Park News
Jurassic World on tour
Imagine Exhibitions has teamed up with Universal Partnerships & Licensing to develop a new touring exhibition based around the blockbuster dinosaur movie Jurassic World. Debuting in March 2016 at Melbourne Museum in Australia, Jurassic World: The Exhibition will eventually go on to fulfil several dates in North America. The attraction will allow visitors to get close to
realistic (we are told) life-size animatronic dinosaurs set in highly-themed environments. The dinosaurs are being developed by Creature Technology Company, which produces technologically sophisticated animatronics for arena spectaculars and stage shows, including Walking with Dinosaurs. Paleontologist Jack Horner, who served as an advisor to the Jurassic World film, is also working with the exhibition’s creators on interactive educational elements. “There is no dinosaur brand in the world that comes close to Universal Pictures’ Jurassic World,” notes Tom Zaller, president and CEO of Imagine Exhibitions. “Combining the franchise with Creature Technology’s dinosaurs and our immersive design and interaction will, without doubt, be the closest fans will ever come to seeing a real dinosaur!”
imagineexhibitions.com
The low-tech yet highly immersive new kids’ IP
A
new children’s entertainment concept has been launched, and it’s not for couch potatoes. Launching initially as a series of books and then
a visitor attraction, Timbalaya’s creators (or “guardians”) are looking for potential franchisees. The new intellectual property (IP) is based around the stories of young Harvard graduate Georgina Parfitt, whose tales have been visualised by the British illustrator Louise Prentice. Set within the village of Wishing, a place where dreams are made and wishes come true, there are adventures, good and bad, dark and light, giving endless opportunities for imaginative play. Each Timbalaya park will feature scenes from the
books including Spangle Stargazer's Observatory, the Wishing Tree and Midmost Lake. There will be structures to climb up, through and over, areas of water, forests, towers, castles, mazes and quirky enchanting houses. “Every part of the Timbalaya experience has depth,”
says guardian Nick Farmer. “Play structures appeal to all ages and physical abilities. Challenging riddles, clue trails and appealing characters demand families to join in the adventure play around the water, laugh, and participate in the shows and live happenings. We spotted a niche for adventurous outdoor play; the kind of play couch potatoes don’t do. It’s all about discovery of the outdoors and the natural environment and it bucks a trend for everything on a device – a tablet or smartphone.” You may already know some of the team behind
Timbalaya. Farmer is founder of Farmer Attraction Management and a former TEA (Themed Entertainment Association) president, Simon Egan of CAPCO helped create the award-winning and not dissimilar UK attraction Bewilderwood, while Rosalind Johnson and Sylvia Matiko represent the consulting firm A Different View, which aims to assist potential Timbalaya operators with feasibility studies and other advice. Matiko is also a former vice-president of franchise operations for Ripley Entertainment, and has persuaded the company’s former president Bob Masterson to join as a non-executive director.
“Timbalaya is a great business model,” says Masterson. “The people behind it are experienced global players and understand the numbers. There’s a really good ROI. It is also a cash business; the costs are front loaded with no constant reinvestment of capital like a theme park where items like rollercoasters need maintenance, re-painting etc. “Here there is little deterioration, in fact, the attraction improves with age. Nature takes care of it.” “The types of franchisees we are looking for are trusted
operators of certain size, who maybe would like to operate Timbalaya as a second gate attraction,” says guardian Simon Egan. “If you’ve got a wooded environment nearby you’re halfway there; it’s free landscaping.” So, if you’ve got the land and the trees, a Timbalya could be yours for around $5 million. Built on a turnkey basis, the first outlets could be operational as soon as 2017, and the first books will be published ahead of that regardless. Each operator would be granted exclusivity over a certain radius, perhaps a three hour drive time. After initial talks, the first outlets look likely to be in North America and Europe. Every Timbalaya will be unique to its location. “This is aesthesis of cookie cutter,” smiles Egan. The target market is families with children aged under
11 years. But what to do when kids grow out of it? “It doesn’t matter,” explains Egan, “because there are always going to be new kids come along of the right age. But we will create repeatability via the introduction of new stories, and we fully anticipate members seeking out other Timbalaya attractions wherever they go.” If you’ve ever visited Bewilderwood, been impressed by
the concept and wished you could operate one too, here’s your next best (or perhaps superior?) opportunity.
timbalaya.com Half-billion dollar park plan for Indonesia
Themed entertainment industry veteran Ryan Harmon and his team at Zeitgeist Design + Production have been retained by Indonesian integrated media company Media Nusantara Citra (MNC) Group, to design an immersive $500 million (€465 million) theme park for the Lido Lakes region on the island of Java. Located by toll road approximately 60 minutes southwest of the capital city of Jakarta, the park will encompass some 40 hectares (99 acres) of canyons, jungles, and riverbeds in the shadow of two volcanoes and introduce the nation of 250 million people to what developers say will be its first world- class theme park resort. “Bucking the trend of Hollywood studio theme parks and IP-based attractions that attempt to
temporarily capitalise on American motion picture franchises in regions where they have little relevance, the Zeitgeist design celebrates the site’s dramatic natural setting and Indonesian home with an original story and a collection of adventure-themed rides, shows and attractions,” says Harmon.
6
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