cdunlap
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The Sorcerer's Apprentice Season 8: Magic Journeys
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Mr. Sullivan
Well-Known Member
Just watching everyone throw their support being New Westernland while we await the reviews. I too am sure New Westernland is gonna win.
NEW WESTERNLAND
While both teams decided to go with the same title, each of the projects took the concept of the American Frontier in different directions. Heimlichen, with their strong influence of previous trips to Tokyo Disneyland led by @JokersWild and @D Hulk - rallied the team together behind the concept of critters and cowboys, in order to infuse together the rustic wilderness appeal of the American West for the contemporary Japanese audience.
Starting off the brainstorming for this team was so dynamic. Each post mattered more than the last. No idea was a bad idea. This all started from the top. Jokers led this with feverish fluidity. They never let concepts get too far away from the team but they also allowed for players to showcase their own talents and ideas and combine it together into this land.
The map is incredible. I think the hand-drawn aspect of it almost fits even better than if it was digitalized in color. It gives it a 'lived in' feeling that only hand-drawn art could replicate.
Tall Tale Township. The elk archway is quite original, even if inspired by places such as Jackson, Wyoming. It would represent a transition into this new world set in the past.
Honestly I just got so entrenched in reading this project. The diction is off the charts. Looking at the credits I'm like dang this team is stacked with writers just findings a niche and doing their thing. Starting with Windwagon Smith, what a tour de force of both storytelling, authenticity to the Japanese audience in terms of thrill level, and a dedication to craft through photoshop for photo-realistic interpretations of the area, as well as a myriad of other novelties such as the rich backstory, exquisite design of the coaster track, and the details that are abound.
Then we get to Thunder Gulch and @Mr. Sullivan 's main contribution to the project, which further lays out the backstory of the land as a whole, focusing on a quaint walkway. I really like this. I think most Frontierland style lands allow for the development of some of the best backstories in armchair imagineering. And this holds a candle to those as well. I like everything here from the general store to the jailhouse, to Barbabas Ranch and the entire backstory behind this. This land feels like a mixture of both the Wilderness Lodge backstory and Big Thunder, which ironically are two of my favorites in all of Disney. Love the concept art for Saloon Shootout and the detailed description of it as well.
Moving on to Country Bears, this continues the tour de force of prose in this project, from another incredible writer in @PerGron - overall this mixes both the cute and cuddly aspect to appeal to Japanese locals, and also infuses the subtle humor and ambiance of the traditional Country Bears. A really great mix and appreciate the song lyrics and links as well.
Annie Christmas Flatboats offer a leisurely experience to New Westernland, while also adding more kinetics to the area as well. Like the map to highlight exactly where these are traveling (which is throughout most of the land) which means that guests will be able to experience great vistas throughout the journey. However I am curious how the crisscrossing path will work when it comes to river flow. Granted it is a tracked ride which should accommodate for that, but having it be a figure 8 is definitely a unique aspect. Really like all of the images as well and the eclectic rockwork that is seen throughout the land. This truly feels like going out into the Wilderness of the American West and witnessing all of the unique mountain vistas. Turtle Island trails is a very interesting part of the land as a whole. As simple as the photoshop may be, I really appreciate the image with the Turtle Island, as it showcases what guests would see from various angles of the park which definitely increases the realism aspect as I can get a sense of the park's navigation while also appreciating the various mountain range aesthetics.
I think it's smart to have a walkway loop on the island in order to avoid dead ends. Going through the Great Eagle tree would be a great photo spot for families. The Ojibwe Playground is also such a great idea for a D-zone type area that's out of the way. But where is the rock wall? PerGron couldn't have written this.
Continuing on to Fearsome Critters - this was one of the aspects of the project that seemed like it was from an earlier draft of the land, and I'm glad it stayed. It ties into both unique animal characters for the park (merchandise), as well as a novel ride experience as well. I think this using the system in Neverland Adventure was also a way of incorporating some of the new tech seen in Fantasy Springs into this area of the park. I think the Teakettler would be one of the best plush merchandise items. Can definitely see that becoming the next 'groot' or something like that.
Moving on to the Wester River Railroad...I like some of the new story that has been added to this, as well as all of the new areas that the train traverses through. Guests will be able to see the land from both the ground level as well as the train level offering two great perspectives of the mountain ranges.
Furthermore, Stormalong Sound representing New England was a hidden gem of the project - especially the red and yellow treeline which I think would be incredible use of fall foliage in a park to represent autumn all year long. Including the Haunted Mansion update and adding it into New Westernland giving it a proper Americana intervention rather than in Fantasyland was a good choice. The updates were noticeable but also didn't take away from the novelty of the Haunted Mansion attraction. I think entering a wine celler is an intriguing beginning to it, and having a more nautical backstory, especially the Fiddler's Green section, brings an attraction that is quintessentially spooky but also sets it apart from all the other Haunted Mansions in Disney.
Proceeding onto Maelstrom...this brings a water coaster system into the mix with family thrills. Continuing the nautical theme, again the backstory to this is great. And it seems to tie into the Haunted Mansion as well. Both attractions tie in nicely into the area and offer a foreboding nature to the land that properly contrasts the more upbeat wild west feel of the land as you traverse further into the land.
Going through each of the dining options - Paul Bunyan's Flapjack House was one of my favorites, with Babe's Blue Bull Stack for sure bring a hit with guests and social media.
Pecos Bill and Hungry Bear - not much to say there as they are traditional Disney Frontier dining options.
Mark Twain Restaurant would be interesting and being housed inside the docked river boat - I hope you are giving Disney ideas for what to do at the Magic Kingdom with the river boat...
The Harvest Festival being a Thanksgiving themed affair would be unique all year round.
Shopping is pretty straightforward, I do like the Salty Sailor Provisions as that sounds like a great supply store for Stormalong Sound.
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In the end, there is so much to like about this project. From the incredible teamwork, to the seamless transitions of the rockwork, to the photoshop and artwork with the map. If it weren't for the great writing talent of this team, I think I would have gotten fatigued and lost as I'm more of the visual person. However, the writing was so on point it kept me invested throughout. So much so, that I did not want to review this half-asleep hence why the reviews didn't come out after my 24 hour shift.
I wanted to take this all in and digest it (the whole thanksgiving dinner of it). I really think the aesthetics of this land sets it on a path of its own. I do think perhaps organizing the project as if you were walking through the land would have helped. There are so many moving parts and the way it was presented had me referring back to the map a few times to orient myself to where I was. That said, this was such a great read. Everyone on this team should be proud of this accomplishment, I don't even think I mentioned the music sample but that too was great. All in all, wonderful job House Heimlichen!
NEW WESTERNLAND
Starting off the website was well desgined. While a last minute add on, it does look aesthetically pleasing and I think adds a little bit more imagery to show how the land will look. Great logo and map as well to give an overview of the land from the air.
I like the backstory for Cryptid Chase, I think that's a very interesting way of introducing an attraction. While it's perfectly okay to have two 'mansion' style attractions, I do question the duplicity of seemingly keeping the Haunted Mansion intact, while creating a new Haunted Mansion in the next land. That said, it's an entirely different experience especially being an EMV attraction, I just wonder how much it would be equated in the guests eyes. I really enjoyed the queue description to this as well as the act breakup of the ride-through. I think that was a great way of keeping the reader engaged as well as also making sure that the story is told in a fashion that equates to an energetic attraction.
Counter to that, I think Flashlight Forest being the family friendly counter to that is a great idea. It's giving Chester and Hester to Dino Institute vibes and I'm all for it. While Gravity Falls was a little past my prime Disney Channel viewing, I know it's popular with younger audiences still and will hold itself in high standing for years to come, so I definitely agree with its inclusion especially to create a more family friendly environment next to the spookier alternative in Cryptic Chase. The story and ride-through for this attraction is great. I can tell that this is coming from someone with a passion for Gravity Falls (or at the very least someone who has done their research on it) making the experience feel like something right out of the show. Moving on to Miner's Plunge - I love the name Rusty 'Gold Tooth' McGraw, it just sounds fun to say and would be a great new character for New Westernland. His backstory and the remainder of the attraction are great. I think this is a neat inclusion and while not the first 'Frontierland' water-ride, I think this type of circular tube ride is a high capacity crowd pleaser that would definitely bring about some nice family fun as well on a hot day. I'm mildly concerned about its capabilities in the winter but they do have a Splash Mountain already so that can be justified. The Ethereal Enigmas including the Redwood Diner especially, were all very well written and compliment the mini-land perfectly.
Perhaps my favorite part of this project was Eureka Falls. While House Heimlichen went for a permanent autumn, Tintirrino settled on a permanent winter, combining Critter Country with a Blizzard Beach theme was honestly genius and could be one of the best 'concepts' to come out of this season. The Country Bear tour was such a delight. Kudos @Earlie the Pearlie for a wonderful write-up here. I loved everything about this including the post-attraction shop as well. Also the Eureka Lodge itself housing multiple items makes this area feel like an Epcot pavilion of sorts. Almost like a winter Land pavilion. The Mile high restaurant I think would be very popular, again inviting the Wilderness Lodge aesthetic that I think would blend in so well, especially in Tokyo that does get snow on occasion. The photos would be incredible.
Continuing to Alpine Vista, I like how this continues the winter aesthetic as well. Know Your Limits Evolution (or KYLE) seems like a neat family friendly attraction with a little thrill aspect to it as well. Very nice job! Also like the concept area for the area as well. In terms of the mountain transportation and Ski Lift, I think these would be pretty cool to see in a Magic Kingdom theme park setting. For Skyway enthusiasts, I think this gives them an option, and with the Skyway in Florida, Disney is accustom already to using cable car type lifts so this should be a good build. I also like how the cast members driving the cable cars will remain in character adding another level of levity and realism into the experience for guests. I think the X Games approach to the activities on the mountain does lend itself to more contemporary western appeal, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but definitely is a strong contrast to the more traditional Frontierland style lands looking back to the more distant past, while this takes on a more turn of the 21st century vibe. I used to watch the X Games as a kid so this would be something that I think would appeal to American audiences, I'm not sure how closely Japanese locals had followed the American X-Games, but would love to know more on that. In addition, the Teahouse was a great compliment to this area as well!
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All in all, I do think this project had some strong (very strong) creative moments, and I do think in terms of the theme, this team took more risks, including more contemporary themes such as Gravity Falls and X-Games into the Westernland aesthetic. This definitely meshed both old and new, merging things like the Country Bears and traditional Western dining options with turn of the 21st century Americana. Before concluding, I would like to make a quick note and provide some feedback on the brainstorming. This team did have far and away the most brainstorming pages, which typically means that you're firing on all cylinders, but that said I do think some of the pages were also there to try and wrangle in what the team was actually doing.
As project manager, I think @Architectural Guinea Pig overall did a good job. Having won the previous imagineering competition Citrus Dreamin', and placed very high in the previous ones such as Manor of Mysteries, etc, there is no doubt that your talent speaks for itself. However there is one area I think you can improve on with future rounds and it is communication, and at times, teamwork. I say this again not to criticize but to help you from an outside perspective. I cringed slightly when your team was talking about replacing splash mountain and your first post was that you wouldn't allow them to do that. While eventually coming around, as the team lead you sometimes have to put your own ideas to the side for the sake of the team, or at least open up the floor to all ideas especially in the beginning of a round so your teammates keep engaged.
There was also a time halfway through the round where essentially @AceAstro was the project manager. I'm not sure what happened there, but you seemed to take a role player position while Ace was updating the team with the progress. School/work always comes first and I will be the first to back you up on that, but I think it's on you as the team lead to let your teammates know you need help, or that you're too busy for team lead. Because I do think Ace deserves half team lead credit for this project considering how much they helped out keeping the project organized. Again I don't say this to criticize, because your prior work speaks for itself, but I do think if you can master this skill now and with future games you will essentially be unstoppable in these games (so maybe I shouldn't have said anything??
)In the end, I believe @Tegan pilots a chicken was the one who had said this was one of her favorite projects to work on and I can definitely see why. It's unique, wholly Tintirrino, and a brand new spin on a Westernland...I guess that's why you call it .... New Westernland!
BOOK X RESULTS
New Westernland!
HOUSE HEIMLICHEN!
As was mentioned, this was a tour de force in writing. Just an all-star writing lineup. We may not see a project like this again for some time, having so many talented writers all firing at 100% together. Tintirrino put up an incredible fight with their wholly unique spin on Westernland, but I think Heimlichen's chemistry, both as a team and in the project, ever so narrowly got them the victory in Book X.
As was mentioned, this was a tour de force in writing. Just an all-star writing lineup. We may not see a project like this again for some time, having so many talented writers all firing at 100% together. Tintirrino put up an incredible fight with their wholly unique spin on Westernland, but I think Heimlichen's chemistry, both as a team and in the project, ever so narrowly got them the victory in Book X.
Architectural Guinea Pig
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
"
Ooooh I see what you mean
but anyways thank you so much for the feedback, I also always love finding new ways to improve throughout the seasons. I always tend to be on the quiet side before the final three-day boost, but I'll try to find ways to become more active and engaged as both a teammate and a pm.Had us in the first half not going to lie...@Mr. Sullivan you win this time, but I (and Heimlichen) will not let you through this time around...
"
Good I'm glad - was debating how much to say because I didn't want to make it seem like I was singling you out - but I see the potential and also your past experience so I felt in the end it's only to help you improve which we are all here to do!View attachment 816305
Ooooh I see what you mean
Had us in the first half not going to lie...@Mr. Sullivan you win this time, but I (and Heimlichen) will not let you through this time around...
View attachment 816306
Also -- you read this on dark mode?"View attachment 816305"
Ooooh I see what you mean
Had us in the first half not going to lie...@Mr. Sullivan you win this time, but I (and Heimlichen) will not let you through this time around...
"View attachment 816306"
Architectural Guinea Pig
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
Plot twist I actually read it on Dimmed mode lolyou read this on light mode?
cdunlap
Well-Known Member
So did I!Also -- you read this on dark mode?
Earlie the Pearlie
Well-Known Member
I think that Cross-Country Tour was one of my favorite pieces of writing I’ve done this season, so I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
And a heart HOORAY! for House Heimlichen! An absolutely superb project, and a very well-deserved win!
With all of that said, everyone’s talking about how @Mr. Sullivan ‘s streak has gone untouched… BUT there is ANOTHER streak that has been broken! HOUSE TINTIRRINO’S! AND NOW, IT IS GONE FOREVER!!!!!!!!!
TheOriginalTiki
Well-Known Member
I feel cursed. The one time I'm on Tintirrino and they lose. I've seriously been playing awful this season. I think I've maybe been on the winning team like twice.
TheOriginalTiki
Well-Known Member
Not actively complaining mind you and I get these are obviously team efforts. That's still been BY FAR the most frustrating and difficult part of the season for me is constantly stressing out about what the other team MIGHT be doing instead of focusing on what my team CAN be doing. I know the wins don't really matter but being in Sullivan's position feels like a literal dream compared to what I've been through this season.
You’ve played great and had wonderful contributions. Don’t let the “wins” and “loses” get you tripped up. Somebody has to be on the losing team each round, and that’s difficult for anybody on a cast as strong as this one.
Seriously, try and pick a weak link. It’s impossible!
TheOriginalTiki
Well-Known Member
I appreciate it and definitely get what you're saying, but MAN consistently not winning has been beyond frustrating and with this being Tintirino's first actual loss I somehow feel objectively responsible for it even though I know that logically makes no sense. That's depression for you I guess. Again not trying to cause a stink about it, it just feels like I've been cursed this season. Genuinely one of the worst win/lose ratios I've ever had in one of these games.
Earlie the Pearlie
Well-Known Member
We lost the Vegas round (third out of three)! Don't beat yourself up over it. And at this point in the game, the teams are so scrambled/talented that one person can't possibly be the sole cause of a team historically winning or losing!
TheOriginalTiki
Well-Known Member
Yep, like I said I totally get that it's a team thing obviously. It's just been a running struggle for me. I must be the person in the cast whose taking the win/lose ratio the most seriously. I guess if Sullivan does end up breaking his winning streak this project we know who to blame
