Theme Park Design

 

The Backstory

In the summer of 2020, I put together a friend-group of fellow creatives to try Imagineering In a Box, a free online class led by the Walt Disney Company in partnership with the Khan Academy. Our unit consisted of artists, filmmakers, marketers, writers and UX designers, where each week we completed the curriculum’s assignments and exercises to realize our own theme park prototype. I also served as project manager, where I kept the team accountable, on schedule, and in communication as we marched towards a final group presentation.

The Park

Following the lessons and principals we learned via Imagineering In A Box, I created my own theme park prototype. The attraction consisted of three main aspects: 1). Designing a land while conceiving its theme, story, and aesthetic 2). Designing a key attraction using a scripting, storyboards and a paper model 3). Creating a character for the land by infusing a rich backstory and building a clay armature. Below is a case study of my work and process which documents the work and decisions used to realize the prototype.

Park

Adhering to Disney’s Imagineering principles of story, design and UX, comes the seed of a new theme park known as Time’s Fair.

Theme

When creating my own theme park land, I was interested in the exploring the intersection where culture and commerce meet, both acknowledging its unique advantages yet also being being critical during the moments when money and profit overreach.

Earlier this year (2020), the world had changed due to COVID-19, ushering new ways for art and stories to be told and shared. In just a few weeks, we saw how so many of those opportunities had been co-opted for financial gain (ie - Some Good News with John Krasinki), sullying what was initially received by the public as cultural contributions that originally lacked any sort of commercial aspirations.

With that theme in mind, I opted to create a world expo of sorts where a mysterious time-traveling company named Krang would host exhibits from past eras, with a double-edged mission to both educate and sell real-life relics to the general public. What originally appears to be somewhat of a public service is eventually tainted by the desire for larger profit margins and total abandonment of the well being of civilization.

I call it Time’s Fair.

 

A painting of Time’s Fair held in the Library of Alexandra

 

 

Story

 

 

Surely, there’s not a soul here that hasn’t heard of the Krang company, makers of products such as (blank), and (blank), and (blank). If you somehow don’t know them, try using their wildy popular search engine - I hear they’re the best at algorithms.

Just a few years ago, Krang shook the entire world up when they announced they had discovered the “key” to time travel, allowing corporate-sanctioned travelers (or “Trippers”, as they like call themselves) to explore periods of the past (and one day, the future).

As a business, Krang’s model seemed impressive, even philanthropic: they would “save” relics of yesteryears — real life foods and fashions that fell out favor, actual inventions that never came to be, animals that went extinct, even people doomed to die - and bring them back to a Time’s Fair where they could be shared, and yes, in many cases sold to the general public.

And while Krang’s time venture has its critics (even though the company has explicitly stated it adheres to “butterfly-effect precautions”, there are doubters), it’s no match for the thousands that attend Time’s Fair every week, set in a beautifully restored Library of Alexandria (or as Forbes Magazine calls it, “the hippest restored ancient library in the world!”).

So come ye’ come all and (re-?)experience prehistory, the Roman era, The Old West, the dawn of the 20th Century, and more. Welcome to the newest concept of an open-air museum, where history once again becomes our present.

Oh yeah, and while you’re there, don’t forget to check out an actual Tripper’s Time Launch. You can see how it’s all done: safely, securely, and for everyone’s maximum enjoyment. That’s the Krang way!

“Watch a Gladiator, meet a Cowboy,

Dressing like a Flapper sure is fun.

Farm Dinosaurs, speak to Lincoln,

Give the Wright Flyer a proper run…

…Make the past your present.  Only at Time’s Fair.”

— An excerpt from a mock Time’s Fair radio/TV jingle

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Building & Layout

Time’s Fair will be held in (a reimagined) the Library of Alexandria, a real-life ancient center of wisdom that had succumbed to fire leading to a decimation of many texts, discoveries and knowledge.

From the moment a guest steps inside its walls, they will be instantly transported to not just a time gone by, but a culture and environment that could only be unlocked through storytelling and immersion.

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Landscape

When experiencing the Library of Alexandria, guests will be treated to a space that conveys both beauty and the passage of time. To do this, extra attention will be given to building out gardens of flowers that circle the space, and walls of ivy that adorn the partitions, showing that the nature had grown around the library, almost as if both were perpetually living on in unison.

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Color Palette

Time’s Fair’s color scheme is based on images that were used an inspiration helping reinforce the Park’s idea of old (darker: gray, purple) meets new (lighter: green, yellow).

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Sound Design

To help bring Time’s Fair to life, various layers of sound that will play while guests moved throughout the space. These include:

  • SOUNDSCAPE (a constant background sound) - Crowd noises (“bazaar” sounds) will help ensure that guests feel they were in a booming, bustling marketplace.

  • MUSIC (a song which reflects my land) - In spirit of the Land’s theme, where new meets old, music such as  Pharaoh trap captures just the right vibe and tone for a hybrid area.

  • SOUND FX (randomly occurring sounds) - Intermittently, between songs, guests will hear a K.R.N.G ID radio ID, conveying again that the Krang company runs the show here. To complement that, miscellaneous sounds such as animal noises and pots dropping will keep the space feeling both active and authentic.

Beware of eating the wrong parts of the Dilophosaurus, or else…

Menu

Found via several snack shops and restaurants scattered throughout Time’s Fair, the menu will adhere to the park’s fun themes and unique identity.

Some highlights include:

- Guests can eat “actual dinosaur” that has been cooked up to resemble sausage (Dinosau-sage).

- Guests can enjoy the same meals that famous kings and monarchs used to chow down upon (Eat Like A King)

- Through a culinary experience that also serves a fun bit of education on the side, guests have opportunity to learn about the evolution of the pizza slice (Slices in Time).

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Time Spent To Go Green

Despite whatever objections some may have to Krang’s time travel methods, no one can criticize how green conscious they keep the open air museum.  From solar panels, to electric cars (in Tripper’s Jump, which you’ll explore below), to surplus donation food programs, waste reduction and more, Krang may mess with the past but they certainly prioritize an eco-friendly future.

 
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Mood Board

Mood boards put together which further conceptualize what the land could offer in terms of look, atmosphere, and experience…

Attraction

The introduction of Time’s Fair’s premiere dark ride - Tripper’s Jump - brought to life by scripting, storyboards and a paper model.

 

A retro poster design of the Tripper’s Jump Ride

Tripper’s Jump: Overview

You are invited to take part in the first Trippers’ Jump ever to be open to public civilians. This is a historic day not just for the Krang company, but for the entire world. Today - you, the lucky few - will join seasoned Tripper Bud Bisquite (with an “e”, it’s French!) as you portal back to the Pleistocene era to “rescue” a Sabre-Toothed Tiger and return it to the modern world.


 

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Swarmy, smug, and YOUR guide. It’s Bud Busquite (with an “e”, it’s French).

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Character

Using story, character sheets, and a clay armature, it’s a look at Leonardo, Time’s Fair’s main mascot.

 
A look at Leonardo’s attire and mobility limitations

A look at Leonardo’s attire and mobility limitations

Character Story: Leonardo

Subject: Leonardo is the first (and currently only) AI Tripper built at Krang, based on a 1495 sketch by Leonardo da Vinci.

Look: The robot is described as being clad in German- Italian medieval armor, and is able to make any and all humanoid motions. The body is based on Leonardo's anatomical research in the Canon of Proportions as described in the Vitruvian Man.

Personality: As a robot, Leonardo is touted by Krang to have “no fear” and lacking in that human deficiency, but in truth he is a constantly fearful and neurotic mess. He dares not reveal this part of his personality to Krang, and others are more or less yet to catch on, but there is some pretty glaring (and comedic) signs of his limitations for those paying enough attention. In other words, he’s a modern-day Oz’ian Lion.

Quirks: As a robot, Leonardo doesn’t care much for human food, although he has been given the mechanics to digest if needed. Unbeknown to everyone, he once got curious and ate a colleagues dog [this subsequently ended the “bring a pet to work” policy].

Story: Often, Leonardo is sent back in time to take selfies as promotional materials for Krang. When he appears in Time’s Fair, it’s usually to “show off” his photos on some corporate sanctioned-events, but he will often take selfies with guests with his “selfie stick sword” (that customers can purchase from the park).

Armature

A look at Leonardo, an amalgamation of clay, wire, and some general stop-motion experience.

Here’s Leonardo in all his unpainted glory

 

Leonardo hanging out in the Coliseum

Easter Eggs

Outside of his duties as a nomadic park mascot, Leonardo is envisioned to also be an easter egg in the Tripper’s Jump attraction.

Eagle-eyed riders will have fun looking out for him each time they return to the attraction, as he jumps from time period to time period every few weeks or so.

Presentation

A presentation of Time’s Fair, including a rundown of Tripper’s Jump and the introduction of Leonardo.

Presentation

Here’s a video from the first time I presented my park to the others in the class… Note: some graphic and visual assets have been updated since then (see above).

We were joined by immersive enthusiast Landon Zakheim, Artistic Director of the Outlook Film Festival, and his writer/director partner, Kerry Barker, who offered us constructive user feedback.

Takeaways

After building a prototype of Time’s Fair, some reflections…

  • The Imagineering In A Box experience really made use of my various professional pursuits, allowing me to apply my film/writing/UX knowledge all at once.

  • To no surprise, working alongside a team helped elevate everyone’s final project. Thanks to Kerry Barker, Melinda Green, Daniel McAlister, Dylan Reiff, Hovsep Yaghmourian, Landon Zakheim and Michael Ziemba, for their collective ideas and thoughtful feedback.

  • At times, this class pushed me outside of my comfort zone, especially with building a paper model. I was really glad that was the case, as I was both happy with the end product and quite enjoyed doing it.

  • I look forward to taking more classes from Khan Academy in the future, and would find it a dream to carve out opportunities in the theme park/immersive space.

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Show writing (theatrical)

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Unscripted Storytelling