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alex-the-nonsensologist · 7 months

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Disney Dreamland - Part 6: Discoveryland

Here it is, the final part! This area follows in the footsteps of Discoveryland in Paris, allowing more creative freedom than the traditional Tomorrowland. The land would be divided into two major “time periods”, one based on Victorian era / Belle Époque steampunk, and the other based on a high-tech modern day digital era that would evolve from said steampunk era. There would be a decent amount of greenery in the land, none of those lifeless metal tree sculptures. Trees could be in their natural form in the steampunk half, while in the modern day half they could be trimmed into neat geometric shapes.

Timeless Square

This area serves as the entry point from the hub. It is in-between the two major time periods of the land, bridging them. Would feature a detailed astronomical clock tower landmark.

“Discoveryland Thru the Years”: Successor to Carousel of Progress / Progressland, one of the four New York World’s Fair attractions. Tells the land’s “history” progression from the turn of the 20th century to the modern day, and ends with an optimistic hope for the future. I didn’t call it a carousel to avoid confusion with the other actual carousels I put in the park, but it is still a rotating theater.

Discoveryland PeopleMover: Successor to Ford Magic Skyway, one of the four New York World’s Fair attractions. A relaxing classic ride that weaves all throughout Discoveryland, including through various attraction buildings. The only challenge would be creating a vehicle that matches the aesthetics of both time periods of the land.

Discovery Academy

The steampunk-inspired half of the land. While the theming uses elements of British Victorian steampunk, the architecture would mostly be modeled after Art Nouveau / Belle Époque Paris. I want the vibe of the area to be similar to a college campus or museum, but a really fancy inviting one, not a cold imposing one. In the center of the building is the Automaton Courtyard, a garden courtyard to rest and relax, but also part-walkthrough attraction. Would feature lots of fancy automatons and 3D zoetropes that guests can activate. Includes:

Butai Karakuri theater: Performances by Japanese automatons.

Steampunk Carousel: In the center of the garden. Animals could be artistic sculptures made of metal and gears.

Gift shop that sells mini wind-up automaton toys, and features coin-activated booths for drawing automata that produce souvenir pictures.

This area also includes:

Escher Exhibit & Mathmagic Land: Walkthrough attraction inspired by the artwork of M. C. Escher, particularly the multi-dimensional maze of “Relativity”. Guests can also view optical illusion sculptures such as the Penrose triangle and the Impossible trident. Alternatively, I wouldn’t mind an attraction based on “Donald in Mathmagic Land” either. Giant numbers and “square root” trees would dominate the landscape. Interactive geometric shapes and puzzles.

Astronomical Orbiter: This indoor version features a planetarium ceiling that projects the stars and colorful galaxies so guests can actually feel like they’re flying through space. Diverting for both riders and guests still waiting in the queue. Inspired by the Chamber of Planets in Fortress Explorations from Tokyo DisneySea.

The Time Machine: Dark ride inspired by EPCOT’s Spaceship Earth. Travel through various time periods from the age of dinosaurs to the start of the Victorian era (so as not to conflict with the fictional history of the land).

Cafeteria: British, French, and Indian cuisine. Buffet.

“Paris Métro” station: As mentioned previously, this is probably not feasible idea, but I think it’s very neat. Provides underground transport between Discoveryland and Mysteryland (the Mysteryland is themed to the London Underground). The tunnels could contain zoetropes for guests to view during the ride, which tease the theme of the destination land.

Explorer’s Landing

Technically part of the Academy, but features attractions that are “off campus”. Inspired by the original concept of Discovery Mountain for Paris. Features a lagoon for the submarines, and a mountain range for the other rides to blend into; would somewhat resemble the Mysterious Island from Tokyo DisneySea.

Soaring Skies / Weather Kites: Airships are a core part of steampunk, but I wasn’t sure where to put such a ride in my park that didn’t disrupt sightlines. I eventually settled on a version of Soaring. I love Tokyo’s iteration, but sadly, my version of the ride does without the fantasy aspects and GORGEOUS fantasy artwork, but the queue will still feature neat “history of flight” and weather exhibits. Ride vehicles would of course fit the steampunk aesthetic. Most important of all, I want the ride movie to focus on skyscapes and natural landscapes, not famous landmarks (I personally don’t mind the landmarks version, I think it was balanced out nicely with some nice landscapes, but now all the ride movies are the same which is boring). I want winding rivers through forest valleys, fluffy white clouds over mountain peaks with machines blowing clouds on the guests, golden sunsets over the sea, lightning storms with thunder and actual wind blowing and rain spraying the guests, and a starry night sky with a brilliant rainbow Aurora Borealis over a snowy tundra. The building exterior and queue could resemble a giant air zeppelin in an air hangar, similar to the Hyperion in Paris, based on the unbuilt Discovery Bay concept. In hindsight, this area probably has too many rides, so this attraction could also be moved to the Wild Western Frontier area in Adventureland, and be rethemed to environments of the American West, the Rocky Mountains, and the Pacific Northwest.

Journey to the Center of the Earth: I absolutely love Tokyo DisneySea’s version. It's one of the best rides out of Imagineering, but in my park, this would follow the original drop tower concept for Paris.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea / Expedition Atlantis: Suspension ride like the one in Tokyo DisneySea, with water filled windows that bubble to create the illusion of being underwater. Could either be another take on Jules Verne’s novel, or based on the Atlantis movie. Either one works.

The Nautilus underwater restaurant: Seafood dishes. Table service.

Lunar Mountain: Based on Paris’s original De la Terre à la Lune incarnation of Space Mountain. I love the idea of a giant cannon firing guests into space, and I especially love the cannon’s design with the classical illustrations of the sun and the moon on it. I also prefer the look of Paris’s more secure seats. I’ve only ridden Tokyo and Orlando’s versions, and as fun as they are, I always get an irrational gut feeling I’m going to be decapitated during the ride.

Journey to Treasure Planet / Journey to Mars: Omnimover dark ride. To sell the idea of blasting off into space, guests would ride in a “rocket elevator” prior to boarding, similar to the entry performance for the Space 220 Restaurant in EPCOT. Treasure Planet is another movie that deserves more recognition, but due to it taking place in another universe with its own separate world-building, I am also okay with this ride having an original story instead. Perhaps a trip to Mars with a secret civilization living under the planet’s surface. For reference, I’m thinking of something inspired by the Castle in the Stars graphic novel series by Alex Alice. The building facade could resemble an observatory.

“Planetarium restaurant”: Would feature international dishes not available in the Small World buffet. Table service. The Space 220 Restaurant was really neat (if a little overpriced), and I would love a steampunk version in my park.

Disney Dreamland Railroad Discoveryland station: Art Nouveau steampunk style.

Discovery Institute

The modern digital half of the land. Discoveryland opens a new campus dedicated to computer sciences. I do not want this area to look sterile like the current Tomorrowlands, though I might be okay with it resembling Shanghai’s version of Tomorrowland; I have heard their glass structures described as “organic” and I quite agree. I want the architecture of the area to be a believable evolution from the Art Nouveau steampunk, with the curves of Nouveau transforming into the curves of something resembling what Tokyo has planned for their renovation of Space Mountain.

Visions of Tomorrowland: Based on an idea I once had of a version of Tomorrowland that represents alternate timeline futures. This ride could show different “what if” scenes of different Discoverylands. There could be a main story featuring a scientist as our host, the inventor of a multiverse portal, showcasing his invention to guests, and along the way we run into alternate versions of the scientist from the other realities. One version could be a classic mad scientist from a dystopian world, bent on conquering other dimensions and exploiting their resources, and our host has to fight them off. I guess you could describe this as a much more immersive sci-fi version of the Jungle Cruise. While I would prefer this to be a ride, I guess it could also work as a stage show.

Adventure Thru Inner Space: I have heard nice things about this ride and would have loved to experience it. Shout-out to @disneylanddilettante.

Robot Showcase: Omnimover dark ride. This ride is basically just an excuse to show off high-quality animatronics. Animatronics for days! Could include Baymax, Wall-E, and Lil Bulb as cameos in the ride.

“Robot Cafe”: Based on the unbuilt concept for The Great Gonzo's Pandemonium Pizza Parlor. This restaurant would have robot animatronics deliver guests’ food by way of an overhead "train track" system.

Cyberspace Arcade

Technically an area within the Discovery Institute, but significantly different enough to require its own description. The entire area would be indoors. Guests are “digitally transported” into Cyberspace. For visual reference, I’m thinking of the concept art for the (maybe canceled?) Play! Pavilion at EPCOT, but without the Ralph Breaks the Internet branding (I LOVE Wreck-It Ralph, but the sequel not so much) and without all the Disney IP spam (I’m already putting in three movie based rides, so the IP quota has been met). I want the area to feel more like a representation of a private server, or at least a single website, instead of the broader Internet (the Internet is a very scary family-UNfriendly place). The "sky" would have cool graphic projections, similar to how Mamoru Hosoda visually portrayed the Internet in Summer Wars and Digimon Adventure: Our War Game! As for the three movie based rides, I want the explanation to be that the scientists wanted to be able to travel into their favorite video game worlds, and here is the result. The entrances to each attraction could look like a giant icon you can click on. There could also be an actual arcade area, for guests to just relax and chill. That area would feature actual working console games of Fix-It Felix Jr, Sugar Rush, and Hero’s Duty.

“Cyberspace Playground”: Guests can physically change the environment by interacting with it. If anyone has watched Infinity Train, think of something like the first episode’s Grid Car, but on a grander scale. Could utilize interactive projection mapping.

Videopolis: Stage for live entertainment and dance parties. Just an excuse to have a specific area dedicated to the 80s / 90s. …I just really miss the 90s, okay? I also think the retro music would add the perfect energy to the area.

Star Command Astro Blasters: I honestly just put this here to help balance queue wait times with the other two major rides, and to have at least one thing based on retro space aesthetics. Between this and Toy Story Mania, at least this has physical sets and is less rushed. There would still be plenty of kinetic energy on the ride (not at all like the embarrassingly lifeless and static Ant-Man and Wasp update in Hong Kong). I would only change the animatronic Buzz to at least have a real face though. And maybe at the end of the ride, everyone could get free stickers or postcards or some other physical reward so that it feels like the points earned meant something. I would also emphasize that the context here is Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, NOT Andy’s Buzz from Toy Story.

TRON Lightcycle Run: I have no personal attachment to Tron, but my friend @mewtwowarrior loves Tron, so this indoor coaster is included just for her. Shout-out to @pureimagineering for the idea of two different colored tracks that wind around each other in twists and turns as the two groups of guests race against each other. At the end of the ride, the unloading dock would flash the colors of the track that wins.

Sugar Rush Speedway: Wreck-It Ralph is my top favorite Disney movie. While the movie’s themes of mid-life crisis, rejection by society, and found family would be difficult to adapt into an attraction, this ride can at least embody the “love-letter to video games” aspect, and recreates one of the most visually stunning worlds Disney has ever designed. Sadly this ride makes no references to Ralph, King Candy/Turbo, or non-Princess Vanellope (which includes her glitch, hoodie outfit, and the kart she and Ralph made together), as those aspects are specific to the console in Litwak’s Arcade, and adding them to this ride would have sad implications that Mr. Litwak gave up his console and thereby separated the Sugar Rush characters from their community in Game Central. Alternatively, having the entire Arcade be themed as Litwak’s could fix that, but then would raise questions of why Mr. Litwak let a research team experiment on his games and interrupt his business. So it’s best that this Sugar Rush is a “generic” console to make things simple. That said, I have no issues if the candy shop makes reference to the movie’s events, or with having Ralph and Vanellope as walk around characters (we can say they’re visiting this Arcade via the Internet). When thinking about the queue, I considered it could wind through the candy box grandstands, so that guests that are still waiting for their ride could double as a cheering audience for the guests before them. The theme song by AKB48 would of course play on a loop. On the ride, guests would “race” through rich environments such as Gumball Gorge, Cherry Bomb Cakeway, the Frosty Rally ice cream mountains, and Diet Cola Mountain. To make it feel like a video game, there could be “power-ups” located throughout the ride. The guest that “claims” the power-up first (perhaps by pushing a timed button in their vehicles) gets the advantage. Power-ups can cause some karts to speed up or opponents slow down, or activate obstacles and surprises. Would it be a hazard to shoot “sprinkle” confetti at the guests? Alternatively, this ride could also possibly use virtual reality headsets to enhance the experience with visual effects and make the ride feel like even more of a game, as demonstrated by the Mario Kart ride at Universal Studios, a ride with gorgeous physical sets that is maximized by the VR (again, emphasizing that VR should not be a replacement for good physical sets and effects). The guest who wins the race could receive a free framed souvenir snapshot of their victory.

Finish Line Sweet Treats: Candy shop, bakery, and ice cream parlor. Based on Vanellope’s Sweets & Treats on the Disney Dream cruise ship. Guests could make their own kart cake at the Kart Bakery. Sundaes are served in trophy cups and replicas of Vanellope’s kart like the ones on the cruise ship. The Ralph-in-a-cupcake red velvet cupcake is a must. Would also feature a selection of Japanese sweets such as konpeito and mochi. Giant cotton candy like the kind you’d find in Harajuku.

Closing thoughts:

There was a lot I wanted to include, but couldn't think of solutions for, such as attractions based on Zootopia and Monsters Inc. But I'm quite happy with this end result. (I say this like it's actually being built, and not an elaborate daydream in my mind, lol.)

As you might have noticed, my park does not feature Marvel or Star Wars in any capacity. While there are some Marvel shows I like, I do not consider myself a Marvel fan, and I have little interest in Star Wars. And quite frankly, I think that visually, they clash horribly with most Disney aesthetics.

There are a lot of minor things I forgot to mention, like there would be plenty of benches and sitting areas with shade, plenty of restrooms, the food would have effort and quality put into it to be worth theme park prices, and backstage would have plenty of space and comfortable break rooms for Cast Members. Not related to the park itself, but I would also like to imagine the Cast Members here are paid and treated well, and have a good amount of free benefits, like park tickets and room and board for out-of-town residents and interns.

I realize that in order to accommodate everything I want, this park would have to be MASSIVE, at least the size of Shanghai Disneyland. I just like far too many things. I realize it would have been smarter to break off some parts for a second park, but I'm just too fond of the idea of having everything all in one place.

As I mentioned, I REALLY love carousels and could not resist putting so many themed carousels in my park. They might not be exciting rides, but I legitimately think they are GORGEOUS works of art that add perfect visual beauty and musical atmosphere.

Much like Walt's initial sentiment, I don't think my ideal park will stay this way forever. Who knows, in a few years I might update this. We'll see. Thanks for taking the time to read these. :)

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The rest of the park:

World Galleria

Adventureland

Mysteryland

Fantasyland

Create-It-Land

#disney parks #disney dreamland #armchair imagineering #tomorrowland #discoveryland #wreck it ralph #the tomorrowland problem #theme park design

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