JokersWild
Well-Known Member
Hey, guys. Expect my reviews tonight. Unfortunately I’m stuck at work
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The Sorcerer's Apprentice Season 6: ODYSSEY
- Thread starter Pi on my Cake
- Start date
Outbound
Well-Known Member
TEAM TOMORROW
This team was lots of fun to watch, and on multiple occasions, I wanted to jump in and help brainstorm! @D Hindley did a spectacular job as Project Manager, balancing creative ideas (Ducktales) but with a dash of realism to make it actually work! I also want to spotlight @Disneypugs , for this being their first large project, you did a great job staying active and creative! I expect you will improve a lot this competition!
Concerning 55 pages, I think it’s important to realize the project is really 26 pages, the rest of it being a full theme park project. So, I will be grading this like a cake: Ducktales is the cake, and the rest is frosting. If the frosting is really good then it will improve my experience, but the inside is the most important piece.
Which makes me kinda sad the part that answer the prompt was basically by just Hindley , Pugs , and @Evildigit . This team and another were focused far too much on the 5-year plan when it was supposed to be a background! Remember to read the fine details!
- Focus on the entrance land: the 5 year plan should be kept to a loose description.
In retrospect, perhaps I focused too much on the plan in the main prompt, so next time we’ll try to make it more direct. Okay, with these preliminaries out of the way, let’s dive in.
PRESENTATION
You’ve opted to go with a Googe Doc, and I applaud you for it. For one, having the Brainstorming Google Doc kept your brainstorming far more organized than Teams Yesterday or Fantasy, who tended to dump all their stuff onto the forums. A Google Doc helps keep the entire project together, and can always be readily edited.
You could have converted it to a PDF, Site, of Forum Post from there, but I like that you kept it to the Doc. Mainly for the “outline” feature. It allows you to easily scroll through each little chapter, which eases up the length of the project.
I disagree with Pi on visual appearance: this doc looks nice. I like how each chapter has uppercase bolded words, with a matching color to its land. It’s appealing without distracting.
DISNEY’S WONDER REALMS
Redesigning this park is a radical move, but I think it’s worth it in this case. Any other park and I’d say, well, there’s some redeeming value here, but not WDSP. As many pointed out it’s really just a parking lot, and I appreciated the attention to revitalizing Paris’s second gate.
You guys with WDSP:
I disagree with Pi in that there is a very strong theme, and it concerns Disney IPs. IPs get a bad rep for invading classic lands or seating themselves next to famous landmarks. But on their own, they can make for amazing content! Who doesn’t want to walk through and explore Duckburg, Nemo’s Reef, or the Star Wars galaxy?
The Wonderous Gardens areas tie this all together. I think a stronger name would have been the Gardens of Imagination (although I appreciate setting it apart from Shanghai) where these original worlds are created. In other words, a dumping ground of IPs that wouldn’t fit into Disneyland Park or the Alliance of Knowledge.
That being said, you should have made the Wonderous Gardens your entrance land. I’ll paraphrase D Hindley last year, in that your entrance is both your first impression and last impression of the park. As a first impression, Ducktales does a decent job conveying excitement. But does it serve as a good exit point? For a park where one’s focus might have been Nemo or Star Wars, do we really want the final image for guests to be Donald’s wacky adventures? It just feels like Disneyland but Toontown as the entrance, and Main Street on the far side.
The solution: I really think Wonderous Gardens should have started the park (with it’s more generic themes), leading straight to Ducktales, and then to a lagoon with each land linking straight up like in Islands of Adventure or DCA.
TIMELINE
This is a good lineup of lands. Each IP brings a unique world to the table. The only thing I’m surprised by was placing Galaxy’s Edge so far out from the rest of the park. Especially with that long path connecting it to Howard Park, I think Expansion Plot #2 would have made more sense, and allowed it to interact more with the Wonderous Gardens.
Beyond this, though, the timeline is very good! Of all the projects, this is the one I’d like to visit most.
WONDEROUS GARDENS
I totally agree with the need for a water feature in the park. It would help tie everything together. This has a very relaxing “hub” feel to it, and I like the idea of placing parades and other big events here.
The inclusion of some more traditional “Studio” attractions are much appreciated. Placing it in a garden (not a replica of Hollywood) keeps with your more original theme while still allowing the areas to shine.
MUPPET STUDIOS
The Muppets are a ton of fun! I’ve taken to watching their older movies on Disney Plus, and I think I finally understand why people go crazy over them. I’m okay with using @Brer Panther ‘s Gonzo ride only because it was created within the timeframe of this stanza. The ride-through part feels more an extended detail, should you want it, rather than a full part of the project.
One really annoying nitpick I have is how you start the land… by calling the park “Walt Disney Studios Paris (or whatever we're going to rename it)” Oh no! I’d suggest rereading parts of the project the night before it’s to be posted, looking for little details like this. At the time it was fine - the name hadn’t been decided - but now next to the rest of the project it sticks out like a sore thumb.
But keep in mind I’m not going to define this land by one mistake! As a whole, this is a solid addition to the Wonderous Realms.
PIXAR STREET
Combining the mini-lands into a “Pixar Street” is a good move. For such a radical park, you’ve played it smarter here, keeping what’s already here - Toy Story Land, Ratatouille, and Crush’s Coaster - and improving its surroundings to make a cohesive whole.
(Loved the small details like height requirements and FastPass!)
Nemo’s Reef is one of my favorite areas. I think the indoor, underwater appearance with all the flat rides would give the park a great children’s area. Reminds me of a Bugs Land in DCA, only people actually care about the IP. Good call there.
MONSTROPOLIS
Kinda confused why this is its own land and not just part of Pixar Street. Or is it? Regardless, Monsters Inc is one of the most imaginative Pixar properties, so it’s great to see it getting land here. It’s crafted well: there’s not much to nitpick here.
DREAMFUL FANTASY ON PARADE
Parades are often forgotten in park projects, so this is great. But I have to take an issue with having this here. This is an entrance land prompt, why put so much effort into a parade one land over? Had this passed through your entrance, I would count it as one more exciting thing in Duckburg!
There’s a ton of effort put into this parade: it could pass as a group parade project. Great work @Evildigit , especially relating back to Walt Disney with his love for toys… I just wished it was used better.
MAGIC OF LIGHT AND WONDER
This feels a lot like, “we’re going to do the World of Color but not call it the World of Color”. You probably could have gotten away with World of Color here, but in the SAU, no project is a clone! This makes for a good capstone piece for Disney’s Wonderous Gardens… allowing me to finally visit the focus of the prompt…
GALAXY’S EDGE
One more??
Galaxy’s Edge might seem too short, but it’s actually the level of detail we judges were expecting. When the rest of your project is so detailed, it is a bit surprising and feels somewhat tacked on, but I’ll let it slide to avoid hitting 84 pages.
This isn’t all that “exciting” especially compared to the other teams, but Batuu is still a really cool Disney destination and I’d love to see it in this park. A smart choice, considering all your other risks.
DUCKBURG
Here we go! The moment this was brought up by Doug I was in love with the concept. It’s imaginative, bold, and frankly possible knowing Disney today. I’ve started off with the negatives in this review, so now I can get to the positives. Wonderous Gardens works better as an entrance, but Duckburg is more fun a read.
SCROOGE MCDUCK’S MONEY BIN BREAK-IN
Rethemeing the Tower was your biggest risk... and it fully pays off! The Tower of Terror works in Studios Parks so well, but take that theme out of the equation and you’re left with a giant horror tower. Giving it a Ducktales spin is a much better than say, Guardians of the Galaxy. But who would ever think of that?
The detail here is incredible. Every piece of this attraction is explored (the blueprint!), and I can fully understand what you are going for. My only real issue with this attraction is that it will become the icon of Wonderous Gardens, when it’s really just the landmark of one land. It’s at the center of the park, tall, memorable, and there’s nothing else in Wonderous Gardens to oppose it. This might be awkward.
But that one nitpick aside, this a fantastic attraction, and my favorite part of your project.
TROLLEYS AND TUGBOATS
Things like trolley make a land come alive. Particularly the entrance. The Quack FM is such a small detail that would add to the land so well! As Pi said, this is a perfect balance between the cartoon and the real world.
The tugboat is another smaller feature (the meet in greet) that adds to the land. I especially liked its interaction with the waterfront.
DARKWING DUCK
This is all-around awesome! With the lands so separated from them, giving a common interactive game would help tie the park together!
MICKEY AND THE MAGICIAN
Building on what Pi said, Mickey sorta has a sub land within Duckburg, and I wonder if this could have been designed as a more formal Mouston subland? Regardless, it’s a smart choice to keep some of the better parts of WDSP.
DINING
I’m going to group all these together because of how long this review is getting, and how I honestly don’t have much to say about them. They all fit into the Ducktales theme well.
RETAIL
Retail is one of those things that often gets thrown to the wayside in these prompts, but here’s an exception: all four main shops have their own unique, whimsical flair!
DUCKBURG CITY HALL
A very subtle inclusion that I was happy to see at the end. Great attention to detail.
CONCLUSION
Overall, this is a fantastic first stanza. Everyone got a chance to do what they wanted. I just wish you guys had spent less time detailing the other lands and that parade and spent more time in Ducktales. There’s a lot of detail that’s gone into Ducktales, but I think the project would be even stronger if you’d added, say one more flat ride or one more detailed menu to the entrance land, rather than spend the majority of your 55 pages off the prompt.
But don’t let that take away from the awesome park you’ve created!
Outbound
Well-Known Member
TEAM FANTASY
This was the ultimate contrast to Team Tomorrow: where Tomorrow was filled with brainstorming, taking risks, and a wide focus, Team Fantasy brought us a slower, more analytical planning process, taking a “safer” bet that nonetheless paid off well. It’s also the only of the three that I feel is truly about the park entrance.
Special kudos to @Disney Dad 3000 for his amazing video. The combination of “An Imagineering Story” with references to past Sorcerer’s Apprentice Seasons got me instantly invested in what you had to offer.
(BTW is cutting to Tintin when they say “what didn’t work so we never do it again” intentional? LOL)
PRESENTATION
NGL, this was a bit disappointing. The forum post is the default choice in most competitions, but as you all know, the Sorcerer’s Apprentice is known for its more out of the box presentation models. I suppose we want to save for a buildup in later stanzas?
No reading music? Alright, I look some up myself.
LA VILLE LUMIERE (nice french name!)
I LOVE the choice to go for French Filmmaking. It holds far more weight than Walt Disney. The great idea combined with @orlando678- ‘s fabulous writing creates a certain elegance to this land. It’s not jumping in your face with excitement (Hollywood DHS) or cringe (Production Studio WDSP). But, I have three concerns.
My first concern is if this suits the rest of the park. You have a beautiful little land themed to French Film History… and then transition to Toon Studios, Marvel, Star Wars… there’s even an attraction called “Porkchop Falls”! It’s not that either idea is bad (both are fantastic) it’s that La Ville Lumiere doesn’t really represent the rest of the park. Had your 5 year plan been more Film History (ex: a b-movie monster land, a spaghetti western land) it would have been a stronger cohesive whole. Although admittedly unrealistic for the mouse.
My second concern revolves around whether the French would be interested in going to France. But because this is an entrance land, I’d say it works.
My third and final concern revolves around how short this project is, which is funny because I just got off Team Tomorrow. I don’t take issue with the simplicity of this land, because sometimes less is more. BUT when you have such a simple concept, you have an opportunity to expand it out. Give each restaurant a menu instead of each e-ticket a ride-through. That’s just not here, unfortunately.
SHOPPING
I love how the shops haven’t really changed all that much, but with a simple rename, interior redecorating, and tonal shift goes from cheesy to elegant. This really is the Paris you see in the movies!
DINING
For an entrance to the park, this does a good job capturing the “Paris” feeling without going overkill. Parisians know what Paris is really like, so they’d likely see this is as just a generic cuisine… so you didn’t do a $$$ restaurant. Instead, you have a highlight reel of some French favorites, which should do its purpose of serving any hungry guest just entering the park. Reminds me of the first eateries in Main Street USA.
THE FIVE YEAR PLAN
This is the proper detailing for a five-year plan. Simple, to the point. I kinda wish you detailed Frozen Land a bit, I’m just going to assume it’s a clone of Ace’s Frozen Land in DLR.
THE SANCTUM GRILL
Howard Park was made before Doctor Strange came out, so it makes perfect sense for the area to be updated to better reflect the MCU today. Personally, I’ve never been a fan of the name, “Howard Park” particularly when we consider the MCU now doesn’t even have Tony. Avengers Campus is a better name.
But I was a bit confused why you’d chosen to make Doctor Strange an eatery. Then I realized the whole “three Sanctums” thing, and I found it really interesting! You could play with three different cuisines. This is a smart choice, even if strange when you consider this was given significant details while Frozen remains unmentioned.
PORKCHOP FALLS
You could have totally brought in Midway Mania and called it a day, but I LOVE this concept! And the park does need a log flume. Going into Andy’s imagination would work really well.
GALAXY’S EDGE - ENDOR
I applaud your decision to avoid Batuu and instead give us the Forest Moon of Endor. Particularly when we consider in the SAU, DHS has Tatooine, DLR Batuu, and DLHK has Rothana.
Endor has always made sense as a theme park land. Exploring the Ewok Village would be a ton of fun. I also liked the Endor Speeder Bike Challenge. My only concern here is the lack of attractions. Not just rides, but “interactive” experiences too. For instance, an Ewok show. Or a rope course. Or a cave home to a Jedi hermit, where you can build your own lightsaber.
Endor Speeder Bike Challenge sounds like a lot of fun, and I like the combination of physical and simulator scenes. I’ve never been on Tron Lightcycle Power Run, but I’ve heard good things about it!
My one suggestion here would be to break up the wall of text! Also, bolding key attractions tends to improve readability.
SECOND ENTRANCE
At first glance, this is a smart idea. But now I’m not sure. Would the second entrance be open to the public? I know DCA has a second entrance, but it’s only for hotel guests. If you create two separate entrances for guests, the park might lose some of its identity… especially the entrance! For a prompt focused on the entrance, I’m worried you’ve sabotaged it here.
TOON STUDIOS
This is the big oof. You guys were planning on describing Toon Studios, but couldn’t get along to it. You definitely didn’t have to describe it in detail, but there is no mention of it whatsoever, besides the park map. This is a big issue when we consider the thematic cohesion of your park.
Why is the Tower of Terror still standing in the middle of Toon Studios? What would be in Toon Studios? For such a large land in the middle of your park, it’s absence seriously damages your 5-year plan. Something like your Galaxy’s Edge writeup would have done fine.
Luckily, the focus on this Stanza was on the entrance land, not the 5-year-plan. That was the frosting on the cake. That puts you in a good spot moving forward.
CONCLUSION
Overall, this was a great turn around from a concerning first half. There are some really awesome ideas here (French film, Porkchop Falls) but I just felt the detail was lacking, particularly around the entry land, and Toon Studios’ lack of mention whatsoever.
In the future, I’d suggest better planning, and possibly posting everything onto a Google Doc, even if you copy-paste it to a forum post after the fact. When a stanza starts, feel free to go wild with crazy ideas, and hone in and sharpen those creative juices later on.
This was the ultimate contrast to Team Tomorrow: where Tomorrow was filled with brainstorming, taking risks, and a wide focus, Team Fantasy brought us a slower, more analytical planning process, taking a “safer” bet that nonetheless paid off well. It’s also the only of the three that I feel is truly about the park entrance.
Special kudos to @Disney Dad 3000 for his amazing video. The combination of “An Imagineering Story” with references to past Sorcerer’s Apprentice Seasons got me instantly invested in what you had to offer.
(BTW is cutting to Tintin when they say “what didn’t work so we never do it again” intentional? LOL)
PRESENTATION
NGL, this was a bit disappointing. The forum post is the default choice in most competitions, but as you all know, the Sorcerer’s Apprentice is known for its more out of the box presentation models. I suppose we want to save for a buildup in later stanzas?
No reading music? Alright, I look some up myself.
LA VILLE LUMIERE (nice french name!)
I LOVE the choice to go for French Filmmaking. It holds far more weight than Walt Disney. The great idea combined with @orlando678- ‘s fabulous writing creates a certain elegance to this land. It’s not jumping in your face with excitement (Hollywood DHS) or cringe (Production Studio WDSP). But, I have three concerns.
My first concern is if this suits the rest of the park. You have a beautiful little land themed to French Film History… and then transition to Toon Studios, Marvel, Star Wars… there’s even an attraction called “Porkchop Falls”! It’s not that either idea is bad (both are fantastic) it’s that La Ville Lumiere doesn’t really represent the rest of the park. Had your 5 year plan been more Film History (ex: a b-movie monster land, a spaghetti western land) it would have been a stronger cohesive whole. Although admittedly unrealistic for the mouse.
My second concern revolves around whether the French would be interested in going to France. But because this is an entrance land, I’d say it works.
My third and final concern revolves around how short this project is, which is funny because I just got off Team Tomorrow. I don’t take issue with the simplicity of this land, because sometimes less is more. BUT when you have such a simple concept, you have an opportunity to expand it out. Give each restaurant a menu instead of each e-ticket a ride-through. That’s just not here, unfortunately.
SHOPPING
I love how the shops haven’t really changed all that much, but with a simple rename, interior redecorating, and tonal shift goes from cheesy to elegant. This really is the Paris you see in the movies!
DINING
For an entrance to the park, this does a good job capturing the “Paris” feeling without going overkill. Parisians know what Paris is really like, so they’d likely see this is as just a generic cuisine… so you didn’t do a $$$ restaurant. Instead, you have a highlight reel of some French favorites, which should do its purpose of serving any hungry guest just entering the park. Reminds me of the first eateries in Main Street USA.
THE FIVE YEAR PLAN
This is the proper detailing for a five-year plan. Simple, to the point. I kinda wish you detailed Frozen Land a bit, I’m just going to assume it’s a clone of Ace’s Frozen Land in DLR.
THE SANCTUM GRILL
Howard Park was made before Doctor Strange came out, so it makes perfect sense for the area to be updated to better reflect the MCU today. Personally, I’ve never been a fan of the name, “Howard Park” particularly when we consider the MCU now doesn’t even have Tony. Avengers Campus is a better name.
But I was a bit confused why you’d chosen to make Doctor Strange an eatery. Then I realized the whole “three Sanctums” thing, and I found it really interesting! You could play with three different cuisines. This is a smart choice, even if strange when you consider this was given significant details while Frozen remains unmentioned.
PORKCHOP FALLS
You could have totally brought in Midway Mania and called it a day, but I LOVE this concept! And the park does need a log flume. Going into Andy’s imagination would work really well.
GALAXY’S EDGE - ENDOR
I applaud your decision to avoid Batuu and instead give us the Forest Moon of Endor. Particularly when we consider in the SAU, DHS has Tatooine, DLR Batuu, and DLHK has Rothana.
Endor has always made sense as a theme park land. Exploring the Ewok Village would be a ton of fun. I also liked the Endor Speeder Bike Challenge. My only concern here is the lack of attractions. Not just rides, but “interactive” experiences too. For instance, an Ewok show. Or a rope course. Or a cave home to a Jedi hermit, where you can build your own lightsaber.
Endor Speeder Bike Challenge sounds like a lot of fun, and I like the combination of physical and simulator scenes. I’ve never been on Tron Lightcycle Power Run, but I’ve heard good things about it!
My one suggestion here would be to break up the wall of text! Also, bolding key attractions tends to improve readability.
SECOND ENTRANCE
At first glance, this is a smart idea. But now I’m not sure. Would the second entrance be open to the public? I know DCA has a second entrance, but it’s only for hotel guests. If you create two separate entrances for guests, the park might lose some of its identity… especially the entrance! For a prompt focused on the entrance, I’m worried you’ve sabotaged it here.
TOON STUDIOS
This is the big oof. You guys were planning on describing Toon Studios, but couldn’t get along to it. You definitely didn’t have to describe it in detail, but there is no mention of it whatsoever, besides the park map. This is a big issue when we consider the thematic cohesion of your park.
Why is the Tower of Terror still standing in the middle of Toon Studios? What would be in Toon Studios? For such a large land in the middle of your park, it’s absence seriously damages your 5-year plan. Something like your Galaxy’s Edge writeup would have done fine.
Luckily, the focus on this Stanza was on the entrance land, not the 5-year-plan. That was the frosting on the cake. That puts you in a good spot moving forward.
CONCLUSION
Overall, this was a great turn around from a concerning first half. There are some really awesome ideas here (French film, Porkchop Falls) but I just felt the detail was lacking, particularly around the entry land, and Toon Studios’ lack of mention whatsoever.
In the future, I’d suggest better planning, and possibly posting everything onto a Google Doc, even if you copy-paste it to a forum post after the fact. When a stanza starts, feel free to go wild with crazy ideas, and hone in and sharpen those creative juices later on.
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Outbound
Well-Known Member
TEAM YESTERDAY
This was a fun team to watch. @Tux, @NateD1226 , and @TheOriginalTiki made up the “TNT” of the team, with @mickeyfan5534 helping as needed. Your Project Manager had to leave for external reasons, but Nate stepped up to the plate and lead the team! For that, I can forgive little things like the logo.
This team has a lot of ideas (like Tomorrow) but I don’t think you’ve managed them in the best way. Instead of posting your ideas directly to the private message, I suggest creating a Google Doc, to later copy over into the Site (or whatever you chose as the presentation). There were a lot of people coming in a few days later and ending up confused.
I also want to apologize if this review comes across as shorter than the others. This is a byproduct of posting last, all these projects were very detailed, and by the end, I started getting tired.
PRESENTATION
Google Sites is one of my favorites too Nate! It’s very easy to understand. I also like breaking it up by year, it gives everything a chronological flow.
One issue I have though is beyond the image on the top, your site doesn’t have many images to break up the walls of text. I think this would have helped visualize things better.
The biggest flaw with this project is the lack of a map. That might sound silly, and it would for OLS, but with the Sorcerer’s Apprentice, a map helps so much to understand a land! The issue is when we planned the teams, we knew both Tcool and Sam were good at maps so figured they’d carry the team there. Then they both went inactive… so long story short someone learn how to make maps (use this). Sorry about that!
YEAR ONE
I agree with your Tower of Terror changes. This is something that you have easily passed, but the mention of refining the lackluster tower is much appreciated! This is a part of Buena Vista Street, correct?
A big appeal to Buena Vista Street is that you’re walking in the footsteps of Walt Disney having arrived in Hollywood for the first time in the 1920s. Moving this to the 1940s is unique, but diminishes this theme… so the Carthaway Circle Bistro makes less sense, though it’s still a great destination.
With a little research, I recalled the 40s was when Citizen Kane and Gone With the Wind - some of the “all-time greats” were released. So was this land to celebrate a “peak” in Hollywood? Or was it just to distinguish itself from DCA? You don’t really explain much to this besides declaring it the theme.
The Honeycomb Creamery sounds like a cool area as well! I applaud your attention to detail, you could have very easily just run a number of places to eat, but instead, you’ve gone in and explained what it looks on both the exterior and interior!
I’m confused by the Orient Express. It fits much better with Team Fantasy’s land than yours, which is supposed to be 1940’s Hollywood. I know you are trying to relate it to Europe, but I don’t think you can just blend themes like this when they don’t have a logical throughline. The Orient Express takes place in the 1930s, and didn’t become a movie until 1974. And then it’s a Chinese restaurant? This feels a bit out of place.
It’s an interesting choice to split men and women’s apparel… I assume children would be split too? This might end up annoying for families unless the stores are right next to each other. The Jon Favreau tribute is cool, but I don’t think fits into the 1940s theme you’re setting up.
YEAR TWO
The Spirits of Arendelle is a solid attraction. I liked the ride-through, although, would this be the only point of interest in the mainland?
I still haven’t seen Frozen II, so forgive me if I don’t recognize some of the characters/concepts. But this looks like a good attraction. My only issue (and this isn’t really with you guys, but more Disney) is that wouldn’t Frozen fit better into Fantasyland over at DLP? Especially when it’s only one attraction.
YEAR THREE
Most of your attention went to the Great Movie Ride. I’m excited to see what you have in store!
First impressions, I’m unsure whether or not the Chinese/French blend would work. It’s an interesting idea, and personally I’d rather just make a replica of a famous building rather than edit it to “fit” into something else. But as I can’t really envision it, I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt.
I like your attention to detail in the queue. This is something often not mentioned that helps develop the attraction as a whole.
Starting with the Lumiére Brothers is a spectacular choice! From here we go to the rest of the ride: which is based more on genres, rather than time. This is an interesting concept, and I’m not sure which - the OG Great Movie Ride’s time focus, or your’s genre focus - is better.
I like nearly all the choices in the ride, even if there were a bit too much. My only issue is, Kingsmen, even though I love that scene, it wouldn’t work for Disney.
In more lighthearted terms... Toy Story Mania is a smart choice for TSL Playland!
YEAR FOUR (no year five?)
Hoth makes a lot of sense as your “flagship land”. Of the three Galaxy’s Edge, yours is the best. Tiki did a great job imagining and then executing this land. When I first saw Hoth brought up in the PMs, I was surprised, but now that I’ve read it all makes sense. Hoth has a unique aesthetic and with this project, a unique story.
What I liked most was the backstory. It gives the land a weight to it within the larger saga, compared to even “Mos Esiely! REMEMBER THIS!” The story is even different from your traditional Rebels vs Empire, set between smaller-scale factions in the aftermath of war.
The Gold Club is really neat, even if it uses Canto Bight architecture. Jokes aside, it fits surprisingly well! When you think of Hoth, you think of icy caverns, but this flows perfectly! I like the DJ Droid: it gives the area something cool beyond thrill rides.
Hoth Tours is a great attraction. I feel the name is a bit uninspired - sure it is providing Hoth Tours, but something like Star Tours: Journey to Echo Base, something to keep the (nearly bankrupt, nice) Star Tours name without confusing it with the simulator.
RX-77 sounds hilarious. We haven’t seen an “angry” droid in Star Wars before. I’m imagining him with the personality of Big Mean Carl in the Muppets. The people’s reactions to Star Tours also feel set up for great comedy. It’s not exactly what you expect from a Star Wars ride, but I dig it!
The ending of replicating the Battle of Hoth works very well and ties the land’s narrative into a neat bow. Hoth Tours is a really strong combination of the Disney Star Wars attractions and your own original ideas!
CONCLUSION
Overall… this project is confusing. There’s a ton of individually great moments - each eatery/shop in the entrance, the Great Movie Ride, and the Hoth land - but when you start to combine them, you lose a common focus. There doesn’t feel like much of a vision that went towards the entrance land, besides combining 1940s Hollywood with French and Chinese Architecture. And with a project where the majority of effort should go to this land, that’s a problem.
Still, this team has the most sense of “community” - see the discussion in the final 2 hours - that I’m most looking forward to seeing where you guys will go. Wouldn’t be surprised to find a winner among this team.
This was a fun team to watch. @Tux, @NateD1226 , and @TheOriginalTiki made up the “TNT” of the team, with @mickeyfan5534 helping as needed. Your Project Manager had to leave for external reasons, but Nate stepped up to the plate and lead the team! For that, I can forgive little things like the logo.
This team has a lot of ideas (like Tomorrow) but I don’t think you’ve managed them in the best way. Instead of posting your ideas directly to the private message, I suggest creating a Google Doc, to later copy over into the Site (or whatever you chose as the presentation). There were a lot of people coming in a few days later and ending up confused.
I also want to apologize if this review comes across as shorter than the others. This is a byproduct of posting last, all these projects were very detailed, and by the end, I started getting tired.
PRESENTATION
Google Sites is one of my favorites too Nate! It’s very easy to understand. I also like breaking it up by year, it gives everything a chronological flow.
One issue I have though is beyond the image on the top, your site doesn’t have many images to break up the walls of text. I think this would have helped visualize things better.
The biggest flaw with this project is the lack of a map. That might sound silly, and it would for OLS, but with the Sorcerer’s Apprentice, a map helps so much to understand a land! The issue is when we planned the teams, we knew both Tcool and Sam were good at maps so figured they’d carry the team there. Then they both went inactive… so long story short someone learn how to make maps (use this). Sorry about that!
YEAR ONE
I agree with your Tower of Terror changes. This is something that you have easily passed, but the mention of refining the lackluster tower is much appreciated! This is a part of Buena Vista Street, correct?
A big appeal to Buena Vista Street is that you’re walking in the footsteps of Walt Disney having arrived in Hollywood for the first time in the 1920s. Moving this to the 1940s is unique, but diminishes this theme… so the Carthaway Circle Bistro makes less sense, though it’s still a great destination.
With a little research, I recalled the 40s was when Citizen Kane and Gone With the Wind - some of the “all-time greats” were released. So was this land to celebrate a “peak” in Hollywood? Or was it just to distinguish itself from DCA? You don’t really explain much to this besides declaring it the theme.
The Honeycomb Creamery sounds like a cool area as well! I applaud your attention to detail, you could have very easily just run a number of places to eat, but instead, you’ve gone in and explained what it looks on both the exterior and interior!
I’m confused by the Orient Express. It fits much better with Team Fantasy’s land than yours, which is supposed to be 1940’s Hollywood. I know you are trying to relate it to Europe, but I don’t think you can just blend themes like this when they don’t have a logical throughline. The Orient Express takes place in the 1930s, and didn’t become a movie until 1974. And then it’s a Chinese restaurant? This feels a bit out of place.
It’s an interesting choice to split men and women’s apparel… I assume children would be split too? This might end up annoying for families unless the stores are right next to each other. The Jon Favreau tribute is cool, but I don’t think fits into the 1940s theme you’re setting up.
YEAR TWO
The Spirits of Arendelle is a solid attraction. I liked the ride-through, although, would this be the only point of interest in the mainland?
I still haven’t seen Frozen II, so forgive me if I don’t recognize some of the characters/concepts. But this looks like a good attraction. My only issue (and this isn’t really with you guys, but more Disney) is that wouldn’t Frozen fit better into Fantasyland over at DLP? Especially when it’s only one attraction.
YEAR THREE
Most of your attention went to the Great Movie Ride. I’m excited to see what you have in store!
First impressions, I’m unsure whether or not the Chinese/French blend would work. It’s an interesting idea, and personally I’d rather just make a replica of a famous building rather than edit it to “fit” into something else. But as I can’t really envision it, I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt.
I like your attention to detail in the queue. This is something often not mentioned that helps develop the attraction as a whole.
Starting with the Lumiére Brothers is a spectacular choice! From here we go to the rest of the ride: which is based more on genres, rather than time. This is an interesting concept, and I’m not sure which - the OG Great Movie Ride’s time focus, or your’s genre focus - is better.
I like nearly all the choices in the ride, even if there were a bit too much. My only issue is, Kingsmen, even though I love that scene, it wouldn’t work for Disney.
In more lighthearted terms... Toy Story Mania is a smart choice for TSL Playland!
YEAR FOUR (no year five?)
Hoth makes a lot of sense as your “flagship land”. Of the three Galaxy’s Edge, yours is the best. Tiki did a great job imagining and then executing this land. When I first saw Hoth brought up in the PMs, I was surprised, but now that I’ve read it all makes sense. Hoth has a unique aesthetic and with this project, a unique story.
What I liked most was the backstory. It gives the land a weight to it within the larger saga, compared to even “Mos Esiely! REMEMBER THIS!” The story is even different from your traditional Rebels vs Empire, set between smaller-scale factions in the aftermath of war.
The Gold Club is really neat, even if it uses Canto Bight architecture. Jokes aside, it fits surprisingly well! When you think of Hoth, you think of icy caverns, but this flows perfectly! I like the DJ Droid: it gives the area something cool beyond thrill rides.
Hoth Tours is a great attraction. I feel the name is a bit uninspired - sure it is providing Hoth Tours, but something like Star Tours: Journey to Echo Base, something to keep the (nearly bankrupt, nice) Star Tours name without confusing it with the simulator.
RX-77 sounds hilarious. We haven’t seen an “angry” droid in Star Wars before. I’m imagining him with the personality of Big Mean Carl in the Muppets. The people’s reactions to Star Tours also feel set up for great comedy. It’s not exactly what you expect from a Star Wars ride, but I dig it!
The ending of replicating the Battle of Hoth works very well and ties the land’s narrative into a neat bow. Hoth Tours is a really strong combination of the Disney Star Wars attractions and your own original ideas!
CONCLUSION
Overall… this project is confusing. There’s a ton of individually great moments - each eatery/shop in the entrance, the Great Movie Ride, and the Hoth land - but when you start to combine them, you lose a common focus. There doesn’t feel like much of a vision that went towards the entrance land, besides combining 1940s Hollywood with French and Chinese Architecture. And with a project where the majority of effort should go to this land, that’s a problem.
Still, this team has the most sense of “community” - see the discussion in the final 2 hours - that I’m most looking forward to seeing where you guys will go. Wouldn’t be surprised to find a winner among this team.
Voxel
President of Progress City
Dear Team Tomorrow,
As President of Progress City I tend to be a very busy person as you all know. Figuring out where to implement the next great City idea doesn’t form itself. Sadly I’m in the midst of traveling and currently preparing to come home with limited to no internet access. I plan on reviewing this work but please don’t expect it until Thursday when I’m back in the states with a proper keyboard and internet.
Thank you and please vote for me again in the upcoming elections,
Voxel
President, Progress City
As President of Progress City I tend to be a very busy person as you all know. Figuring out where to implement the next great City idea doesn’t form itself. Sadly I’m in the midst of traveling and currently preparing to come home with limited to no internet access. I plan on reviewing this work but please don’t expect it until Thursday when I’m back in the states with a proper keyboard and internet.
Thank you and please vote for me again in the upcoming elections
,Voxel
President, Progress City
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PerGron
Well-Known Member
So, from the get-go Team Tomorrow was certainly the most active team and that shows in the presentation. Holy cow, 55 whole pages! Might not be 84 but still wow! Every time I logged on there were plenty of messages to catch up on, and one of the best parts of it was that almost every single member of the team was active during brainstorming. I especially want to shout out @Disneypugs. who, while this being their first competition, held their own and was a very active member of the game. Disneypugs...
First off, I have to say, I love the idea of renaming the park. Walt Disney Studios Paris is such a bland and uninspired name, so I think renaming it was a smart choice on your part.
That being said, I think Disney's Wonder Realms may not have been the best choice. My reasoning being that "Realm" doesn't really have a translation in French. Disney's Wonder Realms would translate to "Les merveilles de Disney" which translates back, roughly to, The Wonderful Things of Disney or Disney's Wonderful Things. Now, my French is pretty rough so maybe I'm missing something and this is just making me look ignorant, but so far as my old translation textbook says, the translation is rough. This is an issue Disney famously had to tackle with the Haunted Mansion turning it Phantom Manor. That being said, I won't let this hurt you that much, but I just wanted to bring it up to make sure we keep things like that in mind in the future.
Timeline
Your timeline here is pretty solid and believable. My major issue here is that you didn't fast-track the entrance land. Where this is the main part of the project it feels like this should've been the first bit of the timeline.
Toy Story Playland
I suppose opening A.S.S in Toy Story Playland works as a replacement to the Parachute Drop, but it could be my bias against A.S.S as one of my least favorite rides in all of WDW, but I feel like switching the attractions is just kind of trivial. Especially where Parachute Drop is a unique ride compared to A.S.S. That being said, I think Toy Story Playland was handled rather well. This is the amount of detail we were looking for on this five-year plan. But, we'll get into that a bit more as we go on.
Wondrous Gardens
I'm going to agree with Pi here and say that I feel like this should have been the entrance land. Wondrous Gardens has the feel of a central hub with plenty of lands surrounding it. That being said, I 100% agree that the park needs green space and a water feature. Every Disney Park has a water feature, so overall I do think that's a good choice there. I do like the idea of the water play areas and the carousel. Both things are pretty subtle and solid choices to flesh out the area.
Cinemagic Movie Center
This area feels a bit disjointed from everything else. This is another area I feel like could have been flushed about even more and could've been the entry land again. That's not to say your entry land isn't good, but these two areas feel more like an entry land than the one you selected, but I suppose we should save that for later...
As for Great Moments at the Movies, I think this is a great idea and a unique take as a successor for the Great Movie Ride.
Muppet Studios
Are the Muppets popular in Europe? I was an exchange student in France and I remember talking about The Muppets with my host family (this was about the time Muppets Most Wanted was in theaters) and they weren't very familiar with the property. While personally I adore the Muppets, I'm not sure the cultural resonation fits with a European market. That being said, the land is fun and The Great Gonzo's Daredevil Academy sounds very fun and I'm a big fan of Pepe's
Nemo's Reef
15 pages in and still no sign of the entrance land...
Nemo's Reef is a solid land and I think having a land indoors fits well in Paris so that the guests can escape the colder weather in the winter months. That being said, why is there a pelican ride in the reef? Pelicans don't live underwater? While the ride itself fits the theme, but it slightly bothers me. Everything else though is really well done.
(I'm gonna skip Monstropolis as it's a solid land that I have no real issues with and I do want to get to the bulk of the project)
Dreamful Fantasy on Parade
Okay okay, maybe I'm in the wrong here, but I don't think this parade fits the park at all. While it's a great read and is certainly a well done and well thought out parade that I could certainly see happening, it feels more like it should be in Disneyland Park rather than this one. The floats featured aren't represented in the park itself minus Ducktales and Toy Story. While Marvel, Star Wars, The Muppets, Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo, etc. are all important parts of the park but none of them are featured in this parade. It just doesn't feel like the parade fits the message and theme of the park.
Galaxy's Edge
I think this was a safe bet and totally fine to just copy Galaxy's Edge over to this park. That being said, out of all of the lands presented here, I feel like this is the weakest due to there being no real change here and it feels like you just mentioned it to mention it. That being said, it's the perfect amount of detail for the project.
DUCKBURG
All jokes aside (and honestly it's all just good-natured humor) you guys really saved the best for last here.
Coot Plaza may not, to me, be the best entrance land idea that you guys presented here, but this is honestly the best way an entrance land could've been done.
It is the perfect blend of the Scrooge McDuck comics (very popular in Europe) as well as both the 1980s and current versions of the Ducktales TV show. This doesn't feel like a grab at the popular current show, but rather a more respectful take on the property as a whole.
@D Hindley You've done it again. This is easily some of the best custom artwork I've seen on this site and I can totally see this being a real concept announced as a replacement for a ToT somewhere, and honestly, I wouldn't be too disappointed if it was.
The whole concept of this attraction, from the queue to the story to the ride itself was so much fun and I was really into this attraction. It was super solid and I'm kind of sad it's not a real attraction.
I'm also so down with David Tennant coming and voicing Scrooge in all official media too.
Donald Duck's Tugboat
I think this a fun way to do a meet and greet. That being said, I feel like Mickey and friends should be meeting in another land (Wondrous Gardens maybe?) and leave the tugboat for Ducktales Exclusive characters.
Dark Wing Duck Let's Get Dangerous
I love a good interactive game and I think this would be a lot of fun to play around the park. Not much else to say here though.
Restaurants
@Disneypugs. really took this in stride and, with the help of a few other teammates, made a really solid restaurant. I was a big fan of the House of Mouse cartoon show and I think a restaurant like this would be a great way to improve a park.
The Billionaire's Club is also super interesting and i think it'd be a really really fun place to grab a super fancy meal and would be a place I'd feel super important eating at.
Launchpad McSnack's is easily the greatest pun name I've seen in a while.
Shops
You guys did a great job on retail and provided some super interesting options that make a lot of sense.
Overall, this project was a lot to get through. The whole project was really solid and had so much to read through, all of which was great. It just feels like there was a little bit too much in terms of detail about the five year plan rather than the main focus being on the entry land. That being said, congrats to everyone and I look forward to seeing Team Tomorrow's future ideas and projects.
PerGron
Well-Known Member
Alright, Team Fantasy, I'm going to be honest, I was initially worried at your participation during the Introduction piece, but once the project started you guys proved my fears wrong and got right to work. I was immediately impressed by the teamwork on this team. You guys were very exciting to watch and, while you're not exactly the longest project, you certainly gave me something interesting to read.
@Disney Dad 3000 you crushed the video, holy cow. That was such a fun way to introduce your project and made for an incredibly exciting way to start off the read. Very good job on that.
La Ville Lumiere
This entrance land is something I never would have expected to be chosen. The History of French Cinema is super important in the history of cinema in general and makes total sense as an entrance land.
Tying the land into French cinema brings in the European audience by tying their history and culture and Disney together. I think this would be an excellent choice for an entry land.
I loved the references to all of the super old French films, especially La Voyage dans la Lune, which (in part thanks to Hugo) is easily one of the most iconic scenes in film history to me and one that I think of every time I think classic movies.
That being said, the land itself feels a bit odd to jump between Paris and Hollywood. I'm also a bit confused by how the whole Gaumont Place thing works. I know in brainstorming you guys had some ideas about walking through the movies and whatnot, but it didn't translate very well through the final project.
Shopping
The shopping is a bit small but overall it suffices really well and certainly feels like a set of shops that would be really solid.
Dining
All of the dining here is solid. I think having solid comforting Parisian foods is something the citizens of Paris would be glad to see. I also think things like the crepe stand provide a great alternative to standard theme park food.
Avengers Campus Dining
The Sanctum is amazing and could easily be an amazing place to explore. It's a bit strange that you chose to make it a grill, but any way I could explore the sanctum I'm here for it.
Porkchop Falls
While a log flume in Paris may not be the best idea as it can get quite cold there, I certainly love the theming and think this is a super unique way to do a new Toy Story E Ticket instead of just porting Toy Story Mania over.
Galaxy's Edge
I'm a massive Star Wars fan, I've loved every film, tv series, book, video game, etc. But somehow, you guys picked my absolute least favorite Star Wars scene to turn into a land
. Honestly though, Endor is a really great idea for a land and having a speeder bike coaster is a really great idea. Also, I think having Smuggler's Run here does fit the theme and is also a great idea.Adding a second entrance by AoK is also a great idea.
You guys did this project a bit more reigned in than Team Tomorrow, but the presentation itself was solid and I really enjoyed the project. Great job and I look forward to seeing Team Fantasy continue forward.
Magic Feather
Well-Known Member
Team Fantasy Guest Review
This was one of those projects where I wish that I could have intervened during brainstorming (Legends Plaza was a fantastic idea), as all of my major issues with your project are fundamental to your project (read: not nitpicks). That said, we will get to that soon enough; let's start with the good.
The Good:
I know you can all do better than this, but it wasn't bad by any means; don't get discouraged. If you take away one thing from this, let it be this: learn about your audience beyond the surface level. "They're French, so they like French things" isn't going to cut it. Think about cultural history and considerations that should be made (ex. no ghosts in Hong Kong or French People not liking shallow imitations of Paris).
This was one of those projects where I wish that I could have intervened during brainstorming (Legends Plaza was a fantastic idea), as all of my major issues with your project are fundamental to your project (read: not nitpicks). That said, we will get to that soon enough; let's start with the good.
The Good:
- Your project is by far the most realistic. While it's always fun to shoot for the moon, your team used pre-existing resources, and didn't act like you had an unlimited bank account, which I alway appreciate.
- You did a fantastic job integrating pre-existing SAU and real world elements and building onto them. Everything from your overhaul of Howard Park to the additional entrance was incredibly well done.
- Porkchop Falls was a great concept! While I would have preferred a little more detail, given the scope of this assignment I think you did what was best.
- Gaumont Palace as the entrance weenie. If you were going to do the French Film Entrance area (more on that in "The meh"), this was the best you could do to swerve my upcoming "reasons why it was a bad idea to go the French route"
- I'm going to cut right to the chase- You broke the number one rule of Disneyland Paris: Don't Recreate Something that is a 30-min RER A ride away. The French are very picky about their culture, and, as was explained in the very show that your intro was based on, the last thing they wanted was a cheap recreation of actual European culture. At the end of your Imagineering Story Intro, you alluded to the Ratatouille area as your inspiration, but you got the wrong takeaway from it. In order to justify building mini-Paris 30 min from Paris, WDI had to overly toon-ify it in order to prevent people from drawing comparisons. In contrast, your team wishes to replicate the same architecture in the same style of buildings that are still there today.
- Instead of actually fixing the fundamental issues with Studio 1, it appears that you merely took a couple ounces of cheese out of it, and gave it a pretty façade. I would have preferred an entire revamp instead of a glorified re-skin.
- While this one is slightly more subjective, I am not a fan of the changes you made to Galaxy's Edge. For starters, if it is on Endor, do not call it "Galaxy's Edge." Instead, give the area an original name that fits the Forest Moon of Endor to differentiate it.
- If you were going to take a ride from Stateside GE, it should not have been Falcon. I'm not even saying that because it is the inferior ride in GE, but it's because Flacon is heavily reliant on language, when language barriers are especially prevalent in Europe. There should have at least been a way to tailor the experience to a different language.
- Finally, this is a nitpick, but you compared a "dome screen" portion of your main ride to being like FoP. I understand that it is cutting-edge simulator tech that is really valued, but at least explain the comparison, because "moving into a simulator dome" is not like Flight of Passage. For instance, you could have said "will lock into a motion base that combines vertical movement, in addition to standard roll and pitch movements, like Flight of Passage" or just compare it to Forbidden Journey.
I know you can all do better than this, but it wasn't bad by any means; don't get discouraged. If you take away one thing from this, let it be this: learn about your audience beyond the surface level. "They're French, so they like French things" isn't going to cut it. Think about cultural history and considerations that should be made (ex. no ghosts in Hong Kong or French People not liking shallow imitations of Paris).
PerGron
Well-Known Member
Team Yesterday, you guys had me very nervous that we were going to have another Team Supers on our hands. You guys had a few key players (most notably @NateD1226, @TheOriginalTiki and @Tux) but the rest of the team was rather quiet, playing mainly background roles.
That being said, in the last few days you guys came together and pulled out some seriously impressive stuff that you should all be very proud of.
Tower of Terror
So I totally agree with these improvements of Tower of Terror, that's not what I'm going to critique here. Instead, I have to bring up that something about reading this feels off I think it's just the way it was written feels a bit off. It feels like the narrator is explaining why these changes have been made which doesn't really flow with some of the other write-ups here. Next time around, just keep in mind we want everything to flow.
Restaurants
All of the restaurants are solid here, but the one I enjoyed the most was easily was the Orient Express. Having a restaurant themed to Murder on the Orient Express is such a good idea and providing Chinese food in the parks is something I think Disney needs to do more of.
Shops
I think you guys did the best in talking about shops. No team made the Team Princes Novus Harbor mistake of not including shops. Every shop is detailed and well thought out.
Arendelle
I know you guys had wanted another ride in Arendelle and (as a massive Frozen fan, go ahead, hate) I would've not argued with that, but I do think that what you did include is the perfect blend of both films and provides a great ride that I'd love to go on.
Great Movie Ride
This was it. This was the ride that, while you guys were discussing it, I was so excited for it to come to fruition. I think you guys made some amazing film choices, including ones that I wouldn't have even thought about. Movies like Love, Simon (which is criminally underrated) Julius Caesar, and Planet of the Apes. I think you guys made a unique version of this classic attraction, and it may have been my favorite attraction of the whole round.
Hoth: Galaxy's Edge
I think this take on Galaxy's Edge is an incredibly unique one. Hoth seems to be a virtually uninhabited planet in Star Wars lore, aside from Tauntauns and the rare Wampa. That being said, the timeline you set it in makes total sense why people would be migrating to Hoth to capitalize it's importance in the last Galactic Civil War. The background here is incredibly well done and props to @TheOriginalTiki for writing it up.
Hoth Tours
Hoth Tours sounds like such a unique attraction. Everything that was written in here feels like a great combination of all three SW rides. Including a new RX unit as well as a unique R2 unit is a great idea and a great way to sell new toys
The attraction is super well detailed and is something I'd love to see.Overall, Team Yesterday, you had me worried, but in the end, you guys pulled through and impressed me with how well you ended up doing. Great job and I'm excited to see you guys going forward.
TheOriginalTiki
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
First off, a big thanks goes to all our players and observers. While more reviews shall be appearing throughout the week, The Agents of S.E.A. have come to a decision.
There were wonderful ideas in all three teams' presentations. However, only one can win. This was an incredibly close round and a great start to the season! Everyone involved should be proud of their performance during this mission.
Team Yesterday
What was there was mostly great, its just that the whole project wasn't really there. A lot of the strongest stuff that was finished wasn't even centered around the entrance land. But there was some incredible creativity, talent, and team work on display, especially at the 11th hour. If the team dynamics are developed further this could be a stand out group in future rounds.
Team Tomorrow
This was big debate among the hosts. We felt this was the strongest and most creative project, but not the best project for this prompt. Duckburg is gonna go down as one of my personal favorite lands from an imagineering project I've seen in a while. But it just didn't work as the best entry land. It didn't tie the park together. Each review mentioned the Wondrous Gardens as a better pick for an entrance land.
Team Fantasy
The brainstorming was choppy at first and the final project has its faults, but the weaving of film history and French culture into an immersive entry land that helps set up the themes of the park. Maybe not as strong of a project as a whole, but a stronger entry land. Which was the focus of stanza. It was a narrow victory, but the more focus took home the Stanza I prize!
Congratulations to all the teams for completing your first mission. Now that the training is over, the real quest to save the SAU begins!
As a reward for coming in first in Stanza I, the winning team shall be receiving the Stanza II prompt in advance. In addition, their Project Manager will automatically be safe through Stanza II no matter what. Should they lose in the next round, they cannot be sent to the Fortress of Fate
The second place team will receive the Stanza II prompt shortly after.
As for our last place team, The Fortress of Fate has summoned you. If you are mentioned in that thread, you will have 24 hours to plead your case. Elimination is on the line, and someone IS going home!
JokersWild
Well-Known Member
Hey, boys and girls. Jokers here with with some reviews. Everyone did a great job all around. This was surprisingly close for me after reading through these projects again. I’ll try to make these brief.
Team Tomorrow
Fantastic job all around, guys. I love the idea of changing the name of the park, especially if you’re dropping the studio theme, but I really strongly dislike the name. It just doesn’t have the ring or simplicity that other park names have. It describes the park to a degree, yes, but I feel like there is a more elegant way to convey the same idea.
I’m going to get a bit nitpicky here, but while your additions are great and greatly round out the park, I really wish that you guys created some more original attractions. It’s great to see The Muppets, and Monstropolis, and Pixar Street, but some of that interest, for me, fades away when you notice that 90% of the park is now the greatest hits of the Disney parks. Not necessarily a bad thing, but more consistent originality would have greatly improved your project.
That being said, the original aspects of these lands were absolutely fantastic. I thought that The Great Gonzo’s Daredevil Academy was a great addition, and the smaller rides added really added to the lands created. Duckburg, however, was on a whole other level. @D Hindley, this was your baby and it shows. Though it doesn’t really feel like an entry land, I still very much appreciate the land as a land. The attention to detail and obvious respect for the IP really set this land above the other parts of your project. The only real issue I have is that I’m genuinely not sure what version of Ducktales Duckburg is based around. I’m assuming it’s the reboot, based on character appearances and writing, but some of the concept art threw me off a bit. That, and I feel like you guys went a bit overboard in terms of the sheer number of shops and restaurants, but that may just be me completely misunderstanding just how much space this land actually takes up.
Backstage, you guys all seemed to work very well together when I got the chance to skim your PMs. If you guys can keep that chemistry going, you’ll be golden.
Again, though I had some nitpicks, you all did a fantastic job. I’m very interested to see how all of you do as the game progresses.
Team Fantasy
Super solid job all around. While there weren’t many risks taken, I appreciate how original many of the ideas were.
La Ville Lumiere is a really great entry land. The nods to film history were great and fit in very well with both the themes of your park and French culture. I know that there were a few on other teams discussing the pros and cons of having a France-focused land, but I think that you guys hit a good sweet spot in having a France-based land that doesn’t have DCA-style redundancies.
In terms of your five year plan, I mostly enjoyed your additions. Porkchop Falls is a great idea (though winter will obviously be an issue) and I love the execution. In terms of Star Wars Land, I’m a bit conflicted. While I like many of the ideas presented, I think that your land would have benefitted from having a different setting. That being said, I did like that your land was set during the Original Trilogy. And the attractions and experiences presented were very solid.
All in all, this was a very solid, albeit pretty safe, project. I appreciate the effort you all put into this, and am interested to see what you guys create as the game progresses.
Team Yesterday
Solid first effort, guys. While you presented some great ideas, I still feel like yours is the weakest of the three primarily for realism and general execution of many of your ideas.
First, the good. I really love the general quality of life improvements to the park. While the park does need work, that doesn’t mean that it has to be razed to improve it. That definitely does help with realism for your project, and I feel that's something the other teams didn't take into account. I really enjoyed your Production Courtyard improvements, though some of it did feel a bit similar to projects I’ve seen in the past. Arendelle is a light, yet solid land. While I have some thematic issues with your Star Wars Land (Hoth only really makes sense three months out of the year), I appreciate the creativity and the attempt to do something different with the concept.
The thing that really kills this project for me, unfortunately, is your version of the Great Movie Ride. The idea isn’t bad at all; my issue is with realism. The flow of the attraction’s scenes don’t really make sense, most of the scenes aren’t very realistic, and your write-up was hard to follow at times (there was more than one occasion where I was googling character names to figure out what film you were describing.) As much as I wish they did, animatronics do not move in the ways you describe. AAs don’t murder each other 10,000 times a day in a Disney park. The ideas were there, but they were very ambitious and unrealistic. Unfortunately, having GMR take up such a large chunk of your project really knocked it down for me.
Your project had a lot of potential. The ideas were there, but the execution just wasn’t. Next time, try to focus on realism. It’ll improve the quality of your project as a whole immensely. Good job otherwise, though
Team Tomorrow
Fantastic job all around, guys. I love the idea of changing the name of the park, especially if you’re dropping the studio theme, but I really strongly dislike the name. It just doesn’t have the ring or simplicity that other park names have. It describes the park to a degree, yes, but I feel like there is a more elegant way to convey the same idea.
I’m going to get a bit nitpicky here, but while your additions are great and greatly round out the park, I really wish that you guys created some more original attractions. It’s great to see The Muppets, and Monstropolis, and Pixar Street, but some of that interest, for me, fades away when you notice that 90% of the park is now the greatest hits of the Disney parks. Not necessarily a bad thing, but more consistent originality would have greatly improved your project.
That being said, the original aspects of these lands were absolutely fantastic. I thought that The Great Gonzo’s Daredevil Academy was a great addition, and the smaller rides added really added to the lands created. Duckburg, however, was on a whole other level. @D Hindley, this was your baby and it shows. Though it doesn’t really feel like an entry land, I still very much appreciate the land as a land. The attention to detail and obvious respect for the IP really set this land above the other parts of your project. The only real issue I have is that I’m genuinely not sure what version of Ducktales Duckburg is based around. I’m assuming it’s the reboot, based on character appearances and writing, but some of the concept art threw me off a bit. That, and I feel like you guys went a bit overboard in terms of the sheer number of shops and restaurants, but that may just be me completely misunderstanding just how much space this land actually takes up.
Backstage, you guys all seemed to work very well together when I got the chance to skim your PMs. If you guys can keep that chemistry going, you’ll be golden.
Again, though I had some nitpicks, you all did a fantastic job. I’m very interested to see how all of you do as the game progresses.
Team Fantasy
Super solid job all around. While there weren’t many risks taken, I appreciate how original many of the ideas were.
La Ville Lumiere is a really great entry land. The nods to film history were great and fit in very well with both the themes of your park and French culture. I know that there were a few on other teams discussing the pros and cons of having a France-focused land, but I think that you guys hit a good sweet spot in having a France-based land that doesn’t have DCA-style redundancies.
In terms of your five year plan, I mostly enjoyed your additions. Porkchop Falls is a great idea (though winter will obviously be an issue) and I love the execution. In terms of Star Wars Land, I’m a bit conflicted. While I like many of the ideas presented, I think that your land would have benefitted from having a different setting. That being said, I did like that your land was set during the Original Trilogy. And the attractions and experiences presented were very solid.
All in all, this was a very solid, albeit pretty safe, project. I appreciate the effort you all put into this, and am interested to see what you guys create as the game progresses.
Team Yesterday
Solid first effort, guys. While you presented some great ideas, I still feel like yours is the weakest of the three primarily for realism and general execution of many of your ideas.
First, the good. I really love the general quality of life improvements to the park. While the park does need work, that doesn’t mean that it has to be razed to improve it. That definitely does help with realism for your project, and I feel that's something the other teams didn't take into account. I really enjoyed your Production Courtyard improvements, though some of it did feel a bit similar to projects I’ve seen in the past. Arendelle is a light, yet solid land. While I have some thematic issues with your Star Wars Land (Hoth only really makes sense three months out of the year), I appreciate the creativity and the attempt to do something different with the concept.
The thing that really kills this project for me, unfortunately, is your version of the Great Movie Ride. The idea isn’t bad at all; my issue is with realism. The flow of the attraction’s scenes don’t really make sense, most of the scenes aren’t very realistic, and your write-up was hard to follow at times (there was more than one occasion where I was googling character names to figure out what film you were describing.) As much as I wish they did, animatronics do not move in the ways you describe. AAs don’t murder each other 10,000 times a day in a Disney park. The ideas were there, but they were very ambitious and unrealistic. Unfortunately, having GMR take up such a large chunk of your project really knocked it down for me.
Your project had a lot of potential. The ideas were there, but the execution just wasn’t. Next time, try to focus on realism. It’ll improve the quality of your project as a whole immensely. Good job otherwise, though
- In the Parks
- Yes
It's such an honor to help carry on the legacy of this game! The previous hosts have done so much to evolve this to a grand event, and its great to be able to keep that tradition alive!
englanddg
One Little Spark...
I'm a bit sad I'm not competing this cycle. The intro was really well done, and it seems to be shaping up to be a fun watch.
Glad to see it still lives on!
Orange Cat
Well-Known Member
Will stanza 2 be up tomorrow or the day after?
- In the Parks
- Yes
Team Fantasy goy Stanza 2 this morning (well, very late last night) as the prize for first place.
You guys will get it later today. (I believe around 6 EST, but I don't want to promise a specific time)
Then Team Yesterday will get it around midnight tonight after the Fortress of Fate is done.
While I can't tell you what the next stanza is yet, I have a feeling it will be smooth sailing from here
Outbound
Well-Known Member
We apologize for the confusion on Prompt Posting.
We were initially planning a public post tonight, officially starting the stanza, with today being assigned to the "Fortress of Fate". The winning team would then get a day's head start.
Since then, however, it's become clear this was a poor idea: better to not waste a day and get the Stanza out to you as quickly as possible. In the future, the next Stanza will be posted right after the Round Results.
Thank you for staying with us while we sort out these internal kinks. As compensation, we are dropping Stanza Two approx. six hours earlier than planned...
We were initially planning a public post tonight, officially starting the stanza, with today being assigned to the "Fortress of Fate". The winning team would then get a day's head start.
Since then, however, it's become clear this was a poor idea: better to not waste a day and get the Stanza out to you as quickly as possible. In the future, the next Stanza will be posted right after the Round Results.
Thank you for staying with us while we sort out these internal kinks. As compensation, we are dropping Stanza Two approx. six hours earlier than planned...
Outbound
Well-Known Member
Chapter 2: Moteurs… Action!
The imagineers stand victorious in the Studios as the magic of Yensid's Hat begins to take effect. Clouds of Pixie Dust surrounding the park as it begins to reshape itself for the better in the SAU based on the winning team's designs.
A truly remarkable sight to watch reality magically be reformed around you.
*Sneeze* "Ugh, all this Pixie Dust is bothering my allergies" @Pi on my Cake grumbles revealing how big of a nerd he is.
"Yeahhhhhh, our project was a five-year plan. These clouds of magical dust are gonna be here for the next five years. We might not want to wait around. Basically the only thing untouched here is Ratatouille." @AceAstro says. They decide its best to leave that park for now.
"We still have some time before Abraham Lincoln, Hatbox Ghost, and John Progress check up on the status of our training mission, why don't we go explore the Alliance of Knowledge?" @kmbmw777 suggests.
The imagineers may not have much time, but luckily the crowds are low at the Alliance of Knowledge. It's an amazing park, but everyone sees the name and doesn't realize it's a theme park. It's a lot like the whole "Wii U" situation. Bob Iger tried to convince the Imagineers to name it "Disney's Disney Adventure of the Alliance of Knowledge Land Park; Sponsored by Denny's," but they fought for a more unique and creative name.And in the SAU, the creative choice always wins.
As the imagineers enter the front gates, they walk towards the Hub of Knowledge and see the beautiful Alliance Tower looming over the lake at the center. An inspiring sight.
Before the imagineers can start to explore the rest of the park, they begin to feel as if they are being watched.
"I don't want to alarm anyone, but there seems to be a group of men wearing trench coats, fedoras, and sunglasses following us," @Disney Dad 3000 warns.
"Those aren't men..." @gam3rprincess realizes, "They're Children of the Green Planet! The Brodo Asogians!"
The other imagineers are more baffled than ever at what the Artist formerly known as Pixie is saying. "The creepy, weird, ugly aliens from E.T. Adventure!" The other imagineers are amazed at their obscure movie trivia knowledge.
"People like you calling us creepy and weird are exactly why we became agents of L.A.N.D. in the first place!" Exclaims the terrifying pink doll alien.
"If it makes you feel better, I think your designs are cool!" @TheOriginalTiki says as the other imagineers drag him away. The L.A.N.D. agents chase after the S.E.A. recruits trying to steal the power of Yensid's hat! Their only hope to escape is to find a good get away vehicle! Luckily, an explosion can be heard from the Motor Stunt Show!
The Imagineers hop in the car and drive away from the Paris Parks. They finished their training mission, now it is time to learn about the real mission to save the SAU the new S.E.A. agents must embark on!
The imagineers stand victorious in the Studios as the magic of Yensid's Hat begins to take effect. Clouds of Pixie Dust surrounding the park as it begins to reshape itself for the better in the SAU based on the winning team's designs.
A truly remarkable sight to watch reality magically be reformed around you.
*Sneeze* "Ugh, all this Pixie Dust is bothering my allergies" @Pi on my Cake grumbles revealing how big of a nerd he is.
"Yeahhhhhh, our project was a five-year plan. These clouds of magical dust are gonna be here for the next five years. We might not want to wait around. Basically the only thing untouched here is Ratatouille." @AceAstro says. They decide its best to leave that park for now.
"We still have some time before Abraham Lincoln, Hatbox Ghost, and John Progress check up on the status of our training mission, why don't we go explore the Alliance of Knowledge?" @kmbmw777 suggests.
The imagineers may not have much time, but luckily the crowds are low at the Alliance of Knowledge. It's an amazing park, but everyone sees the name and doesn't realize it's a theme park. It's a lot like the whole "Wii U" situation. Bob Iger tried to convince the Imagineers to name it "Disney's Disney Adventure of the Alliance of Knowledge Land Park; Sponsored by Denny's," but they fought for a more unique and creative name.
As the imagineers enter the front gates, they walk towards the Hub of Knowledge and see the beautiful Alliance Tower looming over the lake at the center. An inspiring sight.
Before the imagineers can start to explore the rest of the park, they begin to feel as if they are being watched.
"I don't want to alarm anyone, but there seems to be a group of men wearing trench coats, fedoras, and sunglasses following us," @Disney Dad 3000 warns.
"Those aren't men..." @gam3rprincess realizes, "They're Children of the Green Planet! The Brodo Asogians!"
The other imagineers are more baffled than ever at what the Artist formerly known as Pixie is saying. "The creepy, weird, ugly aliens from E.T. Adventure!" The other imagineers are amazed at their obscure movie trivia knowledge.
"People like you calling us creepy and weird are exactly why we became agents of L.A.N.D. in the first place!" Exclaims the terrifying pink doll alien.
"If it makes you feel better, I think your designs are cool!" @TheOriginalTiki says as the other imagineers drag him away. The L.A.N.D. agents chase after the S.E.A. recruits trying to steal the power of Yensid's hat! Their only hope to escape is to find a good get away vehicle! Luckily, an explosion can be heard from the Motor Stunt Show!
The Imagineers hop in the car and drive away from the Paris Parks. They finished their training mission, now it is time to learn about the real mission to save the SAU the new S.E.A. agents must embark on!