The Tech:
Entrance:
To Make it seem like the guests are now in the film, sheet screens are used to make quick transitions. The walls look like a cliche theatre appearing to be solid black walls. The screen comes complete with the red velvet curtains. Using the bright flash to disorient the guests, the moment of darkness allows these screens to be rolled up quickly above the guests to then appear in the film.
Scene 1 - Movie Theater:
Using the technology for the Audio-Animatronic (AA) Tokyo Disneyland is using for Belle, George Vaeltin appears to truly walk out of the wing onto the stage.
Scene 2 - A German Affair:
A use of a scrim makes the notice the main focus for the guests. The scrim turns off to see the figures dancing behind them.
Scene 3 - The Rise of Peppy:
Basic AA’s are used at the beginning of the scene. Rear projections are used for the wall of screens.
Scene 4 - Streets of Hollywood:
The Hollywood Street looks like the Singing in the Rain scene. A fake busbar system is put leading into the theatre but when the car horns go off we “swerve” off to the “real” fake busbar system. The poster effect is “This entire effect is accomplished by the cars being behind a false wall that moves while guests are looking at the marquee, and the cars move quickly on a specified track as the ride vehicle moves past the cars. The pedestrians are actually on screens to either side of us, but the illusion of depth combined with forced blurriness to convince us that we are moving faster than we are really selling the effect”
Scene 5 - Tears of Love
A scrim is used to represent the screen so that it is faintly lit enough that guests can see through to the other side of the audience while also seeing the movie. All the people in the audience are fully static statues to show how bored they are (no movement whatsoever).
Scene 6 - Fire
Lighting is key to this scene. A basic AA is used for Geroge Movements since only the silhouette matters. A loop if the same film is used for the film reels ripped out. For the match effect, a “match” with a spinning orange lens is pulled out to give the effect of fire with no real fire present. Heat lamps and more lenses are used to make it appear that the fire is growing while fog machines add to the next level. The projector screen quickly raises up partially to appear as if a hole burnt into it (think pre-show for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway) with more fog on the other side.
Projection mapping and lighting take the burnt-out apartment to the next level. While it all looks burnt and blackened, projection mapping adds a sense of charring and “life” into it (such as the holes in the walls at the end of MuppetVision).
Scene 7 - Spiral
This scene feels a lot bigger than it actually is. Through simulated rumbles in the ride vehicle, wind machines, and strategic spotlights, guests hardly move as each new vignette lights up to show a small detail. The cars (and guests) feel like they have travelled a far distance when they have barely gone anywhere.
Scene 8 - Finale
George and Peppy are built on a platform above the track. With the busbar no longer needed it appears to guests a dead-end has been hit. Once the lights go out, the platform the AA’s are on gets pulled out of the way and the cars continue into a big open room with tons of space to dance, the platform then goes back in behind them so that by the time the lights go back up, the guests can’t even tell where they came from.
