Dark Rides
www.parkworld-online.com
Enduring appeal
Pirates of the Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion, It’s A Small World… these landmark dark rides have been a major part of the mix at Disney parks since their inception, some even going on to spawn their own films. But it has arguably only been in the last 10 to 15 years that dark rides of this scale, particularly interactive dark rides, have become affordable to parks with budgets smaller than Disney and Universal. However many park owners agree: a dark ride is a good investment with wide appeal and repeatability.
John Jakobsen, managing director of Legoland parks at Merlin Entertainments, knows this only too well: “We implemented our first Legoland dark ride in California in 2008. Lost Kingdom Adventure was the anchor attraction in our new adventure area and has proven to be a very marketable experience. We achieved more uplift in our visitation than expected. We have consequently opened dark rides at two more of our parks with similar positive impacts.” Two more Lost Kingdom Adventure rides are now under construction by Sally Corporation for Legoland’s new parks in Florida and Malaysia (see page 11). In Sweden, Astrid Lindgrens Varld reported an 18% increase in attendance during the first season when it opened Vi På Saltkråkan, also by Sally. Although Cedar Fair decided not to renew the
Scooby-Doo licence when it purchased Paramount Parks, the group was keen that the Sally interactive dark rides it had inherited would stay. These in turn were re-themed as Boo-Blasters on Boo Hill. “We discussed other uses for the facilities,” says Rob Decker, corporate vice-president for planning and design at Cedar Fair, “but dark rides have proven successful for our parks; they give a positive, value-added experience. Sally brought new technologies that we had considered too costly in the past, and effectively delivered a wow factor.” At the Mall of America in Minnesota, a ride called Ghost Blasters has been in operation for 12 years. It continues to be so popular that management decided to keep it rather than retheme it when the rest of the park underwent a Nickelodeon transformation in 2008. Meanwhile, 10 seasons after installation, New England amusement park Lake Compounce decided to replace the cars on its Ghost Hunt ride in order to double capacity, “because it was the first queue to fill up and the last to close,” according to general manager Jerry Brick.
Scream In The Dark Royal Garden Plaza
interactive world of crazy clowns, ghastly grave robbers, terrorizing trolls, mystical mirrors and much more.
A
This new dark ride by Sally Corporation is scheduled for installation during October at Royal Garden Plaza, Pattaya, Thailand, close to several Ripley’s attractions. A somewhat evil Crazy Clown will serve as the ride’s greeter, welcoming and taunting visitors in both Thai and English.
nostalgic nod to the classic Laff in the Dark attractions, Scream in the Dark promises to take riders into an
Designed with an emphasis on animatronics and special effects, Scream in the Dark will come
complete with a scary
soundtrack, a ride-through FogScreen projection and a unique interactive element: the Scream-O-Meter, where the louder guests scream, they more they score! “Some themes never lose their appeal,” notes Sally CEO John Wood. “Just look at the continuing success of Halloween haunted houses and special events. This ride is great for both adults and youngsters. How many kids and teenagers do you know who don’t love to play video games, or scream as loud as they can without anyone telling them to stop?”
www.royalgardenplaza.co.th
Huntik Secrets And Seekers Rainbow MagicLand
O
ne of two dark rides at the new Rainbow MagicLand theme park near Rome, this 3D-based attraction brings to life the tales of Huntik, a globetrotting titan and star of his own animated adventures on Italian TV.
This hybrid attraction features both live targets and projected media. Although riders are encouraged to shoot at the enemy, they loose points if they hit the good guys by mistake! Produced in association with 3DBA, the ride’s storyline and theming were created by Art Project in close collaboration with Rainbow SpA, while the interactivity and projection was handled by the versatile Belgian supplier
Alterface. The ride system was supplied by the Chinese manufacturer Hytechnology. “The ride features 3D back projection on very large screens,” explains Alterface’s Olivier Vincent. “Content was provided by Rainbow studio and we did the integration, creation of the guns and game programming. We also delivered a nearly full scale test set up for them to check the images and the game in their own offices in Rome during the production process.” Guests at Rainbow MagicLand, which opened in May, can also enjoy the dark ride Believix, featuring a fairy-filled storyline and suspended ride vehicles by Gosetto.
Lost Kingdom Adventure at Legoland California 36
wwww.rainbowmagicland.it AUGUST 2011
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