Park News
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Harry goes to Hollywood Potter planned for Universal Studios
Universal Parks and Resorts has reached agreement with Warner Bros Entertainment to bring The Wizarding World of Harry Potter to its Universal Studios Hollywood theme park in California. The deal of course follows the success of the themed entertainment environment that debuted at Universal’s Islands of Adventure Park in Orlando in 2010 and has been responsible for attendance increases of over 30%. Hollywood’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter will be a fully immersive environment faithful to the visual landscape of the films, including a majestic Hogwart’s Castle as its centrepiece. “I am delighted that The Wizarding World of Harry Potter has been so popular with fans since the
DreamWorks comes to Dreamworld
Australia’s Dreamworld is to partner with DreamWorks Animation, bringing new rides, attractions and live entertainment to the Gold Coast theme park.
The alliance will be evident this Christmas holiday season with the arrival of the DreamWorks Holiday
Shrektacular Show. Phase two will open for the 2012 Easter holidays with the new 8,400 sq m DreamWorks Experience, where guests will be invited to
step directly into the a
themed new land at the centre of the park featuring all-new attractions, food, merchandise and meet-and-greet opportunities with costumed DreamWorks characters.
The third phase, which is currently in development, will include a Kung Fu garden where families can meet Po from Kung Fu Panda and enjoy lunch or refreshments. “The DreamWorks Animation brand is a household name, and we have no doubt that featuring the characters and worlds from their movies will be a great draw for our park,” notes Dreamworld CEO Todd Coates.
www.dreamworld.com.au 18
opening in Orlando last year" reports author JK Rowling, "and I am sure that the teams at Universal and Warner Bros will bring their expertise and attention to detail to Hollywood to make this new experience equally as exciting.” “This is an incredible moment for Universal Studios and the millions of guests who visit our theme parks,” adds Universal Studios president and chief operating officer, Ron Meyer. “The Harry Potter stories are some of the most powerful of our time and we are honoured to expand our Orlando experience and bring The Wizarding World of Harry Potter to Hollywood, forever changing family tourism in Los Angeles.”
According to the Los Angeles Times, the new
Ice Age 4D for Alton Towers & Gardaland
Merlin Entertainments is to introduce an Ice Age 4D films at two of its parks in 2012. Ice Age Dawn of the Dinosaurs – The 4-D Experience is produced by Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products and SimEx-Iwerks and will open in March at Alton Towers in England and Gardaland in Italy. Ice Age-themed merchandise and costume characters will also feature in the respective parks, while Alton Towers Resort will feature two interactive Ice Age-themed bedrooms inside its Splash Landings Hotel.
According to Merlin, these two projects will set the groundwork for a long-term location based entertainment rollout for Ice Age, one of Fox Consumer Products’ most successful family franchises.
Manta coaster train revealed
Here’s a glimpse of what the trains will look like on SeaWorld San Diego’s new Manta coaster, slated to open this spring. The 2,835ft-long attraction by Mack Rides will be restricted to the 30ft above ground level thanks to the strict height limit that governs most of the San Diego coast, however the park will excavate 24ft in order to create a 54ft drop, as well as a water feature.
Hogwart’s Castle in Orlando
attraction is expected to cost, “several hundred million dollars, create more than 1,000 jobs and open in 2016 at the earliest.” Details of expansion to the original Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando will be announced over time.
Unlimited Snow turns to Ice Age
Unlimited Snow has signed a deal with 20th Century Fox to develop Ice Age branded snow parks and
attractions. The first is likely to be in Brazil, opening in 2013.
Unlimited Snow, which is an expert in the production of artificial snow, will partner with various theming and animatronic
companies and attractions suppliers to bring the parks to life. The Dutch company has been marketing the snow park concept for over a decade but now owner Kees Albers believes many more will be attracted due to the strength of the Ice Age franchise, which has generated more than $1 billion in retail sales. Ice Age 4: Continental Drift will be released in July 2012.
www.unlimitedsnow.com
The relatively low height will result in some high speed turns and exciting direction changes. Besides the initial launch, riders will experience a second launch midway through the ride.
DECEMBER 2011/JANUARY 2012
Image courtesy Unlimited Snow
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