Attraction Profile
parkworld-online.com
A behind-the-scenes view of the ride system
introduced in 2011. As well as Simworx from the UK, contractors included Rocas & Design from Spain, responsible for most of the theming, UK Loco, which produced the elevator simulation and Yessian of the USA, which created all the music and sound. AV was split between Simworx and Nightlife from the Netherlands. The CGI media was produced by Tau Films from Kuala Lumpur for Riva Digital (Dubai) and Super 78 of California, whose president Brent Young acted as the project’s ceative director.
Turn-key or not turn-key? That is
the question! Creating The Lost Temple required a varied set of skills from manyl different suppliers. Movie Park chose to assemble the team of vendors itself, rather than relying on a single company to deliver the project on a ‘turn-key’ basis.
“In my opinion, turn-key is a difficult concept because at the end of the day there is only one person in control of the project and that is the park itself,” notes Dekkers. “Here there you have so many interfaces, between the ride system, between the motion bases, between the projectors, the pre-shows areas, and so on. With respect to Simworx, who were also able to help us with the film, one company cannot do it all. You always need to use the relevant professionals in each area and Wiebe Damstra, our project manager, brought them all together perfectly.”
Bringing the dinosaurs to life “Movie Park had already approached Riva Digital with the idea of creating a fun and thrilling ‘dinosaur encounter’ and committed to the Simworx Immersive Tunnel as the ride system for the main show,” recounts Young. “Our our primary tasks were to create a story, physical experience and media experience that would work best with the park’s wishes. We initially pitched two concepts. One leaned more towards a fantasy that would appeal to a younger audience and the second was more thrill-oriented, for a slightly older, more teenage demographic. Ultimately, we found a ‘sweet spot’ that isn't too aggressive, but is engrossing enough for teens and adults. The experience is Indiana Jones meets Jurassic Park.” “The Immerisve Tunnel is a new and technically demanding format,” continues Young. “The two-car ride vehicle is so long that we had to create plenty of creature encounters so that no matter where a passenger is sitting, there is action taking place. To create the 3D imagery in the proper scale and perspective, we used Super 78's Mushroom, a virtual reality pre-visualisation tool for the Oculus Rift. The technology allowed us to troubleshoot every aspect of the show before any construction began and saved us a huge amount of time and money.” Rocas & Design, menanhwile, had just three months to complete its theming work. The results are impressive, including an animatronic roof located in the pre-show area, many themed items in the waiting rooms, plus archaeologically-authentic, rust, dirt, neglect and destruction. Based in Alicante, the company has worked on several previous projects for Movie Park owner Parques Reunidos, including the new Nickelodeon Land at Parque de Atracciones in Madrid. “I prefer to talk about partners rather than suppliers, because we all came together as a team,” notes Dekkers. “It was extremely enjoyable, energetic, tiring at times, but I can only applaud all parties involved that they kept up with our demands to build to this quality. All of the companies wanted to be on this project, and I think they will be happy to attach their name to it. I am certainly proud of what we have achieved.”
Hollywood comes to Germany The inspiration for the Immersive Tunnel was arguably King Kong 360: 3-D, a tramcar simulator featured at the end of Universal Studios Hollywood’s studio tour. It too features a dinosaur encounter, brought to life with the aid of a motion base and large screen media. Inevitably, Movie Park has done it for less (the Lost Temple budget was approximately €5 million/$6.5m),
54
but nevertheless the finished product was enough to convince the German magazine Euro Amusement Professional to declare “Movie Park tops Hollywood!” “The Lost Temple is an incredibly exciting, incredibly immersive ride – with original IP – that was created on a budget that every regional park can afford,” notes Young. “It’s a perfect example that you don't need $100+ million dollars to build something unique and first-rate. Guests will enjoy this ride every bit as much as anything they will find at a destination park.” Dekkers adds that it he is particularly pleased with the results given the project’s remarkably short development time – less than 12 months from idea to opening. “I wanted to wait until I had seen Thor at Tusenfryd before making a decision,” explains the Movie Park boss. “That opened in June last year, and then we got the budget approval from Parques Reunidos on 8 August. We opened The Lost Temple at the end of July. We do not have the six year lead times that maybe some other parks do, however we have learned as a park and as a group that for such a highly complex project, the lead time needs to be longer.”
“I have to say I was extremely happy with budget allocation on this and the last few attractions at Movie Park,” continues Dekkers. “Maybe the only other thing I would have spent money on if we had it was putting in some dropping ceilings in the pre-show area, but it all came down to time. We have done a lot; we’ve got the elevator, some animatronics, a great soundtrack, lighting and effects. How many parks do you know where you have big balls of fire in the waiting area? Could we do it again for five million? Perhaps not.” For many parks the appeal of media-based attractions, or at least one of the benefits claimed by those trying to sell them, is that the film content can be changed “at the flick of switch”. Due to the extensive theming on The Lost Temple that is not quite the case, however the park does not rule out adapting the experience for special events such as Halloween by adding a cliff-hanger. “For now there are so many things to see to see I would say you could easily go for five or 10 years with the same film,” believes Dekkers. Does he expect to see similar attractions rolled out at other parks? “I know that besides Simworx there are at least two other companies now offering ride systems like this, so I think it will become a product category, like you get with an inverted coaster or an interactive water ride, etc. But ours was the first Immersive Tunnel! I can’t imagine too many more within our region, but I can definitely see other parks, either inside or outside our group, launching a tunnel in the future.” “We're very hopeful that this format takes off,” concludes Brent Young, “and that people have the same vision Wouter had: a highly themed experience from beginning to end that takes guests on a one-of- a-kind adventure. We would love for every park to have a ride like this, a signature attraction that is theirs and theirs alone. And they can; that's the beauty of it.”
moviepark.de SEPTEMBER 2014
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80