Cornell Theme Park Design Competition

In Spring 2018, more than 50 teams from around the world competed in the Cornell Theme Park Design Competition. Our goal was to create an immersive water ride utilizing state of the art technologies given specific spatial, budgetary, and time constraints. The prompt and results can be found on the official competition website here. Our attraction, Cryptid Creek, was awarded first place of all submitted ride designs.

Our attraction, Cryptid Creek, takes place in the Amazon Rainforest. As guests travel down a winding road, they find an empty camp. Upon closer inspection, the camp is found to be an operational base for CARE - the Cryptid Analysis for Research and Exploration. Computers and open notebooks reveal to guests that a nearby river has shown signs of cryptids, or creatures of mythological origin. While guests are wandering through this camp, a CARE team returns and offers the opportunity to track these cryptids in hopes of documenting their behavioral traits. Travelers are warned about FARA - the Fictional Animal Retrieval Agency, and their desire to capture these creatures for personal gain. Guests then board a 12 seat raft for an unforgettable journey down the Amazon River.

The ride vehicles for this attraction contain state of the art electronics allowing for immersion previously unattainable in water rides. Above is a depiction of our idea for rafts with transparent floors. This floor is actually a transparent screen depicting underwater events during the ride. Guests now have the unique opportunity to observe cryptids both above and below the river.

Another unique element of this attraction is its use of linear synchronous motors along sections of the ride track. This system will control both raft speed and rotation, providing the ability to slow rafts for show scenes and jostle rafts during interactions with underwater cryptids, increasing guest immersion. The above image depicts a raft model made for the competition which showcases the various features of our ride vehicle.

Concept art by Christopher Berry of main scenic reveal. You can find the full presentation created by team 23 here. Our Cyrptid Creek ridethrough video can also be found here.