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Storytelling on an epic scale: "Expedition Everest -- Legend of the Forbidden Mountain"

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Jim Hill

Storytelling on an epic scale: "Expedition Everest -- Legend of the Forbidden Mountain"

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31 Jul 2006 9:00 PM
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Most Disney dweebs will tell you that "Expedition Everest: Legend of the Forbidden Mountain" is storytelling on a truly epic scale. Though -- that said -- even the most hardcore of Disneyana fans can sometimes have trouble recounting the story that the Imagineers were actually trying to tell with this new DAK attraction.

Take -- for example -- the man-made mountain range pictured below. Which of these peaks is supposed to be the "Forbidden Mountain"? More importantly, which of these other concrete crags is supposed to then represent the actual Mount Everest?

If you guessed that the tall trio in the center is supposed to be Forbidden Mountain ... Well, you'd be correct. As for Mount Everest ...


Photo by Jeff Lange

... It's actually that rather diminutive peak off to the far left ...


Photo by Jeff Lange

... Or so says Joe Rohde, the WDI VP who rode herd on this new attraction for the Walt Disney World Resort. Speaking to a crowd of 3000 yesterday afternoon at SIGGRAPH 2006, this Imagineering vet pointed out many of the subtler aspects of this new Animal Kingdom attraction. Things that even the most diehard Disney theme park fans sometime overlook.


Photo by Jim Hill

Take -- for example -- this shrine to the Yeti that's located at one of the entrances to DAK's new Himalayan section. Notice how this collection of structures actually apes the shape of the mountain range directly behind it.

More to the point, note that there's a tiny Yeti on display inside one of these shrines. Does that suggest to you that there might actually be some sort of fearsome creature wandering the slopes of Forbidden Mountain? If so, then Rohde & his design team take some pride in the fact that this artful piece of foreshadowing has set the stage for the adventure yet to come.


Photo by Jeff Lange

According to Joe, this sort of decorative detail is known as "ambiant storytelling." Those seemingly random details that are deliberately placed there in order to tell a story. In "Expedition Everest" 's case, the modern world has obviously begun closing in ...


Photo by Jeff Lange

... on this very traditional environment. Where there are all sorts of subtle ...


Photo by Jeff Lange

... and not-so-subtle signs ...  


Photo by Jeff Lange

... that this is a world that is protected by a rather large powerful creature who won't take kindly to us invading its realm.


Photo by Jeff Lange

Mind you, not all WDW visitors will pick up on all of the subtler forms of storytelling found in the environment surrounding "Expedition Everest." Which is -- in the queue area for this new DAK attraction -- Rohde actually had his design team recap the story. Creating the museum section of the ride, which clarifies the what (a train ride), where (through the Forbidden Mountain) and who (which are protected by the Yeti).


Photo by Jeff Lange

And just for those who have really not been paying attention as they moved through the queue for "Expedition Everest: Legend of the Forbidden Mountain," what's the very last thing you see before you cross that bridge where you leave the human world behind and enter the realm of the Yeti?


Photo by Jeff Lange

A painting of the protector of the Himalayas. One that clearly shows the creature's sharp claws & fangs.


Photo by Jeff Lange

Did it bother Rohde that he basically had to keep telling the same story over and over again in order to make sure that every tourist that was on that tea train finally understood what the basic story of "Expedition Everest: Legend of the Forbidden Mountain" was really all about? Not really.


Photo by Jim Hill

"When you're designing a theme park ride, you always have to take into account that different guests will have different levels of interests in your attraction, " Joe explained. "There'll be your diehard fans who will thrill at each new discovery, as they uncover yet another level of storytelling. And then there will be the guys who just want to ride the new roller coaster. So you have to try & create an attraction that accomodates all levels of interest."

Given the overwhelmingly positive response that Rohde's speech at SIGGRAPH 2006 got yesterday, it's clear that the "Legend of Forbidden Mountain" has already reached as far as Beantown. And given the large crowd that surrounded this veteran Imagineer after his appearance, it's equally clear that a number of folks had questions for Joe about theme park design and how one might begin a career at Walt Disney Imagineering.

Hopefully, Mr. Rohde will get a chance to answer some of these folks' questions when he makes his appearance at the Walt Disney Company booth (No. 1227) this morning between 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.

Look for more coverage of SIGGRAPH 2006 in the days ahead here at JHM.

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  • 31 Jul 2006 10:54 PM
    Interesting. I had always thought the whole mountains was Everest. When they showed the map in that video podcast, I got confused. Now it makes sense. The ride never even goes to Everest, it's just kinda looming in the distance (thanks to forced perspective).

    "I see," said the blind man.

    Also, for those who have yet to experience this attraction, just you wait. It really is a very well done and exciting ride. On our recent trip, I rode it a staggering 9 times (thanks to the singles line), and I loved every trip into the forbidden mountain.
  • 1 Aug 2006 1:05 AM
    I think this is just an okay ride. If there is anything they could add to, probably more indoor show scenes than just a video projection and a yeti encounter lasting no more than a second.
  • 1 Aug 2006 4:41 AM
    I've yet to experience this ride, but this article makes me really excited to get on it soon.

    Thanks, Jim, for this article.
  • 1 Aug 2006 5:17 AM
    I rode E:E for the first time in May and, while I was overwhelmed by the ride itself (great coaster!!), I have to admit to being a tad underwhelmed by the interior ride design itself.

    The queue area was great ... a typically well-themed Disney masterpiece, but I was sorely disappointed in the yeti. I'd heard so much about it ... how huge it was and how amazingly well articulated the movement was, etc. ... and then you see it only for about 2 seconds while roaring by at 25 mph!! What a waste of a great Imagineering effort.

    There are like 2 or 3 separate instances where your train comes to a complete stop. Why not position the yeti AA there a la Dinosaur, so the peeps can get really up close and personal with it?? Dumb, dumb, dumb decision if you ask me ...
  • 1 Aug 2006 6:00 AM
    The storytelling is so good - it has to be diagramed and explained.

    That'll be a quick Q&A - "well, you see, there aren't going to be any imagineers anymore."

    Please - keep him on the lecture circuit.

  • 1 Aug 2006 6:05 AM
    That's really bizarre.  I would have thought the mountain to the RIGHT would be Everest.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Mount_Everest_from_Rongbuk_may_2005.JPG

    The image there matches up quite well.
  • 1 Aug 2006 7:46 AM
    Ditto to what brick1974 said.  Jim, are you SURE Joe said Everest was the peak on the LEFT?  Near the shrine  on the path from Kali to EE, there is an observation spot with a plaque depicting the mountian range, and a couple "telescopes".  The scopes have become loose is the past months, but when first installed the one marked "Everest" clearly pointed at the peak on the RIGHT.  Also, the peak on the left has snow on it, the peak on the right is bare rock -- the real Everest is so high that the thin atmosphere at the peak doesn't form heavy snow (see brick1974's wiki photo).
  • 1 Aug 2006 8:09 AM
    It is the small peak to the RIGHT (as we are looking at the attraction) As a opening team and test and adjust cast member of EVEREST I can confirm this.

    -Mike
  • 1 Aug 2006 8:13 AM
    Another thought...

    I'd love to have heard the whole speech, because I'm curious if Joe addressed the LACK of storytelling in the actual ride.  EE has a fantastic Act 1 (the queue and surrounding themeing), a decent Act 2 (the train ride through the backwards portion), and an almost nonexistant 3rd Act.  What is the point of setting up an elaborate story if there is no resolution?  

    The close encounter with the Yeti (technically impressive as the AA is) is emotionally unsatisfying NOT just because it's too short, but because it has no meaning.  What EFFECT does the Yeti have on us, and vice versa?  NONE!  It's a close encounter with no consequence.  At the end of the ride, what has changed?  Nothing.  

    IF the short cave following the Yeti was extended into another show scene with some effects depicting the destruction of the caves/rail lines behind us, so that the way is now permanantely barred, it would give the ride a sense of closure.  The swaying timbers and sound effects suggest this may have been the intention, but it's weakly executed.  As is there is no consequence resulting from our ignoring the Forbidden Mountain warnings, either for ourselves, or for the tea-train/sightseeing company.

    In drama, a story must have both a climax AND a resolution.  EE has the one without the other.  Imagine watching The Empire Strikes back, and having the movie end as soon as Vader cuts Luke's hand off.  Sure, you get the "money shot", but without the followup it has no meaning.  Or, think of what Splash Mountain would be if after the big drop you went straight to unload without the final Zip-i-dee-doo-dah show scenes?  You got the big thrill, but without the emotional resolution it would feel hollow and incomplete.  Heck, even the underwhelming Dinosaur has the "I better find him before security does" button on the story -- you would feel unresolved if you went from the finale to unload in silence.

    EE is a very good ride that could easily have been great -- as it is, the abrupt and unsatifying transition back to the unload station undermines the obvious care and effort that went into the attraction.  Too bad...
  • 1 Aug 2006 8:30 AM
    Hey, there's a video podcast / youtube of this somewhere.  Does anyone have a link?
  • 1 Aug 2006 9:22 AM
    I don't know, I got to ride EE back in the spring, and I thought it was lacking something.  It's missing several major components of Disney's best theming experiences - MUSIC (and audio in general - the ride feels virtually silent), COLOR, and EMOTION.  The Imagineers seem to have confused "story" with "accurate recreation."  The point of telling a story should not be to transport us to Nepal, the point should be to thrill and excite.  To produce a thrill, you don't accurately recreate the "slurry" painting technique in the queue.  To produce a thrill, you enshroud the audience in darkness, play ominous sounds, exciting and dangerous music, and focus on the feelings of the audience as they journey through the attraction - that's how Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Carribbean, and Tower of Terror work, and to be honest, I feel more thrill on any of those than I did on EE.
  • 1 Aug 2006 10:16 AM
    I think you guys are missing the point. The Yeti is SUPPOSED to be this mysterious, almost mythical creature that has rarely been seen. Those who have seen him, usually don't live to tell of him, or they have a harrowing story to tell how they almost didn't survive. So, you might say, that as riders on this train, and part of a similar story, it's a miracle that you encounter him and live to tell of it. I can see where they (WDI) are also going for a "haunted house" kind of effect, kind a pop-up ghost/monster that goes "BOO!", he's there just long enough to scare you.

    I think it's one of the best themed rides we've seen Disney do in quite a while. Bravo to Joe and his crew. I worry what future projects will look like and whether the down-sizing of WDI will make them leaner and more focused, or thin them out so much that a lot of the creativity is lost.
  • 1 Aug 2006 10:40 AM
    GrumpyFan, you made my point precisely -- "The Yeti is SUPPOSED to be this mysterious, almost mythical creature that has rarely been seen. Those who have seen him, usually don't live to tell of him, or they have a harrowing story to tell how they almost didn't survive".  Well, we encounter him, and nothing of consequence results.  All the "harrowing story" elements are not well tied to the Yeti.  Yes, he waves his arm near us (if you see the A-show) but then we emerge safely into the daylight with no real sense of danger.  Again, to compare to Dinosaur (can't believe I'm actually comparing an E-Ticket unfavorably to CTX!) -- what if you had the photo-flash encounter with the carno, but not "they're not gonna make it" noise and lights -- yes, we saw the dangerous creature, but never really felt any threat.
  • 1 Aug 2006 11:29 AM
    So if you're suppossed to barely see him, why make him one of the "most advanced AA figures ever?"

    We've already had a roller coaster in a mountain with an abomidable snowman - this was not that amazing of a new idea.

    For something really challenging, make a train ride that the whole family could and would want to ride, and throw in a little education about real Asian animals. Put a large Vegas-style tiger cage halfway up the mountain with a couple snow leopardsin it, yaks can go farther up the make-believe mountain - it's a different ride everytime. Disney spent all this money on real Everest expeditions - show the golden monkeys they found, or an advanced AA simulation, or project them on a mist screen. The giant grasshoppers can be seen while in line. Then when you have to give a presentation on the ride, you can talk about how often the animals are switched out, how comfortable they are, how they watch the people, etc etc, instead of detailed hints that few notice.  If you must have a coaster for the teens that aren't at Universal - make one loading bay mild, the other loading bay wild. In other words, something no other park has.

    Right now, it's a matterhorn with a longer queue and the train goes backwards. A detailed pre-show queue is only impressive when it leads to something impressive.
  • 1 Aug 2006 11:45 AM
    GrumpyFan said "The Yeti is SUPPOSED to be this mysterious, almost mythical creature that has rarely been seen. Those who have seen him, usually don't live to tell of him, or they have a harrowing story to tell how they almost didn't survive"

    While that may be true, it doesn't necessarily translate to a good guest experience. I mean I could make up a story about a mop, but it wouldn't necessarily pull in guests.

    I think skubersky and Reginald S. Fairfax hit the nail on the head with their analyses. I especially noticed the lack of a soundtrack ...
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