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Wanna Be an Imagineer? |
Two new software titles from Disney Interactive encourage the vision of aspiring animators and would-be
Imagineers. Disney Magic Artist Cartoon Maker offers the possibilities of a fully stocked art studio,
while Ultimate Ride Disney Coaster breaks theme-park ground for the building of fantasy roller coasters.
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Cartoon Maker (Macintosh/Windows, $19.99), packaged with the popular program Disney's Magic Artist
Deluxe, contains all the tools you need to produce animated shows--from promotional posters to ending
credits. Young artists can cast Disney characters onto 15 panoramic backgrounds, add sound effects and
props, and even combine their shorts with Disney clips featuring classic characters. An intuitive
tutorial and drag-and-drop interface make it easy to get started.
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Engineers of all ages enter their element, and a virtual Disneyland, in Ultimate Ride Disney Coaster
(Windows, $19.99), a 3-D ride simulation. Authentic park lands, such as Toontown and Frontierland, serve
as construction sites for coaster designs. Gamers lay down track in three categories. In Build Mode
players create coasters from scratch. Ride It/Edit It gets you started with prebuilt attractions,
including bona fide rides Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Space Mountain Paris, that you can add to.
And Imagineering Mode's 15 missions challenge budding Imagineers with specific objectives (such as
"maintain enough momentum to swing your car through a corkscrew turn"). In this mode, a panel of
characters, such as Mickey, Goofy, and Pluto, critique your completed projects. Put in too many loops
and Pluto might be seeing stars.
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Each mode has 13 track types for twisting into crazy creations. You also get real-world statistics on
each of your designs, such as gravitational force and altitude. Once you've built your dream coaster,
hop in and "ride" it, seeing the action from either the front car or a bird's-eye view.
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