#mylittlepony - #Musings on a Friendship is Magic Theme Park Experience

Musings on a Friendship is Magic Theme Park Experience

Obviously, it's probably too late for this to happen, but the concept of a Harry Potter or Star Wars-esque My Little Pony area at a park like Disney or Universal is too tempting for me not to think about; After all, Faust designed the Friendship is Magic universe to be as fleshed out and complex as the fantasy worlds we so often see in amusement parks, so the series is a ridiculously natural fit. So, I figured I would quickly drop a concept here to at least get it out.

Critical elements of the park design

• All the architecture and theming must be a natural fit with the design style of Friendship is Magic. Harry Potter succeeded because it felt hyper-authentic to the books and movies. Pandora succeeded because it built a detailed, consistent natural world. In both of these cases, the design of structures across the park were pivotal to these ends. You feel like you're walking down the streets of Hogsmeade and exploring an intriguing alien landscape because, for all intents and purposes, you are. Guests should feel like they've stepped into a magical fantasy world run by Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamhorse here, and to do that, all the details of the area should be consistent with each other and with the show.
• The area should appeal to all demographics. This is a strength of the show, of course, but it's also a clear trend we've seen in the other immersive areas to pop up; Potter's opening day attractions were a fairly intense dark ride, a children's roller coaster, and an extreme roller coaster, for example.
• The area should play to its source material's strengths and put the characters in the spotlight. Ideally, guests should have ample opportunities to interact with and get to know at least the Mane 6, to understand and enjoy their personalities and motivations. This is one area where I feel other immersive theme park worlds have struggled, but the sheer diversity of characters and personalities in My Little Pony puts it in a better position to succeed than those areas, and the ponies are friendly enough to keep the guests happy and involved without sacrificing immersion.
• The experiences in the area should be slightly different during every visit and feel like that of a living, breathing town. Perhaps have different background ponies make cameos greeting guests from day-to-day and unique pony concerts/slice of life "events" once or twice a week. Plus, holidays. Could you imagine being able to enjoy a real-life Winter Wrap-Up, Summer Sun Celebration, Running of the Leaves, Nightmare Night, or Hearth's Warming Eve? Throw in exclusive apple cider during the fall months!
• This is the one thing Hasbro would absolutely never agree to, but merchandise cannot include the toys sold in stores. A key ingredient in the Harry Potter/Pandora/Star Wars formula is to keep immersion (and thus guest excitement) high even in stores by selling products that fit into the world around it naturally. Selling products with the My Little Pony logo on them and a picture of girls playing with the toys on the back probably isn't the best way to go about that. That said, there's plenty of other unique products you could sell in stores instead; Magical artifacts, Ogres & Oubliettes game kits, the Friendship Journal, Daring Do merch, clothing ostensibly designed by Rarity, maybe even repackage some of the standard toys as "commemorative statues" of some sort.

The Rides

• Bookends - a KUKA robotic arm dark ride starring Twilight Sparkle and her attempts to defeat some sort of ultimate foe (Daybreaker come to reality?). The queue line is set in Twilight's castle and features a relatively beefy preshow, while the ride itself is similar in technical and artistic design to Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, but with a heavier emphasis on physical props and animatronics, playing out on some level like a drastically upgraded Peter Pan's Flight.
• Sonic Rainboom - An Intamin Blitz launched roller coaster patterned after Maverick), including the surprise second launch and heavy emphasis on speed and high pace, but with a 120-ft drop, slightly improved pacing, a top speed of 75 mph, and maybe more inversions. There's also a pseudo-dark ride section with a Rainbow Dash animatronic before the second launch, plenty of props and theming even within the ride, a queue with a somewhat involved story, plus unique special effects based on the namesake maneuver.
• Unnamed Applejack Ride - a trackless dark ride set in Sweet Apple Acres allowing for infinite movement patterns. Riders are seated in barrels sent out of control as part of a Discord prank, and the ride is consequently a lot more lighthearted and chaotic than the more "orchestrated" nature of Bookends.
• Trixie and Starlight's Runaway Rocket - A relatively small family coaster with a straightforward "Trixie's pyrotechnics display has gone horribly wrong" plot. Honestly somewhat of a filler ride, but it's designed as a bit of a stepping stone for children not ready for Sonic Rainboom.

• Fluttershy's Petting Zoo - On its own a straightforward petting zoo for children, the setting behind Fluttershy's literal treehouse - featuring a loving recreation of her animal sanctuary - would make for an immersive and beautiful experience even with such a simple attraction.

  The Shops and Restaurants

• Sugarcube Corner - The bakery we've seen countless times in Friendship is Magic. Guests will enjoy the same oddball and conventional pastries, sit in the same (albeit larger) dining room, and if they make a reservation, talk to the same host ponies via a screen a la Turtle Talk with Crush. A DJ Pon3 animatronic will get the chance to play a concert on Fridays and Saturdays.

• Carousel Boutique - Rarity's famous store is an attraction in its own right. A preshow will allow guests to interact with the Element of Generosity's bearer and allow Rarity to give a sales pitch before guests enter the main shop. Once in the store, guests will be able to buy all sorts of unique apparel based on what characters from the show would wear as well as the personal tastes of our resident fashion designer.

• Tea with Discord - Discord is in Fluttershy's house and, much to her dismay, is selling the guests tea instead of just sharing. Designed as a significantly quieter and calmer place than the rest of the land.

• There will be room for other shopping and dining experiences, of course, with market stands as well as sitdown areas and shops similar to those seen in the heart of Ponyville in Friendship is Magic.

Final Thoughts

Will this happen? No. Is it fun to dream? Yes. Could a My Little Pony themed area be truly compelling? Maybe, but everything would have to be done with the true love and care that was put into creating the world of the source material. Have I written for 30 minutes longer than I planned? Absolutely.

Submitted March 14, 2019 at 09:24PM by nyargleblargle
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