TEAM REALITY BRAINSTORMING THREAD

[Tegan pilots a chicken]

@Tegan pilots a chicken on my cake, Hulk have questions for theater show.

We have both Rocky the Gopher and a Sherman Brothers style song from @Homemade Imagineering (possibly) to use in our pavilion. What would you say to dividing those between the film and the ride? I'm considering using Rocky to make "the history of earth's geological formation" a bit more audience friendly. Any objection to that?

I like it!! I was already kinda thinking we should use Rocky fairly liberally throughout the Rock Works. I bet he would be absolutely beloved by guests!!

 

[MickeyWaffleCo.]

(I’m not actually in Iceland don’t get excited)

*pops balloon*

 

[Tegan pilots a chicken]

I have a few photos to use for the 1982 ride.

The large Earth model hanging in the foyer.

Scene 1, young planet being bombarded by comets.

Scene 2, barren desert rain storm.

Scene 3, ice sheets carving out the Great Lakes. (I think they still thought it was literal glaciers in 1982).

Scene 4, amazing underwater environment. I think I might just draw this because I can’t get everything I want to see into a single image. But look at how adorable these little people are!!

Scene 5, caves!!!

Annnnnnd that’s what I got for now.
I was looking for a picture of a volcano that accurately depicted the setting I want, but I couldn’t find one. Then I thought “well, am I even the Sharpie Queen if I don’t draw a volcano?!”
So anticipate that later today!

NOT MESSING AROUND TODAY!!!!

 

[D Hulk]

As we speak, @Homemade Imagineering is already roughly 328 miles below the earth's surface and digging deeper! We go the extra mile here on Team Reality.

Why do you think I’m in Iceland today?!

Yeah, well, I went to an entirely different planet to research how geology works everywhere in the universe.

I call this new world PLANET HULK!

 

[Tegan pilots a chicken]

Yeah, well, I went to an entirely different planet to research how geology works everywhere in the universe.

I call this new world PLANET HULK!

I know a thing or two about planetary exploration

That’s THREE references today!! YESSSS!!!

 

[D Hulk]

Alrighty, here's a draft of the 1982 short film. As with yesterday's pavilion walkthrough, there are no images yet. Throwing this out there now so Team 90s and beyond can do with it as they please. (Realistically, it would be somewhat short lived like most of EPCOT's movie attractions.)

HOW OUR WORLD FORMED
Short film

“How Our World Formed” is a theater show in the classic “edutainment” mold. It combines factual, documentary-style information – in this case, the history of Earth’s formation and its early geological development – with Disney’s beloved family-friendly approach. This is a directorial effort from animators John Muster and Don Clements, created in preparation for their upcoming feature film debut The Great Mouse Detective.

The theater itself complements the film, elevating “How Our World Formed” into something far greater than an after school TV special. In-theater effects, such as heat vents or physical rumbling at appropriate moments, turn the film into an immersive “4-D” experience. The pre-show lobby, placed in a recessed alcove within the Rock Works, prepares guests for the upcoming fun-filled show. Televisions play loops of natural footage – of spewing lava vents, of time-lapse mountainous cloud formations, of waves crashing against the shore – while an instrumental version of the Sherman Brothers’ theme song subtly plays in the background.

The 15-minute-long “How Our World Formed” is an experimental combination of similar documentary footage mixed with traditional Disney animation. At the show’s center is Rocky the Rodent. Rocky adds a personal component to a potentially dry topic. With his childlike nature, with his curious reactions to the film’s events, Rocky provides an identifiable figure for audiences young and old. Rocky’s comic, wordless interactions with the Earth’s chaotic geology are delightful.

Performing opposite Rocky is the Narrator, an unseen and gently paternal figure performed by Paul Frees. (This would prove to be the legendary voice actor’s final collaboration with Disney.) The Narrator provides a genial account of Earth’s formation, while Rocky contends with all that is described.

The story opens on a pastoral meadow. Flowery scents fill the theater. Rocky burrows his way up from the ground and takes in this Arcadian scene. Soon, the Narrator addresses him:
​

Beautiful, isn’t it? The clouds, the grass, the soil. But it wasn’t always exactly like this.​

The world transforms around Rocky. The beautifully serene grassland fades away, replaced by outer space. Stardust and comets careen past. Rocky desperately avoids these missiles as the Earth reforms as a rocky crag beneath his feet.

Generally, the Narrator’s descriptions accompany similar on-screen events. We’ll leave it to the reader’s imagination to picture Rocky’s travails on the rapidly evolving planet, while allowing Frees’ narration to stand on its own…
​

You know, the Earth wasn’t always here. It first came into being billions and billions of years ago. Stardust floating through the cosmos started to gather together, and slowly over time there was enough stardust to create a planet.

But this wasn’t the Earth that we know today. It was an empty rock, without life but very much alive. Super hot volcanoes were everywhere. They filled the skies with their poison smoke.

There wasn’t even a Moon yet in those early days. That didn’t happen until sometime around four-and-a-half billion years ago. Scientists theorize that a tiny planet called Theia collided with our Earth. This tremendous impact sent massive rocks into space, where they gathered together to create our Moon. This impact also combined together the molten centers of both Earth and Theia into one. This was the birth of Earth’s core and mantle. They are crucial parts of the inner world which make the Earth able to house life.

Over time, the molten planet cooled, allowing the planet’s surface to harden into the solid crust which we walk on today. The cooling process also created liquids like water, which combined together to create the oceans. Pieces of Earth’s surface broke apart and began to slowly drift into different shapes. This is how the continents were formed. Continents moved through a process called plate tectonics, which was fueled by hot volcanic activity deep beneath the surface.

Scientists learn what they can about the Earth’s ancient history by studying fossils and rocks found deep underground. There is no fossil record for this very early time in Earth’s history. Scientists call this period the Hadeon eon. The eons which came later, like the Archean and the Proterozoic, show a reliable fossil record. These are the times when the Earth’s surface calmed down and life started to appear.

The surface world comes closer to what we know today. Mountains formed from the movement of continents. Mountains caused clouds to gather. This caused weather, which is its own story.

Life is its own story as well. Life began in the oceans, forming near volcanic vents. The fiery chaos of Earth’s earliest days became the source for all living creatures. And so, with new systems like life and weather taking shape, geology takes a backseat. The world became closer to the world as we know it today, all thanks to the early geologic events we take for granite…er, granted.​

The film begins as it ends, with Rocky again at peace in the prairie. From his lovingly animated expressions, it is clear that Rocky is extremely appreciative of his place in the world. All that chaos and craziness! How nice it is now to be back on good old terra firma, knowing everything which went into creating it.​

 

[Tegan pilots a chicken]

Alrighty, here's a draft of the 1982 short film. As with yesterday's pavilion walkthrough, there are no images yet. Throwing this out there now so Team 90s and beyond can do with it as they please. (Realistically, it would be somewhat short lived like most of EPCOT's movie attractions.)

HOW OUR WORLD FORMED
Short film

“How Our World Formed” is a theater show in the classic “edutainment” mold. It combines factual, documentary-style information – in this case, the history of Earth’s formation and its early geological development – with Disney’s beloved family-friendly approach. This is a directorial effort from animators John Muster and Don Clements, created in preparation for their upcoming feature film debut The Great Mouse Detective.

The theater itself complements the film, elevating “How Our World Formed” into something far greater than an after school TV special. In-theater effects, such as heat vents or physical rumbling at appropriate moments, turn the film into an immersive “4-D” experience. The pre-show lobby, placed in a recessed alcove within the Rock Works, prepares guests for the upcoming fun-filled show. Televisions play loops of natural footage – of spewing lava vents, of time-lapse mountainous cloud formations, of waves crashing against the shore – while an instrumental version of the Sherman Brothers’ theme song subtly plays in the background.

The 15-minute-long “How Our World Formed” is an experimental combination of similar documentary footage mixed with traditional Disney animation. At the show’s center is Rocky the Rodent. Rocky adds a personal component to a potentially dry topic. With his childlike nature, with his curious reactions to the film’s events, Rocky provides an identifiable figure for audiences young and old. Rocky’s comic, wordless interactions with the Earth’s chaotic geology are delightful.

Performing opposite Rocky is the Narrator, an unseen and gently paternal figure performed by Paul Frees. (This would prove to be the legendary voice actor’s final collaboration with Disney.) The Narrator provides a genial account of Earth’s formation, while Rocky contends with all that is described.

The story opens on a pastoral meadow. Flowery scents fill the theater. Rocky burrows his way up from the ground and takes in this Arcadian scene. Soon, the Narrator addresses him:



The world transforms around Rocky. The beautifully serene grassland fades away, replaced by outer space. Stardust and comets careen past. Rocky desperately avoids these missiles as the Earth reforms as a rocky crag beneath his feet.

Generally, the Narrator’s descriptions accompany similar on-screen events. We’ll leave it to the reader’s imagination to picture Rocky’s travails on the rapidly evolving planet, while allowing Frees’ narration to stand on its own…



The film begins as it ends, with Rocky again at peace in the prairie. From his lovingly animated expressions, it is clear that Rocky is extremely appreciative of his place in the world. All that chaos and craziness! How nice it is now to be back on good old terra firma, knowing everything which went into creating it.​

What’s so awesome about this is it can relate strongly to the Symbiosis film that plays in The Land. That’s a much more serious film about humanity’s impact (for better and for worse) on the planet. These can be almost like sister films.

 

[D Hulk]

What’s so awesome about this is it can relate strongly to the Symbiosis film that plays in The Land. That’s a much more serious film about humanity’s impact (for better and for worse) on the planet. These can be almost like sister films.

Perhaps our resident EPCOT Queen could add that to the end? Any commentary about how this complements the wider EPCOT Center mission - which I am too ignorant to write - will only strengthen it.

 

[Tegan pilots a chicken]

Perhaps our resident EPCOT Queen could add that to the end? Any commentary about how this complements the wider EPCOT Center mission - which I am too ignorant to write - will only strengthen it.

Honestly I have no problem writing like, a special introduction to introduce the entire concept from that perspective.

 

[Tegan pilots a chicken]

Scene 8, Volcano

 

[Tegan pilots a chicken]

Scene 4, Underwater

 

[spacemt354]

View attachment 541803
Scene 8, Volcano

Oh my!

 

[Tegan pilots a chicken]

Oh my!

 

[TwilightZone]

What is our plan for the thrill ride? A mid-scale indoor coaster themed around natural disasters seems like a good starting point.

I think so too, a nice mid scale indoor coaster themed around natural disasters. Most Disney rides seem to have a story of some sort, so maybe we should figure out what kind? Maybe we are on a rescue mission or something during a bad storm. Or tornado trackers. Or something like that

How does the exhibit space evolve as we expand the pavilion and change the theme to more of a general "Elements" theme?

First thought is clouds for some reason haha. Maybe have like some sort of decorative object that reacts to elements. Fancy windchimes for example.

What changes (if any) are we making to Tegan's ride? Adding a celebrity narrator and maybe a pun or two seems like a good way to bring in some of the good parts of 90s Epcot without losing what made the 80s good. But did we want to do more? Or less? What celeb?

Gotta have that celeb! Not sure what one though, but I'm thinking any star from ABC would fit best for the time frame since that's what they did for Ellen. Since Ellen added new videos and a new animatronic to the ride, I feel like we should do something similar for this ride as well. But not TOO similar

 

[Tegan pilots a chicken]

Have we discussed presentation?? @D Hulk I feel like maybe you had touched on that early on but I don’t recall. But are we thinking Google site again?? Or something more simple??? Or something different??

 

[D Hulk]

Have we discussed presentation?? @D Hulk I feel like maybe you had touched on that early on but I don’t recall. But are we thinking Google site again?? Or something more simple??? Or something different??

We could certainly do a Google Site again (it works and we’re comfortable with it). Probably divide it into three pages, covering each era. There are at least two ways we could go about this.

1. Copy a Disney history fansite, like those sites that do retrospectives on the evolution of Disney parks. Could be an interesting style to mimic. Or...

2. Duplicate period-appropriate Disney material. So the 1982 EPCOT Center portion would be like a really vintage investors magazine outlining the pavilion. An updated version of that approach for the 90s, and then the current era brings in YouTube investor videos and such.

Which approach, if either, would interest Team Reality?

 

[Orange Cat]

1. Copy a Disney history fansite, like those sites that do retrospectives on the evolution of Disney parks. Could be an interesting style to mimic. Or...

I’d be for doing a Yesterland style project.

 

[MickeyWaffleCo.]

I’d be for doing a Yesterland style project.

*ahem* Team Power Stanza 1 *ahem*

 

[MickeyWaffleCo.]

*ahem* Team Reality Stanza 1 *ahem*

Oops meant Power LOL. I’ll fix it. Spoiled the punchline, though.

 

[Tegan pilots a chicken]

*ahem* Team Power Stanza 1 *ahem*

I remember that! Wow that feels like so long ago!!