MickeyWaffleCo.
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
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The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Season 7: Fantasmic Journeys [CONCLUDED!]
- Thread starter Outbound
- Start date
Orange Cat
Well-Known Member
& it’s time to bury it once & for all...Hey the thread is alive again!
Disney Dad 3000
Well-Known Member
Happy to take those into the GMR universe and GMR2 comp next year.
Chaos Cat
Well-Known Member
Pi on my Cake
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
spacemt354
Chili's
Orange Cat
Well-Known Member
Crap
DashHaber
Well-Known Member
He never posted em.....
TwilightZone
Well-Known Member
He did in our hearts
Hello all and welcome to my long-awaited Stanza XVI Reviews! Apologies for the extended wait, I was able to fix my computer the day after the finale, but then AP tests started and I couldn’t dedicate as much time to writing as I originally planned. But that’s no matter now because here they are!
Apologies aside, after reading all your projects the night of the finale, it has been surprisingly refreshing to reread them one week later. It seems already the mood has swung towards hype for Madcap Circus (which I’m just as excited for), but right now, I want to take the time to celebrate the awesome projects on display.
Because the more I think about it the more I realize these projects are the conclusion of the top eight contestants of SA7’s stories. Everything you worked on led to this moment, and everyone, from those who posted three days before the deadline to those writing the project the day of, managed to create a worthy conclusion to their individual journey.
So with that comes my plan for these reflections (not reviews). The results have already been announced so there is little need to critique tiny nitpicks. Instead, I wanted to celebrate what each of you created, and reflect on your general journey in the game + what the future holds for each of you.
DIRECTORY
Dash Haber
Shannoninthemagic
Sharon & Susan
ThemeParkPriest
Tcool123
Tegan Pilots a Chicken
JokersWild
Pi on my Cake
Last edited:
@DashHaber
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutagen Madness
Awards and Honors
Best Project Manager of SA7
SA7 MVP Runner-Up
Best New SA Player Runner-Up
SA7 Dancing Broomstick Award
Going into the finale Dash was certainly a force to be reckoned with. You’ve become a major player since starting in SYWTBAI 18, and in each game, you’re progressively nearing closer and closer to winning it all. In this game in particular you’ve shown mastery in writing across all armchair imagineering categories. From numerous e-tickets at the beginning to alternating to shops and dining to help your team, you consistently killed it in writing. I also think this game was a big step forward for your leadership. You stepped up to the plate again and again and kept your team organized and well-managed each time. I’d argue it was this precise management that allowed you to complete your projects days before the deadline was due.
Posting first was brave. Personally, I’m much too paranoid of giving fellow contestants advanced knowledge of what their competition is up to ever post days in advance. But that’s on me for being generally too paranoid.
However, I do honestly believe that posting first limited you from taking this project to the next level. There are little nitpicks here or there, like the screens/animatronics confusion or the lack of explanation in the preshow write-up, that just hold this project back from entering into the Top 4. I think you could have taken the extra time from finishing early to add some polish. Perhaps even create some more artwork - I know it's not your thing, and as you said in the podcast you did try - but even if it's not the same quality as some of your competition, you only improve through practice. If you're worried about art, what about recording audio? You've done a fantastic job on the podcasts this season and are great at vocal impressions. Perhaps in the future try incorporating this into a project? It's not necessary - as I said, you are a great writer - but adding some extra pizzaz like that might help take your projects to the next level.
Moving onto the idea itself. TMNT in Universal Studios’ NYC is one of those ideas that you yourself never think of, but the moment you hear it it makes so much sense. It’s perhaps the most realistic pitch, yet the slot car ride is an inspired deviation that sets this ride apart. Particularly when you consider no ride like it exists in Universal Studios or Islands of Adventure.
The queue is well thought out and smoothly transitions us from the usual world to the underground lair of the turtles. Having been pointed out to me I noticed the similarities to Spider-Man, but honestly, on the first read, none of these thoughts came to mind. I’ve never seen any Ninja Turtles comics/shows /movies, so I was a bit confused by the preshow backstory, but a visit to the TMNT Wiki quickly clarified things.
The write-up feels like exactly the sort of ride Universal would do, with a bit of wild fun thrown in the mix thanks to the TMNT’s presence. You run past fights, get caught by a big bad, and save the day just in the nick of time. It feels at times more like the Spider-Man/Transformers ride system than the slot car, especially with that short finale not using the slot car to its fullest potential, but this is genuinely a small critique. In-person, I’m sure it would feel completely different than either of the two rides above. Also, the choice to set the race entirely inside is a great one, both setting it apart from the Disney Slot Car rides and keeping with the TMNT theme.
Looking back, I could easily see Universal Creative making this ride in real life. It's both an iconic IP and a great fit for the area. You took an excellent idea and did it justice in just about every regard, only stumbling a bit with minor details I would have likely forgotten to mention as well. Really, my only suggestion for the future is this: keep doing what you’re doing, try to branch out if you have the time, but know overall this is a really fantastic final project and I’m looking forward to your future in future competitions/projects!
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutagen Madness
Awards and Honors
Best Project Manager of SA7
SA7 MVP Runner-Up
Best New SA Player Runner-Up
SA7 Dancing Broomstick Award
Going into the finale Dash was certainly a force to be reckoned with. You’ve become a major player since starting in SYWTBAI 18, and in each game, you’re progressively nearing closer and closer to winning it all. In this game in particular you’ve shown mastery in writing across all armchair imagineering categories. From numerous e-tickets at the beginning to alternating to shops and dining to help your team, you consistently killed it in writing. I also think this game was a big step forward for your leadership. You stepped up to the plate again and again and kept your team organized and well-managed each time. I’d argue it was this precise management that allowed you to complete your projects days before the deadline was due.
Posting first was brave. Personally, I’m much too paranoid of giving fellow contestants advanced knowledge of what their competition is up to ever post days in advance. But that’s on me for being generally too paranoid.
However, I do honestly believe that posting first limited you from taking this project to the next level. There are little nitpicks here or there, like the screens/animatronics confusion or the lack of explanation in the preshow write-up, that just hold this project back from entering into the Top 4. I think you could have taken the extra time from finishing early to add some polish. Perhaps even create some more artwork - I know it's not your thing, and as you said in the podcast you did try - but even if it's not the same quality as some of your competition, you only improve through practice. If you're worried about art, what about recording audio? You've done a fantastic job on the podcasts this season and are great at vocal impressions. Perhaps in the future try incorporating this into a project? It's not necessary - as I said, you are a great writer - but adding some extra pizzaz like that might help take your projects to the next level.
Moving onto the idea itself. TMNT in Universal Studios’ NYC is one of those ideas that you yourself never think of, but the moment you hear it it makes so much sense. It’s perhaps the most realistic pitch, yet the slot car ride is an inspired deviation that sets this ride apart. Particularly when you consider no ride like it exists in Universal Studios or Islands of Adventure.
The queue is well thought out and smoothly transitions us from the usual world to the underground lair of the turtles. Having been pointed out to me I noticed the similarities to Spider-Man, but honestly, on the first read, none of these thoughts came to mind. I’ve never seen any Ninja Turtles comics/shows /movies, so I was a bit confused by the preshow backstory, but a visit to the TMNT Wiki quickly clarified things.
The write-up feels like exactly the sort of ride Universal would do, with a bit of wild fun thrown in the mix thanks to the TMNT’s presence. You run past fights, get caught by a big bad, and save the day just in the nick of time. It feels at times more like the Spider-Man/Transformers ride system than the slot car, especially with that short finale not using the slot car to its fullest potential, but this is genuinely a small critique. In-person, I’m sure it would feel completely different than either of the two rides above. Also, the choice to set the race entirely inside is a great one, both setting it apart from the Disney Slot Car rides and keeping with the TMNT theme.
Looking back, I could easily see Universal Creative making this ride in real life. It's both an iconic IP and a great fit for the area. You took an excellent idea and did it justice in just about every regard, only stumbling a bit with minor details I would have likely forgotten to mention as well. Really, my only suggestion for the future is this: keep doing what you’re doing, try to branch out if you have the time, but know overall this is a really fantastic final project and I’m looking forward to your future in future competitions/projects!
@Shannoninthemagic
The Great Broadway Ride
Awards and Honors
Best New Imagineer Runner-Up
Served on Best Team (Reality)
Worked on Best Team Project (DC Funverse)
SA7 Dancing Broomstick Award
You had a lot on your plate the week of submissions, which understandably made it extra-challenging to complete your final project. However, although your final project is briefer than most of the others, I nevertheless believe the idea is there, and on par with your fellow finalists.
Real-life always comes first with these games. Take a look at me, stalling a week thanks to exams before finally getting around to writing these. With that in mind, I really appreciated that you were able to get your ideas written down into words by the deadline.
This is a definite passion project. Personally, I am not that knowledgeable in Broadway (except for Cats… shudders), but I’ll try to keep an open mind. I can definitely see Disney creating a “Great Broadway Ride” as maybe not a full attraction, but certainly some kind of temporary event during the Great Movie Ride’s time. It certainly fits the setting better than Runaway Railroad!
Onto the project itself. There’s a lot of plays here, it’s clear you know your stuff! I agree with Space it risks feeling a bit long. There are a lot of rooms, and I know you wanted to touch on all the highlights of Broadway but maybe cutting one or two back would help with the finished project. Perhaps try grouping similar Broadway hits into a single room? That might also help.
Also, this may just be me being very unaware of Broadway history but for your future descriptions perhaps include brief descriptions on the play’s context? It doesn’t have too much, but when working with IPs judges may not know it's generally better to be safe than sorry. It's always ok - judges can research anything they don’t have background knowledge for - but it's also sometimes helpful to have a sentence summary in the project. With that in mind: I really appreciated all the reference photos. They helped me understand the atmosphere of each scene.
I loved the first half of the play, hitting all the mainstays of Broadway history in a similar vein to the Great Movie Ride. I feel like the ride takes a big diverge after Hamilton (yay a play I’ve seen). Before it was all the classics, now it turns to Disney adaptations on stage. My only worry is, while I certainly believe those adaptations should be honored, they kinda struggle to gel with the others. These stories were not originally made for Broadway, nor are they first thought of for their Broadway adaptations. This might cause some confusion on the ride.
Perhaps these scenes could be combined into one big montage of Disney “using Broadway as the next medium for their projects” or something like that? I know right now the grand finale is future broadway productions. This may segue nicely, as you could start the finale film with Disney on Broadway that’s already released and conclude with the future of Disney on Broadway.
I really appreciated the passion of this project. This is an excellent idea that I would love to see you further flesh out perhaps when you have more free time. What I really wanted to emphasize is that despite containing a bit less detail than the other projects, the ideas are all here, and they are an excellent launching off point. You’ve shown remarkable perseverance in finishing strong with this project and I am looking forward to your future on these boards!
The Great Broadway Ride
Awards and Honors
Best New Imagineer Runner-Up
Served on Best Team (Reality)
Worked on Best Team Project (DC Funverse)
SA7 Dancing Broomstick Award
You had a lot on your plate the week of submissions, which understandably made it extra-challenging to complete your final project. However, although your final project is briefer than most of the others, I nevertheless believe the idea is there, and on par with your fellow finalists.
Real-life always comes first with these games. Take a look at me, stalling a week thanks to exams before finally getting around to writing these. With that in mind, I really appreciated that you were able to get your ideas written down into words by the deadline.
This is a definite passion project. Personally, I am not that knowledgeable in Broadway (except for Cats… shudders), but I’ll try to keep an open mind. I can definitely see Disney creating a “Great Broadway Ride” as maybe not a full attraction, but certainly some kind of temporary event during the Great Movie Ride’s time. It certainly fits the setting better than Runaway Railroad!
Onto the project itself. There’s a lot of plays here, it’s clear you know your stuff! I agree with Space it risks feeling a bit long. There are a lot of rooms, and I know you wanted to touch on all the highlights of Broadway but maybe cutting one or two back would help with the finished project. Perhaps try grouping similar Broadway hits into a single room? That might also help.
Also, this may just be me being very unaware of Broadway history but for your future descriptions perhaps include brief descriptions on the play’s context? It doesn’t have too much, but when working with IPs judges may not know it's generally better to be safe than sorry. It's always ok - judges can research anything they don’t have background knowledge for - but it's also sometimes helpful to have a sentence summary in the project. With that in mind: I really appreciated all the reference photos. They helped me understand the atmosphere of each scene.
I loved the first half of the play, hitting all the mainstays of Broadway history in a similar vein to the Great Movie Ride. I feel like the ride takes a big diverge after Hamilton (yay a play I’ve seen). Before it was all the classics, now it turns to Disney adaptations on stage. My only worry is, while I certainly believe those adaptations should be honored, they kinda struggle to gel with the others. These stories were not originally made for Broadway, nor are they first thought of for their Broadway adaptations. This might cause some confusion on the ride.
Perhaps these scenes could be combined into one big montage of Disney “using Broadway as the next medium for their projects” or something like that? I know right now the grand finale is future broadway productions. This may segue nicely, as you could start the finale film with Disney on Broadway that’s already released and conclude with the future of Disney on Broadway.
I really appreciated the passion of this project. This is an excellent idea that I would love to see you further flesh out perhaps when you have more free time. What I really wanted to emphasize is that despite containing a bit less detail than the other projects, the ideas are all here, and they are an excellent launching off point. You’ve shown remarkable perseverance in finishing strong with this project and I am looking forward to your future on these boards!
@Sharon&Susan
Crash At Universal Studios
Awards and Honors
Dancing Broomstick Award
Best PM Runner-Up
Best New SA Player Runner-Up
Throughout the game, you’ve been a consistent imagineering presence. This project similarly hits all the right marks and was my personal favorite of the four dancing broomstick awards.
I loved the website. Crazy to think you were the only player to design a google site when for most of the season we’ve been using them. Yours’ is well-designed, with nice logos and fonts, which I always appreciate. It also helps to separate the different parts of your project, as you’ve taken the time to describe not only the e-ticket but also the greater subland of Crash Bandicoot. Although this was not required by the prompt and technically isn’t factored into the proceedings, I really appreciate you taking the time to go into detail with this Crash-themed subland.
Also, you included Budweiser Zero (plus that Crash + Bud photoshop!) so as promised, you get a special shoutout!
That said, I do have something unfortunate to admit: I’m not very familiar with Crash Bandicoot. I’ve heard good things and seen a few memes, but am otherwise I'm the dark. Luckily, you’ve provided a handy-dandy summary at the beginning of the project to explain for anyone unaware of the franchise. Going off your project, I don't think most guests would have trouble understanding the rides' story, even if they are unaware of the games. You've maintained a fine balance between easter eggs and an understandable-for-all story.
The ride begins reminding me of Indiana Jones but quickly takes a turn for the crazier with the vortex portal. I love how the ride plays out, jumping from what I assume is level to level of the Crash games, getting riders the opportunity to fully experience the world of the games.
I also have to give a shout-out to your map. It's colorful, full of detail, and the incorporation of all those extra images to communicate what’s happening during the ride is amazing. Dare I say the best map of the finale? I hope you continue to work on this style of map in future comps/projects.
Including the surrounding miniland is a great touch, even if it makes the ride less “realistic” for 2005, I do honestly prefer when an e-ticket has some thematic ties to its surroundings. Also, those trash cans are gorgeous. You may be giving Pi a run for his money!
My only nitpick for this project circles back to realism, which I briefly mentioned in my first review. Rereading that shortened review I came across a lot harsher than I originally intended, so for that, I apologize. My primary concern boils down to your competition, which also contained a fair degree of realism, whereas with your project given the IP choice you had to sacrifice some of that in exchange
Nevertheless, I’m happy you went with this IP. Not only is it a unique choice, but I can tell from all the little references and alternate timeline history you are passionate about this property. That passion is super important, and I hope you continue to exhibit it towards future competitions and armchair imagineering projects. Going off this project, you have a strong future ahead!
Crash At Universal Studios
Awards and Honors
Dancing Broomstick Award
Best PM Runner-Up
Best New SA Player Runner-Up
Throughout the game, you’ve been a consistent imagineering presence. This project similarly hits all the right marks and was my personal favorite of the four dancing broomstick awards.
I loved the website. Crazy to think you were the only player to design a google site when for most of the season we’ve been using them. Yours’ is well-designed, with nice logos and fonts, which I always appreciate. It also helps to separate the different parts of your project, as you’ve taken the time to describe not only the e-ticket but also the greater subland of Crash Bandicoot. Although this was not required by the prompt and technically isn’t factored into the proceedings, I really appreciate you taking the time to go into detail with this Crash-themed subland.
Also, you included Budweiser Zero (plus that Crash + Bud photoshop!) so as promised, you get a special shoutout!
That said, I do have something unfortunate to admit: I’m not very familiar with Crash Bandicoot. I’ve heard good things and seen a few memes, but am otherwise I'm the dark. Luckily, you’ve provided a handy-dandy summary at the beginning of the project to explain for anyone unaware of the franchise. Going off your project, I don't think most guests would have trouble understanding the rides' story, even if they are unaware of the games. You've maintained a fine balance between easter eggs and an understandable-for-all story.
The ride begins reminding me of Indiana Jones but quickly takes a turn for the crazier with the vortex portal. I love how the ride plays out, jumping from what I assume is level to level of the Crash games, getting riders the opportunity to fully experience the world of the games.
I also have to give a shout-out to your map. It's colorful, full of detail, and the incorporation of all those extra images to communicate what’s happening during the ride is amazing. Dare I say the best map of the finale? I hope you continue to work on this style of map in future comps/projects.
Including the surrounding miniland is a great touch, even if it makes the ride less “realistic” for 2005, I do honestly prefer when an e-ticket has some thematic ties to its surroundings. Also, those trash cans are gorgeous. You may be giving Pi a run for his money!
My only nitpick for this project circles back to realism, which I briefly mentioned in my first review. Rereading that shortened review I came across a lot harsher than I originally intended, so for that, I apologize. My primary concern boils down to your competition, which also contained a fair degree of realism, whereas with your project given the IP choice you had to sacrifice some of that in exchange
Nevertheless, I’m happy you went with this IP. Not only is it a unique choice, but I can tell from all the little references and alternate timeline history you are passionate about this property. That passion is super important, and I hope you continue to exhibit it towards future competitions and armchair imagineering projects. Going off this project, you have a strong future ahead!
Orange Cat
Well-Known Member
This means that technically @Outbound’s reviews will never be posted
@ThemeParkPriest
The Seas of Life
Awards and Honors
SA7 Best New Imagineer
SA7 MVP Runner-Up
Best New SA Player Runner-Up
Most Likely to be a Priest
SA7 Dancing Broomstick Award
I really appreciated how you broke down your decision process this round, both to us judges in the private PM and in the final project. It highlights just how much focus went into each element of your project. Questions ranging from, how do we transport these animals? to what should the architecture of the exterior be, and why? These are questions many imagineering projects would sorta skim right-past-by to focus on the cool stuff, whereas you sink your teeth into.
This “fourth-wall break” tone gives the project a totally different perspective. Rather than from the perspective of a guest, it feels from the perspective of an Imagineer working to design this e-ticket based on an initial inspiration and solving any problems along the way. I’m not sure which I prefer, but more variety in perspective for these projects is always nice. Maybe in the future, both could be used, as the guest perspective is certainly the ol’ reliable formula, but this tone has plenty of unique offerings.
I really love how well this project fits into Animal Kingdom. In a world without the EPCOT Seas Pavilion, EPCOT maintains its innovation focus while Animal Kingdom maintains its explorative focus. The way you’ve crafted this attraction leans in favor of that explorative tone, especially with Rafiki’s Planet Watch next door. The whole thing screams accuracy to 2005 AK. Nemo and Dory, for instance, don’t exactly strike as fitting to the attraction, but in the context of Rafiki’s Planet Watch doing pretty much the same thing it makes perfect sense.
This said a part of me wishes this had taken a more naturalistic theme. This could help to boost the attraction to a solid “e-ticket” status, as right now I think it is leaning at the border of d and e. Perhaps the queue could contain Moari influences, with the attraction mimicking a deep-sea dive at the region of the world, like how Kilimanjaro Safaris is “set” in Africa. However, this is more of a personal preference, as the more sterile "aquarium" aesthetic fits fine with the Rafiki Planet Watch region of the park.
Using live animals is a big plus. I wish more modern Animal Kingdom attractions returned to this premise. You’ve carefully balanced some IP (Nemo) when it makes sense with a genuine theme of maritime discovery.
This all builds to the finale of your project: the ride-through itself. This may be a small downside to your project’s “behind the scenes” aesthetic, but the ride through itself came across as a bit short. Out of 28 pages, only 10 are dedicated to the ride - the other near two-thirds are for set-up! In the future, I recommend when going the extended backstory route to give extra detail for the ride-through, as it can risk feeling a bit brief when juxtaposed. I know it's a tad difficult to describe “and then you see more animals” but little things like adding pictures for every animal (you did include a few, which I loved) or describing theoreticals of how you might see each animal responding and interacting go a long way.
Despite this, I think in reality your ride would be anything but underwhelming. Seeing aquatic life in their natural habitats so close would be an unforgettable experience that can only be matched by going diving yourself. I really appreciated how much effort was put into planning this attraction, and I think in the future continuing to show this planning process will help set you apart as a player who really thinks everything through. This is a fantastic idea! I wish you the best in future competitions!
The Seas of Life
Awards and Honors
SA7 Best New Imagineer
SA7 MVP Runner-Up
Best New SA Player Runner-Up
Most Likely to be a Priest
SA7 Dancing Broomstick Award
I really appreciated how you broke down your decision process this round, both to us judges in the private PM and in the final project. It highlights just how much focus went into each element of your project. Questions ranging from, how do we transport these animals? to what should the architecture of the exterior be, and why? These are questions many imagineering projects would sorta skim right-past-by to focus on the cool stuff, whereas you sink your teeth into.
This “fourth-wall break” tone gives the project a totally different perspective. Rather than from the perspective of a guest, it feels from the perspective of an Imagineer working to design this e-ticket based on an initial inspiration and solving any problems along the way. I’m not sure which I prefer, but more variety in perspective for these projects is always nice. Maybe in the future, both could be used, as the guest perspective is certainly the ol’ reliable formula, but this tone has plenty of unique offerings.
I really love how well this project fits into Animal Kingdom. In a world without the EPCOT Seas Pavilion, EPCOT maintains its innovation focus while Animal Kingdom maintains its explorative focus. The way you’ve crafted this attraction leans in favor of that explorative tone, especially with Rafiki’s Planet Watch next door. The whole thing screams accuracy to 2005 AK. Nemo and Dory, for instance, don’t exactly strike as fitting to the attraction, but in the context of Rafiki’s Planet Watch doing pretty much the same thing it makes perfect sense.
This said a part of me wishes this had taken a more naturalistic theme. This could help to boost the attraction to a solid “e-ticket” status, as right now I think it is leaning at the border of d and e. Perhaps the queue could contain Moari influences, with the attraction mimicking a deep-sea dive at the region of the world, like how Kilimanjaro Safaris is “set” in Africa. However, this is more of a personal preference, as the more sterile "aquarium" aesthetic fits fine with the Rafiki Planet Watch region of the park.
Using live animals is a big plus. I wish more modern Animal Kingdom attractions returned to this premise. You’ve carefully balanced some IP (Nemo) when it makes sense with a genuine theme of maritime discovery.
This all builds to the finale of your project: the ride-through itself. This may be a small downside to your project’s “behind the scenes” aesthetic, but the ride through itself came across as a bit short. Out of 28 pages, only 10 are dedicated to the ride - the other near two-thirds are for set-up! In the future, I recommend when going the extended backstory route to give extra detail for the ride-through, as it can risk feeling a bit brief when juxtaposed. I know it's a tad difficult to describe “and then you see more animals” but little things like adding pictures for every animal (you did include a few, which I loved) or describing theoreticals of how you might see each animal responding and interacting go a long way.
Despite this, I think in reality your ride would be anything but underwhelming. Seeing aquatic life in their natural habitats so close would be an unforgettable experience that can only be matched by going diving yourself. I really appreciated how much effort was put into planning this attraction, and I think in the future continuing to show this planning process will help set you apart as a player who really thinks everything through. This is a fantastic idea! I wish you the best in future competitions!