Theme Park Apprentice TOC2 - Week 1

The deadline is creeping up on us...

MYTHICA ACADEMY

What if everything you’ve been told about the ancient mythologies were true? What if Centaurs, Dragons, and Griffins really existed? What if you were to find out that they’ve been here throughout the centuries, hiding in plain sight? And what if their purpose were to forge heroes and manufacture villains? It’s time to discover the MYTHICA ACADEMY.

SETTING: The Mythica Academy is an ancient institution, the oldest of its kind in the world, were heroes and villains, demi-gods and mythical creatures from around the world, have been trained and are training, for the sole purpose of creating more heroes in the world. Under the Ciceronian guide of the mighty Centaur, General C.H. Iron, the Mythica Academy is the oldest and most well-respected Hero Training Academy in the world. Established in 5000 B.C. the Mythica Academy has remained at the forefront of Hereology (the study of heroes and heroic deeds). Taking heavy inspiration from Marc Davis, Mythica Academy includes a number of visual and audio gags which give the ride a whimsical and humorous tone. The characters and animatronics are crafted in a serious but somewhat cartoon-ish way, with exaggerated facial features and body structures while still retaining a semblance of realism (as a reference, think of the Pirates on PotC or the ghosts in The Haunted Mansion—real enough to give the illusion of reality but still maintaining an aura of cartoonish satire).

RIDE SPECS:

Ride System: Pretzel-Style Electric car system (In vein of Disneyland Classic Dark Rides)
Vehicle: Vehicles can accompany a total of six passengers per vehicle (3 rows of two). The vehicles are made to resemble chariots.
Duration: 6:51
Hourly Capacity: 1050 (Approximation)

ATTRACTION LOCATION:
Given the abstract nature of this challenge, I will detail some suggested locations which Mythica Academy may be placed in. Due to its adventurous and action-focused setting and plot, Mythica Academy would be well suited to a land or park focused on adventure, exploration, and heroism. It’s ancient and mythological roots would see the attraction a perfect fit for a land focused or aesthetically themed to ancient civilizations such as Rome, Greece, Egypt, or even Norse/Anglo-centric lands. The key aesthetic unifiers are an old/ancient theme and/or lands centered on adventure and heroism. Indeed, Mythica Academy would be just as well suited fitting into Adventureland (Disneyland) as it would Mt. Prometheus (Tokyo DisneySea). It is not well suited to region-specific settings, such as any Frontierland/Old West lands and/or New Orleans Square/Liberty Square. Likewise, most modern settings, as you would see in many Universal Parks, would not be a welcome home for Mythica Academy.

FAÇADE:
The Façade of Mythica Academy is made to resemble a Classical Greco-Roman style Temple. Carved into a canyon-esque façade. Its surrounding buildings and facades also take on this Classical style—with elegant Romanesque statues adorning a large Forum Romanum style plaza. The main façade is a Temple in disrepair. Statues which adorned to former elegance of the temple in its glory days are now cast to the ground or broken into pieces, their fragments scattered in the land round the façade. Some of the statues and pillars have remained intact, allowing for the façade to still stand proud. Across the top of the temple, in large roman letters, are inscribed the Latin words (in Latin text, naturally), Collegia Fabulorum--The Academy of the Mythic. Posters and statues of some of the Academy’s more famous Alumni are visible upon the façade. Flyers, advertising and marketing the Academy adorn the façade and surrounding buildings, stating things such as: “Want to take your Hero career further? Enroll today for advanced registration!” and “Learn how to be heroic (or villainous) from the most experienced and knowledgeable staff in the world! Apply now!”. Some of the flyers are even parodies of famous posters and flyers from the past such as a poster depicting General C.H. Iron in military regalia, pointing at onlookers, proclaiming “I want YOU to be a hero!”, in a parody of the infamous Uncle Sam poster.
Alternate Façade: Given that the flexible nature of where Mythica Academy may be placed within a park, you could theme the façade to any ancient architectural style, such as Norse Longhouses, Egyptian Pyramids/Temples, and/or Mesoamerican ziggaruts. For the purposes of this challenge, I will be working off of the standard Greco-Roman aesthetic.

A quick in game representation of the Facade

QUEUE AND PRE-SHOW: Guests enter the façade from the large front entrance and immediately travel down, into the earth. The path weaves around and down until all outside light is no longer visible. As guests round a corner, they are presented with a large underground dungeon. Signs proclaim the official name of this place--Asterion’s Lair—try not to get lost (Asterion, as a minor mythological side note, was the Minotaur who guarded King Minos Labyrinth. Another sign leading into the dungeon reads DISCLAIMER-By entering this lair you consent to have your physical body eaten should you perish or otherwise happenstance upon Asterion during feeding hours. Feeding hours are as follows: 7AM-11AM Breakfast; 11AM-12PM Elevenses; 12PM-3PM Lunch; 3PM-6PM Supper; 6PM-9PM Dinner; 9PM-12AM Dessert; 12AM-3AM Late-night Snack; 3AM-7AM Nap time).
Guests wind their way through the labyrinth, encountering small jail cells where unfortunate adventurers have perished before them. The queue passes through many seemingly dead ends and false paths, with various scenes in each. One path leads to what resembles a large dining hall, another to a sleeping chambers of some sort, and another to what seems to be a temple complex of some type. Eventually the guests come to a complete dead end. A large sign overhead reads ”Dead End-Go Back! There’s definitely NOT a secret door here!”. After a few moments, the seemingly solid rockwork wall opens to reveal a false door. Guests are then led into a large open cavernous area. This area is made to hold approximately 50 guests at a time and there are two such rooms, alternating between loading times to evenly space out guests.
The cavernous room offers a sense of elegance. Large bookshelves line the walls and at the far end of one of the rooms (to the left or right of the guests as they enter, depending on which room they are loaded into) an enormous marble desk holds some standard office items. A name placard on the table tells the guests who it belongs to--General C.H. Iron-Dean of Admissions (and everything else, really). The lights dim slightly and from another hidden door behind the desk a large animatronic of a mighty Centaur comes sauntering through. This is General C.H. Iron. He is garbed in elegant military attire—a proud khaki vest adorned with a plethora of medals and medallions. On his back is slung a large bow and quiver. He begins to speak to the guests.

General C.H. Iron: New enrollees! Perfect! I’ve been waiting for you all to arrive! I trust you made it past Asterion in one piece? No, seriously, he didn’t take any pieces out of you and eat them did he? He’s been a bit hungry since the whole Theseus debacle. (He whispers loudly) Don’t tell him that Theseus is an Alumni, he’d never forgive me. This is a great day! On this day you have all chosen to take your first step on the path to becoming a her—

General Iron is interrupted by the loud screeching of some type of avian animal. Through the false door bursts another animatronic, this time a small Griffin. He flits along the wall and perches himself upon one of the bookshelves behind General Iron. In the interest of space saving, I’ll give a general summary of the ensuing conversation. Griff (our new Griffin friend) has come to warn Iron that the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) has come to conduct yet another audit of Mythica Academy. Through conversation, it is revealed that Mythica Academy has suffered a tremendous blow to their enrollment due to the modern pre-occupation with technology, passive entertainment, and every-day drudgery of modern life. The world no longer fosters heroes (and certainly not villains, as there’s two sides to every story). The CHEA is represented by Inspector Buzz K. Joy, who enters the scene as our final Animatronic. He is a serious and humorless man who explains that the Mythica Academy is under scrutiny for failing to readily equip students with the necessary skills to survive in the modern world, instead relying on antiquated and impractical ideas of conflict, knowledge, and morality. Iron then offers to give Joy a tour of the Academy—and he invites all the guests along for their own personal tour of campus as well.

Loading Station: Guests exit the pre-show room and are led into a large loading station resembling a Norse Longhouse—Large wooden beams hold up thatch roof fixtures as tables and cooking fires adorn the halls . A final small serpentine portion allows for higher line capacity. Guests weave through this serpentine where they will eventually board their own personal Horseless Chariot. As the vehicles leave the station, the start a downward leftward spiral, taking them down further into the earth.

Scene One: Alumni Hall of Legends
As the vehicles round their final turn they enter into a large and long hallway. Grand statues perched upon elegant column dais’ depict great heroes and villains from the world of mythology. Iron comes over our in-vehicle speakers. ”This is the Alumni Hall of Legends, where some of our most famous alumni are enshrined forever”. As the vehicles pass the statues, placards tell the guests who they are and their graduation year. Famous heroes and villains adorn the halls. Some of the more renowned personalities include Hercules, Odysseus, Beowulf, Grendel, Scylla, Don Quixote, St. George, and Theseus. The Chariots proceed straight under a columned archway and proceed forward.

Scene Two: Registration
Taking a small left turn, the vehicles pass under another archway, with a sign above reading “Registration”. They enter the registration center, where Iron, over the speakers, details the process. ”Being the oldest Hero-training academy in the world does not mean we are old fuddy-duddies. Our registration center is equipped with the most advanced of modern technologies, allowing for fast and speedy registration and approval for the Academy”. The guests pass the registration lines to their left. They are filled to the brim with bored and frustrated enrolling students. Behind the registration desk work an assortment of mythical employees—we see a small Cerberus, it’s three heads arguing on how to operate the computer in front of them. There is also a small Coatl (a winged serpent), attempting to input information at an incredibly slow pace, as he has to flick his tongue for each keystroke. To the right of the vehicles is a small bookstore and apparel shop. Guests can see potential buyers looking at Mythica Academy merchandise, branded in classic collegiate fashion.
The vehicles approach an advanced laser scanning machine. Iron explains that in order to enter the Academy proper requires proper registration and approval before students are given the proper credentials. He has, however, equipped our chariots with the proper credentials. Charon, an old and frail old professor, activates the scanning panel as the chariots pass under a laser scanner. A wrought iron portcullis opens before us as Charon mutters under his breath ”Good luck…you’re gonna need it”.

Scene Three: The Armory
The portcullis slams behind the chariots as they enter the Armory. Various weaponry of all sorts litter the large and long halls. Swords, Axes, shields, Warhammers, bows, crossbows, guns, and a myriad of other weaponry of all sorts can be seen adorning the walls, halls, and ceilings of the Armory. Passing through the halls, guests can see General Iron and Inspector Joy debating the necessity of the Armory, with Joy proclaiming that no institution of higher learning which he is aware of equips its students with a wide array of weaponry. Iron quips back, claiming that books have done far more damage than swords. Guests also observe new students attempting to select proper weaponry to humorous effect—with some trying on armor backwards, or attempting to wield weapons which are far to large for them to effectively use. Towards the end of the armory, guests will be able to see the Professors Cache—a special hall dedicated to only the most renowned of weapons including Excalibur (here humorously made of stone), Mjolnir, The Golden Fleece (Really just a fashionable piece of winter clothing), the Aegis, Sword of St. Peter, Hrunting, the Manamuse, and even Zeus’ might Thunderbolt (really just a standard hardware bolt, emitting some lightning) among other items.

A reference Picture for the Armory Scene

Scene Four: Training Grounds
Passing out through a large arch, the chariots immediately rise upon a plain. Once at the top, guests are treated to the scene of what appears to be a large battlefield in the throes of a clash between forces. To the left, Iron and Joy are discussing matters again. Iron explains that this is part of the Academy’s research projects and claims that they go to advancing the understanding of bravery, courage, and tactical acumen. Joy counters claiming that it does nothing to ‘progress’ scientific or academic understanding. Another mark against the Academy is tallied by Joy. To the left, riders pass by marksmen of all types practicing their accuracy in a shooting range. Going down a mild slope, the Chariots enter the battlefield. They pass straight through the clashing battlelines, where brave warriors are charging into the fray. On raised hills a short distance away from the battlelines, generals can be seen surveying the battle, while also moving pieces around a makeshift battlemap, which more resembles a child’s boardgame than any real military strategic platform. As the chariots speed past the raging battle they approach a large gothic style dormitory. Iron comes over the on-board speakers. ”Our dormitories offer students the elegance of the old world with all of the modern day luxuries. Let’s take a look—“. Iron is suddenly interrupted by large knights who come barreling out of the large archway which functions as the entrance to the dormitory. They raise their halberds in a threatening way. ”No Freshman allowed!”. The chariots are forced to make a sharp right hand turn.

Scene Five: Big Boys Cave
The chariots turn and immediately enter a large cavern, with rock work which resembles a dragons maw. A large sign hanging from the mouth of the entrance warns riders not to enter, with signs reading, Keep Out--Grad Students Only!. It’s too late. The chariots descend into a large and dark cavern. Going down, they discover why this cavern is reserved for advanced students only. Passing by a sleeping dragon to their right, they round a bend and are immediately put in the middle of a training exercise between a Jotnar and a Kraken! The Kraken lashes out from a large pool of water while the Jotnar lifts his axe to strike! The chariots race under this battle before coming across a grad student training to fight another dragon! This one livelier than our sleepy friend who greeted the guests at the entrance to the cave. In the distance, the shrieks of Joy can be heard as he has been taken to a harpy’s nest where he’s been mistaken as one of her chicks. Iron takes aim with his bow from a distance, ready to strike the Harpy to save Joy. The chariots ascend a slight incline, as they can see the exit of the cave ahead.

Scene Six: Mess Hall
As the chariots make their way out of the Big Boys Cave, a large Norse-style longhouse comes into view. Passing through large double doors, the guests enter the mess hall. In the hall, students and creatures of all types are eating voraciously. At one table, a Minotaur looks at his place full of straw and then to another table where students are eating large haunches of meat. He sobs quietly as he proclaims that that the other students are eating his cousin. Towards the middle of the hall the education continues. A food fight has broken out between the two sides, with students discussing strategy. Common food and utensils become weapons: the guests can see meatball catapults, breadstick ballistae, knives are used as swords, and soups are poured as mock pots of boiling pitch. A loud flatulence can be heard before someone yells you, ”Biological weapons are off limits!. Iron stands with Joy at the far end of the mess hall as Iron explains that even mealtimes are used for educational purposes. Joy is writing furiously on his notepad. ”None of this is educational in the least! I’m afraid we are going to have to pull your accreditation!” exclaims Joy. Iron responds ”Please Mr. Buzz K. Joy, let me show you one last thing! Spring mid-terms are upon us and I think you may change your mind if you see how hard our students exams are.”. The chariots then exit out of the mess hall.

Scene Seven: Mid-Term Exams/The Arena
Once out of the mess hall, a large coliseum comes into view. The fanfare of trumpets and roar of a crowd can be heard coming from within. Passing under the columned archway, the chariots enter the center of the arena. Students are clashing fiercly. Iron can be seen perched at the opposite end mediating the melee. He proclaims that he has a special guest to train and gestures towards Joy. Joy is visibly shaking as he awkwardly wields a sword and shield. ”Go easy on him!”, yells Iron. Then the floor becomes engulfed in combat. Archers shoot their arrows across the chariots passing by them as warriors clash with each other. Joy cowers in fear the whole time.

Scene Eight: Revelation
As the chariots exit the arena they take a quick right turn. Iron and Joy are standing by a small campsite. Joy proclaims that he will grant accreditation as he never understood the need for bravery until today. Iron says that he’s glad Joy sees things his way. He then turns to the guests as they pass. ”It’s the same with you, you just don’t know it yet.” With that, the vehicles ascend through a cave in an upwards helix before unloading at the undocking station.

Attraction Shop:
Guests exit through long cavernous hallways, passing some statues of more former famous alumni. Towards the end, the cave leads into a large shop which again resembles a classical Greco-Roman Forum Romanum store. Marble columns with displays of the attractions heroes are there. Here, guests can purchase merchandise relating to the attraction. The most popular item is the classic “Varsity Style” shirts and sweaters, which proclaim Mythica Academy EST. 5000 B.C. with the Mythica Academy façade in between. Guests also have the option to purchase a custom made varsity jacket, complete with year and letters. They can also purchase special patches which, instead of the standard sport patches which are commonly seen on high school varsity jackets, instead take queues from what a student would learn in the academy such as: Marksmenship, Swordfighting, Military Tactics, Monster Slaying, Epic Looting, and Dueling to name a few. Toys and dolls of Mythica Academy’s more prominent characters such as General C.H. Iron, Inspector Buzz K. Joy, and the monsters the Jotnar, Kraken, and dragon are widely available.

Below is a mock-up I made in Planet Coaster of the general Ride Experience. Keep in mind that due to some of the limitations within the game a lot of the elements I describe in the proposal will not be present in the ride through. It's certainly not my best work, but it gives a general idea of how the ride may feel in a real world setting:

Prince Nicholas and the Hero’s Journey
 

 
In a world full of princesses, young boys can often find it difficult to relate to the characters at Walt Disney World.  Because of this, many boys turn away from Disney as a whole, claiming that it is “for girls.”  The only real role models we’ve given boys are Pirates, who are essentially criminals, while girls look up to leaders of nations who always do the right thing.  
 
This is not to make a claim about “reverse sexism.” It is, in fact, the result of a culture where men are expected to avoid positive feelings about their childhood, and that values men being “cool” more than being “good.”  The bad-boy pirates are the role models, rather than outstanding people with strong morals.  Many stories include princes, but they are rarely main characters.  Most Disney fans could only name a handful of them.
 
As a solution to this, Disney has announced a new dark ride in Fantasyland of the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World Resort, featuring a new character, Prince Nicholas.  He and his gnome sidekick named Gnewton go on adventures together, including this one, Prince Nicholas and the Hero’s Journey.  Nicholas is a prince somewhere in medieval Europe, likely England based on the decor and surrounding areas.  
 
Surrounding Area, Facade, and Queue
 
The experience of the ride begins as Nicholas’ castle comes into view.  Located at the back of Fantasyland, far away from Cinderella’s castle as an extension of what is now known as “New Fantasyland,” Nicholas’ castle makes up its own part of the park.  The medieval feel of the land continues into the area surrounding it, but this area is more rustic.  The village has houses and shops made of wood and thatched roofs, giving the area a totally different feel than the Medieval Faire of the main part of Fantasyland.
 

 
In this sub-area, things are in perpetual motion.  Villagers walk through the streets carrying their goods in a way slightly reminiscent of the “Belle” sequence from Beauty and the Beast.  High above this area, on a hill that allows the reigning rulers to look down over their citizens, sits the castle of Prince Nicholas.  Forced perspective is used to make the castle, based on Bodiam Castle in East Sussex, seem far larger than it actually is.
 

 
Guests enter the ride not through the castle, but through the “Royale Armory.”  This is an interactive part of the queue with something for everyone.  Here, guests find all sorts of things.  Guests can interact with a talking suit of armor, or, if they choose to read the plaques, they can take a chronological journey and watch as the suits of armor evolve throughout the ages.  
 
As they exit the armory, guests find themselves in a dark forest.  There are scorch marks here, implying that all is not well in the kingdom.  They approach the castle doors, and enter the castle.  
 
The Royale Hall is impressive.  It is built from stone, and decorated with crests and coats of arms that fly from the ceiling, many of which have actual historical roots.  The hall is designed with various rooms that come off it that can be opened or closed.  When open, they allow more space for the queue to twist and turn, and when closed, they prevent guests from taking an unnecessarily long time exploring these rooms, which would slow capacity.  These rooms include a bedroom, kitchen, banquet hall, and stables, each of which boasts its own state-of-the-art interactive elements.  
 
At the end of the Royale Hall, guests enter a darkened room, lit only by faux-torchlight, where they board their vehicles.  
 
The Ride
 
Once guests have boarded the vehicles, they are asked to pull down their lap bar, and then they pull forward and round a right turn. Guests find a book cover opening and the track goes directly into the page.
 
Scene 1
 
The story begins with the King holding court in his castle. An AA King Andrew sits atop a throne in a large room with marble flooring. The throne has red cloth and gold trim and frame, and sits atop a small staircase. Many peasants surround the throne and guests can hear them shouting warnings of a dragon terrorizing the kingdom. King Andrew assures the peasants that he will send someone to slay the dragon as soon as possible. Guests do not stop in this scene, rather they move slowly until the left turn that takes them through a large wooden door and into the next scene.
 
Scene 2
 
Guests now find themselves in a bedroom. The walls and floor are stone, and on the bed sits King Andrew saying goodnight to his son, Prince Nicholas. Nicholas is dressed in matching pajama bottoms and top, and is lying in bed. Gnewton lies in a “bed” on the floor, in a wooden crate. Nicholas’ bed is pressed up against the wall. Nicholas begs his father to let him slay the dragon, but the king refuses, unless Nicholas agrees to a rigid training schedule. Guests in this scene do not stop either, but rather move in a horseshoe shape around the bed, before going through an identical door into the third scene.
 
Scene 3
 
Now, the guests are outside. Guests stop as an armored knight tells an armor-clad Nicholas that in order to slay the dragon, he must become the most skilled knight in the land. Guests begin moving again through the courtyard of the castle.  Guests pass short scenes of Nicholas practicing archery, sword fighting the knight, jousting, and other such training. The last scene guests pass is Nicholas high-fiving the knight, and the knight saying “You’re ready.”
 
Scene 4
 
As guests round a tight turn, they now find Nicholas hugging his father and mother goodbye, the beginning of another montage. Now Nicholas and Gnewton are on their way to the dragon’s lair, atop a tall mountain. Guests can find Nicholas and his pal swimming across a river, climbing a cliff, camping, climbing trees, and otherwise travel related imagery. Throughout his journey, Nicholas wears a green shirt with golden chain mail, as well as dark green pants, with a satchel, sword, and shield on his back.
 
Scene 5
 
The scene begins with Nicholas and Gnewton climbing over the top of a cliff to reach the top of a mountain, level with the guests. Gnewton stands on Nicholas’ shoulder. The mouth of a large cave lies in front of the guests, and the guests have stopped movement. Nicholas takes the shield off his back and pulls his sword out of his sheath, and marches into the cave. Guests follow Nicholas into the darkness.
 
Scene 6
 
The inside of the cave is dimly lit.  Guests can see little, and hear scraping and roaring noises from all around, echoing off the walls. The track behind guests rotates, preparing to send them on an alternate path once they start moving backwards. After a few moments of this, a loud roar in front of the guests is accompanied by a breath of fire, which creates a glow. The bright light reveals the dragon to the guests. Unlike a traditional European dragon, this dragon has no wings. Rather is is snake-like, with two large legs sustaining it and a long tail behind it.
 

 
Now, the battle has begun. Guests begin moving backwards on an alternate track, with their only light source being breaths of fire from the dragon. In the times of light, guests find Nicholas (with Gnewton) attempting to attack the dragon with his sword and arrows in different mini-scenes they ride by. Guests exit the cave, bringing them into the next scene.
 
Scene 7
 
The scenery is identical to that in Scene 5. However, now Nicholas and the dragon are in a full-scale battle. Nicholas is trying desperately to dodge the dragon’s fire and talons, while also attempting to attack the dragon with his sword and bow. As the battle rages on between the two for a minute or so, the dragon finds itself on a branch hanging over the cliff. The dragon looks down, and Nicholas sheaths his sword. The branch the dragon is standing on breaks, and the dragon falls into the abyss. The guests travel around the side of the cave through a door that seemed to be a wall of trees into the final scene.
 
Scene 8
 
Nicholas has returned home. Guests find themselves stopped in the throne room. Nicholas sits atop his father’s shoulders, and Gnewton on Nicholas’. Confetti is being blown about, there is bright triumphant music playing, and many people are dancing. Nicholas waves at the guests, and the guests begin moving through a wooden door and then into the loading bay, where guests exit the ride.
 
Conclusion
 
Guests exit the ride into a souvenir shoppe, featuring Nicholas and Gnewton themed gifts.  There are stuffed animals, t-shirts, costumes, and fake swords and shields.  As a part of this gift shop, young boys can visit Pauper to Prince, an experience similar to Bippidi Boppity Boutique where boys can don royal clothing in the manner of fairy tale princes.  
 
Overall, Prince Nicholas and the Hero’s Journey provides an adventure and experience for a market that has, at times, been turned away from Disney parks.  By including boys in the fairy tale narrative, they are given a role model to look up to and become, because our young boys are more than pirates and thieves.  
 

LUCHADORES VS. THE WORLD!
Six Flags Over Texas

Mexican wrestling! Lucha libre! For the luchadores who once battled in the ring, the term “Living Legend” is an understatement. Cultural ambassadors like El Santo, Blue Demon and Mil Mascaras were real life superheroes. In the ring, in comics and film and literature, these masked men fought all threats – mobsters, monsters, Martians, you name it. For a Mexican child growing up in the ‘50s and ‘60s, to read of their heroic exploits in print...and then see them wrestling evil for real... Nothing could inspire the imagination more!

New to this thrilling genre is the brave luchador Don Lupe! He too is a hero of the people, a gentle giant and a pure soul who made his name in the arena under his trademark golden mask and maroon cape. He too stars as himself in countless pulpy B-movies. But this is all a brilliant façade, for when Don Lupe isn’t pretending to defeat vampire demons, he’s actually defeating vampire demons! Little does his adoring public realize this, mistaking these battles for publicity stunts. But the world’s evildoers do know, that Don Lupe the Champion of Justice is all who stands between them and the World.

Our Cast
Don Lupe, AKA Guadalupe Sanchez, AKA The Golden Angel. Billionaire Mexican wrestler and movie star by day, crimefighter by night. Undefeated, and thus never unmasked.

Evil Professor Muerte, genius mad scientist, a PHD in Villainy, with but one interest: World Domination! (Lightning strike, evil laughter!)

El Enmascarado, AKA The Masked Man, AKA The Purple Devil. Don Lupe’s opposite in the ring...sometimes his sworn archrival, sometimes his lifelong friend. Who is he today?

Senorita Dora, “La Amor del Luchador.” The sultry local taxi driver, who harbors a crush on that masked hero Don Lupe. Unbeknownst to all, Dora is also a reincarnation of the long-dead Olmec priestess Ixtachitl.

Raoul Boca, history’s greatest, drunkest ringside announcer.

Aztec Zombies, the remorseless undead army of Evil Professor Muerte.

Location & Franchising Potential
Fresh off their incredibly successful “Justice League: Battle for Metropolis,” Six Flags looks to expand their dark ride repertoire with a non-licensed, story-based concept. They start again at Six Flags Over Texas, where “Luchadores vs. the World!” is sure to appeal, much as it should too when expanded to Magic Mountain, Six Flags Over Mexico, or anyplace else with a Mexican-themed land. For other parks in the chain, Don Lupe’s Rogues Gallery is expansive, easily able to cover other topics as needed, topics such as international crime syndicates, extradimensional warlords, psychotic undertakers, Atlantean demigods, and many more!

“Luchadores vs. the World!” is naturally found in the Mexico section of Six Flags Over Texas, with an enclosed queue passing underneath La Vibora and alongside El Aserradero. The main show building beyond replaces former administration structures, which are rebuilt nearby to contemporary standards.

Queue – Fight Night under Bright Lights
Drive-in marquees boast “Luchadores vs. the World!” The ride’s façade is the “Casa de Luchadores” arena, a veritable cathedral to lucha libre. Colorful banners advertise “Big Fight Tonight: Don Lupe vs. El Enmascarado!” Over old-fashioned radios and battered TVs throughout the queue to come, guests enjoy pre-fight coverage by Raoul Boca. They learn of Don Lupe’s storied rivalry with El Enmascarado, of El Enmascarado’s treasons against the Forces of Good. Tonight, that ends! Whoever loses in the ring will face the ultimate lucha dishonor: Permanent unmasking!

The queue proceeds into “Dora’s Casa de Taxi Cabs.” Within this quaint pueblo are numerous posters dedicated to the Big Fight, all done in a throwback retro style. A prominent poster catalogues Our Cast as listed above.

Moving into the taxi service salon, guests see gangsters’ silhouettes animated in frosted glass windows. These fedora-clad crooks chat on radios with the unseen Evil Professor Muerte. From their dialogue, guests learn about remote control devices planted in Dora’s taxi cab...and in all the others, just to be safe. It seems Evil Professor Muerte is intent upon kidnapping Senorita Dora...But why?

Loading – She Drove a Yellow Taxi
Ultimately guests enter the taxi garage, which overlooks the Casa de Luchadores’ side entrance across the alleyway. On the Casa’s peeling adobe wall, a stylized luchador mural. Here, riders board taxi cab fleets as Dora’s special guests, invited to sit at ringside tonight. It’s a quick jaunt across the street. What could go wrong?

Ride System
Golden-yellow taxi cabs – vintage Volkswagen beetles – are classic Sally Corp ride vehicles seating two rows of three. Grills and headlights resemble lucha masks. These are simple dark ride cars, confined to a track, but able to stop in place and rotate as needed for better storytelling and personality. Two cabs set out simultaneously every 20 seconds, for a very respectable hourly capacity of 2,160.

Scene 1 – Backstage to a Brawl
Taxis cross the cat-infested alley. They enter the Casa de Luchadores locker room, freshly vacated. Through radios on the taxis’ dashboards, the ever-present voice of announcer Raoul Boca does a play-by-play of the fighters entering the ring.

Taxis proceed swiftly past caricatured 1940s reporters wielding flashbulb cameras. (The ride’s entire visual aesthetic is a humorous, tongue-in-cheek tribute to old EC Comics, all garish colors and pulpy concepts.) Past sepia photographs of retired wrestlers. Doors open to the central arena, revealing an audience chanting with homemade posters (“Viva la Lucha! ” “Unmask El Enmascarado! ” “Bash him good! ”).

Scene 2 – Scuttlebutt at Ringside
Taxis face the main stage, where Don Lupe and El Enmascarado are already grappling underneath blinding klieg lights. (Simplistic animatronics, in keeping with our cheeky tone, populate the ride’s cast.) Suddenly green radio waves overcome the taxis. Evil Professor Muerte’s voice replaces Boca’s on the radio as the taxis all hightail it, remotely controlled.

Don Lupe (ever the do-gooder) attempts to come to riders’ rescue...but he is stymied by a sudden attack of Aztec Zombies! El Enmascarado (ever the heel) just stands aside. Taxis twist and turn under Evil Professor Muerte’s malicious control, avoiding uncomprehending spectators, all while Don Lupe hurls Aztec Zombies through the air.

Scene 3 – A Tough Time on Gangster Street
Taxis retreat into the noir-tinged nighttime roads of Mexico City. Evil Professor Muerte over the radio reassures riders that they are simply bystanders in a twisted kidnapping plot, and suuuurely Don Lupe will be coming to their rescue (note his sarcasm). On a parallel track, another taxi cab carries the captured Senorita Dora. “Help me, Don Lupe! Ayudame!”

Seen through the animated window screens of a seedy pool hall, the fedora-clad gangsters – The Legion of Crime – try in vain to hold off Don Lupe. A tremendous melee commences, full of pool sticks and tequila bottles. Don Lupe hurls an unlucky mook into the outer wall; the wall’s bricks physically topple.

Taxis reverse down a side street. Don Lupe leaps out from the collapsing pool hall alongside his stylish 1960s dune buggy. He strikes a pose. “Do not fret, citizens, for I, Don Lupe, am on my way!”

Scene 4 – Graveyard of the Zombies
Continuing under Evil Professor Muerte’s influence, taxis enter a decrepit old Mexican graveyard, filled with crypts, candles, and festive sugar skulls. More Aztec Zombies emerge from mausoleum doors, or up from the soil. While some lunge ineptly at the taxis, most lumber in the direction of Don Lupe’s oncoming dune buggy. As taxis retreat from the scene, riders can see (projected on a screen) Don Lupe driving through scores of trudging Zombies, tossing them asunder slapstick-style.

Scene 5 – The Tormented Shadows of the Aztec Tomb
Taxis spin and face an ancient Aztec pyramid, looming ominously over the cemetery complex. Past fearsome snake head carvings, through narrow canyons of crumbling stone. Into a graven skeletal entryway to torch-lit catacombs...

A steel door leads to a high-tech laboratory: “Evil Professor Muerte’s Secret Lab.” A very big neon sign says so much.

Scene 6 – Evil Professor Muerte’s Secret Lab
Dora lies on an operation table, bound before a giant Olmec head modified with swirling hypnosis eyes. Overseeing the procedure is Evil Professor Muerte! (*Lightning!*) Like any proper supervillain, Evil Professor Muerte over-explains his plot for both Dora and for riders: In summary, this is regressive hypnotherapy, meant to trigger Dora’s suppressed memories of her past life as Olmec priestess Ixtachitl. His reason? To learn the location of the Lost Olmec Jewels, which he obviously needs for “World Domination! Bwah hah hah HAH!”

A huge bang! Taxis spin (like a whip pan, B-movie style). Here stands Don Lupe, having burst straight through an ageless Aztec wall which now features a Don Lupe-shaped hole. He is joined by six other colorful luchadores: El Nitron, Tifon Gonzalez Jr., Mucho Fuerte, El Angel Exterminador, and more! “Ha HA! Evil shall never triumph, for we are the Defenders of Righteousness!”

Scene 7 – They Saved El Enmascarado’s Brain
Melodramatic organ music plays. “You’ve traveled far, brave luchadores...TO DIE!!!” Evil Professor Muerte pulls a crazed lever, cackling.

Enter El Enmascarado via jetpack!

El Enmascarado (that treacherous, traitorous turncoat) fights Don Lupe on a flimsy catwalk over a pit – “La Tarantula Pit.” Meanwhile, the other luchadores confront the Aztec Zombies in a massive show-stopping Battle Royale (a layering of animatronics and screens)! Metal chairs used as weapons! All scored to psychobilly surf rock!

Taxis spin back to face Dora, rescued from the hypnosis table by a green luchador named Cactus Jorge. “Don Lupe, my hero, remove his mask! It is a brainwashing device!” she yells.

Spin back. Don Lupe defeats El Enmascarado with his patented Pile-Driver of Doom. Fulfilling the promise of the Big Fight, Don Lupe removes El Enmascarado’s mechanical purple mask. It shoots sparks. El Enmascarado comes to his senses.

Scene 8 – Luchadores vs. the Robot Atomico!
“You think you can win that easily, Don Loser?” howls Evil Professor Muerte over speakers. “Behold my deadly Robot Atomico! BWAH HAH HA HA!”

Torches within a steel hangar reveal a fearsome 15-foot-tall titanium Robot Atomico, all cogs and ducts and gears, manned by Evil Professor Muerte! Don Lupe and El Elmascarado, newly allied, stand dwarfed by this horror.

The taxis cannot bear to witness such lunacy! They turn to face a hieroglyphic wall, where shadows depict the fight. Our two luchador heroes battle atop the gigantic Robot Atomico, tearing its electronics asunder. Don Lupe rips out its V8 engine. Evil Professor Muerte screams in defeat: “Curses, foiled by meddling wrestlers!”

Scene 9 – T.K.O. for Evil
Traveling through a smashed wall, riders discover a victorious scene. Don Lupe holds Evil Professor Muerte in an unbreakable headlock, while Dora embraces her savior. El Enmascarado repeatedly kicks the collapsed Robot Atomico, which lies embedded against crushed machinery. With these devices dead, the taxi cabs are freed.

Taxi cabs travel through a bonkers portal labeled “Teletransportador.” Through a psychedelic vortex, they teleport to the alleyways of Casa de Luchadores. A police car holds Evil Professor Muerte in chains. The voice of Raoul Boca returns to the taxis’ radios, offering an epilogue to the night’s events, praising the newfound truce between former rivals, and touting the virtues of good over evil.

Post-Ride – La Casa de Masks
For guests exiting “Luchadores vs. the World!” all jazzed up on Don Lupe’s ridiculous exploits, nothing can beat the nearby “Casa de Masks,” a shop dedicated to all things lucha libre! Here young and old live the fantasy life of a Mexican wrestler. Within a Lucha Libre Hall of Fame, guests may try on a title belt, model a velvet cape, or design their own luchador mask in our “Build-a-Mask Workshop.”

***

The story and characters of “Luchadores vs. the World!” are ultimately very traditional. Good vs. evil, crimefighter vs. mad scientist. Lucha libre gives it an exotic twist. Here is a rich subject, exotic yet familiar, sure to help any Six Flags park stand out in the world of dark rides. This is an expansive world of adventure, intrigue, villainy, heroism and fun! A world with hundreds of stories to tell in every style...some maybe even serious!

Don Lupe will return in “The Curse of the Olmec Jewels!”

IHART | Into: the Storm

The International Humanitarian Aid and Rescue Taskforce are the world’s undisputed experts when dealing with natural, and not so natural disasters. You’ll find IHART on the ground in the good times, providing advice on assistance in the pre-emptive steps we can all do to mitigate the risks that disasters bring; in hotspots before the trouble begins aiding with evacuation and preparing disaster recovery plans, and of course after the fact helping with the recovery.

IHART: The Franchise.

The IHART franchise will consist of a children’s orientated cartoon, tie-in feature movie, and of course merchandising opportunities, along with the initial Theme Park installation. The franchise centres around the IHART Prime team. Lead by Colonel Stewart Lethbridge (The Calm, reassuring voice of experience), the Prime team includes Angus McAngus (who says he’s so good they named him twice, but his youthful brashness leads him into trouble more often than not) and Penny Wyse (smooth and calculating. In any problem she is able to find a space of calm and forumlate a plan to turn adversity into advantage). Other cast members float in and out of the Prime team as the story (and disaster) needs (creating a larger ensemble cast). Episodes are designed in a 5 episode arc (allowing for one episode per weekday) to allow for particular scenarios to be explored in an appropriate level of depth without appearing rushed, but without challenging the attention span of the Audience.

IHART: The Series is pitched at an early to middle primary school audience, broadly focusing on a similar audience to Captain Planet. Shows typically focus on action caused by disasters, with some light elements of inter-team drama, with the focus on realistic solutions rather than fantastical technobabble (as a lead into encourage viewers into being excited by STEM subjects). The disaster focus allows for environmental themes to be discussed without the show getting “preachy” (as well as remaining accessible to those in households hostile to the idea of acknowledging environmental problems in general).

IHART as a theme park franchise allows for rides to be tailored to local environments, and deal with challenges that local audiences are familiar with. Whilst the initial installation, at Dreamworld, Queensland, Australia, is outside of the tropic zone (and thus well beyond the reach of all but the most persistent tropical storms and cyclones (hurricanes), Northern Queensland is well within this area, so it is imagery that the local audience are familiar with. Parks in other locations could deal with great fires, blizzards, flooding, tornadoes, earthquakes, or whatever else the local audience are likely to be familiar with.

IHART | Into: the Storm (At DreamWorld Australia).

The first IHART ride is intended to be a family ride that the whole family can come together (perhaps after older kids have gone and ridden their own things whilst parents have been riding with the younger members of the family) and enjoy together. As such, although a storm is featured, there is no attempt to make the effects anywhere near realistic (even in the “motion” operation version). The Ride can be accessed via the “Rivertown” area of the park

IHART have been called to the town of Bracken Bay, in North Queensland. Tropical Cyclone Matilda is headed straight for the town and IHART are helping prepare for its arrival. Guests enter the Bracken Bay Emergency Zone through the studios of its local television Station BBTV. BBTV is generously donating use their facilities to IHART and other emergency services as a part of their contribution to the community that they serve. They’re also using their airtime to keep the community informed about the progress of the storm and what they can do to prepare.

—Queue and Preshow—
Guests will queue through public areas and back of house production areas. Monitors showing BBTV’s current programming will see an apparent livecast from BBTV Eyewitness News. Anchorman Jack Chumley is interviewing officials from emergency services, including Police, Fire, Ambulance, the State Emergency Service and of course IHART about disaster management, whilst Meteorologist Sunny Dae will keep you informed about the progress of the storm. Interspaced inbetween those clips are advertisements for the park, and disaster perpardness advertisements.

Half way though the queue, guests will need to opt for the “motion” or “non motion” version of the ride. The story plays the same, but the motion effects are nullified in the “non motion” version. This allows families to ride together in an experience tailored for them.

Guests eventually make their way into one of the stations studios, which has been rapidly prepared as a videoconfrencing suite. (Sets and props for other station shows can be seen in the room) Guests are seated and then an image of IHART leader Colonel Stewart Lethebridge is projected onto the screen.

“Ah good, you’re here. As you know the town of Bracken Bay is expecting the imminent onslaught of Cyclone Matilda. As the newest members of the IHART Prime Team, we need you to perform one final recognisance of the towns defences. Join the Chopper teams, and give them one final inspection. Any questions?”

At this point the image of Angus McAngus appears through picture in picture, dressed in Helicopter pilot costuming “Oh come on Colonel… Can’t we do something a bit more exciting? Go out and track the direction of the storm? Measure the size of winds as we approach the eye? Anything!?!”

“Under no circumstances are you to deviate from my instructions. Flying into a storm is extremely dangerous. Flying into a cyclone even more so. I want you back on Terra Firma before that storm hits and into the strongroom”.

Guests are then directed “outside” to a helipad, where they board helicopters. The Helicopters run on a track under the body of the aircraft itself, with an amount of motion simulator machinery to simulate the feeling of flight.

In the front of the Helicopter is a an animatronic Angus McAngus, ready to fly our guests on this important, if seemingly mundane, mission.

—Ride Section One—

Guests will be “flown” through the city of Bracken Bay, where they will be shown examples of the town’s preparations for the storm. Although the cyclone itself is a long way off it is already raining fairly heavily (but guests remain dry inside the chopper. Examples of the preparations focused on include citizenry moving outdoor furniture inside, taping up of windows, and citizens passing out and sharing emergency supplies. Angus comments on the preparations as the chopper passes with dialogue that is relevant to the scenes, but selected from a pool of options at random.

As the chopper approaches the end of the scenes, Colonel Lethebridge’s voice comes onto the radio “Okay McAngus, time to head back…” only to be interrupted by Penny Wyse “Colonel, we’ve just had a call from the mayor, one of the townspeople, Sean O’Darian went out in his boat fishing yesterday before the state of emergency was put into place, and nobody has seen him since. He’s believed to have a secret spot just to the north”

“Blast. The Storm is imminent, there’s nothing we can do”

“Don’t worry Colonel I’ll save them”

“McAngus, No, get back here. That’s an order!” (the radio starts to crackle)

“Whats that Colonel? You’re breaking up” (Angus adds to the crackle with his own embelishments, but further transmissions are too distorted to recieve)

—Ride Section Two—

The guests are piloted into the dark storm. The level of turbulence depends on the intensity selected by the guest from “just enough to make the point” to a low to moderate thrill (in line with a river rapid ride) . With little to see out the window except intense rain effects the story is provided by Angus McAngus’ “internal dialogue”. Although these lines are recorded, they are selected from a large library of lines to ensure each ride is a little different and the remarks seem more spontanious.

As the storm starts, his tone and comments are upbeat, convinced he’ll find Mr O’Darian and be the hero of the day But as the storm intensifies, his bravado evaporates, eventually realising that he’s made a very big mistake and rather than the hero, he’s put the lives of his passengers at risk.

Just as his depression hits what seems to be its peak (trough?) the radio crackles to life, its Penny Wyse “We should be able to break through now Colonel. IHART Central calling Chopper One.

“Chopper one here, am I glad to hear you” (The storm rapidly starts to ease)

“We have him Colonel. Chopper one, we see you’re approaching the coordinate we believe Mr O’Darian was headed to, do you have visual”

The Chopper descends over a small secluded inlet, where Mr O’Darian is fishing, completely oblivious to the Chaos around. “We’ve found him, and he appears fine” calls back Angus, whilst O’Darian can be heard to say “Get out of it you flaming mongrels, you’re scaring the fish”

“The worst of the storm is about to pass, return to base, and this time I mean it” a cross but restrained Colonel calls back.

The “flight” back to town does go through a high rain area (to act as as curtain) but there isn’t nearly as much turbulance as may have been experienced before.

—Ride Section 3—

The Chopper returns to town, with scenes that mirror the initial flight through Bracken Bay. Angus comments on how well the preparations have worked, as well as additions to the scenes that show what IHART and other emergency services are doing in the wake of the storm in order to aid recovery, eventually arriving back at BBTV,

After Angus lands he thanks the guests for their assistance, whilst Colonel Lethbridge indicates on the radio he wants to see Angus immediately… Angus suggests the guests get out of the area before the colonel arrives to avoid his anger.

As guests leave BBTV they can see the studios have transformed in their role, providing immediate aid to those who need it, and acting as a staging post for work teams. Guests leave through the TV Studio gift shop (again, themed for the station) where IHART and BBTV merchandise are available for purchase, with 5% of all profits going towards the work of the Queensland State Emergency Service.

"Some say that humans are not the only intelligent beings in the universe, and that by searching the distant stars we will one day discover other beings like us. This statement, however, is only partially true. Other intelligent beings do exist, but they come not from the dimensions of space, but from those of a higher order. In a parallel universe exists the world of Mythrrium, and it is inhabited by a species most would place into the uncanny valley: so similar to us, yet just different enough to provoke extreme distaste. The true name of this species is not well known, but on Earth they go by a name commonly seen in myths and legends: Dragons.

While the dragons of Mythrrium resemble those fantastical beasts from fairy tales, their behavior is not all that different from ours. Dragons live in a complex multi-layered society where all have a place and a purpose in life. They are outstanding at fabricating structures out of metal or stone, and using their skills they have crafted cities that would impress even the most creative engineer. While most show a limited amount of interest in the arts, they are fascinated by the sciences, constantly attempting to study the world around themselves and use it to their advantage. They are also surprisingly compassionate, showing great love and loyalty to their friends and allies, offering aid to those in need, and avenging those who they feel have been wronged. But one important trait sets them apart...all dragons have an affinity with a specific element, and through it they can work feats often described simply as magic.

The dragons of Mythrrium discovered our world centuries ago, and since then they have lived beside us in secret. However, they now feel the time is right to reveal their presence to us, and have extended an offer of eternal friendship. Having watched the events of human history, they come prepared to show their intentions are sincere and that an interspecies alliance will benefit both of our species for millennia to come. You are hereby invited to a special presentation hosted by Fyrrdrak, King of Eastrus, in the hope that it will be the first step toward an agreement between human and dragon-kind."

Approaching Castle Plateau, guests notice a proclamation with the above three paragraphs mounted to the wall of the magnificent stone structure. Standing over ten stories tall (though forced perspective makes it appear taller) and built into the side of a rocky cliff, the fortress looks simultaneously intimidating and inviting. Those wishing to take up the king on his offer need merely walk through the gigantic gateway and into the courtyard beyond to experience the latest in family-friendly dark ride technology. Welcome to...

Mythrrium: World of Dragons

Exterior Queue:

Picture something like this, but more tan than green and with a sheer cliff behind it.

Inside the castle, guests find a courtyard about half the size of a football field decorated to celebrate their arrival. Colorful banners hang from the inside of the walls, festive Celtic music is heard (including live musicians during peak hours), and welcome signs in various languages (with some characteristic misspellings...k for c, z for s, and double r are common) are scattered about. The well in the center has been converted into a fountain for this special occasion, featuring a statue of a human shaking hands with a bipedal dragon. A chain-link queue loops around the courtyard before reaching a pair of wood doors three stories tall and fifty feet wide.

Interior Queue:

Inside the doors, guests proceed down an enormous hallway past life-sized statues of Eastrus's most famous dragon residents, each with a plaque describing that individual's reasons for inclusion. Among the two dozen statues, six contain a special mark on their plaque matching one on the proclamation out front:

-Drakr: The Leader of the King's Guard, an elite team of dragons tasked with personally protecting the King, Drakr is the only dragon who has been in the Fyrrdrak's service since he took the throne. Over the past four decades, Drakr has accomplished more in the line of duty than most do in their entire careers (sometimes spanning multiple centuries) and is the King's most trusted adviser. Drakr's is bipedal, his coloration is red with gold accents, and his elemental type is fire.

-Alkali: Another member of the King's Guard, Alkali is recognized for her strategic prowess during the Argentine incident, which could have resulted in mass devastation across the United States if not stopped in time. Alkali is quadruped, silver with green accents, and her elemental type is metal.

-Icy: Icy is the head of the interspecies task force, and while he is still young by dragon standards he has proven to be extremely competent in his role and possess an unusually large amount of skill with the technique of persuasion. Icy is bipedal, light blue with dark blue accents, and his elemental type is ice.

-Blaze: The chief medical expert at Castle Plateau, Blaze is yet another member of the King's Guard and Drakr's sister. Blaze has devoted her time to studying the arcane arts, and with them has created techniques capable of healing that which is otherwise unable to be healed. Blaze is quadruped, red with orange accents, and her elemental type is fire.

-Ampere: The first hybrid, Ampere is actually a human who was transformed into a dragon during the Argentine incident. His creation was the catalyst that lead to the dragons coming out of hiding, and he is the primary link between the dragon and human worlds. He is bipedal, blue with copper accents, and his elemental type is electricity.

-Fyrrdrak: King of Eastrus, Fyrrdrak has been ruler of the North American dragons for over a century. He is seen as progressive compared to his predecessors, but is also a bit reckless. Fyrrdrak is quadruped, red with black accents, and his elemental type is fire.

At the end of the hallway, guests turn down a side corridor and climb a spiral staircase, ascending into a spacious holding chamber. Various artifacts cover the walls, including a map of Earth dragon colonies, a blueprint for some type of vehicle, and a list of the different elemental types and their powers. A door at the far end of the chamber blocks passage further, Instructing guests to wait for further instructions. This is also the point where the ride's express queue is merged with the regular queue. When it is time, the door opens and a castle associate beckons guests to enter the chamber beyond.

Preshow:

Guests find themselves in a chamber resembling a throne room, but everything inside appears temporary. The throne itself is vacant, and the chamber itself is dim as if not in use. Once the room is full, the associate shuts the door. For 10-15 seconds, nothing happens, then a voice is heard.

"Greetings, visitors. We hope you've all been enjoying your tour of our home. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control the scheduled presentation has been canceled. Please follow the directions of our associates to make your way to the remainder of the tour."

Once the announcement ends, the associate begins beckoning guests toward the exit door. However, before they make it two steps, Icy appears on a balcony above. He apologizes again for the interruption in schedule, then invites guests on a special backup tour he and Ampere arranged in private. Using special vehicles capable of interdimensional travel, Icy offers to take guests to see the world of Mythrrium itself. After the associate responds negatively, Icy states that he's the one who organized the open house in the first place, then gives guests directions before leaving. Guests exit the preshow room through a secret door and travel down a narrow corridor that slowly descends.

Boarding Area:

Guests emerge into an underground laboratory. Some of the equipment seen is very commonplace, while other items are completely foreign. Recorded safety messages from Ampere are broadcast at intervals. Guests wind through the laboratory before approaching the load platform, where they are grouped into two rows of three behind loading gates. When the gates open, guests board the vehicle, pull down the lapbar, and after a quick check are dispatched into the ride.

Technical Info:

This attraction uses ETF's trackless Multi Mover system. Instead of a physical track, ride vehicles are guided via a wire embedded in the floor. Codes in the wire signal vehicles to stop, rotate, and reverse direction at specific points, while at other times they move continuously through the ride at a slow 1.2 m/s (~2.6 MPH). Each vehicle seats 6 riders in two rows of three, with all riders secured by a common lap bar. Utilizing a dispatch interval of 20 seconds, capacity for this attraction is estimated at 1,080 riders per hour. The ride itself is approximately 5 minutes in duration. As the ride contains no thrill elements, the only requirement to ride is that riders are able to sit upright independently, but those under 48" must be accompanied by a supervising companion.

Ride Through:

Scene 1: Riders pass through a door into a control room, where they see Ampere sitting in a control booth. He tells riders that he'll be monitoring them from there while Icy will accompany them, then tells them to prepare for a dimension jump. A large steel door sides open in front of riders and they proceed inside a blank room. Once the door slides closed, a countdown is heard. At one, everything glows, then the entire room appears to peel away from the vehicle. Riders receive an onslaught of wind and light for about five seconds, then everything returns to normal and they find themselves on the street of Mythrrium city.

Scene 2:

Mythrrium is a bit cleaner and brighter, but the architectural look is similar.

Mythrrium city, the capital of the dragon world, is a true sight. Buildings of all shapes and sizes line the street, built out of stone and/or steel and designed in what would best be described as a steampunk style. Unfortunately, the city also appears to be in chaos. Shadows pass by constantly as dragons fly above, fleeing from an unknown location. Landing next to the riders, Icy comments that something isn't right and they must be careful, then the vehicles proceed down the street.

Scene 3: At the end of the street, vehicles enter a park. A number of dragons are scattered throughout the park, launching various magical attacks toward the sky. As riders move toward them, Drakr drops down in front of riders and scolds Icy for bringing them here before telling everyone they must leave. A darkness dragon has appeared, making it incredibly dangerous for all but the most skilled warriors. As the vehicles spin around, Icy comments that darkness dragons are rare, but they are extremely powerful and completely feral due to their affinity with dark energy. The vehicles head down another street directly adjacent to the one they originally traversed.

Scene 4: As guests are traveling down the street, there is a roar followed by a crash. In front of guests, a building begins to topple. The vehicles quickly make a sharp turn down an alley.

Scene 5: Guests head down a street full of various unusual businesses. As they pass, a few residents who have chosen not to evacuate poke their heads out in curiosity. As they reach the end of the street and begin to turn a corner, Ampere comes over the communicator and tells Icy to get the guests to a safe location so they can dimension jump back to Earth.

Scene 6:

Guests head out of the city and into the wilderness of Mythrrium. The landscape resembles an alien forest, with massive trees, distinctly unearthly vegetation, and very rough terrain. Icy spots a cave nearby and the vehicle heads toward that.

Scene 7: Icy leads the vehicle into the cave, then radios their position to Ampere. Another roar is heard, and the vehicle turns around. Rider see the darkness dragon streaking toward the cave. Icy leaps over the vehicle and stands in the cave entrance to protect the riders. As he begins to build an ice wall, Ampere counts down and then the cave begins to glow. Everything seems to peel away from the vehicle as passengers are assaulted by another blast of wind and light. After about five seconds, everything returns to normal and riders find themselves on a cliff overlooking a human city. Icy breathes a sigh of relief, then the darkness dragon streaks past above them. Icy immediately calls in the disaster as the vehicle turns and drives off.

Scene 8: Coming around a curve, riders are joined by Alkali and Blaze, who have been assigned as escorts. Both criticize Icy for his actions, but their first priority is to keep everyone safe. Both grab onto the vehicle, and through the use of a dome screen riders are given the illusion of flight (note: this is the only major screen-based effect in the attraction). They follow the darkness dragon toward the city, landing on the outskirts as it begins to attack. Once on the ground, Alkali and Blaze release the vehicle and it turns into the city.

Scene 9: Alkali, Ampere, Blaze, and Icy work to evacuate the city. They tell riders to spread word of the danger as they head off in different directions. The cars head down a busy street with mixed reactions among those who watch them go past. When another roar is heard, people begin to panic, then a building shakes and topples over. Vehicles make a sharp turn.

Scene 10: In the largest scene of the attraction, Fyrrdrak and the darkness dragon battle each other, both realized as full-size animatronics. Fire, wind, water, and light effects simulate an epic showdown between titans. Noticing guests, the darkness dragon turns toward them, giving Fyrrdrak the perfect opportunity to stab a flaming sword into the back of its head (the vehicles turn away seconds before this happens, but audio and visual cues imply that this is what happens.

Scene 11: Riders come upon the six main dragon characters, who are all being applauded and thanked by the city's residents for saving them. Fyrrdrak gives a short speech about hoping that the two species can strengthen their bonds with each other, then thanks riders for taking a chance on his offer. Ampere creates a portal and the car moves through it back into the control room. Ampere and Icy thank riders once again for visiting and hope they had a good time even though it wasn't the adventure they were expecting, then the doors open and vehicles proceed to the unloading area.

Post-Ride:

Guests exit the laboratory via a set of stairs in another narrow tunnel. At the end of the tunnel, guests find themselves in a large hall decorated the same way as the outdoor courtyard. Here, guests can purchase trinkets from various vendors, play a handful of interactive games, or meet and greet with the characters from the ride. Once guests have had their fill, they proceed through a short corridor back to the courtyard, then exit near the point where they entered.

Before I critique the proposals, I want to say that I looked at this challenge as being done two ways- either as a dark ride where the story is the most important thing and the ride is the mechanism to tell it, or where the ride and its mechanism is the most important thing and the story is plugged into it. The former is harder to create.

Blake Meredith Mythica Academy

Mythica Academy would probably set the record for the number of a.a. constructs needed, and would possibly be the largest dark ride ever created. As far as the importance of the story to the experience, well, I think that the story could be ignored and riders would still have an amazing experience. This was a situation where the story was plugged in.

That being said, Mythica Academy would be a wonderful experience, full of spectacular special effects, amazing visuals and- for those into that sort of thing, like me- a refreshing addition of humor and puns. I question how many would get the C.H.Iron reference (but would he be a centaur as in the mythology of the character?). The sheer scope of this adventure would put it in the category of Indy, and some of the interior scenes could challenge the boys at Universal for breathtaking beauty. At first I was uncomfortable with the alteration between classical architecture (Alumni Hall of Legends) with caverns with a Norse long-house mess hall, but it grew on me with the fact that heroes come from all cultures.

You know that I’m a stickler for realism in proposals, as in “could that really be built?” and here I think you push the realms of realism a bit into the “realms of imagination” (like how I did that?). The food fight and the battle in the Arena with arrows and what sounds to me like extremely complicated a.a. requirements on the part of just about everyone would be monumentally challenging to create, and more importantly to maintain. The huge number of a.a.’s needed for this dark ride would almost inevitably invite mechanical challenges and possibly cost-and-time-prohibitive maintenance.

As a dark ride, this would be fantastically popular. As a proposal for Challenge 1, you met all the criteria, but the story got lost in the special effects. Could the ride stand alone, with the story line removed? Yes, and I don’t think your riders would really care. They’d be so carried away with the “wow” factor that they’d forget about the “why” component. However, as a judge, I do care.

DPCC inc. Prince Nicholas and the Hero’s Journey

In “Prince Nicholas…” you identified a void, a need, in the Disney Parks and presented an eminently doable, family-oriented and interesting proposal for filling that need. This proposal could be created quickly (which for Disney means in less than two years!) using currently-used and well-tested technology. Young boys need a hero, and if Disney can’t or won’t provide one for them, they’re going to nag their parents over to Universal to see Harry. This could have the potential to keep them occupied while their sisters are at the Bibbudd- uh, Bebopp- uh, that place.

The story is essential to the dark ride- without it there would be no ride. Is the story a strong one? Well, it could be stronger. A few things jumped out at me. If it is so urgent that the dragon be stopped from attacking the kingdom, why wait until Nicholas goes through a training period before fighting it? Establishing that he is already training, or already trained, would make more sense. If riders see that Nicholas is training, then see the villagers telling the King about the dragon, then having the King call Nicholas in to save the Kingdom, flows better. Nicholas is already a Prince- it would be expected that he would be training to be a knight to protect the Kingdom.

Gnewton could be a great character (and sell lots of stuffed Gnewtons in the gift shop) but he really doesn’t do anything, does he? I read the proposal several times, and all he does is follow Nicholas around. Perhaps having Nicholas save Gnewton from the dragon somehow, then have Gnewton return the favor by saving Nicholas (who was losing to the dragon) by chewing through the branch the dragon is sitting on, sending it into the abyss and saving Nicholas’ life. That way you’d have two heroes, and friends who saved each other’s life.

An original story is hard to come up with, and you did come up with one that simply needed more story, more evaluation. Regardless, you created a conservative but creatable dark ride where the story line was essential to the ride. A fine proposal, one that shows why you deserve to be in the Tournament of Champions!

Douglas Hindley Luchadores vs. The World

As a Northerner whose exposure to Mexican culture is limited to Taco Bell and a local Mexican restaurant with such a strange name that everybody in town calls it “the Mexican restaurant” I was unsure how accessible I would find your proposal. I soon found myself reassured. “Luchadores vs. The World” is a delightful, imaginative, and eminently creatable dark ride, perfect for the parks you specified. Would it work in Cedar Point or Canada’s Wonderland? Probably not so much, although once experienced by guests, most of them would enjoy it and repeat it on every visit. I’m unsure that many cultures have such an outrageous genre to utilize, so retheming it to a local culture might have its limitations. I suspect that the storyline is not especially original, but more likely a “variation on a theme” that pervades every single luchadores film. An original storyline in this genre would be as unlikely and as unwelcome as a Godzilla movie that doesn’t involve a city- usually Tokyo- being eaten.
Even without being familiar with the stereotypical characters in this genre, the cast you chose is easy to keep track of and I don’t think guests, even Northerners unfamiliar with the genre, would have any trouble. I was confused by your ride’s entrance building- I’m not sure what a “drive-in marquee” is, or why you enter an arena but then enter a taxicab station. I guess you had to find a way to get people into the ride vehicle, but it was a bit awkward.

The ride itself…now don’t get offended, but in some ways it reminded me of a YouTube video I saw of the old Superstar Limo ride at DCA. Not the crappy parts, but the gaudy, outrageous, overdramatic and overacted feeling that seems to fit your ride perfectly. I think the mixed use of screens and simple animatronics is the perfect combination for this fast-paced adventure, and having the riders be trapped in the taxis is a great pretense to having them be part of the action and not just passive observers (but what are “green radio waves”?).

The little details that you added throughout the proposal, from the neon sign advertising the “secret lair” to the “psychobilly surf rock” score showed that you thought this proposal through completely, and that you enjoyed creating it almost as much as I enjoyed reading it. This would be an outstanding creation.

Chad H IHART |Into: the Storm

First of all, I have to give you extra points for thinking outside the box. You made this dark ride just a part of a larger franchise that includes a daily television series, sure to attract interest in the ride and also be an educational service to young people. I agree with your Captain Planet analogy, and this franchise is a great integration of entertainment genres.

Technically the ride is certainly realistic in its demands. The queue area sets the stage for the upcoming adventure, and showing the “backstage” of a television production studio would be both interesting and educational without being to technobabble- if done properly. I get the impression you grasp the concept of showing the rider what is needed and explaining it in a method that the entire family could understand. The ride mechanism, while not explained in detail, seems to be simple enough to provide the necessary special effects- as long as everything is waterproof! Having dual-intensity movement depending on the rider’s demands is a good concept, but it would be vital to establish that they know what those demands are ahead of time.

Now the story. Sorry, but not much there. Going out into the storm to show preparedness is easy, and interesting, but not really a story- more a show-and-tell. When the actual story begins, with the fisherman in his secret fishing spot, it felt plugged into the action almost as an afterthought. Mr. Darian has a “secret” fishing spot that they have the coordinates for? Not very secret. When they find him he’s not in danger anyway, and after risking their lives to rescue him they leave him and come home.

This dark ride didn’t need the story line to be a fun, informative and exciting experience. It would be a great time without the lost fisherman thread. Unfortunately the story line was what made this challenge different from the usual “series-of-interesting-but-barely-connected-scenes” that comprise many/most dark rides. A story has a beginning, middle, and end. Yours had a tossed-in beginning, a middle (sort of) and no satisfying end. That frustrated me- it had so much potential, especially when I know what you are capable of. It was NOT a bad proposal technically, well-presented and professionally written, but at this level of competition you must earn your high Firsts (did I get that right?) every time…and you can do it.

AJ Hummel Mythrrium: World of Dragons

Creating an entirely new Mythology is a daunting task, and you have done that with “Mythrrium: World of Dragons.” There is a problem from the start, though- anyone entering that world is going to either require a crash course in Mythrriumology (my spell check just went nuts) or must already know what the differences are between the Dragons of your parallel universe and the dragons of our own mythology, the ones that are either ancient, wise Chinese dragons who study Confucian/Zen/Shinto philosophy or the European dragons who eat fair damsels and always lose to brave knights. You stated that the first three paragraphs of your proposal would be on the walls of the Castle entrance structure, and these would indeed explain the differences- but nobody would read them unless they were forced to. This isn’t Star Wars where a captive audience is forced to read the opening explanation. Most would just walk through the queue lines, staring at their phones and checking out the tattoos on their fellow queue captives, and would never look up to read the entire explanation. Unfortunately, the same thing happens in the Interior queue, when each important dragon character is explained. Most riders would walk past them without reading about who they are and what they do.

This would be tragic, because when your riders didn’t read this, didn’t know who the dragons were and why the events in the ride were happening, they would miss out on the rich, impressive and intelligent dark ride you’ve created. This ride has an almost Tolkeinesque quality in scope and grandeur. It combines adventure, visual beauty, remarkable design potential and an interesting character development where dragons, often considered the enemies of the human race, are instead their defenders and willing to fight one of their own to protect the humans in their care.

The technical details you included, which I’d have to trust are accurate and not technobabble, seem to be perfect for this type of ride. It would give the ride vehicles the necessary flexibility to navigate the demands of this experience. I suspect that, even though it is not a thrill ride per se and does not approach breaking the challenge demands that it not be a thrill ride, the experience itself would be thrilling. Visual thrills would abound.

Technically, however, I think you might have pushed the boundary of what animatronics can do. You have Icy leaping over the ride vehicle. I don’t think that we’ve reached that level of animatronics yet. You also mention a scene where “Fyrrdrak and the darkness dragon battle each other, both realized as full-sized animatronics.” This made me unsure about the size of the animatronics used up to this time. Would it be an amazing ride experience? Yes, but technically it could be a mess if just one of the animatronics stopped working, and the physical demands placed on these animatronics would be monumental. You didn’t specify what park this would be at, and you didn’t have to for this challenge, but outside of a Disney park (or a private park owned by some Middle Eastern oil sheik) it would be hard to find anyplace with deep enough pockets to finance the R&D to create this experience. This is where my obsession with being realistic come in.

Would I enjoy Mythrrium: World of Dragons? Yes, absolutely. It would be an amazing experience. If the general public would learn about the dragons in your mythology, they’d enjoy it also, and even if they didn’t take the time to get educated it would still be an amazing experience. Realistic to build? Probably not, at least not yet. Memorable to experience? Undoubtedly yes!

Sorry everyone...we're having some technical difficulties. I'm going to post my stuff soon and then go to a doctor's office, and we haven't heard from Scott with his judging.

Sorry about the delay...

Scott's working today. He'll get it in later. Sorry for him!

Note from Jeff: It was probably a really bad idea to watch a marathon of Cinema Sins before starting this…just saying. I think that is a bit of an apology…if one is needed.

Blake Meredith – Mythica Academy

While the Mythology thing has been done and overdone in quite a few theme parks, it appears that your use of different characters and blazing a path of its own is a very good choice. I’m a huge fan of cheeky humor and the signs around the labyrinth are very clever. I think there might be a typo here…right at scene 1 you start out by saying that this is the final turn…I certainly hope not, it just started. While I am enjoying the IP and the story, the “need” is a bit lacking at the time the ride starts, while I understand that an audit is taking place, that seems like the perfect time to send the guests out to run amuck while the Auditor and Dean hash things out, instead of being taken along for the ride. I know that this isn’t supposed to be a thrill ride, but it should still have a bit of a point. If the point is just for a tour, it seems kind of pointless and hollow, albeit well done. Ok, at the end of Scene 2 we finally get a taste of where we are going with this. So at the end of the ride, we have only been put on a tour, which is fine, as quite a few non-thrilling dark rides are tours. It did feel like the humor was running out toward the end, so I’m going to have to assume that was to keep me from having to spend 4 hours meticulously reading over every single gag and punchline. I’m not sure the video ride-through helped or hindered the process as you did a very good job with the description and there was something lost in the ride when there was no audio. So far as the franchise potential goes, while a humor approach to gods and fighting is a different take on something that is in the public domain. Your particular characters were fresh and had the right amount of guile to pull this type of thing off. I’m a bit confused on the story aspect of this. It would appear to me that the pre-ride setup never happened. The on-ride setup seemed to be paper thin since the story line was about an audit of a training facility, and there was a not very satisfactory resolution to the story…again, I’m hoping that it is because it was rushed to save me some time. While every story is derivative (even Shakespeare said as much), this auditor and story line feel quite similar to the character arch of A.E. Pessimal from the Terry Pratchett novel Thud!. The one item that your ride is missing is the auditor taking their newfound training to the next level and brutally saving someone’s life. Call me a sucker for the simple things in life, but I really liked the Wile E Coyote style signs all over the place.

All things considered, I liked this.

DPCC inc. – Prince Nicolas and the Hero’s Journey

Right off the bat, I like your reasoning for the ride, I like the placement, and I like the interactive (and expandable) queue. Ahh, I see the first complaint…I knew it was welling up in me trying to get out for something silly, but then you handed it to me….you never described what type of vehicle you are using or what type of system this is…other than a lap-bar which if pretty standard. I don’t know how much of a complaint this is, but since it annoys me, I’m gonna mention it: What was the point with all of the setup and expensive theming if the first thing you are going to do when you get on the ride is to go into a storybook. It would seem to defeat the purpose of everything up to that point…why not just set the theme in a modern library at that point? So….I’m three scenes in and I have no idea if this is animatronic or not. I’m going to assume based on the first scene that everything is animatronic, even though some of this would work much better as projection, specifically the montage scene. The montage scene is also bothering me, as it doesn’t mention a passage of time at all. Was he really that good to start with like Merida from Brave, or is Nicolas learning all of this stuff from scratch? And why in the h4ll are we sending this kid instead of all of the kingdom’s knights plus some mercenaries, plus some wizards, and maybe some consultants that specialize in inhuming large dangerous reptiles? ….the kid really doesn’t have the resume for this kind of work. No scouting mission, no confirmed sightings, no idea where to find the beast at all…just a report that there was a dragon…but I know people who will tell you with every ounce of honesty in their soul that ghosts exist and that they have seen one themselves. People make lousy witnesses. So the reason is for…..um..….adventure? Got it! Moving along. I really hate to pick on your character at this point, but the way this is shaping up, he should really be wearing brown pants instead of green. Or red. Red works too. The second montage seems like it would be much easier to pull off with just rapidly placed vignettes. And please, for the love of everyone living, no more montages, it makes me want to dig up Frank Capra so I can have the pleasure of stabbing him where his eyes used to be for popularizing the technique. Montage = overdone = moving on. Scene 5 is going to be a hard move to pull off, unless it is projection…take off shield, pull out sword, marches (naively) into the cave. There is a limit to what animatronics can do. And another thing, it would be hard to block out the movements on a ride, assuming that the car is also heading toward the same cave entrance Nicolas is heading for. That means a lot of back of head views. Scene 6 & 7….Ooooo…this would be so much cooler if you were using a trackless system and the dragon was intruding into the area where the vehicles are supposed to be, thus breaking the fourth wall and pulling guests further into the action. With the flickering light, which to a stagecraft person means long moments of blackness, you could have the dragon pop right out of the floor in the middle of the track area. Hate to be nit-picky, but in close quarters fighting it would be really really difficult to go back and forth between your sword and bow. Having a large animatronic fall off the edge at the end of this minute long fight scene is also going to be a real headache so far as blocking goes. Unless you are only sending through a care every minute and a half, the climax will be ruined for most cars….not to mention extremely difficult for an animatronic to do over and over again throughout the day. It would be much better to turn a tight corner and then have the finale where only one car can see it.

While I really like this attraction, I have problems with the staging and problems with the guests being perfectly passive. I also feel that with the title, you are at the same time talking down to little boys while at the same time, talking over their heads. How would they know what a hero’s journey is? It would be much a much better title if you gave it a sense of danger like Prince Nicolas and the Dragon of Ruby Mountain. Kids like a sense of danger as long as they know they will be safe. I understand that most of my complaining is trying to make sense of a fairy tale, and I also understand that sometimes logic needs to be suspended, so while I ate this one up, the story is probably fine how it is….although having the Prince happen upon the dragon while playing in the woods would seem much more dangerous, it would also cut out quite a lot of build up. Put the villagers and king bits into the queue and start with Nick already in the forest….Not Peter and the Wolf style, but maybe word hadn’t reached him yet. It would also be nice to have an age for Nicholas…

Douglas Hindley – Luchadores vs. the World
I was with you right up until we got to your ride vehicles: Taxis. Where this ride is going, Taxis don’t make any sense to me and are already pulling me out of the moment. You would have been better off just not saying what the transports were supposed to be, just that they were decorated to the wrestlers, later on, it makes more sense to be in a taxi, but you hit us all before belief could be suspended. With cheeky simple animatronics, Sally Corp will usually break out the 2D cardboard models. This ride is greatly enhanced by the placement of it. Much further north and you would have people ignoring it. This would appear to be a very simple ride, taking the basic Sally Corp design and twisting it to a new theme. That said, this ride is going to live and die on the freshness of its script. You miss on too many jokes, it doesn’t maintain the zaniness all of the way to the end, and this will become a ride that is only busy when it is raining. While this is the cheapest of the rides I have seen so far, this one is also the most daring for trying to share a Mexican tradition with US audiences. It might have been better to open this in Six Flags Mexico first and then copy it out from there. Unfortunately, this is not IP that you could make a franchise off of since you would need to either license the IP from the wrestlers or break this out into something else since the US already has their own engrained wrestling league. I liked the story, but it felt very “Dudley Do-Right”ish.

Chad H – IHART – Into the Storm
Uggg…..I like everything about your build-up except for the name. IHART feels like a name that is pandering to someone for something. All the “I heart my dog”, “I heart my cat”, “I heart my 4th-grade teacher”, this has been way overplayed for a very long time now and is (thankfully) starting to taper off. With “I heart media” as the biggest thing that still uses I heart, there will be an instant connection (even with the misspelling) that will likely get you sued. There is absolutely no chance that you will be able to trademark “IHART”, which is a real bummer when it comes to creating a franchise. A name should be the embodiment of the idea as the whole of the thing. IHART could be a distributor of dirty movies much more easily than an environmental group. I agree, keep away from the word “climate”, but there is no problem using the word “weather”. Dangerous Weather Club would be a decent name although a little straight forward. You don’t want to have buyer’s remorse on the name after the 3rd feature film has been released. IHART in all caps also insinuates that it is an acronym, but I can't figure what the letters would stand for other than “I Hate All Ridiculous Titles”…..((man….it is getting late and it appears that I am a bit irritable….nothing personal is meant by it….just trying to get my word count in)) “A rose by any other name would smell much better.” Will “Yum-Shanks” Peer. Your names are almost too cheeky if you are doing a serious ride. It is nice that you have a full motion and no motion version. This usually only matters when you are Disney or the ride is the transportation to a full land beyond. Oh…and….nice call on the Hurricane name being Matilda…Tim Minchin will be pleased. Ooooooo….boarding helicopters? On a helipad? That sounds great until the first guest with disability or wheelchair shows up…and then you have a problem. Big time. Also, to keep the appearances of a helipad going, your ride ops team is going to need to scurry around bent double…and that leads to back pain…lost work days….workers comp…..and lawsuits…. It seems like the overall theme of this ride is to listen and obey your superiors…which is kind of a kick in the face kind of moral. I would have been much better if they had rescued the fisherman right before a wave crashed over his boat and would have killed him. While I like the team that you have assembled (minus some of the names) the ride itself seems very straight forward. SeaWorld, I believe, had something somewhat similar, where you need to land on the very edge of a glacier for and the helicopter nearly plunges into the gap between two glaciers. I believe that was one of those 5D theaters that seemed to think it was logical to spray water onto people who are sitting casually in the friendly confines of the inside of an aircraft…and then thought it was funny to weedwhack the backs of the audience’s legs. While I like what you have here, a franchise for this doesn’t seem to strike me as imminent.

AJ Hummel – Mythrrium: World of Dragons
It is going to be a bit of a hard sell to have the characters disagreeing with the ride ops personnel. People are usually going to believe other people, particularly if they look like they work there. This will then require your cast members to break character in order to get everyone on the ride. To sell the idea of shadows and dragons flying in the air will be quite trick from a technology standpoint. It would also appear that there is a knowledge gap that needs to be crossed for the riders to understand what is going on here. Since you have good dragons and bad dragons…and most people suspect that all dragons are bad and scary…..there is going to need to be something that allows riders who know nothing about any of this to easily make the determination on their own. A transition between urban and rural like this is also going to be challenging, as usually there are great distances involved between them. They are in a cave and the dark dragon passes over their head…did I get that right? Because as low of a ceiling as most caves have, you'd suspect that they were able to see the dark dragon. If this was happening outside of the cave, it becomes much trickier to portray. Characters grabbing onto the side of the vehicle and lifting it is also going to be pretty difficult to pull off. I hate to talk plot, but are the dragons trying to protect the humans or not? They get them out of the city just long enough to turn right around and take them back. I’m really not getting the story progression either, guest are invited in, told that there is no tour, then given a tour that drops guests right into the middle of a warzone between dragons, and then the guests get dragged around in different directions. While I like the IP you have here, with some proper fleshing out of the characters, this could be a really good franchise. At the same time, I don’t think the story you gave us showed your IP in the best way possible.

MYTHICA ACADEMY

I found that there was much that is specific to the greek mythology I did not know and did not understand the reference. The details describing the ride were excellent, but I personally would have liked less of the deep mythology and more descriptive for a layman like me.
I found registration and much of the ride reminiscent of college days which I think would resonate with a lot of the adults riding. and it was clever and funny.Wasn't Charon the ferryman on the river Styx?
there were some characters who I assume are part of classic mythology who were unfamiliar to me and I would have liked a brief description of.
Overall, a very well detailed ride, and the video at the end was quite impressive

PRINCE NICHOLAS

I liked how it was specifically designed with Disney in mind and held with the basic theme of many of the rides already there.
I presume you did the drawings yourself. Good work.
Some of the scene descriptions seemed a bit brief, particularly at this level. I know you have them all mapped out in your mind, and I would ave liked to have read more details, perhaps some dialogue.
No question it is very much in the vein of the storyline rides at Disney so would fit right in. and the concept of a hero for boys is a great one. I just wanted to see more details.

LUCHADORES VS. THE WORLD

A genre I was completely unfamiliar with. I found it interesting to say the least. I admit the 1940s-esque feel was personally appealing. it made me think of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" and "Cool World". I saw something very Ralph Bakshi...
With the cast, I'm not sure if you have the individual character drawings available, but to put each with their description would have been helpful. I think I sussed it out, but I'm not entirely sure.
While I was not familiar with the characters, I had fun reading it. I wish you had written out some of the dastardly "over explained plot"... Im sure it would have been hilarious to read

IHART: INTO THE STORM

I laughed at some of the funny names. "Sunny Dae"... I'd bet real money some meteorologist has used it. This is how they should have done "Twister" at Universal...
I wanted more details about the ride experience when we are in the storm. and comparisons between the easy and the intense versions. seemed a bit brief here, where the ride takes on its appeal. at the point where I wanted to be able to imagine how it would be it got sketchy. at this level need to be sure that we can almost feel your ride with your description
This was an excellent concept. more granular detail, though

MYTHIRRIUM:WORLD OF DRAGONS

I liked the preamble before we get to the ride. you set everything up so we knew where we were headed. Ten stories? But it did set up the characters and the "world"... that worked quite well
It was odd that you started out with unusual sounding names like Drakr and Fyrrdrak but then had fairly obvious and "human" sounding names like Blaze and Ampere. I get that it has to do with their element, but why them?
When Icy "lands" next to the riders, is it a projection or an animatronic? I was not sure. Same fort Drakr. only once did you say for certain.
I liked the teleportation to the Dragons homeworld, but I wanted more description of what the riders were seeing. what did the streets look like? stone? paved? were there sidewalks? streetlamps? garbage cans? how did the buildings look? how wide were the streets? I wanted to be able to picture it in my mind and I found myself needing more. Its about painting an image in someones mind with your words. I know YOU see it... now make ME see it.
I like the concept and I think it would be a great ride... just give me more

Sorry about all of the delays, sometimes the best laid plans and backup plans don't work when they involve humans. We'll try to be better next week.

All of the submissions were extremely good, despite what some judges may have said in their critiques (yes, I realize it was me...although I did figure out why I felt so bad, I had been bitten by a black widow spider...not fun...seriously, not fun).

After Week One here are the standings.

1. Douglas Hindley
2. DPCC Inc
3. Blake Meredith
4. AJ Hummel
5. Chad H

With the new scoring system, consistent high level of play will win as opposed to winning the top spot two weeks in a row, so everyone is still in it.

One more comment about the scoring system- all three judges (Andy took a pass this week, but expect to hear from him in the future) were all over the place in scoring. This system levels out the playing field for everyone.