A Cranky Journal of Themed Design and Development

E Eddy Edwards

Casey Jr. Railroad Train is the best, most perfect theme park attraction in the world. This single attraction is a careful combination of most of the vital elements that, working together, define a complete themed attraction experience:

It has a fully synchronized musical score that works to set the story, highlight the crisis, heighten the resolution, and bring the ride to a close.

Its musical score presents a near-seamless connection to the kinetic nature of the experience from before it begins (load sequence) until after the formal ride is complete (unload sequence).

It assists in cross-promoting content and merchandise from other media in other segments of the parent company.

It has both a non-narrative vocal introduction (character voice of the Ringmaster) AND a themed character voice for the ride vehicle itself (Casey Jr.s voice) that together creates a natural level of comfort (initially human, later the anthromorphized persona of the enveloping ride vehicle.

It helps create, because of its synergistic relationship with other attractions a niche-themed sub- (or mini-) park, a more unified statement of overall theme within the larger park. It does so via:

Content: Storybook Canal Boats. Both attractions occupy the same show space, use complimenting palettes of colors, textures, and story elements, yet with each maintaining their own specific story lines and experiences.

Context: Dumbo the Flying Elephant. Within its niche sub-park, it works as the linear backdrop to Dumbo. The nature of the generally ovoid ride vehicles and the counter-clockwise non-regular helix path (the circular motion in concert with the guest-activated "up and down" action of the ride vehicles of Dumbo) is kept in context by the linear path of the largely rectilinear Casey Jr. entering and leaving the station.

A variety of kinetic modes leisurely (beginning), slow / halting ("I think I can, I think I can" hill), and high-speed roller coaster-type fast ("I thought I could . . .")

Culturally, emotionally, and physically accessible for a wide segment of the park population.

Show sets are largely natural.

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Uh . . . yeah. Like he said . . .

Wait! Say wha'? Can it be that the Casey Jr. Circus Train in Disneyland, all 3 minutes, 30 seconds of it, is the best, most perfect attraction in the world?

Sure, what the hell. I mean . . . why not?

The "why not" list could be lengthy, so let put this selection in perspective.

Some many years ago, when there were wolves in Wales, a football name tag on my shirt pocket, and the illusion that the themed entertainment design and development train was headed off into an endless summer either, because of the confluence of my knowledge and appreciation of digital technology as an immersive, out-of-home entertainment tool, a history with cartoon physics, and practical experience as an on-the-ground theme park ops employee. Or, I was there `cuz I worked cheap (whichever), I found myself a part of a small (but mighty) design and development cadre, the mission of which was to use cutting — dare I say bleeding? — edge computer technology (c. 1992 - 1994) to create . . .

The Next Generation of Theme Park Attractions!

And we kinda did, but not really. Something after a fashion did come of our efforts, but 512 colors to our original 16 million+, if you see what I mean.

Side note: so how come the Big Deal didn't happen? A combination of two factors:

1.) The medium on which we were basing our attraction — nay, our New Generation of Entertainment! — was then, and still is, to all-too much a degree, held in the greasy grasp of command-lining gnomes who wouldn't know a good theme park time if it where to byte them on their knock-offAeron-chaired asses.

. . . and . . .

B.) An all-too realistic assessment for the costs of building the first of these E Plus ticket wonders came in at around $180 million 1994 dollars. Our slogan, "It's only money . . . and it ain't our money!" somehow didn't serve to ease the clenched and actual Aeron-chaired financial sphincters of the bean brigade. Sure, the second one would cost less than a third of that, and the third, less still . . .

Sorry. We return now to our thrilling ego trip narrative already in progress . . .

Between the time of "Hey! Ya know what'd be interesting to kinda-sorta think about doing?" and "Hey, you, chump! The `professionals' are here to save this thing. See ya . . ." a lot of time was spent on figuring out how to really, REALLY create a four minute-long, 2100+ THRC attraction that not only replicated an animated feature (including toe-tapping, finger-poppin' award-nominated songs) on which it was based, but would make the guest the center of their own, honestly interactive, story-based adventure with a beginning, middle, and end. All this and be something that 99.9% of ALL guests could do that would all-but guarantee they'd not only "get it" — how to control the attraction, how to engage and interact with the characters, how to get into and out of the techno-nonsense needed to make this sucker work — but that the system would be designed so that no matter HOW they were using the thing, they'd get a complete experience.

Piece of cake, you know? Same old, same old.

However, along the dusty road to same old, there was the need to actually create the brand new. Painfully aware of this task, we avoid eye contact with the unknown by wandering off into discussions about, say, just what it is it that defines a story in any setting and especially within the boundaries of a theme park "story ride." and for that matter, isn't any attraction, even a roller coaster themed as a roller coaster a "story ride" if it provided the rider with the ability to place themselves into an internal story setting?

Not only, but also where a mound of other questions on our path to Techno-Nouveau that made our brains bleed, including

What is a story in general?

What do you really, really need to make a bunch of words / pictures / sounds something that we could call a "story" (if we ever decide what a "story" is, that is)?

What makes a satisfactory story in a story ride?

What makes for a satisfying theme park ride experience?

What mediated elements are needed to allow a guest to synthesize their experience intoa story for themselves?

Hey, pal, gimmie another tall one, on the rocks this time, no salt!

We never really did come to a conclusion on that one (not surprising), but we did begin to compile a list of the basic elements that did define a theme park story ride.

A load of pompous crap, or fine minds plumbing the unknown realms of immersive, out-of-home entertainment?

Yeah, we thought so, too, but we were getting paid and meeting our budgets and deadlines, so what the hell? Gotta use the twin major in philosophy and mechanical engineering for something.

But . . . son-of-a-gun if a good many of the defining elements that we came up with in all that corporate coffee-fueled discussion point to many of the "latest, greatest" attractions, but to more than a few classic, often overlooked "Lazarus taxon"-like rides, defining elements like, say:

A musical score that is synchronized to the actions of the ride.

Elements that help give the ride itself an identifiable persona.

Integrates with the other attractions around it by sharing scenic and story elements.

Easy to "get" immediately (in all the ways that "get can be defined -- the overall story, how to understand the story and do whatever it is that it allows you to do, etc.

Puts the riders literally into the story.

A variety of physical experiences within the same ride.

If you really gotta, make the marketing people happy by using the word "synergy" (remember, this was the 1990s) as often as possible and actually try to have it really work.

For me, the attraction that seemed to fulfill all of those requirements was Casey jr. So sue me.

So, can it be that the Casey Jr. Circus Train in Disneyland, all 3 minutes, 30 seconds of it, is the best, most perfect attraction in the world?

It can if you want it to. Of course, everyone already knows that the best, most perfect attraction in the world is. Don't we?

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