Team Danny DeVito from Dumbo Project Nine - Kooky Clown Time

[PerGron]

So I just wanted us all to come together to make sure we have an overarching theme here. It seems our ideas are spreading out a bit much to be unified under one single idea, so I wrote up a potential backstory (I know, I know) to work our stuff into. We don’t have to go with it, but I think a unified idea for this project is important.

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In the 1870s, a circus by the name of the Great American Circus was passing along the newly constructed transcontinental railroad. Bringing with them exotic animals, daring stunt performers, freaks and sideshow carnies, and a whole bunch of clowns, alongside tons of other acts.

Residents of Ghost Town, a western town along the railway, eagerly awaited the circus, and when the circus train made its way down the tracks, the town shut down, schools letting out, businesses closing, and everyone eagerly and excitedly joined the celebration.

A bigtop was set up where the performers would take place, but the other acts set up areas for themselves to live while the circus stayed in town. The circus freaks set up in their walkthrough sideshow, the clowns set up a town where they would be staying, and other acts spread out across the landscape.

However, this short week that the Great American Circus rested in Ghost Town, terrible things began to happen. This once innocent family attraction had many secrets within it, from a killer amongst the ranks of the performers, animal escapes, and even a terrifying curse, the Great American Circus would always be remembered for never leaving ghost town.

 

[Outbound]

AND I'M BACK!!!

Ok, so my idea for a unique presentation ties into @PerGron 's backstory above. What if I wrote a prose-focused short story to frame our backstory? I did something similar for the Legends of Literature dark ride in SYWTBAI 18 and it was a great success. Just spitballing but perhaps the Ringleader of this Haunted Circus reflects back on how things all went wrong, tying everything together as an introduction to the rest of the project.

Thoughts? I'm also here to help PerGron out on the Freak Show Maze however possible. Should we create a private PM for that or is this thread fine?

 

[MickeyWaffleCo.]

AND I'M BACK!!!

You walked right into this one…

 

[Sharon&Susan]

So just want to make sure @ThemeParkPriest are you thinking about having your scare actors in your maze be creepy killer clowns?

 

[Chaos Cat]

So I just wanted us all to come together to make sure we have an overarching theme here. It seems our ideas are spreading out a bit much to be unified under one single idea, so I wrote up a potential backstory (I know, I know) to work our stuff into. We don’t have to go with it, but I think a unified idea for this project is important.

---

In the 1870s, a circus by the name of the Great American Circus was passing along the newly constructed transcontinental railroad. Bringing with them exotic animals, daring stunt performers, freaks and sideshow carnies, and a whole bunch of clowns, alongside tons of other acts.

Residents of Ghost Town, a western town along the railway, eagerly awaited the circus, and when the circus train made its way down the tracks, the town shut down, schools letting out, businesses closing, and everyone eagerly and excitedly joined the celebration.

A bigtop was set up where the performers would take place, but the other acts set up areas for themselves to live while the circus stayed in town. The circus freaks set up in their walkthrough sideshow, the clowns set up a town where they would be staying, and other acts spread out across the landscape.

However, this short week that the Great American Circus rested in Ghost Town, terrible things began to happen. This once innocent family attraction had many secrets within it, from a killer amongst the ranks of the performers, animal escapes, and even a terrifying curse, the Great American Circus would always be remembered for never leaving ghost town.

Just popping in to point out that the canonical name of Ghost Town is Calico.

This has been your Knott's Lore for the week.

 

[Tegan pilots a chicken]

Alright, I think there may be more storytelling opportunity with Calico Mine Train. But,…I’m gonna do an overlay for Iron Reef. Reason being the shooter element gives more opportunity for variety for the guests. Timber Mountain will be the “passive” experience, while Iron Reef will be the interactive experience.

 

[ThemeParkPriest]

So I just wanted us all to come together to make sure we have an overarching theme here. It seems our ideas are spreading out a bit much to be unified under one single idea, so I wrote up a potential backstory (I know, I know) to work our stuff into. We don’t have to go with it, but I think a unified idea for this project is important.

---

In the 1870s, a circus by the name of the Great American Circus was passing along the newly constructed transcontinental railroad. Bringing with them exotic animals, daring stunt performers, freaks and sideshow carnies, and a whole bunch of clowns, alongside tons of other acts.

Residents of Ghost Town, a western town along the railway, eagerly awaited the circus, and when the circus train made its way down the tracks, the town shut down, schools letting out, businesses closing, and everyone eagerly and excitedly joined the celebration.

A bigtop was set up where the performers would take place, but the other acts set up areas for themselves to live while the circus stayed in town. The circus freaks set up in their walkthrough sideshow, the clowns set up a town where they would be staying, and other acts spread out across the landscape.

However, this short week that the Great American Circus rested in Ghost Town, terrible things began to happen. This once innocent family attraction had many secrets within it, from a killer amongst the ranks of the performers, animal escapes, and even a terrifying curse, the Great American Circus would always be remembered for never leaving ghost town.

Always good to try and unite things under a common theme!

So just want to make sure @ThemeParkPriest are you thinking about having your scare actors in your maze be creepy killer clowns?

Well, I guess I try to personally shy away from anything that might be called “killer.” Some of the hypnotized scare actors could be acrobats, strongmen, other clowns, and animal tamers (even if the animals aren’t there). Thy are doing things that they wouldn’t be doing in their right mind.

 

[Sharon&Susan]

Always good to try and unite things under a common theme!

Well, I guess I try to personally shy away from anything that might be called “killer.” Some of the hypnotized scare actors could be acrobats, strongmen, other clowns, and animal tamers (even if the animals aren’t there). Thy are doing things that they wouldn’t be doing in their right mind.

Thanks, I just want to make sure that your maze wasn't entirely clowns based. Other than the previously mentioned Dr. Quack, I might have a few clown assistants in my maze.

 

[ThemeParkPriest]

AND I'M BACK!!!

Ok, so my idea for a unique presentation ties into @PerGron 's backstory above. What if I wrote a prose-focused short story to frame our backstory? I did something similar for the Legends of Literature dark ride in SYWTBAI 18 and it was a great success. Just spitballing but perhaps the Ringleader of this Haunted Circus reflects back on how things all went wrong, tying everything together as an introduction to the rest of the project.

Thoughts? I'm also here to help PerGron out on the Freak Show Maze however possible. Should we create a private PM for that or is this thread fine?

Sure, a prose-focused short story I think would be appropriate for this prompt!

This goes for anybody—at this point, feel free to create a private MVP if you think it will help your partner (and me and the judges) if you think it will help be more productive with brainstorming.

 

[NateD1226]

I am slightly confused about where everything is going. Do we have an outline or a map, or did I just miss it?

 

[ThemeParkPriest]

Ooops. OK, here's the actual 2019 map:
View attachment 573297

Here is one previous map that Sharon&Susan posted. There may have been one posted after it. If anybody has ideas for placement, let us know! Yesterday I had my final class of the summer, so now I can put more focus into this project.

 

[NateD1226]

Here is one previous map that Sharon&Susan posted. There may have been one posted after it. If anybody has ideas for placement, let us know! Yesterday I had my final class of the summer, so now I can put more focus into this project.

This is set in 2017, correct? So it would be this map

Ah so the 2017 Season!

Looking at the map below everything I wrote in this post still stands just replace Gunslinger's Grave with Dark Ride which is an even better fit for our carnival setting! Just need to remove any reference to it being in a modern day setting.
EDIT:
View attachment 573530

 

[ThemeParkPriest]

Here is a Google Doc that we can use to compile our sections:

Team Danny DeVito from Dumbo - Project 9

Los Angeles Times Sponsored by Team Danny DeVito From Dumbo CLOWN TERRORS AT KNOTT’S SCARY FARM! Photo Credit: © TheOriginalTiki S pooks, Scares, Screams, & above all creepy Clowns! This Halloween, local theme park Knotts Berry Farm (Buena Park, Orange County, CA) will undergo ma...

docs.google.com

 

[Tegan pilots a chicken]

Voyage to Iron Reef
Halloween Overlay​

During the day, the ride operates as usual. Then at 5pm, it closes for a programming changeover to become part of the Halloween festivities.

Because the ride is mostly screen based, along with the use of projectors and audio, changing the ride over is surprisingly simple, and Voyage will be able to operate from 6pm until closing every night of the celebration.

The ride experience itself remains very similar; riders board submarine themed ride vehicles for an interactive dark ride experience that takes them into the depths of the sea. Only now, familiar story elements and enemy creatures have been altered to be spooky.

While still hosted by the sailor from the original ride, instead of the sailor’s ship being attacked by a huge metallic crab-like robot, the attack instead comes from a ghostly skull adorned with flaking clown makeup. The ship is ripped apart by the metallic tentacles of the Queen Squid in the original, but for the Halloween overlay, the ship seems to almost dissolve as it sinks to the bottom of the ocean, the sailor just barely escaping on time.

Guests have been called to help the sailor seek out what lurks below, and to hopefully put an end to it.

The ride already has a somewhat sinister undertone despite being largely a lighthearted family attraction. For the Halloween overlay, that dark tone has been amplified as evidenced by the opening scene where riders descend to the ocean floor. This scene is now much more dimly lit and accompanied by a much more ominous score. The water has become a murky, foggy grey color, with very limited visibility. And where robotic fish-like contraptions once served as a main target in the ride, the new baddies are an assortment of ghostly clowns, each equipped with props such as juggling pins, a unicycle, or trick flowers that shoot confetti.

Shooting the ghost clowns enough times will result in them taking on a bright white hue and ascending to the surface, implying that guests have actually freed the sunken clowns from their underwater posthumous prison.

Transitional spaces between rooms now feature projected shadows of human figures that disappear and reappear seemingly at random. They move all around mimicking the movements of some of the clown characters from the screens.

Finally after reaching the end of the ride, guests will be greeted by the final boss of the ride, the massive torso of an enormous clown, the very same one responsible for the attack on the sailor’s ship in the beginning of the ride. His makeup slowly flakes off more and more, revealing more of the skull underneath. His tongue sticks out much like a King Boo from Super Mario. The clown uses multiple gimmicks to retaliate at riders, including a hand buzzer that causes a lightning effect in the room, a whoopee cushion that causes an air burst effect, and a lapel flower that causes a small water spray effect.

If guests are able to hit the final boss enough times, he too vanished into the aether and guests “win” the adventure. There is no truly “bad” ending; the only difference being the sailor’s good-bye messages at the conclusion of the ride.

Ride duration: 4 minutes
Number of cars: 16 (eight pairs of two)
Riders per car: 4

 

[Tegan pilots a chicken]

Added it to the Doc but I didn’t do any formatting besides making the text of my write up not 14 pt font.

 

[PerGron]

Added it to the Doc but I didn’t do any formatting besides making the text of my write up not 14 pt font.

You should make it 14 so @TheOriginalTiki can maybe read it

 

[Tegan pilots a chicken]

You should make it 14 so @TheOriginalTiki can maybe read it

BRB. Making it 72 pt

 

[ThemeParkPriest]

@DisneyFan18 here is my first stab at things:

Guests are ushered into a portion of an abandoned, creepy circus tent. In the balcony seats are faceless mannequins. There are broken-down clown cars in the main performing area.

A voice comes on the speakers, “This is Hypnos the Clown. You dare come to my circus? I must warn you that I’m a hypnotist. Things are a little different around here. I run the show and everyone must do what I tell them.”

Some hypnotized clowns get out of the clown cars and start walking toward the guests. One of them has his hand on a fake flower. When he squeezes it, instead of water, out sprays a brown powder (which blends in with the dirt when it falls to the ground).

In the next room, it appears that it’s some sort of training room for strongmen.

In another room is an animal tamer who has been locked in a cage. Through the use of an already-recorded noise that is playing on speakers, he is roaring lunging at the guests like a lion.

Next come the Acrobats

In the final room is Hypnos who is holding a Golden Coin on a string. “My precious friends, now it is time for you to join my hypnotized circus. Watch this precious Medal of Gold. And you will do what you are told .” At that moment, out walks a non-hypnotized circus performer who puts a mirror in front of Hypnos. So rather than hypnotizing the guests, he hypnotizes himself. And then Hypnos follows the other circus performer off-stage.

 

[DisneyFan18]

@DisneyFan18 here is my first stab at things:

Guests are ushered into a portion of an abandoned, creepy circus tent. In the balcony seats are faceless mannequins. There are broken-down clown cars in the main performing area.

A voice comes on the speakers, “This is Hypnos the Clown. You dare come to my circus? I must warn you that I’m a hypnotist. Things are a little different around here. I run the show and everyone must do what I tell them.”

Some hypnotized clowns get out of the clown cars and start walking toward the guests. One of them has his hand on a fake flower. When he squeezes it, instead of water, out sprays a brown powder (which blends in with the dirt when it falls to the ground).

In the next room, it appears that it’s some sort of training room for strongmen.

In another room is an animal tamer who has been locked in a cage. Through the use of an already-recorded noise that is playing on speakers, he is roaring lunging at the guests like a lion.

Next come the Acrobats

In the final room is Hypnos who is holding a Golden Coin on a string. “My precious friends, now it is time for you to join my hypnotized circus. Watch this precious Medal of Gold. And you will do what you are told .” At that moment, out walks a non-hypnotized circus performer who puts a mirror in front of Hypnos. So rather than hypnotizing the guests, he hypnotizes himself. And then Hypnos follows the other circus performer off-stage.

I like this very much! It sounds like the perfect mix between funny and scary. Maybe for the acrobats room we can make it be the failed tricks room? Like make it feel like some dangerous stuns were attempted and failed without showing the consequences of them going the wrong way?

 

[ThemeParkPriest]

I like this very much! It sounds like the perfect mix between funny and scary. Maybe for the acrobats room we can make it be the failed tricks room? Like make it feel like some dangerous stuns were attempted and failed without showing the consequences of them going the wrong way?

Sounds good! I added the text to the Google Doc in case you want to edit on there.