Virtual Disney Parks attraction recreations

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jpanimation
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Virtual Disney Parks attraction recreations

Post by jpanimation »

The title says it all. I actually find this stuff so interesting that I thought I'd give it it's own thread. Here are the ones I know of:

Adventure Thru Inner Space Virtual Ride-thru
http://www.themightymicroscope.com/home.htm
This was the first virtual recreation I followed and so far it’s the only one to be completed. Created by Steve Wesson in 2004, this was a virtual recreation of the old Disneyland attraction Adventure Thru Inner Space and it was made available as a 10 minute video you could purchase on DVD (digital download now available). It was fairly simple in presentation and not as ambitious as some of the projects that came after. It also convinced me that Star Tours is a much better attraction.

Virtual Toad
http://virtual-toad.com/
Now this one doesn’t have a happy ending. Here we had a virtual recreation of the infamous WDW Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, that was coming along amazingly since 2000 but was shelved in 2008 indefinitely when the creator of the project (Spencer Cook) had a kid. What he finished is still up on his site and it’s pretty easy to see why it inspired soo many. Here’s hoping that he picks it back up one day.

Horizons: Resurrected
http://horizonsresurrected.com/
This is an interactive (using Unity) virtual recreation of the fondly remembered EPCOT Center attraction: Horizons. Helmed by a man named Chris Wallace - co-founder of The Super Group - this first introduced me to the idea of an interactive recreation (before this, Virtual Toad and Adventures Thru Inner Space were only going to be videos), this guy is ridiculously ambitious in what he wants to accomplish (just check out his ‘proof of concept’ video, in which he begins putting together a system that will utilize a curved screen, 3D glasses and head tracking for the ultimate in immersion). If you miss this inspiring unofficial sequel to Carousel of Progress as I do, you’ll want to follow this.

Journey Back into Imagination
http://journeybackintoimagination.blogspot.com/
This is an interactive (also using Unity) virtual recreation of the fondly remembered EPCOT Center attraction: Journey into Imagination. It took me a little longer to find out about this one, as the man helming it - a tech director for a theme park design company named Mike Brister - has been trying to keep it on the down low until he felt it was something worth advertising (soo modest). If you miss Figment and Dreamfinder as I do, you’ll want to follow this.

Star Tours: Origins (ST-45 Project)
http://www.facebook.com/pages/ST-45-Pro ... 2007229742
I never heard of it until just recently (judging by the comments on Facebook, no one heard of it until a few days ago) but apparently a talented young French student named Grégory Noacco is recreating the original Star Tours with CGI. Finished project should be up soon!!!!

If you know of any more, feel free to share!
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jpanimation
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Post by jpanimation »

Here's the 3D version of Star Tours: Origins:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/NJCGagHVBwM" frameborder="0"></iframe>
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Alphapanchito
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Post by Alphapanchito »

I'd just like to say thanks for posting this. I love following these things, and previously knew about all of them except the star wars one and Journey Back into Imagination, which I think is sooo cool. It seems like it's possibly further along than Horizons: Resurrected (then again, I don't really know, because I don't know much about CG modeling and creating interactive projects using Unity), yet so few people know about it. I love "walking" around the imagination pavilion. So cool. Very nicely done, too, especially the first part of the ride and the second level of the pavilion, not to mention the flawless outdoor area.
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