Welcome to Theme Park Apprentice 7. I wish you all the best of luck in this competition and hope to see some impressive entries in the upcoming challenges. Now, here is your first challenge.
Challenge 1: Child’s Play
The Challenge
The LEGOLAND parks are known as an alternative to Disney for small children. Based on the toy lines, the parks specialize in kid-friendly attractions, often with humorous stories and interactive elements. For their next attraction, LEGOLAND is looking to offer something more unique...an attraction where the experience is dictated by the guests. Your task is to design an interactive attraction, whether it be a ride, show, or walkthrough, for one of the LEGOLAND parks. Your attraction must:
-Be interactive, with the interactive elements having an effect on what happens during the attraction
-Be accessible to guests of all ages
-Be based on a LEGO product line that does not share IP with another theme park company
-Be of appropriate scale for a LEGOLAND park
The Proposal
For this challenge, your proposal should be 3-5 pages (not including pictures) and include the following:
-The name, type, and theme of your attraction
-The location of your attraction, both the park and the land
-A detailed description of your attraction, including a full run-through and the role interactive elements play in the attraction
-Anything else you feel will benefit your proposal
The Advice
-LEGOLAND is geared toward children aged 3-12, so make sure your attraction is targeted toward that age group.
-A traditional theme park attraction may not be the best option here. Don’t be afraid to look at other entertainment experiences outside the theme park realm.
-Remember to make use of LEGOs in your attraction. Every LEGOLAND attraction uses LEGOs (whether real or fake) in some form.
-If you're completely lost, here are some existing LEGOLAND attractions to research for inspiration:
-Driving School
-Fun Town Fire Academy (also known as Rescue Academy)
-Ice Pilots School
-LEGO Mindstorms/Build & Test
-Miniland (for inspiration on what can be done with LEGOs)
-The Quest for CHI
The Deadline
All proposals must be submitted by midnight site time on Saturday, July 18th.
This challenge seems to be excessively limiting. We know that Legoland currently has exhibits using Star Wars and DC Comics (namely Batman used in the context of the Lego Movie). Yet, at the Lego Store, the franchises that are flying off the shelf are DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Star Wars, Ghostbusters, Simpsons, Jurassic World, Ninja Turtles, Lord of the Rings/Hobbit and The Lego Movie...this would seem to imply that Lego owns some control over the Lego version of these IP's.
I would think that if a Lego set was currently in the stores for a particular franchise, we could use it regardless of whether or not it appeared in a separate theme park, since Lego seems to be the exception to those rules.
Please let us know...
We're discussing that and should have an answer soon.
Basically, the answer is "Yes" You may use IP that have already been "Lego-fied".
The longer version is, Merlin have in the past used lego versions of other IP in the parks... Legoland Windsor, for example, has a Lego Star Wars miniland. Obviously, main Star Wars IP (and presumably park IP) is with Disney, but there must be some clause in there that allows the lego version to appear in Merlin owned parks.
So, you can use what Lego have already demonstrated as having existing in the Lego system... but only things that they have used before.
So when looking at things like DC and Star wars, characters, movies, and series that have been Lego-fied are unambiguously allowed. However, if a character, movie or concept has not appeared in Lego form, then that should be avoided.
Lego Batman - In. Lego Power-Girl - I don't see her on the Legofied list, so no.
Lego Joker and Harley Quinn - in. Lego Lex Luthor - Strangely not there.
http://www.lego.com/en-gb/dccomicssuperheroes/characters
I think it goes without saying that it also must be a Lego ride. No slipping in a generic superman experience, it must be lego and blocky in appearance.
So, just to clarify, if a character or IP has previously been Lego-fied it is allowed, to include: building sets, movies, TV series, and video games?
And what about the new Lego Dimensions video game that is coming out in September, but is going to use new IP from: Back to the Future, Dr. Who, Portal 2, Scooby Doo & Wizard of Oz. I think according to what you wrote, these are in...
Or are we only talking about building sets?
I would say they're in, but only as have been adapted to the Lego form.
So with Doctor Who, you could have the version(s) of the Doctor that have appeared in some Lego form. Any version of the doctor who wasn't been in some Lego form is out.
You could use the monsters that have appeared in Lego form, but not those which have not (many of the classic monsters are legally separate IP anyway -Daleks for example are the property of the Estate of Terry Nation last I checked.)
At this point, it's probably better if anyone who thinks this rule may affect them and is concerned they might be over the line contacts us privately with the IP they're looking to use so we can give a bespoke, private, answer..
Lego Jurassic World: Gyrosphere Adventure
Ever since we saw the Gyrosphere ride in the latest Jurassic World movie, we have wanted to know where in the world can we go and ride something like that. That question now has an answer: Legoland Florida.
The movie: 
The ride at Legoland Florida (although you will not need to dress up like a minifigure…but it helps):
The Queue
The beginning of the queue is the famous Jurassic Park doors made out of Legos that you will get to walk through into a garden of topiaries designed to look like full sized Lego dinosaurs. Inside the ride building will be the lab showing Lego dinosaurs hatching from Lego eggs. There is going to be a great deal of humor inside the lab, because while things are under control, it is a close thing with dinosaurs jumping out of their eggs and then attacking the lab workers, all done in humorous Lego style, and showing extremely bad lab practices. Every once in a while you will see a full sized Lego velociraptor walk past the window carrying a clipboard and acting like he is the only one in control of the situation.
The loading platform of the ride will look similar to a Lego-fied of the one in the movie.
The Vehicle
Your ride vehicle is a gyrosphere similar to the one in the movie. The greatest distinction is that these gyrospheres sit 4 people; two in the front and two in the back. The rear seats are designed for adults only. The controls for the vehicle are again similar to the movie with a single joystick that is placed between the two front seats yet is set back far enough that it is reachable by everyone in the vehicle.
The mechanics behind the vehicle
In the movies, the balls roll and there is some kind of electric motor that can control the vehicle going in any direction. While that technology is well and good, albeit a lot on the expensive side for now, we are going to, in the famed tradition of theme parks everywhere, just fake it. The glass will not roll and you will not be out on a rolling plain with moving Lego dinosaurs. It is merely a life sized video game that you are going to be maneuvering in. The glass dome, when there is no power on will default to the open position, but otherwise the opening will be turned to the back of the vehicle, allowing the electronics to breath. Shortly after the vehicle leaves the station, the glass will rotate, to position the opening to the rear. While the safety spiel is being delivered on a video screen inside the vehicle, the vehicle will round a corner slowly into a dark area. As the riders are eyes down watching the video, which will be bright and full of light to increase the amount of reflection on the glass dome, a round LED high definition cover will be placed over the top of the glass viewing area and secured down. Directly above the electronics will be a tall boom that touches the ceiling where the vehicle will get its power much like bumper cars. The power will only go to recharge the onboard batteries, and to keep the vehicle from losing power if the vehicle momentarily loses the connection. During the loading and unloading, the vehicle will only be on battery power. In the base of the vehicle is a light duty motion base that can add a little bit to what is happening on the domed screen. Since the vehicle will be a little top heavy, the vehicle has a wide stance that is under a faux floor in the loading area. Most of the speed sensations will be provided by blowers mounted in the vehicle.
The Arena
The arena is going to look like nothing you would want to call home about, it will just be a large room with odd looking bumper car looking things slowly traversing their way through the room. The ride is completely trackless and the vehicles, while more or less in the guest’s control, are programed to move around each other and never hit.
The Guest Experience
The feeling from inside the vehicle is that you are controlling your gyrosphere and it is going where the input from the joystick tells it to go. From here, there are several different experiences that open up for the riders.
Passive Mode
This is the version of the ride designed for smaller kids and those who scare easily. Leaving the darkness of the ride building, the vehicle is surrounded by passive herbivore dinosaurs, namely Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Brachiosaurus, and Parasaurolophus. Using the joystick you can move around the dinosaurs and get very close to them. The vehicle will not be jostled but there will be a bit of wind from speed and some dino smell that helps to round out the experience.
Since there is a wide open area, there are many nooks and crannies to be explored with various Easter Eggs in each one. For example, you may come across dinosaurs all sitting down and eating lunch acting like civilized humans, passing the catsup and eating sandwiches. You may find a flash mob style dinosaur dance party with loud pulsing music. You may find a single human minifigure trying to clean up a fragrant dinosaur mess larger than he is. You may find an area that has dinosaurs looking at you, tapping the glass, toting around little dinosaurs, and looking irritated that you aren’t doing anything more exciting (basically the zoo switcheroo). These different Easter Eggs can be switched around with new ones added in as popularity demands.
Racer Mode
This mode is designed for the speed freaks inside all of us. By throwing the hammer down from the beginning of the ride, the Gyrosphere will quickly leave behind the herbivores that are lazing around and into a long straightaway that is filled with running Gallimimus and toward the end, running Velociraptors. The dinosaurs can jostle the vehicle a bit, but this route is more designated for speed and racing dinosaurs than anything else.
Aggressive Mode
This is a mode that is more or less hidden from the regular riders and is difficult to find unless you know about it. Riders will have to move toward the Racer area and then make a blind turn that will not be apparent unless you know it is there. From there you will need to fight upstream against a herd of dinosaurs that will jostle the vehicle around. During that time, you will have to ignore several signs and warnings from the video console inside the vehicle that talk about the danger of continuing in that direction. Your reward is to have the vehicle attacked by the Tyrannosaurus Rex, and if you get away from the T-Rex, you will then be attacked by a random encounter that is sometimes Indominus Rex, mean Velociraptors, or the Spinosaurus. The vehicle will be jostled quite a bit and the glass of the gyrosphere might simulate cracking. If you do nothing to try and get away, the predator will crack the glass followed by the view of teeth and gapping mouth before the entire screen goes blank and ethereal music is softly played until the vehicle arrives back at the station. There are several Easter Eggs in this section as well, some of which involve the dinosaurs using your vehicle for a bit of soccer practice.
Vehicle Collection
In the arena, there are many exit points back to the loading/unloading area. The vehicles will be on a timed system that takes into consideration a minimum amount of time, plus factors in the length of the queue and the amount of vehicles waiting to load and unload, attempting to maximize the time you are allowed in the vehicle without wrecking the day of everyone else waiting in line. As your time starts to dwindle, unbeknownst to the riders, the vehicle will slowly start easing its way toward one of the exits. If your vehicle is “eaten” by a predator, your vehicle will immediately make a straight line toward one of the exits no matter how much time has passed. The riders will experience a similar dark area as at the beginning of the ride as the LED screen is unmounted and removed.
Lego Jurassic World: Gyrosphere Adventure
The experience of a lifetime. Only at Legoland Florida.
Coming soon to Legoland Florida:
One press of a button could send you on an amazing adventure...
Can you beat the bad guys on…
LEGO CITY: POLICE MISSION
The full proposal coming very soon…
(Note: The title is a work in progress)
Your Lego Movie
Coming Soon to Legoland California, Imagination Zone
Legoland is now offering a new interactive attraction, a creative experience for Lego fans of all ages but also accessible to guests from 3-12 years old. Based on the popular home film making app, “Your Lego Movie” features a professional Lego movie set where guests can build their character(s), direct, film, edit, and publish their own mini movies.
To ensure that the participants make the most of their movie making experience, they are invited to sit down and watch an informational video that highlights the entire film process, which includes creating character(s), forming a plot, selecting the set,designing the set, the editing, and finally publishing and sharing. The short instructional video also includes a sample film so that participants may envision the look of their future short movie.
Character/Prop Formation - At the first stage of the process, the participants have access to a wide array of Lego character parts. They can build their own custom character(s) out of legos to reflect their individual interests. In addition to human characters, guests can choose to customize animal characters for their film. They also have the option to select pre-existing characters that were featured in The Lego Movie. In addition to building their own character, guests can also make their own custom Lego props for their movie.
Screenwriting - The guests use their characters to film a stop motion movie, a film depicted in a series of many clips that are taken at sequenced intervals. Compiling these clips into short segments and playing them chronologically suggest movement in the film. Guest filmmakers are given a specially designed paper for their shot list, which should include the different character positions and set layout in the short film. This will help them to organize their film, and it also assists in planning plot formation and scripted dialogue.
Set Design - The studio itself is highly professional, with specially adjusted lighting and advanced film equipment. The movie studio features a variety of different settings, ranging from a Star Wars battle scene to American historical landmarks. Also, guests have the option to choose a set with a green screen, which allows them to customize their setting during the editing stage. Guests are advised to not use prohibited items in the video production room, such as personal cameras or video software.
Filming - To shoot the stills in their film, guests use an advanced video camera with autofocus mounted on a stable tripod, which allows them to film with ease. The film should take approximately 15 to 20 minutes to shoot.
Editing - The guests’ mini movies range in length from about 30 seconds to 1 minute. The guests use a special editing software designed by the Lego company that compiles all of the stills chronologically into various lengths that can be selected ranging from .25 to 2 seconds. They also have the option to specialize their films with preset animated effects and title sequences. They also have the option to include personalized credits at the conclusion of their short film. To add further elements to enhance their film, guests have the option include a musical soundtrack, which can be chosen from a vast array of public domain music. If the film features any form of dialogue or narration, guests are invited to record a voiceover in a soundproof studio. They also have the option to create speech bubbles for their characters, which is a component of the editing program.
Publishing - Finally, participants have the option to share their film to their mobile device or smartphone. Guests can view their film on these devices and have the option to share it on any compatible form of social media, such as Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
If guests would like a DVD hard copy of their film, they can request a Legoland film assistant to burn a disk for them for a nominal fee of $5. The name of the film and director’s name are also printed on the DVD, which is packaged in a durable case for protection.
If they choose to do so, they can also upload their film to the Legoland Film showcase, which promotes creative, high quality films on the Legoland monitors throughout the park, with all attributes given to the filmmaker and the Legoland production company.
If guests require any additional assistance in any stage of film creation, Legoland employees are available to help them with any problems that may occur. These employees are highly trained with the software and equipment and can assist guests with creating their ideal movie.
The “Your Lego Movie” studio also includes a small gift shop, where guests can browse through a variety of film souvenirs to commemorate their movie making experience. The gift shop also features a film called the “Our Lego Movies”, which is a full length movie that is composed of many short films that were rated highly among Legoland guests and employees.
The “Your Lego Movie” allows children to be introduced to the basic components of the filming process. It stimulates creativity and also promotes social developmental skills. Children have fun during this activity and also gain a sense of fulfillment as they have the opportunity to share their own personal movie to family members, or if they choose to do so, the public at Legoland.
To accommodate all interested participants, Legoland recommends that guests plan their film experience in advance by calling the Event Scheduling office at least 1 day prior to their visit. Walk-in visitors are welcome but are only served at a first-come, first-served basis after the scheduled guests.
As of right now, I have read and critiqued the three proposals submitted so far. In fairness, I will wait until Sunday to post these critiques, but I can say you've all submitted a quality proposal.
For those of you who have not yet posted, you have two days remaining to submit your proposals. Despite the initial confusion about IP, the original deadline still stands and anything submitted after that point will be assessed a late penalty. We had eleven competitors register for this competition, so I hope to see eleven proposals when I log in on Sunday morning.
Lord of The Rings: The Lost Rings
What is the single greatest, multi-billion dollar movie franchise that still has absolutely no representation in the theme park industry? Well, it would have to be J. R. R. Tolkien’s world of Middle Earth with The Lord Of The Rings.
Located at LEGOland Florida, Lord of the Rings: The Lost Rings uses a virtual reality helmet system to fully transport guests into the Lego-built world of Middle Earth. This attraction will be fully interactive and will use helmets such as the ones pictured below.
The Concept
Besides the “one ring to rule them all”, there were 19 other rings created.
“Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men, doomed to die”
With the destruction of Sauron’s ring, The Elven Rings lost their magic. The rings of the men were controlled by the Ringwraiths, and were destroyed. Four of the dwarven rings were destroyed and melted by dragons. This leaves three rings of power. It has been assumed that these rings died with Sauron, but in reality, they have been scattered throughout Middle Earth, and still hold a tremendous amount of power.
In this new adventure, guests will become Hobbits and draw their swords against various monsters as they journey through such notable places as Mordor and Rivendell to find the Three Lost Rings.
Facade and Queue
This attraction is located in a new Middle Earth themed sub-section of the Kingdoms area. This area will be themed as The Shire, with a calm, peaceful atmosphere and lots of round doors!
The entrance to the ride will be the House of Bilbo Baggins. It is, of course, built entirely out of Legos. Once inside, the line winds through the many interactive elements of Bilbo Baggins’ home. Some examples include, but are not limited to: A copy of his book, There and Back Again, which can be opened and examined, small plastic rings, which allow you to be “invisible” to others, using the same “smoke and mirrors” as Platform 9 ¾ at Universal, and a tea kettle visibly boiling on the stove.
The Pre-Show
When guests reach the end of the Queue, They are escorted into another room of Bilbo’s house. The room goes dark, and we hear:
“Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men, doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.”
Then, LEGO Gandalf appears on an integrated hologram screen. “Hello, valued Hobbits” he says, directly addressing them. He then proceeds to describe the story of the Three Lost Rings, which, for the sake of brevity, I won’t tell again. “You must find these Lost Rings.
One Lies in Rivendell, hidden in plain sight
One Hides in The Lonely Mountain, where dragons once did bite,
The Third is in Mordor, where creatures you must fight
You must take these Rings to Mount Doom, where you must destroy them. If you succeed in doing this, our world will be saved. If not, well, let’s try not to think about that…
“I have implemented some magic to make locations in our world a bit closer to shorten your journey. No locations should be more than a few minutes apart.
“Now, follow the path, where you will put on your armor. Your armor consists of one of these helmets, which you must wear for your safety. You will also be given a sword that will glow blue when danger is near. I bid you good luck! Farewell!”
The Attraction
Guests board rocking platforms of 8 guests. These platforms are equipped with 8 helmets and swords, and rock along with the actions of the world within the helmets.
The room they are in in the physical world is identical to the first scene inside the Helmet. Gandalf appears to them, and says “Hello again, our first stop on this journey will be Rivendell, so, let’s go!”
The screen changes slowly, implying a walking movement. As they leave the house, the swords begin to glow blue, and shortly, they encounter 8 orcs, one for each of them to fight. They swing their swords until they hit it three times, which will cause it to break into many little bricks.
After just a few more seconds, the gates of Rivendell appear, and soon the guests are inside. Once inside, they are met by Legolas. He informs you that one of the elves is wearing one of the rings. The next elf they meet wears a ring on his finger. Gandalf asks for it nicely “Oh, PLEEEEEEEASE?”, but he refuses to give it up, calling in seven other elves to back him up. One guest will get to fight the elf with the ring while the others will battle the other elves.
After the ring bearing elf has taken four hits, the battle ends with the elf looking exhausted. He finally gives up and hands over his ring to Gandalf. Legolas congratulates you and you all leave and journey towards your next destination: The Lonely Mountain.
After fifteen seconds of “walking”, our hobbits arrive at the Lonely Mountain. Here, they find themselves in a pile of gold. Gandalf tells them the ring will be in there somewhere, when suddenly A Cave Troll and Seven Goblins appear, each assigning themselves to one hobbit. When The Cave Troll takes five hits, the scene ends. Gandalf commands him to bring them to the ring, which he produces from his pocket.
“Now there is just one place left to go...Mordor. It will be dangerous.” Gandalf tells them, “Supposedly, we will have to fight for the ring. Like we haven’t already done that! Now, it would be nearly impossible to walk over the border of Mordor, so I will use my magic to transport you there.”
Immediately, the guests find themselves in the heart of Mordor, Mount Doom in the Distance. There are orcs all around them, and a swarm attacks them, not assigning themselves to guests individually, but rather letting guests swing their swords “willy nilly” at them for a bit, before they run away. Once they are gone, the third ring is on the ground. Gandalf picks it up, and the three rings unite and link together.
(Ignore the character in the front)
The guests suddenly find themselves at the Top of Mount Doom.
Gandalf throws the three rings into the lava, and the darkness that has been spread over this area suddenly lightens. “Congratulations!” Gandalf tells them, “All of the rings have been destroyed, and Middle Earth is safe. Now, let’s go home.”
They are back in Bilbo’s house. Gandalf instructs them to take off their helmets, and bids them farewell.
When guests take off the helmets, they follow a path into “Smaug’s Keep”, a souvenir store filled with Lord of the Rings LEGO sets, replicas of the one rings, t-shirts, etc. They then exit back into The Shire to enjoy the rest of their day at LEGOland Florida.
Lord of the Rings: The Lost Rings is a fun-filled adventure for people of all ages. It is designed be accurate and true to the original setting and world of Middle Earth, while still being fun to those who know nothing about the franchise. It makes a valuable addition to the LEGOland theme park chain.
LEGO CITY: POLICE MISSION
Lego City Police Mission is a new interactive dark ride coming to the LEGO CITY area of Legoland Florida, in which you become a police trainee and help arrest an escaped criminal mastermind. Even though it’s aimed at 7-12 year old children, it is an attraction the whole family can enjoy! Due to some sudden movements, occasional bumps, and a few wet moments the ride has a 38’
height requirement.
ENTRANCE: The main entrance of the ride is a blocky version of the front of a police station (I’m not posting pictures, but if you have a hard time visualizing, please look on Google Images for some photos, and you might get what I mean). Below the main attraction sign is a large banner saying in large black words, “NEW RECRUITS NEEDED!”. The entrance mainly relies on forced perspective, as you can only see the police station entrance.
QUEUE: The queue line weaves through a small jail cell block. This part of the queue is filled with child friendly gags. For example, on one cell, a sign tells us the cell is occupied by Sid the Kid. Under his name, his crime is printed, “Sneaking into LEGOLAND unauthorized.” In the final cell to the left, which holds the back wall appears to be blown to bits. The police training office doors open and riders walk into the preshow area.
PRESHOW: The preshow area can hold 140 guests at one time, and the seats are shaped in a kind of auditorium form. At the desk in the right end of the room is a screen which shows a brief 3 minute film.
The film shows what is required as a police officer, but is interrupted by a transmission by the Lego City police chief. He tells the riders or “intern trainees” that criminal mastermind Bucky Davis (an original villain made for this attraction) has escaped from prison and due to a lack of officer attendance; it’s now the riders’ jobs to arrest him. After he beckons us good luck, the doors open and riders walk into the loading dock
RIDE SYSTEM: Lego City Police Mission uses a trackless ride system since trackless vehicles have more freedom of movement which helps for the interactive part of the ride. What makes this ride interactive? Well, in front of each seat on the ride vehicles are three buttons. When the ride reaches an interactive point, riders quickly vote which decision they want to make using the labeled buttons, which results in many potential ride experiences. If a vote is tied, the ride computers pick one of the tied choices randomly.
Loading Area: The loading area looks like a large police garage. Many Lego police cars are parked in here. We board our ride vehicles, which look like roof-less police cars. Each car can hold 12 riders. The cars star moving and riders set off on their adventure.
Scene 1- The Hunt Begins: Our ride vehicle comes into a dark room with three doors. As we come to a halt, our police commander (whose voice is heard from the cars side speakers) tells us that the police department has cut down Bucky’s possible location to three places: The Warehouse, Downtown, or the Subway. The Commander gives us a brief tutorial on using the buttons, and after the tutorial, riders vote on which location he might be at. Depending on what the riders chose, the picked doors open and the cars glide towards the open door. Each location is its own ride experience, allowing a 3 rides-in one kind of attraction.
Scene 2A- The Storage Area: If riders picked the warehouse, the cars enter a large, open room filled with hundreds of fake boxes. Out of nowhere, one of Bucky’s henchmen knocks over a pile of boxes, blocking the entrance into the next scene. Riders vote again on which way to go around the boxes, left or right. On both routes, riders almost get toppled by tipped box piles, and nearly shot at by henchman (not real shots, too dangerous…). Either way, we get around the toppled crates, and enter the next scene.
Scene 2B: The City Plaza: If riders choose Downtown, our car enters the city plaza. In front of us is a blown up city bank. Bucky and a henchman ride off on a motorcycle, and we peruse after them.
Scene 2C: Watch for the train! - If riders choose the Subway, the car enters a damp, dimly light tunnel. Suddenly, two circular lights turn on. It’s the subway train! Riders quickly vote on whether to turn left or right. Depending, on what riders choose the car either swerves left or right, and the car barley passes the subway train.
The ride offers dozens of ride experiences and would take forever to mention all of them, so I compressed the possible ride locations into short summaries.
If you chose the Warehouse, you can potentially expect an ice cold trip into the freezing room, and a self- destructing assembly line. This is the least intense out of the three ride locations.
If you chose Downtown, you can potentially experience a car chase through the streets, crashing through the history museum, and a grand finale on top of LEGO TOWER. This is the medium intensity ride experience.
If you chose the Subway, you might experience a tunnel cave-in, a short ten foot dip into “sewage” (water), and a bumpy ride. This is the high intensity ride experience, but it’s still a fairly mild ride.
All ride experiences have plenty of interactive voting spots, which can result in dozens of individual ride experiences. No matter which location you chose, you catch the bad guy in the end, and all three ride areas meet up in the end, as the police chief congratulates us and gives us the full-time job as police officers. The car takes one last turn, and disembarks on the other side of the loading garage.
Lego City Police Mission offers dozens of different ride experiences, adding yet another interactive attraction into LEGOLAND’s great ride lineup. It will surely excite children of all ages who meet the height requirement and helps children develop their decision- making skills, while providing a fun, large-scale attraction.
Lego City Police Mission: An interactive attraction for the ages. Can you beat the bad guys?
Creators Notes:
.The entire ride is done in LEGO style, as I forgot to point that out in my description.
. The attraction is unrelated to the Lego City Undercover video games, although kind of similar in basic plot line.
. Also not mentioned in the description, the ride would have lots of LEGO gags (think along the basic line of Lost Kingdom Adventure)
. I owe a bit to AJ since he mainly came up with the interactive system I used.
(Note: I appreciate any constructive feedback, and as this is my first time making an actual proposal, my ride is a little, well, raw. Thank you for taking the time and effort to read this..)
ULTRA AGENTS BATTLE BLASTERS
In Legoland California’s newest attraction, Ultra Agents Battle Blasters, children will have the chance to become an Ultra Agent. This attraction, aimed at 3-12 year olds, will put these “agents in training” to the test by pitting them against each other in a unique game of laser tag bumper cars.
Location
Ultra Agents Battle Blasters will be coming to Legoland California, in the Fun Town section of the park. The location of the attraction is circled below in red.
Queue
Riders begin the queue by going underneath a giant “Ultra Agents Battle Blasters” sign and continuing through some shaded, outdoor switchbacks. During this section, action movie music plays, getting the riders pumped up for the ride. After the outdoor section, riders come into the indoor switchbacks. Unlike the outdoor switchbacks, these feature many TV monitors. The TV monitors show short videos introducing each of the Ultra Agents characters, offering an experience that is both informative and humorous. In between these introductions are short skits on how to be an Ultra Agent. Unlike the introductions, these skits are purely comical. For example, one skit shows the head of Ultra Agents, Solomon Blaze, explaining to the riders that Ultra Agents must be serious at all times. However, when he opens a door, he is shocked to find the Ultra Agents partying. In another skit, Ultra Agent Jack Fury explains how to walk with style. However, when he attempts to walk in slow motion, he accidently slips on a banana peel and falls down. After the switchbacks, the riders head into a pre-show area. The pre-show area is a small room, with one wall covered by a screen and a Solomon Blaze animatronic standing next to it. Here, the Solomon Blaze animatronic explains the plot of the attraction. The riders are agents in training, and in order to earn the title of Ultra Agent, they have to fight each other in a game of Battle Blasters. During the rest of the show, Solomon Blaze explains how to board the ride vehicles and how the ride works, or in other words, he restates the Ride Vehicle and Ride Experience sections. After the pre-show, which takes one cycle to complete, riders move on to the playing field, where riders can chose the vehicle of their choice.
Playing Field
The playing field is unlike most other bumper car arenas as it has not outdoor exposure. Although it is dark, it is brighter than most laser tag courses, so that small children will not be frightened by the darkness. The playing field is shaped like an ellipse, and features random walls in the middle of the course that can be used as shelter. These walls also contain mirrors, which can reflect lasers.
Ride Vehicle
Each ride vehicle is referred to as a “battle car”. The battle car seats two riders. Although the seats are kid sized, they also accommodate parents. The restraints on this ride are simple seatbelts, similar to the ones you would find on Indiana Jones Adventure or Star Tours. Vehicles come in five different colors: red, blue, green, purple, and orange. Both seats contain one “blaster”, which is connected to the ride vehicle via cord. Above the blaster is a small screen that displays the rider’s score. However, unlike most shooting rides, there is another small screen in between the two riders that displays the riders’ combined scores. In addition to the blaster, the rider sitting on the left side also gets a steering wheel, a gas pedal, and a reverse pedal. The battle cars are designed to look like the quad bike below. However, the battle car is wider (to accommodate a second rider) and has smaller wheels, which therefore makes it lower to the ground. On the battle cars, there are ten targets, two in the front, two in the back, three on the left, and three on the right. The guns also have targets, one in the front, one on the right, and one on the left. Vehicles also have sensors on the front, back, left and right to sense bumping.
Ride Experience
After all the riders are seated, the three minute game begins. The blasters have a fire rate of one shot per second. Each time a rider shoots a target vehicle, they are awarded 100 points. When a rider is shot in the gun, ten points are deducted. However, when the vehicle is shot, both players lose 10 points. Once a rider takes 10 hits, the gun deactivates for three seconds. After the three seconds end, the gun is reactivated, and it won’t deactivate again until it takes another 10 hits. When the vehicle is hit 25 times, the vehicle will stop its motion for five seconds. During this time, riders are still able to fire their blasters; however they are not able to drive. Once the five seconds end, the vehicle will not stop again until it is hit another 25 times. When a rider bumps a vehicle, both riders gain 200 points. When a rider is bumped, 20 points are deducted.
Exit
When the ride ends, a rank appears on the team score screen. There are three different ranks, the worst being “Cadet”, the middle one being “Ranger”, and the best being “Captain”. Then, over the loudspeaker, it is announced that everyone did a great job and that they all earned the title of Ultra Agent. At the exit, riders are handed a button pin reading “I am an Ultra Agent”. In addition to the free pin, riders also have the choice to purchase a t-shirt that reads “I am an Ultra Agent” or to purchase a baseball cap or sweatshirt with the Ultra Agents Battle Blasters logo on it.
The Creator
Design. Build. Explore.
The Master Builders have been hard at work on their latest invention, and now you can try it! Test out their new creation, the “Lego-lens”. Design your own city, build a Lego model, and explore your creation through holograms.
This attraction, the first of its kind, combines classic Lego building with state-of-the-art technology to deliver a seamless augmented reality experience. It starts with the Creation Phase and segways into the Exploration Phase.
Location
The Creator is located in Legoland Florida in the back area of Lego City. With all of the improvements being added to nearby theme parks, it is vitally important for Legoland to remain a top entertainment destination. This attraction will help anchor Legoland’s presence in the Florida theme park industry.
A mockup of The Creator's location in the park.
The Technology
This attraction utilizes Microsoft Hololens (referred to as Lego-lens within the attraction), creating an augmented reality world that overlays the guest’s Lego creation into a room. Hololens allows for user interaction within the virtual display. Although this technology is not yet available to the public, those who have tested it have given it overwhelmingly positive reviews. The major criticism has been the field of view, which Microsoft is believed to be fervently working on. This will allow for a complete and immersive wraparound holographic display. For a visualization of how this technology will work within this attraction, watch the Hololens announcement video. The most important clips are 0:56-1:01, 1:15-1:25, and 1:51-1:55.
A mockup of a Lego-lens.
This attraction also relies on cameras that can capture a physical model and turn it into a 3D rendering for the Lego-lens to use. Although this specific application is yet to exist (but would be relatively easy to implement), 3D models can quickly and easily be generated from physical objects. This same technology would be used in scanner boxes to turn the Lego boards into 3D models, which will then be translated into a display on the Lego-lens.
Creation Phase
Build a world that you’d like to explore.
A queue criss-crosses past the front of the attraction building, with several television monitors overhead that loop an informative video about the Creation Phase. This queue leads to a giant, three storied room full of anchored tables. Each table has an empty Lego board on its surface, about 3ft by 3ft in size. On the board in a T-shape is an immoveable Lego road that cannot be built on. This will give guests a walkway during the Exploration Phase. The table also has a large, red “Done!” button. Surrounding the edges of the Lego board are cubbies full of Legos, organized by color, type, and size. Interspersed throughout the room are open cabinets full of prebuilt models, all from the “Creator” Lego line. The Creator line encompasses a wide variety of models, from world icons to Volkswagens to monkeys. guests can choose to either arrange prebuilt models from the Creator line on their Lego board, design their own creation, or combine prebuilt models with custom creations.
Signs hang overhead that summarize the experience for the guests before they begin their adventure. They are worded as follow:
Step 1: Find an open table and start building!
Step 2: When you’re done, click the “Done!” button.
Step 3: A Model Citizen will scan the design and print a ticket for you.
Step 4: Enter the standby line. When prompted, share your ticket with a Model Citizen to sync your creation to your Lego-lens.
Step 5: Enter your world and explore your creation!
Guests are free to build absolutely anything, encouraging kids to unleash their creative potential. Model Citizens (Legoland’s name for its park workers) periodically check-in on parties as they work on their creations, ensuring that they are on task and that their creation will be readable by the scanner.
For younger visitors who may find constructing with Legos difficult, there are also Duplo tables. Here, the youngest guests can design and build their own creations with blocks specifically catering to their abilities.
Once an individual or party is done with their creation, they press a “Done!” button on the side of their table. A Model Citizen will come to their table and unlatch the Lego board. The Model Citizen will carry the board with the completed creation to a scanner machine. Scanners have a shape similar to vending machines, but with a giant rectangular opening in them. The Model Citizen places the Lego board into this opening, and the machine automatically scans the design, generating a 3D model. This process takes around 30 seconds to a minute to complete. Once done, a ticket bearing a scannable barcode prints out from the machine. Now, the individual or party takes that ticket and enters the standby line from the entrance inside of the Creation Phase building.
An example of a creation that could be built by guests.
Exploration Phase
Explore a creation of your very own.
There are two separate queues that lead to this space. One begins at the entrance of the attraction and is for users who decide to not participate in the Creation Phase, opting to choose from a variety of preset options instead. The other queue starts inside the Creation Phase building and is for those who designed their own Lego board. Both lines traverse a street flanked by buildings made of large Legos, effectively “shrinking” the guests down to the size of the Lego characters and setting the stage for their adventure yet to come. These two lines merge right before picking up their glasses.
For guests who decided to forgo the Creation Phase, they choose a prebuilt world that they would like to explore before entering the queue. Guests interact with a ticket monitor that displays images of various Lego builds from all of their different product lines. Not only does this promote Lego IP, but it also gives guests the chance to explore the worlds of their favorite Lego products. After a guest selects their chosen build, a ticket prints out with a scannable code.
The tickets that guests receive are used to program the Lego-lens. A Model Citizen scans the ticket, and the respective data is downloaded onto a designated number of glasses. Then, the glasses are given to the guests and they move forward in line.
To begin the heart of the Exploration Phase, guests enter one of two sparsely decorated rooms. The main physical feature is a painted road that crosses the room in a T-shape, providing a designated walkway. In each room guests are prompted to put on their Lego-lenses, and the room’s lights dim. Suddenly, the holograms start to form around the room. Legos begin to assemble themselves, flying from all over to room to make the guest’s creation. As the Legos fly in, the guests’ creations rise around them. In about 30 seconds, the holograms are fully assembled and guests are encouraged to explore their creations.
Since the entire creation itself doesn’t exist in the physical world, guests can walk through the holograms. However, they are encouraged to interact with their builds. Some blocks are preprogramed with animations, so that when they appear in holographic form, they can move and interact with the guests. For example, a Lego flower could have been placed on the Lego board during the Creation Phase. Now in the holographic form, it automatically sways in the wind and has butterflies flittering around. When a guest reaches out and “touches” the space that the hologram flower is in, other small flowers pop up around it. All of the prebuilt models also have preprogrammed animations, giving the hologram world movement and a sense of realism. Depending on the prebuilt models, different transportation vehicles will ride up and down the street.
Since each Lego-lens contains the specific data of a guest, there can be up to 35 guests in a single room, each experiencing their own world. The road provides a common walkway that everyone shares. For guests exploring the same creation, the Lego-lenses will “talk” to each other, allowing one guest to see another guest’s interactions in the virtual environment.
Regardless of the guest’s creation, the hologram sun and sky are seen by all. Over the 5 minute attraction period, the sun rises, makes its course through the sky, and sets. During sunset, the sky glows with vivid colors before giving way to stars. As the stars begin to twinkle in the sky, the holographic Lego builds slowly dissolve. Then, the stars gradually fade and the room lights turn on. This visually stunning display marks the end of the attraction’s experience.
After the attraction concludes, the guests exit through an expansive gift shop, where all the Lego products and models that are prebuilt for the attraction can be purchased.
Accessibility
Because the Exploration Phase takes place in a flat surface with a designated walkway, the ride is both wheelchair and stroller accessible. This attraction is truly for the whole family.
Conclusion
The Creator is an immersive attraction with a high repeatability factor, since the creation possibilities are limitless. The attraction doesn’t focus on a single Lego product line, but rather the entire brand itself, marrying the physical Lego building experience with state-of-the-art technology. It’s Legos for the 21st century.
The AWESOME LEGO Ride
Celebrating the wild fun, laugh out-loud humor, and infectious music of the critical and kid acclaimed film The LEGO Movie, Legoland Florida's newest attraction, The AWESOME LEGO Ride, will be the most fascinating, rip-roaringly entertaining, jaw-dropping spectacle of perfection (without instructions) THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN! Guests will experience an action-packed, light-hearted interactive 3D adventure full of imagination and excitement in the many wonderful realms of LEGO. Guests may chose which realms to visit and how their adventure will play out. But in order to succeed in defeating the diabolical plans of the dastardly Lord Business and his evil robot armies, guests must work TOGETHER to restore free creativity to the LEGO Universe. Nobody gets left behind on The AWESOME LEGO Ride and as the song says, "Everything is Awesome! Everything is cool when you're part of a team!"
Location
In the center of Legoland Florida, taking the place of the former Fun Town Theater, The AWESOME LEGO Ride will be the signature attraction of the best little theme park in Winter Haven, Florida. Combining a state-of-the-art ride system using high-definition 3D computer animation, special effects, highly-detailed LEGO sets, and audio animatronics, The AWESOME LEGO Ride will set a new standard in the theme park industry as the most interactive ride attraction EVER!
Queue
The queue of the ride will feature many interactive LEGO building games for guests to play utilizing easy to use touch screens and high-definition monitors, helping riders acclimate to the similar type systems and projections used on the ride. Along the way, Lord Business (the bad guy) will inform guests about his need for perfection and remind those that do not listen to "FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS!" The interactive activities will include building various characters, vehicles, machines, and other structures that may very well appear on their upcoming AWESOME LEGO adventure.
Ride System
Guests with 3D glasses will board four person, motion simulating, track based vehicles (a total capacity of six guests per vehicle is possible with younger children) seated in two rows (a front row and a back row with raised seating). Both rows will be equipped with an interactive touch screen centered on the front of each row. Once boarded, the LEGO ride vehicles will depart from the loading platform in tandem (two together at a time) every 30 seconds and enter the first scene of the attraction in Bricksburg.
The Opening: Bricksburg
In the bustling LEGO city of Bricksburg, where ordinary is common, guests are introduced to an audio animatronic of Emmet Brickowski, a secret MasterBuilder and "The Special", aka the hero from The LEGO Movie. Emmet informs the guests (accompanied by a corresponding video of his descriptions) of the danger they and the LEGO Universe finds itself in. He feverishly informs the guests that Lord Business has made steps to isolate the various LEGO realms from one another and that he is about to achieve his goal of gluing still the entire LEGO Universe in a perpetual state of perfection. Vitruvius, an old wizard who knows about the prophecy of the LEGO Universe, suddenly appears (also as an audio animatronic) and informs Emmet that he has sent these guests to his aid. Relieved by Vitruvius's reinforcements, Emmet asks the guests to chose a LEGO realm that they may transport to and help battle Lord Business' evil robot armies.
The LEGO Realms
The four rows of guests (two ride vehicles) each have the opportunity to chose one of the twelve LEGO realms to explore as they appear as icons on their touch screens. The four chosen realms will make up the four main scenes of the ride experience. The twelve LEGO realms guests may chose are:
The Old West
Pirate's Cove
Viking's Landing
Pharaoh's Quest
Knight's Club
Cape Space
Dino Island
Clown Town
Atlantis
Middle Zealand
TECHNIC Mecha Mine
Vladek's Realm
The Forest of Obsolete Products (an unlisted LEGO realm that can be accessed with a secret code.)
In the case where the same realm is chosen by one or more rows, a second or third option will be offered. If an alternate is not chosen, a random realm will automatically be chosen for them, totaling four realms/scenes per ride. After the choices are made, the two ride vehicles will pass through a tunnel to the first scene. An audio animatronic of Lucy Wyldstyle will be nearby to direct the guests and wish them good luck.
The Ride
The AWESOME LEGO Ride will be made up of four main scenes, in order of appearance: an action adventure scene, a chase, a revelation scene, and the finale. Each scene will take place in one of the realms chosen at the beginning of the ride. Also, the action and humor of the scenes will be drawn from and integrated into the LEGO realm in which it takes place.
The first scene will be an action adventure where guests will experience the excitement of dodging the flurry of Lord Business' attacking robots. High-definition 3D projections, special effects, and the motion of the vehicles will bring the action to life. During the assault, guests can chose various LEGO characters to join the mayhem. The faster guests make their selections on their touch screens, the more LEGO characters will be part of the fun. The LEGO characters guests may chose are:
Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash, Mermaid Lady, Abraham Lincoln, Cleopatra, Michelangelo (the artist), Michelangelo (the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle), William Shakespeare, Gandalf, Dumbledore, Medusa, Han Solo, C-3PO, Lando Calrissian, Robin Hood, Shaquille O'Neal, Cardio Carrie, Swamp Creature, Speed Racer, Nice Vampire, Lady Liberty, El Macho Wrestler, Johnny Thunder, Lizard Man, Hank Haystack, Panda Guy, Yeti, Mummy, Punk Rocker, Disco Dude, Green Ninja, and Milhouse.
The main characters from The LEGO Movie, such as Emmet, Lucy Wyldstyle, Batman, Metal Beard, Princess Unikitty, and Benny the Spaceman, will appear at various moments of the ride.
The second scene of the ride will be an extended chase scene within a long, specially built high-definition 3D projection tunnel using wind effects and special effects to simulate the increased speed of the action. The MasterBuilders, LEGO characters, and the guests are on the run from the evil robot army. With Bad Cop/Good Cop (another bad guy) now joining the pursuit, guests will feel the acceleration in tension.
The third scene will be the revelation of the MasterBuilders and the construction of their forces leading into the final showdown. Through the first two scenes, the MasterBuilders find themselves on the run and almost defeated. Vitruvius, the old wizard, comes back at the beginning of the third scene, interrupts the pursuit of the evil forces and reveals that the guests on the ride are in fact MasterBuilders as well and that they need to believe in themselves. Emmet, "The Special", then gives an inspiring speech recognizing that if the MasterBuilders work together, that they will be victorious in resorting free creativity to the LEGO Universe. Using pieces of the realm the guests now find themselves in, they can build large, creatively extravagant machines by following the prompts and options on their touch screens. The MasterBuilders will use the forces they build for the finale against Lord Business, Bad Cop/Good Cop, and the evil robot armies.
The Finale
The finale of the ride is the battle to restore free creativity to the LEGO Universe. With all the MasterBuilders and LEGO characters finally together, their forces are equal to Lord Business'. To up the odds against Lord Business and his robot army, the guests will have LEGO laser shooters that surprisingly spring up from the ride vehicles. The LEGO laser shooters fire 3D LEGO lasers that can quickly defeat the entire evil robot army. The battle will conclude when the robot army is reduced to little LEGO pieces and Bad Cop/Good Cop and Lord Business are captured. The ride ends with all the MasterBuilders and LEGO characters assembled together with Emmet proclaiming, "See? Together WE can do anything!" And then the The LEGO Movie song begins, "Everthing is Awesome!"
Cloud Cuckooland
The guests disembark the ride vehicles in Cloud Cuckooland, where the celebration of the victory continues. Cloud Cuckooland also houses a specialty LEGO shop with LEGOs of all sorts for purchase, including those from The LEGO Movie.
Taco Tuesdays
To expand on The LEGO Movie theme, next to the Cloud Cuckooland Shop is Taco Tuesdays, a specialty food outlet open EVERYDAY serving tacos, nachos, and burritos to the Legoland Florida guests.
The Lego Movie Adventure
Opening in 2016 in the Imagination Zone of Legoland California
This new and exciting interactive walk-through takes you through many of the worlds seen in the film and a new world that was around during the film but was never actually seen. The guests walk up to the show building right next to the Technic Coaster and the Pizza and Pasta Buffet and wait for a couple of minutes in a small outdoor queue featuring travel posters made to show the different places you will travel. Groups of 14 kids and their parents will be brought inside the building, which is themed like Emmett’s house. You meet your tour guide, who lets everyone know that they are friends of Emmett and Lucy and wanted to show everyone the Lego universe. Each child is given a number and will be randomly picked whenever an activity comes up. (All of the worlds visited can be seen in the scene in The Lego Movie where Lucy explains what President Business did with putting walls around the different worlds. A map is shown with different worlds named. Those worlds will be used in this adventure.) As the group follows the guide out of the house, they encourage everyone to sing-along to the song “Everything is Awesome!” as they enter….
Bricksburg
https://www.flickr.com/gp/134853555@N03/1U1B82
Bricksburg! The first place on our journey is Emmett’s home town. Each land has two activities that the group chooses which one they want to take part in. The activities are fit for ages 3-12, with some being more fit for the older kids and some more for the younger kids. In Bricksburg, the first activity would be to help the construction workers finish building a building. Three kids will be selected by the guide, who has a handheld machine in his pocket that has all of the kid’s numbers on it and will randomly pick the number of kids needed and will not select their numbers again (if there are not enough kids, parents might be asked to do an activity). The kids would be able to help put together a door and a few windows and hammer plastic hammers into nails and also help clean around the building and putting a few potted plants around the building. The second activity that could be played by kids would have three kids driving little taxi cabs around the buildings, dropping off costumed Lego people at different buildings. The cars will be made to look like a Lego car and run on a track and it will also be timed to see who can deliver their person the fastest. After the activity is finished, the guide will lead the guests to the entrance of the tunnels and travel to the next world known as….
The Old West
https://www.flickr.com/photos/134853555@N03/shares/D0Cvp2
The Old West! Guests enter right under the sign for the world and enter the western town and choose which activity is done. This world will have a saloon, horse corrals and other western things shown in the movie. The first activity would have three kids riding Lego horses around a corral and they play a game where they throw rings into barrels around them while riding the horse to see who can get the most in the barrels. The second activity is a sling shot game where three kids use a sling shot to shoot at Lego bottles and see who has the best aim. The guide then opens the tunnel to the next world which is….
Pirate’s Cove
https://www.flickr.com/photos/134853555@N03/shares/y0ce2A
Pirate’s Cove! This is one of the worlds shown on the map in the movie but never seen. This world will have a big pirate ship in the cove with a mountain like cave in the background with a pirate camp on the beach, waiting for the guests. The first activity would be a lesson for four kids on how to sword fight and fight four pirates who live in Pirate’s Cove. The second activity is cannon ball practice on the Lego pirate ship. There will be pirates on the Lego Sea with targets of enemy ships and it is the job of four kids to aim cannon balls that are bouncy balls and knock down the enemy ships before they come to Pirate’s Cove. After the activity, the guide leads guests to the entrance of the cave in the mountain and opens it to reveal it as the entrance to the tunnels as guest are lead to….
Middle Zealand
https://flic.kr/p/w9E5PS
Middle Zealand! This is the land of knights and dragons of yore. Guests enter the world into a courtyard in front of the entrance into a castle. The first activity is a jousting game, putting four kids against each other. They are suited up in “armor” and are situated on Lego horses and ride around trying to collect rings on their lances. The second activity that could be chosen would be four kids battling a fire-breathing dragon outside of the castle. There would be specific spots on the dragon’s body that kids will aim their swords at and defeat the dragon. As they start to walk towards to the tunnel entrance, two henchmen from President Business come up to the group and takes them into custody. They enter the tunnel with the guests to arrive at the….
The Octan Tower
https://flic.kr/p/w9DTBm
The Octan Tower! It is revealed that President Business created a robot version of himself and he forgot to turn him off. He is now in control of all of the robots and wants to rule all of the Lego worlds. The guests are brought to the “Think Tank” and locked in there. After the guide says, “What will we do?” Emmet and Lucy break in and help the guests escape out of the “Think Tank.” As they leave, guests are handed a handheld laser gun to play a big game of laser tag against the robot guards. The guests aim at the robots chest, head or knees to turn them off. After all of the robots are turned off, Robot President Business gets turned off by Emmet in front of everyone. Emmet and Lucy tell everyone that because of their bravery and creativity in the activities, they are all Honorary Master Builders. They then lead the guide and guests through the tunnels into….
Cloud Cuckoo Land
https://flic.kr/p/w9YmhQ
Cloud Cuckoo Land! Here is that crazy world where there is only nonsense (and no consistency!) Emmet and Lucy bring guests into the Dog Building where more Master Builders are there for you to meet like Princess Unikitty, Batman, and Benny. When guests get there, Emmet invites the guests to join them in their Big Master Builders Dance Party! The dance party lasts for a few minutes and then Emmet and Lucy escort the guests to the exit with the guide passing out buttons that say “I am an Honorary Master Builder.” The guests exit on the other side of the building and exit back into the imaginative world of Legoland California.
Thank for reading my post and have a great day!
Opening Remarks
Okay, I know it has a risk of making me look like the "evil" judge, but I'm not going to tell you "everything is awesome" (See what I did there?) just for the sake of it. I'm here to pick holes, and point out problems so I can help you all improve in later stages. If I tell you its all great, and there are points you can develop off, then not only am I being dishonest, I'm doing you a disservice as you don't get that opportunity to build off it.
However, I think this is a hard challenge, and I'm not sure we quite recognised how tricky it was going to be.
I recoil at the idea of designing an "interactive" ride alone, add to that you've got the difficulty of Lego - it is a very distinct brand with a very distinct feel; the legoland parks also have a very distinct demographic - Families with kids aged 3-12. Hitting these three bulls eyes perfectly is a mammoth task
Understanding the Lego and Legoland brands, and their demographic were in some cases the difference between being ranked high and ranked low.
I think, given all of that you all did wonderfully. The only thing Child's play about this challenge is the name.
Okay, speech out of the way, lets get to the specifics.
——Doulas Hindley - Ninjago Temple——
Just a minor point “there are four Elements – Fire, Ice, Lightning, Earth and Creation” I count 5 elements.
Your attraction certainly is interactive; however aimed at kids in the later part of the parks demographic, not a lot here for younger guests. I’m also not sure if all parents will be pleased about real fighting techniques being taught (I’m thinking about the training course here)… Its one thing for a purely fantasy technique like Light-saber Duels, its another for real martial art.
I’m also not sure about how effective the flow is here. Having a pre and post show for an interactive playground strikes me as an odd choice. They work in a queue where you’re waiting to board a ride experience, but I don’t think they work when you’re left to your own devices.
Thinking about how this will work with other lands, and using it as a Trojan horse for larger expansion shows some good forward thinking.
—-Jeff Eliott - Jurassic World Gyrosphere——
Jeff, you’ve definitely hit the interactive point… But I’m just not feeling the rest of it.
This kinda seems like a universal studios pitch with the word “lego” subbed in every now and then… It just doesn’t feel lego. I see a bit in the station area, but the ride itself, the pictures confuse me as to if we’re looking at lego dinosaurs or not.
The Ride system also confuses me. if this is a projection on the glass dome, what is going to stop me seeing the dull, dark room. In addition, I can see the illusion being broken easily… If I’m seeing video of me going straight, but I’m actually turning to avoid another car, I’m going to notice that disconnect (and that is going to confuse the brain, possibly leading to motion sickness.
Those Orb things need to be in a theme park somewhere, somehow. But I don’t think Lego is the place, and I don’t think this is the right form.
However, the ride definitely speaks to the lego demographic. Its a ride that the whole family can ride together.
——-Karina Bhattacharya - Your lego Movie——-
Again, definitely ticking the interactive box. I think you’ve done something here none of us would have expected.
A one-hour book ahead attraction isn’t really suited for a theme park - except perhaps as an up charge attraction just outside.
This also seems to me to be a one person thing rather than something that will bring the family together. Theme Park attractions Tend to me more about getting through volumes of guests.
I do think there might however be a place for this in the Lego Family. They have smaller “Discovery Centres”, this might be an event night attractions that could tie into that format, or a travelling version could be used in Shopping malls where Lego (or one of their resellers) have a large retail presence, rather than a permanent theme park attraction.
This does have the ability to tailor to many lego fans, including perhaps those that the parks don’t target so well - Adult fans of lego.
—---DPCC Inc - Lord of the Rings—--
Although VR helmet are definitely interactive, they are an isolating experience that doesn’t scream “Family Park” to me. They’re great in an arcade as a headline attraction there, but I don’t think a theme park is the right place.
I think it also feels shoehorned into lego. This isn’t a Lord of the Rings attraction that just happens to have a lego house.
Again, this might work as a travelling attraction to bring attention to a Lego Retail location, but it doesn’t feel like a theme park attraction to me
There’s also a problem with the demographic. I know the Samsung gear is not recommended for young eyes - specifically under 13, that's basically your entire demographic ruled out by H&S. Occulus is 7+, but that's still half of your demographic wiped out.
---—Tyler Harris - Police Mission—--
I’m going to presume your height requirement is a typo, 38’ is 38 Feet - Thats an awfully tall person. I’m guessing you mean 38” which is just under a metre, much more reasonable for a family ride.
“The main entrance of the ride is a blocky version of the front of a police station (I’m not posting pictures, but if you have a hard time visualizing, please look on Google Images for some photos, and you might get what I mean)”
Don’t do this. There have been lots of lego police stations over the years. If you have one in mind that exist, show us that one. If you can’t find the right picture, paint it in words. Don’t tell us to go and find it - this is a professional style pitch “go google it yourself” is not professional.
I don’t know if you mean http://cache.lego.com/e/dynamic/is/image/LEGO/60047?$main$ or https://a248.e.akamai.net/cache.lego.com/r/rebrick/images/ImageHandler.ashx?id=89d5e43c-9d38-4351-a68e-a0ac00257379&size=RebrickLarge&d=1 or http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81f3kI0zxDL._SL1500_.jpg
Now we’ve got that out of the way, choosing Lego Police is a good choice, its something that many lego fans will have. Your ride is perhaps the most traditional ride, and the interactivity is lower than your competitors, but is enough to tick the box.
I think this is a good ride that will be enjoyed by all the family.
——Juan Hamilton - ULTRA AGENTS BATTLE BLASTERS——
Thank you for giving a location- I find this really does add credibility to the proposal. That goes for all the other contestants that did so.
Laser Tag Bumper Cars… I like it. You have hit the target demographic perfectly. One Adult and one Kid is a great way to make sure the entire nuclear family can have fun, or older kids can ride together.
The interactive point system also seems fun. Not sure about giving out free pins to everyone, seems like a high cost, a printed award should be fine.
I am left wondering just how “lego” this attraction is I’d like to see more work on the field. Rather than just dark, I think you could have done more to make it lego. Have them drive around an oversized lego town or something… I’m also wondering if it might be too much “car” when the lego driving school is considered.
——Andy Teoh - Creator———
Again, like some others, this doesn’t seem like the right match for a theme park attraction, I think its better suited as traveling event that can be used by lego retail/discovery centres to help drive traffic, due to the low volume of guests that could experience the attraction.
You’ve certainly ticked the interactive box. However, as I mentioned before I think there’s also a problem with the demographic. I know the Samsung gear is not recommended for young eyes - specifically under 13, that's basically your entire demographic ruled out by H&S. This would render your attraction only accessible to Adult fans of Lego. Occulus is 7+, but that's still half of your demographic wiped out.
———Keith Schneider - The Awesome lego ride——
Thank you for reminding me of the song… otherwise I would have complained about the name, but given the song is in the movie, is perfect.
There’s nothing too wrong about recreating a movie in ride form. The only real problem is it is a bit dated. Back in the Pre-VCR era when TV stations showing clip shows or classic library films were still a high-ratings event, these rides were ideal to help relive the memory of the film… these days it is a bit redundant when the guests can probably watch the entire film when they get back to the hotel.
I think however you have ridden very closely the line between “movie recreation” and “New experience”, yes we revisit some classic places and the setup seems awfully familiar, but the ability to remodel them into a new order with different events happening in different places.
I do like the addition of the Taco Tuesday stall as well.
———Brett Angwin - The Lego Movie Adventure——
As I said to Keith, to keep a movie related ride within fashion you need to offer an experience that goes outside of just recreating the movie.
An experience that relies upon people participating, essentially performing in front of others is risky. With kids, doubly so- Some kids are going to be extremely shy, and others will be unhappy they didn’t get t participate in the activity of their choice.
I really don’t think kids are going to particularly enjoy watching someone else have fun rather than being allowed to do all the task themselves. I don’t want to watch four kids learning to sword fight… I want to learn to sword fight.
This also to me has a scale issue… It doesn’t to me sound like an epic attraction at a theme park. At best, this seems to be an overfill attraction, or a traveling attraction… at worst, I’m not really sure if this works at all.
I'll be posting later tonight.
Well, we certainly got an interesting mix of attractions this round. To be honest, I wasn't 100% sure how it was going to go. LEGOLAND is a very different type of park from Disney or Universal, and based on the submissions it is clear that some of you really get LEGOLAND and others have very limited experience with the parks. The upcoming challenges should be a little easier for everyone to relate to (well, anyone who's visited parks outside of California or Florida) and at least the next couple rounds will be less complicated than this. This was definitely not an easy challenge, but you all did a great job and even the worst entry this round is a viable attraction.
For those who did not compete last season, when I judge proposals I first read through the proposal. I then go back and read it again, writing a critique as I go. My critiques will generally mention things as I get to them, with comments on many different aspects of your proposal. At the end, I will give a 2-3 sentence wrap-up of the attraction.
Okay, here we go...
Douglas (Ninjago Temple): As one of Lego's most popular brands, Ninjago is an excellent choice for your attraction. Ninjas are always a popular topic, and Ninjago appears to be the most modern Lego interpretation of that theme. Your choice of location for the temple is excellent, and I love that you have incorporated Lego humor into the attraction from the beginning. The preshow is a great way to introduce the attraction concept and it sounds like it is about the right length to keep the attention of younger viewers. The temple's Training Course would be enough reason alone to participate in this attraction, even with the numerous other playgrounds LEGOLAND California offers. However, with the Agility lesson being essentially a one-way playground it does seem a little redundant. The other four lessons (Courage, Stealth, Battle, and Teamwork) are all fun activities that both kids and their parents can enjoy. Concluding the experience with a graduation ceremony is an excellent way to complete the experience. Overall, Ninjago Temple is an outstanding attraction and just what I would expect for a fully interactive LEGOLAND experience. My main concern for this attraction is that it could take some time to complete, particularly if the temple is crowded. However, if the crowds inside are limited to ensure kids enjoy the temple without becoming bored with constant lines I'm sure this would be an absolute winner.
Jeff (Lego Jurassic World's Gyrosphere Adventure): First off, I would just like to say that if this attraction were announced for Legoland Florida, a representative from Universal Orlando's legal department would probably be at the park within an hour. However, as your attraction falls within the modified rules of the challenge I will choose to ignore this. Of all the attractions in Jurassic World, the Gyrosphere is likely the one that would be most popular as a real ride. You have done an excellent job of recreating the experience using existing technology. The queue for your attraction sounds very entertaining, which would be a good thing for the 60-90 minute waits this ride will get (especially if staffed by one teenage ride op as shown in the film). Using a four person gyrosphere is a great move, both for capacity reasons and to better accommodate young children. However, it would be a good idea to make all seats available to all passengers in order to accommodate groups of various composition. The description of your screen system is a little confusing, but to me it sounds like you're essentially putting a giant Oculus Rift on the ride vehicle. Why not simply have the glass be a screen itself and reduce the complexity of the system? I'm also not sure why guests should be feeling wind inside the enclosed sphere. While I'm a fan of animatronics, having this be a virtual attraction is the only practical option and I'm assuming everything would be rendered in the style of the Lego video games. Passive Mode definitely sounds like the most enjoyable of the three ride experiences and I love the fact that you have filled the attraction with Lego humor. Racer Mode is something that most guests would probably like to check out, but not something many would want to spend the whole ride on. Lastly, Aggressive Mode may be a hidden mode at first but won't as soon as it gets onto the internet. This mode is a nice touch to stay true to the film, but I worry it may be too intense and scary for younger members of the family. Also, if riders do get eaten, it would be nice to have a little bit more of a resolution (maybe Lego angels appear and revive the riders...I don't know). Honestly, I really like your attraction, but I feel that while it is a great attraction it isn't necessarily a great LEGOLAND attraction. The amount of technical complexity is much higher than anything the LEGOLAND parks have done and I feel this ride may be too scary for anyone under 7 (particularly aggressive mode), effectively excluding half of LEGOLAND's target audience. If this were a Universal attraction, it could be a winning proposal, but for this particular challenge it wasn't really what I was looking for.
Karina (Your Lego Movie): The Lego Movie was an overwhelming success, so creating an attraction that references it is a great choice. Starting with an introductory video is absolutely necessary as many children likely have very limited knowledge of filmmaking. I would suggest either reversing or merging the first two steps of the experience (character/prop formation and screenwriting) as kids may decide they don't like a prop they built or that they're missing something they need when writing the storyboard for the film. I would also suggests that guests are informed of the set choices in advance so that they can take those into consideration when writing and building. However, all three of these steps are very important and you have implemented them in a manner that children can understand. The filming, editing, and publishing steps are all good. Overall, this sounds like a fun attraction that provides a unique theme park experience. There are, however, a couple issues I have with it. First off, the attraction needs more unique features to distance itself from the phone app. If it is the exact same thing someone could do at home, the attraction is not likely to draw a huge crowd. You need to make sure that there is something unique that visitors can't just do at home. Secondly, taking advance reservations for the attraction is a bad idea. It may be low capacity, but having a stand-by wait with experiences starting every 15-30 minutes or just a system similar to Lego Mindstorms (guests go to the attraction in the morning and get a return time for the attraction) would work better. Lastly, the complexity of your attraction would probably make it an uninteresting experience for the younger end of your suggested age group, and I think a child would probably need to be in the 7-8 range to be able to do this attraction without continuous assistance from a parent. That said, you've got a decent attraction concept, it just needs some tweaking to make it better.
DPCC (Lord of the Rings: The Lost Rings): While Lord of the Rings seems a bit too adult for LEGOLAND, you have done a good job creating an attraction that younger children will be able to enjoy as much as older family members. Use of a virtual environment makes a lot of sense for this type of attraction, but I worry about motion sickness and other issues caused by the helmets. While the storyline of your attraction doesn't quite mesh with Tolkien mythology, it is a fine concept to use for your attraction and can be understood by younger visitors. The queue for your attraction is excellent and could almost be a walk-through attraction on its own. Using Gandalf as a preshow host is excellent as he will be a familiar character to many. However, I think it would have been more impressive to use an animatronic Gandalf rather than a screen effect. Disguising the helmets as pieces of armor (presumably Lego armor) is smart so that it does not ruin the illusion of the attraction. I don't really like the rocking platform idea as I could foresee a lot of potential problems when combining that with a VR headset. Either have a rocking platform surrounded by a 360 screen or have a VR walkthrough. The Rivendell scene doesn't really work as the Rivendell elves are friendly, so perhaps Mirkwood should have been used here instead. The other sequences in the attraction are good and feature plenty of combat opportunities for participants. It would be nice, however, to allow multiple guests to take on the bosses and ensure everyone gets to fight at least one boss. Overall, this is a decent ride, but it definitely has issues. I'm just not convinced the combination of VR and a moving platform is the best option for this attraction and could see issues with participants losing their balance or swinging swords into each other. I could also see capacity issues with this attraction unless a large number of platforms were used. It would certainly be popular with Lord of the Rings fans, but I have a feeling it may not hold the same level of appeal to everyone else.
Tyler (Lego City: Police Mission): Dark rides are often a family favorite and you have created one of the most unique out there. Having a ride with multiple pathways would definitely be an interesting attraction and could be ridden hundreds of times without getting dull. Setting the ride in a police station is pretty much required for this attraction, so your facade is great. The queue is also excellent by the standards of LEGOLAND and includes plenty of Lego humor. For a 3 minute preshow, having a seated presentation is probably more trouble than it is worth and 140 at a time would likely overload your ride's capacity. The film itself is a good way to set up the attraction. The ride vehicles sound similar to those on Transformers, but as the system is trackless smaller vehicles may have been a better choice. The scenes you have described all sound great for this type of attraction, and I trust that the remaining scenes will be of similar quality and follow a similar format (riders enter the scene, something happens, and riders vote on how to proceed). It would have been helpful to go into a little more detail about how the different paths work (for example, is each independent or do they converge and diverge during the attraction?). Regardless, this is a very creative ride system and an overall great attraction. Even though the height restriction is 38", most 4 year old children will be able to ride as long as the attraction isn't too scary or intense (it sounds about one step up from the Fantasyland dark rides in both categories). It may be a little outside the typical budget of a LEGOLAND park, but I'm sure this would be a winner.
Juan (Ultra Agents Battle Blasters): A high tech bumper car attraction is something that would be a lot of fun for all ages. You have also picked a good location in the park for the attraction. The queue for your attraction sounds entertaining, and like many other proposals I'm glad you included Lego humor here. While I generally find preshows unnecessary for more basic attractions like this, it is helpful here in order to ensure guests understand how to operate the vehicle properly. The arena definitely sounds like a cross between a laser tag arena and a bumper car arena, fitting the hybrid attraction well. The ride vehicles you've created sound perfect for this attraction, though if you're expecting riders of all sizes it might be a good idea to include adjustable controls. Kids generally have a hard time driving full-size bumper cars, and adults can't fit the kiddie version. The ride experience sounds potentially chaotic, but at the same time it would be a lot of fun. Three minutes is probably just about the right length for this attraction, as it will give guests time to get used to the controls and blast all their friends but won't last long enough to bore riders. Your scoring system is good, though I would probably double the penalties and dead time. Overall, this is an outstanding attraction that creates an exciting family-friendly experience out of a relatively basic ride. When I think of an interactive LEGOLAND attraction, this is exactly the type of thing I'm looking for.
Andy (The Creator): Augmented reality is a technology that is starting to creep its way into theme parks, but your choice of a rather experimental concept for a LEGOLAND park is an interesting one. I'm not as familiar with LEGOLAND Florida as I am with LEGOLAND California, but this attraction seems like a better fit for Imagination Zone than Lego City. I'm a little confused as to how the Hololens works in this attraction as it seems like technology that enhances your surroundings (such as Google Glass) rather than creating them (like Oculus Rift). The latter seems like it would have been a better choice for use in your attraction. Giving visitors the chance to create their own world to explore is a great idea, but I worry about it being too time consuming. I could easily see spending over an hour to create the perfect 3 x 3 city, and even with three stories worth of tables this could cause capacity issues with your attraction. Additionally, requiring guests to wait in two separate lines may cause frustration. Having guests move through the attraction in groups at a set pace would be a much better set-up. The exploration phase of this attraction sounds like it would be impressive the first time, but would probably lose appeal on repeated visits. I also think it would be very distracting having many guests wandering around at once, especially if they can stray from the road. You could easily have visitors constantly walking through each other's buildings, which I would find very distracting. Additionally, while capacity makes it difficult to allow more time, five minutes could be too short for those who build an incredibly complex Lego model. Overall, as a tech demo or limited time attraction this sounds like it would be great, but as a permanent theme park attraction there are just too many issues with it.
Keith (The Awesome Lego Ride): A Lego ride based on the Lego Movie? Great choice for a new dark ride. Locating the attraction in Lego City is a good fit as that is where the film begins. Your queue line is highly interactive and sounds like a nice way to introduce riders to the touch screen technology. It would be nice to give guests bonus points each time they deviate from Lord Business's instructions and to keep a database of recent designs to have them appear in the attraction. The ride vehicles sound like miniature versions of those used on Transformers, a ride which has a height restriction. As you failed to mention one, I have to wonder whether the motion can be deactivated or it is just so tame that smaller kids won't have any issues. The opening of the ride is great, immediately introducing guests to characters from the movie. I like the idea of realm selection, but instead of offering extra selections either have the computer randomly pick another realm or set two scenes in the same one. Four scenes seems a bit short for the attraction, even though each scene is somewhat lengthy. The first scene sounds great and I really like the interactive component of it. However, you did not mention any interactivity in the second scene, though the appearance of Bad Cop/Good Cop is a nice touch. Scene three interrupts the action-packed flow of the ride, and while guests have a lot to do here it may be a bit jarring to go directly from a chase to a meeting. The finale of the ride is a great way to end the attraction, but having guns suddenly appear may be confusing to riders. Why not make the touch screen a high-tech targeting device where you tap your target? Lastly, I'm glad you've incorporated "Everything is Awesome" and Taco Tuesdays into the attraction. Overall, I'd say this is a pretty good dark ride, though it may be a little too high-tech for a LEGOLAND park. Other than that, you've got a very fun and re-rideable interactive attraction.
Brett (The Lego Movie Adventure): Another Lego Movie attraction? Not a problem. While Fun Town would probably be the best place for this attraction (especially with a facade themed to Emmett's House), Imagination Zone works as well. The queue line is pretty basic for this attraction and I certainly hope you're not blasting "Everything is Awesome" on a loop. The four main worlds on the attraction are all good choices, though the activities seem somewhat cheesy and kids may be disappointed if they can't do them. It would be better to have two activities per world and each child picks one of the two to do. Also, for this to be a family attraction the parents need to be involved and not simply be spectators. Octan Tower sounds like the best portion of the experience because everyone can participate. Ending with a meet-and-greet is a good choice, as is a dance party, but these sections should be optional for those not interested in participating. Overall, this sounds like a fun attraction for kids, but since most of the activities are only for kids it isn't really what I'd call a family attraction. This is a case of a great concept but not-so-good execution.
Thanks Chad and AJ for your great feedback. I agree with your critiques for the most part, but there are a few things I'd like to clarify about The Creator.
First, the Hololens allows for depth of field and will completely encompass one's field of vision. As opposed to the Oculus Rift which blocks the outside world, the Hololens is an overlay. Unlike Google Glass, there is depth to the images. This allows for a virtual 3D building to be interacted with by guests, and places less strain on the eyes, opening up the attraction to a younger audience. Although a specific age is yet to be released, with the Oculus Rift's age recommendation at 7+, the Hololens will undoubtably include an even younger audience.
As far as problems with the Creation Phase lasting too long, that's why there would be a massive collection of prebuilt models that could be placed, as well as the option to completely bypass the Creation Phase and choose from worlds from different Lego product lines. Guests can put in as much time as they want. With families of energetic youngsters, quickly building a creation that they're content with shouldn't be a problem. In LEGOland's young demographic, it would only be a minority of visitors who have the attention span to spend more than 15-30 minutes working on their creation. Nevertheless, they can easily have plenty in their creation to explore. If the 5 minute Exploration Phase isn't enough, they can reuse their ticket and explore the same world again.
During the Exploration Phase, there would be a possibility of guests walking into your building. However, since the roads are on the board during the building phase, most of the creations would be built around the road itself. Also, the scanners that make the 3D models can't see into a completely enclosed building. When it comes time to explore, Guests would spend their time checking out the neat features of the buildings' exteriors, since the inside really doesn't have much to see. The traffic would be mainly kept to the road.
Capacity and wait time issues could be fixed by merely adding more buildings to house the Exploration Phase or more floors for the Creation Phase. Since the buildings themselves are not complicated, the cost of expansion would be very low. The attraction could even open with just the Exploration Phase and grow as demand dictates.
Hopefully this helps clear up some of the confusion. Since nothing like this exists anywhere in the world, I believe it'd truly be an innovative experience that fits perfectly with what Lego is all about and would give visitors another reason to come.
Theme Park Apprentice 7: Challenge 1 Critiques
Douglas Hindley Ninjago Temple This is a very impressive proposal, well-written and carefully detailed. You have "thrown down the gauntlet" that you intend to be the competitor to beat. This proposal is also impressive in how quickly you prepared it. Your proposal met all the criteria of the challenge, and presented it in a well-organized fashion. The use of the visuals was appropriate in that they added to my ability to visualize your proposal in its real-life setting. I thought you did an especially fine job in carrying the reader completely through the entire attraction, from the historic background of the ninja, how it fits into the park and completely through each element in a clear, concise manner to the finale, and even projected how it would be incorporated into a future land. The use of age-appropriate interactive activities that could be modified to the age and skill of the participant and incorporated adults without making them essential to the experience of the child was exceptionally well conceived. This was a first-rate proposal, one I would have been proud to write.
Jeff Elliott Lego Jurassic World: Gyrosphere Adventure Uh, ok...Jeff, your quirky sense of humor is well-known to long-time TPI readers and to long-time TPA competitors and followers. It was abundantly evident in this proposal, but I feel it could have been better appreciated if I wasn't so distracted by your apparently rushed writing. If you are really in this competition to prove that a veteran competitor like yourself can win it, you can do so and still incorporate your humor. That humor is one of your greatest strengths, making your proposals fun to read, and fun is why we go to theme parks. When I wasn't getting annoyed by your stream-of- consciousness writing, I was laughing out loud at some of the outrageous descriptions of dinosaur scenes you presented as part of the attraction. The family picnic, the dino flash mob, even the addition of dino "smell" are just a few examples of the abundant humor you made the focus of this attraction. There was relatively little hands-on interaction other than the control stick (which seems to be more for play than for actual interaction) and while having three different "modes" is a good idea, having one of them practically a secret seem to be unwise. You meet most of the requirements of the proposal, except for mentioning where in the park it would be located. The germ of greatness was in this proposal, but don't bury it in so much hastily-spread manure that it can't grow and develop. You are capable of better work- you have shown that in the past. I'm challenging you to do so again.
Karina Bhattacharya Your Lego Movie This is a quality proposal, well- conceived, well-organized and well-presented. You not only met all the requirements of the proposal, you nailed them. While I was reading it I would occasionally think, "What about..." and you suddenly answered my question. This attraction would encourage imagination and creativity in the target age group but would also provide for adult interaction with them- a true family experience. I suspect that this attraction would have some growing pains in that it might require some test runs to see how long the average "film maker" would take to complete a film- this would determine the size requirements of the facility and how many visitors it could handle/hour. Some film makers might already be familiar with the app while others might be novices and would take more time. This is the only drawback that I could see with this attraction- its popularity could limit its accessibility to the larger crowds, but for those who reserve their places ahead of time, or who are lucky enough to get a "walk-up" slot, it could be an extremely memorable experience, combining the basic hands-on fun of Legos with the modern technology savvy of today's youth. You have taken your place as a contender to be reckoned with. On a personal note, my spell checker had no problem with your last name- your first name gave it fits! I think I have it taken care of, luckily, because I suspect we're going to see your name coming up in TPA7 for quite a while.
DPCC inc. Lord of the Rings: The Lost Rings Interesting idea, and an aggressive use of an unused but potentially extremely popular IP. The use of a VR helmet could be extremely popular, since many if not most people have never had the opportunity to use one. The story line remains true to the material, yet is easy enough to follow that those who are not familiar with LOTR could still enjoy it and participate. Even though there was little direct physical interaction with the Lego products, it certainly utilizes the Lego universe in the visuals. I have two concerns: 1) having people stand on a "rocking platform" is asking for someone to fall over and get injured when the rocking starts. There would need to be some way for guests to be restrained and protected from falls. Second is the use of the "swords" to hit the enemy characters- some people, probably kids but also some aggressive adults, will get too "physical" with the sword and hit another guest. We are in a time of litigation, and even though you, of course, would not want a guest to get injured, you also don't want to leave yourself open to a lawsuit. The basic premise of the attraction is a good, solid one, entertaining and fun, interactive and appropriate to Legoland. In future proposals be sure to look at everything that can go wrong as well as everything that can go right..
Tyler Harris Lego City: Police Mission This was a very ambitious proposal. You met all the requirements of the proposal, especially the interactive requirement. In this case the interaction involved decision making, a skill that children need to develop. This attraction would encourage them to make decisions, but since it was a voting system involving a group they would need to understand that they might not get there way every time. I was a bit unclear as to how each decision would be explained to the "intern trainees" in a quick method that would not lead to long delays in the ride. I got the impression that this ride did not use projected scenery, but led the cars through actual sets (I assume constructed from Legos). If it actually had a large number of choices leading to dozens of possible parts of the adventure, this would require an enormous structure and thus would be a rather unwieldy addition to the park. Your proposal was well-presented and easy to follow, but I would recommend two things in the future: 1) proofread your proposal before and after you post, and if possible have someone else proofread it for you and look for the little details that could be the difference between moving on and going home. Example: you stated that the attraction had a 38' height requirement. 38 feet?! I know you meant 38 inches, but it is the little details that can make a difference, that can make it appear that you were not as attentive as you could be. Also, don't always rely on a spell-check program. Instead using the word "barely" you used the word "barley" which mean something totally different. Remember the phrase "The devil is in the details".
Juan Hamilton Ultra Agents Battle Blasters This proposal was a unique approach to this challenge. You definitely thought outside of the Lego box. It was obvious that you planned this proposal very carefully, and were quite detailed in the awarding and subtracting of points.. The entrance queue and preshow was both entertaining and informative about the ride requirements. The description of the "arena" and of the "battle cars" (a great name in my opinion) was well-crafted and once again demonstrated that you had thought this attraction through completely and carefully. This was an outstanding proposal and would be a great addition to Legoland.
Andy Teoh The Creator Stunning. Absolutely a stunning proposal. I can't imagine anyone not wanting to make repeat visits to this attraction. It would be enormously popular, so much so that I feel it would require a larger facility than you are proposing. I have a concern based on my long-ago childhood- I could play with Legos for hours. I think you would almost need to have a time limit on how long you could spend in the Creation phase, or someone (like myself) with an unlimited number of Legos at their disposal could spend so long creating that the wait time for a "creation station" (my invention, but feel free to use it) could be quite long. You covered everything required in the proposal and gave us much more, including accessibility, and your use of the video made visualizing how this attraction would work that much easier. The opportunity to walk through my Lego creation is something I would daydream about- this attraction would make it possible.
Keith Schneider The AWESOME LEGO Ride The enthusiasm you had for your proposal was both obvious and infectious. The proposal was well-organized and I think the attraction would be great fun to experience, but I have to admit that I have not seen the Lego Movie so many of the characters are not familiar with me. I would have to assume that the other riders knew who the characters were, or that it would be explained to the uninformed like myself. Perhaps my biggest concern was the huge number of choices that were available- twelve Lego realms and something like 35 characters, along with multiple other characters involved in the adventure. Your description of the physical characteristics of the ride, especially the ride system, was presented clearly and while I can't honestly say I totally followed some of the action sequences I still feel that I would have a good time on the attraction, just like someone can enjoy one of the Harry Potter attractions at Universal Studios without having read the books. I had a concern about your mentioning The Forest of Obsolete Products and a secret code, but I could not find anything else about it mentioned in the proposal. If I missed it, please let me know. If I didn't, and it wasn't mentioned again, it shouldn't have been included unless it in some way has an impact on the ride and the enjoyment of the riders. Sometimes it is easy to let enthusiasm take over and make you put more into a proposal than is needed. This was a very good proposal that could have been much better with a little bit of judicious editing. Cut out the fat, leave the meat, and you have a great proposal.
Brett Angwin The Lego Movie Adventure Using the popular Lego Movie as the basis for your attraction was a good choice. You met all the requirements of the challenge, including the interactive component (with a concern on my part that I will address). Your writing style is very straight-forward and it was easy to follow the action of the attraction as it progressed through the different lands. As I mentioned earlier, I have not seen this movie, but I don't feel that fact affects my biggest concern about the basic premise for it- most kids between age 3-12 are not going to want to watch other kids having fun, even though they would be reassured that they are going to get to do something in the next "land". As the kid who was always the last one chosen to be on the team at recess, I know how that hurts, and even though they might be reassured that they will be chosen at random by a machine of some kind and that they will be chosen, they still could feel left out of the action. Lego attractions need to be all-inclusive, so that every kid (and adult with them) can participate every time. I also think that perhaps you need to focus your proposal more- you had an interesting variety of lands to chose from, but I felt that your ideas on how to interact with each land were all over the board. Visually, it would be a fun attraction with lots to look at, but be sure to focus your attractions on a unified theme that is carried throughout it. You had a lot of different attractions, but a strong unifying theme wasn't there to hold it all together. Brett, you have great potential and a clear writing style. Focus on the central theme of your attractions more, and learn from your past proposals and their critiques, and that writing style could take you far into this competition.
Wow.. I though I would do a lot worse. Ah well, I going to clear some things up about my proposal..
AJ: The paths usually converge and diverge meaning even though that the vehicles go through a different experience with each chosen selection, the two paths from the voting option usually meet up at some point. Hope this explains the path system a little better.
James: Ah, I knew space issues with my attraction would come up in someone's critique. Due to the sheer amount of scenes that would have to be made for the ride, I was actually considering using a motion simulator ride system, similar to Star Tours, but I ended up going for the dark ride in the end. And to explain the decision explanations, the explanations would be 5-10 second blurbs, in order to prevent major ride delays..
Overall, I was purely shocked just how well you guys, including Chad, reviewed my attraction, and I hope this clears up some questions about my proposal..
All I can say now is.. I hope I'm still in next week!
THE RESULTS ARE IN!!!
First off, I hope everyone found the feedback provided by the judges valuable. We all had differing opinions on many of the proposals submitted in this challenge, so please read every judge's critique and take advantage of what they have said in future proposals.
Now, unfortunately, the time has come to eliminate one of you from the competition. As a reminder, each judge ranked all nine proposals from best to worst. The 1st place competitor was given a score of 10 points, then there was an even separation between scores (for this challenge, separation was 1.11 points). Your scores from the three judges were added together to get the final score for this challenge, making a maximum possible of 30 points. All scores will be reported to one point past the decimal.
Here are the scores:
1st: Juan Hamilton - 26.7 points
2nd: Douglas Hindley - 22.2 points
3rd: Keith Schneider - 21.1 points
4th: Karina Bhattacharya - 18.9 points
5th: Tyler Harris - 16.7 points
6th: Jeff Elliott - 13.3 points
7th: Andy Teoh - 12.2 points
8th: DPCC inc. - 11.1 points
9th: Brett Angwin - 7.8 points
I'm sorry, Brett, but you have received the lowest score in this challenge and are hereby eliminated from Theme Park Apprentice 7. However, you will have a chance at redemption. If you think you can do better, I invite you to continue following the competition, either as a spectator or as an unofficial competitor, and to submit a proposal in the redemption challenge taking place at a later date (tentative start date August 9th).
For everyone else, take your score to heart. If you scored in the upper half, excellent job! Keep up the good work. If you scored in the lower half, look at what you can improve and step up your game. The next challenge begins shortly.
For any further discussion of this challenge, please use the Chatter thread as this thread will not be regularly monitored beyond this point.
This discussion has been archived and is no longer accepting responses.
NINJAGO TEMPLE
Coming to LEGOLAND California, 2016
Enter the world of the ninja! LEGOLAND California is proud to announce its latest attraction, Ninjago Temple, bringing the popular “Ninjago” series to the parks. Aimed at (but by no means limited to) children ages 3 to 12, Ninjago Temple is a fully-interactive, fully-immersive ninja training facility. Young guests may engage a series of user-fueled exhibits in a quest to become the ultimate Spinjitzu Warrior!
Ninjago takes its inspiration from feudal Japan and China, fusing martial arts storytelling with unexpected modern technologies. It is exceedingly popular, with a feature length movie due in 2017. LEGOLAND is eager to capitalize on this trend, which is presently unrepresented in their parks. Ninjago Temple shall be the first of many Ninjago-themed attractions, and even lands, in the LEGOLAND chain’s future.
Ninjago Temple is located on the eastern outskirts of Pirate Shores. This placement humorously contrasts the age-old rivalry between pirates and ninjas. Signs leading up to the elegant Japanese pavilion announce “No Pirates!” and “Ninjas Only!”
Beyond immaculately-maintained Japanese gardens, parents and children find Ninjago Temple’s entry gates. Towards the greater castle grounds, groups pass into a minimalist ceremony room. Incense wafts; soothing music echoes. Through a rice paper door stands Sensei Wu to welcome his visitors. Wu is a simple screen, organically incorporated into the setting.
Sensei Wu continually greets his pupils as they pass. He speaks of the mystical ninja art they are about to learn. (As with all of Ninjago Temple’s animated “minifig” interactions, Sensei Wu uses a “call and response” technique to engage and stimulate.) Wu outlines the premise: there are four Elements – Fire, Ice, Lightning, Earth and Creation. It is the ninja student’s ultimate goal to be assigned an element. To accomplish this, first the student must train in the five chief Ninja Disciplines – Stealth, Courage, Agility, Battle and Teamwork. Cast members are present to answer questions and hand out ninja scrolls which list these abilities.
“Are you ready?” Sensei Wu asks. The children cheer their response. “Okay, then. NINJA GO!” And the courtyard doors are opened!
Within Ninjago Temple’s grand courtyard are doorways to the Five Lessons – each a separate interactive exhibit, each corresponding to a Ninja Discipline. Cast members are present to help guide children, and their parents, through each Lesson. There is no set order; guests are free to learn and play at their own pace.
The courtyard itself is a playground space, where guests may blow off steam in between Lessons. This is the Training Course. Here are wooden posts which spin when engaged – these teach the pupil proper blocking technique. Padded punching bags line the square. Spinning gambols house swings. Faux-wood rigs are in fact mini self-propelled carousels. Pads, painted as Ninjago enemies, bounce to and fro. Naturally, all of these elements are soft, safe, and kid-friendly.
With their parents’ help, young pupils may now begin their training:
Agility: Each Lesson is overseen by a Ninja Warrior minifig, done as another “rice paper screen.” These Warriors address students on the task at hand. Agility is headed by Jay, clad in blue.
The Agility task is a simple obstacle course, complete with rope bridges, crawl-throughs, slides, cargo nets to climb, and even wooden walls for older children to scramble across.
Upon completing a Lesson, cast members stamp the pupil’s scroll. (The stamps themselves resemble large LEGO bricks, and leave color-coded LEGO indents.) Guests may adjust task difficulty at LEGO block stations, which makes activities accessible to any age and ability. The park’s goal is to welcome and encourage.
Courage: Kai, the red ninja, represents Courage. In this challenge, pupils must traverse a darkened cave maze, where “Skullkin” puppets pop out at any moment! Guests are encouraged to beat back these dummies, either by hand or with child-sized ninja weapons. The fear level is adjustable to the pupil’s needs, and parents are free to attend or stand back as needed.
Stealth: Zane, in grey, covers Stealth. He presents ninja students with a laser-covered hallway – in the Ninjago realm, this is not an anachronism. Zane’s dialogue even highlights the “ancient, mystical laser.” The true ninja will cross this hall without any laser contact. Should they fail, a gong sounds out, and the student may try again. Laser difficulty is adjustable, with differing quantity and movements according to the pupil’s skills.
Battle: Cole, in battle black, introduces handheld and projectile ninja weapons. The handheld task is a variation on the classic “whack-a-mole” game, played with a katana and Skullkins. For projectile training, pupils fire ninja stars at wooden targets – in actuality, they fire foam balls from mounted air cannons. The targets, made of real LEGOs, shatter when hit.
Teamwork: Lloyd is in green, the highest color ranking. He teaches teamwork, the highest ability. In this quest, families board a simple raft. They must work together (using hand pumps and paddles) to propel this craft around a small circular track.
Scrolls completed, successful pupils enter the Graduation Chamber at the far end of the courtyard. Here again is Sensei Wu, only this time as a limited-motion AA figure (scaled to the children’s heights). Wu’s facial movements are fully animated, projected from within the figure, in a cost-effective next-gen technique which LEGOLAND intends to apply throughout their parks. This AA Wu interacts fully with guests. He is controlled and voiced by an unseen puppeteer, in LEGOLAND’s answer to Turtle Talk with Crush.
“Congratulations,” Wu wishes his graduates. He proceeds, briefly, to speak on the mysticism of ninjitsu, peppered with trademark LEGO humor. Scrolls are scanned under a big LEGO brick. Wu assigns students their Elements – randomly – and lauds them with a brief video (another rice paper screen). One example, for the Creation Element (represented by Lloyd):
With that, guests leave as fully-fledged ninjas! Their completed scrolls are a free souvenir. Feudal tents beyond the temple peddle wares: toy ninja weapons such as sai, katanas or nunchucks. Dragon Warrior vestments. And of course Ninjago LEGO sets.
Should Ninjago Temple prove popular, LEGOLAND is prepared to expand this theme into an entire land, Ninja City (in the wave pool area behind Pirate Shores). Extra planned attractions, to open with the Ninjago feature film in 2017, include the Spinjitzu Spinner, the Samurai Stream boat ride into dark territory, and the Flight of the Dragon Warrior suspended family coaster. The land as a whole gains increased interactivity for successful ninjas bearing scrolls (with different effects for different Elements), extending Ninjago Temple’s impact overall!