Team Goofy Presents...
Majestic Point - A Symbol of Imagination
Backstory:
Around 1866 in the golden age of alpinism, Robert Sled, a painter, sculpture artist, and aspiring mountaineer, tries his luck to scale the mighty Matterhorn Mountain with some of his friends. Unfortunately, after a harrowing journey, he and his friends cannot reach the top, and begin the descent back to the base of the mountain. Once at the base of the mountain, Sled looks up in awe at the beauty and majesty of the mountain from this unique perspective. Sled is inspired by this location, and feeling a creative connection to the environment, decides to build a bench for himself in the area. With the help of his friends, Sled is able to build a bench from a nearby Spruce tree. Sled oversees the design and decides to give the bench a 360 degree perspective, so he had have all the available beauty at his disposal. Sled also paints and sculpts the bench to his individual tastes, adding a wide variety of color patters and wood engravings in the bench, including his own name. Finally, after the bench was complete, he dubs it and the location, Majestic Point. Over the next few months, Sled paints and sculpts an eclectic variety of art.
However, one night, before packing up his art to head home, Robert Sled hears loud footsteps creeping out of the shadows. He sees a tall white figure with giant claws who takes a swing at him. He ultimately escapes but was to scared to ever return to the Matterhorn base again.
Decades later, while filming Third Man on the Mountain in Switzerland, Walt Disney notices the majesty of the Matterhorn and sends a postcard of the mountain to Vic Greene, an Imagineer, telling him to "build this." Upon further investigation, Walt notices a beautifully painted and sculpted bench and the yeti claw marks on it. He asks to take the bench with him - but it never saw the light of day in Disneyland when the attraction opened because imagineers thought it would rapidly decay in the heat. It ended up staying in storage for the time being. Nevertheless, while not on display in the park, the bench's design was the inspiration for the color scheme of the Matterhorn Bobsled attraction queue.
After years in storage, to celebrate Disneyland's 60th birthday and the 150th anniversary of the first Matterhorn assent, WDI has decided to unveil the newly enhanced and refurbished Majestic Point! It will have a very specific location in the park in order to replicate the same view of the Matterhorn that inspired Robert Sled all those years ago.
Bench Essentials:
Location:
The location of our new bench, named "Majestic Point", is on the walkway to the right of the Matterhorn, leading from Tomorrowland into Fantasyland. As you meander on the path, you'll notice a subtle yet sizable curvature in the pathway that radiates out towards the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. Guarded by a small Alpine rock formation, this quaint and picturesque area is where Majestic Point will be situated. Along with having enough space, there is a formidable tree on the side of the bench, which offers much needed shade for guests in the California sun.
Viewing Perspective #1 - Facing the Matterhorn with the same viewpoint as Robert Sled
Viewing Perspective #2 - Robert Sled sculpted the opposing view of the hillside into the bench. Mr. Sled was a dreamer. To honor him and dreamers everywhere, guests can gaze out at the Disneyland monorail and the submarines; two icons from another dreamer, Walt Disney, who rediscovered Majestic Point
Double-Sided:
Majestic Point will have seats on both sides, offering multiple benefits to guests. Not only will Majestic Point be able to hold double the capacity of a regular sized bench, but guests are also given the option of two scenic views. If you sit facing the lagoon, you can passively observe two of the most iconic attractions in Disneyland: the Submarines and the Monorail. Nevertheless, if guests sit the opposite way, they can look up at the towering Matterhorn Mountain and reflect on the idea that this view was the same perspective that inspired Robert Sled to not only design the bench, but to paint, sculpt, and dream up masterpieces of art.
Material:
Robert Sled and his fellow companions built this bench in the 19th century from a Spruce tree at the base of the Matterhorn Mountain. The Spruce tree is the most common tree in Switzerland, with 46% of all trees being Spruces. WDI has refurbished the aesthetic features of the bench, which allows Majestic Point to offer a comfortable seat to relax and enjoy the views.
Color Scheme:
The base color of the bench is the same dark finish and eclectic color patterns that the queue building has, which you can see below:
Special Features - Around the Bench in Several Photos
Name Carving:
Robert Sled decided that he should carve his name into his bench so anyone who sees it knows who designed founded it. On the seat, he carved his name "Bob" into the bench. The artist's name was also a driving factor in designing the Disneyland Matterhorn attraction around Bobsleds, as his name is actually Robert (Bob) Sled.
Yeti Claws:
When guests observe the bench, there are noticeable claw marks from when Harold the Abominable Snowman had a run in with Robert Sled. You will be able to stick the tip of your index finger into the claw marks, showing how powerful this monster truly is.
Charge Ports:
In order to enhance the guest experience with Majestic Point, the creative designers at WDI decided to add one modern touch. You will see a Matterhorn logo on each corner of the bench, 4 in total, which are charge stations for electronic devices. While Disneyland should be enjoyed technology free, Disney understands the growing necessity for electronic accommodations, and the hopes of these charge ports will be so that guests utilize them for the continued longevity of their devices and not to keep their heads in their smartphones. As an aside, these charge ports will not be on park maps, so they will act as a hidden, "in the know", Disneyland secret.
Concluding Thoughts and Remarks:
(Note these two categories were taken from the challenge prompt)
How does your bench fit into the land:
Nestled on the eastern side of Fantasyland, Majestic Point embodies the imaginative and timeless aura of the land that its in. The bench itself tells the story of a man who wished to dream, who wished to sculpt, who wished to let his imagination run free. His impassioned love for art and the scenic Alpine vistas catalyzed his own adventure, and his own story. Robert Sled's legacy at the Matterhorn base has been restored and will be cherished forever in the land of 'imagination, hopes, and dreams'.
How does your bench affect the flow of park itself:
On the pathway from Tomorrowland into Fantasyland, there aren't a lot of secluded areas for relaxation and recuperation. On the left side of the path as you enter Fantasyland is the Matterhorn Bobsled queue, but other than that it is simply a walking path, and unless guests are standing on line, they can't appreciate the amazing views from this location. In addition, the Matterhorn Bobsled queue building color scheme takes inspiration from Robert Sled's Majestic Point, so by placing the bench in this location, it allows for a better cohesive color scheme flow within the Matterhorn Bobsled area.
Thank you for reading our proposal!
Thank you! My mistake...
