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“Water is very important to the Little Prince story,” explains Giacomoni. “The park has been designed with a lot of ponds with local fish and some water cascades. We will also have a big area with powerful water sprays because Alsace can be very hot in summer, so it will be nice for kids to cool off.” Located in Ungersheim, about 20km from the French cities of Mulhouse and Colmar (and 40km from Baslé-Mulhouse international airport), the park enjoys an attractive location within reach of the Alps, the Black Forest, the Rhine river and the Vosges mountains. Originally opened in 2006, with a mission to explore man’s relationship with nature, the 23-hectare venue’s circular layout is inspired by the crater created when a famous meteorite hit the area in 1492. It closed as Bioscope in September 2012 after years of lacklustre performance under public ownership. An investment of €50 million is being committed to the Parc du Petit


Prince project, including a €10 million contribution from Aerophile. Other backers include Isatis Capital and Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations. Once the transformation is complete, the park will boast a total of 30 attractions.


parcdupetitprince.com Melbourne’s Star


shines again More than four years after its closure, the former Southern Star observation wheel has reopened in the Australian city of Melbourne.


The ride debuted in 2008 but was shut down after just 40 days in early 2009 after problems were discovered with its design. Repairs to the 120m-tall construction have been carried out by the Japanese Sanoyas Hishino Meisho Corporation under its original warranty.


Set to be relaunched last month as the Melbourne Star, the owners of the ride have partnered with Magic Memories to ensure guests can leave with a special photographic souvenir of their experience. Passengers have the option to purchase a personalised photo book containing three photographs, together with access to online images. Upon opening, riders on the Melbourne Star will enjoy uninterrupted 360º views for up to 40 kilometres, encompassing the Docklands precinct, Melbourne’s central business district, Port Phillip Bay and as far as Mount Macedon, Arthur’s Seat and the Dandenong Ranges. The only giant observation wheel in the Southern Hemisphere, the attraction is owned by Sanoyas Rides Australia Pty Ltd and is managed by the Melbourne Star Management Group.


Mondial puts Wind into Adventureland


Another US amusement park has signed up for a Wind Seeker from Mondial. Adventureland in Iowa will open a ride of “slightly less than 80- metres” this coming season – making it easily the tallest attraction in the park. The 32-seater ride will accommodate up to 7,000 passengers per day, versus the roughly 10,000 a day capacity at each of the four Cedar Fair-owned parks that already operate a Wind Seeker in the States.


JANUARY 2014


Kernels


Singapore is the next global city in line for a Madame Tussauds celebrity wax attraction. Merlin Entertainments has partnered with the Sentosa Development Corporation to manage both Sentosa island's existing Images of Singapore (IOS) exhibition and open Madame Tussauds Singapore at Sentosa’s Imbiah Lookout ilater this year. Joint tickets will be available for the two attractions. At Sentosa, Madame Tussauds will compete against several other short stay attractions including a 4D cinema, Ripley’s Believe It Or Not and soon KidZania. Merlin already Tussauds outlets in the Asian cities of Hong Kong, Shanghai, Wuhan, Tokyo and Bangkok and Wuhan.


With the launch of the Magische Vallei, 2013 was a big year for Toverland in The Netherlands. The investment has paid off handsomely for the Dutch park, which was excepted to finish the season with a record 620,000+ visitors – 20% up on 2012. The Magic he Vallei is anchored by a Mack Spinning Coaster, Hafema Raft Ride and also features a Metallbau Emmeln duck ride, Heege tower, dancing fountains, a restaurant, various play equipment – and some great theming.


SimEx-Iwerks has installed a new 4D theatre at Madame Tussauds in Las Vegas. Located in the city’s famed Venetian Hotel, the 70-seat theatre forms part of the Marvel Super Heroes 4D experience, which also includes a pre-show area previously seen at Madame Tussauds London and New York. The Marvel 3D film shown in the theatre was produced by Threshold Animation of California.


The Dutch park Slagharen, operated by Parques Reunidos, is to add a new indoor area in 2015. Park director Angelique Klar reports that the expansion will help offset the effect on attendance caused by unfavourable weather. In recent years Slagharen has also faced new competition from Plopsa Indoor Coevorden, an undercover park operated just 20km away by Studio 100.


At IAAPA, Rides 4-U secured sales of two S&S Frog Hoppers, to Fantasy Amusements in Chicago and Stewart Amusements in Danbury, Connecticut, an eight-lane State Fair Slide for the National Football League, to be used during Super Bowl week in Times Square, New York, plus a KMG Experience and Freak Out (see page 21 ). LED lighting by Phillips is being added to a Moser Drop Tower at Wonderland Park in Amarillo, Texas as a result of a deal brokered by Rides 4-U. Len Soled’s company also secured several sales of SBF/Visa products (see page 18).


The Indian manufacturer Bombay Amusement Rides (BARPL) is hoping for more overseas sales after gaining ISO 9001 and American Welding Society certification. The firm’s range of attractions, which start at less than $100,000, include the Bombay Drop tower, Bombay Disc (Frisbee-style ride), Sky Swinger (Star Flyer), plus land trains, bumper cars, cable cars and rollercoasters. Its best seller is the Sky Kopter ride.


Swiss rides and Tschu-Tschu trains have appointed former Severn-Lamb representative Shaun O‘Brien as their new UK and Scandinavia representative, working alongside Bob Howard and Gez Rance. Between them the trio boast over 40 years’ leisure industry experience.


After an eight-year relationship between the two companies, SimEx- Iwerks has finalised a licensing agreement with Warner Bros Consumer Products, providing it exclusive access to a large portfolio of brands as 3D/4D movies, including The Wizard of Oz, Yogi Bear and modern DC Comics super hero adventures like Green Lantern 4-D.


The 31st Foundations Entertainment University (FEU) will be held from 25 to 27 February in Phoenix, Arizona. For a decade, FEU has combined hands-on learning with real world knowledge for location based entertainment professionals. The event in Phoenix will include visits to the Flipside and UltraStar FECs. Another FEU class is planned in Dubai on 7 and 8 April, kickstarting the DEAL trade show. foundationsuniversity.com


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