Welcome all back to the second stanza of
@goofyyukyuk and I's run on of the competition! This week we were so close to having all three teams submitting a Scott Pilgrim musical, but then Team Space never really got the memo that we only use the same movies for our stanzas all the time
Scott Pilgrim vs the Universe
I'm not going to lie I was kinda shocked to see so many people love Scott Pilgrim considering it had underperformed at the box office, but it's understandable given how fun the movie is at times with its video game aspects. I actually watched Scott Pilgrim vs the World for the first time this stanza given so many teams were talking about doing it!
Presentation
I love the playbill presentation I think it was really clever, and in stanza where everybody had unique presentation styles this helps the project stick out. With other teams I had the issue of it being hard to read at times, but this team found the perfect balance between presentation and looks. I absolutely adore the fact that every single song has a piece of original music, and it really was a group effort with
@Pi on my Cake @Tegan pilots a chicken and
@Homemade Imagineering all creating pieces of music for the show. However throughout the project there a few typos and grammatical errors.
Show
Right off the bat I think given the time frame a retelling of Scott Pilgrim versus a whole new show is a smarter move due to the fact Scott Pilgrim had yet to become the huge cult classic it is today (I literally saw somebody wearing a shirt of the film yesterday!). With that said I do think there were a couple of issues with the story. The team mentioned Scott's 1UP, but he never actually earned it in the show it just sort of happens. I do think the summarized version of the show was a smart play as it gives just the right amount of information for everything that happens without going overboard, looks like this team really learned from their time in Dubai
Miscellaneous
I really enjoy what you've done to the theater you stepped away from the generic looking soundstages, and gave it its own unique design that allows it stick out from the area. However I do wish that your gift shop was an actual shop. I understand going for the full Broadway/garage band fantasy, but at the same time this is a theme park. I think an actual gift shop which would have a larger capacity than a few tables would have been a better play in this scenario given the amount of crowds leaving the theater at once. This is not to diminish the idea of the punk band table set up, but I do wish that this theme was carried into a larger location. I do question the handing out of free playbills at every show given this is a theme park show which translates to typically five shows every day so practically it would cost Universal a lot of money, but it would've been a neat opening day celebration and a cool merch option! Also TRASH CANS!!!
Overall
This project played it pretty safe all things considered, and there is nothing wrong with safe as this was a realistic version of the show. However small things like plot consistency errors and the gift tables may make this a challenging boss fight against the other teams for first place this week.
Trial of Terror
Team Space you have kept that team momentum going this stanza as I think this is once again another strong showing for you all. I know at one point Scott Pilgrim vs the World was considered here, but I'm so glad y'all went with the Monsters theme as it allows you project to stick out from the pack. However does it stick out for the right reasons
Presentation
Once again another playbill presentation which is really fun, and allows for the team to stick out better had y'all just gone with a regular forum post or slides presentation this week. With that said I found it hard to read sometimes as the font appeared too small in some places or just really squished together which led for it to be hard to read. I do enjoy the abundance of photos and some really greats ads as it adds to the playbill. A clever part within your project were the reviews from other monsters as it provided some great and funny little commentary and Easter eggs to other monsters.
Show
I do think Monsters is a great way to celebrate the studio's 100th anniversary, but this is also a major issue with the show. This is the third monster based show in the park, and they all are within eyesight from one another. It wouldn't be as bad now with Horror Makeup not being the most major monster based show, but Beetlejuice's Graveyard Revue is a musical involving all the monsters singing along to songs. Now with that said I actually love the concept of a monster musical being a jury with the whole Van Helsing angle, and I think it's actually really clever.
This team really thought out the whole theater process, and I love the attention of detail on how everything works on stage. Every detail was fleshed out from how the quick changes would work to the fact that the jury moves and are puppets. The jury itself is full of classic Universal monsters but also Jason and a non descript alien? I know that during the brainstorming Jason was chosen to be a modern inclusion, but I feel like he sticks out given he isn't an actual Universal monster in branding. Where some more modern monsters like the Thing from the Thing. However inclusions like the Mole People and Killer Mantis bring a smile to my face as they are wackier monsters from the lineup that add to the overall feel of the show.
The original music for the show is really fitting for the hidden beauty of the monsters while stay maintaining this sort of legality feel to them as the show progresses. The fact that not only did the team write original music but also original lyrics and the script as well blows me away as it takes time to get right. I think was a great way of presenting the show as it really gives personalities to these characters. The team effectively made the Frankestien monsters in living people with feelings and thoughts not just senseless destroying machines.
While the Frankensteins were done really well sometimes the script was a bit wonky. At times parts of the script were repeated again in the playbill which led to a little bit of confusion, and the Wolfman's mention of a cop car appearing threw me off guard as I thought that these were flashbacks to the past from long ago prior to cars. I will also say that the show is a bit off balanced with three songs all grouped together with the Frankensteins yet none for the Wolfman and Dracula. You even included what their range was at the beginning, but never actually utilized that info. Now this isn't saying you had to write whole new songs and lyrics, but even just the mention that they would sing a song or the spreading out of the Frankensteins so the show would be more balanced musically. This also isn't to discredit the songs that did make it into the show as I loved every last one of them. I also enjoyed that little wink at the end to the Monsters Café which helps tie the two together.
Miscellanous
I really enjoyed the map that was made for the theater, and stage designs that help show how everything would work. I think the exterior of the theater would help the theater stick out from the rest of the park while still tieing into the theme of the monsters given the Phantom of the Opera connection. I wanted to say I loved the simplistic artwork on the front of the playbill as well it really stuck out to me this stanza.
Overall
This was another really strong project from Team Space, and an improvement from last week's. However the other monster shows and a majority of the songs being clumped together may hold the team back from the win.
Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Concert
Scott Pilgrim what a great and unique property that is under utilized in Imagineering, and never really done before! All joking aside my thoughts of Scott Pilgrim remain the same from Team Reality's review with the fact that so many were interested in doing it for this challenge! Of course the same IP doesn't mean much if they are handled in different ways which is what your team did!
Presentation
An Attractions Magazine was actually a really neat concept for Imagineering, and I don't think I've actually ever seen it been done before here on the forums. This helps the project stick out, and allows for a very small and clever hidden easter egg to Budweiser Zero
. With that said I had trouble with the size of the font at times, and my computer would start to freak out whenever I tried to zoom in with my attempt to read the project itself. This isn't meant to discredit the creativity and work put into the presentation as you can just tell that a lot hard work and passion went in to get this all looking just right so kudos to that. I also think the question and answer reporting style of presentation works really well for the overall project, and acts as a refreshing way to read projects, but at the same time a lot of information was repeated word for word in some parts of the project.
Show
I do have concern over the standing room only for a theme park musical show as even in films like Canada Far and Wide and Reflections of China guests have access to lean on bars for some form of rest. However the setup works really well for what is provided in the theater with the dueling stages which is a unique take for a theme park show. I do wish it was made more clear of what the universe of Scott Pilgrim at some point in the show to get guests caught up with this film. With that said I do think the world of Scott Pilgrim was greatly encapsulated with the project with the energetic video game mixed reality coming to life in this show which acts as an adjacent separate form of media from the film itself. Much like the other Scott Pilgrim show the show's description was kept simple yet easily readable and navigable.
Miscellaneous
I really loved the placemaking that was done with the area to tie it into Toronto and blend with the New York area that not only is it next to, but actually surrounds it! For the people who haven't been to Universal Orlando while New York is a land Battery Park and Central Park extend into Production Central, Hollywood and KidZone to surround the lagoon for the Universal night show now a days. Not only did your team design a new subarea tied to Toronto, but it's perfectly tied into the Scott Pilgrimverse of Toronto!
I really enjoyed the gift shop and its interactive aspect. I think the theming level is just right, and I really enjoy all the merchandise your team came up with for the project. There was no shortage of merchandise, and your team just covered every base from pins to drinkware to tees and sweatshirts you got it all!
Overall
This is a really great approach on how to bring a film into the park allowing it to be a supplementary piece of material to the film. However will the lack of an explanation for guests on what Scott Pilgrim is, and greater focus put on other aspects away from the show keep the win away from Team Time? Find out later today!