Theme Park Apprentice 6.1: Dark Ride

Two things: 1st, DPCC (is that what we should call you?)this thread is posted under "Walt Disney World Resort". Not that it really makes a difference, but shouldn't it be under "Other" in the future? It makes those of us not doing a Disney park feel a bit inferior (just kidding....I think).

2nd- Don't wait for me to go first this time. Been there, done that, got the bruises to show for it (also just kidding). But no, I think I'll wait a bit. If you want a bit of a teaser, here it is: "The Star Wars of 1902".

Will the scores be added from our audition round or will they be separate?

Imagine in the audition i didn't go well i only got 13 points. In this round will the points sum up or will they be separate?

Um, they will probably sum up, but who gets eliminated will be separated. And Sorry Scott, I just forgot to change it.

Also, note to Scott, You don't have a Disney park, and Star Wars is used in a park already, so if your plan is to use Star Wars as an IP, you'll have to re-think that.

No, I'm not using Star Wars as an IP. I appreciate your concern, but no problem.

I'm going to suggest we keep the challenge threads for proposals and critiques and move all other discussion to a general discussion (aka chatter) thread. This has been done in previous years and generally keeps everything a bit more organized.

Judges,

Is there any restrictions as to the vehicle which should be used? To me, a dark ride could be anything from a KUKA ride with projections or a simple Prerzel style ride. I know the traditional definition is a slow, onmimover-esque ride in vein of Pirates or The Haunted Mansion but plenty of newer technologies in ride development have broadened the traditional definition of a classic dark ride. I just want to be sure that a more fast paced or action oriented dark ride would be ok for this challenge or if I should save these types of rides for other challenges. Thanks in advance!

"Zeus and the 12 Olympians"
Just to give a little bit of reference, WDW's fifth gate Disney's Lost Kingdom anchors a new land development on the other side of the highway that leads to the Magic Kingdom across from Disney's Hollywood Studios. The new development begins outside of the park where WDW's newest luxury resort, The Greek Isles Resort & Spa, rests on the banks steep slopes of Lost Bay, the new waterway leading up to the park. The resort's rounded white washed structures topped by cool, royal blue domes effortlessly blends into Ancient Greece, the entrance land of the park.

Ancient Greece hosts the first attraction guests will come upon in Disney's Lost Kingdom, a next generation trackless dark ride with lavish special effects and unexpected thrills. "Zeus and the 12 Olympians" will introduce guests to the twelve major deities of the Greek pantheon and will feature the three Greek deity brothers Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. When the Olympians first defeated the Titans for the right to gain domain over the Universe, the cosmos was split between the three brothers. Zeus, who became the Father of Gods and men, reigned over the sky. Poseidon, his older brother, reigned over the seas and Hades, the oldest of the three brothers, reigned over the underworld. After their defeat, the Titans were imprisoned by the Olympians in Tartarus, a deep abyss used as their dungeon. Guests will experience the Gods' powers firsthand with a few surprises. As for Hades, because he resides permanently in the underworld and never sits at Olympus, he is excluded from the 12 Olympians, perhaps a reason for his indifference towards his brothers and unpredictability.

The land of Ancient Greece begins in the courtyards and lush gardens amongst the bustle of Athens. Mortals live here cohesively with the legendary deities of Greece who preside on Mount Olympus, the icon of Disney's Lost Kingdom that sits in the center of the park. Other areas of the land include the Garden of Flora and Fauna, the Port of Piraeus, and to the right of the main entrance and across from Athens, the Acropolis of Athens.

"Zeus and the 12 Olympians" will be one of the many highly themed attractions guests can expect to experience at Disney's Lost Kingdom. The ride will be within the massive 75-foot high, 250-foot wide recreation of the Acropolis of Athens, the legendary rocky plateau with Greek temples perched on top. The Parthenon, dedicated to the goddess Athena, for whom Athens is named after, will be recreated in pristine form as will the Erechtheion, the temple of Athena Nike, and the great statue of Athena Promachos. At the bottom of the structure from the Propylaea, the monumental archway of the Acropolis, guests can ascend to the top of the steps and explore the elegantly decorated temples dedicated to the Gods. Hidden elevators and escalators will be available inside in a cave next to the steps to allow access to the Acropolis and will be as unobtrusive to the theme as possible. Fantastic views of Mount Olympus and the rest of the lands in the park should be breathtaking from the 75-foot high colonnade.

At the rocky base of the plateau in a temple dedicated to Zeus is the entrance to "Zeus and the 12 Olympians." Once inside, guests can appreciate the rich details of the temple as they are introduced to Zeus and the other 12 Olympians with murals depicting their divine powers and achievements. In the queue, the attraction's sweeping score played by a symphony orchestra, highlighted by the deep brass and strings, will help build the guests' experience. There will also be interactive elements for guests to play with in the queue, all attributes of the Gods, including Poseidon's trident, Apollo's bow, Hermes's winged cap, and Zeus's thunderbolt.

At the ride's load platform, your chariot awaits, literally. The four person trackless ride vehicle will be a chariot, each one individually decorated with elaborate scrolls and embellishments representative to one of the specific 12 Olympians. The chariots will disperse the load platform together in groups of six and will first enter the Great Hall of Zeus, a grand room of opulent marble floors and massive columns. At the far end of the hall, a 40-foot tall statue of Zeus is seated grandly with the world in one hand and a thunderbolt in the other. The six chariots will simultaneously line up in front of the statue in awe of its magnificence when the statue of Zeus startlingly comes to life and then his deep, bellowing voice is heard. "You are entering the Realm of the Gods. Choose to enter and you will be at their mercy!" After a couple of nervous seconds of silence, Zeus in finality replies, "So be it." The Great Hall is then struck by thunderbolts from Zeus's hand and fills the corridors as they run down the columns. The chariots depart and enter the Realm of the Gods.

The Realm of the Gods begins in a large yet intimate space where the chariots will freely roam from corner to corner and individually encounter the 12 Olympian deities. Aphrodite, Apollo, Ares, Artemis, Athena, Demeter, Hephaestus, Hera, Hermes, Hestia, and Poseidon will be represented by the most advanced animatronics and special effects available to Disney Imagineering. Hermes, the messenger of the gods, will display his abilities to move freely between the worlds of the mortals and the Gods. Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, the forests and the moon, will feverishly shoot her golden arrows over guests' heads in the dense moonlight. Athena, the goddess of courage, civilization, and war will have a spear in her hand ready to strike anyone who tests her. Poseidon, god of the sea and earthquakes, with his trident in hand, will wield his undeniable power over water and earth.

After Poseidon's encounter, the six chariots gathered together will experience a new dimension to the trackless dark ride, creating quite a thrill, as the chariots are grandly lifted up by an elevating system five stories/50 feet with the floor beneath them to the throne of Zeus at top of Mount Olympus. The expanse of the skies and heavens all around will be seen outside of the temple where Zeus's throne sits. As the chariots draw closer, the details of the Zeus animatronic will be impressive and a bit intimidating. "This is Olympus!" Zeus boasts. Thunderbolts spontaneously consume the skies outside of the temple. "Obey us and you will not be harmed." Stunned silence follows for a couple of seconds. Before Zeus can continue, the chariots unexpectedly fall rapidly back down another five stories the opposite way, more accelerated this time and almost out of control, into the darkest part of the realm where they are introduced to Hades. The chariots have entered the underworld. They begin spinning uncontrollably as the imprisoned souls of the underworld disrupts their power. Hades, unrelenting in his role as god of the underworld, will not allow any being, mortal or divine, to escape his clutches once they have entered his realm. He is determined to keep all the new souls that have unexpectedly dropped in on him. Fortunately, the omnipotent power of the chariots overcomes the negative forces of the underworld and escape the clutches of Hades. But Hades pursues the chariots and in despair the chariots stubble upon the dungeons of Tartarus, where the Titans are imprisoned. Hades, scheming and devious, unleashes a plan to release the Titans to gain revenge against the mortals and the 12 Olympians for their insolence. The chariots plunge into a large vortex as the floors concave inwards, another new dimension to the ride, and begins to pull them down into the abyss of Tartarus. In the process, Hades successfully frees the mammoth Titans from their dungeon. Hades then proclaims, "Face it, you cannot escape me and the Titans! You are doomed!" With all hell breaking loose and two of the Titans looming overhead, recreated by two of the largest animatronics ever devised by Imagineering, Zeus intervenes! Thunderbolts from Zeus's hand consume the Titans and casts them back into the abyss. Hades escapes back to the underworld before Zeus can turn his wrath onto him. The chariots are released from the vortex and rise back up with thunderbolts crashing around them to the Realm of the Gods where Zeus and the other 12 Olympians in a semblance of power offer a stern message. "You are freed. Let this be your only warning. The Universe is OURS!" A final thunderclap, the room goes dark, and the chariots proceed to the unload area.

Before the chariots reach the unload area, they parade down a long formal hallway lined with the marble statues of the 12 Olympians in their iconic poses. At the very end of the hallway is a statue of Hades as well, but it does not stand stationary as the other statues. His gaze seeks out every mortal who escaped his clutches and vies for his revenge. The exit naturally leads into a Disney standard gift shop named The Realm of the Goods, highlighting the various selections of merchandise featuring the individual 12 Olympians. Outside of the exit is a mural depicting the Greek deity family tree, offering a great photo op and background for meet and greets.

Disney's Lost Kingdom will also feature various other dark rides such as:

"Rapunzel's Tangled Tale"
In the middle of Grimm Forest at the base of a secret tower is the entrance to "Rapunzel's Tangled Tale" a classic Disney dark ride based on the animated feature Tangled. It will feature scenes and music from the film in great detail using animatronics, special effects, and colorful sets. Come along with Rapunzel and Flynn Rider as they discover the world she has been missing.

"Elsa's Frozen Wonderland"
High in the North Mountains in the Kingdom of Arendelle is the Snow Queen's Ice Palace and the entrance to "Elsa's Frozen Wonderland" an interactive dark ride that offers guests the ability to create ice, snow, or an entire frozen world through interactions between guests' hand movements and 3D screens incorporated into real sets. The magic of the Snow Queen is at a your fingertips! Turn the the Kingdom of Arendelle and its surroundings into your own wintery wonderland.

"Atlantis: The Lost City"
Deep are the waters where Atlantis sits, and deep is the discord between the people of Atlantis and Poseidon, god of the sea. "Atlantis: The Lost City" is a next generation flume/dark ride that plunges guests into the final moments of a doomed city that inevitably sinks to the bottom of the sea.

"Babes in the Woods"
Set off on a musical adventure into the spooky woods where Hansel and Gretel encounter a village of friendly elves and escape from a devious witch who entices children with a gingerbread house. "Babes in the Woods" is a classic Disney dark ride in Grimm Forest based on one of Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies. It's sugar, spice, and everything nice!

"The Brave Little Taylor"
The first dark ride in Disney's history to star the one and only Mickey Mouse! "The Brave Little Taylor" follows Sir Mickey in his quest to defeat the fearsome giant and win the hand of the kingdom's faire maiden, Minnie Mouse. Following Mickey's BIG adventure, celebrate at The Sleeping Giant's Fair with fun and amusements for all ages in the shadow of the sleeping giant.

Blake, you're welcome to use any system that you want for a dark ride provided the focus is on the scenes and not the ride itself. While omnimovers are a ride system that immediately comes to mind, anything from the small car Fantasyland dark rides to an EMV attraction qualifies. The areas I would be careful about would be:

-Roller Coasters: A gravity powered dark ride (such as the Calico Mine Ride) is legitimate, but a full roller coaster/dark ride hybrid (such as Revenge of the Mummy) is not suitable for this round.
-Flume Rides: A water based flume attraction with perhaps a small drop with limited splashing (such as Pirates of the Caribbean) would be fine, but a full flume ride with significant drops that get riders wet (such as Splash Mountain) would be a bad choice.
-Thrill Rides: A ride like Indiana Jones Adventure is acceptable, as the thrill elements mesh with the dark ride elements, but a ride like Radiator Springs Racers is not as the thrill ride portion is separate from the dark ride portion.
-Simulators: A simulator on a track (such as Transformers) works, but a static simulator (such as Star Tours) doesn't.
-Outdoor Attractions: A dark ride doesn't have to be 100% enclosed (such as Alice in Wonderland), but you can't have the majority of the attraction be outdoors (like the Jungle Cruise).

Hopefully that gives you an idea of what can and can't be used. Pick whatever system you think works best with your ride, and don't worry about it too much as the overall ride experience is what will be judged. A Fantasyland style dark ride has just as much of a chance as an interactive 4-D motion-based attraction in this competition.

Thanks for the clarification AJ

Are indoor flume rides OK?

Christopher, as stated above, a slow moving indoor flume ride like Pirates of the Caribbean or it's a small world would be acceptable as a dark ride, while a faster paced flume with large drops (such as Splash Mountain), even if fully enclosed, would not. When it comes to water rides for this challenge, as long as the focus is on the scenes and not on getting riders wet it is fine.

Chris, I would probably look at the now Defunct Bermuda Triangle at Sea World Australia as the line. It used a river ride like system, and built to a reasonable sized drop, but the focus of the ride was the effects show that happened around the mostly indoor ride - if you wanted a big drop splash ride, the flume ride next door was for you.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bermuda_Triangle_%28Sea_World%29

The first science fiction film ever made, and one of the most popular movies of the early 20th Century, was "Le Voyage Dans La Lune" ("A Trip to the Moon"), a landmark silent movie directed by the influential and innovative French director Georges Mêlées. This remarkable film, first shown in 1902 and now considered one of the top one hundred films of the 20th Century, was known for its unusual length (for the time) of nearly fifteen minutes, the elaborate production quality, emphasis on a coherent story line and ground-breaking special effects. Here is a link where readers (and judges) can see the entire film, which I strongly encourage you to watch in its entirety. It's a film that any fan of science fiction should see at least once, and will make the storyline of the ride much easier to follow:

Did you watch it? Good. Now, one thing it is important to remember is that this film was made in 1902. No computers. No sound. It was originally filmed in black and white. Yes, it looks silly now, campy, almost goofy in the outrageous costumes and (to our eyes) ridiculous overacting. But this film was the "Star Wars" of its time- it was revolutionary. People saw it over and over again (rather like "Star Wars") and it was a major international hit. Every frame was hand-colored, another special effect never before seen. Would moviegoers of 1902 want to actually take "A Trip to the Moon"? An attraction at "Americana: 1900" proves just how much fun such a trip could be!

The Americana Theater, a traditional "nickelodeon" silent movie theater on Courthouse Square at "Americana: 1900", shows on its marquee that "A Trip to the Moon" is playing inside. In reality, it is the entrance building for a 3-D interactive dark ride based on this landmark film. "A Trip to the Moon" allows guests to actually become part of this film, enjoying the thrill of being shot to the moon from a giant cannon, battling attacking Selenites (moon-dwelling aliens), and returning to Earth by falling off the edge of the moon and splashing down in the ocean.

The elegant (approaching gaudy) lobby of the Americana Theater serves as the entry queue for the attraction. The walls are decorated with posters advertising the movie, each showing a different scene from the film to familiarize guests with the scenes that they will soon be viewing and experiencing for themselves. Lockers are also to be found here, since packages, backpacks, etc. will not be able to be accommodated on this dark ride.

Riders, called "Astronomers" for this attraction (as in the film), will view the first part of the film in a waiting area, where theater "ushers" will pass out 3-D glasses and get the riders lined up and organized for boarding the ride vehicles (referred to as "ride capsules" for the rest of the proposal). The opening of the film shows a group of astronomers planning a trip to the moon, then shows them building the space capsule that will carry them to the moon. The park guest "astronomers" will then board the ride capsule which, unlike the movie capsule, will not be a bullet-shaped windowless capsule, but will consist of four rows, two seats per row, in a ride vehicle with a bullet-shaped nosecone. Lap restraints will keep riders securely in their seats as the ride capsule moves through the ride. Actual scenes from the film are used throughout the attraction, remastered (by Triotech Amusement) to utilize modern 3-D technology, and music that is believed to have been written for the original movie will be heard throughout the ride.

The ride capsule moves forward and the scene from the movie where a "bevy of beautiful maidens" push the capsule into the chamber of the cannon is shown on screens overhead.

The ride capsule continues forward and the track starts to lead upward as it enters the chamber of a large cannon, just as in the film. The ride capsule with its crew of excited astronomers suddenly accelerates forward and upward through the barrel of the cannon, as if it has been fired towards the moon.

Here some literary license is used and the story is rearranged a bit. As the ride capsule levels out and moves through the starry darkness of space (always on the ride track, of course), the rows of seats all rotate and face to the right, so that all of the riders can see the film scene with the comet passing by, the Big Dipper with the faces in the stars, Saturn looking out the window of his planet, and finally Phoebe, goddess of the moon, sitting on her crescent-shaped swing.

The seats all turn to face front again, and ahead is the moon itself, actually the famous Man in the Moon, and the ride capsule is heading straight for his right eye, just as in the film. The ride capsule and its riders/astronomers actually recreate that famous scene where the capsule gets stuck in the eye of the Man in the Moon. The ride capsule will stop for a few seconds so that the astronomers can view the famous scene, then the movie goes dark. The ride capsule enters the moon (through an opening in the moon screen) and the astronomers find themselves under the surface of the moon.

The seats again rotate to the right so that once again all are facing the same direction, and the astronomers see on the wall screens the film scene where they are passing through the cavern of the giant mushrooms. Suddenly they are being attacked by the Selenites, insect-like moon creatures (all on film of course). In front of each astronomer, built into the lap restraint, an umbrella (just like the ones used by the astronomers in the film) will automatically rise up and let the astronomers "shoot" the attacking aliens with the umbrellas. These umbrellas have triggers on the handles and are actually light guns that can be aimed at the screens where the Selenites are projected. The vehicles continue to move past the screens as scenes from the film and the attacking aliens are displayed. When the shots from the light gun umbrellas hit the Selenites the alien creatures "explode" into a cloud of dust, just as in the film, and points are awarded to the astronomers for each hit, registering on a counter in front of the rider. After the astronomers escape from the aliens it is time to return to Earth. The umbrellas automatically return to their original location in the lap restraint and the ride capsule prepares for the return voyage to Earth. The screen shows the part of the film where the capsule is being pushed off the edge of the moon to fall back to Earth- and then it happens to the ride capsule itself.

The section of the track holding the ride capsule is a free-fall drop track, and when the film shows the capsule plummeting towards the Earth the track drops forty feet straight down (the longest drop-track drop in the world), landing in the ocean (not actually, of course, but with the use of splash-down water effects, lighting and the film scene with the capsule under the sea with fish and other aquatic creature swimming around). The ride capsule then continues towards the finale of the film and ride, showing the capsule in the film being towed by a paddlewheel steam ship back to land. The ride capsule then enters the "dock" where a large screen shows the triumphal return of the astronomers and the parade held for them in the film, and a photo of the winning astronomer is displayed. The guest "astronomers" then exit the ride capsule to pass through the exit lobby and gift shop.

"A Trip to the Moon" is the film that brought sci-fi to the Twentieth Century, and is now a thrilling, slightly silly but wonderfully fun dark ride to experience and enjoy at "Americana:1900"- America's Grand New Theme Park!

Entering the Mushroom Kingdom and heading just to the left of Princess Peach’s castle, players encounter…
Captain Toad’s Mushroom Kingdom Tours!
The entrance to this attraction appears to be a rocky cave entrance, on top of which sit Captain Toad reading his trusty map and Toadette waving at the eager, entering players. Theme music from the Captain Toad video game is heard out in front of the attraction, giving off a jaunty, welcoming vibe; this is a family friendly, dark ride adventure.

Entering the queue, players find themselves in a common underground Mushroom Kingdom area complete with jutting pipes, wandering Buzzy Beetles, and helpful members of the Toad Brigade. The Toad Brigade each hold signs that include rider safety instructions and restrictions (even fantasy theme parks need to be up to code). Several shining ‘?’ blocks can be found nearer the walls and appear to be floating in air, though they are actually attached to the walls behind them. The effect is, of course, achieved by keeping players in the queue such that they can never see the blocks from the side.
Lighting in the queue area is low and provided primarily by the floating ‘?’ blocks. Players wait among the scenery while hearing the ‘underground’ theme from the Super Mario Bros games. When approaching the loading platform, players are assisted by cast members in Toad hats, baggy white ‘M.C. Hammer’ style pants, and purple vests… traditional Toad People garb. The loading platform is a moving sidewalk that keeps players at the same speed as the vehicles they are about to enter. The vehicles themselves are giant, green spotted Yoshi egg carriages led by any one of several multi-colored Yoshis (green, red, blue, yellow, pink). Sitting in the Yoshi saddle is our tour guide, Captain Toad! If you’ve ever been on the E.T. Adventure at a Universal park, the idea is similar- a simple animatronic guiding the ride vehicle that adds something to the adventure. The ride vehicle seats 4-6 people comfortably, depending on the number of small children in the party (think- just about every fantasyland ride with two row vehicles).
Pulling out of the load platform, our carriages exit a large, iconic pipe complete with accompanying sound effect. Players are now looking over a (seemingly) vast expanse of the Mushroom Kingdom with Princess Peach’s castle in the far background. In the foreground, players see foothills populated by common flora and fauna- Goombas, Piranha Plants popping in and out of exposed pipes, and lowly green Koopa Troopas wandering about. The music is cheerful and familiar to anyone who has played a Mario title, and the sound effects match the actions of the animatronic creatures our carriages are passing. Coming around a bend players encounter the next scene that was previously hidden behind the hills and castle. Mario and Princess Peach are enjoying a leisurely picnic lunch including an oversized cake. Peach waves at the players while Mario cautiously approaches the wobbling cake looking to get a taste of frosting. Just past them, we see Luigi continually hitting a ‘?’ block with brilliantly shiny coins popping out on every hit.
Entering the next ‘room’, the scenery goes dark and our tour guide begins to shake in his saddle. This time, in the distance, Bowser’s castle can be seen encircled by a moat of lava. Twisted trees lead to jagged branches that hang over our carriage, as several Boos fade in and out of view. Approaching a crossroads sign that indicates Donut Plains to the left and Bowser’s castle to the right, we come to the moment when (say it together now) Everything Goes Horribly Wrong! A Magikoopa appears above the crossroads sign and zaps our carriage. The lights go out, a couple of strobe effects go off, and when the lights come back up a red-shelled Koopa Troopa sits on Yoshi’s saddle. The effect is achieved by ‘flipping’ the saddle in the darkness during the commotion. Now being led by one of Bowser’s minions, the carriage proceeds towards his castle.
The carriage slows over a rickety looking bridge suspended above the dazzling lava moat, meanwhile our new driver periodically looks back at the players to sneer at them. This room is kept considerable warmer than the rest of the attraction, further selling the perilous lava below. Once across the bridge, our carriage enters Bowser’s castle proper. Koopa Troopas standing at attention line the hall leading to Bowser sitting atop his throne, cackle-roaring madly. Once the carriages have come to a stop at the foot of Bowser’s throne, He points at our players and lets out a thunderous roar. The vehicle is then lowered to a dungeon level below the throne room to continue on. Beset by more lava, we see a row of brick plat forms suspended and surrounded by swirling fireballs. As the carriage begins to move again, players hear ‘It’s a me, Mario!’ Mario jumps through a pipe and begins to make the tricky negotiation over the suspended platforms, followed closely by his more cautious brother, Luigi. Viewing the brothers as they run alongside our carriage is reminiscent of playing the classic games in the Mario series from a 2d perspective. Just before rounding the next corner, Mario hits a ‘?’ block and claims a fire flower. Only a moment later, Luigi lands on a ‘P’ switch that, after a quick strobe effect and transformation sound, restores Captain Toad to the saddle.
Around the next bend, players are again facing Bowser on top of what appears to be a castle turret sticking out of the lava. Mario hurls a fireball and the room goes dim. A bright red spotlight follows the bouncing fireball across the room as it finally connects with Bowser, knocking him off his perch and down into the lava below. A victory fanfare plays as our carriage ascends out of Bowsers throne room and into a scene that shows Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach celebrating amid Bowser’s hoard of glistening coins stacked to the rafters.
Following this final scene, carriages are unloaded and players proceed into a gift shop called Bowser’s Bounty. Items like stuffed Koopa Troopas, Goombas, Bowsers, Marios etc. are available here. Additional novelties include chocolate gold coins, ‘?’ block gift boxes, and literally anything Mario related that could be branded and sold. The gift shop exit is another familiar green pipe that lets players back out into the explorable Mushroom Kingdom land.

Odyssey

Disney’s Age of Discovery Theme Park

DISCLAIMER: Although named after Homer’s epic poem, this attraction has little to do with the actual story of Odysseus. While there are some elements borrowed from the original story, you might also recognize elements from other famous Greek myths such as Jason and the Golden Fleece or Perseus. There is also no “The” in the title because this will be an original adventure that the guests will be partaking in.

Summary: This attraction will take guests on an odyssey that combines some of the most legendary creatures and characters from Greek mythology into one epic adventure. It will be in the vein of other great Disney boat adventures (Pirates, Sindbad, Maelstrom) while also combining a state of the art vehicle system. The boats will operate on a hidden powered track (imagine a water version of the Journey/Test Track ride system) for changes in speed/dramatic emphasis, while also combining short flume drops. Also keep in mind that all the characters and creatures in this ride are all animatronics with a very limited usage of projections.

Façade/Queue: This attraction will be located in Olympia, which will honor the cultural contributions of the ancient Greeks. The area will be themed to the Athenian Acropolis and the main show building will be themed to the Parthenon with a statue of Homer out front as a tribute to the attraction’s inspiration. (Side Note: I had already picked an Acropolis themed area/Parthenon building before reading Keith’s proposal) Once inside, guests will make their way through a series of stone-columned hallways adorned with frescoes, mosaics and other artifacts representing many of the legendary events that they will soon be experiencing on their journey. The queue also sets up two of the mightiest Olympians, Zeus and Poseidon who both play a significant role in the guest’s journey, as depicted in a mural in the boarding area.

Boarding Area/Vehicles: The loading area will be adorned with a large fresco mural depicting Poseidon and Zeus as rulers of the earth and seas (similar to Maelstrom). Here, the guests will board 16-passenger boats (four rows holding four riders apiece). They are similar to a MACK Super Splash with each seat having an individual lap bar.

Scene 1: As guests head into the first show scene, they start out in the middle of the high seas. The boat then stops on a turntable before an animatronic of Poseidon rises from the waves, warning riders that they are trespassing in his dominion. In response, he sends us down a more perilous route by grabbing the figurehead at the front of the boat (turntable rotates as he grabs the boat) and pushes the riders down a backwards flume drop (about 15 feet) leading them towards their first destination.

Scene 2: The boats then wash ashore on an island where they come across a shipwrecked sailor who has been consuming too many lotus leaves (aka ancient Greek cannabis mentioned in The Odyssey) tells riders they should stay with him instead of entering the Cyclops’ cave. The boat then resets in a forward direction (turntable) and enters the cave. Once inside they notice the Cyclops’ herd of sheep bleating in fear as well as the skeletal remains of his last victims. We then hear the Cyclops’ footsteps as he emerges from a niche in the cave and roars at the boat. The boat then picks up speed (powered track) as the Cyclops swings his club at us.

Scene 3: Once the boats have narrowly escaped the Cyclops, they pass by the bronze giant Talos (the living statue from Jason and the Argonauts) who begins to move off his pedestal and ominously gazes at the guests from above. Just as Talos appears to come for us, the boat is then sent through the Clashing Rocks (also from Jason and the Argonauts) as two cliffs from either side start heading towards the boat to crush it. The boat narrowly makes it past the Clashing Rocks as they close in on us and make it to safety…for now.

Scene 4: The boats then pass by another strait of land where we notice stone statues of men crying in distress, while the sounds of hissing snakes fills the area. This means that things are not looking good for us as we come face to face with Medusa herself. Here the boat stops in its tracks as we are “turned to stone” (projection mapping, lighting and sound effect illusion), but are saved by a literal “deus ex machina” as a bolt of thunder zaps Medusa and breaks her spell. We then hear the voice of Zeus telling us to get out of here and make our way back home.

Scene 5: Just because we made it past Medusa does not mean that the journey back will not be a smooth one. We come face to face with our final danger; the multi-headed serpent Scylla (similar to the Hydra) and the whirlpool Charybdis. Here the boat begins to accelerate (guided track) and enter a helix (similar to Test Track’s sharp turns) to simulate being caught up in a whirlpool. As the boat hurdles through the helix, each of Scylla’s heads start attacking the riders as they come closer to her (Scylla is in the middle of Charybdis). Just as the two beasts prepare to get the best of us, the boat then heads down one final drop (25 feet) as they approach the final scene.

Scene 6: As guests prepare to disembark, Poseidon and Zeus appear before the guests saying that they surprisingly shown great courage, even for mere mortals. They bestow their blessing upon the riders and bid them farewell. The guests then leave from the lower part of the Parthenon back into the Acropolis, while the boats return to the dock through a hidden elevator.

In all, Odyssey hopes to bring Disney storytelling to a new level by retelling a classic story (not conceived by them) through state of the art animatronics and a unique ride system.

Hello! We have some great proposals here! I wanted to remind everyone that you were only given ONE WEEK for this task. This puts the deadline in slightly under 36 hours! Also, please remember that there is a 5 picture limit on all proposals. Thank you, and good luck!

*** UNDERMOUNTAIN ADVENTURE ***

Multiple paths and branching points make for an unpredictable adventure where you explore caves, find secret passages, weave through fights, avoid deadly traps, and find the treasure!

QUEUE

The entrance to the dungeons of Undermountain are technically from Skullport, which itself resides in one of the upper levels of Undermountain (Waterdeep being built over both of them). The early part of the queue is more “townlike”, with smoother floors, walls, and ceilings, with various signs hung advertising services for adventurers (make “healing” really noticeable). As the queue proceeds “down” toward the ride start, the features are more natural and rough-hewn, lighting is a bit spookier, as are the ambient sounds.

PRESHOW

The final stage of the queue is the actual preshow, where the story of the mad wizard Halaster Blackcloak is told, how he and his apprentices moved into an abandoned dwarven mine and turned it into a combination of abode, laboratory, and menagerie of fantastic creatures. Even now, long after Blackcloak’s death, the magic imbued in the caverns causes them to endlessly repopulate with random rooms, creatures, and traps, the perfect training ground for would-be adventurers.

Those lucky few that have returned from their adventures claim that Blackcloak still seems to speak to them at times.

RIDE SYSTEM

Guests ride in autonomous trackless vehicles through a partially randomized series of caverns and passages, each of which has both physical and digital projection elements.

The high-backed ride vehicles seat two guests each, and are equipped with a targeting device (i.e., a “gun”) for each guest. Guests use their “XP bands” to “sign into” their side of the vehicle, which credits them XP for the adventure and customizes the ride effects based on each rider’s chosen class and XP level.

The vehicles have a surround-sound speaker system as well as tiny water and air jets to enhance the visual effects where appropriate.

Vehicles set off in pairs (for a team/party of four).

CLASS AND XP EFFECTS

(See Sidebar, below, as well)

Class and experience level affect how the ride vehicle’s weapon operates for the guest, as well as modifies and digital vido and audio effects associated with their “attacks” when in a “combat” room (see below).

Warriors have short range, but hit for more damage (score) and have the lowest precision requirements to score a hit. Their attack animation is a projection of a swinging sword, with higher level warriors getting bonus visual effects, flashier moves, and more damage. (Strategy: Simple, brute force.)

Mages have the longest range and require moderate accuracy to register a hit. Their animation starts as a single magic missile (bolt of force) but grow to include multiple bolts, streaks of lightning, and eventually fireballs, with the higher level effects not only doing more damage but could include secondary targets for additional score. (Strategy: try to pick targets clustered in groups for better score.)

Rogues have moderate range and build precision into their scoring - the more precise a hit, the more damage it does (and hence, gains higher score). Their animation shows arrows firing, with higher level effects making the arrows glow, split, trail fire, turn corners in midair, etc. - the higher the level and more precise the attack, the cooler the animation. Rogues can also, if they spot them, “disable” traps by attacking them for bonus points. (Strategy: line up those shots, as precision counts!)

RIDE PROGRAM

The ride course is not truly random, but pulls from a predetermined catalog of ride sequence permutations. From the locations below, each ride sequence includes three mystic rooms, three combat rooms, one treasure room, and whatever passageways are required to route between them (and to avoid other groups in the ride simultaneously).

The effects within each of the locations are randomized. The narration in the mystic rooms and the treasure room come from random selections. The locations that are “trapped” are truly random, except with a minimum of one trap and no repeats within a ride.

LOCATIONS

The combat and mystic location unique rooms are laid out in a 3 x 4 grid, with branching passageways surrounding each room, allowing for any room to be entered or exited from any of the four compass point directions. A fifth row of 3 rooms (the treasure rooms) are at the exit end of the grid, and can only be entered and exited from one direction each.

Some of the room exits are “secret” in that they appear to be walls until they suddenly open to reveal the passage beyond.

Passageways
===========

“You are in a maze of twisting passages, all alike.”

The various rooms are connected by passageways, which are generally just used for transit form one room to another. These are narrow enough to force pairs of vehicles to go in single file, and are mostly similar enough to each other as to not provide too many clues as to where the group is heading next. They also serve as a means of respite from a previous scene and to build tension for the next one.

Ambient sound include dripping water, faint moans and echoes, creaking/clanking, footfalls, scurrying noises, and the like. The air is cool and damp as a rule.

Some passageways, however, are traps. (See Traps, below.)

Mystical Rooms
============

Mystical rooms are passive “scenes” that flesh out the story of Blackcloak’s dungeon. The disembodied voice of Blackcloak can be heard at times describing these features, though the telling of the tale isn’t always the same. (That is, multiple recorded narratives per room, with the ride program choosing one - or none - of them to use on any given ride.)

Some mystical rooms, however, are traps. (See Traps, below.)

There are six of these scenes in all, sample scenes include…

Portal: A glowing gateway to another location or dimension stands in the center of an open area.

Prison: Magically-reinforced cells and cages show testimony to the creatures that once inhabited these spaces, quite unwillingly.

Underground Forest: A forest underground. Why? Only the wizard knows, and he just might tell you.

Combat Rooms
============

The most technically challenging parts of this ride are the creation of the combat rooms, as the digital effects in each have to account for whatever mix of classes and levels are going to be in the room at that time.

There are six of these in all, each providing a different scene to set the combat in, with a different setting and creatures to target. The creatures (generally animatronic, though some may be purely digital) are on tracks so their positions can be adjusted periodically.

The scenes here can be anything, with creatures ranging from lowly orcs, skeletons, or zombies to a dragon (at least a young one).

Traps
====

A small number of passageways and mystical rooms are actually traps. Trap locations look just like normal locations, but if the trap is not “disabled” in time, the trap springs and produces extra effects. (Disabled traps produce effects as well, but in such a way as to make it clear the trap was avoided.)

Passageway Traps
————————————

All normal passageways have all of these taps built in. The ride program chooses which passageways to enable traps in, and which ones to enable. A guest who memorizes the ride layout will still be unable to predict which passageways are trapped. Sample traps include…

Collapsing walls: The walls and ceiling start to tremble, and a loud rumbling sound is heard. If not disabled, the ride vehicles will rock with the “impact” of the falling stone, and digital “dust” will fall over the guests (accompanied by a warm, dry air blast to enhance the effect).

Arrow/Dart Traps: Holes appear in the walls up ahead. If not disabled, the lights flicker as the arrows zip past (in reality, simulated by audio and directed air puffs).

Pit Traps: A hole opens up in the floor in front of the guests. If not disabled, they’re in for a slightly rocky ride as they “jump” the chasm.

Mystical Room Traps
——————————————

All normal mystical rooms have all of these taps built in. The ride program chooses which mystical rooms to enable traps in, and which ones to enable. A guest who memorizes the ride layout will still be unable to predict which mystical rooms are trapped. Sample traps include…

Gas Trap: Colored mist fills the air as the ride vehicles avoid (disabled) or go through (not disabled) it.

Illusion: (Cannot be disabled) A monster appears - or an exit appears to be a solid wall, or filled with flames. The possibilities here are limited only by the programmer’s imaginations. (And budget.)

Treasure Rooms
=============

The finale of every ride is one of three different treasure rooms, where they group’s hard work pays off with pile of coins, jewels, weapons, armor, etc. Other than the room layout and decor, there is no difference between the three rooms, although digital projection can increase the amount of apparent treasure for higher-scoring teams. The vehicles amble around the room for a short while (to “examine the treasure”) while waiting to join the exit queue. During this time, the disembodied voice of Blackcloak congratulates you on surviving his playground and invites you back to try again another time… if you dare.

As with other narration, multiple scripts are recorded and one is chosen randomly (or depending on the content, semi-randomly based on score).

POST SHOW

After exiting the ride vehicles, guests can check their individual and team scores and review ride photos. Guests are rewarded with bonus XP for high individual and/or team scores, though by a small enough amount that even passive riders will still advance quickly enough throughout a full day.

Guests who “level up” will see so on the score display, as well as see how their scores compare to their own personal best along with daily and all-time high scores from all guests.

And after hauling home a big treasure, why not exit back into Skullport through an adventurer’s outfitting shop? (With ride-specific merchandise as well as general “adventuring” gear.)

CAPACITY

Dispatching in groups of four, a conservative estimate would say that the total number of people in the ride at any time is four times the total number of rooms, to make sure groups aren’t in the same room at the same time. (This is conservative in that it doesn’t account for additional traffic in the passageways between rooms; the actual capacity might be higher based on the actual engineering and curation of the ride program sequences.)

This means a total of 60 people on the ride at a time. At 5 minutes per ride, capacity would therefore be 720/hour. As this is low, there will need to be duplicate identical “grids” running simultaneously, with at least two grids available on opening day (1,440/hr) and up to two more potentially added (2,160/hr to 2,880/hr) if demand requires it.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

Customization and unpredictability is a large part of the attraction. Over time, rooms can be redesigned to keep the attraction fresh for repeat guests, even above the randomness built in to the general ride concept.

SIDEBAR: XP BANDS

Lands of Wonder as a whole, including Waterdeep, uses an RFID band system for admission, resort keys, payments, photo bank, and individual preferences. Within the realm of Waterdeep, the individual preferences also tracks a guest’s choice of class (Mage, Warrior, or Rogue) as well as “experience points (XP)” earned from participating in activities in the park (rides, shows, shopping, and the like). Guests can choose a character (avatar) name when they choose their class, or just use their real name, which will be how they can find their own information on something like an after-ride scoreboard.

As the guest earns XP, he or she will “level up”, which has minor but real effects on the ride experiences (as noted above). Each level requires progressively more XP to attain than the previous, so a one-day guest might gain a small number of levels (1-3), while a repeat visitor can only build up realtively high levels by frequent visits.

Don’t Blink

Don’t blink will be a 3-D attraction that uses screens around you. This ride will be located in the Old New York section of the park.
You enter the queue through the side door of the building Winter Quay. When you enter the line, the line is themed as the hallways of the building Winter Quay. the hallways are just wide enough for a line to go through. The line leads to where there there are three doors, each that look like an elevator.
You are assigned an elevator and when the doors open, you enter onto your assigned spot in the room you enter. Once all of the spots are filled, the doors close and the pre show is projected on the top of one wall. It is the 11th doctor who recites the following. “Hello! I’m the doctor, and we need help, you see, the city is full of weeping angels. Excellent question, what is a weeping angel… well, they look a bit like this,

and they are considered bad. uh, Sorry, I can’t explain this. But a previous me could. Regeneration, long story. So here he is… me!” And the screen goes static, and the following video appears.

(copy and paste into browser for video) Watch 3:03-3:23
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfPo93nbW4s

The screen goes static again and the picture goes back to the 11th doctor. “So that’s a weeping angel. Nasty. Unfortunately Rory Williams,” Picture goes to this.

“ my current companion,” Screen goes back to doctor. “Has been briefly inconvenienced by these creatures.” Amy’s voice cuts in,”Briefly inconvenienced!?!?! My Husband could be dead! I can’t take him being dead...again.”Back to doctor. “She’s right. We don’t know where he is, but we’ve got the year and city. He’s in this time, and in manhattan. But we need you to help us find him. You need to get in this vehicle of my own designing, the only real all terrain vehicle. You could scale a wall in this.” Holds up model car, car is similar to this, but very wide, four across, and holds four rows. “ big, seats 16. 4 by 4 seats. once in buckle up, you need the seatbelts. The camera in front will be looking for rory too. If it finds him, it will sound an alarm that goes DING! However, These ones aren’t exactly new. They have a high tendency to sputter out, and the headlights won’t always stay on. Once you find him, or we do, have Rory call me on the radio in the 2nd car I’m sending you with. Rendezvous at the Statue Of Liberty. Take the Ferry. We can keep contact through this radio installed in your vehicle. oh yeah, remember to put your personal items in the pouch under your seat. That’s just about it.. oh I almost forgot, Don’t look away, don’t turn your back, and don’t blink. good luck.”
When you leave the pre show, you are in the streets of new york where the line continues for a short time. When you get to where you board your car, the vehicle pulls up, empty. You enter, and fasten your seatbelts. One your seatbelts are checked, you are off.
You begin by having your speed increase rapidly and you turn sharply to the left. You then begin a series of turns which all appear to be on streets of manhattan. There will be screens showing the buildings around you moving past you faster than you are actually moving so that it looks like you are moving faster.
From here you turn a sharp corner, and the front of your vehicle jerks up and down to simulate it “sputtering out”. There is a statue on the left. All lights dim and go out. The lights fade back on, and the statue has been replaced by a weeping angel! The lights fade on and off and each time the angel moves closer. You back up to get away from it, then accelerate rapidly forward.
You begin another seires of sharp turns. When you turn, you see the angel behind you.One by one, you pass more angels, just on the side. You only have the experience with the first one. When you turn, each angel is added to the mob behind you.
Then you stop and camera points to the top of the Empire State Building(ESB). THe screen on your car on the row of seats in front of you shows Rory on top of the ESB. You turn and face the ESB< and drive up the side of the ESB. Once you are at the top Rory appears to get in the car behind you, and you hear him on the radio, “HEre Doctor, Where do we rondevouz?” The doctor now,”Statue of Liberty Island.” So You Accelerate and fake fall off the ESB.
Once at the bottom, you drive to the pier where the ferry had just left. So jump off the loading ramp onto the boat. However there is an angel on the boat, so you do a lap around the upper deck, and jump off the boat, and on to the island.
You stop skidding just behind the Statue of Liberty. All of the lights go out, for about 3 seconds. When they come back, you are surrounded by angels, and the Statue of Liberty has tuned around, revealing that it’s an angel.
Soon, the TARDIS materializes around you, you see the Doctor say “Good work team, you found him!” The TARDIS makes it’s screeching sound, and you drive out the door, into the streets of New York, which is also the unloading bay.

The Glass Slipper Journey: The Cinderella Story
Fairytale Village

This is a trackless dark ride that is in the same style as those in Disneyland but given a twist to make something that can be enjoyed in this technological world. The humans are going to be some of the most advanced audio animatronics ever created, some on moving sidewalks to give the illusion of walking away or dancing, and the animal friends will all be projections.

Past the village square, an old European building sits that reads “Fairy Godmother’s Storybook House.” It has books “spilling out” of the house and into the queue with the book titles being different fairytales with magic in them like “Hansel and Gretel,” “ The Little Mermaid,” “Pinocchio,” and many others. The queue is half opened and half enclosed, like the queues for Peter Pan’s Flight or Snow White’s Scary Adventure. The queue makes its way to the loading dock where two carriages will load and, just like Pirates of the Caribbean, one vehicle will wait until the first one moves to the second scene. The carriages are similar to the one in the movie but upgraded with the roof only coming up half way up and can fit 8 people, 2 in the front seat and 3 in the back two seats. A mural, based on the murals from the classic dark rides, will also be shown based on Cinderella.

Scene 1:
As the carriage rides into the first scene, an oval room with a book that says Cinderella on a pedestal in front of you, a narrator, in a voice that sounds like the Fairy Godmother, plays in the room.
Narrator: You all have heard the story of a maiden who found her love through a shoe and lived happily ever after. You have read the story of a prince who falls in love with a mysterious woman and finds her through a shoe. You probably also have heard of the wicked stepmother who tried to do anything and everything in her power to have her daughters marry the prince. This is your chance to be part of that journey. The Glass Slipper Journey!
It seems like the coach has stopped but it inches its way forward, as like the Indiana Jones Adventure, until the final line is spoken. The book then starts to fly around, with magic pouring out and around the big room until it stops, at carriage level, and opens as you pass through the doors, into the next scene.

Scene 2:
“A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" is heard as you see Cinderella tie her bow in her hair and see her animal friends making her bed, fluffing her pillow, and sweeping her floor while singing. Since the animals are projections, the sheets and pillows on the bed will be connected to strings so it looks as if the animals are actually doing it.

Scene 3:
You hear the stepsister’s music lesson going on as you see Cinderella singing “Sing Sweet Nightingale,” scrubbing the floor. As she dunks her rag into the bucket, bubbles appear all over the room as projected bubbles and some real bubbles. In some of the projected bubbles, Cinderella appears, harmonizing with the AA figure of her.

Scene 4:
The stepmother’s voice is heard explaining to Cinderella that she can go to the ball if she gets her chores done and finds a suitable dress. The mice decide to make her dress. They sing the “Cinderella Work Song” as they sew, cut material, string things together, and tie fabric together to make her dress. The many animals are projections and so the things they have are on wires and move like they do with a real person but just on invisible wire.

Scene 5:
You enter the scene just as the stepsisters are tearing Cinderella’s dress. The pieces of cloth are on a wire that pull the pieces of cloths off of her and makes it look as if the stepsisters are ripping it off and throwing them around. The stepmother and stepsisters are on a moving sidewalk so it seems they are really walking out. Their knees are also moving to get the sense they are really leaving.

Scene 6:
We hear Cinderella say that she cannot dream anymore but the Fairy Godmother arrives and tells her to dry her eyes and to dream. She starts to sing “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo” and we get to the garden and see audio animatronics of the animals. The lights go out for one second and then the lights come back on and the animals have changed into what they look like when they take Cinderella to the ball. They each are in front of a wall and when the lights go out; their section of the wall flips and reveals their new appearance. Cinderella then changes into her blue dress by the same way as the animals except there will be more magic flying around her. After this, we arrive at the ball.

Scene 7:
This is the most beautiful part of the ride. You pass Cinderella and Prince Charming dancing and singing “So This is Love” in the gardens of the palace, passing a grand fountain and on the staircase to the garden. There are lights that only turn on when the coaches pass in front of the two people and there are multiple figures of the two. The spots where Cinderella and the Prince are at are on the steps to the garden, walking past the shrubs, walking in front of a fountain, and sitting in front of the clock tower. You hear the clock strike midnight and off you go on the chase.

Scene 8:
This is the most exciting part of the ride, as you travel through the French countryside. This is where the trackless ride system shows off its innovative side. The system has over 50 different paths it could take so each time you ride it, you will go different ways around trees and shrubs, over hills and over bridges. The silhouettes of Cinderella’s carriage and the Prince’s guards can be seen on the walls.

Scene 9:
You get back to the chateau and find that the Stepmother has locked Cinderella in her room. The projected mice are back and try to warn Cinderella but are too late as the stepmother locks the door.

Scene 10:
The Duke has arrived with the slipper and tries it on Anastasia but notice it does not fit and as you leave the scene, a projected staircase with the mice going up to save Cinderella with the key is shown. This is a quick scene.

Scene 11:
You here a crash as you enter the scene. You come into the room just after the shoe is broken by the stepmother. Cinderella gets there and shows them she has the other slipper. This is another short scene.

Scene 12:
The sound of wedding bells welcomes you into the final scene. Cinderella and Prince Charming comes down the grand staircase waving to the guest. They are walking on a moving sidewalk to have the sense of actually walking down the stairs. This leads to the final doors that read “The End” painted to look like the final page in the storybook of Cinderella in the movie.

As the guest exit the carriage, they pass a picture of Cinderella and her Prince in their carriage, the one they leave in the movie. The guests exit the building and back into the village square.

Thank you for reading my proposal. Hope you have a magical day!

REEPICHEEP’S QUEST

Reepicheep’s Quest is an interactive dark ride in which guests will become a Knight of Narnia through the magic of Aslan in order help Reepicheep and his fellowship reclaim an ancient magical artifact from Ettinsmoor, the mystical Land of the Giants. Set in C.S. Lewis’s beloved world of Narnia, Reepicheep’s Quest takes place between the events of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and The Silver Chair and uses many lands and locations detailed in The Silver Chair.

Technical Aspects:
The ride itself mixes classic dark ride elements such as large set pieces and life-like animatronics with 3-D projection portions. The vehicle is a KUKA arm vehicle made to resemble a large Narnian owl, complete with extended wings. The KUKA arm design is unique in the fact that, rather than a rear or side mounted arm, the arm is located under the vehicle, allowing for unique unimpeded, 270-degree vision for all passengers. Being bottom mounted also allows the vehicle to ascend and descend different heights rapidly, allowing the sensation of flying, jumping, and falling to feel greatly enhanced. The vehicles seat a total of 12 passengers each, in three rows of four passengers. Lastly, the ride system utilizes a groundbreaking technology. Each ride seat features a personal 3-D projector which projects rider-specific effects which dictate certain “gaming” elements of the ride. This special projector is placed on a mounted boom located directly over each riders head and syncs with the larger projections on the projection screens. Lastly, the vehicles feature soft foam bars on either side of each rider to prevent any potential accidental hitting of other riders as a result of utilizing motion-based movements to “play” the ride. The ride system also features a Spirit Stone base for guests to load their heroic spirit into the ride system if they so choose. The ride system features a unique body imaging system which will allow guests to use certain gestures at certain parts of the ride to allow the guests to participate in the action of the ride. Each rider will be assigned a grade at the end which will determine their performance.

Façade and Queue:
The façade is made to resemble the Great Castle of Cair Paravel, it relies heavily on forced perspective and guests only see the main entrance to the castle. Part of the show building itself is made to look like the walls and Battlements of Cair Paravel. Guests begin the queue by entering the battlements of Cair Paravel. Once inside, they make their way through the caslte barracks, getting a chance to view some of the unique Narnian armor and weaponry. They ascend a long set of stairs, leading up into the main courtyard of Cair Paravel. Guests can see Animatronics of various talking animals and mythical creatures talking about the success of the Narnian revolution and discussing how difficult it will be for Caspian to establish true peace and harmony throughout all of Narnia. At certain points, the animatronics will comment on the fact that more Daughters of Eve and Sons of Adam have entered Narnia will increased zeal. Entering the show building proper, the guests are then lead through the awe-inspiring throne room. A projection on a domed ceiling makes the room seem larger than it actually is. Guests will pass by many Narnian soldier animatronics and projections of vaious Narnian citizens including centaurs, minotaurs and even a gryphon perched atop one of the thrones. They discuss orders from Reepicheep as well as express astonishment at the guest’s presence. The gryphon insists that, being Daughters of Eve and Sons of Adam, the guests must surely join the Council meeting about to begin in the Council Room. The line then weaves around and separates into three separate pre-show rooms, each holding approximately 50 guests each. Above the door to the throne room an advanced hologram of Reepicheep greets guests into the room with excitement and wit. A few sample lines:

“I rather like being up here! It makes you look like the small ones for once!”

“Daughters of Eve and Sons of Adam! Is Lucy with you? What about Edmund or Peter? I taught them everything they ever knew about swordplay you know! I mean, they did technically learn it 1200 years ago but their style was all wrong! Too archaic! Not enough flair and style! Us Mice are renowned for our grace you know!” As he says this he playfully demonstrates his swordplay before getting his sword stuck in his tail.

“Quickly! In you go! Caspian will be so happy to see you! And when he finds out I led you to him, why he just might just give me a promotion! Though I suppose I am already the High Knight of the Order of Aslan, and High Mouse of Narnia, and one of the Council Members, and Chancellor, and...oh yes...my tail was given to me by non-other than Aslan Himself! So...perhaps he’s run out of titles to give this most-prestigious of mice!”

Pre-show:
The Pre-Show room is a large area themed to look like a large cloister, with stained-glass
surrounding the upper levels depicting great Narnian heroes and events. In the center is a rounded
rectangular box, upon which is projected the pre-show scene. Guests stand around the box and the
scene is projected onto the box utilizing technology similar to the spectacular Musion Eyeliner system, which allows for lifelike and high definition projections. The scene depicts the Council seated at their oval shaped table. There are various familiar Narnian faces including Dr. Cornelius, Peepiceek, Trufflehunter, Trumpkin, a Bulgy Bear, and a Centaur. As the door closes behind the guests the pre –show begins. The pre-show informs guests of the current Narnian situation in brief detail:
At the close of the Narnian Revolution, Prince Caspian the Tenth is now seated in his rightful throne. His next challenge lies with bringing peace to his land and re-awakening the animals of Narnia to their pre-Telmarine state. In his first council meeting, he learns from Dr. Cornelius (now Caspian’s Lord Chancellor) that an ancient artifact from Narnian history known as the Triskele of Harmony, has been lost to Narnia even before the arrival of the Kings and Queens of old. The Triskele is said to hold a portion of Aslan’s power of peace-making and harmony. Cornelius reveals that it was taken by Jadis, the White Witch, to the Northern land of Ettinsmoor, Realm of the Giants, where she used it to deceive and corrupt the animals and creatures of that land. After the fall of Jadis, the artifact was lost to history. After Aslan’s return to Narnia during the Age of the Kings and Queens of Old the artifact was not needed, as Aslan’s sacrifice at the Stone Table and the reign of the Pevensie’s established a peace throughout Narnia. Now, however, the artifact could be of great use. Caspian then offers to retrieve the artifact himself, though the Council object on grounds that his role of King of Narnia is too important to risk his death over. Reepicheep and his friends volunteer, and they look to the guests for extra support.

Scene-1: Loading Platform and Departure from Cair Paravel
Guests board receive their “air travel goggles” and board their Narnian owl on a great and grand patio looking over the western ocean. Elegant sandstone columns hold up high mosaic roofs. Once guests are boarded onto their Narnian Owl, the owl begins to beat it's wings and proceeds to take off from the beautiful patio of Cair Paravel. An animatronic Reepicheep makes his way along the owl, instructing the guests on how to properly fly an owl. This serves as a training session for guests as they will utilize the methods and movements taught by Reepicheep throughout the ride to perform various functions and complete the “game” portion of the ride. As the owls fly safely over the Western Sea, Reepicheep teaches the guest three basic gestures:

“Well, well my dear friends, now that all that boring politicking is out of the way, it's on too adventure!”
Reepicheep then goes on to instruct the guests as to how to properly avoid possible flying obstacles. By leaning right, guests will be able to dodge to the right. The same goes for dodging left. By raising both arms in the air, guests will be able to avoid obstacles flying low. Ducking down will avoid obstacles flying high. Lastly, Reepicheep teaches the guests to “swat” things out of their face, claiming that they may need to be on the look out for flying debris or wayward wind-spirits. After the brief lesson, Reepicheep comments on the riders proficiencies, or lack thereof.

“Well that was....err...a start. But no matter! You are accompanied by none other than Reepicheep, favored of Aslan and High Mouse-Knight of Narnia! If any harm comes to you it will be...entirely your own fault! Now, on to adventure!”

Reepicheep faces the Western Sea and points his sword forward. The Scene shows riders leaving the majestic Cair Paravel and approaching a boggy marsh. The owl tilts and descends to the left and guests enter the first set scene in the rider-specific

Scene-2: River Shribble and the Marshlands
The owl passes over the boggy marshes of River Shribble, the home of the fabled Marshwiggles. Marshwiggles are a race of amphibious huminoids with long, lanky frames and webbed feet and hands. Animatronic Marshwiggles can be seen fishing, farming, swimming, and generally going about their daily business. Smoke billows from the large wigwams which the Marshwiggles use for shelter.

”Marshwiggles! Gloomy folk but they have good hearts! Wouldn't trust their cooking, however. Unless you're a fan of eel, which they put in everything. Foul stuf!” Reepicheep comments.

As the owl passes over the marshland, water splashes close to the riders as marshwiggles dive into the bog, large frogs leap for food into the swamp, and fishing marshwiggles hoist up large prize catches. The owl then ascends upwards and into the next scene of the ride.

Scene-3: Ettinsmoor

The owl ascends into the next projection portion of the ride. Guests are whisked away swiftly to the north, towards Ettinsmoor. The owl swoops low towards a rocky and craggy plateu.

”No doubt we're in Ettinsmoor now!” Reepicheep exclaims. “I do hope we see some Giant's! Naturally my size would put me at a significant advantage if we were to do glorious battle! Got to take them out at the ankles! Works everytime...or so I'm told!

As Reepicheep makes this observation a large boulder comes soaring towards the guests. Reepicheep turns around just in time to tell the riders to duck quickly. Giant's begin to fill the plateu, throwing boulders at each other in what seems to be a dangerous game of catch.

”Oh! Well it looks like their having a bit of sport doesn't it! Remember what I taught you? Of course you do because it was I who taught you! Well, it's time to put it to good use!”

As the Giant's throw boulders back and forth, the owl weaves in and out of the oncoming boulders. Reepicheep yells out to the guests on board which movement they must make before each boulder reaches them. If a guest conduct the maneuver successfully, the boulder is dodged. If they do not complete the correct maneuver, the boulder will crash in their face. After this sequence is finished, the owl swoops downward to the right, bringing the riders into the next set scene.

Scene-4: Giant's Bridge
The owl swoops forward at a brisk pace. In the near distance, riders can see a large arched bridge crossing over a deep canyon. The owl takes the riders towards the bridge and begins to cross it. As the riders cross the bridge, they notice a large giant scaling the canyon wall below them. The giant reaches up for the bridge.

“That one seems to be looking for a better grip. Looks like he might have fallen. Probably too much boulder-ball. Or grog. Yes, I'd wager to say it's probably the grog.” Exclaims Reepicheep.

As the giant grabs the bridge large pieces of the bridge begin to crumble. The owl vehicle bobs and weaves as the bridge below it begins to fall apart. The owl finally makes it to the other side of the bridge and turns around quickly to allow the riders one last glimpse of the giant and the destruction it's wrought. The owl then turns and ascends upwards, towards a what appears to be a large castle in the distance. The owl approaches the castle and enters the castle in what appears to be a sewage drain

Scene-5: Harfang

The guests have now entered a projection portion of the ride. Reepicheep comments to the guests that they have entered Harfang castle, a castle-home for the giants of Ettinsmoor. As the owl ascends into the castle proper, the guests can see that the Giant's appear to be preparing a large meal.

“Well it looks like their cooking. What a lovely meal! Oh, I guess now wouldn't be a good time to mention that human meat is considered a delicacy among giants. Thankfully they haven't yet developed a palette for mice. Being so small, I doubt we'd be more than a crumbful! See, being small has it's advantages! If they read for you, you may want to swat them away! Thankfully I have my trusty sword in hand

Reepicheep wields his sword as the scene on screen shows the giant's noticing the new human delicacies. The giants attempt to crash the owl to the ground with various pieces of silverware and food. Guests must “swat” the flying debris out of their face. The giant's comment on the fresh and delicate meat of humans as they try to bring the riders down. Reepicheep, meanwhile, does a fantastic job of keeping food and debris away from himself, even catching a bit of cheese on his sword point before eating it. The vehicle then crashes through a high ceiling window as the owl asends higher before turning around and plunging into darkness.

Scene-6: The City Ruinous
The owl spins around again to bring riders into the next large set piece portion of the ride. Guests enter what they see as a large and ruined castle-city. The air has turned incredibly cold and guests can feel the winter wind whipping up around them as small “snowflakes” (in reality, harmless foam) bluster through the room.

“This must be the fabled Ruined City, or City Ruinous as old Cornelius would say! Remnants of the Giant's ancient civilization no doubt. Keep your guard up! I'm sure any giant would jump at the opportunity to face a swordsman such as myself in single combat!” Reepicheep exclaims as he raises his sword

As the riders make their way through the City Ruinous, various animatronic giants make their presence known. The giant's try and grab for the owl before the owl ascends to a taller height. As the owl faces down, riders can see the ruins of the city spell “under me” in the rubble. A final giant, standing on top of a large ruined turret, reaches for the riders one last time. The owl then plunges straight down into what appears to be solid ground before it gives way and riders are again plunged into darkness. This time the darkness lasts slightly longer as the owl jolts and jerks. Finally, a faint light can be made out ahead.

Scene-7: Underland
The owl enters another projection portion of the ride. In this scene, riders pass over a sunless sea as various stalactites and stalactites begin to break off and fall towards the riders. Reepicheep again shouts out instructions to the riders on what maneuver to make: Dodge left, Dodge Right, Duck, or Raising arms to avoid low flying dangers. The owl bobs and weaves through the underground maze. Stalacties fall as bats and other strange creatures fly in the face of the riders. Small humanoid creatures wielding light-sticks and other objects also attempt to harry the riders. These are gnomes and they don't seem friendly. Finally, the guests reach the shore of what appears to be yet another castle. The owl ascends again before crashing down through one of the castle turrets.

Scene-8: The Triskele
As the owl crashes through the turret guests are taken into another large set piece. The guests have entered a room which appears to be a large throne room. Large columns hold up dark and gray gothic arches. The lighting is very dim. As the owl travels through the room guests can hear a woman's voice beckoning them closer.
Woman's Voice: “I know what you seek but is it worth the price? Turn back now and you may be spared.”
Reepicheep's Voice: “Aren't spirits suppose to stay dead? No matter, I've dealt with far nastier and grumpier ghosts than this one in my lifetime.”
In the distance, a glorious silver throne can be seen gleaming bright even in the dim room. Guests can make out what appears to be the Triskele resting on the throne.

Reepicheep: “The Triskele of Harmony! By Aslan we've found it! Come now, my friends! Let's meet our destiny!”
As the riders approach the chair the owl stops in from of the chair. Reepicheep reaches out for the Triskele before the chair apparently melts and a large smoke pillar forms. From out of the smoke, a gigantic green snake appears, the Triskele now resting around the snakes neck.

Snake's Voice (eerily similar to the woman's voice): “Silly rodent! Don't you know mice are a snakes favorite meal!

It coils to strike at the passenger’s while Reepicheep wields his sword. The snake strikes and as it does so a loud Roar comes from nowhere. The snake reels for a split second while Reepicheep stabs it through the gaping mouth. As the snake falls out of the view of the riders, Reepicheep falls with it, holding on to his sword as he goes. For a moment the riders are left in silence.

Reepicheep's Voice (from a distance below): “Serves your right for attempting to eat the chosen of Aslan! That's my favorite sword you filthy vermin! I will not have it be swallowed by an oversized serpent!”

Reepicheep then suddenly appears back on the owl, sword and Triskele in hand.

Reepicheep: “Well, it looks like she'll be going hungry now won't she? Let's get back to Caspian! I need another title! Slayer of Snakes sounds rather nice doesn't it?”

Scene 9-: Ascent to the Surface and Homecoming.

The owl ascends out of the throne room and into a large projection screen. Riders are plunged upwards, with the backs facing downwards towards the ground to give the illusion of rising rapidly. The projections on screen treat the guests to one final “game” portion where guests must dodge falling debris while making their way to the surface above. Once up top, the riders realize they are back near the marshes where their journey began. The owl races over the Western Sea before coming to the familiar and beautiful Cair Paravel. The owl lands on an open patio, where Caspian and the rest of the Council await happily. Reepicheep presents the Triskele to Caspian, who thanks the riders for their bravery and sacrifice.

Reepicheep: “My dear friends, this quest could not be complete without you fine and brave souls! I shall think of you fondly in all my days to come and may you never forget the day you fought side-by-side with Reepicheep, High Mouse-Knight of Narnia, for the peace of Narnia! And for the glory of Aslan! Peace be with you my friends and remember, don't eat anything the Marshwiggles try and feed you!”

The owl then takes the riders away from the homecoming scene and back to the loading dock where they receive their scores.

Below is a map roughly detailing the quest journey (sorry for the small size):

Spirit-Stone Opportunities

As detailed in my proposal, Spirit-stones allow guests to interact with the park in various ways. Guest sync their “Heroic Spirit” (RFID Chip) with Spirit Stones to receive rewards and acheivements. A sampling of the Spirit-Stone Opportunities, and their associated rewards, are as follows:

Queue
-In the Barracks-Unlocks the achievement Armed for Battle
-The Courtyard of Cair Paravel-Unlocks Tumnus' Pan Flute for use in the Disney Infinity Toy Box
-The Council Meeting-Unlocks the achievement Diplomacy's Important Too

Ride
-Upload your spirit into the ride system-Unlocks Reepicheep's feathered hat for use in the Disney Infinity Toy Box
-Simply finish the ride-Unlock the item, the Triskele of Harmony, for use in Disney Infinity Toy Box
-Finish the ride with the rank, Novice Knight-Unlock the achievement That was Close
-Finish the ride with the rank, Mouse-Knight of Narnia-Unlock the acheivement The Bigger They Are...
-Finish the ride with the rank, Champion of Aslan-Unlocks the achievement They won't be Eatin' any more! and also unlocks Reepicheep's sword for use in the Disney Infinity Toybox.

Meta-achievement
-Unlock all possible achievements for Reepicheep's Quest to receive the title of King (or Queen) of Old as well as unlock the Cair Paravel castle piece for use in Disney Infinity and a 10% coupon for use at any store in Kingdom Hearts.

This week's entry was done in a rush so I hope I can compete with some of the great entries posted so far!

Based on the Pixar film, Up: Journey to Paradise Falls sends guest on a high soaring adventure to South America.

Attraction Location: Wild Blue Yonder.

Guest approach a brightly lit, scaled down facade, which resembles a friendly neighborhood. There are a series of colorful Victorian style houses (resembling the house from Up). The center house is the largest & is enclosed by a white picket fence.

The Queue:
While the queue will have plenty to entertain younger guest (Doug & Kevin interactive stations), this area will provide a bit of a sweet, emotion based wait area for older guest.

Guest will make their way through the main house, which contains many items from the film. There is enormous glass "jar" where guest can donate coins to. (The proceeds go to the same place all the donated coins in Disneyland go)

There is a "My Adventure" Room, named after the scrapbook in the film. In this interactive room, there is a "Loved Ones" cam. This camera takes quick video & it appears on a designated screen above as the the "Married Life" score by Michael Giacchino plays (this was the Elle & Carl theme song).

In another area of this section, questions light up on a screen. "If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?" "Would you prefer an exotic land or a trip to a favorite childhood spot" "Do you remember your first trip to a Disney Park", "What was your most favorite trip ever", etc. These questions & the area in general is geared toward having guest reminisce & engage with their party.

Preshow:
On a large 50's style "TV", Carl appears to address the riders.
This pre show utilizes the same technology as "Turtle Talk with Crush", allowing Carl to individually address these new "Wilderness Explorers" with improv & banter. "You young whippersnappers with your non corded telephones", pull up those trousers, etc. The trip to Paradise Falls will be made without any "rap music or dancing".

Ride Vehicles:
The ride vehicles are suspended from an overhead track. (As if they were being held up by balloons) The circular vehicles are able to spin 360 degrees providing unobstructed views of the panorama. Each vehicle contains "radio" where riders will receive updates & instructions from Carl. There is also a cylinder lever in the center of the vehicle (Similar to the placement of the spinner in the teacups) The vehicles seat 6.

Rooms / Stages:
This attraction contains a mix of models, animatronics & huge HD screens. The "Lift off" occurs as the vehicle begin to ascend from the loading area.

Room 1:

This first room is the departure. The expansive screens that surround riders are full of blue skies & character shaped clouds (expect a hidden Mickey or 2). The clouds will randomly change shapes. The models below display the city as riders begin to float away.

Room 2:
The next room is filled with tons of neon colored balloons. While the HD screens display these vibrant visuals, there are also physical animatronics & models as well. (From a narrative standpoint, theses are the balloons of other Wilderness Explorers also traveling toward Paradise Falls.) The vehicles will gently sway as riders begin to feel a heavy breeze. We hear Carl on the radio warn riders of an incoming storm & to brace themselves.

Room 3:
The Storm!! There is wind, water mist & more as the vehicles spin more rapidly. While riders won't get officially "wet" here, but there are quite a few clouds that will empty a heavy burst of mist on riders! Fortunately, Carl gives instructions of how to avoid the worst parts of the storm (by using the lever to move the vehicle up & down to avoid the worst "storm clouds") Riders can also "sabotage" other members of the party with the lever as well (Much like a river raft ridging near a water, you try to spin so you don't get wet)

Room 4:
After emerging from the storm, the skies seem a bit calmer, but another report comes in about a flock of birds (Not Kevin!) headed your way! Here the vehicles will swing back & forth rapidly to avoid the birds. And if riders thought there was no chance of getting wet in this room.....

Room 5:
South America! We're almost there, but unfortunately, guest will see a return of Alpa & his team in mini airships! These mean pups begin firing at the "balloons" which causes random drop sequences. Carl informs riders of how to defeat the dogs by yelling "squirrel" every time you see a squirrel "pop up" from below (the Squirrel sequence contains animatronics below the riders & are set to random, so riders won't know which spots or holes a squirrel will appear from. It resembles a Whac-A-Mole game set up)

Room 6:
Paradise Falls! Carl congratulates riders on their arrival & the vehicles descend.

As guest exit, if they desire there a 4 photo areas where they can recreate or take a new "Loved Ones" photo & email it to themselves or purchase a photo. All purchased photos will include a "grape soda" pin.

Great job to everyone! Here are my critiques:

Keith Schneider: Zeus and the 12 Olympians (Lost Kingdom): Keith, I think you have a great proposal on your hands, and it is very well written. Now, it’s more than likely that I know more about mythology than the average person, but Hades isn’t really a bad guy. He’s not a good guy, don’t get me wrong, but unless there was something in it for him, why bother! He’s mostly just apathetic. Also, your ride seems to be very short. But these are just minor things. You’ve done a great job!

Scott E: “A Trip To The Moon” (Americana): Well, I think you’ve proved me wrong. I said in the last round that there could be no really highly themed attractions in your park, but you did a fantastic job. ;+) However, it’s kind of unclear if we are watching the story unfold, or seeing it from the point of view of the “astronomers”. Also, which land would this be in? You didn’t tell us. It was clever of you to use such a well known image to tell a lesser known story.

Travis McReynolds: Captain Toad’s Mushroom Kingdom Tours (NintendoLand): What a fun ride you have here! This ride seems like it would be very fun to ride, and has a strong storyline to back it up. I think that’s all i have to say. Great job!

Christopher Sturniolo: “Oddysey” (AoD): While I read your disclaimer, you have to assume guests will not see it, or will not bother to read it. This could create some confusion. Although, most people wouldn’t notice or care, so that’s not a big issue. The hidden track is an awesome idea, and I think it will allow for a whole new type of water ride. You’ve used some of the greatest beasts in Greek Mythology, and this would be a very entertaining ride.

Kevin Krom: “Undermountain Adventure” (Lands of Wonder): This seems like a fun ride! The randomized elements of your ride really make it, I think. The mystical rooms seem unnecessary though. I’m not sure if they really add anything to the ride. The random traps add a new level of fun, an i think i would ride this in a heartbeat.

Parker Atkin “Don’t Blink” (Whovia): I assume you had some technical difficulties with the video (it’s posted in the chatter thread now, by the way), but no worries, it was pretty easy to just copy and paste it into the browser. There were several typos, uncapitalized letters, and places where it seemed like you planned to put a picture and simply forgot. However, your ride seems like Gringotts, in that it’s right on the line between thrill ride and dark ride. But I’ll give you this one. This ride seems scary and fun all at once, and for a Whovian like me, i can see myself coming to your park to ride it. But, I can also see people who have never even heard of the weeping angels enjoying this ride.

Brett Angwin: “The Glass Slipper Journey” (Disney Time). Brett, your park seems to be very much in vein of the classic, fantasyland dark ride. And, while those are well loved, i think that is in large part because they are considered classics. To me, it seems like you need something new to freshen it up a little bit.

Blake Meredith: Your proposal was very…long. While the length and detail of your proposal is most likely what won you the first round, It really didn’t work here. I lost interest in the middle, and had I not been a judge, probably would have given up reading it. The ride itself seems like it would be fun, and fast-paced, but you gave a little too much description.

Jay R. “Journey to Paradise Falls” (Disney Space): In the words of Ellen DeGeneres in the Energy Pre-show, “You’re late, and you better think about that next time”. From me, this will likely lower your grade noticeably. Leaving that aside, The ride itself seems like a fun experience! One issue is the pre-show. Does it serve any purpose in the story, or is it just Turtle Talk With Carl? the interactive element makes this ride seem very fun, and I would love to ride it.

9) Scott E. (A Trip To The Moon) (Americana:1900)
8) Travis McReynolds: Captain Toad’s Mushroom Kingdom Tours (NintendoLand)
7) Christopher Sturniolo: “Oddysey” (AoD)
6) Blake Meredith: “Reepicheep’s Quest” (Realms of Imagination)
5) Kevin Krom: “Undermountain Adventure”
4)Jay R. “Journey to Paradise Falls” (Disney Space) (would have been 6 if on time)
3)Parker Atkin “Don’t Blink” (Whovia)
2)Keith Schneider: Zeus and the 12 Olympians (Lost Kingdom)
1) Brett Angwin: “The Glass Slipper Journey” (Disney Time)

Another great round, everybody. Based on the quality of the proposal submitted, I've got a feeling there could be wildly different rankings from the various judges. For my critiques in this round (and all future attraction rounds), I plan to give about a 1/2 page per entry. I read through everyone's proposal, then wrote the critique during a second read, so you'll find items addressed in roughly chronological order with an overall thought at the end.

Keith (Zeus and the 12 Olympians): A dark ride themed to the Greek gods fits perfectly in your Ancient Greece area, as they were a major park of Greek culture. I'm also glad you opted for Disney's trackless system, as that has yet to appear in North America and using it automatically sets your ride apart from others at the resort. The exterior of your attraction sounds perfect, with a temple at the base of the Acropolis leading to the world of the gods. The queue area also sounds good, with interactive elements to keep children entertained and a way to introduce the gods to those unfamiliar with them. Once the ride starts, however, things get a bit iffy. The first scene of the ride is decent, and foreshadows the "something goes terribly wrong" event later in the ride. However, the next scene (the Realm of the Gods) presents some issues. I'm assuming only one group of six cars is in this room at a time, and if every car has to go visit all 12 Olympians it's going to take some time and hurt the capacity quite a bit. Scene three feels redundant after the first scene, as both contain an encounter with Zeus and have a similar tone. I'm not quite sure how well an elevator would work with trackless vehicles either, and a drop would need to be simulated as the cars are not attached to anything. The Hades introduction and chase sounds great, though again I'm not sure a tilting floor would work in the ride. The resolution, however, doesn't work well. After Zeus saves the riders, the gods appear to be angry at them, but at the same time I never got the sense that riders did anything wrong. This attraction would work much better if riders "wandered off" from the Realm of the Gods after being warned not to leave and ended up in the underworld. Overall, you have a good concept and a lot of visually interesting scenes, but there just isn't enough story to connect everything together.

Scott (A Trip to the Moon): Although I had several ideas of what you might do as a dark ride, this was definitely an unexpected choice. Even though the film is French, it was definitely influential in America and is part of the reason the movie business exploded. Using Triotech's ride system was also a good choice, as it is significantly cheaper than the fancier systems used by Disney and Universal. The exterior and queue of your attraction are simplistic but appropriate and have a pretty good level of detail for an independent park. Your preshow makes a lot of sense as well, as spending several minutes of the ride on the set-up to the mission would drag it out and dull the experience. During the ride, however, you must be careful not to simply show clips from the movie, but make it feel like guests are actually there. Showing the insertion of the capsule from the outside, for example, would be good as something to be seen while in the boarding area but shouldn't be seen once guests are already on the ride. Same thing with the ending...riders shouldn't be able to see the capsule while on the actual ride. Other than that detail, every scene in this ride is great and you've got an excellent balance of story, interactivity, and thrill elements during the ride without relying exclusively on one. While I do wish there were more physical sets and animatronics (from your description, it sounds like the moon is the only physical prop), for a 3D ride based on a film a screen based attraction works. Overall, this is a great lower-budget dark ride that still sounds like a fun experience and a good fit for your park.

Travis (Captain Toad's Mushroom Kingdom Tours): Great choice for a Mushroom Kingdom dark ride. I'll also admit that the old-school Fantasyland dark rides are a guilty pleasure of mine, so I'm glad to see you chose the simple and classic ride system when a fancier one wasn't really necessary. The facade and queue have a good level of detail without going overboard, as this isn't a major E-ticket attraction. One thing that would be nice is to give the Toad Brigade signs about Mushroom Kingdom and the main characters of the world, as non-gamers could be a little lost otherwise. The cast member costumes also fit well, and I love the use of pipes to transition from the underground station to the above ground setting of the attraction. The first scene is a nice introduction that sets the stage for the rest of the attraction, especially if Toad narrates the adventure. The following scene introducing the main characters is decent as well, though it would be nice to see a little more interaction between them rather than each doing their own thing. Although the twist would probably be expected by gamers, I really like the way you've gotten guests to Bowser's Castle, as it is a lot more convincing than simply having Toad take a wrong turn. For story purposes, it would be good to have either one of the main characters or an ally of them present in the abduction scene. The Bowser's Castle sequence, however, has issues. For a ride with continuous loading, having vehicles stop for an elevator would be bad, as if cars stack up it ruins the impact. You'd be much better having Bowser direct riders through a door and down a staircase. I'm also not completely sure how the vehicle is supposed to be moving through the dungeon, as jumping platforms or driving over lava in a carriage isn't quite convincing. That said, it sounds like a great sequence if it could be pulled off well. The final battle with Bowser is good, as is the final scene of the ride, with both being long enough to get the point across without being excessive. Overall, this is a great family dark ride with only a few tweaks necessary to rival the Disney classics.

Christopher (Odyssey): You and Keith both have some similar themes in your parks, so it doesn't surprise me that both of you chose a ride based on Greek mythology. Like your parks, however, the rides are significantly different. This theme is a good fit, with an appropriate exterior for your attraction. The ride system you have chosen is certainly different, but it would probably be difficult to incorporate the Test Track system into a water based attraction. Either way, use of this system guarantees a high intensity dark ride, but you have used the intensity appropriately and kept the focus on the scenes. This attraction has a pretty simple queue area, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but for an E-ticket ride like this it could get a bit boring. Scene one is a great start to the ride, and establishes right away that this attraction is going to be an adventure. The successive scenes all sound cool, with impressive animatronics and a number of thrills. I do worry about the ride getting repetitive, as it is basically monster encounter, escape, monster encounter, escape, etc. with only a loose story to tie everything together. A more clearly defined frame to this adventure would be a significant benefit, as it does feel like a sequence of random encounters. Lastly, the ride felt a bit short for an E-ticket dark ride. Given the scenes described, I can't imagine this attraction being longer than three minutes. Thrill rides do tend to be shorter, but I can imagine guests being disappointed if they queued for two hours for this attraction. Overall, you have a great concept and a good start, but it needs more to be a top tier dark ride.

Kevin (Undermountain Adventure): You have a very interesting concept for a dark ride that really pushes the limits of currently available technology. For your ride to work, the choice of a trackless system is essential. The queue for this ride sounds creative and gives the illusion that guests are really descending deep into the Earth. You have also made appropriate use of a preshow, setting up the story without going into unnecessary detail not relevant to the ride experience. As your park is intended as a destination resort, I'm not quite sure why you chose such low capacity vehicles, as it would not be too difficult to have cars that seat 4 riders. The integration of your class and experience system in this ride is great, as it adds a bonus for those who use it without subtracting anything if a guest opts out. Your concept of a pseudorandom ride is outstanding, and with all the possible combinations it is unlikely that any guest will experience the same exact ride twice. Each of the rooms you have described fits the theme of the attraction, and with the customization that can occur within you've got even more options for variation. My main concern with your attraction is how practical the ride actually is. From what you describe, one grid would likely be a $100+ million attraction, so an independent park being able to afford multiple grids is not likely. If you need to increase capacity, it would be better to shorten the ride (perhaps two of each type of room instead of three) or increase vehicle capacity (4-8 riders instead of 2). I'm also not convinced it is necessary to include every trap in every applicable room or corridor. Perhaps certain traps could be installed in certain locations and each ride permutation would trigger at least one. Even with these issues, however, you've got an excellent attraction that could be enjoyed by all members of the family and would guarantee repeat ridership due to the level of variation.

Parker (Don't Blink): While I was initially confused by the name of your attraction, after reading the proposal it makes perfect sense. You have opted for a very basic queue line, which suffices for all practical purposes but would likely get boring if the ride develops long lines. Your preshow is good, and should ensure that anyone unfamiliar with Doctor Who will know enough to understand the ride. From your description, it sounds like your attraction is an EMV ride but with all screens instead of practical sets, a disappointing choice. Given the content of the ride, a practical attraction with limited screen usage (such as the fake fall) and no 3D would be a much better fit. The first encounter with a weeping angel is definitely creepy, but following encounters are a bit confusing. If the angels don't move unless you can't see them, how can they chase you? This also leads to confusion during the boat chase, which seems unnecessary. The ending of the ride is good, though it would be much better with a horde of animatronic angels rather than a screen surrounding the ride vehicle. Overall, you've got an interesting attraction that has the potential to be really good, but there are some issues that detract from the ride experience. With some modification, this could be one of your park's signature attractions, but in its current form I've got a feeling most guests would only ride once.

Brett (The Glass Slipper Journey: The Cinderella Story): To my knowledge, Cinderella has yet to have a permanent theme park attraction so it is a great choice for a dark ride. Your queue and station bear a lot of resemblance to the classic Fantasyland dark rides, which is highly appropriate for this attraction. However, I'm not sure why you have chosen to use a trackless system when there appears to be little benefit to it over the classic system. I'm also not a fan of using projected animals over animatronics, especially when you will have highly advanced animatronics elsewhere in the ride. The first scene in your attraction feels off compared to the rest of the ride. Most dark rides, especially those based on movies, simply jump right into the story. It also feels unnecessary to have both scenes 2 and 3 in the ride, as they do little other than introducing Cinderella. The rest of the scenes in the attraction all sound great and do a good job of telling the story without adding extraneous information. The transition between scenes 10 and 11 is a little awkward as you are not changing locations, but if there is a door separating them it works. Overall, you have a great Fantasyland style dark ride that is a bit over thought in some areas, as this is not an E-ticket attraction.

Blake (Reepicheep's Quest): As a fan of the Chronicles of Narnia, I've always wished Disney would have developed some type of Narnia ride. Your attraction is excellent and the quality of your proposal is far beyond what I would have expected given your circumstances this week. I am choosing to ignore the continuity problems in your attraction (Reepicheep left Narnia at the end of Voyage of the Dawn Treader, so he shouldn't appear in an attraction set after that time), but there is one thing I cannot ignore...your ride system. As a mechanical engineer, I'm just going to say it: Your ride system is a poor design. From your description, it sounds like you've put a Transformers type vehicle on the end of a KUKA arm, which would require a gigantic arm to prevent issues. The Transformers system of a standard simulator on a track is a much better fit if you're using a large ride vehicle, and from your proposal I don't get the sense that there is a major benefit to having a robotic arm, so why not go with the proven system? To fairly evaluate the remainder of your proposal, I'll ignore this issue, but I must include it in your final ranking. Anyway, the facade of your attraction is perfect, as Cair Paravel is an iconic location in Narnia and would be immediately recognizable from the films. The queue is very well done, and is almost an attraction in itself. The preshow is great and effectively establishes the storyline of this attraction. Due to time constraints, I won't go into a scene by scene breakdown, but I will say that the scenes in the attraction appear to be similar, though not identical, to the events in the Silver Chair. I was hoping you would have some more originality in the attraction, but in the context of the attraction the scenes all work well. I like that you have a mix of practical and screen based sets, though it sounds as if most scenes are one or the other. Using a hybrid format would improve the attraction drastically. Reepicheep's dialogue is a bit long-winded, but everything you wrote is in character. As for the interactive system, I like the fact that you included it, but dislike how it is complicated enough that a tutorial is required. Most guests don't want to do work at a theme park, so if a simple sign or a couple lines of explanation can't cover all necessary information the system needs to be simplified. Overall, you have an attraction that definitely has the potential to be outstanding, but has too many issues for me to rank it among the top attractions for this round.

Jay (Up: Journey to Paradise Falls): Up is a natural choice for your park, and is a property with limited representation at the Disneyland Resort. The facade of your attraction fits the theme well, and you have an outstanding queuing area that could prevent any guest from getting bored. As this doesn't sound like it would be an E-ticket attraction, I wasn't expecting a preshow. Making the preshow interactive is a good concept, but I worry that you may be overdoing it as most guests will just want to get on with the ride. Given that you haven't said anything about the content of the show, it feels unnecessary. The ride system used in this attraction is similar to Peter Pan's Flight, a good choice for an Up attraction. The ride itself, however, seems somewhat dull and boring. One flight scene works, but on Peter Pan's Flight you just want to get on with it by about halfway through the second one. This ride is nothing but flight scenes for its entire duration. The storm and dog attack add some variation to the attraction, but I've got a feeling most guests will be too busy playing with the lever or shouting "squirrel" to pay much attention to the details. Honestly, it feels as if the real attraction here is the queue and preshow, with the ride as an afterthought. It's a good concept for a ride, but I've got a feeling most guests would leave underwhelmed by the experience.

Rankings for this round was not easy, as there were no clear winners or losers. I probably switched the order of the top three around a half-dozen times before deciding and even the last place attraction is still a quality ride. I don't want to see anyone eliminated, but unfortunately there will be an elimination this round even with Luca's resignation.

9: Brett (The Glass Slipper Journey: The Cinderella Story)
8: Kevin (Undermountain Adventure)
7: Travis (Captain Toad's Mushroom Kingdom Tours)
6: Blake (Reepicheep's Quest)
5: Scott (A Trip to the Moon)
4: Christopher (Odyssey)
3: Jay (Up: Journey to Paradise Falls)
2: Parker (Don't Blink)
1: Keith (Zeus and the 12 Olympians)

Very good round everybody! I would even say it was much better than the first round! I would go on every single attraction and would greatly enjoy it! I am a sucker for a good dark ride. For voting, to keep it fair, I am not reading anybody else's votes.

Keith (Zeus and the 12 Olympians): I thought this was a fantastic idea of taking dark rides to the new level. I really like the drop and rise concept that would push the genre further. However, I feel that Greek Gods is sorta done a bit to death. We have Atlantis and Poseidon's Fury already out there in the world. Then again, your attraction sounds better than both of them combined

Scott E (Trip to the Moon): This was actually my favorite of the group. I liked the facade and the movement of the attraction. However, I am a bit of a film nerd so I wonder if it would be lost on the average guest.

Travis (Mushroom Kingdom Tours): I thought this was a great idea. It sounds like a great way to get people familiar with the Nitendo flagship brand without being heavy handed.

Christopher (Odyssey): You had another ride surrounding Greek legend and myth. I wonder why this becomes a popular attraction theme. Anyway, like Keith's you push the boundaries of the Dark ride and I like it!

Kevin (Undermountain Adventure): I like this as a continuation of your park, but I was hoping for a little simpler or IP attraction. I think your head is in the right place, but I am afraid that it will just be confusing for the guests.

Parker (Don't Blink): I think this would make a great Dr. Who ride (even in a non Dr Who Park), but I fear that it would be too confusing to the average guest.

Brett (Glass Slipper Journey): I thought this one was very well thought out and would make a fantastic attraction in your park or even in Fantasyland in the current Disney Park. I would love to see this in the Castle even!

Blake (Reeicheep's Quest): I think this is a great Narnia attraction that uses all the dark ride "tricks".

Jay (Paradise Falls): I always thought UP was an underrated movie. I think this is a great way to get it out in the parks and into people's minds. I like the ride vehicle

I dislike this part the most, but here is my rankings. Please know that this was very difficult this week. All your attractions would interest me:

9. Scott (Trip to the Moon)
8. Brett (Glass Slipper)
7. Jay (Paradise Falls)
6. Travis (Mushroom Kingdom Tours)
5. Blake (Reepicheep Quest)
4. Kevin (Undermountain Adventure)
3. Parker (Don't Blink)
2. Keith (Zeus and the 12 Olympians)
1. Christopher (Odyssey)

Keith Schneider - Zeus and the 12 Olympians

Your proposal seems very Disney in the level of detail. I’m not sure how letting guests explore the temple without this intruding on the dark ride will be possible though. Your concept however is very accessible for those without familiarity in the Olympian mythos, which is good to see

I really do like the idea of the Zeus affect, and showing off the gods. A 5 story drop however seems to be a bit big for a dark ride. The Hades chase however seems fun, so the drop seems to work with it.

I do hate your gift shop name though. I like a good pun, but that’s not a good one.

I havent examined your other rides as they are beyond the scope of the challenge.

Overall though, very good.

Scott E - A trip to the moon

Your proposal confuses me somewhat. Your park is about 1900’s Americana, but your attraction is a French Film. Yes, it is a classic, but I don’t really think it fits your theme at all, beyond being a silent movie.

Making a Dark Ride off it however doesn’t seem a great choice. It does require to a certain extent the rider to be familiar with it to be fully accessible - at the end of the day, we judges are to a certain extent the man on the street, and your average guest - if we’re not familiar with it and need to see the movie first to “get it”, so will your visitor. The average viewer of the film when it was new is either dead, or unlikely to comply with the health and safety requirements that your drop will probably require.

The ride itself is well thought out, and a good one (although I’m concerned about the length of the drop track blurring the line between thrill and dark ride), but it just doesn’t seem to fit with what you were trying to do in the park itself.

If this was a pure Dark Ride challenge without a park being pitched, I’d have rated it as Good, but I just don’t understand how it fits in the big scheme of things. If you’re going to pitch Americana I want to see Americana.

Travis McReynolds - Captain Toad’s Mushroom Kingdom Tours

Just something I think would be cool first off, find a way to get the ? blocks near the guest, and touch sensitive… Lets hear a coin-collect-ding if they touch it, and see the block go dark for a while.

I really do like your dark ride. Whilst I think it might be difficult to achieve, changing the “Driver” to a Koopa would be awesome if it can be pulled off. Your ride seems to need a lot of technical effects that I think are going to give the guys in engineering headaches, but its their job to do the impossible, and given the end desired result, they’d be strongly motiviated to get it right.

I like how your ride takes players right into the game, and I’m glad to see your choice of a pipe to “divide” the outside from the inside.

I really enjoyed reading this proposal. Its clear you get your theme, and what the challenge was.

Christopher Sturniolo - Odyssey

Firstly, I’d be very careful about just calling your “Odyssey” unless its closely aligned with the tale. I’d suggest adding an extra word or two to Qualify the title (X’s Odyssey, etc) , or come up with a different title altogether. Given the use of Posideon at the start, I’d probably go for the latter, “Posideon’s wrath” or something like that.

Your ride however is well themed, I am concerned it perhaps seems a little shorter than the previous proposals, but it is well designed and accessable to people without intimate knowledge of the Olympian Mythos. The helix/whirlpool seems a unique addition, and would make the ride very memorable. You clearly understand both the theme, and the task, and have pulled off a great entry.

Another great proposal

Kevin Krom - Undermountain Adventure

I’m not sure a randomised track is right for a “Dark Ride”, I think perhaps you might have emphasised to much on shooter than dark ride. I don’t really understand how your combat system is going to work - am I going to have to look at a video screen to see if I hit and when I should attack? If so, thats a really bad idea - I should be looking at the displays in a dark ride, not playing a video game.

Your ride is very well themed and fits the DnD mold to a T, but I think this is more of an evolution of the “shooter” ride, than a straight dark ride…

Parker Atkin Don’t blink

Good use of David Tennant and Matt Smith. I think when it comes to writing the Smith Doctor you got pretty damn close to “perfect”; “Briefly Inconvenienced” is perhaps a bit more “Capaldi” but I heard the Amy reply in her voice, which is always a good thing.

Careful about Spelling - rendezvous is perhaps a word only French speakers can reliably get right - I had to look it up myself. When it comes to spelling and grammar, I have my own style so perhaps I don’t see as much as the others might, but if I can see there’s a problem, then there’s probably a big problem.

Not sure this is really a dark ride, but more of a chase… I would have liked to see more detail in the actual ride experience on what I can expect to see. The use of the Empire State Building I do have to question… Isn’t there’s supposed to be a few Daleks in there?

I’m sure the statue of liberty would be a good jumpscare moment… but only for those who haven’t seen the episode. I’m torn on this one, is it good fan service, or is it a missed opportunity to pull an unexpected surprise out of the bag? Not sure there….

If your goal was to put people in the show/episode, you’ve succeeded very well at that.

Brett Angwin - Glass Slipper Journey - The Cinderella Story

I’d like to know more about the Carriages. I’d go into much more detail if you can - and if your words fail you show a picture! This is one of the most important parts of the ride! On first glance I thought you might have just meant it in the most generic term (a ride vehicle) rather than actual horse-and-carriages.

I’m not sure about the projection mix. It seems like something that unless its done just perfectly runs the risk of breaking the illusion through the mix of real world and flat projections… Projections can do amazing things fixed faces at the Dungeons seem to “talk”, “look” and “wink” via projections… but they’re not interacting with a moving animatroinic. With the dress, I’m not sure how tearing would work beyond a single trick, not sure how you’d put it back together between carriages… but I guess thats a job for Engineering.

I think however you’ve done a great job understanding the task, and putting the rider into the movie. If the techncial issues can be overcome, this is going to be a family favourite.

Blake Meredith Reepicheep’s quest

I like the idea of a “Flying” dark ride. Adding the third dimension in that way, rather than the traditional Drop, is going to make this ride amazing… Just make sure people in the middle can still see down… (maybe 2 across would be a better seating layout?)

Your pre-show is awesome… It makes me want to be there and go on the ride. Its easy to forget about the pre-show… I often find them quite frustrating as I’d rather be on the ride, but meeting Reepicheep? Yes Please! You’ve written the part perfectly

The googles are a great touch. Perhaps they could be extended to act as Augmented Reality goggles?

The ride itself is perfection… I can’t believe that was done in a rush. When is this ride opening again?

Jay R - Up: Journey to Paradise Falls’

I like the idea of suspended cars a bit more than the Arm of Blakes’ I think… Means there is less to “Hide” under the vehicle, although you do perhaps lose the third dimension play

Your ride seems to be good at putting you into the movie… but there doesn’t seem to be a lot going on, just sky-room after sky-room, after sky-room. I’d suggest adding more to it… have them float nearby a famous monument, and then have the peril happen. Gives something to look at, and has the excitement factor, the two can play into each other with near misses.

The ride seems fairly short, it needs a little more to it. However, you’ve done well at putting the guest into a movie-like experience.

The Top 9 (From "Best" to "Still pretty awesome")

9. Reepicheep’s Quest - Blake M
8. Captain Toad’s Mushroom Kingdom Tours - Travis
7. The Glass Slipper Journey - Brett
6. Odyssey - Christopher
5. Zeus and the 12 olympians - Keith
4. Don’t Blink - Parker Atkin
3. Undermountain Adventure - Kevin
2. Up: Wild Blue Yonder - Jay
1. A trip to the moon - Scott E

Keith
Zeus and the 12 Olympians

I like this ride Keith, lots going on, plenty of scenes and you obviously did your homework. The battle between the gods and titans was fairly well depicted and you were able to give enough detail to let me fill in the blanks. The interactive queue sounds fun but I'd have like to heard a bit more about it. The Chariots I think were a nice touch for the vehicle and I like how you managed to feature the gods. Overall Its a good ride and one that I would like to enjoy, however. Lots of your proposal is extrenious material. Theres almost too much information about the othe dark rides . In future Keith try to stay on point we have to read 9 proposals and disect them in some detail, and with all the rides you listed, at one point I forgot which one you highlighted. That being said, your ride ticks all the boxes for me, give yourself a pat on the back.

Scott E
A Trip to the moon

Scott. This is why I urged everyone to not place to much emphasis on the original rounds. I was quite critical of your park, but this. This is genius! Give this man a McArthur Grant! I am a huge sci fi geek, I have seen the film several times and I wondered how you would cope with the dark ride given your parks theme. Answer: Hmm. Its not really Americana but I love your idea, it showed real thought and your attention to detail is good. You managed to stick to the film in a way that credits both movie and ride. Dark rides are about having a gamble I think, its an opportunity to throw an idea out there that perhaps wont work in the real world, but I think this could work. Its my type of ride.

Travis
Captain Toads Mushoom Tours

I tip my hat to you for starting off your park with somewhat an unknown. Captain Toad is a Wii U game that In I did not like. Toad however has been a mainstay in the Mario universe forever. Your ride seems to hit the buttons for style. The floating blocks are a nice touch, and of course every male who visits will try to punch them. After all, thats what us guys do right? Your ride is obviously aimed at the younger demoraphic and it tells a nice story that all of these types of ride should do. Just like the ET ride you mention, I like the fact that you dont need any prior knowledge of the property to be able to enjoy this ride which was a concern for me at the top of your proposal.

Christopher S
Odyssey

I was confused, like some of the other judges where Odyssey came from? You start by saying it is not based on the poem but with the content perhaps another name would be better? I know it seems like nitpicking but with things so close this year, the devil is in the detail. Your ride, like your original proposal is good, lots of detail. I like the vehicle system chosen and that, coupled with the whirlpool I think gives this ride a real wow moment. The story plays out nicely and although I could say becomes a little repetetitive but I would have probably done exactly the same thing! I dont know whether thats a compliment or not but if i cannot think of a better way to do something, then you obviously done it well. (is that proper grammer??) All being said, Im beggining to think these Greek parks are going to be serious contenders!

Kevin
Undermountain Adventure

Kevin, I was excited with your park, I think I was the judge that scored you the highest (although I could be wrong) and the ability you have to choose from a whole range of themes without being tied down to one company (such as Disney) means you could really let loose. And Oh My. I dont know where to start. I think your ride needs to have the right track system in order for this to work, but IF the technology can keep up with your brain then you have a winner my friend. I like the shooter element you bring and the way you connect it all to your avatar, well the technology is beyone me but as I said, if it all synchs together then I can see this as a real star to your park. The cost however might make you rethink certain elements but, here at TPA, the budget is limitless so carry on Kevin, cannot wait to see what you cook up next time!

Parker
Dont Blink

I read this perhaps more than the others because I was determined to see if as a Dr Who novice, this could appeal to me. It does. Parker, your ride is one that I think is about 90% complete. In its current guise it works, and it offers a fun attraction, but I think bubbling underneath there was so much more for you to give us. As a judge its frustrating when you are left wanting to know more, (also a testament to your writing) but this ride lacks something. I dont think I can place it but your preshow was good. I followed that and the fact that the angels are not really a threat in NY, I mean, youd have to think that some person, bird, dog, fish would have eyes on them at some point, all that aside I enjoyed it. In my mind I sort of had a Spiderman-esque ride, with I imagine good use of 3D scenes, but I dont know if thats how you tried to portray it. My initial concerns about Whovia are starting to wane, which is good but next time, I feel you need to give us just a bit more.

Brett
Glass Sipper Journey

A Classic Disney Dark ride! Brett, you have really impressed me here. I love Disneyworld/Land and this is a ride I can see being intergrated into the iconic Fantasyland. Your narative is excellent and your choice of vehicle is exactly what I would have wanted to see, although I had to read it a few times to really 'get it'. There are some areas that I think could be a challenge for the imagineers but thats not your problem, you create and they make it real. I am a family man and this ride is one I want to take my children on. She loves Cinderella and this would be her favourite ride and trust me thats high praise from her. Now, dont get too carried away, it needs work. Too many scenes and some of the transitions need to be looked at, a point, I am sure the other judgges have not overlooked, and the mix of animatronics and screens, might work well but theres a reason the Great Movie Ride hasnt been updated. It works. Overall though I love this ride.

Blake
Reepicheeps Quest

Blake, first of all, Congratulations. Your ride is a great advert for the Narnia chronicles. Your choice of Reep' was excellent. Many people will have been aware of the three films but I read all the books as a child and I have to say, Im quite pleased you followed the plot as well as you did. It may be possible that your went and put too much into this and I admit at times it was a struggle to keep going, but Im glad I did. Your park is shaping up to be a very good one, and your use of ld and new technology is going to win you a lot of admirers as the competition ticks along. I do like the flying element and your outlines for how the ride will work with your RFID plan is all very impressive, but please remember we will only be judging the ride, all the extra stuff should be saved for the final, should you get there. Please dont think im being overly critical, this was an excellent proposal and one you should feel very very proud of.

Jay R
Up: Journey to Paradise Falls

I'm late as well Jay. So I wont be marking you down for that! But please, next time, be prompt. Yes, I can smell the hypocrasy from here. I love Up. I have used the film in my own parks in previous TPA, also in the Dark Ride round so I feel I have a good understanding of what you were aiming for. Your preshow is brilliant. I love the interactive Carl, and it should keep the kids entertained in what I think could be a long queue! Your ride is well detailed and the interactive elements in the whack a squirrel are good, but whether its feasable? I dont know. I hope so! There is a risk that the ride is a bit of an anticlimax but I hope not. Its a family ride again, and in my opinon these are what Dark Rides should be. I love it. A wonderful film and a ride that appears to do it justice.

OK, So I apologise for my tardiness. I cant promise it wont happen again, but as a health care professional, I am often on call and this was finished after being awake a long time, so please excuse the typos and spelling. Anyway enough about me! A really good round. This was hard because I liked all of them on some level. I was surprised some of you really raised the bar from round one and that was a good start to the contest. So, here we go, I will be using the old 9 = 9 points and therefore the best system.

9: Trip to the moon
8: Up: Journey to paradise falls
7: The Glass Slipper
6: Reepicheeps Quest
5: Undermountain Adventure
4: Odyssey
3: Dont Blink
2: Mushroom Tours
1: 12 Olympians

The Time Has Come, and one of you must now be eliminated. So, who's dish is on the Chopping Block? Kieth Schneider, we're sorry, but you have been eliminated. You had a good concept for your park, but this dark ride was lacking in some areas. If any of the other judges have things to say, they should comment. Thank you for playing, and we hope to see you next season. As for the other competitors, good luck in the next round!

AJ-Thanks for catching the continuity error. I just realized that I placed the ride in the wrong timeline. The ride is suppose to take place between the events of Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Oversight on my part and thanks for correcting it. Also, though I'm no mechanical engineer, I went with a bottom mounted arm design for two reasons. A.) It circumvents most current patents and proprietary concerns, as Universal has exclusive rights on conventional KUKA designs for the time being. B.) The bottom mounted claw would be mounted to a sophisticated telescopic boom that would allow the vehicle to ascend and descend rapidly and at higher elevations than any current KUKA design. The arm could reach heights as high as possibly 30-40 Feet.

At any rate, thanks for the feedback judges and I will try and condense my future proposals. Good luck to the rest of the contestants and sorry to Kieth! I would have loved to see how your park developed!

Blake, I figured it was a mistake, likely one caused by how much you had going on this week. Given the detail included, you seem to know the Chronicles of Narnia really well and wouldn't intentionally put the ride in the wrong setting. As for your ride system, I get what you were trying to do, I just didn't see enough benefit to it over proven simpler systems to justify the extra costs involved. Creativity is encouraged in this competition, but when it comes to elements requiring hardcore engineering it is sometimes better to make an existing system work than create your own. In any case, you are still doing a fantastic job in this competition despite difficult real-life circumstances and I hope you're able to maintain that level of excellence. You've got a top tier park and designed a top tier dark ride, so I'm looking forward to seeing a top tier coaster from you this week.