Movie Mania: battle of the movie parks

Richard Wilson puts the Gold Coast's Warner Bros. Movie World up against the best "movie parks" around the world.

With the exception of Disney-MGM Studios, they all have the same style of entrance. It’s a large art deco archway as seen throughout the different studios in Hollywood. Disney-MGM has the same, but rather than being the gateway to the park, it is found as the entrance to their studio area of the park. All the parks open out into a very similar looking Hollywood-style main street. Retro 1930s adverts for Coca-Cola and the like are found throughout. Unlike in the real Hollywood Boulevard, pedestrians naturally aren’t delegated to the footpaths but are free to wander down the streets, which generally gives the area ample room to handle crowd-flow during the peak seasons.

Both Universal Studios and Disney-MGM are capable of handling even the biggest of crowds without troubles. Even when regular street parades and other street entertainment is being performed, these parks don’t block off the entire path such that guests trying to get elsewhere can’t easily do so. Movie World on the other hand, with narrow pathways and no alternate routes means that if there’s a street show of some kind on and you wish to get to another part of the park, you’re essentially blocked in until after the show – when there are typically thousands of people with the same idea as you.

Movie Attractions:
The purpose of a movie park is to immerse the guests into the world of movies. Rides aren’t always the answer, so movie attractions are common in these parks. The 3D movie is an attraction found at most parks worldwide, and our movie parks don’t let down. Universal Studios have Shrek 4D, released in 2002, which fits nicely between “Shrek” and the sequel “Shrek II”, very much faithful to the original. Their style of butchery of classic fables is still very much there, and it’s great to see that Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and the other voice talents from the original signed onto this film.

Disney-MGM has their wonderful Muppetvision 3D, which is a delightful Muppets-style satirical take at the 3D movie with more effects and tricks than you can poke a stick at. This show is by far the better of the three, because you simply can’t go wrong with the Muppets and their accompanying witty performances. The effects are incredible, with a very explosive finish to the show. Don’t forget to look back!

Warner Bros. Movie World released Marvin the Martian in the 3rd Dimension in 1997 with its claim to fame being that it is the first computer animated 3D movie in the world. Sadly its age does let down. The effects are minimal and dated, and the show really doesn’t captivate audiences like others do.

Studio Tours:
The studio tour is almost the quintessential element of a movie park. The idea spawned from the original Universal Studios in Hollywood, and was once found at each. Hollywood takes the cake with their fabulously scripted show that is of a great standard and enjoyably informative. Thanks to the studio complex literally inside the park, riders on this are able to see the ins and outs of the world’s largest studios. Big name guests such as Ron Howard or Frankie Muniz give information about different aspects of filmmaking along the way. It’s also extremely likely that on the journey you will see a production crew working on a film or show you’ll have heard of. Several excellent “ride” elements along the way from films like Jaws, Earthquake and The Mummy make this a studio tour and so much more.

Disney-MGM Studios have a studio tour that is excellently put together and has a brilliant finale jam packed with explosions and floods. Because the ride is built in a replicated studio environment, it isn’t nearly as thorough as Universal’s, however this is made up for with great attention to detail one can expect from Disney.

Warner Bros. Movie World’s studio tour has since stopped operating. It originally combined the elements of the special effects show, requiring riders to get out and go on foot for sections. Other elements of this tour were a look at the props department of a studio, complete with several famous costumes. A zigzagging trip around the soundstages showed riders the facilities up close, and if you were lucky you’d get to see a show or film in production. Lacking significant entertainment aspects, this tour paled in comparison to the previous two, perhaps one of the reasons for its closure.

Stunt Shows:
Live action shows bringing popular characters to life are found throughout all parks. Universal Studios Hollywood has Waterworld, based on the Kevin Costner film of the same name. The show is non-stop action with explosions, fist-fights, Jet Ski battles and spectacular falls, but like the motion picture lacks a captivating storyline. As far as stunts go, this show is definitely the most exciting of the movie parks.

Disney-MGM Studios take you into the world of stunt filming with their Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. The storyline takes you to the filming of stunts for an Indiana Jones film, making use of guests from the audience as extras just to add an element of audience participation. This show also suffers from a somewhat weak storyline, but some amazingly choreographed stunts make up for this.

Warner Bros. Movie World’s Police Academy Stunt Show is based on the popular albeit tedious “Police Academy” series of movies. While somewhat unclear throughout as to weather you’re actually watching the filming of scenes from a movie, or are being taken into the fictitious world of “Police Academy”, this show features an otherwise strong storyline which makes up for stunts that aren’t quite in the league of the previous two parks. Movie World has really shown somehow that stunts aren’t everything in a stunt show, and the script, like any good movie, can make or break the show.

Musicals:
The musical is one of the toughest to pull off in a park environment, without the help of Broadway budgets and big-name actors. Consequently, there’s not a single musical I’ve seen that is worthy of any praise. Universal have thankfully skipped this genre, leaving the failures exclusively to Disney and Warner Bros. Disney take you on a 30-minute “Broadway style” (read: not Broadway quality) telling of the Beauty and the Beast story. It would help if performers were actually singing. You can see with this show why Disney don’t need one of their usual colossal-capacity stadiums for this one. Warner Bros. Movie World no longer has a proper musical, aside from a small children’s revue hidden away and only shown at obscure times. Their short-lived Superstars – Live in Concert was nothing to be proud of, with not even the air-conditioning enough of a lure to keep people in out of the sun for the duration of the show.

Simulator Rides:
The silver screen is slowly coming more and more to life, now putting you right in the middle of the action to feel every twist and turn. Disney-MGM’s Star Tours borrows George Lucas’ Star Wars concept and extends it to make an intergalactic airline. The show has effects on par with the earlier Star Wars films, and with R2D2 and C3PO around, you know there’s plenty of light humour thrown in on the side. The theming is incredible. You just know that a Star Wars airport would look and feel exactly like this.

Back to the Future at both Universal Studios parks proved that two of the same ride at different parks can be a world of difference. Hollywood’s comes out slightly on top out of the two seemingly identical rides. The effects on both are great, and the theming is seemingly endless, to make an already excellent storyline just that little bit more immersive.

Unfortunately Movie World again misses out on this one. When Batman Adventure debuted in the early 1990s, it was based on the latest Batman movie at that time – Batman Returns. This incarnation was an excellently crafted ride, with one of the best simulator films I’ve ever seen. For some reason it was time to update that at the end of 2001, replacing it with a computer-animated (as opposed to live action original), with a storyline weak at best, and most of the original pre-ride effects and animatronics showing their age as remains from the original version. The theming could be improved on in most parts, but aside from the largely plastic fixtures, the library room sets the tone for Wayne Manor better than you’d imagine.
(Click Here for Photographs of Simulator Rides)

Water Rides:
Disney-MGM doesn’t currently have any water rides. Universal Studios Hollywood has Jurassic Park River Adventure, a colossal (4th biggest water ride in the world) river adventure taking you close than you thought possible to Isla Nubla and our favourite dinosaurs from Jurassic Park. The ride’s storyline works incredibly well, taking you into “Jurassic Park” as if guests at the genetic theme park. Relying on spectacular animatronics effects throughout, the ferocious finale leading to the drop is unparalleled on any other ride.

Movie World’s equally strong Wild West Falls (formerly Wild Wild West), takes you on a journey through what could be any number of your favourite Warner Bros. westerns. With immersive theming from start to finish, an excellent “surprise drop” early on, and a final drop that guarantees to soak you. When the effects are going, they’re quite good, with numerous scenes making excellent use of smoke, sparks and mechanical actions.
(Click Here for Photographs of Water Rides)

Major Dark Rides:
Disney-MGM comes out incredibly strong in this category, with Rock ‘n Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith. Nothing can beat a 0-92km/h launch in seven seconds, in pitch blackness, followed by three rapid-fire inversions, surrounded by all sorts of special effects – all to an Aerosmith soundtrack, blasted out of two speakers located behind each rider’s ears! To top it off, it's perhaps the smoothest coaster I’ve ever ridden.

Universal Studios opened recently their Revenge of the Mummy coasters. They were both under construction when I visited each park, so instead I’ll used the best dark ride Universal had operating for my visit – “Men In Black”, an interactive ghost train style of ride. This attraction makes great use of animatronics to bring to life the aliens of the films of the same name. The theming takes you in right from the beginning; with the queue looking like it was taken right out of the films. The great thing about this ride is that unlike a regular ghost train or people mover is that on this, each rider is equipped with a gun, and the mission to remove unwanted aliens from a city. The more you get, the higher your score, and there are of course added incentives for shooting other riders’ cars, sending them into uncontrollable spins.

Warner Bros. Movie World opened Scooby-Doo Spooky Coaster to coincide with the Australian release of “Scooby-Doo” in 2002. This Mack wild mouse style coaster takes a traditional ghost train and does everything to it you wouldn’t think possible. Backwards drops, an elevator lift replacing a traditional lift hill and an explosive sound and light show for the “coaster” section of the ride make this much, much more than your traditional ghost train. While it really does struggle to keep up with the heavyweights of Disney and Universal in this category, Movie World proved that for a fraction of the budget, you can still get one heck of a ride.
(Click Here for Photographs of Major Dark Rides)

Major Thrill Rides:
This category leaves out Universal Studios, neither of which have currently got a major thrill ride. Disney-MGM’s The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror quite simply is a work of thrill ride art. No other ride in the world creates such an immersive environment for a thrill ride as exciting as this. Based on an abandoned hotel from the golden age of cinema – the sort of thing Rod Sterling (or at least a look-alike in the case of the pre-ride film) would brief viewers on before an episode of “The Twilight Zone”. After adequate and highly effective mood setting, riders board the elevators and as if series of upward and downward thrusts in the main 40m shaft isn’t enough, they recently changed the ride so it randomly selects your ride programme. You never know exactly what it’s going to do to you!

Even if I hadn’t just covered one of the best rides in the world, Lethal Weapon would probably be a bit of a letdown anyway. This Suspended Looping Coaster takes riders through a series of twists and inversions. It’s just your regular roller coaster – no special effects and no surprises. Having said that though, despite some roughness problems, this ride is still a reasonably fun ride, though naturally no comparison to the Tower of Terror.
(Click Here for Photographs of Major Thrill Rides)

General Aesthetics:
Disney-MGM has that Disney touch. Call me a sucker for Disney, but I absolutely love this park’s brilliant gardens, tree-lined pathways and incredible looking buildings and wonderful shows and food outlets looking not a touch out of place. I think most people would put this one above the others, because it really is a magical place, every way as fantastic as any other Disney park.

Universal Studios Hollywood is built onto very hill terrain, and is consequently divided into two halves, separated by a 400m escalator ride. The top half contains most of the park, with some very nice gardens and buildings, the bottom holding Jurassic park and a few other smaller attractions. If it weren’t so confusing to get around, I’d probably like it a little more than I do.

Universal in Florida meanwhile is quite the opposite, thanks to Florida’s uniformly flat land. The park has a central lake, and some visually stunning areas such as a very faithful San Francisco area, and some brilliant back-lot style street areas.

Warner Bros. Movie World creates an excellent “Hollywood” atmosphere, but somewhat fails in this area because of the lack of some more natural settings. Even the urban mess of Hollywood has room for trees and grass here and there. With the exception of a small park area containing a few trees and some small areas of grass, this park is almost completely devoid of landscaping, aside from the occasional ornamental tree and gardens. Perhaps for this reason, the most relaxing area of the park is queuing in the tree-lined queue for the Batman simulator.
(Click Here for Photographs of General Aesthetics)

Final Views:
It does sound a bit pessimistic, or that I’m against our parks, but that’s not the case. The fact is, in this case, Warner Bros. Movie World isn’t up to other similar parks in America. Attendance plays a major role. With Movie World’s attendance only a fraction of that of these Universal and Disney parks, it’s quite amazing that we’ve got a park that’s as good as it is which even comes out on top in some categories.

See more photographs from the featured USA parks at Total Thrills.