The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Season 7: Fantasmic Journeys - Hype Thread

[Tegan pilots a chicken]

AAAAH! So many good ones to choose from!!

Since they are all like right next to each other, I'll list out my favorites:

Dinner at Biergarten in the Germany Pavilion has some extremely good food. I've always been a sucker for German cuisine, but Disney takes it up to a whole other level.

Dinner at Boma. Definitely one of the best buffets on-property. There is truly something for everyone, and its really delicious! For those who don't know, its in Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Sunshine Seasons is an excellent choice for lunch with many different offerings. I can't tell you just how many times I've gone because its so good!

Cosmic Rays is also extremely high on my list for both nostalgia and good food, plus the literal meme of Sonny Eclipse' existence!

As far as snacks, the one and only Dole Whip will always be #1 on my list, but other favorites are the funnel cakes at Sleepy Hollow and the donut holes at Blizzard Beach with the raspberry sauce!

Chef Mickey's is an excellent choice for character dining too!

A real good breakfast meal at Animal Kingdom is Tusker House in Africa. Solid food choices and that delicious mango juice!

Honorable Mention: Harambe Market has some really good food too, I just don't personally like everything there, but still excellent food for what I like there!

Ahh yes. A fellow Sunshine Seasons fan. (I’m not surprised).

 

[Mickeynerd17]

Ahh yes. A fellow Sunshine Seasons fan. (I’m not surprised).

Yes! Not surprised either!

I've eaten there literally every single trip I've taken from 2005 to now. Never gets old! (Then again, I only go once a year and I haven't been since 2018)

 

[Mickeynerd17]

AAAAH! So many good ones to choose from!!

Since they are all like right next to each other, I'll list out my favorites:

Dinner at Biergarten in the Germany Pavilion has some extremely good food. I've always been a sucker for German cuisine, but Disney takes it up to a whole other level.

Dinner at Boma. Definitely one of the best buffets on-property. There is truly something for everyone, and its really delicious! For those who don't know, its in Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Sunshine Seasons is an excellent choice for lunch with many different offerings. I can't tell you just how many times I've gone because its so good!

Cosmic Rays is also extremely high on my list for both nostalgia and good food, plus the literal meme of Sonny Eclipse' existence!

As far as snacks, the one and only Dole Whip will always be #1 on my list, but other favorites are the funnel cakes at Sleepy Hollow and the donut holes at Blizzard Beach with the raspberry sauce!

Chef Mickey's is an excellent choice for character dining too!

A real good breakfast meal at Animal Kingdom is Tusker House in Africa. Solid food choices and that delicious mango juice!

Honorable Mention: Harambe Market has some really good food too, I just don't personally like everything there, but still excellent food for what I like there!

Oh no! I forgot one snack that is like #2 on my list!

The caramel shop at Germany. Literally anything and everything there is either delicious, looks delicious, or smells delicious! It was so good, I even ate caramel with braces a couple of trips because I couldn't resist!

 

[TwilightZone]

Question of the Day
What’s the best meal you’ve had on a theme park property?

A nice small list since my family is a snack family when it comes to parks most of the time

• Monte Crisco at Disneyland: these are a must do every time we go. So good (on a side note I found my glowing ice cube from the mint juleps there, still works after all these years haha)
• Tacos from DCA: I forgot exactly where (it's near the entrance maybe?), but there are these tacos at DCA that are quite good and remind me the kind I would get at local authentic places!
• Chinese at Six Flags Magic Mountain: maybe I am just a sucker for Chinese food, but these were surprisingly good for Six Flags

Universal Hollywood is meh during my trips I am afraid. I think I had a burger at Springfield that was decent though once.

 

[Tegan pilots a chicken]

Yes! Not surprised either!

I've eaten there literally every single trip I've taken from 2005 to now. Never gets old! (Then again, I only go once a year and I haven't been since 2018)

Saaaame. Once per year and Sunshine Seasons is MANDATORY.
Haven’t been since 2019 because covid

 

[Mickeynerd17]

Saaaame. Once per year and Sunshine Seasons is MANDATORY.
Haven’t been since 2019 because covid

Geeze, seems we're getting more and more alike! What a wonderful coincidence.

 

[Solaris Knight]

Question of the Day
What’s the best meal you’ve had on a theme park property?​

That's TOUGH, but honestly I'd have to go with the Lucky Combo at Joy of Tea. It wasn't just the food that was tasty but the beautiful scenery of Epcot

 

[Pi on my Cake]

Speaking of meals, I was checking out some of the food options of Super Nintendo World, and behold this concoction: the Koopa Calzone.

It's basically a calzone filled with cheese and yakisoba noodles.

That looks so unpleasant despite all being flavors I would probably love.

Nut between the sickly green color and overly manufactured look of the shell combined with the gooey guts/maggots look of what is spilling out of it... This just looks so unpleasant. I'd probably love the flavor though.

Of course pavilions are lands!

Take The LAND for example (har har), It has two rides, a quick service and table service restaurant, AND a theater show. That's more than some lands in other parks have, and its all in one building!

So, I would say yes, but I'm not the judge. This is an "opinion piece"!

Yeah, Pavilions can count. These warm ups are just for fun so the rules can be a bit fuzzy.

 

[tcool123]

The Sorcerer's Warmups Reviews: Shanghai Yu Disneyland
​

Sid’s Terror Toys​

Located in a shady corner of Toy Story Land, Sid’s Terror Toys serves as Shanghai Disneyland’s equivalent of the Haunted Mansion using an omnimover ride system. Guests are taken to Sid’s Room where we see his monstrous toy creations who at first seem scary… until we fall out of Sid’s window where in a large scale finale Sid’s toys protect us from Sid's feeding guests to Scud.

While I'm not sure if I'm sold on Sid's Terror Toys being the next Haunted Mansion I can definitely see the inspiration (looking at you falling from the window). On that note I think a scarier dark ride will round out offerings at Toy Story Land at Shanghai, and since it's an omnimover will be a great way to absorb the crazy amounts of people that show up for Shanghai Disneyland. Overall I enjoyed this concept, and I think it's pretty unique.

Oogie Boogie's Rowdy Roulette

Among the cheer and delight of Fantasyland, a nightmarish new spin on a scrambler flat ride has arrived...with Oogie Boogie at the controls! Climb aboard this roulette table and hold on tight, because one set of ride vehicles will get a higher spin rate than the others...and it's all up to a roll of the dice!​

I love the idea of this attraction. I feel like it perfectly embodies the character of Oogie Boogie along with his casino aesthetic. I also like how it's a flat ride which is a route I didn't think many people would take, but a logical one given the limited scope that some villains have.

Yzma's Laboratory Lunacy

Located between Soarin and Adventure Cove, This storytelling coaster combines technology from Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT with new developments in animatronics to present an incredible attraction for all ages! Once inside the massive Incan pyramid show building, step into a wooden cart and go barreling through Kuzco's palace to stop Yzma from taking over the kingdom in an adventure full of twists, turns, drops, and stops while meeting some of your favorite characters from The Emperor's New Groove!​

An Emperor's New Groove coaster is a pretty popular idea, but you gave it a spin with the implementation of new coaster tech which I think is a good call to make it a fresher take on the subject matter. A ride through Kuzco's palace will surely be comical given the amount of slapstick humor present in the source material, and I'm sure that'll carry over into the coaster itself.

Mad Madam Mim's Horror House​

---

This dark ride is unique take on the haunted mansion, where guests find themselves in Mad Madam Mim's house, Mim seeing the unwanted guests sends out spells to shrink the guests and transform her household objects into monsterized versions! Now guests are on a wild goose chase to avoid evil spells and scary monsters, ending with a face to face with Mim's dragon form.

Oh my another Haunted Mansion inspired attraction for this challenge let's see how this one differs from @Sharon&Susan 's entry. This attraction gives an often forgotten IP and revitalizes it in a way that it can withstand the test of time with no connection. The story is pretty simple Mim mad and magic antics pursue which will be a really fun attraction when compared

Moana: Realm of Monsters
Coming to Shanghai Disneyland’s Adventure Isle, Moana: Realm of Monsters will take guests back to the world of Moana, in which she and Maui will attempt to guide guests through the infamous realm after Maui’s fishhook is stolen by a mysterious creature (any guess as to who that may be?). This boat ride features outstanding visuals, expert storytelling, and a final confrontation with Tamatoa, the Ocean’s shiniest decapod, to recover Maui’s fishhook!

Okay I’m not gonna lie in an upcoming blue sky resort of mine I’m working on a Lalotai inspired attraction so this ride is something similar to what I’ve thought of so very cool. I think the setting of the attraction is a solid one that is benefited by a really catchy villain song and the aesthetics of the realm and monsters. This also adds another major attraction to this part of the park which further balances it out with the newer Zootopia and Toy Story Land side of the park.

The Mad Doctor's Castle of Creepy Creatures​

A combination of the Haunted Mansion and a Wild Mouse coaster, this new addition to Fantasyland has guests venturing into the lair of the Mad Doctor, who has plans to use them as test subjects. To make their escape, they'll have to face dancing skeletons, lonesome ghosts, a headless horseman, a fire-breathing dragon, and the Mad Doctor's newest creation - a Frankenstein's Monster parody!

Oh wow Haunyed Mansion reat is a big trend here. Ooooh old vintage Mickey love to see it, and given the references to other old Disney shorts I enjoy the little easter eggs. The scarier attraction worked in with a wild mouse concept and mad doctor match up will definitely add to the craziness and scare level of the attraction. However I fear a lot of this may be lost on the Chinese audience due to their unfamiliarity of Mickey's adventures and tight restrictions on stories containing ghosts.

The Legend of Jafar


Located in Shanghai Disneyland's Adventure Isle, The Legend of Jafar is a trackless dark ride that retells the story of Aladdin through Jafar's eyes. Entering through the Cave of Wonders facade, guests will enjoy an experience with dazzling animatronics and projection, taking guests right through Prince Ali's parade with floats dancing around, being thrown about in the Cave of Wonders, and a finale that will have guests spinning (literally) as around them, a Jafar animatronic will turn into the 50-foot tall genie Jafar animatronic that'll hiss and shoot fire (not literally of course) at the guest's ride vehicles.​

This is an interesting take on Aladdin, and could be like Wicked/Maleficent/Cruella if done correctly. I believe Jafar has a potential deep backstory, but I'm not sure if a dark ride is the best medium for his POV. Furthermore if it his from his POV why would be thrown around the Cave of Wonders and be attacked by himself? I definitely think it's a good concept, but needs further tweaking for it to really work. Fun Fact: the original story of Aladdin is actually set in China, and was only added in by a European to 1001 Arabian Nights!

View attachment 523817

Thanos Infinity Coaster

An indoor launch coaster sending guests through corkscrews, barrel rolls, helixes, and overbanked turns as they try and elude the wrath of the Mad Titan!

I love the concept, and I think this would be insanely popular in Shanghai given their love for Marvel. But why is this attraction happening? Why are we eluding Thanos? Did we steal something or did we just not get off his lawn when he yelled at us? You did well describing what the attraction is made of, but I wished that second sentence was used to convey story.

Maleficient’s Fantasmic Battle
View attachment 523818
Located in Adventure Isle, Maleficent who was one of the first villains to be the feature of a movie, now gets her own ride. This dark ride coaster is not your “Seven Dwarfs Mine Train” but includes Fantasmic-inspired special effects when she changes into a dragon.

I'm not sure I'm sold on the placement in Adventure Isle. As it stands the current Adventure Isle leans far away from most content Maleficent has been in with the exception of the Kingdom Keepers novels. However I do think the giant dragon would be a cool effect, and would rank alongside the Yeti and Crocodile in Roaring Rapids in terms of impressive animatronics.

 

[DisneyManOne]

Hey, guys, I hope you don't mind me asking this again, but I figured if I ask here, I may get more responses.

Yesterday, I had a thought: Looking back at all these old attractions for inspiration, I wondered...maybe I should swap out Dreamflight in favor of its predecessor, If You Had Wings?

The idea I have for integrating If You Had Wings into New Tomorrowland is that Tomorrowland is a place where instantaneous travel not only applies to space (as seen in The Mysterious Galaxy), but to anywhere in the world. Hence, the old 70s airport is turned into more of a sci-fi, Jetsons-esque airport, in keeping with the wacky Deco-Tech design of New Tomorrowland. With this Jetsons influence, the globe the Omnimovers sail into makes logistic sense.

Plus, the biggest reason I initially had with keeping Dreamflight is that the similarities between If You Had Wings and Soarin'. However, the "instantaneous travel" concept is how I can potentially explain If You Had Wings' continued presence while Soarin' is open. Since If You Had Wings focuses mainly on Central America and the Caribbean and Soarin'...well, you'll see tomorrow...it could be possible to keep the two open together. Furthermore, I realized that there is a similar set-up to my new Soarin' entrance and the refigured queue I set up for Dreamflight -- starts in a museum, involves a jet tunnel.

And of course, should I keep If You Had Wings, I'd make sure the ride's projections get updated over the years.

I'm a little conflicted. So, to all my fellow Armchair Imagineers reading this, help me out: Which attraction do you think I should keep -- If You Had Wings or Dreamflight?

 

[Tegan pilots a chicken]

Hey, guys, I hope you don't mind me asking this again, but I figured if I ask here, I may get more responses.

Yesterday, I had a thought: Looking back at all these old attractions for inspiration, I wondered...maybe I should swap out Dreamflight in favor of its predecessor, If You Had Wings?

The idea I have for integrating If You Had Wings into New Tomorrowland is that Tomorrowland is a place where instantaneous travel not only applies to space (as seen in The Mysterious Galaxy), but to anywhere in the world. Hence, the old 70s airport is turned into more of a sci-fi, Jetsons-esque airport, in keeping with the wacky Deco-Tech design of New Tomorrowland. With this Jetsons influence, the globe the Omnimovers sail into makes logistic sense.

Plus, the biggest reason I initially had with keeping Dreamflight is that the similarities between If You Had Wings and Soarin'. However, the "instantaneous travel" concept is how I can potentially explain If You Had Wings' continued presence while Soarin' is open. Since If You Had Wings focuses mainly on Central America and the Caribbean and Soarin'...well, you'll see tomorrow...it could be possible to keep the two open together. Furthermore, I realized that there is a similar set-up to my new Soarin' entrance and the refigured queue I set up for Dreamflight -- starts in a museum, involves a jet tunnel.

And of course, should I keep If You Had Wings, I'd make sure the ride's projections get updated over the years.

I'm a little conflicted. So, to all my fellow Armchair Imagineers reading this, help me out: Which attraction do you think I should keep -- If You Had Wings or Dreamflight?

It’s a close call, but I’d say Dreamflight

 

[DashHaber]

Hey, guys, I hope you don't mind me asking this again, but I figured if I ask here, I may get more responses.

Yesterday, I had a thought: Looking back at all these old attractions for inspiration, I wondered...maybe I should swap out Dreamflight in favor of its predecessor, If You Had Wings?

The idea I have for integrating If You Had Wings into New Tomorrowland is that Tomorrowland is a place where instantaneous travel not only applies to space (as seen in The Mysterious Galaxy), but to anywhere in the world. Hence, the old 70s airport is turned into more of a sci-fi, Jetsons-esque airport, in keeping with the wacky Deco-Tech design of New Tomorrowland. With this Jetsons influence, the globe the Omnimovers sail into makes logistic sense.

Plus, the biggest reason I initially had with keeping Dreamflight is that the similarities between If You Had Wings and Soarin'. However, the "instantaneous travel" concept is how I can potentially explain If You Had Wings' continued presence while Soarin' is open. Since If You Had Wings focuses mainly on Central America and the Caribbean and Soarin'...well, you'll see tomorrow...it could be possible to keep the two open together. Furthermore, I realized that there is a similar set-up to my new Soarin' entrance and the refigured queue I set up for Dreamflight -- starts in a museum, involves a jet tunnel.

And of course, should I keep If You Had Wings, I'd make sure the ride's projections get updated over the years.

I'm a little conflicted. So, to all my fellow Armchair Imagineers reading this, help me out: Which attraction do you think I should keep -- If You Had Wings or Dreamflight?

Admittedly, I'm not super familiar with either of these attractions, but from what I've read about them, I'd say keep Dreamflight. If You Had Wings seems to be an idea that Soarin' ran with and lifted to new heights, whereas Dreamflight stands apart with its look at the history of man-made flying crafts.

 

[Mickeynerd17]

Hey, guys, I hope you don't mind me asking this again, but I figured if I ask here, I may get more responses.

Yesterday, I had a thought: Looking back at all these old attractions for inspiration, I wondered...maybe I should swap out Dreamflight in favor of its predecessor, If You Had Wings?

The idea I have for integrating If You Had Wings into New Tomorrowland is that Tomorrowland is a place where instantaneous travel not only applies to space (as seen in The Mysterious Galaxy), but to anywhere in the world. Hence, the old 70s airport is turned into more of a sci-fi, Jetsons-esque airport, in keeping with the wacky Deco-Tech design of New Tomorrowland. With this Jetsons influence, the globe the Omnimovers sail into makes logistic sense.

Plus, the biggest reason I initially had with keeping Dreamflight is that the similarities between If You Had Wings and Soarin'. However, the "instantaneous travel" concept is how I can potentially explain If You Had Wings' continued presence while Soarin' is open. Since If You Had Wings focuses mainly on Central America and the Caribbean and Soarin'...well, you'll see tomorrow...it could be possible to keep the two open together. Furthermore, I realized that there is a similar set-up to my new Soarin' entrance and the refigured queue I set up for Dreamflight -- starts in a museum, involves a jet tunnel.

And of course, should I keep If You Had Wings, I'd make sure the ride's projections get updated over the years.

I'm a little conflicted. So, to all my fellow Armchair Imagineers reading this, help me out: Which attraction do you think I should keep -- If You Had Wings or Dreamflight?

It depends what your looking for.

If you had wings was more of a discount Soarin designed to show guests the exotic places Eastern Airlines flew to as well as more modern, and practical methods of flight (Eastern's latest jets, etc). As far as a deep internal message, it was mainly "Fly Eastern" or an advertisement in short.

Dreamflight, on the other hand, was more whimsical and fantastic with lots of colorful sets while showing off the luxury and style of flight back in the 80's. It went above and beyond your standard advertisement campaign and really became an attraction of its own. It even has a small group of followers today! (The dreamflight chickens are a bit of a meme )

All in all, I say keep dreamflight! It's a much more memorable ride and will feel nostalgic to the super fans!

 

[Imagineer Brandon]

Question of the Day
What’s the best meal you’ve had on a theme park property?​

i remember being super hungry at the end of the day so my traveling party had burgers at the tomorrowland restaurant in disneyland. they tasted AMAZING. that's what exhaustion does to you

(if downtown disney counts, then filet mignon at ralph brennan's jazz kitchen. although honestly every restaurant there is great.)

 

[Tux]

Hey, guys, I hope you don't mind me asking this again, but I figured if I ask here, I may get more responses.

Yesterday, I had a thought: Looking back at all these old attractions for inspiration, I wondered...maybe I should swap out Dreamflight in favor of its predecessor, If You Had Wings?

The idea I have for integrating If You Had Wings into New Tomorrowland is that Tomorrowland is a place where instantaneous travel not only applies to space (as seen in The Mysterious Galaxy), but to anywhere in the world. Hence, the old 70s airport is turned into more of a sci-fi, Jetsons-esque airport, in keeping with the wacky Deco-Tech design of New Tomorrowland. With this Jetsons influence, the globe the Omnimovers sail into makes logistic sense.

Plus, the biggest reason I initially had with keeping Dreamflight is that the similarities between If You Had Wings and Soarin'. However, the "instantaneous travel" concept is how I can potentially explain If You Had Wings' continued presence while Soarin' is open. Since If You Had Wings focuses mainly on Central America and the Caribbean and Soarin'...well, you'll see tomorrow...it could be possible to keep the two open together. Furthermore, I realized that there is a similar set-up to my new Soarin' entrance and the refigured queue I set up for Dreamflight -- starts in a museum, involves a jet tunnel.

And of course, should I keep If You Had Wings, I'd make sure the ride's projections get updated over the years.

I'm a little conflicted. So, to all my fellow Armchair Imagineers reading this, help me out: Which attraction do you think I should keep -- If You Had Wings or Dreamflight?

Initially I thought IYHW should've been kept, but then I went over what you said again and took a look at everyone else's POV's, the original concept, and I have to now say Dreamflight. Mainly because overall, Dreamflight just feels more iconic and original compared to the concept for IYHW. Not that the concept for IYHW is bad or anything, because I do think the concept behind the attraction is kinda cool, and I do like the aesthetics mentioned. It's just that it doesn't necessarily change anything for the better behind Dreamflight outside of maybe what's explored throughout the attraction. Connecting IYHW to Soarin was a really cool idea though!

 

[spacemt354]

Question of the Day
What’s the best meal you’ve had on a theme park property?​

I have a soft spot for Germany, can't really go wrong there

 

[Mickeynerd17]

i remember being super hungry at the end of the day so my traveling party had burgers at the tomorrowland restaurant in disneyland. they tasted AMAZING. that's what exhaustion does to you

(if downtown disney counts, then filet mignon at ralph brennan's jazz kitchen. although honestly every restaurant there is great.)

You were obviously dying of starvation. I had a cheeseburger there on my last trip, and it was very bland at best. Definitely not something I would get again.

The hot dogs at toontown though are pretty good, not gonna lie.

 

[Solaris Knight]

I really wish WDW and DLR had the same bredth of food diversity and food personality as Tokyo's mochi and lunch sets or even Universal has with their chocolate bars even.

 

[tcool123]

The Sorcerer's Warmups Results: Shanghai Yu Disneyland

Honorable Mention: Thanos Infinity Coaster by @Tegan pilots a chicken
The bones of an amazing project was here, but it needed that little oomph to get it there. Mainly what held you back was the lack of a why as the idea of Thanos chasing you in a high speed coaster is a strong one.

Third Place: Sid's Terror Toys by @Sharon&Susan
I think the choice to focus more on the oft forgotten toys created by Sid is a good choice, and serves as a departure from the other established rides at Toy Story Land and Tomorrowland (Buzz Lightyear).

Second Place: The Mad Doctor's Castle of Creepy Critters by @Brer Panther
While I have some concerns about the reception of some of the elements of the ride as a more standalone attraction it would hold up. It really seems like while it is Mikcey Mouse related, it's more of its own thing which doesn't need the connection and understanding of the source material of the old cartoons to make work. Throwing in the Wild Mouse and Haunted Mansion elements, and you have yourself a really crazy coaster.

First Place: Oogie Boogie's Rowdy Roulette by @DashHaber
Proving that sometimes something as simple as a flat ride could win out. This ride perfectly encapsulated the aura and spirit of who Oogie Boogie is, and captures a lot of the hectic ness that follows him in his scenes.​

 

[Tux]

Question of the Day
What’s the best meal you’ve had on a theme park property?​

I mean, usually me and my family would go to the Yak And Yeti to eat when at Animal Kingdom, and their food was usually pretty good when we would visit, So I would say my best meal would be from there.