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The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Season 7: Fantasmic Journeys [CONCLUDED!]
- Thread starter Outbound
- Start date
You guys as well!! I expected nothing less. Y’all rocked it.
DashHaber
Well-Known Member
Thank you!
And yeah, the spots where we did overlap weren't as heavy as you feared. We had one water-based subland among our trio of locales, while you definitely committed to the ocean theme for the entirety of yours Fantasyland and pulled it off well.
montydysquith-navarro
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
FINAL TEAM PAGE COUNT
The real results everyone's been waiting for
26
25
GARFIELD CLAIMS TIARA
sorry holland maybe next time
This experience has really meant a lot to me.
The past couple of years have been a period of tremendous growth for me as an actual human in real life, particularly over the last six months. So in a weird way this game overlapped with the trajectory my life has taken outside the forums.
When the game started I was lacking so much confidence, I was dealing with tremendous social anxiety, and felt an overwhelming sense of uncertainty. But that has all changed for the better so much and I can’t help but feel that being part of this community truly helped me with so much of that. I’m a much happier and healthier person than I was in December.
Being named Miss Valuable Player was such an incredible honor. I’m still kind of in shock about that. I just hope that I have been able to make you all laugh or smile or otherwise feel happy about logging on. And I hope I’m never too annoying. But, I’m known to be quite vexing.
I guess I’m just trying to say THANK YOU. Thank you for making me feel welcome, and allowing me the freedom to be creative and expressive and for embracing every side of my personality. I genuinely consider you all friends, even though we only know each other through text and avatars.
On to the finals.
The past couple of years have been a period of tremendous growth for me as an actual human in real life, particularly over the last six months. So in a weird way this game overlapped with the trajectory my life has taken outside the forums.
When the game started I was lacking so much confidence, I was dealing with tremendous social anxiety, and felt an overwhelming sense of uncertainty. But that has all changed for the better so much and I can’t help but feel that being part of this community truly helped me with so much of that. I’m a much happier and healthier person than I was in December.
Being named Miss Valuable Player was such an incredible honor. I’m still kind of in shock about that. I just hope that I have been able to make you all laugh or smile or otherwise feel happy about logging on. And I hope I’m never too annoying. But, I’m known to be quite vexing.
I guess I’m just trying to say THANK YOU. Thank you for making me feel welcome, and allowing me the freedom to be creative and expressive and for embracing every side of my personality. I genuinely consider you all friends, even though we only know each other through text and avatars.
On to the finals.
Thanks!!
Both projects were truly special and very well executed with lots of cool ideas. I am so thankful I’m not a judge right now
Chaos Cat
Well-Known Member
THOUGHT YOU COULD GET AWAY WITH IT BECAUSE I WAS FULLING OUT A JOB APPLICATION, HUH?! GUESS AGAIN, B#TCH! YOU'RE DEAD!
JokersWild
Well-Known Member
Really appreciate the kind words. To speak to Notre Dame’s placement, I purposely made it forced perspective because of the castle, as you said, but also because I was very worried that we wouldn’t be able to do it justice in a theme park. It’s such a famous piece of architecture and so iconic that I didn’t want to have to scale it down to fit that land. With forced perspective I was able to focus on very specific pieces of the cathedral, inside and out, and have those be adequately detailed in a more controlled environment, which hopefully came across in the write-up
TEAM GARFIELD
This team overcame several obstacles throughout the Stanza and deserves credit for the work collectively put into this project. In a way I wouldn't even say this team had a project manager, but numerous project managers who took control at different points throughout the brainstorming. To me the project manager role works two ways, either you lead and continue to lead, or you realize your limits in such a time crunch and value your teammates input more than try to continue commandeering the direction of the project. I think this team balanced that act pretty well all things considered.
The Fantasyland designed as is has some very high marks and some that I'd consider more traditional or expected Fantasyland amenities. Beginning in the Castle Courtyard, Hunchback was an inspired choice given the darker content of the IP and also the paucity of attractions surrounding it. While I think it was a bit of a missed opportunity to not have the iconic Notre Dame be a bit more pronounced, especially given Brazil's religious iconography, I understand the reasoning for it being the forced perspective nature given the placement in the park directly behind Belle's Castle. The entirety of Cathedral Square I adore, including the custom art as well. Big or small, I'm a big proponent of artwork. We all aren't artists, but it's the customization that makes the project seem much more personal and less 'insert google image' here.
Speaking of placement, the map is exquisitely detailed and easy to read. And I love how you copied the design from before (gosh whoever made that map?) Kidding, you didn't have to copy it, but it's cool to see the continuity of it continue to evolve over the years of us doing Disneyland Brazil projects. This is more a brainstorming thing, but I feel like the team as a whole kept making minor changes to the layout, which in some cases helped, but the reason for pointing this out is credit to MickeyWaffle for having the patience to continue to make the edits. It's just something I noticed that deserved props. Aesthetics aside, I do wish there was a bit more attention paid to the transitions and overall visual experience within the land.
With the 'New Fantasyland' premise, I wish the name Castle Courtyard wasn't used, as that title was from the previous iteration. Instead I was hoping to see a bit of novelty, taking the reigns of Cathedral Square and put more attention towards the darker/mature European Fantasyland IPs if you're going with Hunchback as a foundation piece for a sub-land. Personal choice aside, the Cinderella attraction is well described in terms of the plot and scene by scene descriptions, though a few tips - try to avoid words like 'typical' or 'plain' when describing the ride. You're trying to sell the attraction to the readers, so you want to use diction that conveys a 'selling' market, even if it's a routine attraction.
Belle's Royal Guest Hall has an exquisite menu - a variety of items all elaborately conveyed in an organized fashion - great job! Maurice's is a charming shop, though on the map, seems to be pretty large? Basically the size of the Cinderella dark ride.
Now to my favorite part of this project - Storybook Gardens. While a bit close to the Storybook Forest name of the previous iteration, that aside, this is one of the most creative sublands I've ever seen in a Fantasyland project! From Adventures in Toyland to the Arboreal Boogie flat, this is such an ingenious choice for a land. Cookie Carnival Cottage is wonderful! I'd post-up there for a while and enjoy some of those sweets. I really don't have much to add other than being blown away by how inventive a concept this was for the park. It's something different, and that's what I was personally hoping to see out of this project. Not generic Fantasyland content, but using the opportunity to take the numerous properties available and create something new with it.
Fantasy Harbor to me is an odd mixture on the surface. When reading the individual components, they make sense, but I don't get a strong sense of cohesion between the IPs, in a similar fashion to Castle Courtyard. The preamble states this is the largest subland but is there a reason for that other than it has the most attractions? Could it have easily been a more quaint coastal village with a few attractions? I feel a greater purpose should have and could have been given to it its claim as the largest sub-land. For instance, the Caucus ride, is a wonderful transition from Storybook Gardens, and neatly brings the guests towards the beaches. Despite being a little derivative of past Little Mermaid concepts, the attraction itself would fit wonderfully as it does there. But then we also have German and British farmland aesthetics also in the same land. If the goal was to present something similar to World Showcase, which is how I'm picturing it, I wish it was presented as such - as it would have been a great visual aid to help for the future.
As with all of these attraction descriptions on their own however, they are wonderfully written and showcases the creativity of the writers on this team and the community environment this team gave off all chipping in to help bring this project home. Final thoughts on Fantasy Harbor, the Walrus and the Carpenter was an amazing restaurant and I feel like Fantasy Harbor could have been that much stronger if the IP choices centered more on those type of offerings.
Ultimately, there are some personal preferences here and there I thought could have been improved, but overall this was a total team effort and there were some extremely high water marks in this project, from Hunchback, to Storybook Gardens, to some custom art and map design - it's something to be very proud of, Garfield!
TEAM HOLLAND's review from me will be in the morning
I also convinced myself this morning that you guys weren’t going to like Notre Dame specifically because of the religious connotation so it’s nice to see that the opposite was true lol.
Sharon&Susan
Well-Known Member
No, I tagged you for a reason.
I hope you fulled out the entire thing.
Chaos Cat
Well-Known Member
Oh, I did! There were a lot of free-write questions on there, which are always a pain, plus the way they do resumes was bit weird, but-
Wait a minute, DON'T THINK YOU CAN CHANGE THE SUBJECT ON ME!
Sharon&Susan
Well-Known Member
For a second there Team Garfield, I thought you made up 101 Dalmatians 2...
D Hulk
Well-Known Member
TEAM GARFIELD
NEW FANTASYLAND
Phew! The final team projects of this season, and both teams have delivered lengthy (but not too lengthy) closers. Congrats to all for carrying yourselves this far. And congrats for the high quality of both Fantasyland projects, each which took a unique approach to an overly familiar land with plenty of pitfall.
Team Garfield used three sublands to simultaneously get a lot of variety while also keeping some sense of order. Sometimes these subland themes proved too limiting (some individual components are awkward fits), though generally these sublands suggest a visually cohesive series of Fantasyland settings.
I say “suggest” since there’s no genuine walkthrough of the overall land, as Garfield is so eager to dive straight into the attraction play-by-play. I’d decided early on – speaking my judging criteria to my fellow co-hosts – that land walkthroughs were my make-or-break thing. That’s really the only massive issue with the overall project, which is executed quite professionally both with presentation and with the high quality of many individual components. Perhaps this unfortunate lack of focus in one (crucial) area is the result of less-focused Project Management? Different players took the reins at different times in the past week.
But if there’s a central thesis for your overall Fantasyland approach, walkthrough or no, it’s your use of E-ticket. Fantasylands traditionally pile on the smaller C-tickets, focusing on quantity over quality – it’s perhaps why many people often call Fantasyland their least-visited Castle Park land – and you’ve tried turning that around. There are at least three attractions here which are realized on a scale similar to Tokyo’s new Beauty & the Beast ride. It’s a bold new approach – and new international parks like Brazil are the perfect place to practice new ideas – and I wholeheartedly salute this endeavor!
Castle Courtyard
I’ve said before about the limitations of Sites, and I’ll say it again. Sub-dividing first into subland, then further from there to attraction & dining & retail, that breaks up the flow when reading through a project. I would have dearly appreciated smaller maps on each subland’s intro page, in order to keep my bearing. It’s a laborious extra detail I’m asking for, after a long week of hard labor, so ignore me.
Legend of Notre Dame is the first Super-E headliner. It’s a strong opening statement. There was some debate about physically locating Notre Dame within Fantasyland…that’s the sort of issue where a land walkthrough and more maps would totally help out. The queue is wonderfully, immersively detailed. Paced a little oddly, with the beautiful storytelling moment preceding an exterior cattlecar switchback, but the individual elements are grand. The ride itself (though you cite both Tower of Terror and Rise of the Resistance) most reminds me of Tokyo’s B&tB. It has a similar “book report on steroids” feel to it, with massive fully-realized scenes for each major song and moment in the film. Potentially you’re inviting the same nitpicks as B&tB. However, the descriptions are on point, with wonderful attention to special effects practicality (scrims). Very believable. As a ride, I love the semi-randomized drop tower sequences at the end. It all fit Hunchback. Not wholly sure a TOT variant really fits Fantasyland – spatially or tonally – but it’s a fun standalone. Caution on thrills & height requirements excluding your target family audience.
There’s like a whole Hunchnack sub-subland going on! Carousel of Fools is a nice twist on the traditional (and crucial) carousel. Court of Miracles is quite lovingly themed for a quick service restaurant (QSR).
Cinderella’s Magical Journey satisfies as the traditional bus bar dark ride. This particular film sorely demands this treatment! This ride type is where I feel “book report” storytelling works best, especially when your ride focuses on a specific tone. You’ve done that nicely here, capturing Cinderella’s light, magical whimsy.
Belle’s Royal Guest Hall fuses the all-too-common B&tB restaurant with the also-too-common castle restaurant. Seems a rather safe way to activate the castle interior. The meet & greet (M&G) inclusion is welcome.
Retail…Maurice’s Workshop is good. On-theme. Here’s where the website page separation thing becomes an issue, since it’s harder to gauge the land’s overall retail roster.
Storybook Gardens
This is my favorite Garfield subland. I really appreciate the greater focus on vintage Silly Symphony stuff (oft forgotten), which gives your Fantasyland a distinctive – and distinctively old school – feel. @Disney Dad 3000 ‘s ride would have fit this sub-theme, too bad you axed it. (Which was totally allowable, BTW, not a really problem.) A few IPs – Sword in the Stone or the omniprescent Winnie the Pooh – feel misplaced here.
Adventures in Toyland is an incredibly, incredibly well made classic Fantasyland dark ride! Like, I read it days ago without any visuals, and I immediately grasped it. Which is crucial for a movie which I and most Brazilians have never, ever seen. The simply storytelling on display covers everything. Wonderfully nostalgic in all ways with a modern sensibility! Just a flawlessly executed C-ticket!
Silly Symphonies Labyrinth is cute non-ride filler, letting you gracefully cover a wide breadth of smaller IPs. The Paris maze was the reference point, but I got strong Hong Kong Storybook Forest vibes as well, which is a good thing. Though now I’m a little surprised that there’s no Old Mill inspired Ferris wheel.
Regarding Arboreal Boogie…Flowers & Trees has enormous flat ride potential. For budget reasons (& because I love carnival stuff), methinks a Caterpillar or a Tilt-a-Whirl would’ve suited this better – and fit the accompanying image better – than the rather “meh” Luigi’s ride system. But that’s just me. Otherwise, this has the right amount of fleshed-out description for a flat – it’s a Goldilocks write-up.
Onto the smaller elements. Cookie Carnival Cottage is thematically spot-on, plus it has a darling menu (and I’m usually not a menu guy). Toymaker’s Tinkers also fits perfectly (real IASW vibes here). Merlin’s is out-of-place, perfect for a more generic Fantasyland but not quite right here. Same for Pooh Corner…such a short thing, you could delete it at no expense. Just because Disney is obsessed with their Pooh, we don’t need to spread it all over everything!
Fantasy Harbor
This is by far the most expansive of your Fantasy-sub-lands. It’s where the rest of your major E-tickets appear.
Of those, Pinocchio’s Bold Voyage is another elevated “book report” which is realized on a simple massive scale. That “book report” hurts the ride’s narrative…wants a little more focus. Reading it, I wanted a story more specifically about Pinocchio’s ocean quest to rescue Gepetto. Curiously, that’s exactly what I then got from Team Holland. Despite this, I gotta respect the homage to a never-made Disneyland 1955 concept.
With Journey of the Little Mermaid right next door, I question if we have too many Pirates of the Caribbean style rides all in one spot. Especially since Disneyland Brazil already has rides like that elsewhere. I know, I know, most Fantasylands are super redundant with all their interchangeable bus bar dark rides, but it’s more noticeable with massive E-tickets than with those smaller rides. The next-gen ride system used here is a standout…and a surprisingly realistic one; I recently saw a Universal Studios patent for such a thing. To an extent, this attention-grabbing float-then-fly ride idea helps mitigate any “book report” concerns. Because otherwise this is familiar as that famously unmade Mermaid ride…and the queue is familiar from Magic Kingdom. At least this time the façade’s E-ticket scale matches the ride inside!
Daring Dalmatian Chase – okay, the name should’ve been “Dalmatian Evacuation!” – just doesn’t fit Fantasy Harbor. Not even with the on-ride efforts to make it more watery. Teams as a whole should nix awkward ideas like this early on! On its own, of course, doing a 101 variation on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, that is a natural. It just WORKS! Madcap and joyous.
Sorcerer’s Spin is a nice new spin on teacups. Your description buries that lede.
Caucus Race is another spot-on flat ride theme! Both teams had these ideas, but since these ideas are perfect and presented very well in both instances, you’re all good.
Walrus & the Carpenter – perfectly theme. One-to-one carry over from film to park. Same for cuttle’s Gadget & Gizmos. DisneySea basically already has this. Accidentally duplicating DisneySea is proof you’re doing things well.
As for “Entertainment.,” you list only Alice’s Seaside Celebration, a minor M&G. I’m a little surprised that neither team created a large-scale theater show, like in Shanghai or Hong Kong. That’s been a trend lately. And it would be much appreciated in hot, hot, hot Rio.
Conclusion – Glad you made one. This indeed restates your intent, and nicely pulls everything into focus. A few minor nitpicky things aside – and one major lack of land-wide walkthroughs aside – everything here was A-game stuff. Regardless of how this final stanza plays out, feel proud of your achievement!
D Hulk
Well-Known Member
TOM TEAM HOLLAND
FANTA”SEA”LAND
Following up on their Stanza XIV triumph, Team Holland continued their laser focus approach. Once again they agreed upon a narrow concept (water) early on, and then never strayed. So too did they maintain a purely linear presentation style, which again really helps with that sense of unity & purpose. @Disney Dad 3000 truly excels at these Flipbook presentations – an underutilized approach. Note must be made of the gorgeous fairy tale storybook visual look, and the storybook chapters too. That’s the mark of a passionate, involved, fatherly Project Manager. There’s even a careful balance of text to visuals, ensuring that your careful work get the proper love from readers. It’s never a slog.
The “Once upon a time” opening is attention-grabbing but not gimmicky. It wonderfully sets the tone. This is a proper intro and a proper concept; your Fantasyland is surely no mere accumulation of IPs. The storybook style continues into each section to come with land walkthroughs! That’s my jam! You’ve efficiently set your artistic intents; you’ve flawlessly guided us like visiting guests through the land. What’s not to love?
Well…at times, maybe, this doesn’t feel like a Fantasyland. But therein lays the game! Very much on purpose, Team Holland sought to create a new Fantasyland template much unlike the familiar Eurocentric model. Some areas felt like other lands. Atlantis was like an Adventureland subland. Some rides didn’t fit the usual Fantasyland family-friendly vibe. But hey, in a season with a victorious post-apocalyptic Frontierland, this is nothing! Besides, in new Castle Parks like Brazil, I totally welcome experimentation.
Castle Courtyard / Fantasy Docks
Since I’ve already praised the walkthroughs, let’s dive into the meat & potatoes. Pinnochio: The Search for Monstro is (storyline-wise) precisely what I wanted from Garfield’s Pinocchio ride. Moments like the drop and lift hill perfectly fuse ride system with storytelling …that’s some good Imagineering. Then there’s Rapunzel’s Beauty Supply – cute & tiny, like Rapunzel.
New versions of Storybook Land Canals always hold quaint nostalgic promise. Storybook Gondolas could do with a whole lot more than a mere scene listing. I’ll just leave it at that. You know who you are.
Watery Wonderland
We saw Garfield do their own versions of Caucus Race and Walrus & Carpenter’s Fish Dinner, and forgive me but I love ‘em both! All of ‘em! These ideas just work, and in all cases they’re executed excellently. Mad Tea Shop is good because I like boba. I’m liking the amount of Alice stuff all together. Enough to be its own little thing without becoming its own subland.
Down by the Docks
Princess Bride is a Disney IP now?! Inconceivable! Dread Pirate Roberts is another adorably well-themed QSR (Fantasyland is really good at that), though I question the spatial reality of placing it all 100% on the ship. No overflow patios? Getting some vintage Disneyland ‘55 “Chicken of the Sea” vibes. Kinda wish there was more Princess Bride going on than just this. Like a ride. (The M&Gs are filler, but good. Would be missed if absent.)
A Soaked Sorcerer
Sorcerer’s Apprentice – Another repeat of a strong idea. No problemo. Between the custom visuals and the little attention-to-detail (broom fountains), this is a truly excellent example of basic flat ride Imagineering.
Under the Sea
Ariel’s Amazing Adventure is doubtlessly ambitious, and perhaps a bit too much for Fantasyland. A similar, smaller ride system type, like WDSP’s Crush Coaster but with good capacity (that is to say, Universal Studios Japan’s Space Fantasy), I think would’ve matched The Little Mermaid better than the massive Cosmic Rewind tech.
Ignoring the coaster element, storytelling-wise this is very “book report,” with the same sequence as DCA & MK’s Mermaids. Sometime a coaster (or any awesome ride type) can elevate that. But it’s tricky. The physical experience is similar throughout, while the songs range from wistful to wicked to celebratory. This is a roller coaster rushing through a dark ride story. Coasters are better suited to single (action) sequences. Though I certainly cannot fault the passion behind this ride!
Ariel’s Whirligigs: Like with Garfield’s shop, DisneySea already has this. It’s wonderful!
Kudos to the hard-working Hollands for completing Nemo’s Journey last minute! This is a cute new theme for the Peter Pan ride system, which is crucial for a Fantasyland (cough! Hong Kong!). Also, “embiggens?!” That’s a perfectly cromulent word!
With Pines Palace, we have a rather abstract architectural concept for a restaurant. This feels kinda…Epcot-y?
Terrors of the Seas
Moana’s Monstrous Voyage is a good, classic busbar-type dark ride. I like how you favor just one sequence – Lalotai – over retelling the whole of Moana. The presentation here is Finalist worthy stuff. Even through the map layout is from Magic Kingdom’s Snow White, its use (and the zoom-ins for each scene) make a humongous difference.
Bruce’s Beachwear: It’s there.
The Majesty of Atlantis
Atlantis: The Lost Empire will never appear in a Disney park, sadly. It’s too obscure. However, in an Armchair Imagineering competition, I can let that slide! I adore deep cut IP in this format. And this is nicely chosen too as a steampunkish Tomorrowland transition, recalling Magic Kingdom’s former Nautilus attraction.
Atlantis: Kida’s Journey gives us this round’s only trackless dark ride! This is a curious beast. Tonally, it strikes a precarious balance between cutesy (a trackless specialty) and adventurous as befitting the film. Not sure that this is entirely “Fantasyland,” or even what exactly it is – a new, one-of-a-kind Atlantis land, honestly – but I like it. I like the focus on setting and immersion or book reporting. I love that ride vehicle art, regardless of its origin (custom or culled).
Artisans of Atlantis sounds like a shop, not a restaurant. Good spatial combo of a large central ship and nearby courtyard seating. Very realistic.
Ramirez Antiques: It’s there.
Princess Kida M&G: Typical Fantasyland. Nothing but princesses!
Scrolling along, the appearance of trash can means we’re at the end. Given the presentation format, I really did hope for a fairy tale happy ending. But that’s a small thing. This project won me over in its first few pages, and nearly everything to follow maintained that vision. A project with this scale and this complexity will always inpire some nitpicks, but that’s fine. Better to write more and experience minor misteps than to not try at all. Because in real life, if this were a real Fantasyland project, we’d keep on improving it. The foundation is solid, though unorthodox. This watery Fantasyland is well-realized; more importantly, it’s presented very well (cogent explanations, purposeful intro, nice looking). Well done!
Sharon&Susan
Well-Known Member
montydysquith-navarro
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
Yeah, I did preface in the "Ride Experience" section that much of the storyline is borrowed from both the unrealized and realized Mermaid rides. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
...well, I kinda did, just to help pace the story a little better and fill in (in what I personally think) some narrative gaps.
Thanks for the great review!
Pi on my Cake
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
You recognized the map!
This was a purposeful homage since this ride is a modern take on the same niche and definitely NOT a lazy short cut to give myself an easy frame of reference
For real though, great reviews as always! Your knowledge and passion for the parks and imagineering always lead to insightful feedback!
Thanks for yet another thorough review. Sorry two of my three shops were unremarkable, lol. I don’t think I had previously done any shops that weren’t “ride specific” gift shops so that was a new thing for me this round. But nonetheless I’m glad you enjoyed the totality of our project!!
TOM TEAM HOLLAND
FANTA”SEA”LAND
Following up on their Stanza XIV triumph, Team Holland continued their laser focus approach. Once again they agreed upon a narrow concept (water) early on, and then never strayed. So too did they maintain a purely linear presentation style, which again really helps with that sense of unity & purpose. @Disney Dad 3000 truly excels at these Flipbook presentations – an underutilized approach. Note must be made of the gorgeous fairy tale storybook visual look, and the storybook chapters too. That’s the mark of a passionate, involved, fatherly Project Manager. There’s even a careful balance of text to visuals, ensuring that your careful work get the proper love from readers. It’s never a slog.
The “Once upon a time” opening is attention-grabbing but not gimmicky. It wonderfully sets the tone. This is a proper intro and a proper concept; your Fantasyland is surely no mere accumulation of IPs. The storybook style continues into each section to come with land walkthroughs! That’s my jam! You’ve efficiently set your artistic intents; you’ve flawlessly guided us like visiting guests through the land. What’s not to love?
Well…at times, maybe, this doesn’t feel like a Fantasyland. But therein lays the game! Very much on purpose, Team Holland sought to create a new Fantasyland template much unlike the familiar Eurocentric model. Some areas felt like other lands. Atlantis was like an Adventureland subland. Some rides didn’t fit the usual Fantasyland family-friendly vibe. But hey, in a season with a victorious post-apocalyptic Frontierland, this is nothing! Besides, in new Castle Parks like Brazil, I totally welcome experimentation.
Castle Courtyard / Fantasy Docks
Since I’ve already praised the walkthroughs, let’s dive into the meat & potatoes. Pinnochio: The Search for Monstro is (storyline-wise) precisely what I wanted from Garfield’s Pinocchio ride. Moments like the drop and lift hill perfectly fuse ride system with storytelling …that’s some good Imagineering. Then there’s Rapunzel’s Beauty Supply – cute & tiny, like Rapunzel.
New versions of Storybook Land Canals always hold quaint nostalgic promise. Storybook Gondolas could do with a whole lot more than a mere scene listing. I’ll just leave it at that. You know who you are.
Watery Wonderland
We saw Garfield do their own versions of Caucus Race and Walrus & Carpenter’s Fish Dinner, and forgive me but I love ‘em both! All of ‘em! These ideas just work, and in all cases they’re executed excellently. Mad Tea Shop is good because I like boba. I’m liking the amount of Alice stuff all together. Enough to be its own little thing without becoming its own subland.
Down by the Docks
Princess Bride is a Disney IP now?! Inconceivable! Dread Pirate Roberts is another adorably well-themed QSR (Fantasyland is really good at that), though I question the spatial reality of placing it all 100% on the ship. No overflow patios? Getting some vintage Disneyland ‘55 “Chicken of the Sea” vibes. Kinda wish there was more Princess Bride going on than just this. Like a ride. (The M&Gs are filler, but good. Would be missed if absent.)
A Soaked Sorcerer
Sorcerer’s Apprentice – Another repeat of a strong idea. No problemo. Between the custom visuals and the little attention-to-detail (broom fountains), this is a truly excellent example of basic flat ride Imagineering.
Under the Sea
Ariel’s Amazing Adventure is doubtlessly ambitious, and perhaps a bit too much for Fantasyland. A similar, smaller ride system type, like WDSP’s Crush Coaster but with good capacity (that is to say, Universal Studios Japan’s Space Fantasy), I think would’ve matched The Little Mermaid better than the massive Cosmic Rewind tech.
Ignoring the coaster element, storytelling-wise this is very “book report,” with the same sequence as DCA & MK’s Mermaids. Sometime a coaster (or any awesome ride type) can elevate that. But it’s tricky. The physical experience is similar throughout, while the songs range from wistful to wicked to celebratory. This is a roller coaster rushing through a dark ride story. Coasters are better suited to single (action) sequences. Though I certainly cannot fault the passion behind this ride!
Ariel’s Whirligigs: Like with Garfield’s shop, DisneySea already has this. It’s wonderful!
Kudos to the hard-working Hollands for completing Nemo’s Journey last minute! This is a cute new theme for the Peter Pan ride system, which is crucial for a Fantasyland (cough! Hong Kong!). Also, “embiggens?!” That’s a perfectly cromulent word!
With Pines Palace, we have a rather abstract architectural concept for a restaurant. This feels kinda…Epcot-y?
Terrors of the Seas
Moana’s Monstrous Voyage is a good, classic busbar-type dark ride. I like how you favor just one sequence – Lalotai – over retelling the whole of Moana. The presentation here is Finalist worthy stuff. Even through the map layout is from Magic Kingdom’s Snow White, its use (and the zoom-ins for each scene) make a humongous difference.
Bruce’s Beachwear: It’s there.
The Majesty of Atlantis
Atlantis: The Lost Empire will never appear in a Disney park, sadly. It’s too obscure. However, in an Armchair Imagineering competition, I can let that slide! I adore deep cut IP in this format. And this is nicely chosen too as a steampunkish Tomorrowland transition, recalling Magic Kingdom’s former Nautilus attraction.
Atlantis: Kida’s Journey gives us this round’s only trackless dark ride! This is a curious beast. Tonally, it strikes a precarious balance between cutesy (a trackless specialty) and adventurous as befitting the film. Not sure that this is entirely “Fantasyland,” or even what exactly it is – a new, one-of-a-kind Atlantis land, honestly – but I like it. I like the focus on setting and immersion or book reporting. I love that ride vehicle art, regardless of its origin (custom or culled).
Artisans of Atlantis sounds like a shop, not a restaurant. Good spatial combo of a large central ship and nearby courtyard seating. Very realistic.
Ramirez Antiques: It’s there.
Princess Kida M&G: Typical Fantasyland. Nothing but princesses!
Scrolling along, the appearance of trash can means we’re at the end. Given the presentation format, I really did hope for a fairy tale happy ending. But that’s a small thing. This project won me over in its first few pages, and nearly everything to follow maintained that vision. A project with this scale and this complexity will always inpire some nitpicks, but that’s fine. Better to write more and experience minor misteps than to not try at all. Because in real life, if this were a real Fantasyland project, we’d keep on improving it. The foundation is solid, though unorthodox. This watery Fantasyland is well-realized; more importantly, it’s presented very well (cogent explanations, purposeful intro, nice looking). Well done!
TheSquirrel
Well-Known Member
If you watch it, it is revealed as Legoland Windsor but photoshopped
JokersWild
Well-Known Member
Really appreciate the feedback, and I'm glad that you liked the project! It's totally not a big deal, but I just wanted to mention since you brought up Notre Dame's placement: Cathedral Square does have a land walkthrough which explains Notre Dame's placement and design in relation to the rest of the land. Totally not a big deal, and I'm not trying to call you out - I just wanted to bring attention to it in case it got lost in the shuffle somewhere.
TEAM GARFIELD
NEW FANTASYLAND
Phew! The final team projects of this season, and both teams have delivered lengthy (but not too lengthy) closers. Congrats to all for carrying yourselves this far. And congrats for the high quality of both Fantasyland projects, each which took a unique approach to an overly familiar land with plenty of pitfall.
Team Garfield used three sublands to simultaneously get a lot of variety while also keeping some sense of order. Sometimes these subland themes proved too limiting (some individual components are awkward fits), though generally these sublands suggest a visually cohesive series of Fantasyland settings.
I say “suggest” since there’s no genuine walkthrough of the overall land, as Garfield is so eager to dive straight into the attraction play-by-play. I’d decided early on – speaking my judging criteria to my fellow co-hosts – that land walkthroughs were my make-or-break thing. That’s really the only massive issue with the overall project, which is executed quite professionally both with presentation and with the high quality of many individual components. Perhaps this unfortunate lack of focus in one (crucial) area is the result of less-focused Project Management? Different players took the reins at different times in the past week.
But if there’s a central thesis for your overall Fantasyland approach, walkthrough or no, it’s your use of E-ticket. Fantasylands traditionally pile on the smaller C-tickets, focusing on quantity over quality – it’s perhaps why many people often call Fantasyland their least-visited Castle Park land – and you’ve tried turning that around. There are at least three attractions here which are realized on a scale similar to Tokyo’s new Beauty & the Beast ride. It’s a bold new approach – and new international parks like Brazil are the perfect place to practice new ideas – and I wholeheartedly salute this endeavor!
Castle Courtyard
I’ve said before about the limitations of Sites, and I’ll say it again. Sub-dividing first into subland, then further from there to attraction & dining & retail, that breaks up the flow when reading through a project. I would have dearly appreciated smaller maps on each subland’s intro page, in order to keep my bearing. It’s a laborious extra detail I’m asking for, after a long week of hard labor, so ignore me.
Legend of Notre Dame is the first Super-E headliner. It’s a strong opening statement. There was some debate about physically locating Notre Dame within Fantasyland…that’s the sort of issue where a land walkthrough and more maps would totally help out. The queue is wonderfully, immersively detailed. Paced a little oddly, with the beautiful storytelling moment preceding an exterior cattlecar switchback, but the individual elements are grand. The ride itself (though you cite both Tower of Terror and Rise of the Resistance) most reminds me of Tokyo’s B&tB. It has a similar “book report on steroids” feel to it, with massive fully-realized scenes for each major song and moment in the film. Potentially you’re inviting the same nitpicks as B&tB. However, the descriptions are on point, with wonderful attention to special effects practicality (scrims). Very believable. As a ride, I love the semi-randomized drop tower sequences at the end. It all fit Hunchback. Not wholly sure a TOT variant really fits Fantasyland – spatially or tonally – but it’s a fun standalone. Caution on thrills & height requirements excluding your target family audience.
There’s like a whole Hunchnack sub-subland going on! Carousel of Fools is a nice twist on the traditional (and crucial) carousel. Court of Miracles is quite lovingly themed for a quick service restaurant (QSR).
Cinderella’s Magical Journey satisfies as the traditional bus bar dark ride. This particular film sorely demands this treatment! This ride type is where I feel “book report” storytelling works best, especially when your ride focuses on a specific tone. You’ve done that nicely here, capturing Cinderella’s light, magical whimsy.
Belle’s Royal Guest Hall fuses the all-too-common B&tB restaurant with the also-too-common castle restaurant. Seems a rather safe way to activate the castle interior. The meet & greet (M&G) inclusion is welcome.
Retail…Maurice’s Workshop is good. On-theme. Here’s where the website page separation thing becomes an issue, since it’s harder to gauge the land’s overall retail roster.
Storybook Gardens
This is my favorite Garfield subland. I really appreciate the greater focus on vintage Silly Symphony stuff (oft forgotten), which gives your Fantasyland a distinctive – and distinctively old school – feel. @Disney Dad 3000 ‘s ride would have fit this sub-theme, too bad you axed it. (Which was totally allowable, BTW, not a really problem.) A few IPs – Sword in the Stone or the omniprescent Winnie the Pooh – feel misplaced here.
Adventures in Toyland is an incredibly, incredibly well made classic Fantasyland dark ride! Like, I read it days ago without any visuals, and I immediately grasped it. Which is crucial for a movie which I and most Brazilians have never, ever seen. The simply storytelling on display covers everything. Wonderfully nostalgic in all ways with a modern sensibility! Just a flawlessly executed C-ticket!
Silly Symphonies Labyrinth is cute non-ride filler, letting you gracefully cover a wide breadth of smaller IPs. The Paris maze was the reference point, but I got strong Hong Kong Storybook Forest vibes as well, which is a good thing. Though now I’m a little surprised that there’s no Old Mill inspired Ferris wheel.
Regarding Arboreal Boogie…Flowers & Trees has enormous flat ride potential. For budget reasons (& because I love carnival stuff), methinks a Caterpillar or a Tilt-a-Whirl would’ve suited this better – and fit the accompanying image better – than the rather “meh” Luigi’s ride system. But that’s just me. Otherwise, this has the right amount of fleshed-out description for a flat – it’s a Goldilocks write-up.
Onto the smaller elements. Cookie Carnival Cottage is thematically spot-on, plus it has a darling menu (and I’m usually not a menu guy). Toymaker’s Tinkers also fits perfectly (real IASW vibes here). Merlin’s is out-of-place, perfect for a more generic Fantasyland but not quite right here. Same for Pooh Corner…such a short thing, you could delete it at no expense. Just because Disney is obsessed with their Pooh, we don’t need to spread it all over everything!
Fantasy Harbor
This is by far the most expansive of your Fantasy-sub-lands. It’s where the rest of your major E-tickets appear.
Of those, Pinocchio’s Bold Voyage is another elevated “book report” which is realized on a simple massive scale. That “book report” hurts the ride’s narrative…wants a little more focus. Reading it, I wanted a story more specifically about Pinocchio’s ocean quest to rescue Gepetto. Curiously, that’s exactly what I then got from Team Holland. Despite this, I gotta respect the homage to a never-made Disneyland 1955 concept.
With Journey of the Little Mermaid right next door, I question if we have too many Pirates of the Caribbean style rides all in one spot. Especially since Disneyland Brazil already has rides like that elsewhere. I know, I know, most Fantasylands are super redundant with all their interchangeable bus bar dark rides, but it’s more noticeable with massive E-tickets than with those smaller rides. The next-gen ride system used here is a standout…and a surprisingly realistic one; I recently saw a Universal Studios patent for such a thing. To an extent, this attention-grabbing float-then-fly ride idea helps mitigate any “book report” concerns. Because otherwise this is familiar as that famously unmade Mermaid ride…and the queue is familiar from Magic Kingdom. At least this time the façade’s E-ticket scale matches the ride inside!
Daring Dalmatian Chase – okay, the name should’ve been “Dalmatian Evacuation!” – just doesn’t fit Fantasy Harbor. Not even with the on-ride efforts to make it more watery. Teams as a whole should nix awkward ideas like this early on! On its own, of course, doing a 101 variation on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, that is a natural. It just WORKS! Madcap and joyous.
Sorcerer’s Spin is a nice new spin on teacups. Your description buries that lede.
Caucus Race is another spot-on flat ride theme! Both teams had these ideas, but since these ideas are perfect and presented very well in both instances, you’re all good.
Walrus & the Carpenter – perfectly theme. One-to-one carry over from film to park. Same for cuttle’s Gadget & Gizmos. DisneySea basically already has this. Accidentally duplicating DisneySea is proof you’re doing things well.
As for “Entertainment.,” you list only Alice’s Seaside Celebration, a minor M&G. I’m a little surprised that neither team created a large-scale theater show, like in Shanghai or Hong Kong. That’s been a trend lately. And it would be much appreciated in hot, hot, hot Rio.
Conclusion – Glad you made one. This indeed restates your intent, and nicely pulls everything into focus. A few minor nitpicky things aside – and one major lack of land-wide walkthroughs aside – everything here was A-game stuff. Regardless of how this final stanza plays out, feel proud of your achievement!