Welcome all to the final reviews of
@goofyyukyuk and I's run of the competition! This week you were all tasked with a universally exciting challenge in which you must have replaced Diagon Alley in whatever way you saw fit! Now let's see how you all did
The Fast and the Furious: Streets of Tokyo
So glad to see the team finally work on Fast and the Furious this seemed like a big property that had much excitement behind literally every stanza from many of the members so I am glad to see you guys have been able to finally work on this property, but does this love for the property come across in your project?
Presentation
I don't know what working in the conditions of the UAE has done to y'all but every challenge at Universal you guys have hit it out of the park creative presentation styles. A Tumblr blog, a Playbill, and now a mockup of the Universal site? It's these fun presentation quirks that bring a smile to my face! On top of that this project had some stupendous art! Another map made by
@Tegan pilots a chicken and when I tell you my jaw dropped in the PM when I saw
@D Hulk send in the artwork of the land's landscape, it was amazing how he got that out in so little time!
@Homemade Imagineering even had time to craft some fun racing music that included car noises! One nit pick I have is that some pieces of text are repeated within the actual presentation.
Land Design, Stores, Dining
I like how you guys were able to make this a Fast and the Furious land, but at the same time approach it in a way where Universal could easily slap in another IP that exists into your land, and it would still work. The little details of breaking up everything into districts will bring these smaller areas to life, and make the land feel more fleshed out than many of its counterparts in the park. On top of that this is easily the land with the most kinetics at Universal! The ferris wheel, monorail, and the actual E-Ticket all add motion to the land making it feel more alive, but at the same time this acts as an advertisement to come and experience the land. The neon glow, bright colors, and unique plant life outside in the park all aid in bringing much needed color, and gives guests a reason to experience a land both during the day and night in Universal. The small details in each section from tire treads in the pavement to Easter eggs to streetmoshpehere help to really make this feel like a lived in world.
DT Precision is a fun gift shop that definitely is unique with their custom car building area, but I have a few quips with it at the same time. I love the concept, but I'm not sure if sending guests around the store scanning for parts would be the best path in terms of crowd control. It definitely is a fun concept, but in terms of customizing cars I wish it was all available to guests at once. On top of that at first I thought this was going to be like the Droid building experience at Galaxy's Edge mixed with the current DIY cars that Universal has, but this ranges more in the Test Track territory. Would these toy cars be available to guests at the store, will they have to come back later, or will it be shipped to them? With that said I do love the concept and I think it is very unique, and I love the inclusion of some amiibo support.
Amai Kawaii is a fun little store, and would definitely be popular given its Nintendo and anime merchandise. If anybody has been to Universal then you would know that anime and Nintendo have long been a favorite of universal to stock up on in the kiosks at CityWalk, and can definitely see this store being lucrative! One suggestion for the future is to have the second floor listed after the first floor in descriptions for a better flow. Torendi Boutique helps expand on the world of FnF, and I love the little details that help tell the story of the store. I love the name of It Fell Off A Truck, and I wish you explained the backstory of it more here.
Dotonbori was a great way to include a variety of food and drinks while keeping a smaller footprint and building out the city within the land. I love how every single stall still has that touch of neon and movement to call attention from guests. All of these snacks sound really tasty and help to make Universal's dining actually desirable! I wish there was more detail for the sushi place as even the stalls are more detailed than something that has eating, but the concept of conveyor belt sushi is amazing! I love seeing all of the sushis go by whenever I go to the mall, and definitly tempts me to try it! Torreto Noodle House makes sense dining wise, but name wise why Torreto if Letty is the owner of it? That said I do appreciate it, but I feel like both this and the sushi place would have been better suited within the Dotonbori Stalls given they seem to be smaller in detail.
Izakaya is the headliner for dining, and provides a table service to Universal Studios that not only has a great menu but also doesn't look outdated! (Yes I'm @ing the sorry excuse for decor within the San Fran restaurant Universal has, it feels so stuffy and garish in there). Out of all the Torreto concepts I love this the most as I think a restaurant like how is described fits within his character perfectly! The decor and atmosphere within the restaurant are top notch, and the small menu at the end is greatly appreciated, and its menu offers something completely different as Universal doesn't have a tapas style restaurant currently!
Attractions
Right off the bat many of the attractions in the land add some great kinetics in the area, and to the park that brings this area to life. For the ferris wheel I wished you included a video of the ferris wheel type that was described as it would've helped given how unique it was. I also wish there was a bit more communication on the ferris wheel given the difference of what's described vs the image provided. That isn't to beat up the image as I love the visual, but is just something to note. Other than that I think a ferris wheel would be great here given its placement would offer views of nearly the entire property of the resort! Another unique take on a standard is the Koka Monorail given it's hanging! With that said I wish we had a layout of the attraction's path because dependent on how the area around the station in IOA is set up it could cause for some thematic breaking due to its neon color plate. With that said I do enjoy the backstage tour and think it's a neat concept, but given the Japan setting and travel to Lost Continent I would have loved if you had somehow found a way to work in something like the yokai or other pieces of Japanese mythology to make this more connected with the mythological Lost Continent.
The stunt show is a really fun addition, and sounds really action packed! I think this fits within the Hobbs character, and acts as a self contained story that many guests would love. From the music to the effects to the stunts this all just sounds like a good time! The holiday theming is a great touch, and I love the attention of detail that the team put into both Christmas and HHN even as going as far to include a new house staging area for foreign films which I'm sure will be a homerun with guests. The reuse of existing props also is a realistic way of bringing the spook into the land!
The queue for the E-Ticket is filled with detail and the little touches like the real cars used in the films but also a working kitchen for a staff breakroom add into the immersion of the ride. The preshow is nicely written and has some charm while still being informative w/ safety procedures. Overall this ride is really fast paced, and I think this is exactly what a Fast and the Furious ride needs to be! No clue why in reality we got a party bus, but a racing ride ala Radiator Springs is just the perfect thing to pull off! Then to make it special there is a super near drifting feature that adds to the ride's thrill! Love how how in the end the guests evade the police and their nifty driving skills are rewarded by joining up with Dom.
Overall
This project is filled with love not only for Fast and the Furious but for Tokyo as well. There are plenty of small details that add to the land feeling alive and vibrant, but when every project is stellar small things like a lack of description for a few things or a miscommunication could hold the team back from a win. Whatever the case is we're all family here
Also TRASH CANS!!!
Ancient Rome
I think this is the team that took the biggest risk this stanza. You guys went with a surprise pick for a setting in Ancient Rome, and on top of that even brought in plenty of original ideas for your project! However will this risk pay off? Let's find out!
Presentation
Keeping it simple with a Google Site is a good move as it makes everything easily navigable, and the fonts chosen made everything very easy to read and see! I appreciate the map as it helps visualize the whole area, and the small pieces of original artwork really add to the project as a whole!
USF
Feels weird typing out the name for my rival university, but luckily that's not what it means this stanza! I love this concept conceptually, but I wish this was more fleshed out for the Ancient Rome branch. I would have loved for this tab to go into more detail of the founding members, and just be more focused on them. This could have been the founding members, and other members seamlessly joined in the following years as attractions opened. This would have helped flesh out what the organization was, and help to avoid the other issue I have with it. It just seems odd that this is a Universal exclusive thing with things like Marvel seemingly have large presences in the lineup. I think at one point the team discussed tieing it back to fictional Universal characters, and I think that may have the smarter move as a Doctor Frankenstein or Jekyll would have been great inclusions while tieing this to other IPs. With that said I will reiterate I love the concept of the society, and think it's a nice touch!
Land Design, Stores, Dining
I think Ancient Rome will add a lot of diversity to the park in terms of design and looks. The architecture of the ancient city helps to set it apart from modern counterparts. USF Club helps to introduce the guests into the mythology of the organization, and fleshes out the Ancient Rome branch of characters. Although I'm unsure why Lombard's was killed off (not that I'm opposed, not a fan of it) as it's still around to this day because it wasn't really in the plot but that's just a small hiccup. On one hand I do enjoy the menu of this restaurant, but on the other I do wish you went with more traditional Mediterranean menu to match with the Roman setting. I'm actually fine with the pizza stall and gelato stall as options in the land, and while I think its cool you tied USF into it I think you would have gotten away with having them as regular places within the land without the explanation.
Craftsman's Club is really neat and I think real artisans creating the products in front of guests helps to bring the land to life giving it a lived in feeling. I'm not really sure what's happening with the mirrors, and I wish you went into greater detail to explain more of its functionality. Along with that the Back to the Future merchandise is a head scratcher I know Doc Brown is a member of the society, but to a regular guest they wouldn't know much of the society which may lead to confusion as to why they can buy a model DeLorean in Ancient Rome. I enjoy Master of the Stars and think while its a novelty shop it would definitely be something that guests would be interested in seeing, and fleshes out the land along with its lineup of stores.
Attractions
The Coliseum is a neat concept and brings out the charm of Ancient Rome that many would expect to see. It would be a lot of fun to see such action live, but I do have one question. If the lions are animatronics then how advanced would they be to appear lifelike when fighting? Furthermore, if the lions are animatronics how come there's a picture of lion puppet? I feel like a little bit more communication would have helped sort out the issues here. I think all of the details of the train are great as the little things like distance, gauge, etc. help to make this feel more real. However I'm not sure if the Time Train was the best route for park to park transport; I know that is has to do with USF, but to the average guest they would find a Back to the Future ride in the middle of Ancient Rome. With that said I do enjoy the touches of travelling through mythology to connect the two lands stronger, and I think the scenes chosen were great!
Gladiator is a fun take on an IP project while still being its own original thing. The coaster peeking out throughout the land is a nice touch, and brings the land to life with some great kinetics. Furthermore the attraction design is well thought out and designed with detail given to the queue and vehicles that help bring this ride to life. The various scenes chosen give this ride a POTC feeling, and envelops guests into the world of gladiator style films. With that said at times I wasn't sure what the purpose was of some things as the ride through left some things rather vague. An example being the animatronic animals in the coliseum, but earlier the scene said it was in an elevator with screens? Are we still the water or this coaster track section too? Outside of that the ride does sound really fun, and mixes coaster and dark ride well.
Overall
This project took a lot of big risks with so many original concepts. For the most part the original concepts were all good, but needed some more fleshing out. In addition while the inclusion of USF was neat in some parts of the projects it led to a few headscratchers. With that said the team's creativity was top notch this week so give yourselves all pats on the back as it's no simple task to create whole new original experiences!
Venice
Another Italian land, but now set during modern times. While the two lands are set in Italy they move are different and distinct as Venice plays host to a variety of spy films along with pieces of mystery and even an original idea! However is it possible that the team bit off more than they could chew? Let's find out!
Presentation
Another great Google Site that is easily navigable with an easy to read presentation! That map is just wow, it is so detailed and complex. It really helps to visualize the whole land right from the get go. On top of that the website is interactive with plenty of hidden links that ties into an attraction within the land, and was just a really clever way to tie the land together.
Land Design, Stores, Dining
I love how the land just flows together! It is very inter connected with many different paths to allow guests to explore at their own leisure. On top of that you guys utilized the waterways with a gondola attraction that makes the land feel more lived in. On top of that the land is divided into small islands each with their own distinctive landmarks that help to differentiate the land from its counterparts in the parks. The beauty of Venice is really brought out, and helps to really diversify this project from the rest.
Piazza adds to the land experience recreating those iconic Venetian markets while selling unique products that add to the theme of the land. The wide variety of products in the market help to make it more unique. Q's Workshop on the other hand is a great giftshop for the E Ticket within the land. It has plenty of detail and unique details with things like the codenames and even the DIY Bond watch which adds to the overall shopping experience. This is definitely a stand out for Universal merchandise, and adds some great diversity of products.
The restaurants in the land are able to differentiate themselves from the Italian restaurant in nearby New York along with what we have seen over at Team Space's proposal. The full menus for each location helps to better visualize the restaurant concept. There is plenty of variety between the two main restaurants with plenty of adventurous options along with safe choices like pizza and spaghetti. The amount of detail that went into Regina de Adriataca is great too which helps to really flesh out the restaurant making it feel even more alive. From the drinks to décor to food plenty of love and care went into designing the restaurant!
Attractions
Venice: A Renaissance Story is a great interactive attraction throughout the land, and I had a lot of fun exploring the site looking for all of the clues! It is a great counter foil to experiences like Agent P's World Showcase Adventure or even the wand waving in the Wizarding World. It adds detail to the land, and adds plenty of little things that help to flesh out the land while still being simple enough for guests to be able to follow with ease. The Gondolas are another attraction that aids in bringing this land to life! It adds kinetic energy in the water giving guests something to see throughout the land, and as a way to draw in guests from the outside of the land. It combines the setting of the land with a simplistic yet original concept that adds to the area, and capitalizes on what would otherwise be unused waterways. The edutainment approach is a great payoff as this sounds like a nice gentle family friendly attraction that is a nice change of pace from the other attractions giving the land some diversity in offerings.
I think the setting of the Bourne stunt show in the streets of Venice was a unique touch, and helps to differentiate itself from the Bourne show we have in real life but also all the other stunt shows that the park has played host to. My one concern is that without a proper theater or signage, coupled with the Bourne Experience being more set apart than other aspects in the project it may not gather the audience it deserves as this acts more of a show for those in the know. However this isn't to diminish the show as it is conceptually sound with some great action scenes that encapsulate the Bourne franchise.
Onto the E-Ticket Bond! You guys already noticed this after posting, but for future reference I think it would be great to make sure that things like insert name here to not be in the final submission
This attraction is oozing with easter eggs to other Bonds while still being its own thing. The attention to detail put into the façade and queue help is stand apart from the rest of the land as you can just tell that whoever worked on this had plenty of passion for the Bond IP. The preshow helps to set up the ride for guests, and aids in introducing the attraction give enough info on the Bond verse to get everyone onto the page of what is going to be happening within the ride. The choice to make this attraction a thrilling boat ride, like Team Space, is a good one as it adds diversity to the otherwise rather dry lineup at Universal. However it is unclear if everything that happens in the ride is via a screen or animatronics? This is cleared up in later scenes in which the use of tech and sets helps to blend the two into a great experience. Another concern I have is the amount of dialogue and pacing of the ride itself as given the faster pace would guests have enough time to hear all of this dialogue while still taking in what is happening to them on the ride?
Overall
This was a strong showing from Team Time, but will small details and oversights be what causes the team to avoid getting first place this week?
