Attraction Profile
parkworld-online.com
shows daily from 10am until 8.30pm. Yes, that’s over 31,000 potential audience members per day. With 1.2 million guests at Ocean Kingdom this August alone, the 5D Castle Theatre is both a massive attendance driver and people eater. “In fact,” says Koko Ma from Chimelong’s international department, “it is the star attraction in our park. You really have to see it!” Content is projected onto the 180º curved screen in 10k
ultra high definition at 60 frames per second using 12 Christie projectors, each with custom made lenses and deflection mirrors to help them fill the massive canvas. Audiences enjoy the action on screen while sat in next
generation motion seats by Kraftwerk Living Technologies, which move up, down, forward and back, as well as swinging and rolling from side to side. In-seat effects include pokers, leg ticklers, water jets, air vents and stereo speakers. A seat occupancy sensor means that the effects are activated only when someone is sitting there. The auditorium also includes in-theatre effects such as fog, rain, smoke and scenic lighting.
Technical challenge “This theatre is not comparable with any existing visitor attraction in the world,” Kraftwerk CEO Manfred Meier told Funworld magazine earlier this year. “The size of the room, the size of the screen, the predetermined number of visitors per show – all these factors have been a real challenge for the technical design of the attraction. The goal was to guarantee every single visitor could experience the same stunning adventure no matter where they are placed within the auditorium.” Produced specially for the theatre is the 13-minute film
Kaka’s Great Adventure, featuring Chimelong’s white tiger mascot. Deisgned to exploit the park’s own intellectual property, it wad brought to life by Prana Studios, a respected animation house with production facilities in Los Angeles and Mumbai, whose credits include Disney’s It’s Tough To be a Bug and work on the Academy Award- winning Life of Pi. The storyline involves Kaka on a mission to defend the ocean and polar kingdoms after they’re invaded by a magma monster. TV star Li Rui provides the voiceover. Combined with a pre-show, the 5D Castle Theater
provides an 18-minute long experience for Ocean Kingdom guests. A highlight is the finale sequence when an animatronic Kaka flies over the heads of audience members on a giant bird. This surprise features comes courtesy of Advanced Animations.
The 5D Theater at night, with the new Penguin Hotel in the background
http://zh.chimelong.com
Penguins On Parade
Overlooking the 5D Castle Theater, and also new for 2015, is Ocean Kingdom’s new Penguin Hotel. This, Chimelong’s second resort hotel in Zhuhai, is a more family-focused property than the original Chimelong Hengqin Bay Hotel and young guests dining in its Emperor Penguin Restaurant are in for a treat in the shape of a special animatronic show that entertains them while they eat. Penguins On Parade was commissioned from Sally Corporation
following the success of its White Tiger Mountain show, enjoyed by hotel guests at Chimelong’s headquarters in Guangzhou. Comprising two 8.5 minute light-hearted musical revues performed by 16 life-size animatronic penguins, this latest Sally production takes place on a stage full of sparkling, glistening ice nestled in the corner of the restaurant at the Penguin Hotel. Additional theming was provided by Bruce Robinson and associates. The mechanical cast includes MC Peng the emperor penguin and master of ceremonies; Miss Isabelle,
The pre-show
a silver-voiced ingénue from New Zealand; Madame Wobbles the diva gentoo penguin and her partner Sir Auk, a pompous macaroni penguin; plus Little Blue, a cute, young, energetic and ambitious little blue penguin from Australia. Together they sing and dance to original songs such as It's Perfect To Be A Penguin and the catchy audience participation number The Penguin Shuffle. In addition to the main two shows there are also five fabulous mini-shows, each no longer than 1.5 minutes, which are performed daily. When no shows are running, diners may place their hand in a handprint on the ice stage and start a special encore performance of The Penguin Shuffle. See the show for yourself in a special making-of video from Sally Corp at
youtu.be/AkMZXx2vu
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015 35
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