Oldschool

Movie World in my estimation should have been exploring the rich potential for theming all along. Look at the properties under the WB banner nowadays - Beetlejuice, Gremlins, Lord Of The Rings, Harry Potter, the Matrix, Lethal Weapon, Looney Tunes, Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, DC Comics, MAD Magazine, Austin Powers, Scooby Doo, Cartoon Network characters etc, etc. Yes, we are a smaller market. But, a few Disneyesque attractions with WB theming using strong comic and cartoon properties as well as decent themed attractions based on the films (and not just disguised empty thrills) could have seen Movie World emerge as our region's Disneyland equivalent. Instead, it's Six Flags Gold Coast. I for one would have loved to see a rapids ride with a "Goonies" theme or a Spy Vs Spy dark ride, maybe a "Sleepy Hollow" or "Beetlejuice" haunted house. I last visited WB Movie World after a trip that included Disneyland and Universal Hollywood and found it somewhat lacking by comparison.

Ok, not everyone is thrilled by this. But, Cameron has said that the first movie was just the tip of a much bigger iceberg. He's worked on the concept for over a decade, the sequel is due around 2013 and a third film about the time this park expansion is due to be finished. What he would be looking to do is something largely inspired by the world of the films, not necessarily a direct adaptation. That's what they've done with Potter over at Universal, and I'm sure this announcement is partially due to Disney thinking "why didn't we do that?" and finding another movie property that they could work with. It may have been Pocahontas with giant cat smurfs, but the setting itself is powerful and different enough to make something quite special if it's handled right - and the Imagineers are a great fit in that regard.

It seems there has been some opposition to Wet N' Wild in Sydney http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sydney-nsw/teens-wild-for-water-park-take-the-fight-to-pessimistic-parents/story-e6freuzi-1226132709546 This is pretty typical, they didn't build the originally planned theme park at Fox Studios because the residents (led by Clover Moore) petitioned the State Government to restrict what could be put on the site. The Fun Police are always active in NSW, hope they don't kill this off!

Apparently with HK Disneyland there's been rumours of the Imagineers testing a steep backwards drop that will be part of the Grizzly Mountain rollercoaster's finale. The ride will have a longer and scarier backwards section than Expedition Everest.

Wonderland Sydney: I was 12 the first time we went there, rode the Bush Beast several times in a row and actually thought that the Beastie was a rougher coaster. My Dad wearing a garbage bag on Snowy River Rampage and the rest of us arguing that he was defeating the whole purpose of the ride. The photo we had with Yogi Bear, eating overpriced hamburgers for lunch in my first (but certainly not last) encounter with bad theme park food! Sea World: Bermuda Triangle, the old "Pirates" 3D movie starring Leslie Neilsen as Captain Lucky, the waterski show, Dolphin Cove, the huge coachload of Japanese tourists who seemed to move as one unit everywhere. Movie World: Wild West falls (and how impressively it stands up to similar rides overseas), the Police Academy stunt show (especially how long it took to realise that "Rodney from Tasmania" was an actor and part of the show), Batman Adventure (seen both versions and actually prefer the computer animated one, Mark Hamill IS the Joker!) and the storm that shut most of the park last time I was there. Disneyland: Haunted Mansion (one of the most atmospheric rides anywhere), Indiana Jones and how fast and impressive it is. The pre-movie version of Pirates Of The Caribbean, Space Mountain with the cool guitar music (I believe that they've changed it), Star Tours and trying to actually see the drop coming in the middle of Splash Mountain just after seeing Brer Bear's big rear squeezing into a hole (it's impossible!). Universal Hollywood: Realising that I miss Back To The Future (they could do an amazing ride with today's technology), the final plunge on Jurassic Park, the annoying woman saying everything was "super" in the T2 preshow, ET Adventure - the forest at night queue area was stunning!