Before I get into my first idea, I feel I should mention that I love WDW above all theme parks. I've been there over 15 times, and most of my posts will center around it.
So my first idea will be placed in one of my favorite, but I feel most neglected areas of the Magic Kingdom in WDW, Tomorrowland. This ride would be called A Journey Through Time. It would showcase Dr. Stephen Dickenson's newest creation, a time traveling rocket. I have a special kind of ride vehicle in mind for this creation. I imagine this being a mix of a intense dark ride, and a steel tube rollercoaster. I imagine an 8 person car, all passengers faced front to back, with enhanced motion technology. I believe this would add an extra effect to turns and drops and allow for a unique experience for time travel segments.
Guest would enter the Doctor's laboratory an walk by an exhibit of his past failed inventions. Then they would enter their cars and a large group of them would a screening room where a film would be seen showing Dr. Dickenson explaining his latest creation. During his explanation, his assistant Bobby Faraday ignores the doctor's warning's an accidentally sets of the time machine. This would take him and the guests on a wild adventure through time all while trying to find Dr. Dickenson.
Scenes could include a medieval castle, a baroque art and music festival, a colonial American town, a depression era city, a war protest of the 1970s, and a computer lab of the modern era. All of these scenes would be equipped with a delicate combination of projections and audio-animatronic figures. Guests would move through them like a normal dark ride, and go through a series of drops and turns during time travel segments. Effects like black lighting, strobe lights, led flashes, and smoke could also be used for time travel.
I believe this type of ride would revolution the theme park would and reinvigorate the use of robotic features. It would make guest once again fascinated by the use of audio-animatronics and create a new type of park storytelling. While it may be intricate in design and operation, I believe the output would be absolutely thrilling.
I like the idea of time travel in general and like the idea of adding something fresh to Tomorrowland. I think this is a good idea and would be fun but how would it differ from Spaceship Earth (which features a computer lab from a recently modern era) or the Back to the Future ride (which had a chase through time as it's story). I understand that this will be more physical items than the screens of BttF and more coaster than SSE, I'm asking from more of a story or approach perspective how it would be different than a physical realization perspective.
ReplyDeleteFirst off I 'm glad you liked the article and thank you for deciding to follow my blog Stephen, I really appreciate it. That's a great observation. While it is similar to BttF, this would be more of a realistic view of history. And a more intense ride experience than SSE.
ReplyDeleteBttF was rather generic in its choice of time periods (dinosaurs, ice, future we already saw in a movie) so more specific moments with animatronics would be rather interesting I think. I can picture being surrounded by a scene that's occurring all around me, the ride picks up a little speed, things get dark and yet bright around me, and off we go!
ReplyDeleteBother, now I'm starting to want this ride.
(aka hombredesilla from MB)
That's exactly what I was going for. An immerseve environment could create such a cool coaster.
ReplyDelete