The Sorcerer's Apprentice Season 5 - ENDGAME

[James G.]

I've been trying to come up with some dramatic words to say, but I'm just too tired! Let me get some sleep, let my son's back surgery tomorrow go well, and soon I'll try to move you to tears with something dramatic and heartfelt. Before I head to bed, I wish Team Walt the best, and I can't wait to see your creation. I'm sure it's spectacularly evil and villainous!

 

[Outbound]

CLICK THE LINK... IF YOU DARE...

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[D Hulk]

Thank you to both our finalists for your big, evil parks! There’s a lot of high-quality, passionate material to digest, so patience please tomorrow while your hosts deliberate. ​

 

[D Hulk]

A shocking admission before we continue: I think a “Villains Park” is a silly idea.

Villainy is not very “Disney.” It’s off-brand. It’s not worth celebrating. It’s potentially frightening to families. There are many potential pitfalls.

And there’s the challenge! In this final prompt, your co-hosts acted the role of Disney’s clueless executives, demanding that our Imagineers spin gold from our idiocy. This is a trend seen frequently in contemporary Imagineering – “retheme the pier to Pixar,” “make this 1930s Hollywood hotel about space pirates,” “make a park about California inside California.” (Not sure why all examples are from DCA.) A “Villains Park” is potentially limited and misguided…or potentially a gateway to new creativity.

TEAM ROY
SHADOWLANDS

80 pages?!?! Memories of Team Castle’s legendary 86-page Fantasyland spring to mind. Happily, this reads faster.

Finalist and Project Manager @James G. has developed fantastically over this competition. He began unaccustomed to teamwork and technically naïve, and now he’s leading an active crew while personally creating maps and presentations (with his son). James, you can be proud of all you’ve accomplished over the past several months!

General resort expansion
Expanding Disneyland Resort is very difficult. It’s an additional challenge on top of the main prompt, though chosen intentionally to match this season’s Disneyland focus. Kudos. All your Eastern Gateway improvements – from parking to hotels to the park location to the GardenWalk revamp – these are all exactly correct. (Given a little SAU-powered property acquisition, naturally.) I’ve attempted the Disneyland Third Gate task before, and my solutions have been reasonably similar.

(Any nitpicks – Are guests gonna walk from the Esplanade?! Nobody walks in L.A.! – are minor things and won’t impact your standing.)

Disney’s Sunrise Towers Resort & Disney’s Fantasia Gardens Resort
These are both fine additions. They’re inconsequential to the challenge, mostly, but they show a fine sense of detail and realism.

Park intro
Every Disney park has its thesis statement. That is especially crucial for a Villains Park. I take this to be yours:

Disney Villains who made it possible for Walt Disney to do what he said was the most important thing – “to teach a child that good can always triumph over evil.”

If I have any singular critique of Shadowlands, it’s that I do not see this battle of good versus evil really manifesting itself in the park. Shadowlands comes across as a collection of villains doing their thing, with the forces of good rarely appearing to counter them. The nighttime spectacular gives the heroes their win. That is sorely lacking up until then.

The park is mostly “Fantasyland for Bad Guys” (with the uniquely left-field addition of Alien vs. Predator), which is the narrowest interpretation of a “Villains Park.” Park guests are never confronted with the question of evil. They don’t combat it, and the baddies don’t get their comeuppance. Every land and every attraction is very carefully crafted, there’s no doubt about that, but I feel a little more thought could have gone into fine-tuning the park’s skeleton before Team Roy began adding the muscles. Focusing so squarely on the canonical Disney Villains limited you guys a lot as well.

Londonbury Lane
A seedy, urban London entry land is a good concept. It nicely contrasts against Main Street U.S.A., and by so doing it sets Shadowlands’ tone. The park’s classical hub-and-spoke layout works well (albeit a little crunched by the Strawberry Fields site). It organizes the lands and sub-themes, and lets guests understand the theme both practically and thoughtfully.

One task which all great entry lands must do is transition guests from the waking world into the park’s fantasy. Londonbury Lane feels very sudden. We enter through evil gates (inspired by Cedar Point) and are instantly faced with a fog-shrouded dystopia overrun by evil. Each shop and restaurant is owned by a known Disney Villain, and Bald Mountain looms in the distance. (No big surprise that both projects use Bald Mountain as the central icon.) For little children especially, this is a lot all at once! Note how stuff like Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween tempers the terrors and eases guests into the spookiness.

A stronger “good versus evil” focus suggests a different entry land. Like say the heroes’ final outpost before facing the threats to come, as represented by Bald Mountain in the distance. Such a tactic would let guests mentally prepare as they walk the boulevard, and when leaving at day’s end it would reassure. If I’m leaving the park and my last memory is of a gigantic children’s book ripped to gory shreds…I mean, that image is loaded with subtext, and it is decidedly anti-Disney.

But as I said, on a granular level all is achieved quite nicely. This is a physically functional entry land, from the oft-forgotten park services on up. Taken on its own, as an evil London, a Sweeney Todd bakery is fitting…though again it is extremely, incredibly, immensely, deeply, ludicrously un-Disney. Symphony of the Strange, with its Rolly Crump influence, threads that needle of spooky happy fun very nicely, and suggests what could have been. Shadowman’s Restaurant and Cruella’s Panther Attack, either would be welcome additions deeper in the park. For an entry land, this is a whole lot of IP all at once (except for Shanghai’s Mickey Avenue, Main Streets are typically very subtle with the characters on an architectural level).

Perilous Plaza
Bald Mountain is a natural icon. It does what it should – it houses a “thesis statement” attraction, it hosts the nighttime spectacular. That omnimover with ALL the villains in it, well, that’s certainly Shadowlands! That’s your thesis: “Hey look, here’s all the villains!” Directly adapting Fantasia’s profane Night on Bald Mountain instead, and ending with the serene Ave Maria, that right there would be the reassuring “good triumphs over evil” narrative we need more of!

Forest of the Misty Ghouls
While it’s hard to devise a two-word “evil forest” name which doesn’t already sound derivative, “Forest of the Misty Ghouls” is a grotesque mouthful. Why not simply “Misty Forest?”

Aesthetically, this is the strongest of your various “dark Fantasylands.” It’s a bit less unique when every land has shops themed to cartoon Disney baddies. Generally, Shadowlands has more thrill rides than the average Disney Park, which very much fits the overall theme.

Maleficent’s Flight, a wing coaster, would easily be Disney’s most intense coaster! Nothing else in Shadowlands really compares; without a few “bridge” attractions, such a ride is likely to intimidate the average Disneyland Resort guest. As perhaps Shadowland’s premiere E-ticket, as part of the entry gate, I’d like to know about how this differs from Gatekeeper. How much theming goes on here? What does the coaster infrastructure look like? We have the trains resembling dragons, a nice touch. Do the tracks resemble Maleficent’s maze of thorns? James might disagree, but I say in a Disney park where immersion is the main aim, guests are less willing to accept visible coaster supports at face value. I do believe this concept could be themed to high Disney level, and a bit more detail about this specific ride would be appreciated.

The other Forest stuff is good. Gaston’s Tavern is a wise bit of cloning. The Woodsman’s Curse leans pretty far into the “decorated flat ride” spectrum. Matagoger’s Wheel is a neat immersive theme for a Ferris wheel, though perhaps a tad redundant when DCA already has one. That’s a challenge at Disneyland Resort: With so many rides, repetition becomes a real risk.

Acheron
Perhaps surprisingly, this Aliens and Predator land gets the “good versus evil” balance the best! By starting guests in the human Weyland Yutani base, we’re immediately placed in opposition to the land’s evil monsters. There aren’t xenomorphs just cheerily strolling the streets; no, they’re terrifying discoveries to be made on attractions. Think of it like Disneyland’s New Orleans Square. Buried deep behind the pristine facades are pirates and ghosts, there for brave guests to encounter if they wish. They don’t overtake the whole land.

This is a good, pragmatic adaptation of Disney’s Fox properties. It is carefully calibrated to remove the R-rated excesses and fit a family-friendly theme park. Even the references to Shadowlands as a whole…great attention-to-detail!

Alien Encounter is a very smart clone/resurrection. At DLR it would work! The Pit has the potential to top USH's Waterworld as the best, most unique, most engaging theme park stunt show. AVP: Confrontation is another triumph, with just the right amount of detail to whet my appetite.

This is the most successful land in Shadowlands. It’s also the only land not inspired by cartoon bad guys, which forces a different perspective. Yes, it’s the scariest place in the whole park. But here we’re confronting those terrors, we’re battling monsters instead of celebrating alongside them.

Halloween Town
This is a good land. The single-IP approach lends cohesion. Refreshingly, Jack Skellington and his buddies are not villains despite their gothic style, which makes a good moral point. Dark is not evil. It’s spooky while also lighthearted, nailing that Rolly Crump balance I referenced earlier.

Nightmare before Christmas is a popular cult classic, one which could likely sustain a whole land, with a few caveats…It’s not clear how well this would play outside of the holiday season. And what of Haunted Mansion Holiday over in Disneyland?

I’m getting Hogsmeade vibes here. Like we’re entering the real Halloween Town. Spooky Boys Carousel is a juicy update on a classic ride. The streetmosphere and shops and whatnot all add depth. The central dark ride sounds intriguing, even if the ride system sounds no more advanced than Mike & Sully to the Rescue. Want a little more precision there.

Cursed Caverns
James G. has a term, “The Attic,” which he uses to describe a land where all the orphaned ideas are tossed together. This is Shadowlands’ Attic. Here in one spot we have Aladdin, Pirates of the Caribbean, Hercules, The Lion King. Combined like that, it seems like a hodgepodge. I’ll grant you that Fantasyland successfully combines a greater multitude of stories, but when nearly the whole park feels like Evil Fantasyland then driving design philosophy becomes “Where can we wedge in Scar?” If I squint this becomes Evil Adventureland, but you’ve barely explored those implications beyond doing a character plug ‘n’ play.

Aladdin and the Cursed Chase is a promising coaster concept, one that’s very much in tune with the 21st century DisneyVersal SFX-heavy style. Dunno about reusing the word “cursed” when it’s the land’s name too. The Ropes Course is a good A-ticket detail, as is the Flying Dutchman walkthrough, as is the Boneyard Playground…okay, there are too many of these in one place!

And then you add in more and more Pirates stuff! It’s overkill. You preface this section by explaining how Jack Sparrow will remain in Disneyland, then you toss Davy Jones here, there’s that thematic repetition which makes Disneyland Resort such a challenge! (Also, not a fan of cloning Epcot’s low-capacity Frozen Ever After layout.) Giving Hercules a single shoot-the-chutes E-ticket is a better tribute to an IP. Not to mention Disneyland doesn’t have this ride type yet!

Conceptually, Cursed Caverns feels like a first draft. There are strong ideas (Hercules) and weak ideas (more Pirates). With more time and care, a sturdier and more focused land could definitely be fashioned from this concept.

Toondocks and the Scary Symphonies
An entire theme park is a gigantic task, and inevitably both teams would up with unfinished expansion pads. This is yours. Since thought and care went into the initial Toondocks concept (love that name, BTW), it’s understandable that you wanted to highlight what could’ve been. There’s a bit of Toontown here, and a bit of DCA’s Buena Vista Street, as you’re conceptually merging Silly Symphonies with early Walt Disney studios. Your concepts are more creative than Toontown, particularly making the whole land black-and-white, so it’s a shame that Disneyland Resort doesn’t really need this.

Dreams to Dust
A Disney park without a nighttime spectacular is incomplete. For tired guests who stick around, this is a natural climax to the day. Walt Disney first added fireworks to Disneyland to give the park as a whole a sort of narrative crescendo. Otherwise when any attraction is potentially your last, what’s the story structure?

With Dreams to Dust at long last we have good triumphing over evil! This is an @Evilgidgit passion project, and it shows. He innately grasps the Shadowlands thesis. Each scene pops to life. There’s a slight risk of repeating Fantasmic, especially with the Maleficent scene. That bit could be cut. The Chernabog finale works better without the comparison, and on its own that finale works wonders. Great that we have a B-mode planned in case of a Disco Chernabog.

If guests stick around for Dreams to Dust, they would indeed get the whole Shadowlands experience. Once a night, the shredded storybooks are resolved. Not every guest will witness this resolution, and those who don’t will leave Shadowlands likely thinking that it’s a park which worships evil. That isn’t the takeaway you want. With this component, we have an example of what the entire park could strive to be. On a conceptual level I think Shadowlands is underambitious. A lot of Disney villains a represented here, yes, and fit to the theme park formula, but not much more is being done with them. There was the promise of “good vs. evil,” and we got mostly “evil.”​

 

[D Hulk]

TEAM WALT
DISNEY’S DARK KINGDOM

The presentation begins by acknowledging the pitfalls of a Villains Park. There is much wisdom in this. With this realization you can start to develop a design philosophy which will act as a sturdy foundation for all to come.

Others more eloquent than I have discussed Joe Rhode’s underlying philosophy for Animal Kingdom. While the surface-level park is simply “look, animals,” the designers’ concept of man’s relationship to nature helps make even Avatar feel fitting. By outlining your Yin & Yang concept, by tying that into Dark Kingdom and Hong Kong Disney Resort as a whole, you have a similar philosophy which truly unites the entire project.

Resort-wide
Hong Kong is a smart resort choice. Is is basically a blank slate. There’s a ready-made expansion spot, and hardly any redundant ride types or themes to worry about. You take full advantage of this!

The best choice is the organizing principle of Tao. Hong Kong Disneyland was consciously designed with Feng Shui principles, and you’re building from that. Replacing the Esplanade fountain with the Yin Yang icon instantly, effortlessly, simplistically communicates your concept to all guests.

@Outbound has quickly become a master map maker, with Dark Kingdom as his crowning achievement. The park’s layout is nicely organic. The use of waterways reminds me somewhat of DisneySea on a smaller scale. One stated purpose was to create a dark mirror of HKDL across the Esplanade, and the layout sadly doesn’t really reflect that. To see the revamped Castle from Jiu Cheng, that parallel might still be evident, but making the theme clearer via layout would do a lot to strengthen the underlying Yin Yang concept.

I would like to know more about the Downtown Disney referenced in your resort map. Such an addition would greatly strengthen an underdeveloped resort. The opportunity was there to have the shopping district complement the second gate.

Hungry Ghost Hotel
This is the biggest miss of your project. On its own, a Haunted Mansion Hotel is an intriguing idea. The elevators are a keen touch among many. It simply doesn’t work for Hong Kong. There’s a reason they have Mystic Manor instead of a traditional Haunted Mansion: Chinese ghost taboo. Okay, I’m simplifying a complex cultural topic, but suffice it to say westernized ghosts are a gigantic no-no in China.

Even ignoring that issue, the Hungry Ghost Hotel is strangely located. It’s placed at the resort’s furthest point from the existing hotel corridor along the southern coast, and furthest too from your proposed Downtown Disney. The hotel eats into valuable park acreage, undermining future expansions, while not really doing anything to improve the in-park experience in the way that DisneySea’s Hotel MiraCosta does. Had you instead located your new hotel alongside Downtown Disney, placed it directly above the shopping level and facing Dark Kingdom on the other side, you could have greatly benefited the resort’s overall charm and layout.

Jiu Cheng
On the surface, Jiu Cheng seems like the Main Street that HKDL should have received. It isn’t American nostalgia circa 1900, which holds no meaning in Asia, but rather the modern Chinese equivalent of that. Even ignoring the overall theme of Dark Kingdom, already this reads as a strong decision.

Then, slowly, subtly, we start to notice those signs of decay. This is a very measured approach to the concepts of evil, villainy, pessimism. Not over-your-head but under-your-skin. I’m reminded of Imagineering’s rejected 1920s Prohibition concept for Disneyland Paris’ Main Street. Team Walt has simply remade that general idea in an Asian setting…and in the process, they’ve perhaps unintentionally conjured up local histories of crime-ridden British occupation circa 1900. Or perhaps not so unintentionally, since Club Obi-Wan (from Temple of Doom) is based on just that. I became more aware of Chinese urban history when visiting Hong Kong and Shanghai, so doubtlessly this topic would hold great meaning for locals.

Villainy feels very naturalistic here. As with Shadowlands, your street terminates at Bald Mountain…however, yours is modified into a noticeably more thoughtful mountain. Mount Thor, the world’s steepest slope. It’s evil in a nicely understated way. Similarly, character presence in Jiu Cheng is understated. The Hong Kong Sanctum Sanctorum, while an IP reference, blends in and doesn’t call attention to itself. Other characters are limited to the interiors, except of course for the Maleficent statue. (Nice art! )

(High Speed Heist is fun. What an odd coincidence that both teams placed a Test Track ride in their Main Street!)

Rothana Drive Yards
I approve of unique Star Wars lands. Duplicating Batuu everywhere gives us no incentive to travel.

Rothana is carefully calibrated to fit both Hong Kong and Dark Kingdom. The snowy theme is one which has been considered multiple times for HKDL, likely due to the extreme summer humidity. It’s a cool setting in all ways. Light Side against Dark Side, that naturally fits your Ying Yang concept of villainy, and it’s subtly conveyed with the Imperial architecture. This land is a pretty simple Star Wars setting, but the more you look the more you notice the Empire’s twisted presence.

I’m glad you pointed out that Star Wars is less popular in Asia. I’d’ve nitpicked otherwise. Given that, it’s understandable that Rothana is notably more humble than Galaxy’s Edge, while retaining the same immersion throughout its shops and restaurants. It’s a tad unrealistic to propose all-new rides rather than reskinned Galaxy’s Edge clones, though on the other hand I wish Disney did more of that.

I like your three rides, particularly the March of the Empire omnimover. The ridethrough maintains the Yin Yang duality, transitioning from a beautiful kyber crystal cavern to an Imperial mining operation. That contrast shows Dark Kingdom’s design philosophy on a micro scale, and such thematic precision makes me think really highly of the entire project. (The Wampa attack wouldn’t work on an omnimover.)

Incidentally, I appreciate that each land has at least one truly immersive restaurant. There’s more to a park than E-tickets, and these experiences add immeasurable depth to the guest experience. Good attention here. Good attention too with your overall ride balance.

Black Bayou
I take slight issue with your anti-Frontierland being located here. By not mirroring HKDL’s layout, it might not be clear to guests how New Orleans happens to be an evil Grizzly Gulch. I doubt most Hong Kongers know enough about American culture or the U.S. Castle Parks to make that comparison.

No matter, this is a good land. Once again, you’ve made the villainous theme subtle rather than the core design aesthetic. New Orleans Square is an amazing land, so I am a sucker for a thematic expansion which folds in more bayou, more voodoo, and more monsters. Actually, this feels like an anti-Adventureland more than anything else, particularly the swamp landscaping would beautifully parallel Jungle River Cruise’s flooded Cambodian delta. Hong Kong’s subtropical climate would really benefit such a world!

While Disney Villains are present in Black Bayou, in the forms of Oogie Boogie and Dr. Facilier, you’ve taken care to keep them indoors. They’re part of the environment, not the central focus. The Enchanted Voodoo Room is a very exciting update on a classic, modifying the attraction type and the theme while retaining reverence for the original. This would complement the Tiki Room just as Mystic Manor complements Haunted Mansion. Modern revamps like this should be a Hong Kong specialty!

In contrast, while Monsters of the Inner Swamp is doubtlessly a good original ride, since Hong Kong has no Splash Mountain (and since Hong Kong is so damnably hot), I think with a little retooling you could’ve had another creative reinterpretation here.

Night Hollow
I gave Team Roy grief for spreading their animated villains across practically the entire park. I applaud Team Walt for largely relegating them into a single anti-Fantasyland. This setting is more or less the first thing one imagines for a Villains Park; it would be missed if absent.

Each park has a Maleficent coaster. As a flying coaster, would yours utilize that unique Disney flying coaster patent with the vertically-arranged loading platforms? What of the coaster infrastructure? I asked Team Roy similar questions, so I guess it’s me. I’m obsessed with how roller coasters and theme overlap.

Of the other attractions, Hook Naval Academy is good filler. It’s a little awkward to fuse Hook and Ursula into one ride though. Mother Gothel’s Tower is fun. I suppose this is to be Hong Kong’s version of Tower of Terror, despite its relative smallness, which is a curious decision since it seems Tower of Terror would be the easiest ride of them all to clone into a Villains Park. Lastly, Bald Mountain (as your iconic structure and thus presumably home to your “thesis statement” attraction) seems underserved by a mere walkthrough.

Night Hollow is surrounded on all sides by other lands. There is no room to expand. This seems a mistake, since historically Fantasylands grow the most. There is always potential for more Disney Villain attractions, and new baddies are always being created, so don’t limit yourselves spatially!

Pleasure Island
As an evil response to Toy Story Land, this is better than I could have expected. Unlike Toy Story Land, this sounds…actually good! It also sounds like a better pier area than Disney has yet managed to create, with a deeper theme than “a pier area.” Between this and Night Hollow, I like that young children are accommodated in a park which might otherwise repel them, whether by theme or by thrill.

My one big gripe with Pleasure Island is that you haven’t taken advantage of Hong Kong Disneyland’s coastal location. Why is this oriented facing inland? You should’ve taken a tip from DisneySea here and set the land facing out towards the South China Sea, and really added to that seaside pier park feeling.

On a granular level, every attraction is simply a ton of fun. Individually, the Merry-Go-Round or Fun Wheel aren’t terribly special, but they certainly add to the atmosphere. I love the Trams mostly because they reference Morey’s Piers! The indoors miniland themed to Wreck-It Ralph seems slightly out-of-place, given that the land is primarily based on Pinocchio (a limiting theme), though since it’s indoors it’s less intrusive, and since it’s indoors it’s also air-conditioned Puppets on Parade fits like a glove.

With The Monstro, I was a little worried that you would duplicate California Screamin’s flaws – conceptually a fairly basic coaster below Disney’s capabilities. So color me pleased when you coastal coaster includes an unexpected highly-themed indoors section! It’s Incredicoaster meets Seven Dwarfs Mine Train meets Alton Towers’ Thir13een, and I’m on board!

Wonderland
Conceptually, Wonderland feels like Dark Kingdom’s least essential land. It has undeniable strengths, no doubt, particularly the visuals by @Disney Dad 3000 (always a fan).

Functionally, despite the Frozenland reference, I can see this working most like DisneySea’s Mermaid Lagoon – an indoors oasis for the kiddies, one that’s beautiful to behold but which is otherwise lacking in content when found in such a mature and engaging park. There are no bad attractions here. It is a fun expansion on existing Alice in Wonderland ideas. I like the Caucus Race, though maybe as a Caterpillar spinner. Wild Butterfly reminds me of Dollywood’s upcoming Dragonflier family coaster for some reason. Relocating Mad Tea Party here from HK Disneyland seems a silly thing. It begs the question.

One more headlining D- or E-ticket could make Wonderland more substantial. The IP lends itself to a modernized dark ride, something on a par with Pooh’s Hunny Hunt or even Tokyo’s upcoming Beauty & the Beast ride. Maybe for a future expansion?

Sorcerer’s Apprentice
As you yourselves ask, why not just make Fantasmic? In the real world, that would make the most sense. But this isn’t the real world, it’s the Sorcerer’s Apprentice Universe, where creativity oozes from every pore, where nobody creates clones!

So both teams made spectaculars centered around Bald Mountain, each climaxing in a big AA Chernabog…it’s the sensible choice. Within that framework, I for one was certainly not expecting Ernesto de la Cruz as our Master of Ceremonies! That unexpected touch gives the show a clear structure, and a clear identity quite removed from Fantasmic. It’s fun, it lets you visit lots of other Disney villains along the way (with so many toons, Darth Vader feels left-field). The heroes triumph at the end, just as they do in Team Roy’s show. Maybe it’s just a difference of emphasis, but I feel that this particular show doesn’t nail the park’s design philosophy (Yin Yang) quite as well as Roy’s did.

But nearly everything leading up to this has nailed that philosophy oh so well! There have been nitpicks along the way – that’s almost unavoidable when developing something as vast and complex as a theme park – but those nitpicks fade into the distance when we consider how consistent and unified Disney’s Dark Kingdom is as a whole. You’ve taken the oddball concept that is a Disney Villains Park and you’ve done a very respectable job of making a mature, functional park out of it, a park which maintains Walt Disney’s core ideals as filtered through a new prism. Well done!​

 

[AceAstro]

Starting off, I still really love the magazine presentation style. I think it’s a very clean presentation style and it works well here.

I love the introduction to this project! From the idea that Disneyland was born out of dreams so this is born out of nightmares, to the light caused by the Disneyland has formed the Shadows for Shadowlands. I love how it all plays into each other.

I really love the map and location but I am slightly concerned around the connection. The Eastern Gateway (An Eastern Parking Garage) was supposed to be the 1,3,4 area. The Eastern Gateway project was cancelled for a numerous number of reasons (including lack of support from the neighbouring businesses).

The expansion itself (Gardenwalk, Sunrise Towers, Fantasia Gardens, etc.), is all great additions that are definitely needed. The more hotels in DLR, the better.

Time for the park!

The “Realms of Darkness” all sound terrifying so I can’t wait to get into them more! The Shadowlands map looks stunning but I wish it was just a little bigger so I could take in the full map.

Londonbury Lane

I love this take on Main Street. From the Statue of Chernabog (move over Partners Statue) to Lady’s Tremaine’s Tea Room, everything fits into this land. Cruella’s Panther Attack is interesting. It would be the first true E-ticket attraction on Main Street. And it works! It fits the theme of the land perfectly and I love the idea of the vehicles. I am slightly concerned by the use of the Test Track ride system since it is already used in DCA for Radiator Springs Racers, but I fully believe that the story is more important than the ride system.

I love the use of Bald Mountain as the central icon of the park. If there was ever a villains park in real life, I could see Bald Mountain be the central icon. The Catacombs of the Villains sounds like an incredible attraction but it seems like an afterthought. For an attraction in the central icon, I wanted more while reading it.

Forest of the Misty Ghouls

From the description of this land, I get the Snow White feeling of the Evil Queen. I think a “dark forest” could be a theme of the whole Villains park so it’ll be interesting to see how you can shrink it down to one land.

I love the village square and nearby shop area. It’s a nice fit as a soft introduction to the land. Getting deeper into the land, I am loving the attractions. I really like the Evil Queen Poison Apples as that is such a “simple” attraction but I feel like it would be a favourite in the land/ whole park! Maleficent’s Flight (had to go back to the map to get the name of the attraction) sounds like a lot of fun! I have always been a fan of a winged coaster and this would give Disney a big deal coaster to compete with Knott’s and Magic Mountain. That being said, I wanted more for this coaster. This is the E-ticket of the land and I am guessing one of the flagship attractions of the whole park. Because of that, I would’ve liked more details as even from the map, it’s unclear which way the coaster goes.

Acheron

Acheron is an interesting choice. It makes sense to have a Fox IP but to take such an iconic horror IP and “tone” it down? I don’t know how well that would work. That being said, the aesthetics of the land are stunning!

I am conflicted about the Alien Encounter attraction. It makes sense to bring it back because the original dream was to use the Xenomorph. That being said, the original one was closed due to being too scary. Based on the description, this one is even scarier. I love the Alien vs. Predator: Confrontation. A shooter attraction here makes sense! It fits beautifully for this land and I think it could be a really fun and challenging attraction!

Halloween Town

Halloween Town is a beautiful looking place and I think it could work well in a Disney park. This land would also mean that we would no longer get the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay so that would be a huge win for a lot of people.

While I love the attraction in the land, I actually like the restaurant even more! The idea of an interactive Oogie-Boogie AA (they can re-use the AA from Haunted Mansion Holiday) is absolutely beautiful!

Cursed Caverns

Entering through the Cave of Wonders? That sounds like an absolutely incredible idea! It is one of my favourite parts of the film and I think it would work as an excellent entrance for a land.

Aladdin and the Cursed Chase is a fun looking family coaster following an IP that is very family friendly. I think it would be a very successful coaster. Hercules and the Escape from Hades is a nice water ride. All parks need a water ride in my opinion and this is a beautiful fit for that requirement. I am a huge Hercules fan and I think this attraction fits the IP nicely.

Toondocks

This was the land I was most excited about when it was being discussed. This land would be absolutely stunning live with all of the colours. While I understand you saving this as an expansion plot, I would have loved if this was a full land and Acheron was saved for the future.

I like the inclusion of the Hyperion Theatre but one thing that really sticks out to me about it is the fact that in DCA, the current Frozen show plays in the Hyperion Theatre so doubling up on the theatre may not work well. The Scary Symphonies is a great experience that I would love to see. It reminds me of the Main Street Cinema but with the scarier shorts instead of Mickey.

Dreams to Dust

The inclusion of a nighttime spectacular was unexpected but absolutely stunning! The Past Can Hurt scene is my favourite part of the show although the idea of a gigantic Chernabog animatronic raising above Bald Mountain is hard to pass up (although how would that work since it’s over 200 feet? Would it need a blinking light on it?)!

Overall, this is an incredible park! A third park in DLR has been rumoured for a while and I think this is a great addition. There were minor concerns here and there but overall the project and presentation was very good! Great job!​

 

[AceAstro]

I quite enjoy the Google site presentation style as I don’t personally know how to do them but they always look so clean. Starting with the map, it is stunning! It looks really good!

I like the park choice. Hong Kong will realistically get a second park sooner than later. On top of that, I think the theme here is perfect. The difference between light and dark. Yin and Yang. It goes hand in hand!

The timeline of when everything opens (and including the SAU into it) is a nice touch and very realistic. Again, the Bald Mountain weenie makes sense but I like the mountain you chose to base it off of has a high vertical and can match the Disneyland castle counterpart.

Starting with the Hungry Ghost Hotel, I am not sold. It’s a beautiful hotel and a lovely idea ( I love how it looks!) but it’s the wrong location. The reason that Hong Kong Disneyland has Mystic Manor instead of the Haunted Mansion is due to how the Chinese feel about Ghosts. Because of that, I don’t think this hotel would be made (or wouldn’t be successful if it was built).

Jiu Cheng

Jiu Cheng is a nice introduction to the park. It sets the tone for the park. It looks “charming” but there is the hint of evil and despair. Dark Disney is a nice inclusion to the land as it’s always nice to see concept art of early villains.

Like Team Roy, I like the inclusion of an attraction on Main Street. And what are the odds that both Main Street attractions use the Test Track technology? The High Speed Heist seems like a very fun attraction that has high re-rideability due to moving quickly and missing details.

Rothana Drive Yards

Star Wars makes sense in this park. Tomorrowland is the common idea for where to put Star Wras but it is being removed in Hong Kong in favour of Marvel. Because of that, this is a nice way to contrast that refurbishment. An arctic planet is an interesting choice but if done right, I think it would be very successful and visually stunning.

The R.H.E. Transport is a nice attraction. There is no PeopleMover in Hong Kong so including one here makes sense. Including March of the Empire as well feels redundant as I don’t think two omnimover attractions in one land is needed. The Rebels in Ronthana is a great looking attraction and a smart use of the EMV attraction vehicles. It’s a ride system that needs to be used more and I think here is a perfect place for it!

Black Bayou

This is my favourite land. A darker New Orleans Square is a beautiful idea. This is what I picture as a land for a villains land.

Oogie Boogie’s Laugh Floor is a nice little touch of an attraction for a dining option. The Enchanted Voodoo room is a very nice attraction that would be hard to turn down. You can’t say no to the Tiki room! Monsters of the Inner Swamp reminds me of a more serious, scarier Jungle Cruise. I think it complements the land beautifully and would be a hit among guests!

Night Hollow

This land makes sense as the central land. It is matching the look of Bald Mountain while having its own attractions to add to the land.

The Night on Bald Mountain attraction is a great idea. I love the walkthrough in Sleeping Beauty’s Castle in Disneyland and this reminds me of that. Hook’s Naval Academy is another nice attraction. Using the Aquatopia technology for an attraction like this is logical. I like the idea of avoiding Ursula’s “attacks” to add another dynamic to the attraction.

Pleasure Island

Pleasure Island is a classic land that I think could be a fun Disney land. It has a very nice aesthetic to it.

The land itself is very simple with the Trams being one of the main attractions. I like how the trams have two “preview” windows of other lands. The second half of the land in Candy Row is interesting. It feels slightly out of place but I like how the guests have to get there. Candy Mania is a cute touch and a fun shooter attraction. Monstro is a great idea. A wooden coaster is needed for HKDL and it fits the Pleasure Island theme perfectly.

Wonderland

Putting this land completely indoors is interesting. It makes sense to get the right look of Neon colours while also offering addition shelter in potentially bad weather days.

The Wild Butterfly coaster is a nice addition but overall this land felt small. It needs a larger scale attraction (D or E-Ticket) to add a good mix to the land.

Sorcerer’s Apprentice

A fresh take on Fantasmic! This show is a fun idea as it takes Fantasmic! And focuses solely on the villains. Guests can see all sorts of their favourite villains in this new show that I think would be quite an experience live. The inclusion of the AA Chernabog from the top of the mountain is another thing both teams did that I feel is very fitting. It is a show that I could see seeing multiple times as one of the best parts about the villains is their song!

Overall, this was a very good project with just a few misses in the hotel and Wonderland being to small. Another small nitpick is I would have liked the map of the land on each page instead of going back to the home page and to see the map. Well done!​

 

[mickeyfan5534]

I don't have time for anything right now. So one sentence reviews:

Team Roy: A strong but flawed project that is elevated with sheer perfection in Dreams to Dust @Evilgidgit please if you ever want to collab on an entertainment project, seriously, my PMs are open

Team Walt: Overall, one of the strongest projects we've ever seen in this competition with the only flaws being more nitpicks

 

[Tux]

Team Roy's Shadowlands Park

Shadowlands in General
The Message at the beginning of the park fits the park perfectly. It understands what the park needs so it’s not all gloomy and makes you want to give up on the world, but, doesn’t immediately throw the spotlight onto something unrelated.
Londonbury Lane
I love the contrast between this and Main Street, U.S.A! The area manages to be the opposite to it and allows them to contrast and makes them both stand out respectively. I like the way Cruella pays tribute to a sequel character, and manages to be Test Track but way more interesting and Connected than Test Track. The Symphony of Strange is a certainly unique and weird story, but, that's just the nature of the attraction.
Forest of the Misty Ghouls
While I feel like this land could broaden it's own Horizons by maybe checking out more Villains, but, it still is entertaining and manages to make the flat rides around the land interesting with their backstories. While I'm a bit curious about what Maleficent is like as there wasn't really a description about the ride itself, but, the land is overall thematically rounded and smooth in terms of understanding itself.
Acheron
Fits well with the theming of the park and doesn't stray too far from the message while telling it's own story. I can't name a single thing off from this land! Good job!
Halloween Town
I do think the idea works in terms of having it blend with the feeling of Londonbury, but, I Don't see how the movie really clicks with the theme of evil. Sure, it takes place in Halloween town which is supposed to be scary, but the message isn't about that. That's not saying the rides here aren't fun or don't tell stories, it's just that it doesn't really focus on villains.
Cursed Caverns
There are way too many exploration areas in this land! There are approximately 5 in total, one of which would probably have to require sneakers as well, that area being The Diamond Course due to it being a Rope Course. I actually thought it was pretty neat how you tied Aladdin and the Cursed Chase to evil, but, I don't think having a ride reminiscent of another studio's ride is the best idea. Maelstrom is decent thematically, and Siren's call is a nice way to bring Maelstrom back. Hercules utilizing mainly screens is understandable given that we already have plenty AA Ride in the park and that they may have trouble conveying the scenes, although I am curious to as how you'll pull the Cerberus off. Scourge of Scar makes me curious to as how 'Be Prepared' was altered, but, still is a good family coaster.
Toondocks
This is a smart way to save a unfinished land for later while still allowing it to exist In-Universe, while guaranteeing that the land itself doesn’t stay unfinished for an eternity. Hopefully the SAU will get back to this land in the future, but for now, it stays the it is. As long as Scary Symphonies doesn't get boring/Old it can bear it's weight.
Dreams to Dust​

The intro itself clearly shows the message of this park as I talked about before when I mentioned the plaque, staying consistent with the themes.

Sometimes the it’s not just the villains themselves that these characters overcome, but, rather some part of the holding them down as well. The show starts with Jiminy doubting himself, Buzz feels as if he’s only useful because he can fly in the beginning as well, Genie feels humiliated in the presence of Jafar, Beast hates his appearance for quite awhile, Maui resents being abandoned and never feeling complete due to it, and Simba thinks he’s the reason his dad, Mufasa, is dead for most of his life.

Good can overcome evil in that sense as well as overcoming evil in the Villain Sense of Kaa, Facilier, Mother Gothel, Ursula, Frollo, Maleficent, Davy Jones, and Chernabog.

​

 

[kmbmw777]

TEAM ROY
SHADOWLANDS

General Notes
Though it wasn't stated in the prompt, I was really hoping one of the two teams would pick to expand Disneyland and do it well. I'm really happy that you guys did (though I won't add that as points for you or subtract Outbound for that), as I think that the compactness of the resort is just so cozy (from a tourist perspective). You guys addressed the way that I have seen many people do before (probably because it is the only logical way to expand the resort). So great realism

Your introductory statement was nice - good always triumphs over evil. It is probably the best way that you could adapt a Dark park (which is a really hard thing to faithfully do, though because of how dark and thus not family friendly it inherently is).

Londonbury Lane
I think that using London as your inspiration for the entry land works super well. London is often romanticized to be an industrial, evil city for some reason and your land plays well on that.

I like the idea of the entrance to the park, but I worry about how it would be achieved. Your entrance has guests literally entering a storybook? That seems hard to accomplish without it seeming super cheesy. I did love the idea of having the epic coaster run across the entrance. That would be super foreboding.

Is Sherlock Holmes a Disney character? I guess he's public domansion, but his inclusion in a quest against Maleficent seems weird (even though i recognize that we are in London). Also, Disney has never really had a good attempt with interactive games throughout their park, so I doubt they would be eager to try again.

Your shops and restaurants all seem really nice, and I love the villain theming. It almost makes it feel like Toontown for villains. (I could have worded that better)

I think that your Cruella ride is solid in its idea, but I worry that there is a reason that Disney has avoided putting rides in their entry lands (with the one exception I can think of being Spaceship Earth in EPCOT). It has something to do with crowd control, I know.

Perilous Plaza
Bald Mountain as an icon is perfect - there's a reason that both groups chose it.

I love your omnimover ride. It feels like the type of ride that should be inside of the weenie for the park (I'm looking at it's tough to be a bug as an example what what shouldn't be). I think this is probably the must-do attraction in the park, and I kind of wish more love was given to it, but I also don't want to read more than 80 pages


Forest of the Misty Ghouls
I agree with D Hindley that the name doesn't roll of the tongue easily. 5 words is a lot!

I differ with D Hindley though in this opinion. I think that this land could have used a little more love. I believe in brainstorming this was to be your anti-Fantasyland? It feels lacking in a lot of the traditional Fantasyland elements - mainly dark rides.

Maleficent’s Flight would easily super awesome for me, as I love most coasters! I think that it is a bit weird to see this as the only thrill ride in the park, but really that is just a nitpick. I think that this ride needs a little more explaining though. Everest and Space Mountain is some of the only coasters that I would consider thrilling at Disney, and they both use creative way to hide their track. In Everest, it is highly themed and in Space Mountain it is very dark. How would you have solved this problem.

Acheron
I am completely unfamiliar with the Aliens and Predator IP, which presents a unique challenge. I feel, though, that I am pretty representable about the target audience of Disney - they don't know about the franchise either. Single/Double IP lands need huge reliability to draw people in, and I am concerned if this franchise has what it takes. I may be completely wrong - maybe I just am one of the 3 people to have never seen it (I haven't seen many horror movies, so this explanation is just as likely).

I thought D Hindley's analysis of the good versus evil in this land was interesting. It wasn't something that I noticed, but reading it makes perfect sense. If you didn't read it, go back and do that!

Alien Encounter would be loved by so many people, in the same was that a Horizons attraction would be. A really hype/wise choice on your park. I feel that all of your attractions would be really cool, so long as you can gather enough interest in the IPs used.

Halloween Town
I know everyone loves this movie, and it would definitely have the support to get its own land, yet once again I have never seen this movie. Man, I suck! I think making a land based off of this movie seems cute, not evil. I guess it is your lands equivalent of a Toontown IP. Cute cheesy, with some debatable bad guys.

I think I need to add this to my list of movies to watch.

Cursed Caverns
This is my favorite land (which conflicts with D Hindley's reviews drastically). That may be because the land features 3 of my favorite Disney IPs, so I am super biased. I think that the land features the mystery and adventure that this park needs. I feel that it is a unique mashing of IPs and every ride felt like a hit.

Misc
Your nighttime show was awesome, but I feel like that you need to see it in order to really get a sense of what shadowlands is, which should not be the case. As cool as it is (and as much passion as was put into it), I feel that by having this show be a necessity. I think that this show was the thesis statement that should have been your omnimover. I would have loved to see this level of detail there.

Overall, I loved your project, and I agreed with (most of) the sentiments of my co hosts.

TEAM WALT
DISNEY’S DARK KINGDOM

General Notes
Your thesis statement is what gives this park cohesion and makes it an incredibly strong contender in the finals. The yang to Disney's yin is a beautiful sentiment. You successfully addressed why a dark kingdom couldn't simply work and what changes need to be made in order to fit with the name but still be a logical choice. I think this alone makes your project outstanding.

The yang to this ying comes in the Hungry Ghost Hotel and the presence of ghosts throughout the park. From my understanding, this wouldn't be acceptable in China. While, the hotel wasn't a part of the prompt, so we can ignore that, I think the use of ghosts in the park is something to be very wary of.

Hong Kong is by far the easiest resort to expand on, and you addressed this perfectly. Just because it is easy, doesn't mean it is bad (just a clarification). There's no need for the suspension of disbelief that Disney could purchase all of the land

Also, the map you made is outstanding, and it really helps me visualize the project as I read through it.

Jiu Cheng
What an entry land! That was beautifully done!

First off the theming is perfect and logical. It is the exact opposite of Main Street USA and that works perfectly for it. All of the small details were great, especially Doctor Strange's Sanctum as an ice cream stand. I love the marvel themed ice cream flavors. That's enough to make a comic book nerd like be happy

Club Obi-Wan sounds like an awesome experience. Even though, I understand how the name is a reference to the source material, I feel that anyone going to it wouldn't understand that Easter Egg and they would expect something Star Wars themed. I feel that though the name is cool, I think that it probably should be changed to avoid confusion.

Your ride is very cool and definitely fits (like Roy's), but I share the same concerns about having big rides in entry lands.

Rothana Drive Yards
Woohoo! Star Wars land that isn't an exact clone!

Your rides and level of theming in this land - I could go on and on praising it! I have no real critiques on this land. The idea of an Empire-themed land is something I've tried, but you accomplished it infinitely better.

Black Bayou
The Enchanted Voodoo Room is a genius name. Again, all of your ride choices are awesome and work within both the park and the resort as a whole.

Wow, I'm so sorry that I don't have that much to say.

Night Hollow
I feel like your anti-Fantasyland is cool. It makes logical sense the attractions you chose and the villains that you decided to incorporate. My one and only critique is that it is so small. Fantasyland is most people's favorite land, and I feel that this would also be most people's favorite.

So many people would love to see their villains interacting, but because of this lands location and small size that is not doable. I am not sure what the remedy is, except for reworking its location. (Though I do acknowledge that it makes sense to put this in the center as your thesis).

Pleasure Island
Your biggest risk but also your biggest reward. A cute (on a surface level) family-friendly carnival is just what the park needs. Then only the eager eye can spot the darkness.

I thought your attractions were logical and I liked the use of the coaster. It seemed like one of the more creative takes on making a coaster that is unique but also thrilling and not immersive breaking.

Wonderland
Another confession - I haven't seen this movie and thus have little comments on it. I think the land seems kind of simple and cheap. Though it is indoors, it feels lacking in a sense - in the same way that Toontown Fair used to feel (and maybe still does; I haven't been there in a while).

Sorcerer’s Apprentice
A fun and awesome take on Fantasmic. Something that feels like the culmination of a season of work. The detail that went into this is incredible.

Also, you acknowledged the best part about Disney villains. It's not necessarily that they look cool or have deep motives (though some meet both). All Disney villains have some of the best songs!

Overall, great work on this project.
--.-.-.--
Both teams created proposals that they should be really proud of ​

 

[Tux]

Team Walt's Dark Kingdom
Hungry Ghost Hotel
The Hungry Ghost Hotel is a great way to get rid of the cultural problem and still have ghosts, while still having them be in the parks while not making Mystic Manor redundant. Solid Imagineering at it’s Finest! The maze is alright but still welcome, mainly because I don’t really see how it fits in this park. The Headless Houdini is a cute idea and seems pretty enjoyable though once again I don’t see how he fits however.

Jiu Cheng
Another Foil to Main street that reflects the themes but still manages to understand and adapt to the culture of the People who are likely visiting the park which allows it to have a wide arrange of options that understands the history of the location around the park. High Speed Heist has a great sense of flow and is an extremely enjoyable attraction with a great storyline that understands the theming of the area all around it. It’s a mature ride, and that’s needed every once in awhile around here.

Rothana Drive Yards
It seems like an interesting foil to Tomorrowland that uses a Movie IP that doesn't seem to run short on ideas. The R.H.E Transport is able to take the Peoplemover experience and adjust it to fit the areas theme while still allowing it to adapt a different story. The March of the Empire takes a sudden turn but, I'm alright with that and adds a layer of unpredictability that is able to be suspected and predicted if you paid attention to detail earlier that makes me love it, and Rebels in Rothana is perfect.

Black Bayou
I feel like the Black Bayou does a good job at being a foil to Adventureland just like how the Rothana Drive Yards and Jiu Cheng do a good job at being foils to Main Street and Tomorrowland, although I think the Black bayou would be better off being themed off of Chinese Myths instead of American Folklore tales. That being said, Monsters of the Inner Swamp does a GREAT job fulfilling the roll of the Jungle cruise while adding horror into it while adding a little pinch of humour at the end. The Enchanted Voodoo Room certainly does summarize Dr. Faciliers arc in The Princess and the Frog while still being it's own attraction rather than a Tiki Room Clone and having it's own charm to it.


Night Hollow
Once again, I am curious as to the details of the Maleficent Rollercoaster, though I am sure the battle will be quite thrilling between Prince Philip. Bald Mountain adds some foresight to the fireworks show and the fates of these villains in general. Mother Gothel's Tower could be a fun experience for both adults and kids alike if expanded on. The Hook Naval Academy sounds like a fun little game and manages to make the experience unique everytime.

Pleasure Island
I'm glad that this area of the park finally managed to make a carnival themed land that wasn't just a wide field of unthemed flat rides! This movie had plenty of villains and you utilized every single one of them in this case. The Transition to Sugar Rush was seamless, and Candy Mania! is a rather delightful addition to the land that is sure to be popular.

Wonderland
I think the problem here is while, don't get me wrong, The Idea has it's own set of original values that expands on scenes of Alice that hasn't been used before, I think the problem lies with the fact that Wonderland tends to be a overused concept in most theme parks in general. Other than that, the rides are quite charming and overall fun for all ages.

Sorcerers Apprentice
As for this Night-time show, I believe this show has just as much of an understanding of itself as Dreams to Dust. This Show in particular is about balance. While Mickey appears rather spontaneously, he does bring the villains together and in this case scenario and stick to the message. The One thing I don't understand is why Chernabog hates everyone for being okay with balance, but, that's okay. It was an interesting take on a villains show through the Villains perspective.​

REASON FOR EDIT: Felt like I was being rude, I had to add a Reason For Edit, and I changed my mind on one of the attractions. Overall thoughts on Lands/Park not swayed.

 

[D Hulk]

Exhausted from battle and creatively spent, all the warriors and princes from Team Walt and Team Roy assemble before a central, iconic Bald Mountain. A narrator, his voice warm and commanding, announces across the nighttime sky:

"Cheers to everyone's hard work and passion, the dark lord Chernabog has been sealed within Bald Mountain."

Evil is thoroughly vanquished from the Sorcerer's Apprentice Universe. The last remnants of Maleficent's wicked spell are undone, and in a blinding flash all is restored! The past projects which had been erased from existence, returned as though nothing had happened! The beloved Disney characters once turned into dust, now back with their friends!

A video plays on water screens in the lagoon, celebrating all the creative accomplishments which make up Sorcerer's Apprentice Season 5, spanning 4 months and 14 challenges:



"That's all well and good, but which of us won?!" asks a visible antsy @James G.

"I agree" says @Outbound. "Get on with it!"​

 

[D Hulk]

This round in particular has been a tough one to judge. How to weigh certain pluses and minuses against others? How to grasp two whole parks within a day? Almost certainly there are things we've missed or overlooked. Both projects were exceptional, and were a fitting finale to many months of premier projects.

Dreamfinder's Apprentice
(2nd place)

This player has improved tremendously throughout the season, building onto what was already a very impressive Armchair Imagineering career. The final park project, even though it didn't win, still represents the Sorcerer's Apprentice and all it stands for with creativity, teamwork and passion. The presentation was top-notch, and all individual components were told with the upmost care and attention-to-detail. This park would be incredibly fun to visit and explore. It would be a boon to its resort. Many of the attractions, restaurants and other elements presented have the potential to be some of the best in Disney's portfolio. Everyone involved in the creation of this park should stand proud!

The Sorcerer's Apprentice
(1st place)

Both individually and as a team player, our winner has consistently shown an ability to both think outside-of-the-box and produce solid projects. Combined, that is a dangerous skill set! This winning park reflects those abilities plus the talents of the supporting players. The park is more than simply a solid collection of attractions and appealing themed locations. It boasts a powerful, cohesive central concept which unites everything presented and elevates even the lesser aspects of the project. Only a few real Disney parks manage such conceptual cohesion, making them (and this) endlessly explorable and effortlessly timeless. You have taken the idea of a Villains Park, a cliched and problematic notion, and elevated it tremendously!

Spoiler: The Winner of Sorcerer's Apprentice Season 5: ENDGAME

Outbound
Disney's Dark Kingdom

Congratulations to each and every one who participated! This has been a wonderful season!​

 

[FireMountain]

To all members of Team Walt:
​

 

[Pi on my Cake]

This round in particular has been a tough one to judge. How to weigh certain pluses and minuses against others? How to grasp two whole parks within a day? Almost certainly there are things we've missed or overlooked. Both projects were exceptional, and were a fitting finale to many months of premier projects.

Dreamfinder's Apprentice
(2nd place)

This player has improved tremendously throughout the season, building onto what was already a very impressive Armchair Imagineering career. The final park project, even though it didn't win, still represents the Sorcerer's Apprentice and all it stands for with creativity, teamwork and passion. The presentation was top-notch, and all individual components were told with the upmost care and attention-to-detail. This park would be incredibly fun to visit and explore. It would be a boon to its resort. Many of the attractions, restaurants and other elements presented have the potential to be some of the best in Disney's portfolio. Everyone involved in the creation of this park should stand proud!

The Sorcerer's Apprentice
(1st place)

Both individually and as a team player, our winner has consistently shown an ability to both think outside-of-the-box and produce solid projects. Combined, that is a dangerous skill set! This winning park reflects those abilities plus the talents of the supporting players. The park is more than simply a solid collection of attractions and appealing themed locations. It boasts a powerful, cohesive central concept which unites everything presented and elevates even the lesser aspects of the project. Only a few real Disney parks manage such conceptual cohesion, making them (and this) endlessly explorable and effortlessly timeless. You have taken the idea of a Villains Park, a cliched and problematic notion, and elevated it tremendously!

Spoiler: The Winner of Sorcerer's Apprentice Season 5: ENDGAME

Outbound
Disney's Dark Kingdom

Congratulations to each and every one who participated! This has been a wonderful season!​

Congratulation to both @James G. and @Outbound! You both showed tremendous growth this season which is impressive considering how strong you already were at the start!

And to the winnner, Outbound you were amazing to work with and you always did such great work! Your personality shines in everything you do! I can't wait to see how you continue to grow going into the future! Congrats on a well earned win!

 

[TwilightZone]

WE DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS CALLS FOR A PARTY! AND THERE AINT NO PARTY LIKE A RODRICK PARTY

 

[PerGron]

Congrats @Outbound! Wish I could’ve been available to help more but I’m glad to see you pulled through! Well earned

 

[D Hulk]

 

[Brer Oswald]

Congratulations to @Outbound.

Also, I’m gonna call @D Hindley out on saying Pinocchio is a limiting theme, cause I personally disagree

 

[Outbound]

Thank you, everyone, for the compliments!

I sincerely believe everyone here got me to this point. Allow me to explain.

When I placed onto Team Warriors I was immediately intimidated by two very experienced players: @Voxel and @MonorailRed . They led the charge. I was the least experienced of the bunch, and I realized if I was to survive the cursed courtroom I needed to make my presence known. The cursed courtroom was like the boogieman in Act 1. I kept trying to do as much as possible in the event of elimination, and I think in that sense, competition can bring out some of the best in us.

My very first task was to create the Time Travel show for Tomorrowland. To do this, I worked with @NateD1226 . Nate was a great team-player this season. I remember early on, Nate would partner up with almost everyone on their projects to provide advice and critiques.

Also in the first round did I first encounter @James G. I immediately saw James as a powerhouse player. He had a vision, he would write insane amounts, and he didn't understand technology but he got better with that as the season progressed! The two of us worked together in Stanza 2 on Tahoma Timber Run.

Come Stanza 3, and Voxel and Monorail were busy and there was a "power vacuum" for our leaders- this was filled by James. First Rainier and then Tokugawa, James was the one creating the heart of these proposals and he inadvertently taught me the importance of themes within a Disney park. It does sound very cheesy, but you basically need to treat your proposal like an English Paper. Find the reason why this has to happen.

My failure as a leader in Stanza 4 was a setback, with @Disneylover152 taking up the slack. A shame Disneylover had to leave early: I think you would have made it far and possibly even won! Then we have @FireMountain who was a great player in the competition who always had unique ideas. Being leader in Stanza 4 was challenging during such a creative time, and I struggled to be a project manager.

Come Stanza 5 and I got to interact with Team Princes! I remember working with @spacemt354 on a Hersheypark Hotel. I threw out a couple of vague suggestions, and space came back with the full number crunch! Space is so good he dropped out: out of fear he would beat all of us. He never said that... but when you think about it...

Gaston's Brawl was different: with the lack of courtroom, everyone was willing to test out wacky ideas. I got to work with @Pi on my Cake and @PerGronStudio who each did an amazing job throughout Act 2. I tried new things: menus, comics, videos, and maps. By Act 3 I used all these newfound talents to my advantage! My favorite two prompts of this act have to be The Golden Mickey's and The Lavoratry Laboratory.

Then comes Act 3... and the predictions.

@TheOriginalTiki and @D Hindley hosted a podcast where they predicted who would win. Out of ten contestants, I was chosen least likey. I do not take any offense to these selections. They make perfect sense to any bystander- out of all ten, the person who has the smallest track record would be the least likely to win. Instead, what this did was give me the perfect motivation. I needed to capture everyone's attention, and I think I did that in Act 3.

The Water Park Prompt was just a lot of fun. I worked way too much on that google site but at the end of the day, it was awesome. @Disney Dad 3000 did a great job leading us. We avoided any real debate by simply throwing the blame on him should we lose . But this technique is more or less the same I pulled for the final stanza. Disney Dad is also the king of presentations... we need to take a moment to bow to that!

Now to the maps. This whole thing is surreal. I just said I'd like to make a map, and I started messing around with ms paint 3d. Looking at the old inventus map, I saw they used circles to convey trees and rocks. So I tried that, made it look a bit nicer, and taa-daa. Apparently, I'm good at maps now.

The maps take a long time to make, but the process quickly becomes rhythmic and relaxing. It's not really that hard, just a lot of detail to fit in. I could create a tutorial if anyone is interested. Now back on track: I was not anticipating a Fantasyland Dark Ride Prompt. In fact, Fantasyland is my least favorite of all the core lands! So I there was lots of debate in the buildup to choosing Shanghai. But once the idea came to me, I was a man with a plan. To accomplish my vast vision I started working later than usual: I figured I had to make this as good as it can be. The result was a project that just had everything I could possibly think, and I was happy.

I was emotionally done after Maleficent's prompt. I was very, very excited about being a finalist, but I was also daunted by POOR PROMPT (thankfully intentionally bad) and TEAM LEADERSHIP and MAKE A PARK. But I pushed through and used all the various tips I had learned throughout the season to my advantage. @TwilightZone, in particular, was a huge help this round. I would argue she is the most creative imagineer of the competition. @Brer Oswald had other issues to deal with, so it is a bit unfair that I never got to play alongside him properly. But from what I can tell you are a great imagineer and artist, who shouldn't compare himself to others! Look at this: everyone in this game brought something to the table. So did you, and I expect you will bring even more as time goes on.

I have already spoken to James in a private message, but I think our message is worthy of sharing. He made it really far into this game. He sunk hours and hours into the Shadowlands just as I did to Dark Kingdom. But even though he didn't win the competition, he did win a theme park. Now James has another Americana to sink hours and hours into! Also Anton = good? And you know what I think that message applies to all of us. Take it as cheesy, but we all have certain parts of projects we can call our "own". These are our creations that are now out there, whether we won or lost, thanks to the project. PerGron said he would be using some SAU projects in his disney world expansion project, which sounds really cool! Our projects transcend even the Sorcerer's Apprentice Universe!

@D Hindley , @AceAstro , and @kmbmw777 you have been great hosts. Watching that retrospective, the most incredible thing to me is the judge's artwork! I'd like to thank the Academy for this nomination.

And finally @Tux you are super motivated for a newbie! When I was starting out I barely commented, but you are already taking on the daunting task of judging these megaprojects! We will watch your career with great interest.

So to conclude, my message is this: work hard because everyone can win this game. AceAstro was new when he won, I was new when I won. I look forward to see who wins next season.