Episode 8 Redemption Duel
For this challenge, our two competitors will be tasked with designing a new experience inside the Tree of Life! It can be a new show, a restaurant or anything you desire! There's no need to go into extraordinary detail, but I want to see what you both come up with!
@IAmNotAHufflepuff's Submission:
Guests were surprised when Disney announced the closure of It’s Tough to Be A Bug on November 14th, 2016. However, the reported replacement would prove to be even more spectacular.
Massive amounts of digging were done around the Tree of Life. After being barricaded for almost 3 years, a new,thrilling attraction opened its gates to the world.
Without further ado, here is…
Root Caverns
QUEUE:
The queue almost remains the same as the previous incarnation.
Guests weave around the tranquil oasis around the Tree of Life. Minus the long-gone bug posters, nothing has really seemed to change. The real differences begin when we enter the former show building.
PRESHOW:
Guests enter what was formerly part of the standby area of It’s Tough to Be a Bug. It seems we are inside one of the massive roots of the tree. Cave drawings of nature are present around the root interior. A large branch rests above.
Suddenly, a high quality projection of Rafiki walks on to the branch. Being the primal environmentalist he is, Rafiki tells guests he will use his mystical powers to shrink them to smaller than bug size so they “can have a better appreciation of nature” by exploring the caves underneath the roots.
With a touch of his stick, in a tremendous act of special effects, the room appears to grow to a larger size right in front of you! The preshow ends and we enter the loading area.
TECH DETAILS:
Now, most of you are probably asking: Is there enough space for this grand E-ticket to replace a theater show?
The answer is no. But, Imagineers have found a way around this… Creating the world’s first entirely underground coaster! After all, what’s better than having a coaster themed around underground animals actually takes place underground? By use of heavy quality layering and natural cloaking, the construction and re-beatification of the area was possible.
The ride technology itself isn’t too advanced. If anything, the ride is sort of like Space Mountain, a dark wild mouse coaster, only a little more intense.
The height requirement for this attraction is 48 inches.
VECHICLES:
The vehicles look like well-rusted mine carts, only moving by Rafiki’s magic. Each mine cart can seat 12 people, four rows of three. The mine carts are designed to handle the zippy turns and drops the ride contains.
RIDE EXPERIENCE:
After boarding the mine carts, the vehicles immediately take a 15 foot drop into the tunnels. What follows is a dark segment with twisty turns and short drops, setting the stage for what is to come.
Inching towards a tunnel opening, a large insect moves into the tunnel, snapping its mandibles at us. Its appearance is non-threatening but it still intimidates us. The carts zip down another drop into another room.
This just happens to be the home of a giant mole. We can see the large animatronic face of the mole poke through the tunnel wall, scavenging for food.
Our carts bank down another drop, deeper into the abyss. In the next scene, a massive chipmunk and her babies are seen, the mother nurturing her babies in this deep underground environment.
The mine carts move into the beginning of the climax, into an opening of a large ant hill. We see dozens of large, projected ants moving around, finding food and going about their business.
The carts speed up and rush up a 30 foot hill. We finally see the large animatronic queen ant, the biggest figure in the ride. Instead of being an intimidating monster like some people portray her to be, she just goes through her life, sitting at her nest controlling the ant mound.
Suddenly, the voice of Rafiki cries out that the mound is collapsing and we should escape.
Thus begins the most thrilling part of the attraction. We turn, drop, and rise attempting to escape the collapsing ant hill. None of the turns are un-banked, preventing serious nausea during this segment.
The only way to escape is a 150 foot vertical lift hill, taking us back to where our journey started. Cars inch upwards vertically as Rafiki tells us that even the smallest and most isolated creatures have a part to play in the world.
Envision this in an underground chamber
After summiting the lift hill, the cart takes a slow turn and enters the disembarking dock. You may think after this the experience is over, but you’re wrong.
CAVERN TRAILS:
From here, you can either exit through the jungles or walk through further cave systems. Here, you get to see the animals you encountered on the ride at normal size.
Moles, worms, bugs, spiders, and a large bat habitat are all present here. Although tiny, these animals never really had proper representation at Disney’s Animal Kingdom until now. The exhibit takes up the space of the former theater, while the ride resides underground.
CONCLUSION:
By use of family thrills, groundbreaking world firsts, and animal encounters, Root Caverns is a deserving replacement to It’s Tough To Be A Bug, and shows the awesome Imagineering capabilities of Disney.
We hope to see you soon at..
...however at this point I am struggling to even come up with an idea
So let me get that down first
