Did you hear about the play test that WDI ran at The Magic Kingdom last month? Where the Imagineers used Guests who were waiting in line for a character meet-n-greet right outside of Pooh’s Playful Spot to try out a new entertainment-based queuing system?
Though the Imagineers are being pretty close-mouthed about what they learned from this two day test (which was rumored to have been a dry run for a new style of queue which will be implemented when the “Fantasy Forest” addition to this theme park’s Fantasyland section finally opens in 2012 & 2013), when I spoke with Joe Garlington – WDI’s creative vice president in charge of interactives – back in late 2008 about play tests, he insisted that they played a vital role in Imagineering’s development process.
“Take – for example – what we learned during Kim Possible’s play test back during the Summer of 2006,” Garlington explained. “When we set up the beta versions of World Showcase Adventure in Epcot’s UK & France pavilions, we learned all sorts of things about what worked & what didn’t work for our Guests as a direct result of that field test.”
Photo by Jeff Lange
“Like what?,” you ask. Well, according to Joe, one of the very first things that the Imagineers did once the Kim Possible play test was complete was shorten the length-of-play for this interactive game.
“Don’t get me wrong. The kids loved the test version of Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure. They would have played it all day long if they could,” Garlington explained. “But the parents – after an hour of play – were starting to get antsy. They wanted to get back to exploring Epcot, leave the U.K. & France pavilions behind and go see some of the other countries around World Showcase Lagoon.”
So the Imagineers reduced the length of each of the interactive games that Guests would play as part of Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure to 40 – 45 minutes. And based on comments that WDW visitors made in their post-play test surveys, WDI also decided to add a little oomph to each of these games’ finale.
Photo by Jeff Lange
“You remember how – at the end of the Duff Killigan game – you just returned the golf ball?,” Joe continued. “Well, Guests found that experience somewhat unsatisfying. Especially as the end of an interactive game. They expected something bigger, much more fun from Disney. So that’s what we did when we revisited these Kim Possible games after their initial play test. We make sure that they each took less time to play and then ended with a far bigger bang.”
As a direct result of that 2006 round of play tests, when the official version of Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure debuted at Epcot in January of 2009, it quickly became one of the popular attractions at that theme park. With some families spending their entire day wandering around World Showcase, so that they could then play all seven versions of this new interactive game.
“That’s what’s great about dealing with the latest generation of Disney theme park Guests. Who are families that actually game together,” Garlington said. “Previously, we had to spend a lot of time in the pre-show explaining how the technology worked, how the game was scored. Which really cut into our story-telling time. But this generation of theme park visitors, they
immediately get how the game is played. We don’t have to waste precious time in the pre-show explaining how things work. These Guests just want to get out in the Park and then get their interactive experience started.”
Photo by Jeff Lange
That’s ultimately what Disney’s goal is here. To give its theme park guests a way that they can personalize their experience. Make their time in the Parks something truly unique & individual.
The only problem is … Designing & then creating truly interactive attractions is a lengthy & often expensive process. Take – for example – the five years & tens of millions of dollars that The Walt Disney Company spent on the development of Toy Story Mania!
And then there’s the difficult issue that WDI often deals with. In that they’ll sometimes have an idea / key concept for a great new theme park attraction but then lack the appropriate character to build that attraction around.
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Take – for example – Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin / Astro Blasters. As far back as 1975, the Imagineers were toying with building a futuristic ride-thru shooting gallery where Guests would have blasted alien invaders. But WDI had to wait ‘til “Toy Story” came out in November of 1995 before they then had a character who was strong enough & well enough liked by the
public that the Imagineers could finally move Tomorrowland’s UFO Shoot-out off of the drawing board.
Which brings us back to the crucial role that the play testing plays at WDI. How the Imagineers want to be absolutely sure that an idea or a concept for a new ride, show and attraction actually works before it’s then okayed for construction inside one of the Company’s theme parks.
Do you remember The Muppet Experiment? That interactive game which had Disneyland Annual Passholders racing all over DCA in December of 2008, using their cell phones & text messaging in an effort to rescue Miss Piggy & pals? That play test had just wrapped up when I sat down to talk with Garlington at WDI. And when I asked Joe why the Imagineers had chosen this particular set of characters to build that game around, his answer was surprisingly candid.
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“We chose the Muppets because they were already closely associated with California Adventure. And because the Muppets have done movies
& TV shows
there were set in all sorts of different time periods, they seemed to be the perfect characters to build a time travel-themed game around,” Joe stated. “As for why we chose the technology that we did for the Muppet Experiment … We’re
WDI. We don’t like to repeat ourselves. Plus we liked the idea of Guests using their own phones for this particular interactive experience. Rather than the Kimmunicators that we make Guests use at Epcot when they’re playing World Showcase Adventure.”
So will The Muppet Experiment interactive game someday return to DCA? Or – for that matter – will that new queuing system that was play tested at the Magic Kingdom last month actually be implemented when WDW’s Fantasy Forest expansion area opens in 2012 & 2013? Again, WDI’s being
pretty tight lipped about all that. But Garlington (when we talked, anyway) was very pretty straightforward about what he thought the future of interactive rides, shows and attractions at the Disney theme parks might be.
“We’re always looking for ways that the Guest can impact the flow of the show. Where their actions then personalized the entertainment, make their experience special & unique,” Joe concluded. “Toy Story Mania and Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to interactivity. What we’re looking to do in the future at the Parks.”
Photo by Jeff Lange
So what do you folks think? Are you actually looking forward to this next generation of Disney theme park rides, shows and attractions? Or are you worried that all of this emphasis on interactivity & personalization will then get in the way of the magic & the story-telling?
Your thoughts?