Wizard of Oz - Movie World Arkham Asylum Replacement

[MickeyD]

1 hour ago, Lakyn17 said:

Looks like this is a hit on social media. Seeing so many people booking flights to visit the area. It’s a timeless IP which is going to bring in a lot of interstate and international guests. 

Yeah whatever chap 

[BNErider]

Everytime I walk through the Wizard of Oz courtyard and Precinct, I notice new areas where they decided to save money. It is very interesting compared to Rivertown, where I find new themed details that I didn't realise where they were last time. It is just striking the difference between the two theme parks. 

[Michelangelo]

12 hours ago, Lakyn17 said:

Looks like this is a hit on social media. Seeing so many people booking flights to visit the area. It’s a timeless IP which is going to bring in a lot of interstate and international guests. 

Flying in for disappointment when they realise the Insta filters don’t match reality

[dbo121]

On 27/12/2024 at 9:12 AM, Spotty said:

In the mid 2000's (Greg Yong days) staff rides certainly did happen before the rides opened to the public. Green Lantern opened for approx 2 hours a day for about a week for staff to get rides in. We were also able to bring up to 3 family members one night for a preview. They did the same for JL as well (but not for Arkham). Not sure if this happens anymore though. In the summer months on West in particular we used to do a "ride check" once a day where we would just jump on a spare seat in a boat if there was one to check what theming elements were not working properly or had broken down to report back. Although TBH it was mostly to cool off...

Sad if that's changed now though, as having a night for staff to experience something new before everyone else is a nice little perk. it's also good training for the ride staff too before tech rehearsals begin.

It may have something to do with vrl owner/ management  team being private equity now  vs an asx listed company where one person is ceo of both the theme park and the company ( hence has more ability to make own decisions and more control ) . Also mentioned in opening that was organising and event out of hours for contributors to project . 

[LoZza]

So watching Ogre's latest video, why did they think it's a good idea to have the characters perform in front of the ride entrance? Because people can't get on the rides and if people wanna leave the castle they have to wait for the performance to end

[Levithian]

On 27/12/2024 at 9:12 AM, Spotty said:

In the mid 2000's (Greg Yong days) staff rides certainly did happen before the rides opened to the public. Green Lantern opened for approx 2 hours a day for about a week for staff to get rides in. We were also able to bring up to 3 family members one night for a preview. They did the same for JL as well (but not for Arkham). Not sure if this happens anymore though. In the summer months on West in particular we used to do a "ride check" once a day where we would just jump on a spare seat in a boat if there was one to check what theming elements were not working properly or had broken down to report back. Although TBH it was mostly to cool off...

Sad if that's changed now though, as having a night for staff to experience something new before everyone else is a nice little perk. it's also good training for the ride staff too before tech rehearsals begin.

I can remember when they were mandatory daily, as in a requirement to ensure things sounded and felt ok. Vastly different management culture now. Its not permitted to allow joy rides.

Biggest opportunity staff often have to ride is when they put the call out for needing weighted trains during testing. If operations could free up the staff, it was easier than loading seats with dummies and water.

Good luck with the west checks. How much of the themed elements were repaired even when they were reported daily? Some things were out of service for years. 😂

Edited December 30, 2024 by Levithian

[Narra]

8 hours ago, LoZza said:

So watching Ogre's latest video, why did they think it's a good idea to have the characters perform in front of the ride entrance? Because people can't get on the rides and if people wanna leave the castle they have to wait for the performance to end

They are fine tbh, they aren't very long performances and they don't spend the entire time blocking the stairs, it's like a 2 minute dance number

[Ashley Jeffery]

That Arkham alleyway is pretty bad. Didn't have enough to put up a painted wall?

[Ash]

I mean to be honest the whole area is very generic, considering we have Atlantis at SeaWorld. Yes the emerald city facade is nice but it’s very slapped together. Massive bland green walls, open areas with a few cosmetics. They did say world class, we are far from that. 

[LoZza]

2 hours ago, Ashley Jeffery said:

That Arkham alleyway is pretty bad. Didn't have enough to put up a painted wall?

They can redeem themselves if they have the Joker doing something like this

 

Edited December 30, 2024 by LoZza

[Spotty]

4 hours ago, Levithian said:

I can remember when they were mandatory daily, as in a requirement to ensure things sounded and felt ok. Vastly different management culture now. Its not permitted to allow joy rides.

Biggest opportunity staff often have to ride is when they put the call out for needing weighted trains during testing. If operations could free up the staff, it was easier than loading seats with dummies and water.

Good luck with the west checks. How much of the themed elements were repaired even when they were reported daily? Some things were out of service for years. 😂

Some of them are still out of service since I was reporting them in 2012 lmao. I still remember doing a ride check, and as we were approaching lift 2... the boat I was on hit the approach, and we heard this MASSIVE bang... The main axle on the conveyor broke. Instant evacuation... at least I was on hand haha.

That and the drive wheel in the reverse section conking out... and having to stand behind the wall where the reverse element was to "nudge" a boat if it got stuck. Ah the simple times haha.

[Levithian]

2 hours ago, Spotty said:

That and the drive wheel in the reverse section conking out... and having to stand behind the wall where the reverse element was to "nudge" a boat if it got stuck. Ah the simple times haha.

Not a lot of chance of that now after modifications. Such a large volume of water running through the reverse element and past the geysers, it draws boats into the trough pretty quickly. Have you seen how deep the water is there now? Right up to the end of the overflow pool each side of the runout. Can only just see the top of the rail of the runout itself.

 

 

 

Edited December 30, 2024 by Levithian

[Spotty]

10 hours ago, Levithian said:

Not a lot of chance of that now after modifications. Such a large volume of water running through the reverse element and past the geysers, it draws boats into the trough pretty quickly. Have you seen how deep the water is there now? Right up to the end of the overflow pool each side of the runout. Can only just see the top of the rail of the runout itself.

 

 

 

I haven't been on it since the ride was ruined by White Water West with the new station and boats. Might head back up there one day, but with the way things are being ran I'd rather spend my money at Dreamworld lol.

[Levithian]

To be fare to www, the changes to the pace of the ride and the water levels were in response to the depths and the worry someone could drown if a boat was to be sunk. Wasn't from them, but internally.

The station change is an absolute disaster. I wonder if they ever got it to run smoothly. 

Heres a good recent video. Can really see how much faster the boats travel through the troughs. 

It points out how little themeing elements are working. Even simple things like lighting (ambient light bleeding in is bad) levels messing up the few effects that work. 

Its such a shame because I know there have been a number of staff who have really wanted to make a go at fixing these things and bringing them back to a high standard and it always ends the same. Either wont spend enough money, wont dedicate enough time/labour, or won't dedicate enough support to keep the effects repaired/running when they are fixed. Its death by a thousand cuts everywhere you look and the only concerns are if the ride is physically running. 

The video above doesnt have one single basic effect working in the ghost town. Not even the population sign or the shot up water tank. What a waste of a ride. Especially since the site/sound system got a major upgrade too. Has the potential to do a lot with it given the control system that went in. Just have to try and convince the people that matter to approve budgets to actually get things returned to full/proper operation.

You would have been working there when the attitude was still if it's part of the ride, we have to return it to service and repair/maintain it. We cant just let it sit out of service. You can say that about a lot of the park now. Must be frustrating for staff that actually care about the place looking its best. 

 

Edited December 31, 2024 by Levithian

[Guest 239]

The copyright and legal status of the Wizard of Oz is interesting. I'm not a lawyer, but my understanding is that the film entered the public domain in Australia in 2009 (publication year + 70 years), and that it will do the same in the US in 2035 (95 years under U.S. copyright law). Considering most theme park attractions have a theoretical lifespan of 30 years, it’s fascinating that roughly two-thirds of The Wizard of Oz's lifespan in the park will coincide with its public domain status.

That said, nearly all of the trademarks associated with the property—such as ride names and the logo—are registered under Turner Entertainment Co., not Village Roadshow. Since this land was the first of its kind and these elements were non-existent prior to 2023, doesn’t this mean Village effectively funded the creation and trademarking of these elements, which Turner now gets to benefit from? I get that licensing protects against others using the same branding, why wouldn’t names like "Kansas Twister" and "Flight of the Wicked Witch" be registered under Village instead? Paying licensing fees to a third-party company for something so generic seems unnecessarily restrictive.

It’s interesting to consider how Village may have enabled Turner and Warner Bros. to maintain a stranglehold over a property that is already in the public domain in Australia and will soon be in the public domain in the U.S., with no significant long-term benefit for Village aside from the initial right to build the land. With the rise in popularity of Wicked under Universal and Disney’s past involvement in the property (Oz: The Great and Powerful), this may have been Turner’s opportunity to solidify control over the property and its branding ahead of broader public domain access.

[Levithian]

Elements to a film that is within the public domain are not automatically released when the film copyright expires though. 

If there have been changes, if character likeness has been reproduced and utilised elsewhere since, copyrights can still exist protecting use of characters and other IP. This goes double for if the original story or character development was from literature or a stage play. Even though the film might lapse, the characters and story may still be copyrighted. Once the film lapses they could revert to their original sources copyright.

You could change the likeness of a character and use it in an adaptation, the copyright would cover the likeness used in you adaptation if it was something specific enough. I think something like this happens with the wicked witch of the west. Shes presented differently to Baum's books and her known likeness is copyrighted externally to the source. 

I dont think it matters if something has entered the public domain in Australia if it still holds existing copyrights in another country. Theres an international accord a lot of countries signed up to, so im pretty sure those are still valid here. 

The original works may have lapsed and someone could use their likeness and character in a new adapation within Australia, but if the movie still holds copyright with turner, given it departs from the source by quite a lot, you can probably assume that everything specific to their movie adaptation is still copyrighted. Character likeness, names for characters, cities/locations, even visuals of the sets. The US copyright is essentially still valid here too because of the accord.

Use any of their character names, location names, image likeness for set designs and characters, you are going to be using it under an IP rights agreement.

Edited December 31, 2024 by Levithian

[Coppertine]

4 hours ago, Levithian said:

It points out how little themeing elements are working. Even simple things like lighting (ambient light bleeding in is bad) levels messing up the few effects that work. 

Just to let you know that all theming elements were in working order during the White Christmas event. It was practically the most complete I've seen WWF since opening

[Levithian]

Did the land surveyors sign in the harbour sway when you floated past? Did the drag line crane and shovel move over as you passed under before the first lift?
 

[biasesumo]

I've been visiting Movieworld since 2008 and I had no idea that the crane and shovel were meant to move.

Always thought they were static props...

[themagician]

18 minutes ago, biasesumo said:

Always thought they were static props...

They definitely used to be some movement, but I think it’s one of those effects that rarely worked and has been retired for a long time.

Here’s a POV from 2009 that shows what I believe to be every effect working. What I miss most in comparison to today is the amount of water in the ride, todays roughness for me is the worst part and makes it very unpleasant.

 

[Levithian]

2 hours ago, biasesumo said:

I've been visiting Movieworld since 2008 and I had no idea that the crane and shovel were meant to move.

Always thought they were static props...

Its on a turntable and designed to rotate across an arc as it turns. The cable is on a pulley system and a pneumatic cylinder used to pull the cable a few inches and release it. So the arm of the crane would swing from side to side and the bucket hanging would raise a few inches and drop to give it some movement. 

The problem you have is some of the best effects are physical/practical. When something wears out or breaks, the whole thing sits and the rest of its mechanical components turn to shit due to lack of use. Instead of fixing it and putting back in service, it just becomes another item in the too hard basket. 

As far as the water level changes and the speed/roughness now. Unfortunately, it really is a case of without the changes the ride probably wouldnt be in operation today. It was that serious.

Edited December 31, 2024 by Levithian

[jjuttup]

22 hours ago, Levithian said:

Use any of their character names, location names, image likeness for set designs and characters, you are going to be using it under an IP rights agreement.

 I thought that too an extent prop designs and location names couldnt be copyrighted? Things like Themyscira/Gotham city or even the Aquaman Trident.

[Brad2912]

39 minutes ago, Levithian said:

As far as the water level changes and the speed/roughness now

It makes the ride uncomfortable, annoying, and removes any immersion of being in the boat when you are literally rolling along a rough concrete troth. 

[biasesumo]

1 hour ago, Levithian said:

The problem you have is some of the best effects are physical/practical. When something wears out or breaks, the whole thing sits and the rest of its mechanical components turn to shit due to lack of use. Instead of fixing it and putting back in service, it just becomes another item in the too hard basket. 

Makes you wonder if the clone over in Madrid is suffering from a similar fate.

[Levithian]

1 hour ago, jjuttup said:

 I thought that too an extent prop designs and location names couldnt be copyrighted? Things like Themyscira/Gotham city or even the Aquaman Trident.

Maybe the difference is if it's original works vs a painting of a real landscape. If its all an artwork with no real locations in it, you can copyright the whole artwork, designs, colours, etc. Otherwise, you can still trademark the artwork itself to protect against reproduction, but you can't trademark the real area like buildings, etc.  So, if you took the same artwork of the original emerald city and used it as the front for the ride, it's not a real place, so the artwork and design is probably copyrighted and can't just be reproduced. I think this was the issue with the movie disney made? They had to tread a real fine line between anything that looked like the 1939 movie. 

1 hour ago, Brad2912 said:

It makes the ride uncomfortable, annoying, and removes any immersion of being in the boat when you are literally rolling along a rough concrete troth. 

You're still floating for the most part, just you might feel the bottom sometimes. You know what really removes the immersion? The ride being closed for good because there are safety concerns. Which do you want? live with the changes or have no ride at all?
 

1 hour ago, biasesumo said:

Makes you wonder if the clone over in Madrid is suffering from a similar fate.

The answer is yes. Have you seen it/ridden it? Its not really themed as well as west and overall it is a smaller ride, but the same thing seems to have happened.

I know their boats aren't as big so it might not work, but one thing that would have been amazing is to swap the chain drive of west for lift conveyors used in rio bravo. 

Edited yesterday at 02:06 AM by Levithian