Industry Insider
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John Wood – Chairman & President, Sally Dark Rides
Park World’s Matt Broughton spoke to Sally Dark Rides’ Chairman and President, John Wood.
John Wood
Matt Broughton: For those not in the know, can you tell us a bit about your personal background and how you came to be at Sally Dark Rides. John Wood: Sally began building moving and talking animatronic figures in 1997. Three young men named John started a company named Sally Unlimited and I was one of them. Over the years we adjusted our primary market focus as times changed. In the early 1980’s we were
very busy building animated musical shows like Daniel and the Dixie Diggers and Bubba Bear and the Badland Band. In the late ‘80’s, we shifted our attention to creating dark ride attractions that featured our animatronics. To facilitate this new direction, we developed interactive technologies that allowed us to combine a shooting gallery type game with a story adventure. Since that time we have produced over 70 dark ride attractions around the world.
MB: What were your original goals, and have they changed much since then? JW: I became Chairman and CEO of Sally in 1994, and our focus was for “Sally” to become the first name in dark rides. I firmly believed that we could create attractions that were similar in their appeal to those created by Disney and Universal but at a price that was affordable for the regional parks around the world. Today, we are continuing to create major new attractions for small and large parks who see the value in family sharing fun in a dark ride.
MB: What do you think are the key attributes that need to be ticked off the list to ensure the best entertainment in rides?
46 OCTOBER 2024
JW: The first attribute is fun for everyone! In order to deliver a cohesive experience, the pre-show and set up to the attraction is key to transporting the guests into the experience. Once in the ride, the presentation of the show elements and the pace of the adventure immerse the visitors in the experience. A critical factor with any effective dark ride is the gags that help stimulate the senses to laugh, cry or scream at the event. From an operator’s standpoint it’s critical for the capacity to meet the demand and the operational integrity of the elements to deliver the show.
MB: I understand you recently went on a New England park tour; can I ask how that tour went and what you learnt? JW: We have a number of custom dark rides in the New England area, but I hadn’t ridden two of them: The Great Humbug Adventure at Santa’s Village and the new Whispering Pines Haunted Hotel at Funtown Splashtown. I took the opportunity to visit seven parks in the region, including Lake Compounce
Angry Birds Dark Ride
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