Wizard of Oz - Movie World Arkham Asylum Replacement

[Rivals]

considering it took sea world months to open a pathway, i am doubtful it will open by end of 2024, but i hope they can meet the deadline this time.

the area does look like it’ll be great for the park and will compliment the lineup perfectly, however i do think Jungle Rush may outshine both coasters. only time will tell though, it’s exciting both parks competing again.

Edited February 11 by Rivals

[Brad2912]

21 minutes ago, Rivals said:

considering it took sea world months to open a pathway, i am doubtful it will open by end of 2024, but i hope they can meet the deadline this time.

Pretty sure the resources allocated to this project are a little more than what was allocated to a path…

[Rivals]

22 minutes ago, Brad2912 said:

Pretty sure the resources allocated to this project are a little more than what was allocated to a path…

and? they still took how long to open a singular pathway + look at how long it’s taking for Flash. im doubtful for those said reason and the fact they still have a long way to go but i hope they do make the deadline of end of 2024.

Edited February 11 by Rivals

[red dragin]

Flash was never going to sell passes leading into Christmas, it's filler at best. 

Wizard of Oz and Jungle Rush both will drive sales. Comments on the Movie World post already have people wanting merchandise. 

Both also have the same company on theming construction, we'll get to see a very good comparison between the two parks designers and budgets. 

With both precincts due around the same time, I think both sites will throw money at it if necessary, to be completed on time. They won't want down the road getting a leg up. 

Edited February 11 by red dragin

[New display name]

1 hour ago, red dragin said:

Good to see both parks building anticipation of their upcoming new lands. Looking to be a competitive summer season this year. 

MW only doing it because DW did it.   

DW 1 - MW 0

[Ash]

Imo, more excited to see Rivertown. My family are definitely enjoying dreamworld lately over Movieworld. More space, better atmosphere etc. 

Excited for both don’t get me wrong. 

[New display name]

7 minutes ago, Ash said:

Imo, more excited to see Rivertown. My family are definitely enjoying dreamworld lately over Movieworld. More space, better atmosphere etc. 

Excited for both don’t get me wrong. 

I agree Ash,  I went to DW today and the park was vibing.  Probably the best day, I've had at a GC park for years.

[CR4ZE]

4 hours ago, TBoy said:

I like the design, it looks really good.

One thing I am worried about though is the station with the flying monkeys. I am worried that it will be just like Leviathan where you have to watch the pre-show before the train leaves the station, lowering capacity. I am hoping they have modified it so it plays while you are entering the train.

You would think Village would avoid repeating the same error twice in a row. I'd also like to think they'll rethink where to place the holding area, so you've got one group boarding, another at the gate, and a third being held at the entrance. They need this thing to cycle crowds better than Leviathan (which, in another world, would've already implemented the necessary fixes).

4 hours ago, Vidgamer said:

There isn’t a lot of reference to end of 2024 which worries me and it seems like the progress on the area hasn’t been all that speedy…. It looks great but I’m not confident this will make the end of 2024 opening date. 

I'm quietly confident. Would I bet $50 on it? No. But the fact is MW will lose the battle for the summer crowds if they can't deliver this one on time. Healthy competition is a good thing. If both Rivertown and Wizard of Oz make it on time, it's going to be a fantastic season for everyone.

2 hours ago, red dragin said:

With both precincts due around the same time, I think both sites will throw money at it if necessary, to be completed on time. They won't want down the road getting a leg up. 

Precisely.

2 hours ago, New display name said:

MW only doing it because DW did it.   

DW 1 - MW 0

You're right, but it's a good thing for both. In the post-River Rapids lull where DW were in dire straits, Village got complacent. It's nice to see them trying to one-up each other again.

[Rivals]

4 hours ago, TBoy said:

One thing I am worried about though is the station with the flying monkeys. I am worried that it will be just like Leviathan where you have to watch the pre-show before the train leaves the station, lowering capacity. I am hoping they have modified it so it plays while you are entering the train.

as of my most recent visit, Leviathan no longer waits until the preshow is done to dispatch, the preshow now just plays as the train is boarding, making the queue move a lot faster, so i doubt this ride will wait for the preshow to finish.

[Tricoart]

If they learned anything from Levi, the preshow would either be entirely separate room from the station, or take place at & during the walk into said station. Screens, audio, and other station effects can be utilised well enough when solely used for themed safety info before/during boarding, and a short sequence while dispatching. Anything else and it either messes with any sense of continuity & makes the effort put into it rather useless on most cycles (as they’d be being cut short), or slows operations.

7 hours ago, TBoy said:

One thing I am worried about though is the station with the flying monkeys. I am worried that it will be just like Leviathan where you have to watch the pre-show before the train leaves the station, lowering capacity. I am hoping they have modified it so it plays while you are entering the train.

Leviathan has similar to what you’re describing as what you hope it has, is the thing. It’s got a short pre-boarding sequence where Levi says you don’t belong there before swimming away, then nothing happens ‘til you begin boarding. The issue with it (currently) is that they’re putting multiple groups in the station at a time, they’re making ride ops scream the spiel after last groups’ unload & before current group boards, and they’re only running the one train on most occasions, so it ends up being:

“New group enters > [Short entrance sequence]> Wait behind 1st group ‘til train arrives > Unload > Safety spiel (ride op) > Previous group’s boarding begins/[Themed safety spiel] > Current group moves a step forward > [Boarding sequence]/restraint checks > Dispatch > Train engages with lift hill > Repeat” twice before you get to board yourself, each round taking at least 3 minutes (realistically, more like 5).

If they were running 2 trains, the ride movie as-is would be rather bearable, as the pre-boarding movie takes about the same time that a boarding group takes between entering the station & being lined up in their respective rows for boarding to begin. The way to speed operations up would be to remove the ride op spiel (& have the themed one be both more substantial/disconnected from the station wait, like Sky Voyagers’ is), and having both trains on the circuit more often. Not advancing a group into the station early wouldn’t necessarily help dispatch times too much, but it would help with confusion of those in the 2nd row attempting to advance to the train when those if front do, as well as alleviate the repetitiveness of the ride movie that loops multiple times before boarding, which I’d imagine may lessen the experience of a first-time rider.

Edited February 11 by Tricoart

[Baconjack]

14 hours ago, Tricoart said:

Alongside the concept art, a video was released with some construction footage & a rough 3D model of the site, as well as confirming the coaster’s names as ‘Kansas Twister’ and ‘Flight of the Wicked Witch’ from the trademarks. (Credit: Movie World’s IG)

 

 

Hahahaha nice try @New display name

[New display name]

? @Baconjack

[aaronm]

Concept art looks good but as often with VRTP projects I'm getting the impression that they're spending money where it won't matter. Projection mapping was cool a decade ago but I question how well it will work in a park that's mostly open in the daytime. Buying a pair of family boomerangs instead of a higher capacity family coaster is an odd choice as well, especially since they'll probably end up only running a single side outside of school holidays.

Perhaps they just haven't announced it yet, but it seems a missed opportunity to not have a dining outlet in the area as well, or some sort of performance space. I wonder if this area will be like WWF, nicely themed but largely empty except for the queues.

[Baconjack]

2 hours ago, aaronm said:

Projection mapping was cool a decade ago but I question how well it will work in a park that's mostly open in the daytime.

* Coughs Loudly *

[Dean Barnett]

22 minutes ago, Baconjack said:

* Coughs Loudly *

That’s all LED. Works well in daylight. 

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

On 11/02/2024 at 6:21 PM, New display name said:

MW only doing it because DW did it.   

DW 1 - MW 0

Quoting this for posterity - Skeet says something nice about dreamworld. I know, I know - it's not impossible... but its definitely rare!

On 12/02/2024 at 2:29 PM, Baconjack said:

* Coughs Loudly *

Yes I truly think people don't understand what projection mapping is. 

First of all, it is not a flat, white wall\screen, with something projected on it. That's a projection. See Justice League, or many rides in Universal.

Secondly, its not through the use of digital screens - such as Leviathan's LED screens cleverly built into the station cave, nor is it screens installed 'wrap around' inside the scooby lift (fuck I hope they get rid of those).

I'm not an expert in this, so i'm sure there's an industry professional here who would correct any errors, but in my opinion, projection mapping should involve inherently NON flat surfaces. See the christmas show on Brisbane City Hall - or Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway. The objects projected onto can appear to be one thing, and with a simple change in the projection, you can make it look completely different.

Check out the Volcano \ Underwater scene from 12:32 here: 

 

[themagician]

2 hours ago, DaptoFunlandGuy said:

or Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway. The objects projected onto can appear to be one thing, and with a simple change in the projection, you can make it look completely different.

Disney do projection mapping very well. Just watch any of their Main Street/Castle nightime shows where they use projection mapping very well. My favourite use of it at a Disney park is on Big Thunder Mountain at Disneyland as they use it to give the impression the tnt is igniting on the lifthill and it's about to explode as you leave the mountain.

I think on Scooby: Next Gen they over promised and they either couldn't get the projection mapping to work/ran out of money or they too were confused at what it actually is. I do hope with FOTWW they execute it well and use it in a way that adds to the story/experience, rather than it just being a gimac that gets overlooked and when it breaks they don't repair it.

Edited February 14 by themagician
Spelling

[aaronm]

1 hour ago, themagician said:

when it breaks they don't repare it.

One thing Disney in particular seem to be building into their rides is a "B mode" - a backup for when a primary effect isn't working. A notable example is the RoTR Kylo Ren animatronic being hidden behind a wall when it's broken, replaced by Kylo appearing "outside" (via some windows/screens) in his ship. So rather than an effect appearing obviously broken the ride still seems relatively complete. Given that VRTP have aspirations to be like Disney, hopefully they're paying attention and incorporate something similar in these new rides, where it makes sense.

[Brad2912]

19 minutes ago, aaronm said:

Given that VRTP have aspirations to be like Disney

I know they say shoot for the stars.... but that is like me aspiring to be a unicorn.

[Brods]

This land looks kinda familiar 😂🧐 + DWF 😂. I think this is what MW should have done. Meaning they should have gone with a more thrilling option for the suspended coaster rather than doing the exact model as TNT.

[Baconjack]

On 12/2/2024 at 3:52 PM, Dean Barnett said:

That’s all LED. Works well in daylight. 

Yeah I’m aware. OPs comment was referring to “projection mapping” when  all we could see in the concept art pertaining to that term in any way shape or form is exactly the same as the leviathan station 

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

22 hours ago, themagician said:

I think on Scooby: Next Gen they over promised and they either couldn't get the projection mapping to work/ran out of money or they too were confused at what it actually is.

From memory, I believe the original company that they brought in to do the mapping disappeared \ flaked with the cash and they were left holding the empty bag and had to do something to fill the gap on the cheap.

2 hours ago, Baconjack said:

Yeah I’m aware. OPs comment was referring to “projection mapping” when  all we could see in the concept art pertaining to that term in any way shape or form is exactly the same as the leviathan station 

Do we have any confirmation that those walls are screens and not static?

[New display name]

20 hours ago, Brad2912 said:

I know they say shoot for the stars.... but that is like me aspiring to be a unicorn.

Don't give up on that dream @Brad2912

[Brad2912]

3 minutes ago, New display name said:

Don't give up on that dream @Brad2912

I won’t. I’ve just managed to master shitting rainbows, but the flying thing is proving a challenge… 

[red dragin]

On 11/02/2024 at 9:39 PM, Rivals said:

as of my most recent visit, Leviathan no longer waits until the preshow is done to dispatch, the preshow now just plays as the train is boarding, making the queue move a lot faster,

When I rode it today, pre-show started once harnesses were locked. Queues were slow, but only two loops of people around the central funnel thingy so not busy either. 

First time ever riding it. The story/theme suits that ride perfectly, it's really well told. The 'cave paintings' in the circular queue set up what's coming. And f*ck that coaster is full on. Definitely how I'd imagine trying to ride a sea monster might be. I regret not buying a pass when it first opened now. 

I hope both major parks exceed that level of story telling with their new rides this year. 

Edited February 19 by red dragin