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Visions Fantastic: An Imagineering Competition (Game Thread)
- Thread starter PerGron
- Start date
Great job teams! I will be reviewing and giving scores today, but first I wanted to handle a bit of business and get elimination out of the way to allow us to continue on. We will be entering a speed round for the next period of the game so to give you guys ample time, I figured the elimination was an easy choice and I can give you the next prompt and get onto reviews in my own time. With that said, this decision was made regardless of which team wins or loses, so in 16th place we have...
@JokersWild
This decision was made because over the last few rounds, Jokers has not responded to the messages and has not contributed to their team. While I hope everything is alright, this decision was easy and allows us to go to our next round rather quickly. Thank you for playing Jokers!
This decision was made because over the last few rounds, Jokers has not responded to the messages and has not contributed to their team. While I hope everything is alright, this decision was easy and allows us to go to our next round rather quickly. Thank you for playing Jokers!
SPEED ROUND
Welcome players to the middle of our game for our SPEED ROUND. Here, we will truck through six very fast small projects that will each give you about three days to work on them with your teams. I will not be reviewing each individual project as they're submitted and instead will do a big review at the end of the series where results will be given and a second DOUBLE ELIMINATION will occur. All of these speed rounds will occur in the same PM as well, so keep that in mind as we send messages. With that, here is the first challenge of the speed round...
Challenge Five: Transportation Trouble
Almost all of the Disney Parks have various unique transportation opportunities to get to them. If you want to visit Magic Kingdom you can take a boat, a bus, a monorail, or walk; to get to Epcot you can take a boat, a bus, a monorail, a skyliner, or walk; to get to Hollywood Studios you can take a boat, a bus, a skyliner, or walk; and even to get to Disney Springs you can take a bus, a boat, or walk. Yet, if you want to get to Animal Kingdom, your sole option is to take a bus to the park. I think it's time to change that.
Prompt: Design a new additional transportation system to help guests visit Disney's Animal Kingdom
You can make this one of the existing modes of transportation or come up with something wholly new. The biggest consideration to take in is where can you utilize this transportation from (you don't see the monorail visiting Port Orleans or boats at somewhere without a water feature) so focus on "Animal Kingdom area resorts" being Animal Kingdom Lodge, Coronado Springs, and the All-Star Resorts. You can expand this transport to other resorts, Blizzard Beach, or wherever else, but be realistic about it.
The other consideration is that the park houses live animals and so intrusive transportation with lots of noise or emissions should be avoided, so no helicopters landing on Discovery Island I guess. Otherwise, the world is your oyster!
This project is due Wednesday, August 20th at 11:59 PM PST (2:59 AM EST, 1:59 AM CST, 3:59 PM PT)
Welcome players to the middle of our game for our SPEED ROUND. Here, we will truck through six very fast small projects that will each give you about three days to work on them with your teams. I will not be reviewing each individual project as they're submitted and instead will do a big review at the end of the series where results will be given and a second DOUBLE ELIMINATION will occur. All of these speed rounds will occur in the same PM as well, so keep that in mind as we send messages. With that, here is the first challenge of the speed round...
Challenge Five: Transportation Trouble
Almost all of the Disney Parks have various unique transportation opportunities to get to them. If you want to visit Magic Kingdom you can take a boat, a bus, a monorail, or walk; to get to Epcot you can take a boat, a bus, a monorail, a skyliner, or walk; to get to Hollywood Studios you can take a boat, a bus, a skyliner, or walk; and even to get to Disney Springs you can take a bus, a boat, or walk. Yet, if you want to get to Animal Kingdom, your sole option is to take a bus to the park. I think it's time to change that.
Prompt: Design a new additional transportation system to help guests visit Disney's Animal Kingdom
You can make this one of the existing modes of transportation or come up with something wholly new. The biggest consideration to take in is where can you utilize this transportation from (you don't see the monorail visiting Port Orleans or boats at somewhere without a water feature) so focus on "Animal Kingdom area resorts" being Animal Kingdom Lodge, Coronado Springs, and the All-Star Resorts. You can expand this transport to other resorts, Blizzard Beach, or wherever else, but be realistic about it.
The other consideration is that the park houses live animals and so intrusive transportation with lots of noise or emissions should be avoided, so no helicopters landing on Discovery Island I guess. Otherwise, the world is your oyster!
This project is due Wednesday, August 20th at 11:59 PM PST (2:59 AM EST, 1:59 AM CST, 3:59 PM PT)
Earlie the Pearlie
Well-Known Member
I could be wrong, but I don't think we have credits in here. Just in case:
Team, I'm so sorry if any of this is incorrect!
@AceAstro - Monday, Introduction
@Earlie the Pearlie - Tuesday
@Lizzy May Bee - Wednesday, Presentation
@Lord Fozzinator - Thursday
@Lord Fozzinator - Friday
@Lord Fozzinator - Saturday
@TheOriginalTiki - Sunday
@Mr. Sullivan - Menus
@AceAstro - Monday, Introduction
@Earlie the Pearlie - Tuesday
@Lizzy May Bee - Wednesday, Presentation
@Lord Fozzinator - Thursday
@Lord Fozzinator - Friday
@Lord Fozzinator - Saturday
@TheOriginalTiki - Sunday
@Mr. Sullivan - Menus
Lizzy May Bee
Well-Known Member
While the theme park industry has grown, leading to the rise of many competitors, one of the elements that sets Disney’s entertainment experiences apart from the rest is the consistent dedication towards making a trip to their parks an immersive and memorable experience every step of the way, truly making children feel like they’re transported to a different world, while also offering a unique artistry that adults can appreciate. One of Disney’s foremost efforts in reaching this standard is the high theming they put into their hotels, which is often furthered by offering unique ways for guests to get to the parks, transforming even the typically boring act of traveling to your vacation destination into part of the magic. While three of Walt Disney World’s parks offer something in this manner, Animal Kingdom, a park that otherwise excels in immersing guests through its design and associated hotels, does not, or it didn’t until now at least.
The Zootopia Express will fill in Animal Kingdom’s lack of a unique transport option with a highly themed IP offering, capitalizing on the success of Zootopia while advertising its upcoming sequel. This seemingly ordinary railway will treat guests to a view of the bustling, animal society that makes up Zootopia’s setting, through screens in place of windows that look out into the different bureaus of the titular city for each route (with the trips to and from the same locations showcasing the same scenes in reverse) while also serving as a quick, fun transportation option to and from Animal Kingdom and its associated hotels, Animal Kingdom Lodge and Coronado Springs, as well as the water park Blizzard
Incorporating a new transportation system into the Walt Disney World Resort is no small feat! Luckily, WDI has its best urban planners on the job to get 'er done in the most efficient way possible.
To begin with, the majority of the Express loosely follows pre-existing roadways. This has a few benefits! Most importantly, it minimizes the amount of land TDO must have re-zoned for this project, cutting down on costs and turnaround time significantly. Additionally, it preserves most of that area's Floridian wilderness, and makes running buses to compensate when the Express is down (which is almost guaranteed to happen at some point!) far simpler. As an added bonus, families driving to Animal Kingdom in the mornings get the chance to see the train whiz past - a simple joy worthy of the monorail!
Each station is properly themed and integrated into its environment as thoroughly as possible. For the two parks and Animal Kingdom Lodge, the station is fairly centrally located, providing easy access to both the parks and main lobby. In the case of Animal Kingdom, the station displaces a portion of the bus drop-off area - not to worry, though, this can easily be rebuilt just feet away. Blizzard Beach's station also provides service to the walking-distance Winter Summerland Minigolf. For Coronado Springs, the station is located close to Gran Destino Tower. Ranchos enthusiasts shouldn't worry, though - a new tram system, decorated like Mexican trajineras, make the distance a lot more easy to cover!
When it comes to crossing existing roads and paths, the Express has it covered - literally! The entire train will be elevated about one story off of the ground, simply going over roads when necessary. Near the stations, the railway will remain fairly bare-bones, fitting with the parking lots (or, in one case, intentionally brutalist park entrance) they’re near. Still, each will carry a few elegant architectural touches, like tree stumps and icicles carved into the supports, that give the Express tracks enough whimsy to be distinctly Disney.
The real deluxe treatment, though, will be given to the road crossings. Elaborate stone tunnels, with landscaping terracing up to them, will add an air of refined natural beauty to the otherwise plain terrain. As roads approach each station, animal motifs for that area, carved into the stonework, will become more and more prominent: penguins and alligators for Blizzard Beach, giraffes and zebras for Animal Kingdom Lodge, axolotls and capybaras for Coronado Springs, and elephants and lions for Animal Kingdom. A subtle detail, but one that will go a long way in introducing the Zootopia Express to this corner of the World!
Animal Kingdom Lodge to Blizzard Beach and Coronado Springs
Hop on board the Zootopia Express for a high speed trip to Disney's premier water park. This route starts by departing the lodge and going straight into Tundra Town. Bodyguard polar bears are seen patrolling the area. Mr. Big can be spotted in a high rise tower.
Fru Fru walks past our train cabin in shadow form, excited for a day out in Blizzard Beach. Her entourage of gal pals follow as they gossip about seeing all the male opossums in their cute beach outfits. We pass through a "tunnel" on the screen as a nervous Clawhauser walks past our car in shadow form. Cawhauser is very self conscious about his water park attire and needs a pep talk from Judy.
As Clawhauser gets into brighter spirits, we emerge from the tunnel as the screen looking out of the train reveals a grand vista overlooking Mammal Mountain, the sprawling arctic mountain range that surrounds the city of Zootopia. Judy and Nick pass by in shadow form and knock on our cabin door. "Just one more turn around the mountain and we'll be at Blizzard Beach!" Judy exclaims with excitement. In a cool transition, the animation on the screen slowly fades into an animated Blizzard Beach that then gives way to the reveal of the real peak of Summit Plummet as the screens lower and guests see through the actual windows of the train that they've reached their destination!
Blizzard Beach and Coronado Springs to Animal Kingdom Lodge
After a long day at Blizzard Beach, hop back on board the Zootopia Express for a quick trip back to your hotel. The windows transition back into the animated realm of Mammal Mountain as the train pulls out of the station. After taking in another panoramic view of the mountain range from the window screens with the city of Zootopia far below us, we enter the transition tunnel back into Tundra Town and switch our focus to the window screens on the cabin doors.
Clawhauser and Judy can be seen walking by the cabin doors. Judy gives Cawhauser props for how comfortable he was in the wave pool and Clawhauser thanks Judy for giving him the self esteem he needed to enjoy the day as a plus sized tiger. Judy playfully slaps him on the back and says "any time, pal!" Clawhauser yelps in pain, Judy having obviously hit the nerve of a bad sunburn.
Fru Fru and her gal pals march past our cabin, all obviously miserable from sunburns. Fru Fru loudly complains that the name Blizzard Beach was false advertising for how much sun was in that place. "In spite of...my...sunburn...I happened to...(long painful pause)...love it!" says Flash also walking by.
As we pass back through Tundra Town, we see the polar bear body guards hot on our trail as Mr. Big has reported Fru Fru as missing. "Oh no, daddy's over reacting about me being gone again!" Fru Fru laments. "He's sooo over protective!!"
A polar bear enters the train car and marches past a very cowardly Nick to retrieve his boss's daughter, who is still complaining about the sun tan as she's dragged off the train. With that we exit Tundra Town and have one more animated to real life window transition bringing us back to the Animal Kingdom Lodge.
Animal Kingdom Lodge Platform
The station for the train at Animal Kingdom Lodge is located on the site of a former pond to the immediate left of the Spa Pool. A new pathway from the pool area that cuts through the tree line leads guests to a station that appears to have been built from the same material the lodge itself has been built with.
Guests will be able to take notice of carvings in the walls depicting various locations in Zootopia interpreted via the African art style present through the rest of the resort.
There is a simple animatronic wildebeest in a ticket booth that occasionally speaks to guests, acting as the station operator for AKL. When the train arrives, guests will step onto the train from the platform and begin their journey.
Journey
The trip from Animal Kingdom Lodge to Animal Kingdom takes about five minutes total. On the inside view screens that take place of the windows, guests can see Judy and Nick standing on the platform they just left with Judy telling Nick they have to hurry and get on board.
As the train rolls from the station, guests can see themselves passing through an African biome as seen at the lodge briefly before the train appears to turn away from this and toward a smattering of trees.
The train briefly goes through the trees until it comes out into a beautiful, misty part of the city of Zootopia that is inspired by Asian culture and architecture. The buildings are made of stone and feature Asian tiling and lettering, and in the background are tall misty mountains.
Guests will see various citizens of this part of the city, known as Lotus Lake as identified by some signage.
Guests will see panda citizens working building buildings out of bamboo, bengal tigers acting as restauranteurs serving food to the locals, water buffalo sailing boats down a beautiful river, peafowl as artists painting on the river bank, Komodo dragons acting as local religious figures, and more.
Judy’s voice can be heard pointing out a large mountain in the distance that looks like Everest and she comments that she wonders who lives there and if they’re open to visitors.
The train appears to move through trees again as it begins to slow down. At this point, the video screens begin to show the front of Animal Kingdom as they hear Judy and Nick walling back their compartment talking about going to see some big tree Judy saw on the way in.
The route between Coronado Springs and Animal Kingdom takes riders through the gorgeous Rainforest District, alongside Judy and Nick.
Overall, the Zootopia Express looks to deliver on all fronts that a unique transport option should, capturing the ingenuity and magic that the talented creative staff behind the Disney parks always brings!
Credits
Logo, Formatting, & Intro/Conclusion - @Lizzy May Bee
Map - @Earlie the Pearlie
Blizzard Beach Routes - @TheOriginalTiki
AKL to AK - @Mr. Sullivan
P-R-T, on-the-go! That’s your Personal Rapid Transit, on-the-go! Team Wish presents….
P-R-T, on-the-go! That’s your Personal Rapid Transit, on-the-go! 
Credits:
PRT description: @ThemeParkPriest
Narrations: @Outbound
Graphics: @Tegan pilots a chicken
Presentation: @Brer Panther
PRT concept art: @Architectural Guinea Pig
Great work teams! I’m working on reviews for the restaurant, it’s been a busy week, but as I mentioned there will be no reviews or winners for the supper rounds until the very end of the speed round. With that said
Challenge Six: Destination D
With Destination D23 coming up, I’m sure some of us are excited for some information about movies, the parks, etc. but that’s not all these conventions have going for them. A lot of times they have unique and fun panels from history to interviews to promotions that round out events like this.
Prompt: Create a unique panel for a D23 event.
The theme of the panel is up to each team, it can be a retrospective on a movie, it can be a game show, whatever you want to do, it’s just gotta fit the D23 vibe.
This project is due Saturday, August 23rd at 11:59 PM PST (2:59 AM EST, 1:59 AM CST, 3:59 PM PT)
Challenge Six: Destination D
With Destination D23 coming up, I’m sure some of us are excited for some information about movies, the parks, etc. but that’s not all these conventions have going for them. A lot of times they have unique and fun panels from history to interviews to promotions that round out events like this.
Prompt: Create a unique panel for a D23 event.
The theme of the panel is up to each team, it can be a retrospective on a movie, it can be a game show, whatever you want to do, it’s just gotta fit the D23 vibe.
This project is due Saturday, August 23rd at 11:59 PM PST (2:59 AM EST, 1:59 AM CST, 3:59 PM PT)
Feel better soon!!!!