Dark Rides
www.parkworld-online.com
Dark rides coming soon...
Several major new dark rides have yet to open in 2010. At Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, which opens on October 28, visitors will be able to enjoy two attractions by Mack Rides, with theming and effects by P&P Productions. Also planned is a boat ride that takes passengers through the heart of a Ferrari 599 engine.
At Universal Studios Singapore, Madagascar: A Crate Adventure is the eagerly awaited anchor attraction of the park’s Madagascar zone. Scheduled to open around the end of the year, the ride will take passengers on a riverboat adventure with Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria, the stars of Dreamworks’ animated Madagascar movies.
The ride is stuffed full of state-of-
the-art animatronics together with digital projection, evocative sound and moving show action to provide an immersive, one-of-a-kind ride experience.
The line between what does and does not make a dark ride has become increasingly blurred in recent years as park owners develop attractions with strong storylines and themed sections. One such ride is the new Night Flight Mission, opening soon at Changzhou Dinosaur Park in China. Based around a family coaster from Zamperla, the undercover ride also features a storyline and theming by Heimo Attraction & Park Design. The breathtaking 365-metre long ride challenges park guests to take part in an after dark mission to fight the enemies of the empire. As riders race around the coaster track, they fly through the mouth of a T-Rex, and see several other animated dinosaur figures
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BOO BLASTERS Having chosen not to renew its Scooby-Doo licence with Warner Bros, the American park chain Cedar Fair has rebranded the dark rides at four of its properties. Sally Corporation, which created the original Ghost Blasters attractions, has re-themed them into Boo Blasters on Boo Hill. Located in the children’s areas of Canada’s
Wonderland (Ontario), Carowinds (North Carolina), Kings Island (Ohio) and Kings Dominion (Virginia), each ride features a new storyline, characters, music, audio and special effects; even the cars have a new look. “We discussed other uses for the facilities, but in the end we knew that a Sally dark ride experience would continue to be a good fit,” declares Cedar Fair corporate vice-president for planning and design, Rob Decker. “Sally brought us new technologies to the project that we had considered too costly in the past.”
Created as a family ride, Boo Blasters pits guests against
EISBERG Visitors to the Prater in Vienna can follow in the footsteps of Norwegian polar scientist Roald Amundsen by stepping on board the new dark ride Eisberg. The ride is operated at the city centre amusement park in the Austrian capital by Prater concessionaires Sittler- Koidl.
Riders are sent on an interactive Antarctic adventure through glaciers and the deep sea. Rather than guns, the cars are equipped with “cameras” which passengers must use to document one of Earth's last untouched lands. Clicking the shutter triggers a series of special effects including crumbling icebergs and
moving animals including penguins, arctic wolves and whales.
The tour then takes an unexpected turn: The boats are sent deep into the ocean and into an underwater volcano, encountering smoke and heat effects. Here passengers encounter such creatures as exotic fish, giant squids, hungry eels and anglerfish. The concept and theming for the 4,000 square
metre-ride was developed in Germany by Clostermann Design and features 130-metres of track with “trackless” four-seater ride vehicles by ETF in the Netherlands.
www.clostermann-design.de
the mighty king of ghosts, Boocifer, as they try to retain their hold on a stockpile of “Scare Tonic” and zap the ghosts away. The blacklight-based attraction features 16-scenes. “Boo Blasters is a simple concept, and simple is often good,” says Decker. “Guests understand the interactive dark ride concept. It’s a laugh in the dark as much as it is a fun gaming experience.”
The concept for Boo Blasters is based loosely on
Sally’s Ghost Blasters II at Elitch Gardens, Denver. Significant changes, however, include colour enhancement to create a 3D effect. Also included inside the ride is fog screen projection by FogScreen from Finland, and an intense black light to white light finale, signalling the demise of Boocifer. “We were proud of the Scooby-Doo rides,” says Sally
Corp’s John Wood. “They had a good run and were very popular. However, Cedar Fair’s decision to make a change has brought a fresh new look and feel to the rides.”
Night Flight Mission at Changzhou Dinosaur Park
www.sallycorp.com 36 AUGUST 2010
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