Write like an Imagineer

IMFearless · Post by **IMFearless** » Jul Wed 09, 2008 9:18 pm

Time for a creative writing assignment, class! Pretend you're an Imagineer, and that you've been asked for an idea for ONE ride/attraction anywhere in WDW. The attraction will be brand-new (won't replace an existing attraction, but maybe an old, broken one). Cost is not an issue.

I shall start: I'll put an Indiana Jones Adventure in Animal Kingdom. More specifically, in Africa. As you cross the bridge from Discovery Island to Africa, the ride will be on the far left, near the water. The Adventure will be Egyptian-themed in a pyramid; Indy is looking for the "Book of the Dead" that an ancient pharaoh brought with him to his tomb. Legend has it that the book has the power to bring the dead back to life. The legend turns out to be true, as the pharaoh is not only still alive, but very unhappy at these new visitors. The ride itself will be small four-seater jeeps. Each jeep has a steering wheel and three flashlights; one guest will drive the jeep, while the other three aim their lights at "treasures" (pretty much anything gold) to rack up points. The driver gets points too, depending upon his/her driving skillz (jeep is attached to a track a 'la Tomorrowland Speedway, so it can move short distances left and right, points are earned by dodging things). The end of the ride (though possibly too mature for Disney audiences) includes the infamous boulder chase, but the jeep isn't fast enough; the boulder flattens the jeep (in reality, the boulder opens up and the jeep drives through it); the guests spend a brief amount of time in a fiery "afterlife" before Indy revives everyone with the book. Even this is risky, though; the jeep speeds forward, crashes through a wall, and careens down the side of the pyramid to the exit.

What think? This is one of my many ideas, and the least likely to occur - I figured this one was safe to confide to you all in case I actually get hired. Any of you have anything cool or wacky?

gameboy862 · Post by **gameboy862** » Jul Thu 10, 2008 12:17 am

You know, i'm surprised Disney hasn't experimented with this yet, but here goes...

30 Minute show
Journey Into Disney - It'll be a sit-in 3D show with a 180 degree view. Hosted by 2 animatronic characters (1 professor, 1 assistant) who are trying to study the magic of disney films and what makes them so magical. The professor has created a machine that allows the people within the vehicle to travel into disney films at will like portals. the assistant is a shrewd guy, and keeps on warning the audience that things may not go so well inside of the movies because the device hasn't been tested for real and is a prototype. The professor says nonsense and that his machine is a work of masterful mechanics and imagineering. He then prompts the audience to put on their 3D glasses

The Audience travel through the Early Years portal to dive into the disney classics like snow white and sleeping beauty, but the audience soon finds out that the device isn't perfect...as the machine begins to draw the attention of the villians of the movies, and are promptly attacked by Malificent and Jafar for example in 3D. Ursula manages to short circuit the portal control board on the machine and the crowd is soon blasted into the Pixar Years Portals and are taken on a wild 3D ride through several newer Pixar favorites like Meet the Robinsons, the Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille, and Wall-e. The professor as he experiences each movie finally discovers the real magic behind disney movies, the heart and soul given to each movie by the creators, the sense that you the viewer are actually there and not blocked by some screen or monitor. Right when he has his little revelation, the machine starts to spark up and each chair lights up with spark lamps. The professor calmly tells you not to panic and that it's just a minor glitch....the assistant however screams out in panic that the machine will explode and that if the audience doens't push the little red buttons on their chair arms, they won't come back to Walt Disney World ever again.

Now, 2 scenarios can occur. If half or more of the active seats (each seat will have a weight sensor) push the red button, the machine will be sent back to the Disney Magic Labs and the audience will be shown a montage of disney films to show off the magic of disney movies. If less than half of the active chairs push the red button, the machine will overload and explode, sending the audience through a 3D blur of disney movies, past, present, and maybe even future movies (disney can change the movies at will, so why not include a little preview snack for the crowd). The crowd will then end up by the power of Disney Magic inside of the Disney Magic Labs.

Could use a few tweaks here or there, and the 3D aspect isn't very well explained, but it's a start XD

Captain Schnemo · Post by **Captain Schnemo** » Jul Thu 10, 2008 3:11 am

gameboy862 wrote:You know, i'm surprised Disney hasn't experimented with this yet, but here goes...

I think they don't do this for the same reason Hollywood doesn't read unsolicited scripts...they don't want to be accused of ripping off the ideas later.

As for general comments, on Fearless' "Buzz + Mr. Toad" ride, it sounds like fun, although I wonder why you'd put it in the Animal Kingdom. Sounds like more of a Studios thing to me.

I know there's precedent for attractions in the AK with no connection to animals (the River Rapids, and Everest, which would make sense in the mythical creatures section that doesn't exist, but is silly in Asia), but we probably shouldn't be encouraging that.

As for gameboy's show, the theme is a little "meta" for me (the universe being held together by a string of unrelated Disney films and all that), but the thing I really object to is the "oh no, something has gone wrong" theme which permeates so many Disney attractions.

I think it would be better to make it a straight up adventure from the beginning, so it's not a "surprise" malfunction that happens every time you experience the attraction. That said, you put the idea to better use than most Disney attractions, which pretend to be a boring-ish thing and then only become exciting by accident. Your original idea is also interesting.

Anyway, always happy to see people using their brains. Thanks for contributing!

IMFearless · Post by **IMFearless** » Jul Thu 10, 2008 5:51 am

Captain Schnemo wrote:
gameboy862 wrote:You know, i'm surprised Disney hasn't experimented with this yet, but here goes...
As for general comments, on Fearless' "Buzz + Mr. Toad" ride, it sounds like fun, although I wonder why you'd put it in the Animal Kingdom. Sounds like more of a Studios thing to me.

I do have a ton of ideas, this is just the most unlikely to pass. I have another idea for an Indy ride in DHS, but I also stated from the top, no replacing existing attractions. I doubt an Indy ride would go into DHS while the show is still open.
The DHS one would be a jeep ride (similar mechanics to Dinosaur) through an ancient Chinese temple - giant dragon and all. More details of that can come later.... <_<

Captain Schnemo · Post by **Captain Schnemo** » Jul Thu 10, 2008 6:12 am

In that case, why tie it to Indy at all? The last movie wasn't exactly good, and the only direct tie to Indy seems to be the boulder gimmick which is used in the Disneyland Indy ride.

Why not create a new mythology? (Although I realize that this would increase the danger that Disney would make a lousy movie tie-in, but that's not the Imagineer's problem!)

IMFearless · Post by **IMFearless** » Jul Thu 10, 2008 6:19 am

That's actually probably it ... I'd think it would be more useful to tie it to an existing franchise than create a new one. And treasure hunting, who else but Indy? Ben Gates is boring.

Captain Schnemo · Post by **Captain Schnemo** » Jul Thu 10, 2008 8:47 am

IMFearless wrote:I'd think it would be more useful to tie it to an existing franchise than create a new one.

Why?

Most of Disney's best (non-Fantasyland) attractions have been original creations. Pirates (pre-Depp), the Mansion, Horizons, Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain...and, most recently, Everest.

Tapping in to an existing franchise is a nice shortcut to connecting with the audience, but if we're talking pie-in-the-sky where were can create anything about anything, why not set the bar higher?

netslave · Post by **netslave** » Jul Thu 10, 2008 9:31 am

Disney Princess 'Dark' ride:

You walk up to what used to be 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea only to find that a majestic castle wall has replaced it. The outside of the building is unspecific to any one fairy tale but has elements of Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beauty, Ariel, Jasmine, and whoever else. (Mulan?)

Anyway, as you are walking through the Queue, you get the royal treatment: Red Carpet, Trumpets blasting, Royal Greetings, and you walk through looking at some of the Princess' stuff like dresses, crowns, jewels, etc.... Or maybe a storybook like Pooh, telling the stories of the princesses.

The ride would use technology similar to the Toy Story Midway Madness ride in that there would be a lot of 3D animation. The reason is when you ride it through one time, the whole ride might be themed around Cinderella with different props and animations. When you return later in the day, the ride might be themed around Sleeping Beauty, then Ariel, etc.....

Then as Disney makes new movies, they can add to the ride without completely changing it. This would make for a very enjoyable ride that you could do 6 or more times and it be something completely different each time. Also, they could easily change the ride to match the seasons. A Halloween or Christmas themed ride would draw crowds.

Then, you can only imagine the gift shop!

I think this would go quite well with Disney's new cash cow - the Pirate and Princess Party.

IMFearless · Post by **IMFearless** » Jul Thu 10, 2008 10:42 am

Captain Schnemo wrote:
IMFearless wrote:I'd think it would be more useful to tie it to an existing franchise than create a new one.
Why?

Most of Disney's best (non-Fantasyland) attractions have been original creations. Pirates (pre-Depp), the Mansion, Horizons, Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain...and, most recently, Everest.

Tapping in to an existing franchise is a nice shortcut to connecting with the audience, but if we're talking pie-in-the-sky where were can create anything about anything, why not set the bar higher?

Eh, true. But, there's also the fact that Indy is popular, people have been begging for an Indy ride for awhile now, and a LOT of people liked Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (IMHO, best Indy movie to date, that was AMAZING). Plus, it needs something to directly contrast it to the Mummy ride at Universal.
Here's a thought - make it amusing, have Goofy investigating it? There's a new thought, turn the ride into a more amusing thing than a scary one. Goofy needs more rides....

netslave, the princess idea is good, though I'd also include stuff like Aladdin or Hercules in there too - you're implying that it's only for girls, which is a bit of a poor idea these days. Just a suggestion, it doesn't seem like to difficult of a thing to add.

Captain Schnemo · Post by **Captain Schnemo** » Jul Thu 10, 2008 10:57 am

IMFearless wrote:...a LOT of people liked Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (IMHO, best Indy movie to date, that was AMAZING).

What-what-WHAT??

Plus, it needs something to directly contrast it to the Mummy ride at Universal.

Well, you've kind of mimicked the Mummy attraction exactly, now that I think about it. Just slapping a different franchise on top of it doesn't change the experience. Trying to copy Universal is how MGM came about and years later they're still trying to figure out what to do with that park.

Here's a thought - make it amusing, have Goofy investigating it?

Argh...you're killin' me here. This is exactly why I hate Eisner so much. He's changed the way a generation thinks about new attractions. It's really not necessary to have every single attraction tied in to an existing product. Wouldn't you expect more from Imagineers?

If product tie-ins were so great, then Universal and Disney Studios would be better parks!

This is the same mentality that feeds into sequel-mania. Use a time-tested brand that people feel safe with and cash in. It's obviously the direction Disney has been moving in for some time, but I wouldn't say it's a good one. The Studios is a whole park devoted to this kind of thing, and Fantasyland is always there for Disney films. I'd just like to see a little more imagination in the other parks.

I mean, if you have the entire animal kingdom as source material, surely we can do better than more product placement.

As for the princess ride, I'm not a big fan of the screens in general, but this would be a very cool usage of the technology that would actually make sense. I also like that you would keep the theming distinct by not having the character cross-over issue. I don't think Scar and Jafar could really even have a conversation, much less team up to be evil together as many generic hero/villain themed ideas would have them doing.

netslave · Post by **netslave** » Jul Thu 10, 2008 11:13 am

netslave, the princess idea is good, though I'd also include stuff like Aladdin or Hercules in there too - you're implying that it's only for girls, which is a bit of a poor idea these days. Just a suggestion, it doesn't seem like to difficult of a thing to add.

Well, I don't think Disney has to be gender neutral for everything. It'd be a ride, and I'm sure boys would like it as well. hey like Snow White ok. Disney has traditionally marketed the 'Princesses' so I think a ride like this would do well.

As for usage of the screens, I'd love to see the 'scenes' change as well as the props around them. Kind of like how the 'bedroom' scenes rotate in Carosel of Progress.

DIAC1987 · Post by **DIAC1987** » Jul Thu 10, 2008 2:12 pm

People liked the latest Indiana Jones? I guess they didn't see the first three.

The Black Hole

In the future, we have discovered and entered other planets, other parts of the Milky Way galaxy, and have encountered all kinds of terrain. However, we have yet to enter a black hole because of fears of what may lurk inside. A space station has recently lost power and is veering towards a black hole. You and several other crew members are commissioned on the dangerous mission to enter the space station (Which is the queue) to try to restore power and maneuver the ship away from dangerous atmosphere. But, its too late, the ship is about to be sucked in, and you must enter one of several escape pods (the ride vehicle) and try to escape the area before you become the next victim.

In the Black Hole ride, your pod rockets through the lower parts of the spaceship and towards the exit. Then, after exiting, you get sucked into the black hole. The ride starts off in the station, then ventures into space, then into total darkness. The third leg of the ride offers no light whatsoever, you have absolutely no idea which way you are heading. Picture the darkness of the small drop in Pirates of the Caribbean, except is lasts much, much, much longer. The end of the ride has the black hole spitting you out on another part of the galaxy, revealing the black hole as a massive portal.

Park: Magic Kingdom
Location: Tomorrowland

OR

Park: Epcot
Location: Future World (It can mess around with the idea that future civilizations can thrive on parts of outer space we currently can only dream about)

agingerbugg · Post by **agingerbugg** » Jul Thu 10, 2008 2:30 pm

That would make a great roller coaster, and although Captain Schnemo hates branding, it could be branded for the movie (1979 Disney movie). If you haven't seen it, it is a great movie.

netslave · Post by **netslave** » Jul Thu 10, 2008 3:33 pm

The Black Hole was one of my favorite movies when I was a kid. I'd love to see it revived with a ride like this. I'd say Epcot would work best just because there's not much room in Tomorrowland for something of this scale.

Maybe it could take over the Wonders of Live Pavilion?

Captain Schnemo · Post by **Captain Schnemo** » Jul Thu 10, 2008 3:53 pm

netslave wrote:As for usage of the screens, I'd love to see the 'scenes' change as well as the props around them. Kind of like how the 'bedroom' scenes rotate in Carosel of Progress.

They also do a lot of tricks with lighting in Disneyland's Indy ride that create different effects with the same props. It'd be cool to see the Imagineers use their brains again and come up with some innovative set design and use of space.

agingerbugg wrote:...although Captain Schnemo hates branding, it could be branded for the movie (1979 Disney movie). If you haven't seen it, it is a great movie.

Well, it's a fun movie, but "great" is awfully generous. I did like it a lot as a kid, though. Anyway, if you base it on the movie, you'd have to end with a bizarre and pointless hallucinatory pseudo-2001 conclusion!

By the way, I don't hate branding, I just hate using it as a crutch. As long as the tie-in makes sense, I have no problem with it.

The only attraction I've put much thought into is a redesign of Mr. Toad, which might as well be un-themed, since no one knows who he is.

I suppose that highlights the fact that, while I have a lot of strong opinions, agreeing with me isn't going to get you hired at Disney any time soon.

The black hole attraction sounds kind of like a re-theming of Space Mountain. I don't think I'd like it Epcot, though, since (as far as we know) a trip into a black hole would lead certain death before getting anywhere the thing. Even if it turns out that they are portals, I think we'd be spaghetti by the time we got to the other side.