Tag Archives: Theme Parks

2019: the Year of the Park

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2019 is shaping up to be quite the year for U.S. theme parks in Florida and California. Many major theme parks have made announcements in the last few weeks that are of out-of-this-world Jurassic proportions! Looking to history, it feels as if we are in a “space race” of sorts. Except, instead of the United States and Russia vying to be the first in space or one the moon, major US theme parks are breaking new ground, pushing boundaries, and innovating new experiences to vie for your money. Arguably, the biggest expansion is Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (DHS) and Disneyland, followed by Lego Movie World and Sesame Street Land at Legoland Florida and SeaWorld Orlando respectively, the new Harry Potter themed rollercoaster at Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure, Jurassic World replacing Jurassic Park at Universal Studios Hollywood, and lastly Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway also at DHS. Just one of any of the aforementioned announcements would be big news, but collectively it is quite possibly the most massive collection of openings at any given time in recent years.

The sheer economic impact of these attractions on each of their respective parks will be of epic proportions. Beginning with Universal’s Islands of Adventure (IOA) in 1999, the last decade has seen a colossal convergence of cinema and theme parks like no other! And even more so since the opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (WWoHP) at IOA in 2010. From the original concept of the movie park immersing guests into the magic of filmmaking to creating immersive environments that place the park guest into the world of the movie itself, the movie park has grown by leaps and bounds. As the process to make a film became less magical, the parks compensated by wowing guests with the ability to feel as if they are characters in the film itself. Attendance at theme parks took a dramatic downturn after the housing collapse and financial crash of 2007; and with theme parks being a vacation destination or luxury for many, they had to innovate new ways to attract guests–give them new reasons to return to the parks. By creating new experiences that were unlike any other, the parks knew they could increase their bottom line and share of the marketplace. Universal’s addition of Harry Potter and Disney’s addition of Pandora were major impacts. Moreover, the addition of Galaxy’s Edge (Star Wars land) at Disney’s Hollywood Studios & Disneyland Resort and the eventual Nintendo expansion at Universal Orlando Resort will each likely bring unprecedented numbers of guests into the parks.

News from Disney and Universal on new lands is not exactly groundbreaking–the news anyway–but when SeaWorld and Legoland are tossing their hats in, for a piece of the 2019 action, then you know that a wave of innovation is sweeping through the parks of Florida and California. California is interesting. For the longest time, the majority of the big theme park news came out of Florida but more recently the California Disney and Universal parks have made big expansions and announcements. Most recently, Radiator Springs at Disney’s California Adventure and WWoHP at Universal Hollywood opened to rave reviews and dramatically increased park attendance. Next year is bringing about an unprecedented number of additions to theme parks that will even more greatly increase the revenue and attendance than we’ve seen in the last several years. And it’s not just the parks that are going to feel the impact of all the 2019 openings. The local hotels, resorts, beaches, and secondary attractions (zoos, aquariums, museums, etc) will also feel a huge boost from the new theme park lands and rides.

More people than ever will be flocking to the parks next year. And let’s face it, the majority of those numbers will be boarding the Millennium Falcon and Mickey & Minnie’s very first attraction, but the numbers heading to experience their favorite Lego movies, Harry Potter, or your furriest friends at Sesame Street land will be impressive. Local hotels and resorts need to start planning on the massive influx of theme park guests, some of which may be visiting for the first time in a long time or for the first time ever. Although a tourist may spend most of their time at the parks, beach, etc when coming to Florida, the hotel stay can play an important role in the over all experience of the trip. Often times, it’s the hotel (whether on or off property) that sets the initial tone of the trip. So, I hope that non-Universal/Disney/Lego hotels are keeping up with the news because they are about to see crowds likely never seen in any other year, except for when a new park opens.

So far, we’ve heard big news from most the major theme parks of Florida and California, but Busch Gardens Tampa seems to be the wallflower this time around. It’s entirely possible that we will hear of a new attraction offering at Busch Gardens in 2019 but so far there do not seem to be any indicators for that. Fortunately, Busch Gardens may continue the complimentary beer promotion in order to not get completely left behind in 2019. But who knows, 2018 is only about halfway done, so there is still time for Busch to make a 2019 announcement as well. If so, hopefully it will revolve around the space occupied by the former Gwazi wooden coaster.

Okay so here’s a breakdown of what’s coming to theme parks in 2019, so far.

Walt Disney World

Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge– a new land with a 14 acres expansion, transporting guests to a never-before-seen planet, a remote trading port and one of the last stops before wild space where Star Wars characters and their stories come to life. And yes, you’ll be able to fly the Millennium Falcon!

Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway– After screening an exclusive cartoon in the theatre, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway will put you inside the wacky and unpredictable world of a Mickey Mouse Cartoon Short where you’re the star and anything can happen.

Universal Studios Florida

Harry Potter rollercoaster– The all-new attraction will take guests on a journey that incorporates the characters, creatures and transportative adventures of the wildly successful book and movie series when it opens in 2019. In its announcement, Universal positioned the ride as one of the most “highly-themed coaster experiences” they’ve ever created — which is major, considering The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is already known for immersive attractions utilizing ride systems and technology in ways rarely seen at other theme parks.

SeaWorld Orlando

Sesame Street Land– “We are excited to transport our guests into the colorful and creative world of Sesame Street through immersive theming, character interactions and interactive play,” said SeaWorld Orlando President Jim Dean in a statement. Sesame StreetLland also brings with it SeaWorld’s firs daily parade!

Legoland Florida

Lego Movie World– Based on “The LEGO Movie” and the upcoming sequel, the new world puts guests in the middle of Bricksburg, the city where Emmet lives in the movie. The area will feature two new rides, character meet-and-greets, and a giant themed playscape.

Universal Studios Hollywood

Jurassic World the Ride– Details of the “Jurassic World Ride” are being kept under wraps. But a press release release describes the plans as “epic,” featuring “never-before-seen dinosaurs, enhanced storytelling, lush scenic design, an entirely new color scheme and unparalleled state-of the art technology.”

Disneyland Resort

Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge– As of now, there are only two new rides in development. There’s the Millennium Falcon ride, where players are ranked on how well they perform their mission (if you bang up the ship, expect trouble at the cantina). There’s also one in the works where guests are inside a Star Destroyer hanger bay during a major battle between the First Order and the Resistance, though there isn’t a lot of information available on that one yet.

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Review of Halloween Horror Nights XXVII at Universal Orlando

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“Here’s Johnny!” Experience some of your favorite horror films and television shows as Halloween Horror Nights 27 (HHN27) at Universal Studios Florida showcases the iconic and contemporary in one terrifyingly fantastic celebration of the macabre. Be sure to catch Bill and Ted’s Excellent Halloween Adventure‘s final tour as they riff pop culture and relive some of the best moments in the popular comedy show for the last time. This year’s houses include a selection of movie-based houses and original concepts; furthermore, be sure to visit the scare zones as well! The movie or TV-based houses are: The Shining as the big headliner this year, American Horror Story (Asylum, Coven,  & Roanoke), Saw, The Horrors of Blumhouse, and Ash v. Evil Dead; the original IPs are: The Fallen, Dead Water, Scarecrow: the Reaping, & Hive. You’ll also find scare zones featuring familiar elements and scenes from The Purge and Trick’r Treat in the lineup as well as a nod to classic alien films from the 1930s-50s. From several park guests, the general consensus was that this year was solid, offered precisely what most were looking for and successfully brought nightmares to life.

For the full review, please visit Thrillz!

‘ReInnoventing’ Epcot

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Since 1982, Walt Disney World’s second theme park Epcot has been capturing the imagination through education and glimpses into the future. At least, that was EPCOT until the last few years. Starting in the early 2010s, the identity of then EPCOT (now Epcot) has been shifting away from education to food, wine, and a few thrills. With the recent closures at Epcot (Ellen’s Universe of Energy) and at Hollywood Studios (The Great Movie Ride and soon One Man’s Dream), it is clear that the leadership and Imagineers of Walt Disney World are moving in new directions compared to the legacy direction the park(s) have demonstrated over the decades. Although it mostly flew under the radar for a large portion of park one-time guests and even some regulars, over the last few years–and increasingly so, over the last few months–Future World’s Innoventions is, much like Ellen’s dinosaurs, extinct.

Innoventions (and the former Wonders of Life pavilion, home of the once-popular Body Wars) housed some of the most entertaining, educational, and interactive show offerings at WDW. The House of Innoventions (later Vision House), Storm Struck, Where’s the Fire, What’s Your Problem, and more struck a fantastic balance between education and entertainment (often referred to as edutainment). Now, all that remains of Future World is Test Track, The Living Seas with Nemo and Friends, Mission Space (recently refurbished), Soarin’, Living with the Land, and the iconic Spaceship Earth. Nearly half as many attractions exist compared to just five years ago. During this time,  Epcot also changed its official name from EPCOT to Epcot. What’s the difference, you ask? Originally, Epcot was an acronym that stood for the Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow. With the reimagination of the park over the years, and furthermore, the movement away from education and the future, the park officially changed its name to Epcot (no acronym).

Although each of these closures could be analyzed separately, the long and short of it is sacrificing education for thrills and booze. And there is not anything innately wrong with that. Theme parks should be thrilling, and offer a wide array of food and drink options! But what made Epcot unique amongst other theme parks around the country WAS the educational component. Much like the “magic of the movies” and filmmaking was the essence of what made Hollywood Studios the park it was. The introduction of the new Guardians of the Galaxy based attraction in Future World (hmm…this area of the park probably needs a new name, now that I think about it), will undoubtedly breath new life into this waning area of the park, but at what cost??? On the plus side, WDW is able to finally integrate the Marvel property into the parks but it will be replacing a legacy attraction. Legacy. That’s a term you hear quite often when talking about the Disney and Universal parks. The term legacy can be defined as an amount of money or property left to an heir in a will. For theme parks, legacy attractions are those that often opened on the first day or have maintained a presence for a substantial amount of time–so long that generations of people enjoyed them. Waxing nostalgic is a popular pseudo-activity at many theme park attractions. There is no quantifiable means of attributing a value to the ability to experience that same attraction with your kids (or nieces/nephews/grandchildren) that you experienced as a kid, but it is invaluable in a theme park adventure. When legacy attractions are removed, the ability to experience childhood nostalgia dies right along with it.

One of the reasons that it is important for Epcot to innovate a new identity is because it was, and still is to an extent, becoming a museum of what once was. Future World used to be the place to experience emerging technologies and be mesmerized by what we now call STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics). When the park did not keep the sponsored attractions coming and updating, it lost that wow factor and was slowly allowed to go by way of the dodo. Since the educational element of Epcot was not continually reinforced or re-imagined, it is necessary to gut and refurbish. I cannot help but think that there was room at Epcot for both the legacy and the impressive new attractions for new and long-time guests to experience. In addition to adding new attractions to bolster Epcot’s offerings, the International Food and Wine Festival as well as the Flower and Garden Festival respectively now offer more food and drinks than ever before–especially Flower and Garden. It is easy to see where the park spends the lion share of its budget. Food and alcohol have been an Epcot staple since the beginning–there are few other places that one could experience food and drinks from around the globe without need of a passport. But over the years, the park has been funneling more money into the festivals and has allowed the attraction offerings to teeter on the cusp of closure.

One way that Epcot could remain connected to the ideas of the future, innovation, and communication that were once at the bedrock of the park itself is to introduce attractions and shows that capitalize on the future-fantasy, science-fiction, and other similar IPs that the Walt Disney Company holds. There are communications and artificial intelligence technologies that are showcased in many of Disney’s movies that could be translated into a theme park experience. Innoventions was not only a place to find the “house of the future” but it was also a place that offered interactive shows. Although park guests are increasingly interested in more thrills than learning, the beauty of what Disney has proven they can do is to merge the two ideas. Epcot is the perfect “experimental” place to continue to inspire park guests through a thrilling experience paired with an educational component as well.

Epcot has positioned itself to emerge as a new park. France is getting a rollercoaster based upon the movie Ratatouille, Norway introduced the Frozen Ever After attraction (that replaced Maelstrom), Soarin got a makeover, and Test Track re-emerged as a Tron meets Test Track, so to speak, a few years ago. It would appear that Future World will increase in its fantasy and science-fiction offerings whereas World Showcase will bolster its attraction offerings as well. Hopefully, there will always be a sense of the future or education at the core of Epcot, but I am scared that both components will continue to dwindle. They certainly don’t have to. There are a lot of emerging technologies in the Disney movie universe that could very well be translated into attraction offerings or even entire new lands (or areas) at Epcot–so “the future is waiting” as Spaceship Earth would put it.

 

A Short History of How the Cinema Shaped Theme Parks (part 2)

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dlr_castleFollowing the ending of the Studio System, the now bankrupt motion picture studios were purchased by various conglomerates looking for new sources of income. One of the sources of income that studios began investing into was the concept of movie-based theme parks. With the opening of Walter Elias Disney’s Disneyland in 1955, Universal Studios made the decision to incorporate stand-alone attractions into its newly reopened studio tour. Both Disneyland and the future Universal Studios used their intellectual property (IP) as the basis for creating theme park rides, shows, and attractions. Although movie studios as a “park” began with Laemmle, in its current incarnation, the convergence of cinema and theme park began with Disneyland, and later was perfected by Walt Disney World and Universal Studios Florida. Since the movie studios already had dedicated movie-going audiences, it made sense to capitalize on the idea of incorporating the concepts from the movies into attractions that the general public could enjoy and be immersed in. This action both acts as advertising for the respective studios and generates income for the movies and park improvements…

For the full article on the Thrillz website, click HERE!

 

A Short History of How Cinema Shaped Theme Parks (part 1)

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studiotourtramEver since the late 19th and early 20th centuries, audiences from around the world have been drawn to the temple of the height of the visual and performing arts, the cinema. In many ways, the early days regarded the cinema as an attraction, an amusement. In fact, many of the first silent films were shown in carnivals. Nickelodeons dotted the landscape in drug stores and clubs. Elaborate and ornate movie palaces housed some of the first big screens, and orchestras played along with the narrative. Over the last century, cinema has gone from existing in sideshows to achieving a dominant presence in our society that has evolved into the very rollercoaster to which many critics and lay people compare it; and, not only metaphorically…

For the full article, click HERE to be redirected to Thrillz! YOUR source for theme park news, reviews, and information from around the world!