Okay, so far, we’ve dreamt up of ideas, researched and developed them, created concept art and models, and done some heavy construction. But what happens once all of that is finished? That is what we will be exploring in today’s segment – the final one of this series.

Once an attraction has been completely constructed, and the ride system and show scenes have been installed, it enters the test and adjust phase. Depending on the type of ride system, and the technologies involved in the designs, this can be a fairly simple or very complex process.

It is during this stage that all of the computers that operate a given ride system are debugged, tweaked, and run through their paces over and over and over again to expose any glitches in the system. Elements such as special effects and animatronics are also run through their paces as issues such as functionality and timing are also tweaked and tested.

To illustrate, let’s take the example of the GM Test Track at Epcot. Originally projected to open sometime in 1997, the attraction, in fact, did not open until 1999 – nearly 2 years behind schedule. Why? Test and adjust, folks. Test and adjust. The computer technologies integrated into this ride system were so state of the art that there were many problems with the attraction operating smoothly. There are rumors of empty cars flying off the tracks (although, I don’t know how true those are…) which caused the delay, but primarily the delay was due to technologies so new that when problems arose, it took quite some time to find solutions that would still deliver the experience that WDI wanted while at the same time providing the maximum amount of safety for the guests.

Another example would be the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at the Disney-MGM Studios. This high-speed, faster-than-gravity drop attraction actually pulls the elevator cars down rather than use a free-fall. When the system was first being tested, the cars were pulled down so fast that it created a powerful force of compressed air beneath the falling elevators that actually blew out the walls of the elevator shaft. Obviously, a solution was found to this problem, but its all part of the testing and adjusting.

Once an attraction has cycled through so many times successfully, it must be inspected by the appropriate state ride inspectors. Since there are no federal regulations regarding ride inspections, these can differ from state to state. Regardless, no one may ride an attraction until it has been cleared by the inspection agency.

Once the ride has been cleared by the inspectors, the designers will begin riding the ride over and over, looking for anything that is out of place, or needs adjusting. This could be something as major as the timing of an animatronic figure’s movements, or as small as lighting levels or specific sound effects in a particular scene. All of these things must be painstakingly adjusted by riding through the attraction repeatedly.

After these adjustments have been made, the attraction is ready for a soft opening. This will usually begin with other Imagineers who were not working on the project riding to give their opinions. Then park management and front line Cast Members are given an opportunity to ride. Finally, the attraction will be opened on a limited basis to the general public to gauge their reaction.

All of the information gathered from these soft openings is then compiled and sorted through to see what people think of the experience delivered by the attraction. If changes are deemed necessary, the designers will then close down the attraction and make the needed adjustments. The process may then continue again while they gauge reaction to the changes and/or new effects.

Prior to the soft openings, the Cast Members who will be working at the new attraction are trained in the safe and efficient operation of the ride system. The soft openings serve as rehearsals for the Cast Members as they learn the ins and outs of the control system, crowd flow, and much more.

Once all of the necessary adjustments have been made, and all of the Cast Members who will be operating the attraction have been completely trained, the attraction is turned over to the park management for the grand opening. And any Disney fan knows that the opening of a brand new attraction is usually promoted as a huge event, featuring celebrities, pyrotechnics, and that special brand of Disney showmanship.

That, my friends, is how you create a new attraction. I hope you found this series entertaining, and until next week, I’ll see ya real soon!