Welcome to The Imagineering Halls! Here supplemental material that coincides with the Imaginarium's main challenges. This is material is meant to show what has been in the past, and what could be done in the future as a reference. With that said let The Imagineering Halls open up!
History of Parades at Disney's Hollywood Studios
Disney parades have become a staple in any Disney Park, with parades having existed in every Disney park at least once in a park's history. Disney's Hollywood Studios itself has seen the most amount of unique parades out of any park at the Walt Disney World Resort which is shocking to hear when you realize that there currently is no major parade present.
- Dinosaurs Live - 1991 - 1992
Based on the beloved prehistoric sitcom, Dinosaurs, the first ever parade at Disney's Hollywood Studios was Dinosaurs Live. The show was a mixture of a parade and a live show with the concept being a surprise appearance of the Sinclair family to entertain all guests in a special production number based around the song Walk the Dinosaur by Was (Not Was). The song was sung by the entire Sinclair clan, and dancers would dance along to the jamming beats and the illustrious voices of the dinosaur family. Joining the family and dancers in the parade was a live marching band playing along to Walk the Dinosaur. To tie it into the studios image one of the two floats was a director's chair which allowed for this entire parade to be a 'hot set'. This parade was the second shortest running parade in Disney's Hollywood Studios history lasting only 11 months.
Here is a video to check out this forgotten parade from Disney's Hollywood Studios history:
- Aladdin's Royal Caravan - 1992 - 1995
Aladdin's Royal Caravan marked a new era of Disney parades due to the fact this was Disney's first parade to be replicated in three total parks. Guests would be able to find this parade in Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, and Disney's Hollywood Studios all in the same rough time frame to coincide with the release of Disney's Aladdin. The parade was heavily inspired by the Prince Ali scene from the film as well as the Genie's antics capitalizing on many of the gorgeous visuals that people loved from those specific scenes. Floats included a 32 foot tall inflatable Genie, a live marching band, two golden spitting camels, large multistory floats filled with interesting Hollywood-Agrabah infused characters, haram camel dancers and of course a large Abu the Elephant float with moving eyes and limbs that carried Aladdin and Jasmine down the parade route. After this parade ended the 32 foot tall Genie was reused in the Disney's Magical Moments Parade at Magic Kingdom, and the golden camels were reused at the Soundstage Restaurant then later at their current home of The Magic Carpets of Aladdin.
- Toy Story Parade - 1995 - 1997
Much like the parade it replaced, Toy Story Parade was developed to coincide with the release of Pixar's surprise hit Toy Story. Unlike the former parade this parade was inspired by the characters and ideas of toys interacting with their environment, and no one particular scene. The soundtrack consists of many of the iconic songs from the film including Strange Things and You've Got a Friend in Me. The first float saw the Green Army Men carrying a flag over a few playing blocks, followed by a float consisting of board game boxes with Mr Potato Head, Hamm and a few monkeys running about, the third float saw the aliens surrounding Buzz's spaceship which of course had Buzz on top. The final parade float was built out of building and letter blocks, and carried Lenny, Rex and Woody. The aliens were reused later on as decorations for the infamous Pizza Planet restaurant in Streets of America, and the performer costumes for the Buzz Lightyear unit were pulled from the short lived Epcot Splashtacular.
Feel free to watch this fun and unique piece of Disney history:
If you haven't sense a pattern by now this parade will solidify it! The Hercules based parade was codeveloped by every Disney resort open at the time, and debuted around the world in celebration of the release of Disney's Hercules. This is the shortest lived parade in Disney's Hollywood Studios history lasting only NINE months before going away forever. The parade utilized the song Zero to Hero as its entire parade soundtrack, but each float would carry characters that would talk and make jokes with the audience. Floats were inspired by Zeus, Phil, Hades and of course Hercules; unlike the last two parades no elements were reutilized after this parade ended.
- Mulan Parade - 1998 - 2001
The final parade in the Disney trend of creating parades to coincide with latest releases was Mulan. This parade was codeveloped between Disneyland, Disneyland Paris and of course Disney's Hollywood Studios. The parade featured various floats inspired by the Mulan film as well Chinese culture with highlights of the parade including a 150 foot long dragon, over 20 foot tall matchmakers, and of course the best float Shan Yu being strapped to a firework moments before he explodes and goes all over guests. While in Disneyland it was a longer parade that was held in high regard the studios one simply trudged along for a few years more until finally ending.
- Disney Stars and Motor Cars Parade - 2001 - 2008
The Disney Stars and Motor Cars Parade is the longest running parade in Disney's Hollywood Studios history, and incorporated mainly films from the Disney renaissance and what was coming out around 2001. This allowed for the parade to have cars themed around Atlantis, Power Rangers and Playhouse Disney alongside cars based around Hercules, Toy Story, The Little Mermaid and more. Over the years cars would be rethemed and introduced as new cars based around the latest Disney hits such as Lilo and Stitch, Cars, Monsters Inc, and more! The parade was fairly popular all things considered with many having nostalgia for it, and once it ended select cars were sent over to Disneyland Paris where they are still used occasionally. The legacy of this parade can still be felt with the current cavalcades at Disney's Hollywood Studios also utilizing themed cars, the true peak of Disney parade theming.
- Block Party Bash - 2008 - 2011
After a long and successful run at Disney's California Adventure this unique hybrid parade came over to the East Coast utilizing one of Walt Disney World's favorite moves just taking California's parades! This special entertainment event combined a highly themed Disney parade with the fun of dance parties for something that everyone will truly love. The parade would have two show stops one on Hollywood Boulevard and another in Echo Lake bringing the party to both sides of the park, and making sure everyone had the chance to get down with it. Units included sections themed to Toy Story, Monsters Inc and a bug's life meanwhile The Incredibles and the Green Army Men would meander throughout all the units to get everyone hyped and into the party. Don't worry once this parade ended a very similar one would grace the park.
- Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun - 2011 - 2013
Did you love the parade floats from from Block Party Bash? Do you love large generic looking rectangular boxy floats? Do you lobe the Pixar Play Parade theme, but don't want the higher quality version of it? Then this is the parade for you! Reutilizing the floats from Block Party Bash alongside generic box shaped floats that had different colors and wrapping paper Disney was able to expand the parade from three to six floats! Now units were based around The Incredibles, a bug's life, Ratatouille, Up, Monsters Inc, and Toy Story. For the most part the parade was very similar to the former Block Party Bash, but it now omits the dance party portion of the whole experience. After this parade ended the three traffic cones would join Mickey's Boo to You Parade as rethemed giant candy corn, but they have since been retired because nobody likes candy corn.
- Frozen Royal Welcome Ceremony - 2014 - 2015
As a part of the Frozen Summer Fun a seasonal parade would run during the summer to celebrate the fact that Frozen was Disney's biggest hit since The Lion King. The parade cleverly reutilized floats and portions of costumes from Mickey's Once Upon a Christmastime Parade to create a whole new experience for Hollywood Studios. The parade included skiers, roller skaters, ice harvesters with pick axes, flag wavers, fake snow, and of course a horse drawn carriage with Anna and Elsa. In 2015 the parade was heavily overhauled to be a grander experience by rearranging floats and performers Anna led the parade by herself in her own sled, Olaf was given his own snowy cabin, and Elsa was given an ice castle float. The float itself was the former Pinocchio/Snow White float from Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade, but painted blue alongside new adornments. All except for the ice palace float can still be found in Mickey's Once Upon a Christmastime Parade.
Here in the Imaginarium verse the world has been a bit kinder to the misguided Universal Studios park with quality additions being added throughout the years including a beloved Willy Wonka ride, a hit Universal Monsters musical, and an espionage land set in the beautiful Venice that really was on par with the best of Disney's lands. Now that is all fine and dandy, but I think a review is order to fully grasp what IPs are currently represented at the park.
- Production Central -
The entrance land of the park guests are ushered into the backlot of Universal Studios where large soundstage buildings make up the bulk theming. One of the standouts however is Charlie's Chocolate Factory housed in Wonka's Chocolate Factory that breaks up the traditionally soundstage theme to make the whole land visually more interesting. This ride is located in place of Minion Mayhem which means that neither Despicable Me nor Minions is present in Universal Studios.
Also located in Production Central are Shrek 4D are 4D show featuring Shrek, and Rip Ride Rockit. En lieu of Transformers: The Ride you will now be able to find the Trial of Terror, a musical stage show set featuring Universal Monsters in a lovely Parisian courtyard. Other points of interest include the Hello Kitty store, the Today Café and Universal Studios' Classic Monster Café which feature Hello Kitty, The Today Show and Universal Monsters respectively.
IPs Present - Willy Wonka/Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
- Shrek
- Universal Monsters
- The Today Show
- Hello Kitty
- New York -
The second land of the park is "New York" this land remains unchanged from what we know in our reality. This means that the attractions present include Revenge of the Mummy, Race Through New York starring Jimmy Fallon and The Blues Brothers. Which is a huge improvement as now one out of three attractions are based on a property set in NYC!
IPs Present - The Mummy (Brendan Frasier Mummy Universe)
- The Tonight Show
- Blues Brothers
- Hollywood -
The third land of the park is Hollywood this is the land that the teams will be working on for their second challenge. Attractions within this universe include the Horror Make Up Show featuring Universal Monsters and The Mummy (2017) , T2-3D: Battle Across Time, and Marilyn & the Diamond Bellas. Other points of interest include Mel's Drive-in, inspired by the film American Graffiti.
IPs Present - Universal Monsters
- The Mummy (2017)
- The Terminator
- American Grafitti
- San Francisco -
Family is what makes up the heart of the fourth land of the park which just so happens to be San Francisco. Fast and the Furious: Supercharged is the only attraction present in the land, and we should all marvel in its glory. Party busses truly are the best thing ever.
IPs Present - Fast and the Furious
- Venice -
An Imaginarium original, Venice is a one of a kind land located in place of Diagon Alley at Universal Studios. The land aims to recreate the magic of the Italian city while introducing the thrill of espionage all for a guests perfect experience. Expect to find a Bourne stunt show in the streets, a Jams Bond thrill water ride that is one of a kind, a Davinci Code interactive experience, and a tour of the land on gondolas through the various canals. Overall this was a great addition to the park that truly pushed the possible thematic boundaries that Universal had been known for at the time.
IPs Present - Bourne
- James Bond
- The Davinci Code
- World Expo -
The World Expo is more of a hodge-podge land than anything else as there is no true overarching theme anymore. Guests will be able to find the seasonal Fear Factor - LIVE! show which proves that just because you have been killed 4 four times does not mean you can't come back. Men in Black: Alien Attack proves to be a fan favorite given the easy rerideability, neat gimmicks, and overall being the superior shooter ride at the theme parks. To make the land whole guests can also expect to find Springfield, home to the Simpsons.
IPs Present - Fear Factor
- Men in Black
- The Simpsons
- Woody Woodpecker's Kidzone -
If World Expo is hodge-podge then Woody Woodpecker's Kidzone is a kaleidoscope of properties that somehow make a land. Attractions that guests will be able to find here include E.T. the Adventure, Fievel's Playland, Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster, Curious George Goes to Town, Animal Actors, and the recently opened DreamWorks Destination. Other points of interest include Spongebob Storepants and the entrances to two of the Houses for Horror Nights. For this challenge the DreamWorks Destintation will not be counted as a taken IP allowing for teams to use it.
IPs Present - E.T. the Extra Terrestrial
- An American Tail
- Woody Woodpecker
- Curious George
- Spongebob Squarepants
High capacity attractions vary from system to system to even the tactics on how they achieve such high capacities. Here in this entry to the Imagineering Halls we're looking at some great attractions and attraction systems which are known for their high capacity. These attractions serve as merely ideas as to how to achieve large capacity goals.
- Omnimover -
Omnimovers have been staples in many Disney parks thanks to their high capacity, ease of fitting into nearly any themed environment, and of course the fact that some of the best and most beloved characters and stories have been adapted into an omnimover aids in making this a ride system that stands the test of time. Omnimovers are known for being versatile with Spaceship Earth highlighting how they vehicle can interact with guests, and Space Ranger Spin highlighting how guests can use the vehicle to interact with the ride.
Examples - The Haunted Mansion: 2400 to 3200 People per Hour
- Journey Into Imagination with Figment: 2,570 People per Hour
- The Seas with Nemo and Friends: 2000-2200 People per Hour
- Boat Rides -
Just like an omnimover, boat rides have been a staple for Disney parks thanks to many of the same reasons. They're high capacity, easy to into nearly any themed environment, able to be relaxing or thrilling, and offers a way for guests to cool down a bit if there's a splashdown. Now there are many different types of boat rides with the most traditional arguably being it's a small world, but just as great is Pirates of the Caribbean which was able to combine the high capacity boats from it's a small world into a thrilling voyage on the sea. Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure modernized boat rides, bringing in modern day technology to pimp out an old system thank to the way that the imagineers were able to stop the boat from moving to focus on key scenes. While it is known for being one of the lowest capacity rides at Walt Disney World, Frozen Ever After (formerly Maelstrom) is known for including an unique backwards drop portion in a boat ride.
Examples - it's a small world: 2500 to 3000 people per hour
- Pirates of the Caribbean: 2900 to 3200 people per hour
- Living with the Land: 2445 people per hour
- Moving Theater -
The third high capacity ride system that's going to be discussed has actually gone the way of the dodo! Moving Theaters were ways to transport guests on long epic journeys while ensuring a large amount of people were being processed thanks to the ride system in use. It fell out of popularity due to the attached attractions not being captivating enough to modern audiences, but it stands to reason that with the right IP it could work.
Examples - Great Movie Ride: 2400 People per Hour
- Ellen's Energy Adventure: 2432 People per Hour
- Carousel Theater -
This attraction type has been used sparsely throughout theme park history even though it has a variety of features: a high capacity, a small footprint, and a good fit for many themes or IPs. Much like the moving theater, the carousel theater's main issue has been the content of the various examples we do have hasn't always been the most captivating for guests in the long run. However, with the right story, theme and IP this attraction type may just see a return to glory days.
Examples - Carousel of Progress: 3600 people per hour
- Theaters -
The term theater in a theme park can be very vague as there are many ways to interpert what a theater attraction is. However for the sake of a simple argument any show or movie where guests sit or stand for (looking at you CircleVision) will count. What does this mean? Animatronic shows? Yup they're in this category! Movie theaters like Phillarmagic or Mickey's Vacation Fun? Yup sure why not! Staged shows? The more the merrier! Kid interactive shows like Turtle Talk with Crush or Enchanted Tales with Belle? Sure why not! What doesn't count are things like Happily Ever After, the stateside Jedi Training Academy, Mickey's Royal Friendship Faire, streetmoshpehere, etc.
IPs Present - Country Bear Jamboree: 2100 People per Hour
- Mickey's Phillarmagic: 2430 People per Hour
- Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular: 2000 People per Show
- Frozen – Live at the Hyperion : 1,985 People per Show
- Peoplemover -
This is a ride system that has been used by two and a half Disney rides, and now only one remains. The Peoplemover ride system is known for being rather peaceful and great for tours of the surrounding land, but it has to be used for anything beyond that. With that said this is the attraction that has the largest capacity period. What is that capacity? Well it's estimated to be between 3600 to 4600 people per hour!
- Multiple Tracks -
The easiest way to make something a large capacity is to simply build multiple copies of the track. This tactic is seen throughout the Walt Disney World property in attractions such as Space Mountain (dual tracks), Star Tours (six simulators), Soarin (three setups), or Tower of Terror (three shafts). Shoutout to Disneyland's former Country Bears for its two theaters and Magic Kingdom's former Stitch's Great Escape with two theaters combining the multiple track strategy, but instead of two tracks it was two theaters! This strategy of many "tracks" was last used with Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run which has many pods to allow for more guests to ride; although the capacity of the attraction itself is still not particularly high.
Examples - Space Mountain: 2000 People per Hour
- Star Tours: 1900 People per Hour
- Soarin: 2000 to 2100 People per Hour
- Tower of Terror: 2000 People per Hour
Obviously there are more high capacity attractions than these, but I hope all of these ideas aid in encouraging thought for what entails a high capacity attraction! Keep in mind any scrapped or recently patented ride system as those may be the ticket to ensure high capacities and a neat new experience!
