Park Update
www.parkworld-online.com Medieval makeover
Movie Park Germany has revealed details on its thematic update of visitor-favourite river rapids ride, Mystery River. Excalibur: The Secrets of the Dark Forest, an Arthurian-inspired adventure, is set to welcome guests this spring with all new theming. Hannah Hart reports
G
uests who venture into the medieval-themed world will be able to meet with King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, as well as embark on a quest given by Merlin himself – to find and recover the legendary
sword Excalibur. Taking inspiration from Celtic myth and folklore, Excalibur: The Secrets of the Dark Forest offers riders a fresh twist on the tale of King Arthur, an enduringly popular story that perfectly lends itself to reimagination. Movie Park’s decision to revamp the attraction was announced in summer 2017,
with work commencing in the following November, and several companies have collaborated to transform the ride and theming. Creators of unique experiences for theme parks, Leisure Expert Group, crafted
the storyline for the ride, and Danish company Tema Design by MK Illumination is responsible for the large-scale thematic transformation. Excalibur: The Secrets of the Dark Forest is the newest in a line of collaborations between the two companies, who also joined forces to create a number of projects for Danish amusement park Djurs Sommerland. “It is amazing to finally be able to tell the world about this huge project,” said
Tema Design’s themed attraction manager, Lars Nielsen. “We are beyond proud to produce and deliver the thematic transformation that Movie Park has worked on for years. A project like this, which involves working with so many different materials, truly shows that we are able to make anything possible.”
Movie Park Germany worked with IMAscore and IMAmedia to conjure up
new music and historical media content. This custom soundtrack will accompany guests as they travel through the Dark Forest to seek the lost sword – and whilst they queue, too. The outdoor area surrounding the attraction has also undergone a complete
transformation with five new areas to explore, but this is not the attraction’s first re- theme... Intamin’s classic River Rapids ride opened with the park itself in 1996 as The Neverending Story (Die Unendliche Geschichte) back when the park was still Warner Bros Movie World. After Warner pulled out as park licensor, the ride was rebranded as Mystery River in 2005. “The ride is one of the oldest and most popular attractions in our park,” said
Movie Park managing director Thorsten Backhaus. “Now we want to do justice to this veteran of park history and give it a worthy and fresh upgrade.” The ride system itself will not be changed, however. Leisure Experts Group have
utilised the existing track lay-out of the ride, with 12 new scenes added for Excalibur: The Secrets of the Dark Forest, charting the journey through caves and dark woods. Excalibur: The Secrets of the Dark Forest is only one of the ambitious projects
Movie Park has undertaken in the past few years. 2017 saw the 19th annual Halloween Horror Fest take place after six months of prep, as well as the construction of Star Trek: Operation Enterprise, the largest rollercoaster in the park’s history. Backhaus comments that the medieval makeover is part of an onwards-and-upwards plan for the park. “The renewal of this ride is a further step we are taking as part of the park’s quality management. Even after 20 years, the ride is still one of our park’s most popular attractions. It even has its own fan club!” Work continues, and Excalibur: The Secrets of the Dark Forest plans to open its doors at the end of April.
APRIL 2018
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