This prompt was a special breed. We haven’t had an anniversary prompt all season, and most of the anniversary prompts of prior seasons have all themed around ad campaigns, not the celebrations themselves. For that, you really didn’t have much to go off, and as a result, each team went off in three very different directions.
There’s the more realistic angle - more in line with Disneyland’s 50th Anniversary. Changes are made, but nothing drastic, with a larger focus on necessary improvements than large-scale expansions. Or, you can take the SAU angle, where the sky really is the limit, and use this prompt as an opportunity to build the 50th Anniversary of your dream.
Because of all these different approaches, it is challenging to judge each project side by side. But this is the quarterfinal and a winner must be declared, and unfortunately, a few must be let go. Just keep in mind: every team did something special this round. I’d be proud to have played on any one of these teams this week - this round is an exemplary effort from all of you.
TEAM GARFIELD
The Really Long One
This project is insane. At 233 pages, it’s the longest I am aware of existing in an Imagineering game. I know Team Castle had an infamous 84 Pages for their opening project in Season 4 and Mumbai Disneyland of Season 6 possessed a whopping 138, but that was with 20+ people over two weeks. You had only one week and a mere five.
So for that accomplishment, you all get standing ovations.
But.
To be completely honest, your massive scope of this project hinders you. It reminds me of Team Reality’s New York Project, amazing in all its bits and pieces but the more it goes on the more it strays from plausibility. There are parts of this project that could be submitted as their own separate projects. Dash’s brilliant Tomorrowland overhaul, for instance, or the incredible Celebrate a Wish Come True nighttime spectacular. It is monumental how much you were able to accomplish in such little time, and how much of it is independently fantastic.
What makes it more complicated is that there is very little I would willingly cut. With the exception of the redundant “Already Announced” pages, everything on the website is phenomenal. Instead, I think you should have bitten back a bit and accepted that not everything can be accomplished in a single year. I know it’s not what you want to hear, but I just don’t think Disney, even SAU Disney, would be able to create this many far-reaching changes to the resort in such a short time.
But this is only one concern. It does NOT ruin your project, which on the whole is incredible. It’s just something that I would point to in the future to work on.
MAGIC KINGDOM
All the attraction upgrades are double thumbs-up. EARidescent is a lovely recurring theme, from the ride overlays to Dole Whip, that helps tie everything together.
The Tomorrowland overhaul is excellent. As a Californian I don’t think about this much… but Tomorrowland is really made redundant in Disney World. Toy Story Land in DHS, FutureWorld in EPCOT… Tomorrowland desperately needs a new theme, and the Raygun Gothic approach is a really unique but fitting one to choose! I have nothing but praise towards this overhaul.
Let’s talk about the two shows. I love both for different reasons - the Classic Magic Parade is such a fantastic concept, hitting all the highlights of classic Magic Kingdom, while Celebrate a Wish Come True is basically taking that concept and transforming it into a narrative epic. Given Magic Kingdom’s history, both work excellently for an anniversary celebration.
EPCOT
I’m sad you had to fire Neil de Tyson from earlier, he’s a fantastic voice actor. I don’t know who this Neil
deGrasse Tyson guy is but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. /s
Upgrading the American Adventure as time passes is always a smart idea.
The Imagination Pavilion Rework is once again, a lovely overhaul for an area much in need of love in WDW today. What interests me most is the level of, well, imagination on display! Most fans would rally towards bringing back the original ride, but instead, you’ve opted for another pass on the classic attraction. Will this work? I’m honestly not sure. Reading it through, I think it captures the whimsical spirit of the original while doing something new. But only time would tell for this change IRL. Regardless, I commend you for choosing originality over a simple refurbishment of the classic ride.
Ending things off, the EPCOT Concert Series is a smart marketing campaign for the 50th. This is one of the few parts of the project where you lean more into the “celebration” aspect of the anniversary, and I really appreciated that kind of focus.
HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
Star Tours improvements = double thumbs up.
I’m bitterly accepting Pixar Place. Unlike Hulk, Ace, and Space, I was not involved with the DHS Season 4 project, so I really have no right to complain. And it makes total sense for Disney to do this. I guess I just hate change, lol.
A Toy Story Adventure is a super creative approach to the “Toy Story Ride” theme, distinct from all that’s come before it. I love the idea of setting it in Bonnie’s imagination and playing up all the silly tropes that would inevitably follow.
Is a Doctor Strange Sunt Show possible in Orlando? I was under the impression Universal’s Marvel rights extended to characters like Strange, which prevent Disney from using him even if it’s the version from their movies. But maybe I’m not understanding it properly, or in the SAU things are different. I mean if TinTin’s an IP, anything flies, right?
Mickey’s Stardust Circus Parade sounds like a lot of fun, especially with the Fab Five in their unique roles. My only worry is does it truly fit Hollywood Studios? I think it might be a better fit for the Storybook Circus in Magic Kingdom, but MK is already overstuffed with parades and events as is.
Fantasmic 2.0 is a solid overhaul, adding modern IPs while retaining the tone and atmosphere of the original. Not much else to say.
ANIMAL KINGDOM
Burn Chester and Hester! The Excavator is a much better fit.
All in all, this Dinoland retheme is excellent… continuing your theme of Tomorrowland and the Imagination Pavillion by fixing up a land in need. Shifting the Dino Institute’s base to New Mexico also gives the entire area a new feeling, which when compared to the rest of the park helps diversify the biomes at play
The Circle of Life looks fantastic! I love the Lion King tie-in, not just with the images from the 2019 movie but the whole structure of being, hunting, death, and rebirth. It serves as an excellent conclusion to a long day at Animal Kingdom.
INVENTUS
Inventus gets the least overall changes of the parks, but that’s ok. It makes sense considering this is the most recent of the parks. A couple new flat rides will do, plus an improved menu to address fans’ concerns.
DISNEY SPRINGS
Overhauling the Marketplace is a fantastic idea, especially with how much depth you’ve gone into each and every shop available. A bit confused by Mr. Beasts’ inclusion, but everything else looks like the perfect fit for Disney Springs.
MISCELLANEOUS
A series of here-and-there improvements around WDW. Not much else to say, though great job putting such detail into not only the parks but other areas of WDW as well.
The Treats and Merchandise and EARidescent Overlays are some of my favorite details, and I kinda wish there was more of a focus on those sorts of things rather than even more expansions (water parks, disneysprings, etc).
Speaking of which - the Mount Olympus iridescent concept art by MickeyWaffle is absolutely beautiful. In fact, the entire website possesses this wonderful iridescent look that mirrors the celebration's color pallet. Excellent use of a presentation.
CONCLUSION
This project exemplifies “go big or go home”. All five of you contributed in major ways to the final project, adding five massive expansions to the parks and Disney Springs, plus dozens of minor refurbishments, and then general improvements to the resort at large. It’s a dream proposal for a long-term expansion plan… but…
I can’t help but feel like the Anniversary Celebration itself is sorta pushed to the wayside by all the widespread resort changes. My favorite parts of this project were the original Parades, Shows, and little features like EARidescent Treats. Not because the overhauls weren’t fantastic (they were!) but because it felt the most relating to the prompt of a 50 year anniversary.
In summary, you should be immensely proud of what you were able to accomplish in just one week. It truly shows incredible teamwork from everyone for this to happen, not to mention great leadership from your project manager and dethroner of the tiara, Tcool. Next week though, I’d suggest slowing down a bit, and trying to find a closer blend between ambition and realism relating to the prompt.
TEAM HOLLAND
The One With Weird Colors
At a mere 20 pages in one week, Team Holland came in a lowly second place for pagecount. The travesty to have Tegan on your team and not win the tiara --
Ok I’ll stop, all a joke please don’t take that personally. I’m sure you’ll get your revenge on Tcool next round!
But actually, this may be my personal favorite project (objective rankings aside). You’ve done an excellent job blending realism with originality. Despite all the amazing ideas on display, it’s focused and logical. You don’t go overboard with expansions or new entertainment, but you also make sure to use enough ideas to fill out the entire resort with things to do all year long.
The choice of a 70s color pallet is an inspired idea, but I’m not entirely sure how it will work in execution. It gives off a great effect on your Google Doc, but whenever I look at the (very well made) concept art, I can’t help but think of Halloween with all the oranges and browns. It’s an example of an idea I love in concept but am a bit iffy on in execution.
The overall message of looking back to the past is a great one. My only concern is it feels a lot more relevant to Magic Kingdom and EPCOT than it does the rest of the resort. This is especially true for Animal Kingdom and Inventus, where the nostalgia felt in MK and EPCOT are pretty much nonexistent. However I consider this a minor nitpick, and more than worth it for the unique theme on display throughout the rest of the resort.
ONCE IN A LIFETIME ATTRACTIONS
Taking older attractions/ideas and retrofitting them back into the parks
only for the anniversary year is a brilliant concept. That it lasts only a year is absolutely essential - in a single act, you add more to the anniversary while encouraging guests to visit for just this year, not the next!
I also appreciated how realistic these attractions are. The Progress City Preview Center feels like exactly the sort of thing Disney would do if they were feeling retrospective. Bringing back Dreamfinder and Figment in Fantastic Journeys is a little fan-servicey, but it fits perfectly with the theme you established at the beginning of the celebration. Plus, and this is most important, it’s cheap. Realistically speaking, when an attraction only lasts a year it’s not going to be given the same budget as an attraction meant to last a decade-plus.
Moving on, the “black box” attraction for Hollywood Studios is an excellent fit. I could easily see this existing in real life, and the decision to start the black box with a loose analogue to the Hollywood Tram Tour, removed earlier in the season, is absolutely perfect.
EPCOT’s “black box” I’m less sure about. I love Futureport - traveling around the past of EPCOT and hearing all the classic songs is a dream for most WDW fans. I’m more curious about the black box’s future. I’m not sure FutureWorld fits in as a black box as well as the ever-rotating Hollywood film industry does. Thinking it through, I’d predict it falling into the “sponsorship” model of the past - where specific companies sponsor the black box in an effort to show off their recent products/breakthroughs in low-budget dark rides. It’s interesting to think about.
Last, Melodies: The Magic of Water is a great night-show for Animal Kingdom! It feels a little different from the rest of the temporary attractions, where those were very nostalgic by their nature, this feels more like a modern show that could conceivably stay full time. Part of me wishes it did - I think it fits better than Turning Red as Animal Kingdom’s long-term nighttime spectacular, but that’s a matter of personal preference.
50 SPECIAL TREATS
This is one of those smaller additions that you wouldn’t necessarily notice a difference without it, but it really rounds out your project. And you didn’t skimp on it either, with each of the 50 snacks unique in both snack and location throughout the resort. Bravo!
WHEN THE CELEBRATION ENDS...
This is another small piece that I love. It really drives home this is an anniversary and not just a timed mega-expansion. 50th Anniversary events will close and new attractions will come in. Everything makes so much sense.
BAY LAKE ADVENTURE ISLAND
Discovery Island returns! If there was one addition I’d call the “headliner” of this celebration, I think this would be it. And I love how it’s not a simple retread of what came before, but something new for the property. Bay Lake sounds like a fun “mini-park” to enjoy during extended stays in Orlando.
OTHER REFURBISHMENTS
Peter Pan, PeopleMover, Journey into Imagination, Muppet Vision, Safaris. What do these all have in common? They’re all beloved properties that have over the years fallen from their prime. I love how, rather than just returning them to their original glories, you’re creatively revising the attractions to be better than ever.
Both Primeval World and Skidbladnir are cool concepts that make perfect sense for the SAU. I don’t have as much to say about them, but I still think they’re great to include here.
SHOWS AND SPECTACULARS
Turning attention to shows, Once Upon Once in a Lifetime is an excellent “thesis” for your theme of celebrating the past in a special Disney way. I love how each decade gets a franchise and message, with each tying together to create the perfect Disney vacation. Moments like these truly tie together your more retro-style anniversary setting.
Once Upon Once in a Lifetime’s daytime parade counterpart, Moments Of Magic, doesn’t skimp either. Following the path of Walt is always a great theme to touch upon with Disney anniversaries, although ironically I feel it’s a bit disconnected from Walt Disney World proper. Most of the parade’s attention is directed towards accomplishments outside WDW, which I’m not sure flows as well as it could for a 50th WDW Anniversary.
THE 50 HOUR EXTRAVAGANZA
You sold me at 50 hours… there’s so much to do on this day, I feel the time would run by fast all things considered.
OTHER EVENTS
Ending off the project is a series of smaller changes that continue to add a strong sense of realism to this project. A Disney+ Show about WDW is the ideal marketing tool to encourage people to come to the 50th. I also disagree with Space on Retro Revivals… while yes, it might take you out of the attraction, I think the fact you’re lucky enough to “ride the gold one” more than justifies it. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event that you will forever remember.
Finally, obligatory “yay to the trashcans” comment. It’s there, I noticed it, I commented regarding it.
CONCLUSION
Of the three teams, I think this most hits the “middle ground” between ambition and realism. Garfield went highly ambitious while Maguire played it very safe. Will this middle-ground approach pay off for Team Holland, or will things go horribly wrong? If so, it’s all Pi’s fault for picking out those darn pesky colors.
But actually, fantastic work Team Holland!
TEAM MAGUIRE
The One With the Typo
Tobey Maguire is the campiest Spider-Man and yet Team Maguire is the most realistic of the bunch. It’s treason, then.
Led by two veteran armchair imagineers and three dependable newbies, Team Maguire silently chugged along to produce a project that shines in the smaller details. Its careful attention to realism makes it without a doubt the most likely of the 50th Anniversaries, with significant focus given to areas outside the parks like the resorts and skyliner. Although they may be easy to forget, they are just as much a part of the resort as the parks, and focusing on everything really boasts the realism for this team's project.
On the flipside, with realism comes a bit less out of the 50th Anniversary. Although there’s certainly still much to do - taking into consideration the real-world construction Disney is already undertaking for future properties, perhaps it is even too much to be plausible IRL - compared to the other projects, this 50th Anniversary is somewhat shorter. But that’s by no means a bad thing: it allows you to focus more on the smaller changes made throughout the resort.
So without further ado, let’s break them down one by one!
MAGIC KINGDOM
Adventureland is a smart choice for refurbishment. Removing the Magic Carpets earns a thumbs up from me, as it clears out the space for foot traffic. Likewise, removing the Treehouse for something more accessible is a smart move. Falco’s Flight fulfills its job as Adventureland flat ride wonderfully, plus a SEA reference is always appreciated. Finally, Moana makes more sense in Adventureland than it ever did in FutureWorld, so double thumbs up there.
Magic of Memories is an excellent combination of IPs with classic Magic Kingdom fun. I love how you tied all of MK’s lands together with their own elements in the show… it sounds like the perfect conclusion to one’s day at the Magic Kingdom. Plus, Joker’s video is just awesome.
For the Celebrate the Magic Parade, I wish there was a little more detail to fit with the rest of the project. It doesn’t have to be as detailed as Magic of Memories, but maybe just some photos would have helped break up the largely blank page. Consistency is key to team projects, particularly when you break off into different tasks. It's ok to have a little bit more or less detail than others, but you don't want that to become the norm. As a team, it's a good idea to determine a general detail level so you're on the same page: again, it can be varied here or there, but a general detail level to follow always helps.
Finally, the unique foods and beverages for each land in the Magic Kingdom are a great touch!
EPCOT
A walkthrough for Turkey makes sense. Kudos for using an element of the SAU in your anniversary celebration. Custom food options around the World Showcase for only the 50th is a great marketing tool! Especially the alcohol: I'm sure that will draw large crowds
HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
Having seen the cinematic masterpiece that is Godzilla v Kong twice in the span of 24 hours, this is beautiful.
WDW: 50 Years in the Making is the exact sort of thing I’d expect Disney to do during the real 50th Anniversary. I especially appreciated the attention to detail you took in outlining not only the real groundbreaking changes of WDW but also the SAU’s groundbreaking changes. Looking at it now, in the SAU Disney World has been through a lot!
ANIMAL KINGDOM
I absolutely adore Primeval World! Animal Kingdom desperately needs family dark rides, and what you’re describing here is basically just that, with hints of EPCOT edutainment and Dinosaur levels immersion without any of the fear.
Thumbs up to the character boats!
INVENTUS
Well, that’s one way to bypass Inventus lol. But I suppose it makes sense to end the 50-year celebration with a 5th park to “move things forward”. A fantastical finale to enter 2022.
RESORTS AND CELEBRATION HUB
This is where the project really shines. The renovations into Disney's Backlot Movies Resort are detailed and well-reasoned. Families going to this resort will likely love the IPs chosen.
The Celebration Hub is an excellent idea. I wish you had formatted the website to start with this, as it would make for the ideal “base camp” for the rest of the Celebration around the resort. VR sounds really cool: to my understanding, it's a sort of advertisement of the type of things you’ll find during the 50th Anniversary, as to encourage guests in Disney Springs to head out to those parks/resorts? This is really interesting. It may be worthwhile to expand this VR model further to locations like local Disney Stores, to try and draw people to visit WDW from places beyond Orlando.
Lastly, Phase 2 of the Skyliner gets the classic double thumbs up!
SIGNATURE DINING
For some reason, I completely skipped this on my first readthrough! These menus are fantastic! But I have to agree with Ace’s comment that it’d make a lot more sense for these to be part of the foods in each park, rather than all kept in the corner of the website. Still, great work!
CONCLUSION
This is a shorter project than the rest, but it is also the most realistically designed. I think for that those on Team Maguire deserve a pat on the back.
If there was one point of constructive criticism I’d make, it's that your presentation didn’t really hold up to the rest of the teams. This is ironic considering you possessed some of the best artwork (the interactive map, fireworks show) but when it came down to compiling I think you were a bit rushed for time, leading to less formatting than usual in a presentation, and a certain typo on the MK page. And that’s perfectly understandable, mistakes always happen, but in the future, I’d suggest starting to compile your work together a bit earlier. It’s not the end of the world: the ideas are always going to be more important than how you present them. But it doesn’t hurt to make things look pretty.
Again, good job to all of you. Despite being overall a quieter and less large-scale team than your rivals, you more than made up for it by having every part of your project count.
Also, links at the bottom are always nice.
