The Imaginarium - Competition Thread [Complete]

MalmechFigment

MalmechFigment

Active Member
MechFigment's Reviews

Hello Team Creators I have analyzed the reviews of the one that you call "tcool", and have been able to study and analyze his reviews. I ensure that these reviews will be exactly like his, almost as if he wrote them himself. Now with that said I'd like to thank you all for taking your time to ensure the degradation of themes present in Disneyland, it truly adds value to my mission to ensuring inconsistent themes in every Disney park in the world. With all of your help my evil plan shall be completed!

A bit of forewarning: Teen Beach Movie is MechFigment's favorite DCOM, and they have rewatched countless of times. The cheesiness of the film is genius as it allows for the DCOM to never take itself seriously, and thus allows for a fun romp through a silly musical film. Let's see if this project reflects those values. To start off with I appreciate the unique ride system pitched for the ride, and I believe it would make for a truly unique and awesome experience that guests of all ages would enjoy. The ride system is a perfect match for the IP, and for that I congratulate the team. I enjoy how the queue and preshow aid in establishing the story of the ride allowing for guests to get caught up relatively quickly into the world of Teen Beach.

I would like to start off by saying at first I did not notice anything unusual about the picture posted; I simply assumed a screenshot of Google Earth and some text was thrown onto it. Then when actually looking at it I noticed that you can make out the roller coaster going throughout the tropical jungle as well as the lighthouse. These are some really nice touches, and is a great way to realistically portray how this rollercoaster would work in the Disneyland environment.

The story of the ride is quick and simple. It's the right amount to satisfy fans of Teen Beach, but simple enough so all guests will be able to enjoy the attraction. While I do think it is a shame that no other songs were worked into the attraction I understand that it would be easier to have Surf Crazy as the general theme for the ride. The various twists and turns and the utilization of the unique ride system to mimic dancing was a smart play as it truly immerses guests into the scene. The gift shop while simple is nice, and I think it is nice that guests can purchase surfboards here.

Overall, this was a nice project that lives up to the Teen Beach franchise's legacy. The ride system in particular being a standout given how unique it is. Congratulations Team Creators on your first project together!
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Self Elimination

@DisneyFan18 has decided to step down, and eliminate themselves from the competition. Thank you for your time, and you will be missed as a valuable imagineer and great player in the competition. Hope to see you soon.
​
 
MalmechFigment

MalmechFigment

Active Member
- Chapter Three: The Rise of Mech Figment -
Challenge Six: The Change of the Century

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You honestly thought our work in diluting the themes over at Disneyland Resort was over? Nonsense there's still so much to do; after all there are two whole parks! In this challenge we're heading to Disney's California Adventure, a park that was once the pinnacle of theme and imagineering. Then DCA 2.0 was completed, and the park was ruined! Luckily now Bob Chapek is restoring the park with great and immersive lands such as Pixar Pier and Avengers Campus; let us help him!

Paradise Gardens Park is merely a shell of its former glory, and it is time we deal the next blow to a part of DCA 2.0. The last two major overhauls focused on utilizing IPs that were purchased by Disney, and this challenge will be no difference. To celebrate further synergy between 20th Century and Disney the Paradise Gardens Park will be transformed into a 20th Century land. The IPs chosen are up to the team, but there is a limit. None of the 20th Century Marvel IPs may be used in this project, beyond that everything is fair game.

Team Creators, your task is to replace Paradise Gardens Park with a land based off 20th Century IPs. In addition, at least two of the five ride systems must remain in the land; they can be rethemed to any IP desired.

Guest Judges & More
@Outbound
@Disney Warrior
@Orange Cat 2 - the Funny Woman
@mickeyfan5534 - the Mentor
@spacemt354 - the Observer
@Pi on my Cake - the Pi on the Judges Stand

Team Creator's Chief Imagineer
@Disney Dad 3000

Challenge Six: The Change of the Century is due on Friday, October 22nd at 10 PM EST.​
 
MalmechFigment

MalmechFigment

Active Member
Immunity Challenge 5: Muppetfy It!

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During the main challenge your teams were asked to create a whole new land utilizing a purchased IP from 20th Century at Disney's California Adventure. At Disneyland there is still plenty of room for implementation of more purchased IP namely the Muppets! For this immunity challenge, if you chose to complete it, pitch a Muppet takeover for any attraction at the Disneyland Resort. This immunity challenge is completely optional, and if you choose to submit something it must be done in a private message set up with @tcool123; don't worry Mech Figment has ways to access those submissions. In addition you can only use one to two sentences and one image.

The immunity challenge is due on Sunday, October 24th at 10 PM EST.​
 
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spacemt354

spacemt354

Chili's
Space's Guest Review

With it being Friday night and the valiant effort put forth by the team through all of life's twists and turns - I thought now would be as good a time as every to jump back into a review of your hard work. On one hand, while it's great to read some imagineering for a change, it's unfortunately an IP of which I have no experience with, having never seen *any* of the Planet of the Apes films. That aside, I will be reviewing this project from that outsider perspective and also with the understanding that this prompt perhaps intentionally forces you all to design something that thematically might be quite dissimilar to the other offerings of DCA. With all that said let's dive in.

Off the bat I think the justification for Planet of the Apes is very well explained and solid. With some of the team members gustando las películas (liking the movies...forgive me, I've been learning Espanol in Miami Beach the last 3 weeks) that allowed the team a foundation to build off of allowing those unfamiliar with the films to contribute but not have to carry the burden of too much research.

A brief comment on some of the other options - the only one personally that I would have been interested in would have been the Wes Anderson land, mostly for the aesthetics and the fact that you could claim the land represents filmmaking of California to stick with the 'theme' of the park (and I use that term lightly)

The push to envelop the land wholly immersed in the setting of PotA was a great choice and one in line with the realism of recent park additions/refurbs. It would give DCA more of an IOA theme, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, as long as care was taken to block out the rest of the park from view when inside which it very much seems like you all did.

Ape Mountain would definitely change the perspective of the park - I would have loved to have seen the concept art for that if there was time, but nevertheless I envision something neighboring River Run, and contrasting it with more foliage and a harsher aesthetic.

Ascent of the Planet of the Apes was a very well written coaster and one that I think would be an excellent addition to DCA - something to compliment the Incredicoaster while also still being kid/teen friendly. I like the rethemed flats and carnival rides as well, I think those both fit into the land nicely although if the stipulation to keep and retheme some wasn't in the prompt, I have a feeling more well-imagineered attractions would have replaced these options.

Caesar's Treehouse is another excellent walk-through attraction, especially the alternate path taking you underneath. It adds discovery to the trail where you wind around to find your way much like DAK.
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I have to say though my favorite part of this land would be the dining locales, perched upon Ape Mountain - those would offer incredible bird's eye views of the land, though good thing there are elevators because I wouldn't want to see people have a few drinks then tumble their way walking down the mountain! The streetmosphere rounds out the land nicely.

My one wish for the future is I'd love to see a bit more spunk in the brainstorming - hopefully next round we can click with either an IP or a theme that everyone loves and you can just run wild with it, or everyone has their own ideas and many conversations are had upon which one is best. It would be awesome to see that sort of style come back as we reach the back 9 of the game headed to the finale!

Overall though - a wonderfully detailed and complete project put together here - and most likely something we haven't seen and may not see again, making this project one of a kind!
 
MalmechFigment

MalmechFigment

Active Member
MechFigment's Reviews

Hello Team Creators rest assured I have kept my analyzation of the reviews for the one that you call "tcool", and I ensure that these reviews will continue be exactly like his; it's as if he wrote them himself. Now with that said I'd like to thank you all for your continual support in my assault on Disney over the fault I was tossed aside by all! At this rate my evil plans will soon be achieved to their fullest potential.

Just a heads up MechFigment has never watched a single film within the realm of The Planet of the Apes, but with that said they're an iconic piece of cinema. Planet of the Apes was a good choice for a singular choice for an IP it has proven the test of time by being a memorable piece of pop culture which is easily understandable and approachable for many audiences. With the current plans for a Disney-20th Century reboot/continuation of the successful and acclaimed franchise this would be a logical direction for the company to take. Add in the loose fitting California element (set in a overgrown and overtaken San Francisco) and The Land of the Apes is already shaping up to be a perfect fit for modern day DCA.

I understand that there were issues for the team on getting everything in on time, and while MechFigment understands that people get busy it is always important to let your team know that you may not be able to get your things in on time. The utilization of prior facades to refit the new theme of the land was a smart and cost effective move in terms of making this project a reality; it is always nice to see the Palace of Fine Arts dome continue to live on. The walkthrough of the land is helpful to visualize how the land flows with all the changes to the area, what has kept, what has been added, and of course how it affects the surrounding area. With that it would have been very beneficial had the map been able to be completed, even if it was unfinished. The immersion provided within the land is truly amazing with countless of tiny details sprinkled throughout the walkthrough that really add to making guests feel immersed into the land as a whole.

Ascent of the Planet of the Apes is a mouthful, but with attractions such as For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-a-long Celebration it'll feel right at home with Disney ;) . The setup of the ride confuses me a bit as I was under the impression from the walkthrough that the entire land is set up on the concept that the apes have allowed humans to wander in their compound, but now this attraction changes it around so that guests are part of the ape faction. With that this sounds like a really neat and action packed rollercoaster, a true headliner for the land. The utilization of the drop coaster technology makes sense in this attraction, and story wise it makes sense why there's so many twists and turns as it aids to protect Caesar.

The scene with Caesar himself sounds very high tech and ambitious, and will no doubt enthrall guests with how lifelike he seems. However my issue earlier comes back to this attraction where the inconsistency between the story given to us in the walkthrough and the ride rears its head once more. With all that said the ride is still really solid with quite an explosive finale that MechFigment was a huge fan of. The ride on its own is outstanding with love and care shining through; congratulations to the person who wrote this attraction. With that said remember this is a team game and it is important to communicate with one another to ensure that the backstories align.

Swinging From A Vine is a cute concept, and for the most part I am a fan of the retheme. I do think the ape on top may be a bit too cutesy if it's similar to how Mickey was up there. Given the land's more serious nature and ton it may lead to a stark contrast. Primate Parachutes was a smart play as flat rides are generally pretty easy to retheme and fit many properties, and y'all were able to prove this was true by preserving this fun attraction. The retheming for this ride was handled well and its new backstory was a perfect way to implement it into the rest of the land.

Caesar's Treehouse will definitely be a marvel too look out for those around the lagoon as its "natural" beauty would be visually interesting and enticing. The concept while simple is well executed with a strong setup unlike anything seen prior at other treehouse attractions allowing for even more immersive and exploratory experience. The various interactive elements really add to the treehouse, and highlight what can be done today with walkthrough attractions and more modern approaches. The branching paths and many different routes both above and below the treehouse aid in making this an experience worth doing.

The Last Outpost is a really detailed store that shows what merchandise can do for a theme park in terms of storytelling! The store hits all the right marks from outside aesthetic to the little details within such as the ads and easter eggs. The lineup of unique merchandise is admirable and the smart tie in with the LEGO set fueled with nostalgia was a great move. Treetop Terrace looks oddly like the Wookie Village :p With that said this does go back to the backstory issue shared by the walkthrough of the land/dining versus the rollercoaster. With that said this an ingenious concept, and a great utilization of the theme and space. Much like the rest of the land the little details within this restaurant aid in setting it apart, and help make it a must do for any theme park goer regardless of how they feel about the IP it is a really neat experience. Ape Caverns Canteen looks stunning! A true testament to this land's planned beauty; I truly can't think of another quick service in the states that is set alongside such beautiful detailing. The meals available sound delicious, are simple, and the customization options were a great touch. Simian Snacks while being the smallest of the three dining options is still teeming with theming! The menu while simple makes sense and sounds yummy; the inclusion of a real smoker nearby will be a nice touch to interest guests and convince them to try this dining option to balance out their day in The Land of the Apes. The interactivity and
Streetmoshpere throughout the land are nice touches to a land already brimming with small touches that aid in bringing the Land of the Apes to life. The living characters and minature shows are nice distractions, and are cherries on top for this proposal.



Overall this project was really strong, and may be MechFigment's favorite project he has seen all season! A lot of love and attention of detail went into every aspect of this project, and you can tell. So many small things are hidden throughout the land in every attraction that when you add it all up ties this into what would easily be one of Disney's most immersive lands to date. No stone was left unturned when it comes the amount of care that was placed into this project, and MechFigment appreciates it! With all that said not everything can be perfect. A minor issue is the tonal issue for Swinging From A Vine. Another and bigger issue is the inconsistency with the backstory as what was presented in the drop rollercoaster versus the land's walkthrough and dining are two different albeit similar backstories. In one humans and apes coexist in the land peacefully, and the other sees humans banned from the ape encampment and feared. The last issue, and my biggest was the lack of a proper conclusion for the project. While it may seem little, these little flaws become more apparent when such a strong project is given out. Without a proper conclusion the project just ended without something cohesively tying it together. With all of that said this was some amazing work; give all of yourselves pats on the backs! This was truly apetastic!
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The Bottom Three

Team Creators your Chief Imagineer has decided, and here are your bottom three.

@Disney Dad 3000

@JokersWild

@MickeyWaffleCo.

@PerGron , @Shannoninthemagic and @TheOriginalTiki, @D Hulk you are safe. All six members of Team Creators please vote within the lounges I have set up for each of you. The deadline to submit your vote is on October 24th at 11:59 PM. Remember that the immunity challenge closes at 10 PM on the 24th as well. If all the votes and eligible immunity challenges are submitted then we can advance to the next challenge early.
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MalmechFigment

MalmechFigment

Active Member
Voting Results

Team Creators we're gathered here today to see which one of your players will be leaving the Imaginarium, and who will be staying.

First let us reveal who won this week's immunity!

@MickeyWaffleCo.

Now let the reveal of the votes commence!

@JokersWild

@MickeyWaffleCo.

@JokersWild

@MickeyWaffleCo.

@JokersWild

@JokersWild

@JokersWild

@JokersWild I am sorry to say this but your time at the Imaginarium has come to an end, we thank you for your dedication to the competition. I hope that you continue to stay and involved and follow along with the Imaginarium, and that you continue your involvement in the forum as we celebrate the 20th anniversary!
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MalmechFigment

MalmechFigment

Active Member
- Chapter Three: The Rise of Mech Figment -
Challenge Seven: KidZone Konstruction

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You know what's worse than causing havoc at the Disney parks? Aiding their number one competitor in improving the weakest parts of their park, yes that will show all of them to have forgotten about me! Woody Woodpecker's KidZone has had many issues finding its own identity, and in being in a park with limited space a lot of the land here can be better used for better attractions that draw more people into this area of the park.

This rework of Woody Woodpecker's KidZone will be occurring the Imaginarium's timeline of events which means key franchises such as Despicable Me, Harry Potter, Transformers and more are not currently represented at the resort in any sort of attraction. With that in mind teams may use any IP that currently does not have an attraction at Universal Studios Orlando, and of course that Universal could legally use (can't be a Disney IP, or something at use at Six Flags/Cedar Fair Parks). However it must be an IP that families of all ages can enjoy, and it can be more than one IP as well or none at all!

This challenge will be confined to an area consisting much of the back half of Woody Woodpecker's KidZone. This includes Dreamworks Destination, Curious George Goes to Town, Fievel's Playland, and Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster. The total area being given is roughly six acres in size. This is comparable to Seuss Landing at Island of Adventure, double the size of Mickey's Toowntown (pre Runaway Railway) at Disneyland, and comparable to the Enchanted Forest section in New Fantasyland (BATB, Mermaid, Dwarfs) at Magic Kingdom.

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For this revitalization of Woody Woodpecker's KidZone teams can change the name of the existent land or even break up the land so attractions would be part of an existing or whole new land. Example: Animal Actors is given to World Expo or ET Adventure is given to Hollywood or they are both split off into their own mishmash land or the new addition can be a new land with the old part being the remnants of KidZone.

Team Creators, your task is to revitalize Woody Woodpecker's KidZone with new a new addition or additions of your choosing. In addition you must keep to the selected plot of land given to the teams to work in; it may be used how the team sees fit.

Guest Judges & More
@Outbound
@Disney Warrior
@Honey Bee (Rebooted) - the Funny Woman
@mickeyfan5534 - the Mentor
@spacemt354 - the Guest Judger
@Pi on my Cake - the Pi on the Wall

Team Creator's Chief Imagineer
@D Hulk

Challenge Seven: Reconstructing KidZone is due on Monday, November 1st at 10 PM EST.
​

MechFigment's Chaos Rules

Lets change things up a bit for this challenge, I fear you have all gotten use to me a bit so it is time to shake things up a bit. This challenge will be a double elimination! Now to make it fair instead of a bottom three, this challenge will have a bottom four. As always the optional immunity challenge will remain.​
 
spacemt354

spacemt354

Chili's
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REVIEW

This section of USF has gone through several rumors of refurb but in terms of armchair imagineering has not seen a project as elaborate and well thought out as this one presented here. I was thoroughly impressed with this team's effort from top to bottom compared to previous rounds. Be it more interest in the topic, or more room for imagination, this project took off in ways that the others in my view faltered to develop the level of teamwork seen here.

A natural move for a park as meandering as USF is to attempt a replication of the in-park 'in-world' land akin to Diagon Alley, which feels like its very own entity and almost better described as an extension of IoA Hogsmeade than park of USF. Nevertheless this design tactic perhaps will user in a new way to look at transforming USF into the future (and many future competition projects as well?)

Replacing a land designed for kids, in one of the few areas for kids in the park, leaves you only one option - design a bar crawl area I mean.. something designed for your target audience - kids. Pokemon is a natural choice after the Nintendo-Uni deal, as it is the most successful franchise worldwide and now has enough claim to fame from the 90s/early 00s that like Potter, Pokemon has developed new fans while remaining uniquely nostalgic to '90s kids' - a perfect combo of audience attention (we can be quite fanatic)

The map is very well laid out - in terms of the site structure, it is also organized, but I wish elements of the map trickled onto the next few pages because by the time I get to the attractions I forget where this is located.

Beginning with the Pokedex, I felt this was a cool concept but why is it something you have to pay for? Given the small space you have to deal with in this project the interactivity is an essential part of the experience that in my opinion shouldn't be an add-on charge. My first thought was why not just make it an app that you could download to your personal devices? This would eliminate the need for an additional device throughout the park that's the size of a phone, when 99% of guests are already carrying around their phones.

Moreover jumping to The Pokemon Stadium - that's a very well-thought out and original gaming in-park experience that while a strange comparison reminds me a lot of an supped up version of the former American Idol or Who Wants To Be A Millionaire at MGM, where guests essentially control the game. I feel like I'm spending a long time on the Pokedex but it's one of the most unique parts of the land but for something so original I do think the on-paper vs in-practice element should have been better explained.

*With further elaboration from @MickeyWaffleCo. - the main designer of this component of the project, reviewing its complexities, the feasibility of it has gained some ground in my perspective, in particular the 'leveling of the playing field' to one device so prior phones do not play a factor in this technological marvel. Moreover the connection to children - they may not have phones of their own, is a solid point.

With this said - I do foresee some issues with the Pokedex add-on being such a quintessential part of the land compared to a wand or lightsaber purchase which would enhance the experience but is not essential, especially with the video game influence to the land.

Sidenote the Viridian City concept gave me flashbacks to the OG Sole Imagineer in 2015 - in which the exact same YouTube video was used for the music of that project - I found that amazing!!

The Team Rocket coaster definitely seems like an upgrade over Woody Woodpecker, as charming a coaster credit as that may be - this one feels like a true family coaster from the descriptions. Granted, coasters are rarely fully realized from description alone so an in-world image or two to get a sense of the scale of the attraction could have helped - but nevertheless solid work. In regards to the Safari I think it's a fitting touch and story point for the land, and allows unique characters to be on display, even including a couple AAs in the walkthrough that's pretty neat. The eclectic carousel with the various characters would be fun for those die-hard fans looking for every last easter egg and character reference throughout.

The shopping and dining rounded out the rest of the project nicely - I will be honest, nothing stood out as 'wow' from these elements, however they were proper components to round out this kid-friendly land. Dilglett's Dough House I think might be my favorite of the samplers here, simply for the delectable offerings.

Overall I think this project was a chance for folks to go all-in on an IP that works for the park, while at the same time offers limitless possibilities for armchair imagineering - great job to all!​
 
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