Ride Profile
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town but we developed it into a New York setting since that area in the park already has a US movie style,” recalls Philipp Van Stratum of P&P Projects in the Netherlands, which helped develop the ride’s storyline. “We have done work before at
Movie Park making props for the back lot tour, but for this project we had a timeframe of just two weeks to produce over 20 visuals, floor plans and three film storyboards for what is half dark ride, half rollercoaster.” TAA Industries, based in Bavaria, then themed the interior and exterior of the ride, integrating several large props and animatronics. Working to its own designs, it also transformed the park’s former Music Club into Van Helsing’s Club, which doubles as a gothic-themed restaurant and dinner show venue.
“Heavy machines like a
Romanian lathe integrated perfectly with the factory setting,” notes TAA’s Christian Angenvoort. “For the scrap yard, we personally selected original, 1950s American cars in Texas. The giant crane at the entrance of this scene is a 1958 Menck found in Rotterdam.”
Future Plans
I think this coaster will give us exposure into 2012, so the next step could be adding more street entertainment. We need a signature ride, so I think that will be the next big addition, coming in two or three years. The stunt show also needs to be
The Gremlins have left the building!
upgraded, and we have the Shrek licence coming up for renewal after 2012, so we are deciding
if we continue with that. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Mystery River [raft ride] gets upgraded in the next few years too. If you take down all the theming, it is one of the nicest water rides out there with the layout, the speed; but the package around it has not been built for durability. I see a lot of possibilities, but it is a lot of money to spend for an existing ride. Put is this way though; I won’t be bored in the coming years!
The message from Parques Reunidos is, “We pay you to manage what’s going on down here, just keep us informed.” When it comes to negotiations with suppliers, sure they will want to take over and there will be some combined purchasing, that makes sense. But I guess unlike some groups, not all the decisions are centralised.
The biggest change for all of us that we have to report again, which is good, because if Spain asks us for a report, we can use that as well in the park. They [Parques Reunidos] share information between all parks on a most detailed level. With Six Flags, the old Six Flags, there was a great database, but there was a lot of secrecy and they didn’t share all the information. Palamon was not so much interested in the day-to-day business; it was more about the exit plan.
The first question when we were bought by
An original concept visual by P&P Projects
Parques Reunidos was, “Will Warner Bros come back to the park?” because we are part of the same group again as Parque Warner Madrid. The Looney Tunes characters are a little stronger in Spain because they are on TV all the time, so I think we will carry on as Movie Park Germany. We ended last year with nearly 1.2 million visitors. I’ve been very conservative in my projections this year because we opened the ride only in the middle of the season, but my expectations are that we should have 10% more attendance due to Van Helsing. We will have to see what happens with consumer confidence in Germany and the Netherlands, our secondary market, but so far we have exceeded our early season expectations. Whether that’s due to the coaster, the weather or our promotional activities, I have no accurate way to tell!
www.moviepark.de Wouter Dekkers was talking to Owen Ralph
30 Van Helsing’s dinner show Infrared Ride
Like any major new park attraction, Van Helsing’s Factory is equipped with image capture technology, allowing guests to buy both photo and DVD souvenirs of their ride. However, the system developed by Socrates together with Movie Park’s on-site photo/video specialist Tim Derichs (“Foto Tim”), offers a unique twist.
Overcoming the obstacle of how to capture moving pictures in the dark, the park is offering infrared ride footage reminiscent of the Blair Witch Project – perfectly in keeping with the spirit of Van Helsing. Furthermore, an enhanced DVD product is available overlaying computer- generated images, including effects not seen in the ride such as skeleton riders. Each DVD retails for €14.99. Another new revenue generator this season at is the addition of “TIM” – a time/queue management service supplied by Lo-Q using handheld Q-Bot devices.
Themed queue line
Movie Park general manager Wouter Dekkers takes a ride with project manager Wiebe Damstra (right)
JULY 2011
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