Noll_57

Honestly, the sooner BGH release their grip on Village the better. The way they’re constantly cutting back and running the parks into the ground is unforgivable.

Hope not, it would be nice to see an old MW show building actually turned into a brand new attraction, not more storage! It would also be a fairly tight squeeze for the floats to go through the buildings at the front of the western village, especially with guests around (unless they end up removing them of course). The new lights aren’t show lights, they just appear to be for general illumination. As for the speakers, they’ve only been installed on the buildings beyond the Showstage entrance, so floats would never travel past them. Plus, they’re currently playing the very short 40 second loop of the theme from “Stagecoach” that’s been playing in the WWF queue and other parts of the ride since it was refurbished with new boats a few years ago, so I think they’re directly connected to West’s AV system and aren’t part of the park-wide/parade route audio setup.

That’s a good point, I’ll admit I hadn’t really considered just how restrictive West’s gates are. However, I still suspect that these gates will be used in conjunction with the first aid gates and that the park expects some vehicles to travel back and forth through the former location of the WWF entrance sign (hence its removal). I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. I’ve noticed a few subtle signs recently that something significant may be about to happen to the show stage and surrounding area. For example, new permanent lighting and speakers have been installed in the Wild West village. While these are welcome additions, they have only been installed on buildings on the BOH side, while everything on the Showstage side has been left untouched. The test seat has also been removed from the hut on the Showstage side and relocated near the entrance to WWF on the BOH side. There have been a few other minor touch-ups and changes made to the BOH side of the village that I’ve noticed too, but nothing on the other side. Of course, this could just be a coincidence, but it definitely supports the idea that this area is going to see a lot of change soon. I’m wondering if the Showstage (along with the DD area) is about to be demolished or changed in a significant way?

I would say there’s a chance this is the case. Considering they’ve now turned all the effects off in the DD area and have basically left it to rot, I don’t expect it to be around for much longer. Given that WB Showcase has also now closed, they could be freeing up that whole area for a new attraction. It’s entirely possible that the Wild West “land” will be moved back beyond where the Showcase entrance was. It wouldn’t be too hard to re-theme the toilet block and outlet into a new land (if they plan on keeping them as they are). Perhaps they need vehicle access through there to work on DD’s replacement attraction? I know there’s another BOH entrance near the First Aid room that could be used, but maybe they think using the Wild West entrance is more convenient?

I’m almost certain the Doomsday area will be the next thing Village focus on. They certainly need to, as the land is currently a massive white elephant (as is that whole back section of the park). Ever since the WB Showcase closed and foot traffic in the area dried up, it seems as if the park have completely given up on maintaining the land and have started actively discouraging people from venturing into it. Considering they have switched off all the effects, removed multiple theming elements (while letting the remaining ones rot) and placed netting over the ride fence (I guess to try and hide their dud attraction?) there’s literally nothing for guests to see or do and no reason for anyone to be there. I think this is a pretty clear sign that the area is truly on its last legs and will close fairly soon (possibly once WOZ opens). As for what could replace it, I do agree that a new high quality, well themed dark ride is the one thing the park desperately needs at the moment more than anything else. Utilising the Doomsday/Showstage area seems like the most suitable location for such an attraction, seeing as though most other existing show buildings are now used as storage areas and there isn’t too much space to easily build elsewhere.

I doubt this will get off the ground. How many times have ambitious projects like these been announced, only to be abandoned shorty after? It’ll be cool if it does open, but I’m not getting my hopes up just yet. Also, I personally feel like Sydney deserves a park like this over Melbourne, seeing as though Melbourne already has 4 pretty well established theme parks (plus an indoor park with Legoland) while Sydney really only has Luna Park.

I’d say that Doomsday being removed is almost a certainty at this point. While at the park a couple of days ago, I noticed that the audio had been turned off around the Villains Unleashed area (because Movie World didn’t have enough areas without music already) and none of the effects were working. A temporary fence had also been set up around the base of DD, partially blocking the view of the attraction. The only other people in the area were what appeared to be MW/Village staff inspecting the site. Definitely a very eerie vibe, it felt like I wasn’t supposed to be there. At this point they might as well just close the whole area off, as it’s an embarrassment right now.

I’m actually quite impressed with the overall presentation of the ride TBH. Though nothing groundbreaking, it’s definitely much better than I was expecting and is a big improvement on how it was presented at WNW. The additions of the statues, tunnel and lighting package are all really nice touches and I appreciate that MW went to the effort of adding them, as they really enhance the experience. I’m usually not a fan of 2d printed sign comic book “theming”, but given the circumstances, I think it kind of works in this case.

Meanwhile on Sea World’s website:

Because it’s an easy way to make extra money. Whenever I visited the old arcade, it was always pretty busy. I think there’s still enough interest in arcades these days to justify having one (the success of Timezone and Iplay proves it). Plus I’m pretty sure Village already own a bunch of machines from their Intencity arcade division. They could easily plop down a few redemption games (hopefully in a nicely presented building/area) and find success.

Absolutely. Ever since BGH Capital’s takeover of Village, the guest experience has taken such a dramatic nosedive and their poor management and cost-cutting is destroying the park’s reputation at a pretty alarming rate. It’s clear they only care about profits and don’t have a clue what made the park so special in the first place. So sad to see a place I loved so much fall so low.

Those speakers aren’t even new, they’ve already been up in that tree for at least a couple of years. Really all MW has done is bother to actually turn them on. The fact that this area and WWF have gone for years without any audio whatsoever is absolutely pathetic, that’s why I still consider this to be a positive “step” (even though it’s the absolute bare minimum). Real progress will be when they finally fix the rest of the speakers in the area and around the park.

I’m pleased to hear that they’ve finally added music back to the area after having nothing for so long. But the park really needs to get the ground speakers around the Splash Zone and the rest of the land working again too, as the only place you can currently hear the music is directly under the tree and nowhere else. You used to be surrounded by music throughout the entire Looney Tunes area and it really added to the experience, but most of the land is still without audio at the moment. The WWF area also desperately needs its music back, as it hasn’t played there for years. Still, it’s great that the park is at least attempting to sort out some of their audio issues and this is definitely a step in the right direction.

Absolutely, WWF is by far the most immersive and detailed themed area MW has ever built and they’ve never come close to matching it since. I’m quite certain the main reason why some effort was originally put into theming the DCSV area was because the park realised they could monetise the wristbands you needed to interact with the land when it first opened. Otherwise, I’m willing to bet it too would’ve ended up just another generic superhero area with basic 2d comic book theming. As soon as it became clear that the whole wristband thing was a massive flop and they were discontinued, the park gave up on the area pretty much straight away and it’s been rotting and decaying ever since. Is it true that the reason Justice League had a major overhaul recently was due to DC complaining about the horrible condition the ride was in (claiming it wasn’t up to their standards or something like that) or was that just a rumour? Either way, I do wonder what Warner Bros think of the poor state the park is currently in.

Things really aren’t looking good at MW right now. Apart from all the previously mentioned issues (such as constant ride closures, poor operations, temporary fences at every turn, lack of music and atmosphere in most areas, a large amount of dead/disused spaces, rude/disinterested staff and terrible communication with guests), general presentation and upkeep around the park is severely lacking. There’s so much exposed wiring and conduit all over the place (some in very noticeable locations like the Scooby Doo facade and Wild West Falls), lots of broken equipment, numerous severely faded and worn out signs and gardens full of weeds. The whole place just feels very neglected at the moment. Here are a few “highlights”. I could go on, as issues like these are literally at every corner of the park and are so consistent that you can’t help but notice. It’s so disappointing considering how well kept the place used to be.

Already found this one on Productreview.com.au (where Movie World currently only has a 1.5 star rating). Here’s a sample of some of the other reviews on the site:

Dreamworld have already well and truly overtaken Village in terms of guest experience and presentation IMHO. Dreamworld’s effort is being rewarded in that the park is finally seeing an increase in attendance and is receiving plenty of praise and positive reviews. That good word of mouth will certainly help and people are slowly starting to realize this isn’t the same park it used to be. Things will be even better after Rivertown opens up. Many of my friends and family have noticed and commented on what a poor state Movie World is in currently compared to Dreamworld. People do pick up on this stuff.

I agree. The sad part is, it never used to be this way. In the 90’s and 2000’s all our parks really were world class. It’s just that current management have run them into the ground and taken away a lot of the magic they once had. With that being said though, I do think Dreamworld (under Greg’s management) is making some pretty meaningful progress and I’m really excited for Rivertown. I’m hoping OZ will be decent too (though I’m not sure how much I trust MW’s current management), both can potentially help turn things around in a pretty big way. There are simple things the park can do to liven up these areas again, but they seemingly just can’t be bothered. I know I’ve brought this up a few times before, but simply just turning the background music back on around WWF and other areas of the park (like the Loony Tunes kids zone) would instantly make a huge improvement to the atmosphere and it boggles my mind that this still hasn’t been sorted out after years of neglect. If a low-budget, regional park like Funfields can have consistent, themed audio throughout the entire property, what’s MW’s excuse? There’s just no spectacle in the park anymore and it’s no longer a nice place to be in. Movie World has always been my favourite theme park in Australia, but these days I always come out disappointed. I never feel that way with Dreamworld.

Liseberg have made an official statement about the incident. Sadly, Oceana is pretty much a total write-off as the entire building has been completely destroyed.

TBH, Luna Park Melbourne is probably the lesser park compared to Gumbuya and Funfields right now IMHO. LPM haven’t added anything major for quite some time (the limited space doesn’t help), while GW and FF have continued to invest in new attractions, park upgrades and expansions every year. GW and FF both pull in very decent crowds (both are always packed whenever I visit) and the presentation/theming at them is quite impressive and far exceeds anything LPM has ever done. The “classic amusement park” charm and historical significance of some attractions are about the only things going for LPM currently. Adventure Park does focus more on water attractions compared to the other Victorian Parks. However, it’s still home to a number of flat rides and even a small coaster (something Funfields desperately needs), so I’d still classify it as an amusement park (though it has a much lower budget compared to the other Vic parks and definitely isn’t what I’d call “major”). Getting somewhat back on topic, if a new park was ever to establish itself in QLD, now is probably the best time given the upcoming Olympics and the exposure it could bring. I do wonder if the likes of Merlin and Parques Reunidos (both long rumored to be keen in expanding further in Australia) could finally consider biting the bullet and making a bigger splash here?

I’m pretty sure Gumbuya World, Funfields and Adventure Park are all non-Luna Parks.

It’s been announced that a new highly immersive Bluey themed attraction will open in Brisbane in August next year. Said to be “twice as big as any other immersive experience that's ever been in Australia”, it will feature highly detailed, life-size, walk-through recreations of locations from the show and include attractions said to incorporate interactive technology, soundscapes and play features to “make it feel like you’re in a Bluey episode”. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-03/bluey-childrens-program-tourist-attraction/103182824 https://www.bluey.tv/blueys-world/ Image from Bluey’s website.

The Big Banana has already closed the Demolition Derby and is now removing the ride from the park.

Honestly, I noticed the roof way more on LTRR than Overboard. People seem to forget that Australia has been home to many great, world class dark rides over the years (Gremlins, LTRR, Bermuda, Lassiter's). We’re clearly capable of producing and supporting quality attractions like these, it’s just that current park management aren’t interested in doing so which is a shame. As it currently stands, Overboard is by far the best and most immersive dark ride in the country, visible roof or not.

I stumbled across this gem uploaded by “A&A Home Movies” on YouTube. It’s an incredibly in depth look (over an hour long) at classic Movie World from 1992, containing full recordings of numerous defunct attractions and shows in decent quality. (For some reason, YouTube won’t let me embed it, so here’s a link): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4S1WKrhi8E Also found this video from “Roger Garrod” showing the park under construction in early 1991!