167 replies to this topic

[MickeyD]

It's been a bit dead on the forums the last few days so I thought I'd kick off a new topic about our recently deceased Dark rides, their Past, Present & Future.

Once upon a time, three Grand Show's performed to an audience of millions with the majority holding them in revere for unmatched spectacle & endearing magic. To me, they paved an entirely different direction for the future of our Parks and set the benchmark high for what tomorrow held. This turning point came 20 years ago after Menzies & his team permanently brought a touch of Uncle Sam's Magic to the people of Down Under. 100% calling the shots and telling us what we wanted, they focused on new Attractions that we Aussies didn't 'get' at the time but Americans very much did and back then that's all that mattered. MW was always influenced by Universal & they by Disney. Our own Lassiter's, Tunes & Bermuda rides would never have existed if it weren't for Pirates of the Caribbean. To be sure you can thank Disney for Back to the Future and our own Batman ride too. Likewise, Splash Mountain inspired Jurassic Park that later gave us our own version, WWF. What's good for the Goose hey??

By contrast, our Park's today face a somewhat unplanned and alternate future. One that's now driven by the needs of our local market. This has become their only lifeline for survival so must be embraced or else face harsh judgement by the hand that feeds it. I think it's wonderful that we have not lost the 'Spark' despite mediocre expectations of today's visitor. But whilst there's been plenty of good stuff to celebrate you simply cannot ignore the void left behind by the Bat, the Bunny & Bermuda. This has played on the Hearts of devoted Aussie Theme Park Enthusiasts and our own Parkz Community for some time. It has clearly signified a new direction for the Company and certainly not one that many of us admire. Like or Loathe, this is how things are so best get use to it people!!

So today we have 3 big dusty buildings and I reckon not even they know what to do with them!! All purpose built & only good for the kind of ride that's since become too costly and apparently not what people want anymore. I wonder what the insides of tunes/bermuda look like right now? Are all the show scenes still sitting there breeding spiders and snakes or have they been entirely gutted? It would certainly feel weird standing in the middle of the Tune building, completely empty, just the canal etc. I think Batman has a different future because with a few adjustments here and there it can become something that 'fits' the new direction. With all these buildings just sitting there I cannot help but think something more is going on inside! I hope at least anyway

When you compare the old way with the new, MW and DW now seem to be on similar paths. Ultimately that (it seems) is what the average local Aussie visitor really wants; They really want a FUN Park with lots of coasters and the more whirly rides, the better! I'm glad to see MW are still going the extra mile to impress (fancy extras for GL etc) but sad to see this coming at a cost elsewhere as they continue to swap out the old for the new

What do you think? is there a bright future for the show buildings that once housed the Bat, the Bunny & Bermuda? If so what do you think would be a suitable 'fit' for each one given today's market/demand and company direction? Whatever is on the cards, I wouldn't count on seeing a decent dark ride added anytime soon

[SuperDave]

Trust me they do "know what they are doing with them". Everyone just needs to remember to be a little patient. I must say given your last paragraph you'll be surprised

[MacPark]

Well I dont believe we will ever see a great dark ride like Looney Tunes or Bemuda Triangle again for a long time and its a real shame. Hey I hope I am wrong and they blow us away with something amazing but I just dont see it in tyhe near future. I hope I am prived wrong

[qldtaw]

I honestly hope we see something like the Mummy at Universal an awesome inside roller coaster with a large focus on dark ride and special effects.
Will this maybe suit both tastes? Those who seem to not be able to let up about how the bat, the bunny and bermuda are their childhood memories that have been stolen from them and the rest of us who want more thrills and coasters?

Imagine an awesome inside spinning coaster replacing Looney Tunes River Ride AKA Space Fantasy the Ride at Universal Studios Japan?
Its a great ride, very family friendly, tame in other words.... but awesome effects and use of themeing.

I actually hope we see improvements to some other parts of Movieowlrd first which to be honest have been wasted un used space longer then the closer of the bat and the bunny.
Namely the Western area and that showstage, i would rather see this area made larger and more purposeful.
Imagine and awesome partially inside and outside wooden coaster that uses the western showstage.

Its been a long time coming, but it is exciting watching MW play around with Lethal Weapon.
I cant wait to find out how they are rethemeing and what they will do with the Chinatown set and the old queue building.
This is the perfect spot for a new flat ride. I reckon a windseeker is perfect for this spot!
They look very epic!

[AlexB]

Ive said it before, and i'll say it again, a Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters concept will go well in any abandoned "stage" building. Fit the theme to the existing area.... Batman would suit any DC Comics hero\villain duo, whereas tunes would have to be more kid-friendly, without them killing potential "heroes" such as Marvin or Yosemite. There isn't really a villain in the world of LT - they're all heroes in their own right.

[MickeyD]

AlexB, on 25 November 2011 - 11:36 PM, said:

There isn't really a villain in the world of LT - they're all heroes in their own right.

nicely put.

The Tune shed is huge and could easily house another coaster but i'm pretty sure Theme Parks can also build other types of rides? Interactive shootouts are smash hit family fun and especially adored by anyone with a game console or 2 back home.

Here's a crazy thought:
In yet another world first, MW's latest attraction...... A pay-for-play shoot-em dark ride encouraging competitive riders to fork out their dollars to out-do the Looney Tunes and their own personal best scores! The circular shaped cars would each have 6 outward facing seats that unexpectedly spin throughout the ride. Each rider equipped with Sonic Radar Pistol, audio com, lap restraint and safety protecto (3D) goggles. The ride would house numerous digital 3D screens of all shapes and sizes, providing 360 degree 3D animated show scenes that would be embedded with hundreds of infra/laser target points. With each scene running on say a 30 minute loop, the overall experience would be different each time as you spend little more than 15 seconds in each one

Get a top score & win a giant stuffed Bunny to take home. If your a bit 'unco' like me then you might be shit enough to win yourself a token to have another shot! Go again, yep still pretty shit, here, have another ride on us! Third time's a charm, your 1st 'meh' score and a giant blow up Tweety thingy just for you.... WOW!

Want another go? OK this time it'll cost ya!! How could you resist a chance at winning those crazy bunny ears or glow in the dark Martian Helmet? better still... a giant dust collector because everybody wants one of those!!

OK so this idea might sound a tinsy bit ridiculous and even a little immoral promoting 'kiddie gambling' by luring people in with promises of cheap trinkets and addictive fun?? The Park has to make money somehow & what better way than by enticing pass holders to open their wallets to come play inside the world's biggest Skill-tester!!!

[reanimated35]

So you want Pay-per-play BL Astro Blasters?

[MickeyD]

Not me personally but as bizarre as it may sound, what if developing a major attraction as a type of up-charge could be a positive thing? It would be extremely appealing to all ages with a strong theme & marketability. A unique combination of repeat-ability, player incentives, thrills & competitiveness would make it highly addictive & worth paying for if people saw value in it. When it comes down to choosing a suitable theme & marketing opportunity, you simply cannot go past Looney Tunes. They're older than your Grand Parents and forever timeless. Over 100 Looney Tunes characters could offer countless combinations and story-lines in a fast-paced interactive 3D environment that's never the same twice! The new Transformer's ride is about the closest to the way this show would play out opting for .an impressive 3D digitally animated environment instead of physical sets presented with cheap Sally-bots. Better to leave the robot stuff to the people at Disney who have the money to do it right

This would be a whole new Theme Park ride/experience that combines the appeal of sideshow games, prize winning & arcade games in a way that's never been done before. Offer 1 free entry to the 1 day Visitor and a handful of bonus 'free' entries to the VIPérs (amount depending on pass type). Give em a taste to get em hooked!

Charge say $10 pp a Game/ride which includes a plastic smart card that would be inserted into the console and contains all of the players particulars, recording their score and later awarding accordingly. After the ride you would exit through the obligatory shop to collect your prize, perhaps by sticking your card in a machine and in most cases a voucher would be dispensed. These could be great cross-promotional tool offering things like Ice-creams, 2for1 lunches, special merchandise offers, Outback show offers, Resort deals, so many things you can do but designed as incentive's to increase customer spending.

For higher scores and random / spot prize winners there would be a huge prize pool ranging in value dependent on score. Again there are so many possibilities with how this could be marketed.

[reanimated35]

It would have to grow on me, but the idea has merit as long as the prizes are decent value. Or there could be an option, pay to win prize or just do the ride for fun for free.

If it was paid, most pass holders I think would get sick of it fairly quickly whereas if it was free it would bring in more business. Look at what happened when DW brought in paid attractions. Sure they're popular, but I'm fairly certain a lot more people would be interested if they were free.

Take Redline for instance, a V8 simulator, while driving a NASCAR, having to pay $10 for it. Not too bad but there would probably be long lines if it was free. Should turn them in to 3 lap races instead of timed and remove the surcharge. You get nothing really as a reward apart from a bit of paper that says you did like 1 and a half laps or something.

[themeparknut2011]

reanimated35, on 26 November 2011 - 03:45 PM, said:

It would have to grow on me, but the idea has merit as long as the prizes are decent value. Or there could be an option, pay to win prize or just do the ride for fun for free.

I was thinking the exact same thing! A cool idea which I've never seen anyone really do. It would have do be designed to cope with a full load because the cost wouldn't limit users, but there is still an opportunity to make profit. I guess the prizes wouldn't be very good so they could still make money, but it is a novel idea for an upcharge. I like it!

[Cruiseshipfan]

It would have to be free with an option to pay to win stuff other wise it would fail. An attraction that big would not make enough money to support its self and pay for construction, as I am willing to bet more then 99% of guest will not pay the money to ride it. It would also turn people off because they get something. As odd as it sound people don't what the cheap toys and have to carry them around all day. Plus people don't what to pay to get in a park then have to pay to ride the rides. There is a reason why its never been done.It would be better to have it free because it would attract people to the park.

[reanimated35]

Don't forget the locker cost if you win something

[joz]

I think there's a really good idea buried in there MickeyD. I think it needs a slight tweet though; so instead of being a pay per ride, make the ride free, and charge for the (optional) smart card. That way you don't alienate the people who don't want to pay, but give that something extra for the people that do. The way I'm picturing it is like those cards at Timezone, you buy one, stick it in the ride, and the points accumulate like tickets, which you can then spend on prizes. Perhaps put a limit on how many times you can go on the ride and still get points awarded to your card, and charge more for higher limits.

[MickeyD]

Thanks for your friendly feedback and suggestions guys! Like anything new it would require loads of research, development and dollars thrown at it to get right. I think it has enormous potential and could very well be the 'magic bullet' idea to help lift per cap revenue across the Parks.

A similar but more thematically appropriate version could also be developed for the Bermuda site and wouldn't that be cute to see two old favorites grow and evolve along side one another?

[AlanSmithee]

A ride with an additional charge would be a bad idea, but I like your thinking, the MIB or BL rides are some awesome rides for any age group even though you get no prizes.

How about something like Spiderman and the new transformers ride, a similar concept but with the shooting you could keep it along the same theming and story as now but heavily update it.

[strop]

You could look at additional charges in other (optional) ways. For example Buzz Lightyear, lets you email your scores from a computer at the end. Some kind of 'Frequent Players' or 'Top Shots Club' where scores are uploaded to leaderboards with daily, weekly or monthly prizes for top scorers, regular emails and offers might seem attractive enough as a small additional charge, perhaps free for VIP Gold passholders. The Simpsons ride has terminals where, for a fee you can email your onride photo to yourself, something like this with your scores might be a worth while addition.

[Spencer]

I think they should bring Batman Adventure 1 back, apologise publicly for removing it in the first place and throw a rally in it's honour and release all of the footage on YouTube. Then add back Gremlins, Marvin the Martian 3D, Looney Tunes River Ride and the Special FX show.

[Jobe]

Spencer, on 28 November 2011 - 02:24 PM, said:

I think they should bring Batman Adventure 1 back, apologise publicly for removing it in the first place and throw a rally in it's honour and release all of the footage on YouTube. Then add back Gremlins, Marvin the Martian 3D, Looney Tunes River Ride and the Special FX show.

Hehe...Dont forget the Young Einstein Homestead house........

[Spencer]

Nah, I don't want that back. LOL!

[themeparkgc]

Studio Tour?

[Gazza]

Good to see the nostolgiafags out in force with their valid, practical suggestions.

[Jobe]

Gazza, on 28 November 2011 - 05:55 PM, said:

Good to see the nostolgiafags out in force with their valid, practical suggestions.

Hmm Gazza if you are referreing to me as a "nostalgiafag??" then I take offence. For my mind, Spencer's posting was tongue in cheek and I followed that up with my own reply. Surely anyone with a hint of humour about them can see that those posts were not meant to be taken seriously!! If you thought that,(and going by your the tone of your post you did) then you need to have a long hard look at yourself indeed!!! That sort of personal attack really isnt needed,especially in this case, as what we posted didnt deserve any sort of vitriol at all!!!
Please have a little more respect for when genuine posters contribute-its not all about you or a select few opinions!!
Thankyou

[Gazza]

Wasn't aimed at you Jobe

[Jobe]

Gazza, on 28 November 2011 - 06:44 PM, said:

Wasn't aimed at you Jobe

Oh!! Ok then no probs!! Sorry if I mistook your meaning........

[Wyncenuros]

Jobe, on 28 November 2011 - 06:35 PM, said:

Hmm Gazza if you are referreing to me as a "nostalgiafag??" then I take offence. For my mind, Spencer's posting was tongue in cheek and I followed that up with my own reply. Surely anyone with a hint of humour about them can see that those posts were not meant to be taken seriously!! If you thought that,(and going by your the tone of your post you did) then you need to have a long hard look at yourself indeed!!! That sort of personal attack really isnt needed,especially in this case, as what we posted didnt deserve any sort of vitriol at all!!!
Please have a little more respect for when genuine posters contribute-its not all about you or a select few opinions!!
Thankyou

/cheer