hear the sound of a monstrous sneeze, indicating we have been sneezed out of the whale. However, our freedom is short-lived as we hear the whale roar again. Picking up speed, our cart tries desperately to escape. We find ourselves coming head-on with a rocky cliffside (29). And not only that, Monstro is quickly coming up on us from the side (30). As his jaws get closer and closer, we head towards the cliff...
...CRASH! In the darkness, we hear an earth-shattering crash as lights strobe. What happened? Did we die? Did Monstro die? What happened? Sadly, these are questions that are never answered, as we find ourselves coming back towards the loading area, safe and sound.
...Yeah, I’m sure there’s no way on Earth that this ride will become one of the most infamous attractions in Disney history, and become the source for many a child’s traumatization.
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Well, now that Pinocchio has scared us silly, why don’t we lighten the mood a bit by going to the other side of Fantasyland, just across from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. There, we’ll find a journey based not on scariness, but just good old fun. Pure, silly, wacky fun.FUN AND CRAZY: The Sword in the Stone
“A legend is sung of when England was young
And Knights were brave and bold.
The good King had died, and no one could decide
Who was rightful heir to the Throne.
It seemed that the land would be torn by war,
Or saved by a miracle alone
And that miracle appeared in London Town:
The Sword in the Stone."
So began Walt Disney’s 1963 animated feature; an animated take on the story of how King Arthur became known as such. Now, the thing about Disneyland’s dark rides is that the story’s main characters are nowhere to be seen; because the guests are supposed to be filling in their parts. This has caused confusion so, with the deliberate exception of Pinocchio’s Adventures, you will see Arthur—or “Wart” as he is more commonly called—in this ride.
Entering under a purple tournament tent; we find ourselves in a queue designed to look like the interior of a grand castle. Stone pillars and sconces fill our field of vision as we pass through the switchbacks and arrive at the loading area. The loading area prominently features a mural detailing the various characters and scenarios from The Sword in the Stone. Prominently featured in the center of the mural is the Sword itself; a silhouetted knight standing nearby, trying to pry it free; a crowd of men standing nearby. On the other side, Arthur and Merlin are pictured having tea in Merlin's cottage, with Archimedes perched angrily nearby. Our ride vehicles are inspired by Merlin’s magic bag, which is nice, because we’re going to need quite a bit of magic as we sail through the story.
Once we are aboard our magic bags; we set off for the dark forests of England. Dark trees tower high above; as an ominous mist sets. Soon, we come across young Wart himself, trying to retrieve an arrow (1) as a hungry wolf licks his chops (2). However, we come across a more pleasant sight: Merlin’s house.
“Ah, there you are!” we hear him say. “I’ve been expecting you. Now come along, we’ve got to get ready!” Heading further into the cottage, we see Wart seated amidst a number of moving objects: books, chairs, teapots, etc. Merlin stands atop a large bucket as he conducts the items like an orchestra, singing “Higitus Figitus”. The vehicle maneuvers through the cottage, out the back door, and towards a castle.
We find Merlin and Wart standing along the banks of a moat (3). "Have you ever imagined what’s it like to be a fish?” Merlin asks as he waves his wand in the air. The vehicle dips into the pond, going “underwater” and through a colorful world of fish and underwater plant life. Merlin and Wart, who have become fish, sing "That's What Makes the World Go Round," as they wiggle amidst the scene.
Leaving the moat, we find an opening in the wall and emerge back inside the castle. Guests find themselves in a room crowded with spinning dishes, pots and pans; Wart gazes in amazement as Merlin makes the kitchen equipment wash itself (4). The vehicle then travels along a series of dark corridors and into a dining hall (5), where Sir Ector scratches his head, while Kay enjoys a turkey leg.
Heading back outside, we see Merlin wave his wand again (6). As we pass by, we enter a forest, where we see that Merlin and Wart have turned into squirrels (7). And what’s more—Wart’s caught the eye of a lady squirrel! As Wart desperately tries to avoid her; Merlin comments on young love, singing “It’s a Most Befuddling Thing”. However, as we leave, we see Wart, once again a human, staring at the lady squirrel; heartbroken to find out that Wart is human (8). “Y’know, lad”, Merlin says, “that love business is a powerful thing.” “Greater than gravity?” Wart asks. Merlin replies: “Well yes, boy, in its way… yes, I’d say it’s the greatest force on earth.”
As we leave the forest, we hear Merlin say: “Now, come along. We’ve got much to see! I say it’s time we take to the skies!” Sure enough, through the magic of Pepper’s Ghost, we see Wart transform into a bird! (9). “Archimedes, show him how it’s done!” Merlin says. Indeed, we take to the skies; a dimly-lit room illuminated only by blacklight. Guests see only the peaks of large pine trees and thick, fluffy 'clouds' alongside the room. With a flash of light, guests find themselves in the cottage of Mad Madam Mim.
Inside, we see Mim trying to swat Wart with a broom (10). The vehicle turns a corner and guests find Merlin standing angrily across the room (11). "Now, Mim," he says sternly, "This has gone far enough. Time to end this the old fashioned way: with a Wizard’s Duel.”
The Wizard’s Duel may be the most famous scene from the movie; so I want to do it justice in this ride. First of all, we see Mim and Merlin deciding on rules as Arthur and Archimedes watch on (12).
MIM: If you don’t mind, I’ll make the rules.
ARCHIMEDES: Rules?! Hah! She only wants rules so she can break them!
MIM: Rule One: We can only turn into animals. Rule Two: No make-believe animals; like pink dragons. Rule Three: No disappearing.
MERLIN: Rule Four: No cheating.
We pass through the forest; watching as Merlin and Mim change into different animals. At last, we come across a cliff where Merlin stands as a goat; watching in horror as Mim emerges from the moat as...a dragon (13)?! “Now, Mim”, he says, “remember the rules? No dragons!” “Did I say no purple dragons? Did I?” Mim responds. But as we turn the corner; we hear a “poof” of magic; and the voices of Mim and Merlin. “No disappearing, Merlin!” Mim calls out. “I haven’t disappeared”, Merlin responds. “I’m a germ. Specifically, I’m a germ of a very rare disease called Malagolintomontorosis. And you caught me, Mim!”
Turning the corner, we see Mim, still in dragon form, but incredibly sickly. “See, boy?” Merlin tells Wart, once again human. “It’s like I told you: brains over brawn.” (14)
Leaving the forest behind; we hear the sounds of a tournament: blaring trumpets, cheering crowds. But, we’re not there. We’re at an old inn (15); where Wart (dressed like a squire) and Archimedes stand, worried. “Oh, no!” Wart cries. “I forgot Kay’s sword! It’s in there; and the door’s locked!” “Look!” Archimedes says, pointing his wing. “I think there’s a sword right there!”
Indeed, the vehicle enters a snowy courtyard, where Wart pulls the glowing sword from the stone to the praise of several onlookers (16), one of which exclaims "This boy is our king!" Sir Ector and Kay bow respectfully as light beams down from the ceiling, bathing Arthur in a stream of golden light.
The vehicle enters the final show scene in the attraction. Wart—now known as King Arthur—is seated happily on the throne; Archimedes is perched alongside him. Merlin stands nearby (17). "I knew you had it in you, my boy! King Arthur! King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table! Unless, of course, err, you'd rather have a square one." “No, round’s fine”, we hear Arthur say. As we exit this scene; we hear a triumphant chorus sound out: “Hail King Arthur! Long live the king!” Soon, we find ourselves back in the loading area; our jaunt through King Arthur’s tale completed.
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And last, but certainly not least, why don’t we check out the “beautiful” dark ride, located just next door from The Sword in the Stone.BEAUTIFUL: Cinderella’s Midnight Journey
Appropriately situated underneath the shadow of Cinderella Castle, Cinderella’s Midnight Journey offers us a pastoral voyage through scenes and moments from the 1950 masterpiece. To be honest, I’ve always wanted to see how Cinderella would be translated in a dark ride form, so this is my chance to see how it would work.
Passing underneath a blue tournament tent, we pass through wooden switchbacks, before arriving at the loading area. Once again, there’s a mural, but there’s something far more detailed about it. Given that this is supposed to be the “beautiful” dark ride, this mural seems to sparkle like a precious diamond.
Our ride vehicles are cleverly designed: half-pumpkins, decorated with ivy, and rolling about on wooden wheels. Basically, it’s a more “rustic” approach to the iconic pumpkin coach from the story.
Anyways, once all are aboard their pumpkin, we set off, passing by the bucolic countryside, before heading towards the Tremaine Manor. Outside, we see Cinderella herself, feeding the animals (1).
Heading inside, we pass through the manor’s grand foyer. The calm, peaceful mood is instantly shattered as we are soon greeted by the sounds of the stepsisters shrilly calling for Cinderella. Fortunately for us, this doesn’t last long as we head towards Cinderella’s room to meet the mice. Inside, we see the mice and the birds preparing a dress for Cinderella to wear to the ball. They work quickly and happily; singing “The Work Song” as they go.
However, this joy is soon snuffed out like a light. As we head out of the manor, we see the silhouette of the stepsisters, tearing Cinderella’s dress apart (2). Heading out into the garden at night, we see an animatronic Cinderella, crying (3). “There’s nothing left to believe in”, she says through tears. Suddenly, through the magic of Pepper’s Ghost, her Fairy Godmother appears before her. “Dry those tears, my child”, she says. “You can’t go to the ball looking like that. Now, let’s see...what are those magic words again?”
As we hear the Fairy Godmother sing “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo”, we pass through the garden as she works her magic...her Pepper’s Ghost magic, that is. A pumpkin turns into a magnificent coach (4). The mice turn into gallant steeds (5). The dog and the horse turn into coachman and footman, respectively (6). And last but not least, we watch as Cinderella’s rags turn into a magnificent gown! (7)
As we head out of the scene, we hear the Fairy Godmother’s voice: “Remember, Cinderella: On the stroke of twelve, the spell will be broken.” We pass by Cinderella in the coach, waving goodbye to the Fairy Godmother (8). On the other side of the track, we see her wave back, before disappearing (9).
Ahead of us are “crash doors”, painted with a mural depicting the Castle in the distance. Passing through the doors, we find ourselves in a beautiful garden. The trees gently sway in the breeze, a river gently burbles, and up ahead, we see Cinderella and Prince Charming sharing a romantic waltz to the instrumental strains of “So This is Love” (10). All in all, the mood is very pastoral and romantic. In fact, our pumpkin even slows down to take it all in.
Unfortunately, the mood is once again shattered by another unpleasant sound: the sonorous chime of the clock tower. “Oh, no!” we hear Cinderella’s worried voice say. “It’s midnight! Good-bye!” This is soon followed by the Prince’s voice: “No, wait! I don’t even know your name! How will I find you again?”
Picking up speed as we leave the garden, we find ourselves before the staircase of the castle. We see Cinderella rush down the staircase (11) (or rather, glide down, ‘cause she’s a static animatronic), but as she passes by one step, we notice that one of her glass slippers has fallen off. The Prince’s silhouette is at the top of the staircase, desperately reaching out towards her. The clock tower stands a few feet behind the staircase in forced-perspective, both hands reaching towards the 12.
Making a left, we find ourselves heading towards the Tremaine Manor once more. We hear the voice of a herald: “Hear ye! Hear ye! The Prince has decreed that he shall marry the girl whose foot fits the glass slipper!” Heading inside we see the stepsisters, each with one bare foot and sour looks on their faces. It is obvious that their attempts to try on the slipper failed. The Grand Duke is preparing to leave. “Well, if there are no other ladies here...” “Wait!” we hear a voice call out to him. It’s Cinderella, at the top of the staircase (12). “May I try it on?”
However, as we pass by this scene...a third unpleasant sound hits our ears: CRASH! Indeed, on the wall, we see the silhouette of the Footman trip upon Lady Tremaine’s cane. We hear the anguished wail of the Grand Duke. “Oh, no! What shall I do now?” Cinderella responds: “Perhaps, if it would help...” “No, nothing can help now”, the Grand Duke says through his tears. But then, we hear Cinderella say: “But, you see, I have the other slipper.”
At last, we see it: Cinderella is seated, as the Grand Duke slides the slipper onto her foot. It’s a perfect fit! (13) Leaving the manor at long last, we see a glorious celebration: Cinderella and the Prince have been married! As a triumphant instrumental of “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” fills the air, we see Cinderella—once again in her ballgown—and the Prince waving farewell to us (14). The King and the Grand Duke stand nearby, throwing rice. The mice wave goodbye from atop a railing. The birds, the dog and the horse stand nearby. And just before we leave, we see the Fairy Godmother appear before us, saying: “Remember: the dreams that you wish will come true.” (15) With that, we pull back into the loading area; our midnight journey complete.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EPILOGUE
EPILOGUE
I’m glad to say that after all these years, these three dark rides are still standing.
The Sword in the Stone was almost slated to close to make way for a dark ride based on Winnie the Pooh, but fan protests were so great, the management kept the ride open. Some say the protests were because of the fact that The Sword in the Stone was the last animated film Walt saw all the way through to completion (and we all know how Disney fans will always decry anything new because “It’s not what Walt wanted.” -_-).
Cinderella’s Midnight Journey was also rumored to be closing when the Fantasyland Expansion was announced to feature a meet-and-greet featuring the princess; but a few months later, it was announced that that particular plan was to be replaced with an immersive roller-coaster based around the Seven Dwarfs’ diamond mine. This was good news in two ways: One, Cinderella's Midnight Journey would still delight guests; and two, after almost 40 years, the Magic Kingdom was finally going to get a ride based on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs!
As for Pinocchio’s Adventures, in 1994, the ride was announced to get a major refurbishment. For years upon years, the ride was derided for being too intense for little ones, and with the recent successes of Pinocchio’s Daring Journey at California, Tokyo and Paris, it was decided that Florida’s was to get a refurbishment to bring the ride up to their “kid-friendly” status.
With the opening of the Fantasyland Expansion in 2012, Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland looks bigger and better than ever. It really makes you wonder what would’ve happened if, in 1971, they just scrapped these ideas and replaced them with clones of the Disneyland dark rides...
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invadersam
Well-Known Member
Do u guys want to see J.J's project, well it'll be ready in a bit, but here's a lil something to tide u over
DisneyManOne
Well-Known Member
As an added bonus, here's a brief overview of the changes made for the 1994 version of Pinocchio's Adventures.
- First of all, the name has been changed to Pinocchio's Daring Adventures.
- In the opening scene, Pinocchio is seen with Honest John and Gideon.
- The disorienting puppet show is replaced with a cheerful scene of Pinocchio singing "Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee", alongside a French and Dutch puppet.
- The backstage area is made less creepy. No longer do the puppets cry out for help. Pinocchio in a cage is added in, his long nose sticking out of the cage. Jiminy appears nearby saying; "Quickly! I think I see a way out of here!"
- Pinocchio is added in the Pool Hall scene; looking on in horror at Lampwick's transformation.
- The Coachman's frightening face doesn't appear anymore.
- Inside Monstro's belly, Geppetto is no longer forlorn. Instead, he is talking with Pinocchio about making the whale sneeze. Indeed, we hear the whale sneeze as we head out.
- The entire finale is re-worked. The cliff chase is re-themed as the village at nighttime. "When You Wish Upon a Star" plays as an instrumental as we pass through. Jiminy Cricket appears on a gate saying, "We're almost home now!" The cliff itself is gone and replaced with the entrance to Geppetto's homestead.
- Instead of a strobe room, we find the room darkened as the Blue Fairy, via Pepper's Ghost, waves her wand. As the lights come back up and the Fairy disappears, we see Pinocchio, at last a real boy, sitting on the bed, next to Gepetto, Figaro and Cleo. And right before we head back to the loading area, we see Jiminy standing on the windowsill, now wearing a golden badge that reads "Official Conscience".
invadersam
Well-Known Member
I'm coming up with this by ear but here goes "sorry no photos"
Cinderella's Ball Tour
The ride has a similar system to Peter pans flight, but it has a enterance that looks like a big tent (to fit the Norwegian alpine style) you enter in the tent, you see the vehicles, which are carriages, but they move at a good ride system, u enter into her being a maid, the smell of mop water and soap, then u pass by a garden (the vehicle rocks as the fairy godmother animitronic turns a pumkin into a carriage) you move into the castle, where u here the score, and an animitronic of Cinderella and Prince Charming dancing, there's audio and animitronics crituqing Her, wondering who it is, then u drive back into the house, and drive back into the station, to the exit. There it is, stay rockin!
Cinderella's Ball Tour
The ride has a similar system to Peter pans flight, but it has a enterance that looks like a big tent (to fit the Norwegian alpine style) you enter in the tent, you see the vehicles, which are carriages, but they move at a good ride system, u enter into her being a maid, the smell of mop water and soap, then u pass by a garden (the vehicle rocks as the fairy godmother animitronic turns a pumkin into a carriage) you move into the castle, where u here the score, and an animitronic of Cinderella and Prince Charming dancing, there's audio and animitronics crituqing Her, wondering who it is, then u drive back into the house, and drive back into the station, to the exit. There it is, stay rockin!
spacemt354
Chili's
2nd teaser trailer
Pi on my Cake
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
Upon further thought. My teasers were all lies!Alright, since teasers are catching some steam here is mine!
I've decided to instead use a ride I've been working on a bit for a new dream park I've been toying around with.
Don't worry, this new ride is gonna be cool.
Pi on my Cake
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
Pi proudly presents:
-Frozen: Elsa’s Grand Journey-
An innovative new trackless LPS dark ride experience coming to Disneyland’s Fantasyland. Taking over Pinocchio’s Daring Journey (with an homage in the attraction name), Snow White’s Scary Adventure, and the Pinocchio’s Village Haus Restaurant, this new mega sized, two story attraction will reinvigorate Fantasyland!
All the focus of the Frozen attractions tends to be on the music, the goofy jokes, and Olaf. There is more to the film than that. Frozen is an adventure! This ride seeks to capture that often overlooked adventurous spirit with an epic scale.
In the grand tradition of classic Fantasyland dark rides, this attraction will tell a simplified, reworked version of the classic tale from the film that puts guests right into the magic and action.
-Queue-
The queue involves guests entering the royal home of Anna and Elsa and winds it's way through the Halls of the castle. Props and set pieces from the film (mostly the first song) can be seen such as the grandfather clock and suits of armor. When passing Elsa's door, guests can knock with the same beat as the knocking from Do you Want to Build a Snowman to hear a special surprise (when someone does the knock, the first few notes of the song can be heard through the door).
-Load-
Guest board the ride vehicles in the portrait gallery from the film ("hang in there Joan"). The vehicles themselves are designed to look like the were carved out of wood. Four cars come in a group. One is painted with Anna's color scheme, one is painted with Kristoff's color scheme, one is painted with Elsa's color scheme from the start of the film, and one with painted with Elsa's snow queen color scheme. Each car holds two rows of three. Thus, 24 riders go at one time.
-1-Castle Hall-
The cars leave the loading station and line up two by two in front of the large doors into the great Hall. Horns heralding your arrival can be heard as well as a voice welcoming guests to the coronation of Queen Elsa. As the doors open, a scream can be heard.
-2-Great Hall-
The crowd of party goers is in a panic! A large number of figures (mostly still, some simple motion) fill the large room. The cars make their way through the space weaving through the crowds. Worried voices can be heard whispering all around. A simple motion figure of the Duke of Weselton cries out that the new Queen is a witch! As guests approach the far side of the room, sharp ice shards can be seen jutting out of the ground. Animatronics of Hans and Anna are seen near the door. Anna says she has to chase after her sister! Hans says it's too dangerous. Anna is determined to go. The cars move past the two and exit the castle.
-3-Snowy Forest/Mountain Path-
There are two paths through this section, but both are rather similar paths through s beautiful snowy forest with detailed rock work. The cars split up between these two paths. All cars pass by Wandering Oaken's where a simple motion figure of the friendly shopkeeper stands by the door.
Oaken
Yoohoo! Big summer blow out!
Both cars meet animatronic Olaf in the woods and are greeted in his signature way.
Olaf
Hi! I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!
One side has more of the glistening trees with the Frozen dew drops and sees an animatronic Sven eating a carrot as Olaf wonders where his nose went. The other path has more rock work and passes the Frozen waterfall and see Olaf stuck on a sharp icicle.
Olaf
Oh look! I've been impaled.
-4-Let it Go Lift-
Perhaps the signature sequence in this attraction. A two story projection dome. The projector is hidden by the ice chandelier in the ceiling. The chandelier itself is hidden in darkness at first. This circular room surrounds guest in a 360°, high definition experience. The floor raises serving as an elevator to the second story of the attraction (sort of like a reverse Stretching Room). This hi tech room will truly surround and immerse guests in a scene too big and magical for practical effects to do justice.
Guests enter the room and see Elsa standing on the snowy peak. The cars form a circle in the center of the projection room. They start all facing Elsa. Elsa begins to sing the famous song, Let it Go as the Ice Castle is built around us. The cars begin to spin and dance along with the music as the castle is built. Elsa runs around the room. The motion of the elevator platform is disguised by Elsa building up the castle and lifting the platform guest's cars are on. The show stopping song is given a proper showstopping segment of the ride as magic fills every inch of the grand projection surface. Elsa concludes the shortened version of the song by proclaiming that the cold never bothered her anyways. Guests exit into the next room.
-5-Ice Castle: First Time in Forever-
Guests travel through the Halls of the ice castle as Anna tries to convince her sister to come back. A mix of projections/screens, animatronics, and simple figures give the illusion that we are following the sisters through the detailed and beautiful ice castle as they have their musical argument. The scene culminates with Elsa accidentally hitting Anna with a bolt of magic.
-6-Ice Castle: Hans Fight-
Hans can be heard yelling that the queen has struck her sister! Take her out! The large foyer of the ice castle is the setting for this sequence. The cars move chaotically through this crazy scene. Arendelle soldiers are scattered throughout the room (a mix of projections and simple figures). The cars split up. Some cars have a chandelier almost drop on them (it drops about a half foot, but sudden enough to give the brief illusion it is falling and startle guests) others have ice spikes extend out of the wall uncomfortably close to the guests. In the center of the room a pile of snow reveals itself to be a large scale animatronic of the snow monster, Marshmallow. Marshmallow swipes at guests causing their cars to spin out. As the cars head to exit the room, Hans can be heard telling the troops to retreat.
Hans
The Queen's gone mad. It's a lost cause. We need to get out while we can. Don't worry, I'll take care of Anna.
-7-Fantasyland Window-
Guests enter a room in the ice castle with large floor length windows overlooking the kingdom. In reality, these are large screens showing a view of Fantasyland with cgi used to make it look covered in snow. This scene is updated frequently to keep up the illusion that guests are actually looking out at Fantasyland. A figure of Elsa is staring out the windows as well. The cars pause for a short bit to take in the sight. This fun room is meant to be reminiscent of the Wonderland ride and it's trip outside into Fantasyland. The snow covered Fantasyland is meant to be a neat effect and be a breather in between the intense fight of the last scene and the drama of the upcoming scene.
Elsa realizes that what Anna told her about the kingdom being trapped in an eternal winter is true.
Elsa (horrified)
It's true. It's all... Frozen.
Meanwhile, over in Epcot:
Disney fans visiting the Norway Pavilion for the first time in years. (horrified)
It's true. It's all... Frozen.
But let's get back to the ride!
-8-Hans Reveal-
The cars enter a dark room. And stop in a semi circle around a scene they can't see yet in the dark. They hear a voice.
Hans
They say only true love can thaw a frozen heart.
The fireplace ignites showing a figure of Hans with a hand on a figure of Anna's face leaning in as if to kiss her. Anna is clearly not doing well.
Hans
Oh, Anna. If only there was someone who loved you.
The fireplace extinguishes sending guests back into darkness as the music swells.
-9-Elsa/Olaf-
Cars enter into a snowy forest and stop in a semi-circle around Elsa and Olaf animatronics. This is where the story of the ride starts to change from the movie to focus more on Elsa. The most obvious change is that Olaf is with Elsa and that Elsa is not in a dungeon.
Elsa
I can't save Arendelle. I can't save Anna. All I can do with my powers is destroy.
Olaf
That's not true. You made the castle. And marshmallow. And something else. What am I forgetting. Oh yeah! You made me!
Elsa
I don't know...
Olaf
Anna needs us. She needs you. You gotta at least try
Elsa
You're right, I have to try. Let's go!
The cars take off into the unknown.
-10-Frozen Fjord-
An ominous fog fills this very large, epic room. Large sets of frozen, half submerged ships and shipwrecks fill the space alongside glaciers and ice formations. The four cars separate and take four different paths through the chaotic frozen fjord that served as the climax to the film and of the ride. Guests see a projected Olaf being blown away, projected Kristoff riding Sven into the fray, projected Elsa looking for Anna,and a figure of Hans with his sword jumping out at guests. The large room sevres as an exciting and climactic maze as cars weave around each other and through the Frozen environment drenched in that ominous fog. Eventually the four come together to find...
-11-Hans Defeated-
Hans is ready to strike down Elsa but Anna is in the way (all figures) A flash of light is seen that sends the cars spinning as a screen is moved to cover the figures. A projection of Elsa weeping over the Frozen Anna can be seen. Then, everything starts to unfreeze. Everything except Hans who is trapped in ice. Elsa hugs her newly thawed sister.
-12-Finale Lift-
Another high tech 360° projection room. The cars enter what appears to be the courtyard of Arendelle castle. The Frozen fountain is seen in the center of the room as a physical set (the fountain hides the projectors). On the projection screens, a whole crowd can be seen, but Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf are front and center spaced out around the circle. The cars are going in a constant circle around the fountain. A newly written reprise of For the first Time in Forever is sang by everyone as Elsa puts on a beautiful show with her magic. The lift takes guests unknowingly back down to the first floor.
-13-Olaf-
For the last room, an animatronic of Olaf says goodbye to guests. He uses similar technology to Roz in the Monsters Inc. ride to even comment on specific aspects of guests such as their hats or shirts. A charming conclusion to the epic ride.
-Unload-
The unload station is themed to a portion of the castle courtyard. Guests are able to exit and head right into the gift shop to purchase so much Frozen merchandise! (That is Bob Iger's favorite part of the ride).
--------------------------------------------------------
-Arendelle Traders Gift Shop-
Arendelle traders is themed as a small marketplaces with merchants from all around Arendelle. It's the best spot in the park for Frozen merchandise, cold weather outfits, and Christmas stuff. Come at the right time and you may get to see a live ice sculptor at work.
--------------------------------------------------------
-Oaken's Village Haus Restaurant-
While reduced to just over half it's original size, the village Haus is still open. It is under new management though. Oaken's Village Haus focuses on comfort food and Norse food. The cast members at the register will always greet guests with a warm welcoming smile and by saying, "Yoohoo! Welcome to Oaken's!"
--------------------------------------------------------
-Arendelle Courtyard/Facades-
The facades are inspired by the buildings of Arendelle. The architecture style is fused with the current Fantasyland style creating something uniquely Frozen that still blends with the rest of the land. The Arendelle courtyard features a fountain in the middle (not a frozen fountain, just a fountain from the movie frozen. Still flowing water). Characters from the movie such as Anna, Olaf, and Kristoff like to come hang out and take photos with guests by the fountain. Tables are set up for over flow seating from the village haus in the courtyard. As the ride entrance connects to the courtyard, it can serve as an extended queue for Frozen: Elsa's Grand Journey if need be.
At night, Queen Elsa herself comes out to dazzle guests and show off her powers. Projection mapping is used to make it look as if the live Elsa is actually causing the buildings in Arendelle courtyard to freeze over magically. The projector if hidden in the fountain. Artificial snow will also fill the court from every rooftop as part of Elsa's grand nightly display.
--------------------------------------------------------
-Fairytale Feast-
This walk-up quick service restaurant has the same menu of tasty macaroni and cheese as well as the visual style of Friar's Nook in Magic Kingdom. This extra counter service location will offset the loss from reducing the size of the Village Haus Restaurant and will fill the empty facade space from the entrances to the rides Frozen took over.
An innovative new trackless LPS dark ride experience coming to Disneyland’s Fantasyland. Taking over Pinocchio’s Daring Journey (with an homage in the attraction name), Snow White’s Scary Adventure, and the Pinocchio’s Village Haus Restaurant, this new mega sized, two story attraction will reinvigorate Fantasyland!
All the focus of the Frozen attractions tends to be on the music, the goofy jokes, and Olaf. There is more to the film than that. Frozen is an adventure! This ride seeks to capture that often overlooked adventurous spirit with an epic scale.
In the grand tradition of classic Fantasyland dark rides, this attraction will tell a simplified, reworked version of the classic tale from the film that puts guests right into the magic and action.
-Queue-
The queue involves guests entering the royal home of Anna and Elsa and winds it's way through the Halls of the castle. Props and set pieces from the film (mostly the first song) can be seen such as the grandfather clock and suits of armor. When passing Elsa's door, guests can knock with the same beat as the knocking from Do you Want to Build a Snowman to hear a special surprise (when someone does the knock, the first few notes of the song can be heard through the door).
-Load-
Guest board the ride vehicles in the portrait gallery from the film ("hang in there Joan"). The vehicles themselves are designed to look like the were carved out of wood. Four cars come in a group. One is painted with Anna's color scheme, one is painted with Kristoff's color scheme, one is painted with Elsa's color scheme from the start of the film, and one with painted with Elsa's snow queen color scheme. Each car holds two rows of three. Thus, 24 riders go at one time.
-1-Castle Hall-
The cars leave the loading station and line up two by two in front of the large doors into the great Hall. Horns heralding your arrival can be heard as well as a voice welcoming guests to the coronation of Queen Elsa. As the doors open, a scream can be heard.
-2-Great Hall-
The crowd of party goers is in a panic! A large number of figures (mostly still, some simple motion) fill the large room. The cars make their way through the space weaving through the crowds. Worried voices can be heard whispering all around. A simple motion figure of the Duke of Weselton cries out that the new Queen is a witch! As guests approach the far side of the room, sharp ice shards can be seen jutting out of the ground. Animatronics of Hans and Anna are seen near the door. Anna says she has to chase after her sister! Hans says it's too dangerous. Anna is determined to go. The cars move past the two and exit the castle.
-3-Snowy Forest/Mountain Path-
There are two paths through this section, but both are rather similar paths through s beautiful snowy forest with detailed rock work. The cars split up between these two paths. All cars pass by Wandering Oaken's where a simple motion figure of the friendly shopkeeper stands by the door.
Oaken
Yoohoo! Big summer blow out!
Both cars meet animatronic Olaf in the woods and are greeted in his signature way.
Olaf
Hi! I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!
One side has more of the glistening trees with the Frozen dew drops and sees an animatronic Sven eating a carrot as Olaf wonders where his nose went. The other path has more rock work and passes the Frozen waterfall and see Olaf stuck on a sharp icicle.
Olaf
Oh look! I've been impaled.
-4-Let it Go Lift-
Perhaps the signature sequence in this attraction. A two story projection dome. The projector is hidden by the ice chandelier in the ceiling. The chandelier itself is hidden in darkness at first. This circular room surrounds guest in a 360°, high definition experience. The floor raises serving as an elevator to the second story of the attraction (sort of like a reverse Stretching Room). This hi tech room will truly surround and immerse guests in a scene too big and magical for practical effects to do justice.
Guests enter the room and see Elsa standing on the snowy peak. The cars form a circle in the center of the projection room. They start all facing Elsa. Elsa begins to sing the famous song, Let it Go as the Ice Castle is built around us. The cars begin to spin and dance along with the music as the castle is built. Elsa runs around the room. The motion of the elevator platform is disguised by Elsa building up the castle and lifting the platform guest's cars are on. The show stopping song is given a proper showstopping segment of the ride as magic fills every inch of the grand projection surface. Elsa concludes the shortened version of the song by proclaiming that the cold never bothered her anyways. Guests exit into the next room.
-5-Ice Castle: First Time in Forever-
Guests travel through the Halls of the ice castle as Anna tries to convince her sister to come back. A mix of projections/screens, animatronics, and simple figures give the illusion that we are following the sisters through the detailed and beautiful ice castle as they have their musical argument. The scene culminates with Elsa accidentally hitting Anna with a bolt of magic.
-6-Ice Castle: Hans Fight-
Hans can be heard yelling that the queen has struck her sister! Take her out! The large foyer of the ice castle is the setting for this sequence. The cars move chaotically through this crazy scene. Arendelle soldiers are scattered throughout the room (a mix of projections and simple figures). The cars split up. Some cars have a chandelier almost drop on them (it drops about a half foot, but sudden enough to give the brief illusion it is falling and startle guests) others have ice spikes extend out of the wall uncomfortably close to the guests. In the center of the room a pile of snow reveals itself to be a large scale animatronic of the snow monster, Marshmallow. Marshmallow swipes at guests causing their cars to spin out. As the cars head to exit the room, Hans can be heard telling the troops to retreat.
Hans
The Queen's gone mad. It's a lost cause. We need to get out while we can. Don't worry, I'll take care of Anna.
-7-Fantasyland Window-
Guests enter a room in the ice castle with large floor length windows overlooking the kingdom. In reality, these are large screens showing a view of Fantasyland with cgi used to make it look covered in snow. This scene is updated frequently to keep up the illusion that guests are actually looking out at Fantasyland. A figure of Elsa is staring out the windows as well. The cars pause for a short bit to take in the sight. This fun room is meant to be reminiscent of the Wonderland ride and it's trip outside into Fantasyland. The snow covered Fantasyland is meant to be a neat effect and be a breather in between the intense fight of the last scene and the drama of the upcoming scene.
Elsa realizes that what Anna told her about the kingdom being trapped in an eternal winter is true.
Elsa (horrified)
It's true. It's all... Frozen.
Meanwhile, over in Epcot:
Disney fans visiting the Norway Pavilion for the first time in years. (horrified)
It's true. It's all... Frozen.
But let's get back to the ride!
-8-Hans Reveal-
The cars enter a dark room. And stop in a semi circle around a scene they can't see yet in the dark. They hear a voice.
Hans
They say only true love can thaw a frozen heart.
The fireplace ignites showing a figure of Hans with a hand on a figure of Anna's face leaning in as if to kiss her. Anna is clearly not doing well.
Hans
Oh, Anna. If only there was someone who loved you.
The fireplace extinguishes sending guests back into darkness as the music swells.
-9-Elsa/Olaf-
Cars enter into a snowy forest and stop in a semi-circle around Elsa and Olaf animatronics. This is where the story of the ride starts to change from the movie to focus more on Elsa. The most obvious change is that Olaf is with Elsa and that Elsa is not in a dungeon.
Elsa
I can't save Arendelle. I can't save Anna. All I can do with my powers is destroy.
Olaf
That's not true. You made the castle. And marshmallow. And something else. What am I forgetting. Oh yeah! You made me!
Elsa
I don't know...
Olaf
Anna needs us. She needs you. You gotta at least try
Elsa
You're right, I have to try. Let's go!
The cars take off into the unknown.
-10-Frozen Fjord-
An ominous fog fills this very large, epic room. Large sets of frozen, half submerged ships and shipwrecks fill the space alongside glaciers and ice formations. The four cars separate and take four different paths through the chaotic frozen fjord that served as the climax to the film and of the ride. Guests see a projected Olaf being blown away, projected Kristoff riding Sven into the fray, projected Elsa looking for Anna,and a figure of Hans with his sword jumping out at guests. The large room sevres as an exciting and climactic maze as cars weave around each other and through the Frozen environment drenched in that ominous fog. Eventually the four come together to find...
-11-Hans Defeated-
Hans is ready to strike down Elsa but Anna is in the way (all figures) A flash of light is seen that sends the cars spinning as a screen is moved to cover the figures. A projection of Elsa weeping over the Frozen Anna can be seen. Then, everything starts to unfreeze. Everything except Hans who is trapped in ice. Elsa hugs her newly thawed sister.
-12-Finale Lift-
Another high tech 360° projection room. The cars enter what appears to be the courtyard of Arendelle castle. The Frozen fountain is seen in the center of the room as a physical set (the fountain hides the projectors). On the projection screens, a whole crowd can be seen, but Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf are front and center spaced out around the circle. The cars are going in a constant circle around the fountain. A newly written reprise of For the first Time in Forever is sang by everyone as Elsa puts on a beautiful show with her magic. The lift takes guests unknowingly back down to the first floor.
-13-Olaf-
For the last room, an animatronic of Olaf says goodbye to guests. He uses similar technology to Roz in the Monsters Inc. ride to even comment on specific aspects of guests such as their hats or shirts. A charming conclusion to the epic ride.
-Unload-
The unload station is themed to a portion of the castle courtyard. Guests are able to exit and head right into the gift shop to purchase so much Frozen merchandise! (That is Bob Iger's favorite part of the ride).
--------------------------------------------------------
-Arendelle Traders Gift Shop-
Arendelle traders is themed as a small marketplaces with merchants from all around Arendelle. It's the best spot in the park for Frozen merchandise, cold weather outfits, and Christmas stuff. Come at the right time and you may get to see a live ice sculptor at work.
--------------------------------------------------------
-Oaken's Village Haus Restaurant-
While reduced to just over half it's original size, the village Haus is still open. It is under new management though. Oaken's Village Haus focuses on comfort food and Norse food. The cast members at the register will always greet guests with a warm welcoming smile and by saying, "Yoohoo! Welcome to Oaken's!"
--------------------------------------------------------
-Arendelle Courtyard/Facades-
The facades are inspired by the buildings of Arendelle. The architecture style is fused with the current Fantasyland style creating something uniquely Frozen that still blends with the rest of the land. The Arendelle courtyard features a fountain in the middle (not a frozen fountain, just a fountain from the movie frozen. Still flowing water). Characters from the movie such as Anna, Olaf, and Kristoff like to come hang out and take photos with guests by the fountain. Tables are set up for over flow seating from the village haus in the courtyard. As the ride entrance connects to the courtyard, it can serve as an extended queue for Frozen: Elsa's Grand Journey if need be.
At night, Queen Elsa herself comes out to dazzle guests and show off her powers. Projection mapping is used to make it look as if the live Elsa is actually causing the buildings in Arendelle courtyard to freeze over magically. The projector if hidden in the fountain. Artificial snow will also fill the court from every rooftop as part of Elsa's grand nightly display.
--------------------------------------------------------
-Fairytale Feast-
This walk-up quick service restaurant has the same menu of tasty macaroni and cheese as well as the visual style of Friar's Nook in Magic Kingdom. This extra counter service location will offset the loss from reducing the size of the Village Haus Restaurant and will fill the empty facade space from the entrances to the rides Frozen took over.
Last edited:
invadersam
Well-Known Member
I'm not trying to advertise but I have a battle, it's called disney 80s, anyways cool frozen ride.