Santa's Workshop

If I am not mistaken, Germany is the birthplace of the legend of St. Nicholas AKA Santa Claus. Germany in the World Showcase needs an attraction, in my opinion. Why not build a ride on an "Omnimover" platform that takes you to and explores Santa’s workshop. A friendly elf could be your guide throughout the ride. Think about how great Disney could make this ride based on how well they theme for Christmas each year. Between a Disney ride and Christmas, the “warm and fuzzy” could spill out all over China, Italy and into the World Showcase Lagoon.

The ride could start somewhere in Germany where we happen upon an elf. The elf starts to tell us tales of Santa, the workshop and the North Pole. He pauses and decides to show us rather than tell us. Something magical happens and we are all transported to the North Pole.

In the distance we can see a gorgeous alpine style villa. We then approach and enter the workshop. The first scene inside the workshop appears to be an impossible fit from what we estimated the exterior dimensions to be (IE: Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory.) I see the ride as a Christmas theme in a building resembling Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, with lots of whimsy and unnecessary engineering. The factory could be hustling and bustling with busy elves building every toy imaginable.

I have not given the storyline a lot of thought, nor am I sure it needs a thick plot. Maybe some of you could come up with some ideas. I feel that near the end of the ride there should be an encounter with the big man himself, Santa interacting and talking with the guests in all of his AA glory. The end of the ride could take us back to the charming turn of the century Germany city streets.

I am going on vacation to Mexico in the next few weeks. I have an idea for the Mexico pavilion that I have been working on. I am going to wait until I get back from my trip before I post it. Hopefully I will encounter some inspiring scenery and culture to help with the next post. Until then, Please let me know what you think about Santa’s Workshop.

Update the Classics

I know that the mention of updating some of the Disney classics will probably make most of you cringe. But, I think that with the right people to make these kinds of decisions and some input from the Disney fans, it could be doable.

Let’s look at WDW’s first crack at an update to a favorite. The infamous Tiki Room “Under New Management.” I throw up in my mouth a little every time if think of this abomination. I understand that the Tiki Room was showing some age and may have been somewhat lack luster. However, this attraction has turned into the poster child of what is wrong with WDW. I am all for change, so lets change it one more time. I don’t necessarily have any ideas that would fix all of the problems and bring it back to its glory, but even going back to the original attraction would be a huge step in the right direction, in my opinion.

Here are a few things that I have been thinking of that would enhance some of our favorites without disturbing the delicate balance of what makes these rides great. Before I write a word of this, you need to understand that none of these things may even be possible from a logistical standpoint. But, who cares? This is all for fun.

First stop The Pirates of the Caribbean. Disney has just recently updated this ride to add Jack Sparrow. I have not been back recently to see the update and it seems to be receiving mixed reviews. The good news is that the Disneyanna community has not been outside the ride with picket signs, so I would assume that it is fine. If Disney did something to PoC that was comparable to “Under New Management,” the internet would be overloaded and probably shut down because of ticked off fans. Anyway, I just wish that they would add on to the ride. At least make it similar to the DL version, but while they were at it they might as well add something new. How about and extended skeleton scene at the beginning with some CGI floating pirate ghosts, like in the movie. Or change up the end of the ride. Add another scene or two to further develop the story with the newer PoC movies.

Next, let’s look at the Jungle Cruise. I love the ride and the concept. However, this ride has been the same forever and needs updating. Even though people love this ride, I think that Disney would have freer reign to make some changes. First, update all of the AA’s. Use all of the newest technologies to make the animals seem more lifelike. They could also possibly change the story line a bit to give it a fresh feel. Lastly, I think they should add a cave exploration part. Make an expansive cave and include cave dwelling animals.

Finally, The Haunted Mansion. Disney would have to be careful here. Again, just like PoC. Rather than make changes, make additions. Lengthen the ride to include more scenes. Or add a walk through to the beginning, end or both. Bring back “The Museum of the Weird” and tack it on after you exit the ride. see details here

"http://www.doombuggies.com/history3.htm"

There are an endless amount of things that could be done to enhance an existing classic that would not upset the masses. Disney just needs to get creative. I know that some of the pencil pushers would want you to believe that spending time and money on a ride that already draws in huge crowds would be pointless. They would want you to believe that they should make another cheap and ugly ride because it will be “new.” Someone needs to tell Disney that “new” quickly fades, but quality lasts a long time. Let’s just see what happens this summer after the very minor upgrades that were made to PoC has a chance to show off in all it's glory. I think that the buzz for this ride is already huge and after the next release of the new movie it is going to be a madhouse.

Please take the time to share your thoughts or any ideas you may have about these attractions. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas! See ya in 07.

The Villains’ Lair

In the Disneyana circles there has been a lot of rumor, speculation and innuendo regarding the infamous “Villain ride.” From “it’s a done deal” to “it will never happen.” The idea has been discussed on many forums and news sites already, but I would like to throw in my two cents.

I have recently watched a video of the “Journey to the Center of the Earth” ride in Tokyo Disney (see www.mousebits.com for video). It takes a roller coaster and integrates dark ride elements by slowing down the ride in certain parts. I feel that this would be a perfect marriage for The Villains Lair.

I see the ride playing out like Fantasmic, and in saying that I’m not sure that it would be appropriate in the near future. I think they would have to replace the Fantasmic show before they started a project like this. Mickey Mouse has always been strangely absent in the theme park attractions. I foresee a Mickey Mouse pre show of some kind where he gets himself in a pickle and angers the villains of Disney. The only option for him is to run away and try to find somewhere safe to hide for awhile.

I see this roller coaster weaving in and out of a large dark mountain. The exterior would have an eerie feel and the use of torches for lighting would be a nice touch. The beginning of the ride would start out very fast as Mickey is running from the villains. As it makes its way to the first scene, the ride would slow down (as if Mickey is looking for somewhere to hide). He then would be spotted by one of the villains and the ride would speed up again. If anyone so desires, please feel free to discuss the detail of the scenes.

There are a few elements I have been thinking of that could really separate this roller coaster from those around the Disney parks or any other park for that matter. The first thing I was thinking would be to have one of the sets take place in a room with a river beneath the ride to give it that familiar PoC feel. The water element would add a nice aesthetic feel to scene. I don’t see why a roller coaster couldn’t travel through water for part of the ride. Actually, it probably already exists somewhere, I just haven’t seen it. The next element is hard to convey, so bear with me. I’m sure most of you have seen Illuminations. The show has a large sphere in the middle of the lake, of which amounts to convex LED screens. Why not surround the track in a portion of the ride with concave LED or LCD TV screens. It would look like the beginning of Space Mountain where you take off and there are the yellow and red lights that surround the track. Now imagine using LCD technology. The possibilities of what could be shown on the screen are endless. From any type of visualization to a CGI character that follows the car. Imagine if it was used for a long stretch of the ride, they would have the ability to intermingle all kinds of effects.

I rode the Expedition Everest ride this year and enjoyed the "going backward" portion of that ride a great deal. The effect would be suited perfect for this ride. Mickey would be backpedaling from a villain to get away. Also, I thought of a rotating scene so that when you begin to go backward, you will see different scenery.

The Reader's Ideas

I would like to start this post by thanking the news editor from screamscape. Their article has really opened the flood gates of traffic for my site. I have received some e-mails with some new ideas from readers. Here is the first one I received that is ready to post. It was sent by Brett(guinb)

"Pixar movies have been some of the biggest hits for Disney lately and outside of the Nemo ride at Epcot and the upcoming Monsters Inc. comedy club at MK the movies have not been featured in as many attractions as they should. I was thinking that this could be remedied by the creation of 'The Pixar Animation Studios Experience' which would fit in best at Disney-MGM Studios since a) its a studio attraction and b) its a milder ride that could help add more balance to the park that is known for thrills. The ride starts out with guests entering through what appears to be a normal studio building made out to look like a place where Pixar animators could actually work. The premise is that Pixar is giving tours of its facilities. Guests board cars holding 4-6 passengers and are taken on the tour. The car audio system provides details of a typical day as a Pixar animator as the guests go through mock ups of an animators studio (this portion of the ride is similar to the back lot tour in a lot of ways). Then the car takes a sudden turn and through a blast of lights and 'magic' as the car is transported in to a Pixar film. The car twists and turns through the classic scenes like Andy's room from Toy Story, the factory from Monsters Inc, and RadiatorSprings from Cars. The characters make appearances to greet the guests by way of projections (i think projections would do the computer animated characters more justice than an AA). The cars then return through another blast of light to the 'real world' and are greeted by a CM asking how they enjoyed the studio tour. This ride could be easily updated too, as more Pixar films come out with time. It would be appealing to kids since they get to go into their favorite films while at the same time impressing adults with its unique visual effects. That's my idea, let me know what you think. -Brett"

Brett, I like your ideas here. However, it seems to me that Disney is going in a Pixar direction with a lot of their new rides. Therefore, I do not think that they would condense it all down to just one ride. In saying that however, I wish they would!! I really like how you portrayed your ideas to fix the back lot tour. Thank you for the e-mail, keep em' coming.

Next on the docket... villains, roller coasters and LCD TV's. Stay tuned:)

Robin Hood (shoot-em up done right)

Somewhere in Fantasyland could sit a new interactive "shoot-em up" style ride based on Disney's Robin Hood. The ride would have Buzz Lightyear style ride cars, themed for Robin Hood. The guns could be Crossbows with suction cup arrows. The overall theme would be "steal from the rich and give to the poor." I would want the set to be created using 3d Models and AA's, not the plywood based Buzz stuff. The point of the ride would be to shoot as many gold coins as possible. I have given it some thought and I don't think there should be a naritive. I feel that it would overshadow the interactive element of the attraction. The sets should not be too cluttered with coins or props. Just so that it can be more relaxing and immersive. However, there is a twist to this ride, the concept of an "early exit." What is an "early exit" you ask? The total amount of coins your car collects, will determine how your experience finishes. Please take a few minutes to see how this ride would work. I have drawn inspiration from a dark ride in Belgium http://www.sallycorp.com/ASX/tut_h.asx

Now, let's say that there is one exit that people will see no matter how many coins they collect. Then there is another that maybe 1/4 of the cars get a good chance of seeing (Basically obtainable by at least trying). The final scene should be received as a "holy grail" type of thing. Guests should have a 1/10 or less chance of reaching the final scene. Doing this will start the "Robin hood legend." Those that aew skilled enough to see the final scene will spend all day describing it to those that can't seem to make it. The "re-ride ability" factor of this ride would be huge. Truth be told I am more excited about the "early exit/holy grail" concept than the Robin Hood thing. I just thought it suited the concept well.

The Aladdin Dark Ride

I have been bothered by those Aladdin flying carpets in adventureland for some time now. I mean really, who needs those? Why not an Aladdin dark ride? The exterior of the building could have Middle Eastern theme.

I think they should keep it elegant and not cheese it up with an array of plywood cutouts of Aladdin and the Genie. Try to use a color pallet that represents the Middle East and not just slap everything with Barney purple, Princess pink and Genie blue. The ride itself should take place from the first person perspective, IE: we are Aladdin. We do not see him throughout the ride, as was the original Snow White ride. Once through the cue the ride cars would be a fusion of the Peter Pan’s Flight cars and the Magic Carpets of Aladdin car. However, it would have one distinct difference. There would be a small push button control panel for each of the guests. (more on that later)

The guest would sit down inside the carpet and be whisked away to the city of Agrabah. The small town we see below the carpets would be similar to the Peter Pan ride. However, it would be on a slightly bigger scale, so the carpets would have to be physically further away for the same effect. Why bigger you ask? Well, instead of a small docile model set. I think the town should have mini AA's, about the size of action figures. They can walk around, interact with each other and look up at you while you fly by. The next scene takes us to ground level where we encounter AA's of Jafar, his cronies and Lago. They have captured Princess Jasmine. The next scene shows the princess in shackles and looking very sad... But wait who is that, it's the little monkey Abu with the key. As we enter the next area we see that Jasmine is free and wants to ride with us. I'm not sure how this could be done, but I think that Jasmine should somehow board our carpet for the rest of the trip. Either some kind of pop-up AA or with a Finding Nemo ride style projection trick. We then happen across the Genie lamp. We are told by a voice to rub the lamp, then the Genie pops out. The Genie would be another Nemo projection style character. The Genie then offers three choices of where we would like to ride off in to the sunset, so to speak. Different areas of the world or maybe even imaginary CGI created places. Here is where those Horizons style push button pads come in. Everyone in the carpet would make their wish and the popular vote gets it. The carpets then situate themselves in front of an Imax screen and we are taken to "a whole new world." with the music to accompany the end of the ride.