cwknight

cwknight

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Theme Park Ride Pitch: Explore the Lost City of Atlantis in a Thrilling Boat Ride

Experience an unforgettable adventure as you journey to the lost city of Atlantis in a thrilling theme park ride that will transport you to another world. As you arrive at the SEA archaeological dig site, you’ll join a team of explorers and adventurers who have discovered the secrets of this enigmatic civilization. Immerse yourself in the story of Atlantis as you explore the ruins and artifacts left behind by this incredible culture.

But the journey has only just begun. Board a boat and prepare to embark on a perilous voyage through the ruins of Atlantis. The boat ride itself serves as the transport to the land, as you navigate treacherous waters, encounter fierce creatures, and avoid ancient traps. Along the way, you’ll witness the marvels of Atlantean engineering, including the breathtaking False Sun technology that creates a permanent daylight effect.

The highlight of your journey will be a thrilling encounter with the giant Atlantean mech, a colossal robot that defends the city from any threat. As you travel through the ruins, a monstrous beast attacks your boat, and the Atlantean mech bursts through the wall to defend you. Witness its power and majesty as it battles the creature and carves a new path through the ruins, leading you to a magnificent reception chamber where the Atlanteans will welcome you as honored guests.

Throughout your journey, you’ll also have the opportunity to taste the flavors of Atlantean cuisine, such as mushroom flatbreads and cave stews made from the freshest ingredients. This unique blend of education, entertainment, and adventure is suitable for all ages and interests, and has been designed and engineered to meet the highest standards of quality and safety.

Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime experience, as you journey to Atlantis and discover the wonders of this incredible civilization in a theme park ride that serves as the transport to the land.

Theme parks

Theme parks are my favorite form of art. For me, my fascination with them comes from how they are cities in a bottle, little encapsulations of civilization itself. In them, imagination is made reality, and Art is brought together with Science to create an experience that so far only they can pull off. All Art exists to bring some sliver of someone’s imagination to some sliver of reality, and what theme parks can do is unify numerous disciplines of human endeavor to bring a much larger shard of imagination to a much larger shard of reality. 

Disney parks in particular adopt a story-oriented perspective for bringing their parks to life. From its beginning, the people in charge of building Disneyland were artists first. The natural outcome of this was great care for details in the execution. This focus on story detail permeates their work, from not only their artistic choices but to their engineering choices as well.  When an artist asked for something, the engineers at Disney try to do what they are asked, law of physics be dammed. Like magicians, Disney’s imagineers use science to bend guests perceptions of reality, and make fantasy seem real. Science ordinarily is used either to tell Chronicles of reality, describing the laws of the Universe, or for an increase in productivity for economic development. And while Disney certainly does not miss the economic potential of their theme parks, Science here has the opportunity to be used for the telling it Sagas, fantastic expressions of cultural psyche. 

The vehicle by which these stories are told is the crafted environment that is the park itself. While there are obvious elements to environmental story telling, like period buildings, costumed characters, and themed food, but even things like the texture of the concrete, the style of fixtures, and the overall layout and crowd flow of the area in relation to its points of interest ask contribute to the story and the feeling of the story. These are non obvious things and are not typically considered artistic forms because of their perfunctory nature in outside civilization in our cities, but still Disney cares to take attention on them because to a guest’s experience, those details do matter, even if not on a conscious level. Even if it is for only a short time, guests “live” within the theme park for their visit, and their basic needs like food, water, water, etc must be cared for, and Disney does so to the utmost degree, never compromising the story elements of their particular land.  As an aside, it seems funny to the author that we do this in the private “city” that is theme parks, but not in our real cities which actually generate the wealth and civilization that can consume the theme park…

Galaxy’s Edge – my thoughts on Star Wars Land at Disney

Prologue — The Boy Who Changed Theme Parks Forever

I arrived about an hour before opening, but there were still about six people in front of me at the Universal Studios Orlando gate. In the bottom of my drawstring backpack were my Ravenclaw robes; I was there for what wound up being the last Celebration of Harry Potter at the Universal resort, a 3-day expo that had special Harry Potter events, an exhibition, and after-hours parties for attendees. I chuckled to myself as the entrance plaza steadily filled with witches and wizards, who of course were breaking the Statute of Secrecy by not being dressed as Muggles, and I felt very clever for my plan. This was my very first trip to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando, but as a theme park fan I did know that I was in for an extremely immersive experience, and that if ever there were an opportunity to make the imaginative feelings I had when reading the Harry Potter series as a child a reality, this was it. I already had my robes, of course, but what I still needed was a Wand, so the first stop on the plan was Ollivanders. Then, after I was properly equipped, I’d board the Hogwarts Express, put on my robes, and head off to see Hogwarts Castle, just like Harry did on that fateful day when he joined the Wizarding World.

Source: https://onthegoinmco.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/The-Wizarding-World-of-Harry-Potter-Diagon-Alley-Night.jpg.jpg

Diagon Alley at night

I cried when I stepped from Muggle London through the hidden, roughly hewn entryway into the shade of Diagon Alley’s Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes, the background soundtrack of the bricks shifting invoking the wall’s magical transformation. I was one of the first visitors that day, and the witches and wizards who worked in the shops were lined up the street, welcoming everyone as they filtered in. The detail that surrounded me was incredible, and I was in love — grinning pictures of Gilderoy Lockhart beaming up from his display in the window of Flourish and Blotts (just like in the books!), things like floating Firebolts, self-stirring cauldrons, and potion supplies filled the other shop windows (just like in the books!), and there even was a dark, creepy alleyway, off to the side, somewhat hidden between the Leaky Cauldron and the next shop, with a small sign reading “Knockturn Alley”, pointing into the darkness, ripe for exploration for the daring, dark, and ambitious in the Magical world (JUST LIKE IN THE BOOKS!!).

Needless to say, the quality of the experience continued. From the wand choosing show at Ollivander’s where you get to watch someone from the crowd (usually a child around 11 years old, for obvious thematic reasons) try out several wands in search of the one that chooses them, to the Hogwarts Express train ride to Hogsmeade, featuring a creepy train invasion by Dementors, to wandering through the halls of Hogwarts, where you can listen to the portraits of the House Founders questioning or supporting Dumbledore’s wisdom of “Inviting so many Muggles to the Magical World” (the underlying theme-park land conceit of how any of the Muggle guests could be there to begin with), and even down to Universal Studio’s very liberal costume policy, allowing almost any cosplay; everything acted to support the fantasy and made it so easy to roleplay as if it were real. Sure, there were allowances here and there for reality — not every shop-front in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade can be entered, and there are judicious uses of forced perspective to make the environments seem larger than they really are — but the overall experience allowed me to satisfy my desire to live a day in the shoes of The Boy Who Lived.

Source: https://travel.home.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/travel/fullset/2015/10/20/wizarding-world-of-harry-potter/wizarding-world-kings-cross.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.966.544.suffix/1491581551362.jpeg

Hogwarts Express at King’s Cross Station

I think one thing to note is how little the rides actually matter to the factor that is most important to me: roleplaying immersion. So far I’ve mentioned only one, the Hogwarts Express, and I wonder if many people wouldn’t classify it more as heavily-themed transportation between the two Harry Potter areas. This isn’t to say that the other, more elaborate Harry Potter rides aren’t world-class! Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, the thrill ride that starts inside of Hogwarts Castle and features the ride queue that allows you to tour the halls of Hogwarts, is probably my favorite themed dark-ride in the world, this side of only the historic, deeply influential masterpiece that is Pirates of the Caribbean. The Escape From Gringotts rollercoaster, where you go face-to-face with You-Know-Who, is also a wonder, though doesn’t quite reach Forbidden Journey’s greatness. But in the end, I feel like the nature of the rides as linear rides only allows them to be a sort of flavoring on top of the immersive, interactive playground, filled with environments to explore, food and drink to eat, and live shows to watch, that is created within the rest of the land. It is natural that the rides offer what they do — thrill rides exist to give us the thrill of danger in a safe way, and what the rides offer is the exciting portions of the Harry Potter stories, the dangerous portions, in a safe and controlled fashion. And while that’s certainly exciting and an essential part of the experience, what leaves a more lasting impression upon me as a roleplayer in the Wizarding World are the quieter moments of everyday wizarding life, shopping and eating and chatting with the wizards and witches in the world, which The Wizarding World fortunately supplies that in spades.

Ultimately, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter set the standard for immersive theme parks with its incredible attention to detail and dedication to capturing the true nostalgic feeling of the Harry Potter franchise. Visiting the Wizarding World is a must-do for Harry Potter fans, but should also not be missed by theme park fans looking for one of the most tremendous expressions of the art-form.

Star Wars — Taking Theme Parks Out of This World

Star Wars has just… always been there. Some of my earliest memories involve watching the original Star Wars movies. X-wings and TIE fighter models hung from my bedroom ceiling. My last name, Knight, was ripe for “Jedi Knight” jokes, and if I’m not lying, dreams.

Theme parks have just… always been there. Some of my earliest memories involve the carousel themed wallpaper of my childhood nursery. My parents, antique carousel enthusiasts, took me to many theme parks in their travels to see operating carousel rides, and I fell in love with everything else, too. Particularly special to me were Disney’s parks, because Walt Disney Imagineering, the arm of the company dedicated to dreaming up and building theme park attractions, were practically the inventors of everything modern theme park fans hold dear.

So needless to say, as a lifelong fan of both Star Wars and Theme Parks, I couldn’t not be excited about Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

And because I’m a massive theme-park fan, I knew that Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge was built as a direct response to the immense popularity of Universal’s Harry Potter attractions, so it had some pretty big shoes to fill. The immersive experience there allowed me to really feel like I was a wizard in the Wizarding World, and the rides were exciting adventures with the characters I loved. Whenever I’m there, I am a Wizard, and I’m returning home, to the familiar places I’ve known since I was a child, like Diagon Alley and Hogwarts Castle. Compared to this, what would Galaxy’s Edge be like?

Obsessively reading theme park news and rumors has its bonuses, so I did know a little bit about what to expect from Galaxy’s Edge. Instead of recreating someplace already familiar to Star Wars fans, like Tatooine, Coruscant, or the forest moon of Endor, Walt Disney Imagineering and Disney subsidiary Lucasfilm invented an entirely new planet for the Star Wars universe from which they would craft their land. This newly imagined planet, called Batuu, used to be an important trading post right in the middle of a major Galactic trading lane. That is, it was, before the invention of Hyperdrive, which caused its location on the outer arm of the Galactic territory to no longer be an asset but a liability, to all except the small Resistance cell and smuggler-scoundrels hiding out from the law in the local Cantina in Black Spire Outpost, a small trading post and space port nestled amongst the ancient petrified trees of the Batuuan primordial forest. It was here that the Intergalactic Travelers, Disneyland’s guests, would explore and play in the Star Wars universe.

This all was new and exciting, but I didn’t really feel a particular sense of calling to the location being portrayed. To invent a new planet is one-hundred percent on-theme for Star Wars; every single movie, game, book, holiday special, and cereal box creates new content to be added to the Star Wars Wookiepedia, so this being new was perfectly natural, but it does mean that I didn’t really have any nostalgic feeling toward anything in Black Spire Outpost. This should have been the first hint to me that this would be a pretty wide emotional divergence from the Harry Potter theme park experience with which it was meant to compete, whose overarching emotional theme is nostalgia.

The Falcon at night, right before Disneyland’s fireworks display

Nostalgia might be hard to come by on Batuu, except for one thing — the Millennium Falcon. It just so happens that at Galaxy’s Edge’s point in the Star Wars storyline, Chewbacca, Rey, and the Millennium Falcon are making a pit-stop on Batuu to help the Resistance cell hiding out in the forest on the outskirts of town. This means that, parked right there on landing pad B at Black Spire Spaceport, is the famous Corellian freighter herself. If the rest of the land was lacking, this, this is something that every Star Wars fan holds near and dear in their hearts, and was genuinely one of the things that I was most excited about seeing. Coupled with the promise of other experiences like drinking the infamous blue milk or building a lightsaber, that while not direct recreations of locales or events from the larger Star Wars stories, were deeply inspired by them, and I think there’s just enough here for a Star Wars fan to live out their imagination in the way that a Harry Potter fan can at the Wizarding World.

What I think is a little more interesting, though, is the feeling that takes thematic focus in Galaxy’s Edge. Instead of being focused on bringing to life story moments in Star Wars that have already been, that would satisfy the desires to experience things that the fans already know, the Imagineers instead decided to focus on a spirit of exploration, immersive interactivity, and an ever evolving platform for the guest’s personal adventure. I’ve already said that when I arrive in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, I am returning home, to these specific familiar places that I have cherished my whole life. When I arrived at Black Spire Outpost in Disneyland, rounding the ess curve that hides the massive entrance archway through the outer walls of Black Spire Outpost, as John William’s Star Wars theme played in the background, instead I felt an immense sense of discovery. I wasn’t arriving home — I was an explorer, arriving on an alien planet in the Star Wars universe.

Sign on the Toydarian Toymaker shop. Text reads: “Toys”

“Bright Suns!” the Batuuan citizen milling about near the town gate called out to me and my family, using the customary Batuu daytime greeting. “Welcome to Black Spire Outpost!” The music, which had ushered us through the 50 yards or so up the path toward town, had already subtly faded out, replaced with the sounds of starships flying overhead and holo-net broadcasts blaring from a second-story window. This was more proof that Galaxy’s Edge is dedicated to verisimilitude even more fully than Harry Potter, which also features John Williams, but with a far more heavy hand, his famous magical themes suffused throughout every experience in the world. At Galaxy’s Edge, you are on Batuu. Full stop. Sure, at Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, you’re ostensibly there — but overall the approach is one of a sort of Heightened Reality, where the films soundtracks play in the background, and the items in the gift shops are branded with the official Harry Potter franchise logos. On Batuu, this is not the case; absolutely every aspect of the world is oriented around it being a real place. There is no soundtrack, except for diegetic noises and sounds, like radios being played or droids and parked speeders chirping and whirring. Shoppers are hard pressed to find merchandise explicitly branded as “Star Wars”. One can find it, but it is always de-emphasized, relegated to a corner of the packaging, near the barcode, or on the back-side of a label. Instead of overt branding, the merchandise is designed to look, feel, and even taste as if it fully originated on an alien world, made by local craftsman in their local shops. All of the toys have a hand-crafted, boutique feel, with felted stuffed recreations of Star Wars characters, “famous here on Batuu, from the Legends” the shopkeepers say. Instead of a fridge-magnet to bring home as a souvenir, you can get a magnetic Droid Restraining Bolt, just like was attached by the Jawas to R2-D2 and C-3PO, to make sure that your refrigerator at home stops running away. Rather than candy, instead travelers can bring home a “Resistance MRE”, a tackle-box looking case filled with crackers, pretzels, and M&Ms and Lemon Drops, reminiscent of the similar box Luke Skywalker snacked from in the swamps of Dagobah. Even the stuffed toy Tauntaun babies, Loth Cats, and Kowakian Monkey-lizards (trust me, those are all Star Wars creatures!) are sold not as toys but are “adopted” and sent home in little cardboard “Containment carriers”, emblazoned with the word “Caution” written in the Galactic Alphabet.

It’s not only the merchandise that acts like the world is real. Every cast member I spoke with had some sort of back-story about their life on Batuu, and it was extremely difficult to get anyone to break character at all (they even kept theme by asking if we had a “Frequent Galactic Traveler Discount”, instead of asking if we had a Disneyland Passholder discount). Almost all writing throughout the land, except for really important things like safety information (and restroom signs), is in the Galactic Alphabet, Aurebesh, the special Star Wars script that replaces the Latin alphabet. It’s not too hard to get by, though, as everything is still in Galactic Basic [English], so you just need to translate the letters, and the handy Datapad app available on your phone can help. And that isn’t all it can do; it is also a gateway to another facet of the land’s storytelling. The Datapad will be an underappreciated aspect of the land, I think, with many guests likely unaware that all around them in the land are communication panels, droids, starships, water vaporators, cargo containers, drinking fountains, and antennae that can be hacked, tuned into, or otherwise scanned in order to complete “Jobs” posted by characters inside of the Datapad Mission Board. If you are participating in missions on the app, you will even get paid for your rides on the Millenium Falcon! Embarking on these missions will also reveal additional information about the characters and back-story of the land, and offers you the choice to use your efforts in the missions to support either the Resistance, the First Order, or to be a self-centered Scoundrel only looking out for oneself.

The Fuzzy Tauntaun at Oga’s Cantina

Even the food is designed with an alien bent, and it wound up being one of my favorite features of the experience. This isn’t necessarily to say that everything in Galaxy’s Edge tastes good, but that everything in Galaxy’s Edge tastes interesting. It felt like traveling to another country and sampling their cuisine; it’s just so DIFFERENT from what you’re used to, and that aspect really landed for me. The hotly anticipated Blue and Green Milks, recreations of the beverages Luke Skywalker has been shown drinking throughout the Star Wars series, have had a somewhat mixed reaction on the whole. Described as a “Plant-based Dairy blend of Coconut and Rice Milk with zippy citrus and tropical characteristics”, the Green milk looks like a liquified tennis ball, and as my family passed the small cup of slushy drink around, we each took a sip with trepidation. My Mom and I went first, and after a thoughtful moment, we both said nearly in unison, “It’s not bad… but it’s not good…” as my Dad took his sip. His reaction: “Wow, this tastes really good!” We stood there and passed the cup around for about fifteen minutes, discussing our thoughts on the flavor, which is like an orange julius (yeah, like from the mall) with a hint of herbal notes, something like macha, but a little more piney, and not very strong. In the end, as we tried more and my Mom and I acquired the taste, we decided that it was actually kinda good, certainly refreshing for a hot day, and definitely tasted like something that we could never get “On Earth”. We felt the same when we tried the Blue Milk the following afternoon, which tastes strongly of pineapple and berries, though I wound up preferring the Green Milk overall, as I enjoy citrus more and the more complicated herbal undertones were more interesting than the fruitier Blue Milk. And while it is certainly no Butterbeer, the ridiculously delicious and sugary drink served in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, in terms of mass appeal, the Star Wars Milks offer a more unique experience that has to be tried at least once. There also were some creative drinks offered in the immersive Oga’s Cantina, a thumping night club with a robot DJ (fan favorite ex-Pilot R-3X of the original Star Tours ride fame), surly bartenders, and blaster holes all over the walls from shoot-outs that could break out at any moment. As I listened to the fire new Galactic electronica music echoing off the adobe walls, I sipped a delicious spin on a fuzzy navel called a Fuzzy Tauntaun that made my lips go completely numb, like novocaine. Others around me had drinks bubbling and smoking from chips of dry-ice at the bottom, little boba balls spinning around in the drink like a quantum model, and we all couldn’t help but smile as we snacked on a sort of alien chex-mix with weirdly shaped crackers that were spicy and sweet and savory in all the best ways.

A raspberry dessert from Batuu

Not all the food was so adventurously strange, though it still had an otherworldly bent, like the dinner we all enjoyed at Docking Bay 7. This restaurant is themed as, well, a Docking Bay, with a transport ship lowering a cargo pod down through the ceiling, and tables nestled inside of similar, open cargo units peppered around the wide hanger. Look around for the table made out of an X-wing fighter’s wing! My meal was the “Ithorian Garden Loaf”, a vegan “meat”loaf, made with plant-based impossible burger, with mashed potatoes, green beans, and vegan gravy. My meal had the most outlandish ingredients considering the imitation meat, but it had the most “earth-like” form, looking and tasting exactly (as I remember anyway, having been a vegetarian for nearly 5 years!) like meatloaf, with delicious sides. It was certainly one of the best vegan/vegetarian meals I have enjoyed at the Disneyland resort. My folks had meals with more traditional omnivorous ingredients, with my Dad enjoying a “Fried Endorian Tip Yip”, which is like a big fried chicken nugget, formed into a rectangular cube, served with the same sides as the “meat”loaf. My Mom had “Smoked Kaadu Ribs”, which were pork ribs with a tangy sauce. Their unique spin here was that the cut of the meat was ninety-degrees out of phase of normal, so it was a thick strip of rib meat with bones sticking out horizontally, instead of one long bone done the strip. It was served with a cornbread muffin with blueberries in it to give it a spacey spin, and a cabbage slaw. They both enjoyed their meals, and the presentation was certainly notable, with the restaurant offering a surprisingly serene experience for its theme as a working docking bay. The restaurant does get busy around meal times, so if you do visit I would suggest grabbing a seat and using Mobile order in order to put in your order, to help maximize your relaxation time in what will sure to be a busy day exploring Batuu, and the rest of Disneyland.

I feel like I’ve pontificated on the food to gluttonous excess, but I also feel like I haven’t even scratched the surface, and there is still so much more to talk about, from the sweet and spicy popcorn to the themed Coca-Cola bottles. Underpinning all of these details, from merchandise to the staff to the supplementary apps to the food, is an emphasis on realistic interactivity within the experience. The shared fantasy of the Star Wars universe is the foundational “reality”, and then the guest is provided multiple interactive outlets to live out their story within that fantasy. Even the first (and currently only) ride in Galaxy’s Edge, Millennium Falcon Smuggler’s Run, is one of these interactive outlets, offering the ability to actually sit at the controls of the famous ship. The Black Spire Spaceport is situated in the rearmost corner of Black Spire Outpost, built into massive cliffs peppered by large petrified trees, including the eponymous Black Spire towering above the rest. It’s here that the Millennium Falcon sits, a beautiful reveal no matter how one approaches her, whether from the main-drag from the south or from the eastern overlook outside of Dok-Ondar’s shop and Docking Bay 7. To her side is a small portico leading in to the depths of the spaceport, with lit signs advertising, “Ohnaka Transport Solutions: Flight Crews Wanted”: this is the entrance to the ride. The line snakes you behind the Falcon, first along the outside of the building along the edge of its landing pad, the hulking hyperspace engines glowing blue above your head, a low hum emanating from within. After looping around, the line brings you inside to ascend catwalks criss-crossing a large maintenance bay. A blue starship engine hangs suspended in the middle of room, occasionally flaring to life with light and sounds as unseen mechanics in the control room put it through various diagnostics and report the results over the PA system. Soon you’ve reached a second-floor overlook, with huge bay windows looking out on the Falcon from above, offering a new vantage point of both the famous ship and the surrounding area of Black Spire Outpost.

The Millennium Falcon’ ride’s interactive cockpit

Since the story is that you’re there to take a job for alien smuggler extraordinaire, Hondo Ohnaka, your next stop in the queue is a briefing with your new boss. You’re ushered into a large room where Hondo himself, portrayed by one of the most realistic audio-animatronic figures ever created, explains what’s going to happen. Hondo needs a fast ship to fly a “perfectly legitimate transport mission”, Chewie needs to raise some supplies and cash for the Resistance, so they’re teaming up together, along with you, to use the Falcon to run the job, make the cash, and tick off the First Order in the process. After getting the lowdown from Hondo and seeing the Falcon reposition from the outside landing pad to a docking bay deeper inside the spaceport, you’re led down a jetway, given instruction by crew to wait in the next room until your party is called to the cockpit, sent through a docking ring, and suddenly you’re on the Millennium Falcon, where you always dreamed you could be. The holo-chess board is simply right there. The lightsaber training droid that Luke used with Obi-Wan is resting on the top of a pile of junk in the corner, and a porg nest sits nestled in some coils of wires. Soon your party is called by the Ohnaka Transport Solutions ground staff to the cockpit, where you strap in and your adventure begins. What follows next is a simulator ride, but unlike other simulators, you’re in full control. Each rider fills a different role in the flight crew; pilots, gunners, and engineers, each responsible for flying, shooting, and fixing the Falcon. This experience is like a video game crossed with a ride, with riders able to influence the outcome and degree of success of the mission. Depending on how well you do, you’ll earn a different amount of “Credits”, which act as your score, and the experience as you exit the cockpit and leave the Millennium Falcon changes based on your performance, with the exit hallways sparking with warnings sounding over the PA if you did poorly and scraped the sides of the ship against the canyon walls as you were taking off, or Ohnaka Transport Solutions staff commenting on your great performance if you were able to successfully complete the mission.

Not only is the ride interactive, it makes you interact with other people. Because my family enjoyed the experience so much (and the early crowds were so low), we rode Smuggler’s Run seven times. The ride doesn’t do a great job of explaining how things work, but we picked it up and began asking our assigned teammates if it was their first time and started helping explain the mission and the positions to them as we waited for our turn to take the cockpit. Once we started doing this, we started to win!! At the end of the ride you’re high fiving perfect strangers and talking about what you just experienced. That was a brand-new experience that I hadn’t had a theme park before, and I think they deserve a lot of credit for adding cooperative gaming to a ride. There also is a lot of potential for the ride to change, with additional missions being added over time, or current missions being changed based on various factors.

Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge is the highest quality experience Disney has ever produced. It is absolutely worthy to be included alongside the all-time greats like The Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean. Walt’s driving desire was to bring fantasy to reality, whether it was through film, or theme parks, and there’s no way that he wouldn’t approve of how real the fantasy has been made here. The fears were unfounded — Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge belongs in Disneyland, and fits in so perfectly, so naturally. It abuts Fantasyland — it is an expression of science-fantasy that deals with good and evil, the hero’s journey, the deepest part of our cultural subconscious: it fits in Disneyland. It abuts Frontierland — Batuu is the Frontier of space, a future-west town on the edge of civilization: it fits in Disneyland. And its forest abuts Critter Country and the Rivers of America, offering a long walk through the nature of the Batuuan forest: it fits in Disneyland.

Walt’s apartment in Disneyland. It is located above the firehouse on Main Street

One interesting quirk of Walt Disney, that lives on in many fans hearts I think, is a desire to stay overnight inside the parks. Walt had two apartments built for him in Disneyland, the first being above the Fire House on Main Street, and the second immediately above the entrance of Pirates of the Caribbean. I think that if Walt were alive today, he would have asked for a fully-themed apartment to have been built for him on the second floor in some corner of Black Spire Outpost, so that he could go to sleep and wake up suffused in the fantasy. I think he would, because it’s what I want to do when I’m on my homeworld of Earth, dreaming of returning to the Edge of the Galaxy.

Games Came First

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Rough sketch of lions at play, Leigh Faulkner

It occurred to me recently that, in the Animal Kingdom, games evolve before “art” does. After all, those of us with pets see our puppies and kitties play games of their own devising every day. Evolutionarily speaking, games are controlled, safe scenarios that symbolically represent some advantageous activity. Animals derive pleasure from these practice activities as a biological function that leads to survival. The fun of games is instinctual.

But we are more advanced than juvenile lionesses play-hunting each other, and when we play, we often ascribe abstract meaning to the mechanical constructs of our games. Birds may sing, but no bird could name their song, “The Four Seasons.”

Thinking about it in this way makes the whole “are games art?” argument seem silly. Art, of course, is the creation and interpretation of symbols. These symbols are myriad, encompassing limitless forms. Nothing else must really be said.

Wind Up Knight

My latest addicting phone game recommendation is a cute little “runner” style game called Wind Up Knight. It has a few more mechanics than most games I’ve played of this type, and the graphics are really fun!

This one is available for iOS: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wind-up-knight/id482869428?mt=8 and Android: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.robotinvader.knightmare

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Some programming things I’ve been looking at

Did you know that if you are interested in learning how to program Windows Phone applications, Microsoft has provided all of the tools and resources needed, for free, on their web site?

I mean, check out the tutorials available at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/ff380145 . They are amazing.

I’ve also found a good free ebook that has greatly enhanced my understanding of the programming language C#, which is what many Windows phone applications are written in. It is called .Net Book Zero and it is available at http://www.charlespetzold.com/dotnet/ . I put this book on my Nook and read about 150 pages of it today, and I liked it a lot.

Just figured some of you might like to learn some of this stuff too, so I thought I’d share.

I Literally Cannot Title This Anything Save “Some Japanese Game”

I can’t quote publications, but I’ve heard that Seattle is 12 times more culturally influential, per capita, than New York or Los Angeles. This is exactly the sort of self-aggrandizing comment that Seattlites love, and you can almost feel the populace rolling this idea around in their heads like a lozenge in their mouths.

It’s really kind of egotistical and gross. (more…)

Tron: Legacy (The Movie, This Time. Not The Soundtrack.)

The new designs for Tron: Legacy are extremely beautiful

You know, just to be clear.

So, I don’t feel it’s necessary to say too much about Tron: Legacy. It’s beautiful, mellow, and contemplative. The original Tron, if you will remember, was not an action movie. Neither is Tron: Legacy.

But it’s gorgeous, and it’s interesting enough, though the script (admittedly better here than in the original) could use a little more… pizazz. They have the seeds of some interesting ideas carried through from the original, including the exploration of the intersection between religion and technology. But these seeds barely sprout, or the code doesn’t branch, or something.

I get the feeling that given some time, the mythos of Tron is going to flesh itself out with fan speculation. Perhaps I’ll find some line of fanboy logic that satisfies my desire to chew on the Tron universe better than Tron: Legacy itself does.

Apropos To Our Phone/Tablet Discussion…

This Link is Shamelessly Stolen from Eli Jones

Windows Phone OS On a 12in Tablet from Lizard Pro on Vimeo.

This afternoon, Eli linked to this video, showing the Windows Phone 7 interface running at 1280 x 800, AKA Tablet Computer resolution.

After my post a couple of days ago, I figured you guys might be intrigued. I was!

Microsoft, you are crazy if you don’t use this interface on a Tablet device.

Crosswords

Pretty, isn't it?

I’ve recently started taking the New York Times Crossword Puzzle seriously.

It’s easy to see why people are intimidated by it- the grid can be daunting, a black-and-white menace more reminiscent of the chaotically symmetrical face of an industrial drill bit than a Sunday Breakfast diversion. But with just a small bit of training and a little practice, a wonderfully witty and challenging world unfolds from this mess of clues and letters.

(more…)

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