JokersWIld's Slightly Brief Reviews (I Lied. These Are Not Brief At All)
Hey, guys. First I just want to mention how happy I am with how you guys took this twist. This was a pretty bizarre prompt and I appreciate you all taking it in stride. With that out of the way, let's get to the reviews.
Team Bailey - Seuss Landing: Revamped
First off, I'm really glad to see
@monkey92514 take the helm for this project. He hasn't played in a really long time, but it's great to see him back and seem to start hitting his stride after so many years away. And this project was so perfect for him with him being one of the biggest fans of IoA's current Cat in the Hat ride.
Onto the actual project. I really appreciate the short poems that
@PerGron wrote to sort of set the scene for each segment of your project. While your presentation obviously wasn't anything special, the poetry really helped elevate your project to feel just a bit more Seussian.
Your attraction is just a mess, and I mean that in the best way. The timelessness of Seuss is gone, replaced by the weird goofy humor that could only be found in a misguided movie for millennial children. If I had any complaint it's that I think it was weirdly...boring. Like I feel like you guys followed the film a bit too closely. The world of the film is really bizarre, but it has a really interesting aesthetic and "rules," I guess you could say. I think that this would have been a touch stronger if you guys separated the attraction from the story of the book and film and focused more in on the essence and general insanity of the film. Something more akin to Mr. Toad's Wild Ride would have worked just a touch better for an attraction like this rather than a pretty close retelling of the film's story. Other than that, for what it is, I think that this is a great adaptation of the film that captures that essence and feel of it rather well - it just left me wanting a bit more.
I really like how you've centered literally the entire land around Mike Meyer's Cat in the Hat. It wasn't necessary, but it's funny to think that Universal would go to such lengths to market this film. I think that all of these overlays are great. I'm not sure how I feel about giving the High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride spinning capabilities, but I appreciate the idea. What's in the Hat is a great visual, though I'd miss the water elements of One Fish, Two Fish. I don't have too much else to say - everything here is just really solid.
I would like to mention the structure of your project briefly. I know that Cat in the Hat was the focal point of your project, but when you're doing an overlay for an entire land it'd be better to put the walkthrough first. Give us a feel of the land and what you're doing to change it before showing us the specifics. I could kind of infer what was changing and how as I was reading the project, it was just kind of weird to me to have all of the attractions and dining/ shopping explained to me before the land as a whole was.
All in all, great job. Everything made sense for a Cat in the Hat land and you guys certainly captured the tone and feel of hte film. I really enjoyed it - I was just left wanting a bit more at some points.
Creativity: 8/10
Detail: 8/10
Presentation: 7/10
Realism: 8/10
Teamwork: 8/10
2nd Ring Bonus: +3
Total: 42/50
Team Barnum - A Chaosverse Seuss Landing
First off, really fantastic map,
@Outbound. I love your map and it's been great to watch them get better and better with each passing game.
I really like the setup here. I think it makes a lot of sense for The Grinch to have always been a part of Seuss Landing. A Grinch ride has been rumored forever, the timelines match up fairly well, and if we're being honest, The Lost Continent was a bit ill-conceived in the first place.
The centerpiece of your project,
Mt. Crumpit Christmas Caper is a lot of fun. I feel kind of weird about The Cat in the Hat being the moral compass of the attraction, but I guess it makes sense since you've framed it as being an overlay for a solo Grinch attraction. Honestly, I think that the Cat is a bit out of place in the attraction as a whole. I don't know if that was a conscious decision, but it very much felt like he was just kind of inserted into the attraction. It was still a lot of fun, but I think that a bit more care should have been taken to properly work the Cat into the attraction. With a little tweaking, and a bit more focus on it in the project, I think this could be something really great.
Despite the strength of
Grinch x Cat I think that the real winner here is
Seuessafari. This is just such a natural choice for a Seuss Land. Seuss Landing does have something sort of similar with If I Ran The Zoo, but it absolutely pales in comparison to this. Everything here just works, the Seussian Jungle Cruise boats, the general feel, and of course the animals. This is just a ton of fun and I wish this was real. Like Tiki said,
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish is a nice little Storybookland equivalent, though I am a bit confused by the name. Maybe something like
Oh The Places You'll Go would have worked better?
The flatrides were fun. I was a bit put off by Yertle The Turtle when it was first suggested if only because of the book's meaning, but it's still a fun flatride. Cat in the Hat is another highlight. I love the idea of a funhouse based around Cat in the Hat and despite the overlay, it just seems like it would be a lot of fun.
And this is also where you guys start to lose focus a bit. The focal point of the project was supposed to be the Grinch and Cat in the Hat attraction. There's just SO MUCH here (and don't get me wrong, I really love everything you've presented) that what is supposed to be your focal point gets lost in the shuffle and honestly overshadowed by some other parts of your project.
To circle back to Whoville, since it's at the end of your project. I really enjoyed it. I think it might have been a bit better to place it where Mulberry Street is just so it's in closer proximity to The Grinch, but everything here makes total sense and is done very well. Pretty much exactly what I'd like to see out of a Grinch land.
All in all, I'm torn. I really love certain aspects of this project - just not that aspects that were supposed to be the focus. I think that with a bit of refocusing and some slight tweaking of some of the attractions (Mainly Grinch/Cat) this could be an almost perfect Seuss land if you ignore the film overlays. Great job!
Creativity: 9/10
Detail: 8/10
Presentation: 9/10
Realism: 8/10
Teamwork: 8/10
Center Ring Bonus: +5
Total: 47/50
Team Ringling - Seuss Landing Expansion Project
Another very solid project despite having the smallest team. Getting right into it, I really love the idea of The Jungle of Nool. Total sidenote that isn't anywhere near what the project was asking for and this won't reflect in your scores, but I would have loved to have seen a Horton darkride especially since you guys gave him a subland. The story of the book would lend itself really well. The flatride and restaurant are nice, but I'm not sure if they really justify the subland.
Of the two Whovilles, I think I prefer your team's. It felt a bit more cohesive and better integrated into the attraction. The Whoville Banquet Hall is a great little restaurant. The menu looks great!
The Grinch's Double Cross is absolutely the best of the attractions presented this project. I love the idea of having two different experiences that interweave. This is a great update on the system we tried with the Tom and Jerry attraction last season, and definitely better executed. I'm also really happy to see just how detached this is from the stories of both characters' books/ movies. This is just a really fun, super out there and madcap experience from star to finish.
Sorry this review was a bit shorter than the others. I'll go into more detail when we do a live show. Really fantastic job, guys. Despite having the smallest team, I think that you guys came out with the most solid project of the three.
Creativity: 9/10
Detail: 8/10
Presentation: 8/10
Realism: 9/10
Teamwork: 8/10
Center Ring Bonus: +5
Total: 47/50