Entertainment
www.parkworld-online.com
entertainment The five
design E’sof
Successful theme park design is more than architecture – much much more. (Or to paraphrase a very successful motion picture studio head, “It’s about the content, Stupid!”)
A
Gary Goddard, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of the Goddard Group, is one of the most prolific and successful creators in the Industry. His successes include directing HOOP DEE DOO for WDW, creating TERMINATOR 2/3D, Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, and Jurassic Park River Adventure for Universal, designing The Galaxy Resort and Studio City in Macau, creating The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace, and HERSHEY’S Times Square. He is the only designer to have also written, directed, or produced major motion pictures, network television series, and hit Broadway shows.
re you noticing a sameness to the many theme parks opening in China, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and elsewhere? Are you noticing the same kind of rides,
of shows, or “themed” environments repeating themselves over and over? Branded or not branded, are you noticing that many of these new parks are kind of sterile and lifeless, even though they have checked all the boxes with regards to theming, IP branding, standard selection and mix of rides, the same souvenirs in the same themed retail shops but with a different IP attached? Same kind of theme park food in the restaurants, with little variation other than the cute “names” assigned to the various menu items? And have you noticed the most important thing? That tired formula, now over 50 years old, is not working anymore. It was “new” once upon a time – the time when visiting Disneyland or Disney World was a new and exciting experience and filled with surprises. Or when Universal Studios began to expand and add more unique attractions. But 50 years on, it’s time for a change. The audience has changed. What surprised and delights us as guests has changed. Disney knows it, Universal knows it. You see it in where they are taking their new parks, lands, and attractions. But as I travel the world and visit other recently built parks, I feel as if I’m in theme parks that are being designed with a mentality better associated with parks of 30 and 40 years ago. For the theme parks of today and tomorrow - the times are a ‘changing. When you have been designing and building themed
attractions for more than 40 years like I have, you notice that certain elements are required if you want to succeed. I have come to learn that the fundamental design principles for creating a successful attraction or theme park can be summed up by what I call the “Five E’s” of themed attractions.
44
They are: Emotion, Environment, Excitement, Entertainment,
and Exceeding Expectations. When combined correctly, magic happens. When any one of these elements is left out or not given proper treatment, the audience notices and you will fall short of your goals. And if more than one is missing, the attraction probably will not have a long run. The “Five E’s” may seem obvious, and yet, in many of
the newest theme parks and attractions that have opened in the last few years, and that are now opening around the world, a good deal of them are lacking in some of these very critical areas. Some of them are lacking in almost all of these areas. How can this be? The Five E’s are based upon core “entertainment design principles” first and foremost, and they are meant to balance the inordinate amount of time and focus that comes from the A&E (architecture and engineering) side of the equation,
OCTOBER 2017
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 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79
