Assessment

What is your reaction to the ride:

Its pretty cool, very immersive and has multiple ways of portraying effects. Unlike the Disney World in Orlando, which is mainly animatronics that portray a pirate lifestyle and general way of life, the Shanghai version was much more focused on encompassing the films. I really liked that they used animatronics as well as large projected animations, sound design, and water effects. I would love to experience this ride for you feel more as if you are experiencing the movies rather than any pirate's life. I loved the attention to detail and I really likes Davy Jones' animatronic for having the tentacle beard be made of a rubbery substance was really smart instead of animating the tentacles for you get so much free movement.

What connections did you make with this ride, discuss the elements:

Many of the scenes made me think of moments in the different films. The mermaids, Davy Jones, the giant squid, the raising of the ships from the sea for battle and Jack Sparrow evading Davy Jones and taking the treasure. I connected with the immersion of the riders, at the end many of them (especially one girl) were really into it. When Jack Sparrow blows up/sinks Davy Jones' ship, the entire room starts to crumble, fog blowing, red lights flashing, and then you fall backwards down the river. Overall this ride was true to the films and made sense in having an overall story to the ride making you feel as if you just went through the adventure too.

What changes would you make to adapt this into another medium, what medium would you use and what changes would you make:

I could easily see this as a Virtual Reality game ride. I recently witnessed a horror game recently with some of my friends where you are on a carnival ride coster of sorts and you shoot carnival themed targets, like moving ducks and barrels, but then are attacked by clown zombies and need to shoot them all to survive. The movement of the ride and the interaction was really cool, and when playing you really feel as if you are on a ride (especially if you have a friend point a fan at you). I could see you playing as a pirate and you need to do multiple tasks to help Jack Sparrow get the treasure as his 'first mate'. You would duck under rope, dodge cannon balls, steer the ship, shoot at other pirates and so much more. By interacting you feel even more immersed in the 'ride' and there could be multiple story modes, maybe one for each movie, with different endings depending on how well you do. 

Expanded Wakanda Theme Park + Emotional Feel

Market Place (The main shopping, food, and rest area): Similar to that of Disney
World’s Main Street, Wakanda’s Market place would be home to merchandise,
authentic african street foods, african art, and more. There would also be rest stops
and plenty of outdoor seating with straw hut umbrellas to provide some shade.
Guests can immerse themselves in the culture and there would be employees who
would come out at different times to teach children traditional african dancing, how
to play some african instruments, as well as performers. This is very reminiscent of
the area in animal kingdom near the Festival of the Lion King Show where there are
small market areas with african influence. This is the main place to get some
delicious food, a good bit of rest, as well as some awesome keepsakes.

Plane Ride (The Big $ Ride): Very similar to the new Pandora ride and Soarin’. You will have a
simulation of flying in one of the aviation aircrafts of Wakanda. You will soar above and around
the city of Wakanda and see all the different places there are around. This ride is a visual feast
for the senses that utilize large viewing screens and an overall story as to where you are going.
Each ride lasts about 6 minutes and holds up to 10 passengers. The seats will move and react
to that of what is happening on the screen giving the viewer the sense that they are really flying.
This would be an easily accessible ride, there being a handicap enabled seat where the wheel
chair would lock into the mechanism next to the rest of the family. This is a spectacle, but not
too thrilling making it a beautiful ride for all ages.


Tour of Wakanda Boat Ride - Similar to that of 'Its a small world' and the 'Jungle Cruise',
this would be a boat ride through the park on the river that goes through Wakanda. This would
be a great leisure ride to rest and see the entire park. You would ride by major landmarks on
a boat that is similar in design to the boats in Black Panther that took the people to the traditional
Waterfall battle ground. This waterfall would be the main attraction on this ride, where there
would be a recreation of this sight to see. You would also see the lab, the main throne building,
the Panther cave, the train system and more. Depending on budget these could be forces scale
versions of these landmarks, or make if like the Shanghai Pirates attraction where these are
projections with a story overall. I am leaning towards this for, like the Pirates ride, it could be
somewhat based on the film, showing a lot of the locations and having an overall adventure,
but if does not need to be a copy of the film.

Kimoyo Beads would act as Magic Bands do in Disney World. Guests can use this to use

fast passes, purchase food and merchandise, as well as their hotel key. 
  
Wakanda Hotel (Main Themed Hotel + The 'Weinie'): This hotel would be 
at the end of the park and represent the main "picture place" of the park, with the 
large panther cave statue behind it in the distance. The inside lobby would resemble 
the thrown room. the floor behind glass with projections to make you feel as if you 
are very high up. As you move further inside, much of the architecture would resemble 
the lab from the movie, using the same artistic style and a lot of blues and silver. 
There would be 'vibranium' sculptures all about the hotel and everything would feel
futuristic from the bedrooms to the toilets. Maybe even a large panther fountain in the 
middle ofThe hotel lobby. The workers would be wearing Wakandan themed cloths 
and you would really feel as if you are staying in Wakanda.


What is the Emotional Ride of your Theme Park in each area:

The Market - The market is a place to enjoy yourself and immerse yourself in the culture of Wakanda. You can eat traditional African food, shop for african themed souvenirs, and interact with performers to learn about african culture through dance and music. This is meant to be relaxing, fun, and educational area for all ages. There would be african art, clothing, accessories and more. The overall feel would be open stalls similar to that of the film. 

Plane Ride - This ride is meant to be the main attraction. It is like a mix between Soarin' and the new Pandora ride at Disney, except you would be placed in one of the Wakanda Ships and all of the windows would be projection screens and the entire ship would move along with the animation. This would give the audience a sense of immersion and awe. It would be beautiful, but with an adventurous tone, much like the Shanghai Pirates of the Caribbean ride. 

Boat Ride - This would be the more calm ride, but still adventurous. You are meant to feel as if you
went through an adventure with Back Panther through Wakanda. Unlike the plain ride which is much more thrilling and action packed, the boat ride is meant to be a visual story that is more like an immersive movie experience than a thrill ride.

Wakanda Hotel - This is similar in feel to the market, meant to make you feel as if you are in the world of Wakanda. Every detail is themed to Wakanda and the workers are meant to make you feel as if you are guests in Wakanda. The food may not be completely African, but everything would have an african flair. The entrance into the throne room being the lobby would make you reel as if you entered a grand palace, making the vacationer feel important and a guest of the kingdom. There could even be someone who announces the family as they enter the first time, much like they do on disney cruises. 

Wakanda Theme Park Proposal

Market Place: Similar to that of Disney World’s Main Street, Wakanda’s Market place would be
home to merchandise, authentic african street foods, african art, and more. There would also be
rest stops and plenty of outdoor seating with straw hut umbrellas to provide some shade. Guests
can immerse themselves in the culture and there would be employees who would come out at
different times to teach children traditional african dancing, how to play some african instruments,
as well as performers. This is the main place to get some delicious food, a good bit of rest,
as well as some awesome keepsakes.

Plane Ride: Very similar to the new Pandora ride and Soarin’. You will have a simulation of flying
in one of the aviation aircrafts of Wakanda. You will soar above and around the city of Wakanda
and see all the different places there are around. This ride is a visual feast for the senses that
utilize large viewing screens and an overall story as to where you are going. Each ride lasts
about 6 minutes and holds up to 10 passengers. The seats will move and react to that of what is
happening on the screen giving the viewer the sense that they are really flying.

Kimoyo beads would act as Magic Bands do in Disney World. Guest can use this to use fast passes, purchase food and merchandise, as well as a hotel key.

Theme Park Notes

Driven and constrained by:

• Target market research
• Guest Needs
• New IP Acquisition
• New Technology
• Budget
• Park Space
• Brand Strategies
• Design perspectives
• Industries trends and paradigms

Aspirational Design - plus an area that already exists

Popular Design - how can we add a popular movie to this area

Medium Design - what can theme parks do better than anywhere else

Collaborative Design:

• Charrette process - collective and interdisciplinary
• Hundred of people of different disciplines - design, construction, engineering, accounting…
• What’s the high concept, show bible (stuff you need to know about the world), backstories, story treatments, show script, storyboard, and physical models

Common source material:

• Fairy tales
• Cultural legends
• IPs like film, novels, or video games
• Science and technology
• Original Narratives

10 most commonly used narrative devices:

• Allusion
• Character
• Conflict
• Narrator
• Plot
• Scenes
• Setting
• Symbolism
• Theme
• Visual Storytelling

Storytelling Choices:

• Explicit Storytelling - verbal or written
• Implicit Storytelling
• Interpretive Storytelling

Overall Advise:

• Start with a good story
• Keep it simple
• Preserve harmony with text, visuals, senses, spaces
• Use medium affordances
• Avoid fatigue with variety in attraction mix, genre mix, effect mix

Challenges

• $$$
• Collaborative Tensions
• Technology overwhelming story
• Cultural Relevance
• Guests do not all want the same experiences

Wakanda Project Suggestions

• Start with the high concept including park, story, core themes, and values
• Consider underlying ethics of the park and how that should impact story
• Fill in details once you have some ideas about structure and space
• Determine member strengths
• When combining teams, merge good bits
• Keep size and space constraints in mind
• There should be multiple food and beverage locations
• Have a variety of merchandise offering (cost and style)
• Include interactive, participatory experiences and immersive elements
• If doing a hotel ensure it maintains the ethos and narrative of the park
• Hero's journey in rides - more of a non western narrative - community gets better

Accessibility! Keep Family Together

Make things specific

Location is important, most parks close in the fall and winter, but if it is domed then you can stay open all year



Improve Concepts and overall stuff for next class