A Country of Innovation- The record-breaking and pioneering coasters of the UK

The UK: land of tea, history… and amazing coasters. Compared to many other countries across Europe, here in the UK we aren’t exactly known for our thrilling rides and rollercoasters, with many UK parks, particularly in the South and East, going for a more immersive, themed approach. However, British theme parks are home to many incredible coasters, from fear-inducing accelerators to rides that invert 10 times or more, forcing the stomachs of riders to go through all the twists and turns of a rough ride. With many parks currently closed, lets take some time to celebrate some of our best and most innovative coasters, and count down, in no particular order, the record breaking and “first” coasters of the UK!

Oblivion, Alton Towers

Oblivion, a B&M Dive Coaster at Alton Towers. © @coaster_paradox on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/coaster_paradox/

Don’t. Look. Down. That’s the slogan for Oblivion, the world’s B&M dive coaster, at Alton Towers, in Staffordshire, England. Opened in 1998, Oblivion was advertised as “the world’s first vertical drop rollercoaster” by the park, with the tagline being used on radio, TV and other ads. However, this was not actually the case. Sure, this coaster was the world’s steepest at the time of it’s opening, but it’s drop isn’t entirely vertical, at just 87.5°! I know, it annoys me, too.

Oblivion is located in X Sector, and to fit with the sinister, dystopian theme of the area, a shady advertising campaign was used throughout the ride’s construction, the highlight of this being the secretive figure in a bright orange suit, that stood outside the site, answering no questions from inquisitive visitors, simply telling them to “clear the area”, and saying vague commands into a walkie talkie. Behind him, a hole in the ground, that seemed to just be getting deeper and deeper.

By the opening, Alton Towers’ seemingly random changes, including the removal of many rides from the site X Sector is on now, suddenly made sense. Oblivion was a project fit for the new millennium, with a futuristic theme, a modern design and a thrilling experience which continues to terrify visitors even today!

Colossus, Thorpe Park

Colossus at Thorpe Park. © @thorpe.towers on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thorpe.towers/

Going further South towards Chertsey, London, there’s an island like no other, and this island is none other than Thorpe Park! This park has several different themed lands, known as territories, and many are located on their own small islands! With a focus on creating thrilling coasters and flat rides, Thorpe attracts hundreds of enthusiasts and thrill seekers each year, but it hasn’t always been this way. Up until the year 2000 the island theme park was actually aimed at families, particularly those with young children, before a major fire destroyed two family favourite attractions and partly damaged many other buildings around the park, triggering a sort of thrill movement that made Thorpe Park what it is today. To learn more about the Thorpe Park Fire of 2000, check out the link at the bottom of this article, which will take you to another of my articles discussing what happened, and how it still affects the park today!

After the fire several flat rides were added to Thorpe Park throughout the 2001 season, but 2002 brought the first coaster of the new thrill era, a ride that smashed the current record for most inversions- Colossus opened in March of that year with ten!

Manufactured by Intamin, this custom looping coaster features multiple heartline rolls, a cobra roll, and a double corkscrew as well as other inversions, and, while many enthusiasts today consider Colossus one of the roughest coasters in the UK, it is still a feared favourite among many park-goers!

Galactica (Air), Alton Towers

Galactica at Alton Towers. ©@thrillridesuk on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thrillridesuk/

When designing Alton Towers’ Secret Weapon 5, attraction designer John Wardley decided that the park’s next coaster should allow riders to experience the feeling of flight, and, with a similar vision, Bolliger and Mabillard, or B&M, agreed to build this at-the-time ambitious creation at the Towers, just across from another of his coasters, Nemesis. After years of experimentation a decision for the ride’s design was finally reached: when riders were safely locked into their seats, said seats would be rotated back so as to be facing downward, giving a sensation of flying.

The model became known as a flying coaster, and although many B&M flyers exist at parks around the world today, the idea was revolutionary at the time, creating a ripple of safe and comfortable innovation within the theme park industry, that still exists today. The coaster opened complete for the 2002 season as Air, with less theming than Alton Towers’ other thrill coasters, however many argue that the overall experience makes up for the lack of theming, and I agree!

Air continued to operate until 2015, when the ride when down for a retheme after 13 years of operation. A year later the coaster reopened as Galactica, with added theming and a new VR aspect. Throughout their VR experience riders would embark on a journey through space, with stars, meteors and… technical problems. The use of VR on a coaster was groundbreaking in itself, no other park had dared to try it before, and at the time of Galactica’s opening the technology was not completely perfected, leading to issues with the audio, visuals and sometimes even both! The VR goggles were a maintenance nightmare, so much that they were removed for the 2019 season just three years after they were added.

Today Galactica continues to operate without VR in Forbidden Valley, as the second coaster to be added into the area after Nemesis in 1994.

The Smiler, Alton Towers

The Smiler at Alton Towers. © @lift_hills_and_launches on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lift_hills_and_launches/

For this one we’re coming back to Alton Towers, to that sinister little corner of the park known as X Sector! When ride safety regulations were updated in the 2000s, the Black Hole, the park’s indoor Schwarzkopf Jet Star 2, was forced to close due to Alton Towers not wanting to update the ride. The tent that housed the coaster was used as a location for ScareFest mazes and other events for several years, before it’s demolition in 2012.

By 2012 it had been two years since the opening of the Towers’ most recent coaster, Th13teen, and park-goers wanted something new. Planning permission for a new rollercoaster had been submitted and approved earlier that year, but the new ride had to be compact enough to fit in the small empty space left over by the Black Hole’s closure. On top of that, Alton Towers wanted the new coaster to be record-breaking- the record for the most inversions had to be smashed, with at least two more than the current record of ten. John Wardley and several other designers experimented with different designs and ideas, and came back with a design that incorporated the required twelve inversions, plus two more!

Throughout The Smiler’s construction the park released promotional materials and videos to grow a hype for the opening- and this included spray painting local sheep with the ride’s logo! If that doesn’t scream ‘England’, I don’t know what does. A backstory was also created, centring around two students researching psychology and the fictional government organisation the Ministry Of Joy, which aimed to correct society by forcing the world to smile. The students met Miles Cedars, the Ministry’s first test subject, and found some video tapes in his home, leading them down a rabbit hole through the story of The Smiler- all of this can be found on Alton Towers’ YouTube channel!

Due to technical issues this record-breaking rollercoaster opened a few months later than originally planned- instead of opening for the beginning of the 2013 season, The Smiler opened to the public on May 31st! The opening year was plagued with issues: from trains valleying on the track, to the safety system constantly stopping the ride, to extensive maintenance forcing the ride to go down A LOT, 2013 certainly didn’t go the way the park had planned. It turned out these were just teething issues however, and for over a year the ride continued to operate as normal- that was, until June 2015.

Warning- the following content may be distressing to some viewers, if you feel you may be disturbed by this, skip to the next ride.

The ride’s manufacturer, Gerstlauer, had stated that the ride could not operate in high winds, like those of 2nd June 2015. It was a busy summer day at Alton Towers and the ride operators on The Smiler made the decision to add a fifth train to the coaster in order to reduce queue times and control the crowds. When the ride was forced to go down for maintenance, this fifth train was released, and during testing, it valleyed on the batwing element, and as a train full of riders was released, the safety system stopped it on the lifthill, sensing the train on the track. A lack of communication between park operation and maintenance led to engineers overriding the safety system, and the train crashed with massive impact into the train already on the track, at a speed of 90mph, similar to a high speed car crash. Three teenagers in the front row of the train suffered life-changing injuries, while other riders suffered injuries that were less severe.

The next day Alton Towers closed out of respect for the victims of the accident, and when it opened a few days later many rides remained closed, including Hex, Duel and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. About year later the majority of the closed rides reopened, including The Smiler, with new safety regulations incorporated into the ride’s operations, and the previous references to correction removed.

I want to add that this kind of incident is extremely rare, and when they do occur, it’s always almost as a result of human error- amusement rides, particularly rollercoasters, go through meticulous safety checks every day to ensure the utmost security for riders. Theme parks are statistically very safe: you are more likely to be injured while travelling to the park, than at the park itself. The Smiler crash of 2015 resulted in a massive change within the amusement industry, safety rules were updated and today, Alton Towers is one of the safest parks in the world.

Log Coaster, Gullivers Kingdom Matlock Bath

I was unable to find an image of the coaster, but here is an image of some of the rides at Gulliver’s Kingdom Matlock! © User PLTRON on Wikipedia

This one is pretty obscure. Chances are you’ve ridden at least one kiddie coaster before, whether it be when you actually were a kid, or as an enthusiast “just for the credit” (come on, we’ve all done that before!) Many of us have heard about some of the better known kiddie ride manufactures, Zamperla etc. but have you heard of the mysterious Cavazza Diego and it’s even more mysterious Super Nessi Junior Coasters?

No one really knows much about Cavazza Diego and it’s coasters, when doing research on this small manufacturer I could hardly find anything about it, however it seems the company originated in Italy, and built rides in parks across the world, from the US to the Philippines! Two coaster models are known to be built by Cavazza Diego, the Blizzard and Super Nessi Junior Coaster models, but, strangely, there is no documentation linking the coasters and the company, while other ride manufactures patent their projects so they cannot be stolen or copied, Cavzza Diego either didn’t care, or didn’t have the means to do this.

If you want to learn more about Super Nessi Junior Coasters and their unique layout, check out this POV of Dino Roller at Flamingo Land!

What we do know however, is that many Blizzards and Super Nessi Junior Coasters were built in parks and attractions across the UK, with the company’s first ever Super Nessi being in a park located in the Midlands of England: Gulliver’s Kingdom Matlock Bath! Nestled among Derbyshire woods, Gulliver’s Matlock Bath is truly a park in the middle of nowhere, that until 2018 was home to two coasters, Switchback and the iconic Log Coaster! Switchback closed in Summer 2018, leaving the world’s first Super Nessi as the only rollercoaster in the park!

Manufactured in 1986 but not officially opening until the year after, Log Coaster was one of the first rides to open at Gulliver’s, and was a favourite at the park from the very beginning. Today this classic kiddie ride continues to operate at the park, however very few people know of Log Coaster’s legacy, and the mark it left on theme parks across the world!

Th13teen, Alton Towers

Th13teen at Alton Towers. ©@roller_coaster_rachel on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/roller_coaster_rachel/

Aaaaaaaand we’re back at Alton Towers for the last coaster on this list. As you’ve seen, much of the UK’s coaster innovation can find it’s roots at the Towers, and Th13teen is no exception. Throughout this ride’s construction, Alton Towers’ media team did a great job of creating a terrifying theme for the ride, with Internet and TV ads advertising Th13teen as the most petrifying ride ever created, with large amounts of it’s promotional material calling it a ‘psycoaster’, combining words ‘psycho’ and ‘coaster’, which already have terrifying enough associations, and suggesting that riders may even need to sign a waiver before boarding the attraction!

The main aim of these marketing strategies however was to tell pretty much everyone about Th13teen’s never seen before element- and this is what sets this coaster apart from the rest! When advertising Th13teen the park decided not to reveal what the element is, in order to up the fear factor, similar to Kings Island’s advertising of Mystic Timbers, just 5 years earlier! Much speculation grew surrounding this “hidden element”. Would it be more frightening theming? An inversion? Something even scarier?

At this point I feel I need to issue a spoiler alert from here on in: if you have not yet ridden Th13teen and want to keep the mystery element a surprise, do not read on!

You kept scrolling, I warned you, so lets do this. For all Th13teen’s terrifying ads, it turned out to be an Intamin Family Coaster, at first glance no different from any other family coaster, other than the creepy theming, of course. But Th13teen wasn’t just a family ride. At the end of the relatively tame layout, riders are taken into what looks like an abandoned building, and held stationary for several seconds, before being dropped to a lower segment of track and launched backwards!

Like many of the coasters on this list, the concept seems so obvious now, and there are so many rides with a similar or identical concept around the world. But at the time of Th13teen’s opening at the beginning of the 2010 season, the idea was revolutionary: the Intamin Drop Coaster!

But remember, if you’re going down to the woods today, you’d better not go alone…

Have you ridden any of the coasters on the list? Which is your favourite? Let me know in the comments below!

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Europe’s Greatest Darkrides- one continent, many amazing worlds

Europe is home to many incredible darkrides, from the thrills of indoor rollercoasters, to the beauty of many of the scenes in some trackless and water-based darkrides. Not all rides are created equal however, and some parks go all out with creating the most immersively impressive darkride experiences for their guests, combining technology, story and…

The Thorpe Fire of 2000- the event that changed the park forever

The aims, target audience and actions of all theme parks and park companies are largely influenced by past events, some more than others. Sometimes these events will only affect small aspects of the park, such as a ride closing or being rethemed, but occasionally they can change the future of the park and it’s owners…

The Disney Park of the Future: has Epcot lost sight of it’s vision?

Let’s face it: what with all the Disney parks closed, we’re all facing a bit of Disney withdrawal, myself included in that. Today I’ll try to cure a bit of your (and my) theme park withdrawal by diving into the history of one of the world’s most famous theme parks, a park that started with…

Photo credits:

@roller_coaster_rachel on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/roller_coaster_rachel/

@lift_hills_and_launches on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lift_hills_and_launches/

@thorpe.towers on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thorpe.towers/

@coaster_paradox on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/coaster_paradox/

User PLTRON on Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gulliver%27s_Kingdom_-_Rides.jpg

@thrillridesuk on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thrillridesuk/

ThrillridesUK YouTube channel- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqmGn3VO2-TflkqnDZw4gkA

Video credit:

Coaster Review on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-ZQ06UakGCrfXZWZXWsFTQ

Thanks for reading!

The Disney Park of the Future: has Epcot lost sight of it’s vision?

©By Eric Marshall, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=59783316

Let’s face it: what with all the Disney parks closed, we’re all facing a bit of Disney withdrawal, myself included in that. Today I’ll try to cure a bit of your (and my) theme park withdrawal by diving into the history of one of the world’s most famous theme parks, a park that started with a focus on education and is slowly shifting towards our favourite Disney characters, so lets explore the history of Epcot, Disney’s park of the future.

The City of Tomorrow

Epcot’s roots can be traced all the way back to the 1960s, when Walt Disney displayed his ideas for a city of the future complete with houses, schools and an innovative monorail transport system similar to Tomorrowland’s Transit Authority Peoplemover in Magic Kingdom. Motorised vehicles such as cars and trucks would be kept on underground roads to prevent injury above ground, and the city would always be updated with the latest technology in order to always be a look ahead to the future. Disney called this concept the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, abbreviated to EPCOT, and it would be located in central Florida as part of what was then called the “Florida Project”.

Throughout the 1960s Walt Disney and the Imagineers purchased 113km2 of swampland close to Florida’s largest city, Orlando, and just a year after Walt’s death in 1966, construction began on the Magic Kingdom, set to open in early October 1971. Until the early 1980s, Magic Kingdom would remain the only theme park in Florida’s Walt Disney World, with River Country being the only water park. In the next twenty years however, this would change drastically.

The design and creation of EPCOT Center

During the 1970s WED Enterprises, now known as Walt Disney Imagineering, decided they wanted to incorporate more of Walt’s original ideas into Disneyland in California and the new Walt Disney World in Florida. One of Disney’s biggest dreams, the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow would be brought to life in Florida, but there was a problem. WED couldn’t decide what the main focus of the park should be: should Epcot be a journey through future technology with cutting edge educational experiences, or a world showcase where guests travel the world in one day, exploring a different culture at each pavilion?

The final decision was: both.

This new, unique theme park would be divided into two main sections: Future World would showcase the innovative technologies of the future in a fun, family friendly way, and the area’s icon would be a giant geosphere made from 11,324 silver shapes, housing a darkride known as Spaceship Earth. In the adjacent World Showcase, ten countries showed off their national culture, food and celebrations in their own pavilions, surrounding a circular lake known simply as World Showcase Lake.

Inspiration from 1964

The park would be a permanent World’s Fair inspired by that of New York in 1964, when Walt Disney showcased his ideas for rides and attractions for Disneyland and the eventual Walt Disney World, with attractions that challenged the mind to think about the choices we make and how we interact with the world. This was brought to guests by a sponsorship system similar to the 1964 World’s Fair, and sponsors included local and national companies including General Motors and General Electric. Little money was actually put into the maintenance of EPCOT Center by the Disney company itself- the upkeep of the park was totally reliant on sponsors, which would eventually prove to be a negative move for the company, as will be discovered later.

Welcoming Guests To the Future

“We’ve just began to dream” Epcot’s opening ceremony in October 1982. ©Raydeforest, Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Opening_Ceremonies_for_EPCOT_Center.jpg

EPCOT Center opened as scheduled on 1st October 1982, and opening day was a huge success. Guests instantly fell in love with the park’s innovative concept, and children and adults alike were inspired by EPCOT’s thought-provoking but fun rides and attractions. Exclusively for the opening ceremony a new show was performed: We’ve Just Began To Dream, and the Sherman Brothers, who have written many iconic Disney parks songs we still enjoy to this day, wrote a song called The World Showcase March. Doves and balloons were released into the sky at the end of the show, and water taken from rivers around the world was emptied into the Fountain of Nations. It was truly a celebration for the future, one Walt Disney himself would have been proud of!

The Attractions of EPCOT Center

Future World

EPCOT Center’s two lands offered very different experiences. Located at the front of the park Future World was originally divided into six pavilions, which eventually was increased to nine at the end of the 1980s, and each pavilion featured some kind of ride or attraction showcasing whatever aspect of the universe it was dedicated to. World of Motion and Universe of Energy both utilised darkrides to tell the stories of progress in transportation and energy, while the Land used a gentle boat ride to take guests on a journey through sustainability and farming, known as Listen To The Land (now Living With The Land).

The symbols of EPCOT Center’s Future World. ©D23.com

CommuniCore

CommuniCore was essentially the Main Street of EPCOT Center, a hub that showed off the latest cutting edge computing technology, featuring SMRT-1, a robot that would respond to certain questions and voice commands- almost like an early version of Alexa or Siri! Instead of seeing Cinderella’s Castle at the end of this technological Main Street guests were greeted with an amazing geosphere, Spaceship Earth, which housed a darkride of the same name, taking guests on an adventure through the history of human communication.

Imagination!

Imagination! focused on, well, just that, starring the imaginative inventor Dreamfinder and his dragon sidekick Figment. With a darkride that was a whimsical Journey into Imagination (with that name!) and the Imageworks, a creative “lab” where kids and kids at heart could create anything they put their minds to with the use of screens and interactive activities. The sky was the limit at the Imagination pavilion, where anything was possible with just One Little Spark! Admit it, the song just got stuck in your head- it got stuck in mine too.

Horizons

Horizons was the only attraction at EPCOT Center to showcase every aspect of Future World, utilising two massive OMNIMAX screens which were cutting edge at the time it was built, and taking guests through scenes showcasing innovative visions for future civilisations. At the end of the attraction, riders would decide on one of three scenes to complete their experience, a feature called Choose your Own Tomorrow. This thought-provoking omnimover attraction was a favourite in Future World, and Disney were met with outcry and dismay from almost everyone who had ever ridden it when Horizons was forced to close due to a sinkhole in 1999.

Wonders of Life pavilion during the late 2010s, used as a Festival Centre. ©WALTDISNEYWORLD626 on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/WALTDISNEYWORLD626/videos

The Living Seas

Opened in 1986, The Living Seas utilised showed guests the beauty of our oceans, and in 2006 received an overhaul to be themed to the 2003 Pixar movie Finding Nemo, and was renamed to The Seas with Nemo and Friends. A new attraction was added, Turtle Talk With Crush, and the omnimover ride already at the pavilion was rethemed.

Wonders of Life

Three years later, 1989 brought the opening of the final Future World pavilion to open without replacing another: Wonders of Life. Planned as Life and Health until Metlife’s sponsorship in the mid-80s, Wonders of Life featured two main attractions- Cranium Command and Body Wars, along with smaller scale shows including The Making of Me, Goofy about Health and Frontiers of Medicine. The pavilion was housed inside an impressive golden dome, and hanging from the roof was a colourful mobile that could be seen from almost anywhere in the building. If you want to learn more about the rise and fall of Wonders of Life and it’s unusual but quirky attractions, check out our post at the end of this article!

World Showcase

World Showcase is exactly that, a place for countries from any continent to showcase their culture and cuisine. Guests can travel the world in an hour or less, where distance and landforms don’t limit how far you can go! During EPCOT Center’s opening year the area featured nine nation pavilions: Canada, the UK, France, Japan, the American Adventure, Italy, Germany, China and Mexico. In later years, Morocco and Norway were added in the expansion spaces left by Imagineering during the EPCOT’s construction. Some national pavilions feature their own rides, such as Maelstrom, now Frozen Ever After at Norway, and Gran Fiesta Tour starring the Three Caballeros at Mexico, while others show screen or stage shows, such as O Canada at, well, Canada, and Reflections of China at the China pavilion. Each pavilion showcases traditional architecture and references to their country’s history, to give you the feeling that you are really there, and some of the pavilions are really immersive!

The Fall of EPCOT’s Sponsorship System

Nothing lasts forever, and it seems EPCOT Center’s pavilion sponsor system falls under that statement too. By the mid-90s many of the companies supporting the rides and attractions had ended their sponsorships, leading certain areas to fall into disrepair, and the park simply could not afford to keep up maintenance for these areas. As sponsors fell away some new companies took up this new opportunity, for example when Kraft ended their sponsorship for The Land in 1993, Nestle jumped at the chance. Nestle’s sponsorship brought drastic changes, particularly to one of the pavilion’s main attractions, Kitchen Kaberet. This fun animatronic show was possibly one of the most unusual attractions to ever be built at a Disney park, featuring food items singing a medley of songs. When Nestle sponsored the pavilion, one of the changes they insisted came was that Kitchen Kaberet would be rethemed to Food Rocks, with parodies of popular songs and bands based around food and nutrition, including The Peach Boys, Refrigerator Police, Fud Wrapper- you get the idea.

The attraction had potential, but sadly this potential wasn’t executed, with a low budget put towards a show that looked like it had been thrown together in the space of an hour. Ten years later Food Rocks closed after a gradual decline in popularity among guests, as what would be the first example of the failure of EPCOT Center’s sponsorship system.

The entrance to The Land pavilion, Future World. By Michael Rivera – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58339236

The Land was not the only pavilion to feel the effects of the failing system, with Wonders of Life also suffering. After 12 years sponsoring the pavilion, MetLife pulled out of the deal in 2001, and it was as if maintenance had just stopped altogether. Wonders of Life’s main attractions, Cranium Command and Body Wars, started to fall into disrepair and experienced more downtime than they ever had during the sponsorship, while the pavilion’s smaller attractions, such as Frontiers of Medicine, were abandoned completely. When Wonders of Life officially closed in 2007, Body Wars and Cranium Command were just left to deteriorate for years, almost completely intact. In December 2018 the animatronic star of Cranium Command, Buzzy, was stolen, sparking a massive social media movement, #findbuzzy, to get this beloved Cranium Commando restored to his rightful home at Epcot.

Thrills and IPs

What started out as an educational park with rides that sparked the imagination and made you think about your impact on the world, gradually started to become like any other Disney park, with IPs and family thrills.

World of Motion and Horizons, both much-loved attractions at the original EPCOT Center, were replaced with thrill rides in the respective years of 1999 and 2004, with each ride having a different reason for it’s closure. Walt Disney World is located in the middle of Florida swamplands, where sinkholes are a major problem, particularly in the area Epcot is located in. Magic Kingdom was built raised up on the 1st floor to avoid flooding, but while Epcot was built raised up it wasn’t as high as Magic Kingdom, so sinkholes were an issue for the park. After a sinkhole collapsed in 1999 the building that housed Horizons was seriously damaged and the Disney company did not want to repair it, as the ride had already been falling into disrepair from, you guessed it, a sponsorship fall. Instead Horizons was demolished, and a new, better structured building was built in it’s place, housing Mission: SPACE, an intense motion simulator ride that sent riders on a training mission to outer space, without the without the General Electric sponsorship Horizons had.

World of Motion original logo ©Disney

World of Motion was the main attraction of Future World’s Transportation Pavilion, allowing guests to explore the history of human advancements in transportation from their OmniMover ride vehicle. With a logo depicting a small blue ball flying through waves of speed of the same colour, this thought-provoking darkride was an icon of EPCOT Center until January 1996, when the pavilion’s sponsor, General Motors, decided to replace the ride with a more innovative, thrilling idea. Riders would begin the attraction by designing their own car, then learn about the rigorous tests a new car must go through before being released onto the ride, and the experience would end with a high speed drive on a raised up outside road around the edges of the ride. Test Track opened to the public in March of 1999 after many problems during the ride’s construction, and it was an instant success with guests! Today Test Track operates as one of the only attractions at Epcot that still holds a sponsorship, now by Chevrolet, a separate division of General Motors.

Mission Space logo ©Disney

Both rides were and still are some of the most popular attractions at Epcot, often getting wait times of 2 hours or more during peak seasons, and their opening days marked the beginning of something massive for the park of the future.

Further towards the back of Epcot, World Showcase has recently been going through some major changes, as IPs slowly move into this area. Norway was the first pavilion to undergo these changes, with the closure of Maelstrom, one of the area’s water based darkrides, in October 2014. Less than 2 years later the attraction’s rethemed version opened as Frozen Ever After, a snowy adventure passing through scenes inspired by Frozen, however in it’s first year of operation the ride was plagued with technical issues, from animatronic malfunctions to full ride breakdowns at various points in the experience, leading to A LOT of ride evacuations, known as “In Show Exits”. I guess Frozen Ever After just let itself go into the unknown… Okay, I’ll see myself out. It will all make sense when I am older.

A Whole New World: D23 Expo 2019

Concept Art for the Epcot Overhaul, as revealed at D23 Expo 2019. ©Disney

A LOT was revealed at D23 Expo 2019, particularly for Epcot. Many fans were ecstatic to learn that Epcot would finally be getting the overhaul it’s needed for so long, the park has been having a bit of an identity crisis the last few years, after all. Others weren’t so pleased, saying the updates go against what Epcot was always meant to be about, and that the park should stay true to it’s original theme of education and progress. Some announcements were met with more excitement than others, so here are some of the main updates announced for both Future World and World Showcase in the next few years.

Future World…

Is no more. Well, technically Future World will be surviving the Epcot overhaul, but will be divided into 3 sections, known as Neighbourhoods: World Celebration, World Nature and World Discovery. Each will focus on a different aspect of our planet, similar to how the nine pavilions of EPCOT Center’s Future World represented a different element of the universe. With the new neighbourhoods will come new pavilions, including the Play! pavilion, replacing Wonders of Life. Guests will have the chance to, well, play, with their imagination and creations through experiences featuring favourite Disney characters. It could almost be described as Imageworks with IPs.

Wonders of Life isn’t the only pavilion that will be replaced as part of Epcot’s transformation. Universe of Energy, home to Ellen’s Energy Adventure, will become the site of the park’s first rollercoaster, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, a Vekoma Spinning Coaster themed to the 2014 film. As a theme park enthusiast I’ll be heartbroken to see such an iconic pavilion go, but it will be incredible for Epcot to finally get a thrill ride that isn’t a simulator or a slot car attraction that can’t decide whether it wants to be a coaster or a dark ride. (I’m looking at you, Test Track!)

Concept Art for Journey of Water attraction. ©Disney

The former site of Innoventions will also be getting an upgrade, with the water effects used on the walk up to the attraction being used in a new walkthrough experience, Journey Of Water, themed to the 2016 film Moana, as part of the Seas pavilion.

Future World will definitely be getting some amazing changes in the next few years, and this new trend doesn’t stop when you leave the area, as World Showcase will be getting a major IP-based facelift too!

World Showcase

Concept Art for the overhaul of the UK pavilion in Epcot’s World Showcase ©Disney

As what will become the 4th neighbourhood of Epcot, the eleven national pavilions of World Showcase will each be getting their own renovations, incorporating Disney characters into the countries their films are based in. France has already seen updates to it’s show and attraction line-up, with the debut of the Beauty and the Beast sing-along in January 2020, and the quickly progressing construction of Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, an impressive trackless darkride inspired by it’s sister attraction in Disneyland Paris. Over at the UK pavilion, you will have the chance to visit Number 17 Cherry Tree Lane, the home of the Banks Family and the setting of Mary Poppins.

Other pavilions will get non-IP additions and upgrades, for example China will see the addition of a new screen-based show, Wondrous China, a 360° film, while Canada will receive an upgrade to it’s existing screen show, O Canada, translating the latest technology into incredible special effects that will really enhance the experience!

World Showcase Lake

As the location for many of the water-based night time Epcot is famous for today, World Showcase Lake has always been a centre for changes and upgrades. October 2019 brought the debut of a new night show over the lake, Epcot Forever, showcasing the worldwide and futuristic aspects of the park through beautiful water effects, and sounds. This was just filler for another show however- HarmoniUS will debut at an uncomfirmed date this year, and it looks awesome!

So, has Epcot lost sight of what it was meant to be?

The answer is…complicated, but if I had to give a definitive answer, I would say yes, but perhaps it’s a good thing. EPCOT Center’s original sponsorship system was never really destined to work, there was always a risk of sponsoring companies revoking their support for the pavilions, and this was the reason for the fall of some of Future World’s pavilions, particularly Wonders of Life. With so many updates being made to the other Disney parks around the world, it would be near impossible for Disney to afford to and have time to keep Epcot equipped with the latest technology on top off all this too, which is the same reason Tomorrowland in Magic Kingdom has been left feeling too old fashioned several times in it’s history. Epcot has been seemingly having an identity crisis recently, with classic attractions being thrown together with technological IP-based attractions, so perhaps the overhaul is what the park needs to redefine it’s image.

Large numbers of people have said that all the new updates and neighbourhoods are not what Walt Disney would have wanted, but actually, Epcot was never meant to be a theme park in the first place, so it has never been truly loyal to Walt’s original vision of Epcot as a utopian city.

For many, the name EPCOT Center brings up a wave of nostalgia filled with memories of the original park’s most amazing attractions, such as Horizons and Journey Into Imagination. I didn’t visit Epcot until October 2017, when some classic attractions were left operating but many were abandoned or defunct. Even then I felt like the park really needed some sort of update- for example I loved Frozen Ever After but I didn’t really feel like it belonged in the version of Epcot that existed then.

When the details for the Epcot overhaul were first revealed last year at the D23 Expo, I was pretty sceptical on whether or not Imagineering were making the right move for the park. However now that some of the updates have actually been brought to life, such as Epcot Forever and Beauty and the Beast singalong, I’m incredibly excited for what the next few years will bring to the park of the future!

What are your thoughts? Are the upcoming Epcot updates to make it “more Disney” going to benefit the park, or make it stray further from it’s true meaning? Comment below and join the conversation!

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The Thorpe Fire of 2000- the event that changed the park forever

The aims, target audience and actions of all theme parks and park companies are largely influenced by past events, some more than others. Sometimes these events will only affect small aspects of the park, such as a ride closing or being rethemed, but occasionally they can change the future of the park and it’s owners…

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Indiana Beach: A little park with a lot of history

From it’s origins as Ideal Beach in 1926, Indiana Beach has entertained and thrilled visitors for almost 100 years. This small boardwalk park is located on Indiana’s beautiful Lake Shafer, and has previously been home to over twenty rides and attractions, aimed at families and thrillseekers alike. On February 20th 2020, Apex Parks announced the…

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The Thorpe Fire of 2000- the event that changed the park forever

The aims, target audience and actions of all theme parks and park companies are largely influenced by past events, some more than others. Sometimes these events will only affect small aspects of the park, such as a ride closing or being rethemed, but occasionally they can change the future of the park and it’s owners forever. On 21st July 2000, a fire consumed two of Thorpe Park’s most beloved attractions, rapidly switching their market from family to thrill. Today we will be delving deep into this future-changing event, how and why it happened, and how it still affects the park today. Hop in for the ride!

Thorpe Park’s Family Era

Entrance to Thorpe Park, early 2000s. Photo credit: @thorpepark1997to2003 on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thorpepark1997to2003/

From Thorpe Park’s earliest years through to 2000, it was a family orientated park, with the park’s only rollercoasters being X No Way Out, an indoor Vekoma Family Coaster, and the original incarnation of Flying Fish, the much-loved Mack Kiddie Coaster. Instead, the park was known for it’s family friendly darkrides and water rides, including Depth Charge, Tidal Wave and Wicked Witches Haunt, which was originally known as Phantom Fantasia. Thorpe Park’s thrill aspect we know and maybe love, maybe hate, didn’t exist at the park back then, and compared to other countries such as the USA, the UK’s thrill market was tiny, meaning it would have been near impossible for a full thrill park to thrive in the UK during the 80s and 90s. Even Alton Towers, the UK’s largest thrill park, was still partially family-orientated- although major coasters such as Nemesis and Oblivion were open at the time of the fire, a large proportion of the park was dedicated to families, with tamer rides such as Runaway Mine Train being the main attractions.

The Rides: One Destroyed, One Survives

Arguably two of the Thorpe Park’s most popular rides in the 90s were Wicked Witches Haunt, a ‘haunted house’ type darkride, and Mr Rabbit’s Tropical Travels, a calming outdoor boat ride. These two rides may have been located adjacent to one another, but they had very different themes and stories. Housed in a Tudor design show building and topped off with a large (and slightly intimidating) 3D witch guarding the entrance, Wicked Witches Haunt offered family friendly fear mixed with the fun aspect Thorpe Park was known for at the time, taking riders on a journey through various “horror” scenes, including a waltzing skeleton scene similar to Magic Kingdom’ s Haunted Ballroom Scene on the Haunted Mansion. The ride was originally known as Phantom Fantasia when it opened for the 1983 season, but after a large refurbishment in 1994, in which several new animatronics were installed, as well as a new soundtrack, the ride opened as the most recent version which stayed open until 2000.

Mr Rabbit’s Tropical Travels, known as Magic Mill from 1982 to 1995. Described by Thorpe Park’s 1996 map as a “colourful water-borne experience in magic surroundings”, this calming water ride was exactly that: a relaxed, relatively slow adventure through many beautiful flower gardens themed to a jungle environment, as well as large open books telling the story of Mr Rabbit and the Thorpe Park Rangers. The rethemed version of this classic boat ride opened as part of the second phase of the land’s transition from Central Park to Ranger County, and the addition of Thorpe Park’s original characters the Thorpe Park Rangers to the area.

Little did anyone know these beloved rides would soon face a tragic, fiery fate…

July 21st 2000- A Day That Changed the Future of Thorpe Park

View of the badly damaged Wicked Witches Haunt after the 2000 fire. Photo- @thorpepark1997to2003 on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thorpepark1997to2003/

Right at the start of UK schools’ six week summer break, the 21st July 2000 was another day of busy operation at the already popular theme park. Despite the crowds, everything was running normally, that was, until mid-afternoon that day.

At 3pm BST on July 21st 2020, witnesses reported seeing flames “billowing out” of the indoor section of Mr Rabbit’s Tropical Travels, and all 7000 visitors and employees in the park were evacuated swiftly and efficiently, with the last person leaving the park at 3:20pm. Up to 100 firefighters from 15 fire crews were on the scene as soon as possible, but they were unable to stop the fire spreading to several buildings nearby, including Sweet City, Amity Cove KFC and Wicked Witches Haunt, as well as completely consuming the darkride section of Mr Rabbit’s Tropical Travels, which had a timber frame, meaning the fire spread significantly faster than it would have otherwise.

When assessing the damage, Thorpe Park officials stated that the evacuation procedures the park had in place in case of an event like this went to plan, with “all persons accounted for”. It was concluded that, while the majority of the rides and buildings affected by the fire would reopen immediately or after parts had been rebuilt, Wicked Witches Haunt was damaged beyond repair and would not open again.

Repairs and Reopening- The Aftermath of the Fire

The next day, Thorpe Park reopened with a £2 decrease on ticket prices in a bid to encourage visitors back to the park. Operations occurred as normal with the obvious exceptions of the badly damaged Mr Rabbit’s Tropical Travels and Wicked Witches Haunt, yet no one could ignore the remnants of the massive fire that had occurred the day before. Due to fire damage Mr Rabbit’s Tropical Travels would not reopen until the following year, without the destroyed indoor section. As for Wicked Witches Haunt, both the façade and the inside of the ride were completely obliterated, and demolition started on the ride very soon after the fire.

A fire damaged area of the Mr Rabbit’s Tropical Travels ride, 2001. Photo Credit: @thorpepark1997to2003 on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thorpepark1997to2003/

To compensate for the loss of two rides, Thorpe opened a relocated enterprise on the former location of the bandstand area, which became a permanent attraction for the 2001 season, reopening as Zodiac. This would be the start of something massive for the park, a kind of thrill movement that would change the future of the park, and the entire UK theme park industry forever.

A Thrilling Time for Thorpe

The demolition of Wicked Witches Haunt was inevitable after the fire, however the lack of the ride left a heartbreakingly large empty space in the area. To fill the area, Thorpe opened Detonator in 2001, a mega droptower manufactured by Fabbri Group, which at 115ft, or 35m was the tallest ride in the park. The theme and name of Thorpe Park’s second major thrill ride would remain the same until 2014, when it was renamed as Detonator: Bombs Away to fit with the new Angry Birds Land that had come to the area.

In that same year the park announced Colossus, a new Intamin Custom Coaster, which would become famous for breaking the world record for the most inversions on a coaster at the time, tied with another Intamin in China, at 10. Opening in 2002, Colossus would be end the coaster gap that had been occurring at Thorpe since the opening of X: No Way Out, and was the first major thrill coaster at the park. We know now that it certainly wouldn’t be the last; in the next 10 years to now many more thrilling rides would open!

Nemesis Inferno, the B&M inverted coaster that replaced Mr Rabbit’s Tropical Travels in 2003. Photo Credit: Ginger Freckled Girl blog https://gingerfreckledgirl.wordpress.com/

Mr Rabbit’s Tropical Travels continued to operate until 2001, when the well-loved water ride was removed and construction started on something big. Would it be a flat ride, similar to Detonator located nearby? A darkride, maybe? A coaster? Well, the latter option turned out to be true, when shortly after the opening of Colossus in 2002, the park announced they would already be building their second thrill coaster of the decade, a B&M invert with four inversions and a top speed of 47.8mph, which would make it’s debut in May 2003, nine years after the opening of Alton Towers’ version of the ride, Nemesis in 1994. We now know this coaster as Nemesis Inferno. A ride built on the site of a major fire, I wonder why it was called Inferno?

These two coasters would mark the beginning of a sort of thrill movement by not just Thorpe Park but by Alton Towers too, which also obtained several thrill coasters throughout the 2000s and 2010s, including Air, Wickerman and The Smiler. The park would continue to open ground-breaking and record-smashing coasters over the next two decades after the fire, with Swarm, the UK’s first B&M wing coaster, in 2012, and Stealth, the second tallest coaster in the UK. It’s no wonder that today, Thorpe Park is arguably one of the greatest thrill-based theme parks in the UK, along with Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Flamingo Land and Alton Towers, and many say that without the fire of 2001, UK theme parks like Thorpe Park wouldn’t necessarily have the amazing (and not so amazing, in some cases) thrill rides we enjoy today!

What is your favourite ride or attraction at Thorpe Park, whether it be operating or defunct? Tell me below and join the conversation!

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No Way Out: The History of Thorpe Park’s X and the Walking Dead

Throughout its forty-three year history, Thorpe Park has been home to some pretty amazing rides. From petting farms to high-speed thrill rides, there has always been something for everyone, and some attractions leave more of a legacy than others. Among now defunct greats is X:/ No Way Out, which took riders on an adventure through…

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Reaching for the Skies- the Evolution of London’s Airports

CW: Mentions of War and the Pandemic For years, aviation has been a massive part of the travel industry, whether you’re travelling to a far-flung location, or your destination is just a little too far to drive or go by ferry. But like any flight, the story of London’s five airports hasn’t been without turbulence.…

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From Europe and Beyond- the history of Center Parcs | DreamVenture

If you’ve booked a European holiday in the past fifty-four years, chances are you’ve at least come across Center Parcs. First founded in 1968, this popular holiday park chain provides holidays aimed at those looking for an adventure, but also to escape the stresses of day-to-day life. But with an impressive twenty-eight resorts, two brand…

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Photo credits:

@thorpepark1997to2003 on Instagram. An amazing Instagram account on which a former Thorpe Park employee posts photos he captured while working at the park, it really gives a great insight into what the park was like in the late 1990s and early 2000s!

Check it out here! https://www.instagram.com/thorpepark1997to2003/ Ginger Freckled Girl blog. With interesting posts about everything from lifestyle, to travel, to theme parks and coasters, her posts are a must read if you love to travel and visit theme parks! https://gingerfreckledgirl.wordpress.com/

Thanks for reading!

-Lily

Indiana Beach: A little park with a lot of history

View of Indiana Beach from Lake Shafer, IN. Photo credit- ExploringWithSloth on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/exploringwithsloth/

From it’s origins as Ideal Beach in 1926, Indiana Beach has entertained and thrilled visitors for almost 100 years. This small boardwalk park is located on Indiana’s beautiful Lake Shafer, and has previously been home to over twenty rides and attractions, aimed at families and thrillseekers alike. On February 20th 2020, Apex Parks announced the sad news that they would be closing this much loved park permanently after nearly 100 years, and many who had made memories at Indiana Beach or had planned to visit the park were shocked and saddened by the news. Let’s take a step back in time to see the ups and downs of the history of Indiana Beach, and have a look at the golden years, and, maybe not so golden years, of this much loved boulevard park.

The Early Years of Ideal Beach

In Summer of 1926, the Spackman family opened Ideal Beach, a beach resort on the coastline of Indiana’s Lake Shafer. During the it’s first year of operation, Ideal Beach featured only a bath house, a refreshment stand, and of course the beach the resort was known for. 1927 brought the addition of Ideal Beach’s first amusement attraction, and this kickstarted the expansions and growth that would make the park what it is today. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, the resort was famed for it’s Ideal Beach Ballroom, which housed many seasonal events and celebrations, with some of the USA’s best known bands playing at the ballroom.

In 1951, the park declared it’s first and final name change, as Indiana Beach, named after the state the park is located in. Later that year, Indiana Beach announced the addition of their first rollercoaster, a steel family coaster that would open with the new Kiddyland area of the resort. Officially opening in 1952, Little Dipper was built and manufactured by the Allan Herschell Company, which would eventually go on to create many well known kiddie and family coasters, including the defunct little dipper family coaster Das Katzchen at Busch Gardens Williamsburg in Virginia.

Rides on the river’s edge

Signage for Cornball Express, a CCI wooden coaster at Indiana Beach. Phot Credit: Rajamitsu on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/rajamitsu/

Little Dipper would continue to be a family favourite at the resort until the ride’s closure in the 1970s, when Galaxi, a steel coaster built by SDC, would replace it as the only rollercoaster in the park. During this time Indiana Beach would feature other family rides, including Giant Gondola Wheel, a retro Ferris Wheel, and Grand Carousel, which is, you guessed it, a grand carousel. Seven years later, the park would make what would arguably be their most valuable investment: an electric-powered darkride known as Superstition Mountain, in which riders were taken on an adventure through an immersive artificial mountain. The new ride was an instant success with visitors, and, in 2001, it was announced that this much-loved darkride would undergo an extensive renovation by Custom Coasters International, or CCI.

Entrance to Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain. Photo Credit: Rajamitsu on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/rajamitsu/

The ride reopened for the 2002 season, under a new name: Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain. Parts of the track had been replaced with new CCI wooden tracks, and an elevator lift was installed at the beginning of the ride to act as a kind of lift hill. Even now, Lost Coaster is considered one of the most intense coasters in Indiana and possibly even in the USA, so much that the park actually had to install trim brakes to make it a more comfortable, family friendly ride!

Between 1994 and 2008, the park added many new attractions, some large, some pretty minor. Major additions made by Ideal Beach included Hoosier Hurricane and Cornball Express, both thrilling CCI woodies, and Tig’rr Coaster, a Schwarzkopf Jet Star coaster relocated from Pontchartrain Beach, Louisiana in 1984.

The Morgan Era

Steel Hawg at Indiana Beach, opened in 2008. Photo Credit: https://www.instagram.com/coaster_mecca/

In February of 2008, after 82 years owned by the Spackman family, Indiana Beach, it’s waterpark and campgrounds were sold to Morgan RV LLC, who already owned several resorts and campgrounds across the USA. Although no official reason for the deal was given, it is likely that it was due to financial issues faced by the park.

It’s difficult to decide whether or not this was a good move for the park. Sure, Morgan RV added some new attractions that no doubt saved the park from bankruptcy, including Steel Hawg, an S&S 4D that brought many more thrillseekers and coaster enthusiasts to the park, and Dragon Wagon, the park’s first family coaster since the closure of Little Dipper in the 1970s. But some of the changes the company made to Indiana Beach were… questionable. Many visitors felt that Morgan didn’t put the same love into the park that the Spackmans did; instead they focussed on their other resorts, meaning some of Indiana Beach’s rides fell into disrepair, experiencing extensive downtime.

Cornball Express. Photo: Google

This led a large proportion of Indiana Beach’s workforce to walk out in protest in August 2011, over concerns that safety regulations were being violated. Employees expressed their concerns raised by the large amounts of downtime faced by many of the rides, saying that the downtime was due to Morgan RV refusing to buy new parts, whether it be that they didn’t want to spend money on the park, or because they simply could not afford to. Derrel Price, a former employee at Indiana Beach, resigned from his job at the park, saying that rides were being operated in unsafe conditions, and that he wanted guests to know what a “sad state” the park was in. Signs held by the protesters read “80+ years of memories destroyed” and “get me off this ride”- the protest was even broadcasted on local news, with protest leader Derrel Price being interviewed live about his concerns for the park. Park officials hit back at the protests, saying the park “looked better than ever” and that ride safety precautions were at their highest in park history. Despite their efforts to restore Indiana Beach’s reputation to it’s usual high, and the ruling that the park had not breached any safety regulations, it still suffered significant losses, and, for the first time in park history, Indiana Beach’s future looked uncertain. It may have been the first, but sadly this wouldn’t be the last time the park would face this kind of uncertainty over it’s future.

Apex Parks: Indiana Beach’s final owner

In September 2015, Morgan RV LLC sold the park to California based company Apex Parks Group, who owned a number of small amusement parks and two water parks, as well as the Boomers Family Fun Centre chain. Many felt that this was a brilliant move for the park, with Indiana Beach officials saying that it was “an exciting time for (the park)” and that the deal would bring the opportunity for expansion.

For the next few years after this the park continued to run smoothly, and although no new coasters were added, it seemed that the park was finally getting the love it had been deprived of under Morgan RV’s ownership. However, Indiana Beach was slowly but surely declining in value, and by 2018 Apex were trying to sell off rides such as Dragon Wagon in an attempt to save the park. Rides were removed and employee numbers were cut, yet the park still couldn’t be saved. On February 20th 2020, Apex Parks groups announced that despite their diligent attempts to find a buyer, they were unsuccessful, and Indiana Beach would subsequently not be returning for the 2020 season. A day later the same company announced that another one of their amusement parks, Fantasy Island in New York, acquired by Apex in 2016, would also suffer the same fate.

Queen Shafer boat at Indiana Beach resort. Photo Credit: Larry Pieniazek on Wikipedia https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Lar

Anyone who had visited Indiana Beach in the past and made memories there, or had plans to visit the park, was obviously shocked and heartbroken to hear that this historic boardwalk park would be closing permanently. It’s fair to say that while many of us will be sad to see this classic park go, it isn’t really surprising given the way Apex Parks has been struggling frantically to find a buyer, even selling off some of their rides in the process. Indiana Beach is a staple of Indiana and the Lake Shafer, and holds so many memories for so many people who will deeply miss this much loved park.

Having never before travelled to Indiana, I never had the chance to visit this iconic boulevard park and waterpark, but I am heartbroken to see such a huge part of theme park history just being abandoned, and I, like many people, am still hoping a buyer will be found for Indiana Beach before it’s too late.

What are your favourite memories of Indiana Beach? What do you hope will happen to the park, and which rides and attractions will you miss most! Let me know below!

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Race into Obscurity- the high-speed history of Disneyland’s Rocket Rods

Of all the themed lands that have ever entertained guests at Disney parks, Tomorrowland has always been one of the most problematic. This hopeful world has gone through a range of updates since it first debuted with Disneyland in 1955, mainly to make sure it always remains as a promise of what’s to come, rather…

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Theme Park Things to Look Forward to in 2022

To say this decade so far has been crazy would be an understatement. From pandemics to who knows what else, its certainly been a rollercoaster… and not a fun one either. But that’s not to say there haven’t been some positives. In the last year alone we’ve heard much-anticipated announcements and seen new rides that…

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Drops, Tracks and Sheds: the twisting tale of Mystic Timbers

Every theme park has that one thing they’re amazing at. At the Disney and Universal parks it’s immersive dark rides, at the Legoland parks it’s creating attractions that really look like they have been made from giant building blocks… and at Kings Island, the specialty is wooden coasters. Since the success of the Beast in…

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Strangeness of Life: The weird and wonderful attractions of Epcot’s Wonders of Life Pavilion

The original entrance to the Wonders of Life Pavilion. Photo credit: @classic_world_magic on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/classic_world_magic/

When Walt Disney began drawing up his plans for the Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow, something that was included right from the start was a pavilion dedicated to health and fitness, and the wonders of the human body. Imagineers wanted to stay as close to the original plans as possible when designing Epcot Center, now simply known as Epcot, so of course this pavilion was included in the park. The Wonders of Life Pavilion seemed destined for success, and for a while it was until it’s sad closure in 2007. So what happened, and why did this classic, much-loved pavilion close? Keep reading to find out!

Dreaming up Wonders of Life

The entrance to the Wonders of Life Pavilion, taken in 2007. Photo credit: WillMmC at Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:WillMcC

A pavilion dedicated to health, fitness and nutrition in a Disney park, which were then notorious for unhealthy food, was a completely new idea, which meant Imagineering found it difficult to find a sponsor for their new pavilion. They eventually found one in the insurance and benefit company MetLife, who agreed to work with the pavilion until 2001. Wonders of Life would be situated between Mission: Space and Universe of Energy, and would feature several permanent attractions, including Cranium Command, a screen and animatronic based show, and Body Wars, a simulator type ride that took riders on an adventure through the human body. (More on these later!) Some theatres was also included in the plans, which would feature many non-permanent shows, one of which being the famously strange screen-based show The Making Of Me.

The Wonders of Life Pavilion opened to mostly positive reviews in October 1989, approximately 7 years after the park’s opening in 1989. A large, circular gold tent, housed 2 major attractions, Cranium Command and Body Wars, and guests entering were greeted with a large DNA spiral and a sign welcoming them to the pavilion. As shown in the plans for Epcot Center, the golden tent also featured a theatre, which was home to The Making of Me, along with other, short-term shows.

Epcot’s most controversial attraction?

The logo designed by WDI for The Making of Me

Countless attractions occupied the gold tent that was Wonders of Life, some of them successful, some of them not. Many of the pavilion’s rides and attractions caused controversy, however most of this was aimed at one attraction in particular: The Making Of Me. Some parents reported that their children had been asking uncomfortable questions after seeing the show, regarding concepts parents really don’t want to have to explain to their 5 and 6 year olds. The Making of Me, voiced by Martin Short, began with two people falling in love in High School, continuing with a cartoon sequence showing a sperm fertilising an egg, before showing how the embryo develops into a foetus, before eventually revealing the child when it was born. You can imagine how this led to some seriously awkward conversations between kids and parents.

Inside The Making Of Me theatre. Photo credit: Flikr

Others argued that, as The Making Of Me showed fertilisation and of course birth, it could bring up the topic of abortion, which for many is a sensitive subject, and is even banned by some religions and in some countries. Subsequently a warning sign was placed at the entrance to the theatre, advising parents that the show may not be suitable for some children. Despite the controversy (and awkward conversations) sparked by the attraction, many people said The Making Of Me handled these sensitive subjects well, combining just the right amount of information and family-friendliness, and it continued to run until Wonders of Life’s closure in 2007.

A (Very) Rough Ride!

Poster for Wonders of Life’s Body Wars simulator ride. Image: Walt Disney Archives

To say that Body Wars was a bit of a rough ride would be an understatement- many consider it to be the roughest attraction ever built by Disney, even now! Some riders called it The Vomit Machine, and its even been suggested that six out of every ten riders of Body Wars would throw up at some point on the ride!

Body Wars took riders on a journey through the human body, using a simulator-type ride system similar to the one used on Star Tours at Hollywood Studios. After being shrunk down to smaller than a blood vessel, guests would board a vehicle similar to a spaceship, and would venture into the blood to rescue a scientist that had become trapped on blood vessel. It was certainly an immersive experience, too immersive for some riders, who said that Disney’s first thrill ride was also one of the roughest!

“Where do you think you are- Disney World?”

Logo for Cranium Command. Image: Disney

Yup, this was an actual line used in the preshow of what was arguably Wonders of Life’s most popular attraction- Cranium Command. This amazing attraction followed the adventures of Buzzy, a young intern left in charge of the mind of a twelve year old boy, as he goes through puberty, school and even meets a girl he likes! Buzzy narrates the experience as a colourful animatronic at the front of the theatre, while rides see the world through the boy’s eyes.

Starting to sound familiar? The premise of Cranium Command was similar, very similar, in fact, to that of the 2015 Pixar movie Inside Out, and many people believe that the attraction was actually inspiration for the film. Because of this, there has been much speculation that Cranium Command could be getting an Inside Out overlay and retheme, with Joy and Sadness replacing Buzzy, and the experience being through Riley’s eyes, rather than the eyes of the boy.

The Pavilion’s Final Years and Closure

The abandoned queueline for Body Wars, taken in 2019. Photo credit: disneyisforadultstoo on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/disneyisforadultstoo/

Between 2003 and 2007, Disney were dropping hints at the closure of Wonders of Life, including the decision to make the pavilion seasonal operation only, with it’s last operations being in 2006. MetLife ended their sponsorship with Epcot, which led to the decline of the pavilion and it’s attractions. Despite the park’s attempts to keep Wonders of Life operational, the attractions began to fall into disrepair, and on January 1st, Epcot announced that the Wonders of Life Pavilion would close, with no official reason given for the pavilion’s closure.

Later in 2007 the building that housed Wonders of Life reopened to guests, for Epcot’s annual Food and Wine Festival. Those who wished to see or even ride their favourite attractions from the pavilion however, were sorely disappointed, when the entrances to Cranium Command and Body Wars, among other attractions, were covered by decorated construction walls. The next few years brought various removals of parts of the old pavilion, with a sign reading “celebrate the joy of life”, and the entrance signage for Body Wars being taken away in 2008 and 2009, and many of Body Wars’ mechanical systems being removed also in 2009. Some of the systems and parts used on Body Wars are now used as spare parts for Star Tours at Hollywood Studios! What was then an empty show building was for several years one of the locations used for Epcot’s Flower and Garden, and Food and Wine festivals, until, in 2012, it was reported that the park had requested for a “selective destruction” to occur at the Wonders of Life pavilion. Since then major parts of the pavilion’s rides and attractions have been gradually removed, with the dismantling of the entire ride system of Body Wars in 2014, and parts of Cranium Command’s queueline being removed in 2017. However, it is said that the theatre and staging area is still intact, and in December 2018, Epcot reported that the iconic Buzzy animatronic had been stolen from the Cranium Command theatre. This sparked a massive social media movement, known as #findbuzzy, which asked that anyone who knew anything about the disappearance of this well-known animatronic get in contact with the park. Thankfully, Epcot have said that Buzzy has since been restored to his rightful place in the theatre.

Does Wonders of Life have a future at Epcot?

The short answer is: probably not. Many of us would love to see the Wonders of Life Pavilion restored to it’s former glory, however the recent actions of Epcot and the Disney company, including the demolition of the pavilion, suggest that this particular Disney dream isn’t likely to come true. At D23 Expo in February 2019, Imagineering announced that a new, interactive Play! pavilion would be coming to the park, replacing Wonders of Life. Although many of us, myself included, will be heartbroken to see this classic pavilion go, the future of Epcot looks bright with the park’s overhaul and various new attractions, and I’m excited to see what is next announced for the park!

Did you ever get to see the Wonders of Life Pavilion at Epcot? What was your favourite ride or attraction? Let me know below!

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The Hair-Raising History of the Most Unique Scare Mazes

Halloween has crept around once again, and if there’s one thing synonymous with theme parks at this time of year, its scare mazes. These are the sort of labyrinths that are absolutely spine-chilling whether you have a good sense of direction or not, and with themes of cannibalism, curses and even evil itself, some theme…

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WillMmC on Wikipedia

Europe’s Greatest Darkrides- one continent, many amazing worlds

Europe is home to many incredible darkrides, from the thrills of indoor rollercoasters, to the beauty of many of the scenes in some trackless and water-based darkrides. Not all rides are created equal however, and some parks go all out with creating the most immersively impressive darkride experiences for their guests, combining technology, story and theming. Which ones are a must ride, and which ones can you skip? Keep reading to find out!

Note: all the rides on this list are great for different reasons, and instead of ranking the rides, this list will discuss which darkrides are the best if you are limited to only going to a certain number of parks in Europe, or you only want to queue for rides that are actually worth it. I am not sponsored by any of the parks on this list, these are just my preferences based on personal experience, and what I think makes a ride great!

Symbolica, Efteling: Kaatsheuvel, The Netherlands

Photo credit: http://www.europeancoasterkings.com

Nestled in the heart of the Netherlands, lies Efteling Theme Park, which is home to many immersive and thrilling rides, including the legendary Symbolica! Built by ETF Ride Systems and opened as part of the park’s 65th anniversary celebration, Symbolica takes riders on a magical private tour of the castle led by Pardoes, a member of the castle staff, who we first meet as an amazing animatronic in the ride’s preshow room. Prior to boarding their ride vehicles, known as Fantasievaders, riders can chooe between three tours: Heldentoer (Heroes Tour), Schattentoer (Treasure Tour) and Muziktoer (Music Tour), which offer similar but unique ride experiences. Once on the ride, you will pass through many mystical scenes, telling the story of the castle, including the Observatory, the Panorama Salon Botanicum (featuring an impressive but slightly intimidating whale animatronic!) and the Fantasy Depot, which features three different scenes, one for each tour.

The ride experience itself isn’t the only incredible thing about Symbolica though, park guests are immersed in the story even before deciding to ride, when they are greeted by an alluring, fully themed show building.

Photo credit: http://www.europeancoasterkings.com

Many darkrides have amazing show buildings, but Efteling has taken this to the next level with Symbolica. The show building really sets the scene for this beautiful family attraction!

Valhalla, Blackpool Pleasure Beach- Blackpool, England

Valhalla Show Building Façade. Photo credit: Wikipedia

Valhalla is arguably the best darkride in the UK, and possibly one of the best in Europe! Norse mythology is brought to life on this ride through an Intamin water-transit ride system, a turntable similar to the one used on Frozen Ever After in Epcot, and a range of incredible special effects! Valhalla takes riders through many stories in a short space of time, with temperature extremes ranging from -20°C (-4°F) to 40°C (104°F) in just a few minutes.

Valhalla has many moments that take it’s riders by surprise, but the 60ft splash and drop is definitely the wettest! Many people on TripAdvisor have commented on this ride’s drop, calling “really impressive” and warning that “even with waterproofs you get a soaking”. Signs throughout Valhalla’s queueline warn riders they will get “soaking wet” and at multiple points it is recommended that you buy a poncho or wear waterproofs, however many riders ignore the warnings and really do get a soaking!

This ride has undergone many refurbishments since it’s opening in 2000, in order to keep the experience looking fresh and up to date. The most recent refurbishment ended at the beginning of the 2011 season, when the impressive rockwork façade was updated, and the gift shop was removed, among some minor changes. Sadly you will be unable to ride this incredible water-based darkride this season, as it is undergoing it’s next refurbishment, but Valhalla will reopen in 2021 for Blackpool Pleasure Beach’s 125th anniversary, with a more ‘sustainable ride system!

Phantom Manor, Disneyland Paris- Paris, France

Photo Credit: http://www.coastersonthecoast.co.uk

Home to 999 happy haunts and based on an elaborate story of love and untimely loss, Phantom Manor utilizes an Omnimover Ride System and 92 audio-animatronics to bring this spooky manor to life. Loosely based on Magic Kingdom’s Haunted Mansion, Phantom Manor features many well-known scenes including the iconic Haunted Ballroom and the Stretching Room scene, however many scenes on this version have been altered or changed completely to coincide with the slightly darker theme of Melanie Ravenswood’s tragic love affair, and the unfortunate deaths of her four lovers at the hands of her father, Henry Ravenswood. The ride’s lore says that Melanie still wanders the hallways of Phantom Manor 200 years later, waiting for her wedding day to come, and will likely wander the halls of the manor for the next 200 years and more!

But is the haunted house of Disneyland’s Frontierland really haunted, or is it just special effects and animatronics? Decide for yourself when you meet the 999 happy haunts of Phantom Manor at Disneyland Paris!

I Corsari: La Vendetta del Fantsma, Gardaland-Italy

Taken from Gardaland’s website

Gardaland gets it’s name from the nearby Garda Lake, but there’s another lake hidden under the park: La Vendetta del Fantasma! When walking past the ride, guests are greeted with an impressive pirate ship standing tall and proud in a body of water. Most guests would just think the pirate ship is a charming piece of theming, but it actually houses the stairs down to one of the greatest rides in the park! Gardaland’s original owner had a dislike for show buildings as he believed they spoiled the magic of the attraction and limited the amount of theming possible, so the park’s 3 darkrides: the Magic House Vekoma Madhouse, Rameses and I Corsari, are all built underground! This not only adds a unique element to the park, but also allows for more theming than at the average theme park!

I Corsari: La Vendetta del Fantasma translates into English as The Pirates: Revenge of the Ghost, and, true to it’s name, takes riders on a magical journey through a mysterious world of pirates, mutinies and assassins, as they navigate scenes featuring islands, pirates and ghosts, with some beautiful special effects that really make the ride what it is!

Ratatouille: L’Adventure Totalement Toquee de Remy- Walt Disney Studios Parc, Paris, France

Photo Credit: Emdoesdis on Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/emdoesdis/

We’re heading back to Disneyland Paris again but now going across the road to Walt Disney Studios Parc, and the park’s Ratatouille trackless darkride! Also known as Ratatouille: The Adventure, this attraction allows guests to shrink down to the size of Remy and his rat chef friends, and experience a high-speed chase to escape a larger than life kitchen! The story of Ratatouille is brought to life through the use of an innovative trackless ride system, 3D projections and massive screens, making guests feel as if they have really stepped in to the family-favourite Pixar movie!

Due to the impressiveness and fun experiences Ratatouille: The Adventure has to offer, this ride often experiences long wait times, sometimes up to 3 hours or even longer, so this is definitely an attraction to pick up a FastPass for if possible!

Do you agree with my picks for Europe’s must-ride darkrides, or do you have any other personal favourites you think should be on this list? Let me know in the comments below!

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Disneyland’s Black Sunday: What was it and how did it happen?

“As long as there is imagination left in the world, Disneyland will never be complete”

Walt Disney

When you think of Disneyland, what comes to mind? Castles, family, and Mickey Mouse? What about fires, dehydration and stampeding crowds? Okay, those last three maybe aren’t so likely. But all these actually happened on Disneyland’s opening day, July 17th 1955, when what was meant to be The Happiest Place on Earth appeared to be anything but. How did this happen? Keep reading to find out!

Disneyland’s car park on opening day was completely full, and cars were queueing for miles down the nearby Santa Ana Freeway. Photo credit: http://www.rarehistoricalphotos.com

How Disneyland Came to Be

Walt Disney visited many local amusement parks during his childhood and teen years, and these parks were mostly filled with thrill rides such as rollercoasters and classic, same-ish rides such as carousels. There was not much theming, and not really anywhere lasting family memories could be made, unless of course you count on the rides. Although it is not completely known when and where Disney first had the idea to create a park of his own, many believe he first had the idea for Disneyland when sitting on a bench in Griffith Park, watching his daughters on a carousel. Disneyland would be a “fun little park” where adults and children alike could experience the magic of Disney movies together as a family, through rides and theming. Although many parks do this or something similar today, it was a revolutionary concept at the time, which divided opinions across the industry.

When Disney first proposed his idea to industry experts, including owners of major amusement parks, most believed Disneyland could never work, as it didn’t have major showstoppers such as rollercoasters and a Tunnel of Love, and they thought theming like castles and pirate ships had no money-making value. They even comprised a list detailing the reasons Disneyland would fail! For this reason, Walt Disney found it difficult to find an sponsor for his park, but eventually found one in the Coca Cola company, along with a consultant who advised him on where and when to build the park. They came to an agreement that Disneyland would be built in the city of Anaheim in Southern California, and would open in Summer 1955.

Built in a Year and a Day

Walt Disney proposes his idea to Orange County Officials. Photo credit- Orange County Archive

Many new theme parks today take 3 years or more to be constructed, with individual rides sometimes taking a year or more. Disney parks are unique in many ways however, seemingly even from the beginning, as Disneyland’s construction took only a year and a day. Beginning in 1954, the construction of the park was not completely finished for opening day, with some rides still being painted or even inoperable (more on this later!) Designers and engineers worked tirelessly to make the park as magical as it could possibly be, and WED Enterprises (now known as Walt Disney Imagineeing) was formed! Disneyland faced many problems during it’s construction, including that a plumbers strike meant Disney was forced to choose between working toilets and water fountains for opening day. He chose toilets, reportedly commenting that “visitors could drink Coke and Pepsi, but they can’t pee in the streets”, meaning many water fountains were inoperable in the early days of the park. The original site for the park was soon discovered to be too small, so was moved to Anaheim, which slowed down construction.

The Day Known as Black Sunday: July 17th 1955

Just a day after fresh asphalt was laid, Disneyland opened to exclusively invited guests, including celebrities and influential figures. The park was only prepared for 28,000 guests in 2 hour slots, yet over two times this number turned up on the day and all at once, many having bought counterfeit tickets, or even climbing over walls and fences to get into the most magical place on Earth. Crowds stampeded into the park, and food stands, cafes and restaurants ran out of food in less than two hours, unable to cope with the demand. The harsh sun beamed down on Anaheim that day, causing temperatures to reach 38°C, or 101 °F. The boiling temperatures caused the newly laid asphalt to melt under visitors’ feet; ladies’ high heels became stuck in the ground, and the dry water fountains just made the heat even more unbearable. Some believed the lack of water fountains were a result of Disney’s partnership with Coke and Pepsi, and a tactic to make even more money out of the sponsorship. Some rides and attractions, including Dumbo The Flying Elephant didn’t open until months after opening day, or operated not fully completed, for example the Disneyland Railroad had only two stations ready for operation. 36 cars in Autopia crashed due to kids driving dangerously, causing injuries, despite the aim of the attraction being to teach children how to drive carefully. The Mark Twain Riverboat sunk on it’s first day of operation, after being overloaded with 500 guests. A gas leak caused many rides and attractions to close, and parts of Sleeping Beauty Castle were engulfed in flames from the leak. What’s worse, the entire opening day was broadcasted live on American national television, which in itself faced many technical difficulties!

Not The Most Magical Day on Earth

Disneyland’s opening day parade, July 17th 1955. Photo Credit- http://www.rarehistoricalphotos.com

July 17th 1955 wasn’t exactly the most magical day in Disney history, and the next day guests were invited back to the park, to get a full, magical experience of Disneyland, without the problems the day before faced. Until Walt Disney’s death in 1966, July 18th was known as Disneyland’s official opening, and a few months after the opening, the day became referred to as Black Sunday by company officials. It seems the Walt Disney Company have learned from the disaster that is Black Sunday, as Disney parks are now some of the most visited, much loved theme parks across three continents!

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Celebrating the Strange: The Weirdest Disney Theme Park Parades

If there’s one thing you can expect to find in many Disney theme parks, it’s parades. Since the first ever Disney daytime parade, the Character Parade, made its debut in 1971, these massive-scale street parties have been almost as iconic to Disney as castles and rides, and add an extra layer of musical magic to…

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No Ordinary Tour: the History of Hollywood Studios’ Great Movie Ride

Movies are amazing, there’s no doubt about that. In less than three or four hours you can travel the world, go backwards or forwards in time, or explore a completely different world altogether, meeting some incredible characters along the way. But what if you could really step inside some of your favourite films? Well, once…

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Breaking News: Alton Towers announces new ‘Gangsta Granny’ dark ride

Concept Art released by Alton Towers for their new darkride “Gangsta Granny The Ride”

Recently there has been a lot of speculation among the coaster enthusiast community on what Alton Towers’ next ride will be, with predictions ranging from a ground-up RMC hybrid to a new kiddy ride for Cbeebies Land. Earlier today however, when all hope for a new ride for 2020 seemed lost, the park announced their newest dark ride, Gangsta Granny The Ride! Based on the book by David Walliams, Gangsta Granny is the first new attraction announced for the new themed land David Walliams Land, which will feature a wide range of family-friendly rides and attractions based on the popular children’s books.

The concept art released doesn’t seem to confirm much about the ride system or the effects that will be used, but from what I can take from it so far it looks like it will be one of two ride systems, a trackless ride system similar to the one used on Cat In The Hat at Universal’s Islands Of Adventure in Florida, or a simulator type system similar to Star Tours at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The ride looks as if it will have the immersive theming Alton Towers is known for, including 3D effects, screens and hopefully animatronics!

David Walliams Land will be the Towers’ newest themed land, and will take the place of Cloud Cuckoo Land, which lost most of it’s popularity after the opening of Cbeebies Land in 2014, and the closure of the Charlie and The Chocolate Factory darkride a year later. In recent years Cloud Cuckoo Land has started to deteriorate, with many of the rides needing maintenance and the theming looking old and unloved.

Throughout the last few months, construction walls have been appearing around Cloud Cuckoo Land, featuring cartoon images of animals and hinting at a whimsical new ride or attraction. The announcement of Gangsta Granny The Ride doesn’t seem to explain the animals, but remember, it’s only the first new ride to be announced and there will hopefully be many more exciting announcements in the next few months/year! While no specific opening date has been announced yet, Alton Towers have said the new darkride will open in Sping 2020!

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Coasting Through the Hills- the best almost-mountain coasters across the world

When you think of classic theme park icons, what comes to mind is probably along the lines of old-timey streets leading to enchanting fairytale castles, pirate ships hinting at elaborate adventures, and runaway trains coursing through some kind of mountainous or rocky terrain. Sure, these towering mountains weren’t exactly created by Mother Nature, but the…

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X-Sector: a history of the sinister side of UK theme parks

The UK is home to some incredible family theme parks and attractions, offering tame thrills and immersive adventures for all ages. But the theme park scene here isn’t just for young families- there are some parks that offer themed lands that are a lot darker than you’d expect from a park with a Cbeebies Land…

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Alton Towers’ Secret Weapon Programme: what is it and how does it work?

Alton Towers is considered to be one of the most amazing theme parks in the UK and even in Europe, with many coaster enthusiasts making the park a bucket list location to get some awesome creds. Nestled among some beautiful scenery and historic locations in Staffordshire, England, Alton Towers is home to some incredible rides, including, Nemesis, The Smiler and Hex: Legend of the Towers. Since the construction of Nemesis in the early 90s, Alton Towers have used the codename Secret Weapon during the construction of their major coasters. But what is a Secret Weapon, how did the programme start, and what makes a coaster qualify? Keep reading to find out!

The one that started it all: Secret Weapon 3

Nemesis, a B&M invert located at Alton Towers. Credit- Cls With Attitude on Wikimedia Commons https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nemesis_Zero-G_roll.jpg

It seems a little odd to start with 3, right? Well, that was what Alton Towers did when designing the world’s first B&M inverted coaster, Nemesis, back in 1994. The reason this was done? Theme park designer John Wardley was tasked with finding a coaster type that would thrill and delight guests, and would fit into the park perfectly. He went to two different factories and tested out two different prototype coasters, yet neither of them seemed to fit with the thrilling yet family friendly nature of the Towers. He was then invited to visit the growing coaster manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard, to test out the new inverted coaster model, and it was a success. John Wardley suggested this had to be Alton Towers’ next coaster, and the park went ahead with it’s construction, codenaming it Secret Weapon 3, as it was the third plan for a coaster at the park.

What makes a coaster qualify as a Secret Weapon?

Rita at Alton Towers. Credit: Intamin Worldwide

At first glance, the definition of a Secret Weapon would be pretty simple: a new rollercoaster at Alton Towers. However this is not the case, as not all coasters at the Towers are classed as Secret Weapons. For some it’s easily understandable as to why, Runaway Mine Train and Octonauts Rollercoaster Adventure are family coasters and didn’t have the major advertising campaigns that the larger coasters did. Even Spinball Whizzer (formerly known as Sonic Spinball), could be counted as a family coaster and therefore not a Secret Weapon. But one rollercoaster seems to stick out from the others, a thrill coaster yet not a Secret Weapon: Rita, the park’s Intamin Hydraulic Launch coaster. Although this ride’s advertising campaign wasn’t as large as the other Towers coasters, it still had all the storyline of any other new ride. So why wasn’t Rita included on the Secret Weapon programme? Well, this ride wasn’t originally meant to be at Alton Towers, but was moved from another UK park in 2005, shortly before opening as Rita Queen of Speed at the Towers.

So, what actually is the definition of a Secret Weapon? There is a lot of debate in the theme park community as to what actually makes a ride a Secret Weapon, but here is my definition: A coaster that, from the planning stage, is to be built at Alton Towers, and must be thrilling and well themed, with a strong marketing campaign.

What is your favourite ride or coaster at Alton Towers? Leave your answer in the comments, and subscribe for interesting and entertaining theme park content!

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