CHALLENGE 2: HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD/FIXER UPPERS!
Team Land's Submission
OVERVIEW
Our choices for theme were the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Land of Oz, Gangsters, Titanic or "The Hollywood That Never Was and Always Will Be".
The southern half of Walt Disney Studios Paris is currently a thematic mess. The building facades look like they belong at a local carnival, not at a Disney theme park. What the park needs is an attraction to tie the park together-- a "cornerstone", if you will. And that attraction must be a headliner; a jaw-dropping, totally immersive experience that is unlike anything guests have seen before.
With that in mind, our team chose the theme of "The Hollywood That Never Was and Always Will Be". Our area is an extension of the already existing Hollywood Boulevard in WDS.
We created the E-ticket ride
Voyage à travers les Films (Journey through the Movies). As the name states, the ride is a journey through the greatest films of all time, where the guests themselves are caught up in the action and fantasy.
We want to make one thing clear: This is NOT the Great Movie Ride. While it's the same general idea, our attraction puts the emphasis on the guests. Instead of watching the movie happen around them, like in GMR, the guests are actually playing a role IN the movie. They are swept up in a tornado and land in Oz. They are on the Titanic as it sinks.
At the same time, we felt that this area of WDS needed more to do. While the focus of this challenge is on the E-ticket ride, we decided that to establish a proper theme we would have to create more. So we re-themed Rock n' Roller Coaster, merged restaurants together, and created a C-ticket ride to go with the E-ticket. In order to maintain the theme and create space, we got rid of the shows "Moteurs... Action!" and Armageddon.
The challenge stated that we needed to develop the exterior of the area as well as the interior. To accomplish the Old Hollywood feel we used a mixture of Art Deco, Spanish, and 50s architecture. Throughout this post we will indicate existing buildings that are the inspiration for the new facades.
Here is the layout of the area:
As you can see, we added a new "City Park" to create a transition between our new area and Toon Studio. Also, note the themed indoor walkway on the right (think Arcades) that connects the two Hollywood-themed areas. Although it's not part of our expansion, the tram tour will receive a new facade as well to replace the Hollywood sign backdrop. It will be a studio entrance gate; something like this:
E-TICKET: Voyage à travers les Films (Journey through the Movies)
Voyage à travers les Films is a thrilling journey through the greatest movies of all time, where the guest plays a starring role.
FACADE
The facade of this ride is themed as the famous Carthay Circle Theater, where Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premiered. The facade, while not to full scale, will be larger than the replica at DCA.
QUEUE
We pass through the attraction entrance, where we have a choice of single rider or stand by. At the beginning of the queue, we are walking down Hollywood Boulevard at night (even though we are really indoors; similar to the interior of the Mexico pavilion at Epcot). A small replica of the Chinese Theater is visible in the distance. The queue leads us down the famed "red carpet", and after a couple switch-backs, we enter the the "theater".
We are now in a hallway in the lobby of the fancy theater. As we proceed through the queue, the building materials get older and the electrical lamps are replaced by fake gas lamps. This creates the sensation that we are going back in time.
At this point, the Standby and Single Rider lines merge, but then the queue splits off once again into 2 loading areas. When we arrive in the loading area, we find a vehicle waiting for us.
VEHICLE AND RIDE SYSTEM
The vehicle is themed as a section of a movie theater, with red plush seats.
This vehicle has tiered seating and can sit 24 people with 6 rows of 4. Each of the 2 loading areas is equipped with 2 loading stations with 6 tiers of boarding passageways each (1-12) which match up with the 6 tiers of seating in the vehicle.
The ride system is nothing like you've seen before. To sum it all up, it’s a combination of Indiana Jones Adventure, Harry Potter and The Forbidden Journey, and the Great Movie Ride’s systems but with it’s own unique elements. The ride system consists of 1 car with 24 seats, a motion base, 2 Kuka arms and 2 layered tracks.
This vehicle sits on top of a motion-simulator base, which allows the car to spin, tilt forward, backward, side-to-side, jerk and bounce. Attached to the bottom of this motion base are 2 robotic Kuka arms (one in the front and one in the back), as well as 4 small wheels.
The Kuka arms can extend and retract, allowing the vehicle to move up and down. By extend and retract, we mean that the arms can slide into each other like a telescope, and can bend at the point shown in the diagram below. This means that the Kuka arms can extend many feet into the air. When the vehicle is off the track, this gives the sensation of flight, an outstanding and thrilling experience for the guests. The Kuka arms fit through the slot of the top track (Track 1, which is wider than usual) and can retract beneath it, allowing the car to rest and roll on Track 1 using the wheels on the bottom of the motion-simulator base.
The other ends of the Kuka Arms are attached to the base of the ride system, which moves through the attraction along the lower track (Track 2).
RIDE
We enter into the ride vehicle. After all the safety checks are done, the vehicle is dispatched and we move into the first scene, a small late 1800s cinema. (There are 2 cinemas, one for each boarding area).
First Scene -
In this cinema, circa 1895, we watch a small portion of a silent movie. This movie is one of the very first films ever made, and shows a train approaching a station.
But soon, a thick wall of fog falls in front of the screen and the same movie is projected onto it. Meanwhile, the normal screen behind the fog rolls down and we move forward, through the screen and into the world of movies. A real life train identical to the one in the film is about to hit us. We swerve out of the way just in time.
After we move through, the fog is vacuumed up and the screen rolls back down for the next group of guests.
Second Scene-
(Note: The two separate loading area tracks have now merged into one.)
We arrive in Kansas, at Dorothy’s farm.
The whole set is in sepia tones, just like in the movie. We see the farmhouse, barn, and silo in the distance. Soon, we notice a tornado that is projected. The wind picks up and we head toward it. The vehicle lifts slowly to the sky (through the use of the Kuka arms). We enter a room where the interior of the tornado is projected (similar to the Mystic Manor effect). We are jerking back and forth slightly and spinning, and fog is whirling throughout the room. We see objects and people fly by, such as a cow, an old lady in a rocking chair, two men in a boat, and finally, Miss Gulch on her bicycle.
After some spins, we slowly descend (using the Kuka arms) and arrive in Munchkin Land!
Munchkin Land is filled to the brim with color and happiness. The layout of the set is just like in the movie, with the fallen house off to the side. The animatronic Munchkins, are singing "The Wicked Witch is Dead" and Glinda is floating in her bubble above our heads. The vehicle is bouncing to the tune (the Kuka arms are moving up and down and the motion base is moving gently side to side).
We turn a corner and see an animatronic Wicked Witch of the West flying above our heads on her broom. We now enter a corn field, which quickly turns into a forest as we move along.
Third Scene -
We move through the forest. It is daytime, birds are chirping, and a waterfall is flowing. We come across a small cottage with a hay roof and wood siding. As we approach, we hear an upbeat tune. When the door opens, we see Snow White, Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy and Dopey dancing.
Then the vehicle begins spinning and weaving in and out of our favorite characters. Finally, we back away, still facing the scene, and exit out of a side door. The ride vehicle then enters a darker forest and begins to descend down a slope backwards into the depths of the earth.
Fourth Scene -
We find ourselves in a laboratory, filled with all kinds of gadgets and machines. Our vehicle travels down a hallway and we see lightning strike in the distance. It is a stormy night, and Dr. Frankenstein is creating his newest monster. We round a corner and see the animatronic Doctor and a table with a hideous monster on it. The monster comes to life right as lightning strikes.
The vehicle starts to shake and fire erupts all around us. The scientist yells "It's alive!" and on a screen, the monster sits up and starts limping toward us. The vehicle backs up, and right before this huge, hideous monster lunges, we dive down a drop on the track and "run" at a high speed away. The motion base is bobbing in a running motion, giving a realistic illusion. We begin to make an ascent and we come out in...
Fifth Scene -
...The park where Mary Poppins, Bert, Jane and Michael are riding the carousel. We see penguin waiters dancing around us to the tune of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. The vehicle is bouncing to the tune and spinning as well. Animatronics are used for the figures of Mary, Bert, Jane and Michael while everything else is brought to reality by the usage of screens blended with real props. We then round a corner and arrive in front of the Banks' house, and see Mary Poppins flying away with her umbrella.
This is when a very convincing effect takes place. The Kuka Arms begin to extend and the motion base tilts gently to the sides and the front and back, convincing guests that they are rising into the air. The rooftops of London, displayed on screens, quickly grow smaller and smaller (giving the effect we are going higher then we really are). We soon land among the stars...
Sixth Scene -
We soon land on the planet of Tatooine, where the Pod Race is about to start. We are in the race and our vehicle pulls up to a screen showing the starting line. Our vehicle/pod racer is vibrating and we hear the countdown:
3, 2, 1, GO! Our pod racer zooms away (the vehicle tilts back) and the motion base is synced with the screen to simulate the motions that are happening in the race. We then pull away from the screen and race down the track. This is where real props and sets are used.
The canyon walls are directly to our sides and we hear the narrator telling us that there is a jump up ahead and be prepared to use it. So, the narrator counts down
3, 2, 1, Jump! This effect is using the Kuka arms. One arm extends very quickly (the front one) and then the back arm extend quickly. This gives the illusion that we are going off a jump. Then, the front arm retracts directly before the front one, making us think that we landed. We round a corner, still going fast, when we make a sudden stop. A voice says:
Great Job, You won!
In front of us, we now see the Millennium Falcon and the main access hatch opens for us. The track moves up, into the ship and we hear a voice say
Alright, HyperSpace! And we take off very fast down the track through the stars. We then slow down as we approach a giant porthole that leads into another famous ship...
Seventh Scene -
We enter the great hall of one of the most famous ships in the world, the Titanic.
We then hear a large
Boom and the motion base shakes. The vehicle zips up the grand staircase and moves down a long hallway, shaking and bouncing along the way. We now enter onto the deck and see the Atlantic water roaring below (shown on projection screens). The ship now appears to be tilting and loose items such as deck chairs, tables and shuffleboard pieces are sliding down the slope. The vehicle turn around of the motion base platform and begins to "slide" down the deck. The Kuka arms move up and down to simulate different items the vehicle is trampling and running over.
We are closing in on the water as the boat is sinking (the projection screens are causing this illusion) and we hear an exclamation,
You're going under! Now, the vehicle slows down suddenly and we feel a blast of mist and wind. This simulates going under the surface of the water. The vehicle turns around and and levels out to give the illusion of being underwater. The Kuka arms and motion base work together to "float" by raising, lowering and tilting gently and slightly to give an submerged effect. Guests are now in a room where on the walls, ceilings, and floors are projected images of water and the ocean. We see the ship sinking to the bottom of the ocean next to us and some small lifeboats floating above our heads. We continue to move forward and pass into a new underwater room...
Eighth Scene -
We are moving through the ocean using the same underwater effect that took place in the Titanic room. We see a submarine creep out of the darkness. As this strange submarine comes closer, we discover that it is the Nautilus from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
The Nautilus floats by us and we see Captain Nemo in the Captain's seat, steering the massive sub. Then, Captain Nemo steers the sub underneath our vehicle, so that we cannot see it anymore. What happens next is sure to startle us: the vehicle starts to jerk, and with the help of projector screens and the Kuka arms, we are lifted out of the water by the infamous Giant Squid (an animatronic). Our vehicle jerks, shakes, rises, falls, and tilts, as we try to escape from the grasp of the giant squid and its large tentacles. Finally, we escape. We rise out of the water and into the next room...
Ninth Scene -
We enter the next room to find a lush rainforest filled with all kinds of plants and animals that are nothing like we've never seen before. We trek through the jungle, the motion base simulating walking, and discover the beauty and majesty that is the planet of Pandora. Next, we are swept off our feet by a banshee and fly through the air above Pandora. The motion base simulates the flight motion while the Kuka arms lift the vehicle off of the track. We see Jake (in Avatar form) and Neytiri (the Na'vi) on the backs of separate banshees and hear them hollering in delight. Soon, we land in the rain forest and everything turns completely black. We hear singing in the distance.
Tenth Scene -
Note: This is where the track splits, leading to two separate last scenes and two separate unloading areas.
We are now in on top of a mountain at night overlooking a large city, where we hear a choir singing. We take off into the air once more (using the Kuka arms and motion base) and fly over the famous city of Hollywood, in the 1950s. A narrator explains the importance of a story to any movie and that as long as there is imagination left in the world, movies and films will always have a meaning behind them. (This line is inspired by Walt Disney's famous quote). We turn around and see the famous Hollywood sign on a hill behind us, lit up at night.
Now we hear the narrator talking about the future of movies and how they will always change into new and exciting shapes and forms. We back away from the Hollywood sign and enter a wall of fog.
Through the fog, we enter a 21st century movie theater with a film of the Hollywood sign projected on the wall of fog. Similar to the effect in the 1800s cinema, a real screen rolls down behind the fog and the film is projected there. This gives the illusion of "exiting the world of movies" after traveling through their entire history. After a few seconds, the motion base turns around, travels up the aisle and arrives in the unloading area.
The unloading area is themed to the lobby of a 21st century movie theater and exit the vehicle. We leave the attraction and arrive back in the old times of Hollywood. With any luck, we are left saying, "Wow."
HOLLYWOOD EFFECTS INSTITUTE: C-TICKET AND SHOW
To help fill out the area and give guests more to do in this park (which needs rides desperately), our team also created a C-ticket attraction:
Laboratoire d'Effets Spéciaux (Special Effects Lab).
The attraction is set in a building themed as the "Hollywood Effects Institute", a school for film students to learn about the science of special effects in movies.
The facade of the building draws on the style of Spanish missions, and looks somewhat like this:
The building has two sections: A theater themed as a "lecture hall", and the "laboratory", where the ride is located.
In the theater is a magic show which is performed at different times throughout the day. The show is made up of classic large-scale illusions, and the magician demonstrates how they play a big role in special effects. He/she even shows the audience how to do a few tricks for themselves.
The ride is a tour of the laboratory of the Institute. The ride system is reminiscent of the Journey Into Imagination ride in Epcot, so the vehicles stop at different points throughout the ride. The ride moves through the makeup, illusion, and pyrotechnics labs, where you see examples of each type of effect. The highlight of the ride is a minor explosion in the pyrotechnics lab, after which fireballs shoot in your direction and narrowly miss you.
ROCK N' ROLLER COASTER RE-THEME
As mentioned above, to help fully immerse our guests in the story we are telling with the E-ticket we had to do a bit of re-theming of the area around it. And if course, this included the park's big thrill ride, Rock N' Roller Coaster.
When you first reach the area that houses the ride and new area created by our team, one huge thing that you will notice is that the facade if the coaster looks completely different, to match the rest of the theming. It would look similar to the radio station that is in DHS, except on a bit of a larger scale:
Also, the storyline has changed. When you walk in, you enter a radio studio from the 40s-50s. You see different plaques and images on the walls of the queue as you wind down the halls, to match the theming. Finally, you get to the recording room; similar to what you see in the current version. The new storyline is about a producer that is gambling on a small band with a much different take on current music.
After a few seconds of demonstration, the producer decides it's a go and gets a last minute spot on a "rookie" concert later that night. The band is shocked, and realize they need to leave now. That's when the storyline becomes similar as you get in your 50's limo and ride the coaster to get to the concert.
In the middle of the ride you arrive and start playing music. The music is original; not by an existing band. The music is in the style of very early rock n' roll. When you get off the ride, you enter the "backstage area" and a cast member congratulates you on completely rocking the concert and exciting the audience.
RESTAURANTS: Sock Hop Diner and Le Palme d'Or (The Golden Palm)
This new mini-land will contain 2 restaurants, one Table Service and one Counter Service. Currently in the Back lot at Walt Disney Studios, there are 3 dining options, all of which are subpar. These restaurants are Café des Cascadeurs, Blockbuster Café and Restaurant des Stars. These restaurants will be changed and merged into new dining options that will meet everyone’s needs. All of these restaurants, along with the show Armageddon, will be gutted and merged into 2 new, exciting dining experiences.
Replacing Armageddon and Café des Cascadeurs will be the all new
Sock Hop Diner counter service location. The facade will be inspired by the old Pan Pacific Auditorium in Los Angeles, which you might recognize from the entrances to DHS and DCA.
Here, you can get all of your favorite Americana options such as les hamburgers (hamburgers), les offres de poulet (chicken tenders), frappé (frappes) and so much more.
Replacing Blockbuster Café and Restaurant des Stars will be an all new table service restaurant called
Le Palme d'Or. This means Golden Palm, and is the name of the highest award given at the Cannes Film Festival in France.
The facade resembles the Market on Buena Vista Street in DCA.
Here you can dine in and around your favorite real movie props and set pieces, most of them protected behind glass. At this restaurant, cuisine is based on movies that take place around the globe and features dishes from Italy, China, Mexico, The United States, England, Japan and the oceans of the world. Bon appétit!
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We hope you enjoyed Team Land's submission for Challenge 2 of The Sorcerer's Apprentice: Season 2.
For more wonderful and creative armchair Imagineering from our team, keep checking back every week for our solutions to each new challenge!