Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1480624
G Jupiter's Claim Jupiter's Claim was a dream to design and create. The Art Department leaned into the depth and richness of Jupe's backstory to develop the park. As a child, Jupe starred in a film franchise called Kid Sheriff and now wanted to capitalize on his lingering fame. Essentially ripping off the franchise, he sets out to create his own western- themed frontier town, ensuring that it's off- brand enough so as not to run into any copyright infringements. My initial research was based on real western and ghost towns throughout California, Nevada, Idaho and Montana, where I studied the layouts and style and uses of buildings. I also looked closely at film and TV sets, including Heaven's Gate, Once Upon a Time in the West and Bonanza, as well as present-day operating western-style theme parks across the US. A field trip to California's Knott's Berry Farm during prep, in particular, provided wonderful insight. Though much larger than what the film built, the park gave us the framework we needed. The fact that the Jupiter's Claim location and the Haywood Ranch location were adjoining allowed Jordan and Hoyte to explore connectivity between locales, particularly for the penultimate action sequence in which Em rides a motorcycle from the ranch to the Jupiter's Claim Winkin' Well in one shot. Ironically, this ranch also had a famous owner once upon a time: Howard Hughes. He had a dirt runway on his property, and he and William Mulholland would take day trip flights to and from Los Angeles. Hughes' main home burned down quite a while ago, leaving only a couple 100-year-old olive groves he planted to remain. One large row of the olive trees was incorporated into the layout of our park, but beyond that, the site was just a massive dirt parking lot. The Art Department started big with the design. Jim Hewitt, Assistant Art Director Jake Cavallo and I staked out our initial dream layout for the town, and I brought Jordan and Hoyte out to walk it. The town felt good, and we thought if anything, it could go bigger. RELEASED 6.24.21 E. JUPITER'S CLAIM. SITE PLAN. DRAWN BY JIM HEWITT. F. JUPITER'S CLAIM THEME PARK MAP. DESIGNED BY LEAD GRAPHIC DESIGNER HILARY AMENT. G. JUPITER'S CLAIM SALOON. GRAPHIC ELEVATION ORIGINAL GRAPHICS HANDRAWN BY LEAD GRAPHIC DESIGNER HILARY AMENT. E F