Dreamworld - Kenny & Belinda's Dreamland Updates

[Tricoart]

46 minutes ago, DaptoFunlandGuy said:

You're not entirely off track though. Yes, K&B attractions are primarily the Madagascar area and the Shrek area will primarily house the IP - but those IP are mixed in, so having separate signs as you enter each zone doesn't work.

I understand the ABC IPs are mixed in, as they were with ABC Kids World. Separating those IP from each other would be impossible. My opinion was/is that it'd be better if they clearly separated K&B's section from the ABC IP section as a whole, whilst having them both remain under the umbrella of 'Dreamland' (again, like Madagascar/Shrek within Dreamworks Experience), as to allow for them both to have their own entrances/names/distinct feel, as was previously the case when it was Dreamworks. To try visualize what I mean, instead of having a generic 'Kenny & Belinda's Dreamland ft. ABC IPs' sign where 'Madagascar Madness' is, and nothing where the Dreamworks Experience sign is, have a generic 'Dreamland ft. ABC IPs' sign where the Dreamworks Experience sign is, and a thematic K&B section sign (could've even called it 'Koala Country' or 'Kennyland' for nostalgia) where 'Madagascar Madness' is.

Then have a separate 'ABC Kids World' sign where this is.

And a double-sided sign connected to the shop, with this side being 'ABC Kids World', and the other side being for K&B's section.

That way, they're both still connected under the 'Dreamland' name/area, and could thus have their characters share the non-K&B specific theatre, but without having the entrance seem like an immediate downgrade from it's previous form. It'd also make the area seem much more thought out & meant to be, with clear references to past areas ('ABC Kids World', or either of the names for the K&B section).

Edited March 8, 2023 by Tricoart

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

33 minutes ago, Tricoart said:

I understand the ABC IPs are mixed in, as they were with ABC Kids World. Separating those IP from each other would be impossible. My opinion was/is that it'd be better if they clearly separated K&B's section from the ABC IP section as a whole, whilst having them both remain under the umbrella of 'Dreamland' (again, like Madagascar/Shrek within Dreamworks Experience), as to allow for them both to have their own entrances/names/distinct feel, as was previously the case when it was Dreamworks. To try visualize what I mean, instead of having a generic 'Kenny & Belinda's Dreamland ft. ABC IPs' sign where 'Madagascar Madness' is, and nothing where the Dreamworks Experience sign is, have a generic 'Dreamland ft. ABC IPs' sign where the Dreamworks Experience sign is, and a thematic K&B section sign (could've even called it 'Koala Country' or 'Kennyland' for nostalgia) where 'Madagascar Madness' is.

Then have a separate 'ABC Kids World' sign where this is.

And a double-sided sign connected to the shop, with this side being 'ABC Kids World', and the other side being for K&B's section.

That way, they're both still connected under the 'Dreamland' name/area, and could thus have their characters share the non-K&B specific theatre, but without having the entrance seem like an immediate downgrade from it's previous form. It'd also make the area seem much more thought out & meant to be, with clear references to past areas ('ABC Kids World', or either of the names for the K&B section).

let me make this clear.

"WIGGLES" =\= "ABC"

ABC Kids World was a separate IP area to Wiggles World.

The new sign singles out Play School, BiP and Wiggles, so counting K&B you actually have FOUR themes.

In some cases these rides are going to be side by side, not permitting sufficient space for delineating signs between them. 

They share a land. This is the park's decision. It's not going to change. 

Edited March 8, 2023 by DaptoFunlandGuy

[Gazza]

To me its no different to Universal Wonderland at USJ where you have Snoopy, Hello Kitty, Sesame St in the one zone.

[joz]

I don't get why saying 'I'd have preferred if Dreamland and ABC Kids land were separate lands instead of being mixed together' is something worth arguing against. Originally, I thought that's exactly what they were doing. I don't really care they're not, (tbh I don't care about the project as a whole), but saying you'd prefer it a different way than what they're doing doesn't seem an unreasonable position to me.

Edited March 8, 2023 by joz
Not sure this was originally written in English

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

^that isn't how I understood the point.

The point I understood was "madagascar is K&B and everything else is ABC, so put a sign between them where they used to have the shrek sign" when that isn't correct, so a sign in that spot wouldn't reflect what they were suggesting.

[wikiverse]

A few things that people should probably keep in mind:

1. The area isn't finished.  Let them put in all the theming and rides they have planned before making judgements.
    
2. The theming inside the area is far more important than a sign you'll just walk past.  A reasonably generic sign allows for unlimited theme and ride changes within an area of the park. With a Dreamworld owned IP, they can theme rides to whatever they want inside the land, add and remove rides as they need to, and build their own IP.  Kids in that age group do not care about ABC Kids as a brand.  They care about specific characters and shows.
    
3. A fairly generic sign also allows for seasonal and event theming at the entrance to the area which could be far more visually appealing.
    
4. 'ABC Kids World' is additional licensing that Dreamworld would need to pay for.  Personally I'd rather they sink that money into new rides rather than new signs which can be changed in a few years anyway.
    
5. Linear television is dead.  ABC Kids & ABC Me branding will eventually all just merge into ABC iView branding which is where most people are watching ABC Kids shows anyway (on SmartTV or mobile devices).  Investing in promoting 'ABC Kids' as a brand or a themed land doesn't really serve Dreamworld or ABC in the long-term, particularly since kids are already experiencing the ABC brand as iView.  This isn't my opinion, this is what Libbie Doherty - the head of ABC children's has repeatedly said at industry events.

 

After 20 years of bad decisions and outright neglect, Ardent are finally investing some money and attention into the park.  They've hired the right people to do it, but they don't have an unlimited budget.

Sure, we'd all love to see incredibly themed areas, particularly with what was lost in Madagascar Madness, and Gold Rush, and the absolute abominations of MDMC, SkyVoyager and the mess of land-locked waterslides crammed into the front of the park.

Realistically, our parks do not, and will never get the daily attendance required to build and maintain sprawling themed lands with licensed IPs.  MW couldn't maintain the DC villains area and have struggled to maintain WB Kids.

Every element of detail and theming on every ride, every themed building, character statue, sign, speaker, screen, fountain, shade sail, queue rail, garden bed and path is something that is going to be exposed to the harsh QLD sun and storms and abused by millions of visitors a year.  It all costs money to paint, clean, maintain and replace.  Every dollar that is spent on repairs and maintenance is a dollar that isn't spent on new rides and attractions.  Baking those hard costs into your designs up-front is not a wise business decision, and is not sustainable unless you're Disney or Universal. 

A fibreglass 3D sculpted sign for a kids area is not going to increase visitor numbers or increase in-park spending.  Improved theming/painting/lights on the GD will.  New rides and attractions will. 

Personally, I think the sign is fine.  I think using Dreamworld IP in K&B is smart.  I think DW is making a lot of good decisions, the best being to bring back Rivertown and move all the kids rides into one themed area.

 

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

31 minutes ago, wikiverse said:

A few things that people should probably keep in mind:

1. The area isn't finished.  Let them put in all the theming and rides they have planned before making judgements.
    
2. The theming inside the area is far more important than a sign you'll just walk past.  A reasonably generic sign allows for unlimited theme and ride changes within an area of the park. With a Dreamworld owned IP, they can theme rides to whatever they want inside the land, add and remove rides as they need to, and build their own IP.  Kids in that age group do not care about ABC Kids as a brand.  They care about specific characters and shows.
    
3. A fairly generic sign also allows for seasonal and event theming at the entrance to the area which could be far more visually appealing.
    
4. 'ABC Kids World' is additional licensing that Dreamworld would need to pay for.  Personally I'd rather they sink that money into new rides rather than new signs which can be changed in a few years anyway.
    
5. Linear television is dead.  ABC Kids & ABC Me branding will eventually all just merge into ABC iView branding which is where most people are watching ABC Kids shows anyway (on SmartTV or mobile devices).  Investing in promoting 'ABC Kids' as a brand or a themed land doesn't really serve Dreamworld or ABC in the long-term, particularly since kids are already experiencing the ABC brand as iView.  This isn't my opinion, this is what Libbie Doherty - the head of ABC children's has repeatedly said at industry events.

 

After 20 years of bad decisions and outright neglect, Ardent are finally investing some money and attention into the park.  They've hired the right people to do it, but they don't have an unlimited budget.

Sure, we'd all love to see incredibly themed areas, particularly with what was lost in Madagascar Madness, and Gold Rush, and the absolute abominations of MDMC, SkyVoyager and the mess of land-locked waterslides crammed into the front of the park.

Realistically, our parks do not, and will never get the daily attendance required to build and maintain sprawling themed lands with licensed IPs.  MW couldn't maintain the DC villains area and have struggled to maintain WB Kids.

Every element of detail and theming on every ride, every themed building, character statue, sign, speaker, screen, fountain, shade sail, queue rail, garden bed and path is something that is going to be exposed to the harsh QLD sun and storms and abused by millions of visitors a year.  It all costs money to paint, clean, maintain and replace.  Every dollar that is spent on repairs and maintenance is a dollar that isn't spent on new rides and attractions.  Baking those hard costs into your designs up-front is not a wise business decision, and is not sustainable unless you're Disney or Universal. 

A fibreglass 3D sculpted sign for a kids area is not going to increase visitor numbers or increase in-park spending.  Improved theming/painting/lights on the GD will.  New rides and attractions will. 

Personally, I think the sign is fine.  I think using Dreamworld IP in K&B is smart.  I think DW is making a lot of good decisions, the best being to bring back Rivertown and move all the kids rides into one themed area.

 

[TBoy]

Good points @wikiverse.

A good thing unlike the old Dreamworks area is that the Ocean Parade/K&B Dreamland licensing can be used permanently, unlike Nickelodeon and Dreamworks. It will save money in the long-term not having to refurbish entire areas every 10 years. Yes ABC rides will be a licensed area but it will still save more money only having to do them, not the entire bottom right of the park.

Instead of retheming areas and paying licensing fees which costs millions of dollars, they can invest into new rides instead with the extra cash, which will improve park attendance.

[New display name]

What a low standard we hold DW to these days.

[themagician]

[Gobbledok]

The theater sign looks really good

[Slick]

18 hours ago, Gobbledok said:

The theater sign looks really good

Agreed, the sign looks great - my only complaint is that the structure that it’s situated on doesn’t have the same grandeur of previous designs - both Nick and Dreamworks designed it to feel massive despite it being a small amphitheatre. This doesn’t do that.

[New display name]

Now, that's how you build a sign. 

[Rabbit2014]

Dreamland will have a LifeSize model near the entrance with new characters for dreamworld. There is also mention of getting wet similar to the former dreamworks display.

Edited March 30, 2023 by Rabbit2014

[TBoy]

2 minutes ago, Rabbit2014 said:

There is also mention of getting wet similar to the former dreamworks display.

I'm guessing Bella will be the one making you wet with her gun?

[Nickolap]

The wiggles friend show is going to be move to the dreamworld theatre ( Inside dreamland ) these school holiday 

[themagician]

12 hours ago, TBoy said:

I'm guessing Bella will be the one making you wet with her gun?

I think it’s a hose.

For Kyle it will likely come out his mouth and for Walter, out the fishes mouth, which is in the boot.

Great to see they’re bringing back this feature and they’re introducing new characters. I’d say later this year we’ll see a new show in the theatre which features all these characters.

Also, Belinda’s Tree House has been removed from the maintenance listing and according to the attractions page it is now open. And the Wiggles character Show is moving to the Theatre.

[TBoy]

6 minutes ago, themagician said:

And the Wiggles character Show is moving to the Theatre.

Another good thing about the theatre is that it can be used for multiple things (much like the Nick one) when it was Madagascar it could only be used for that only.

[New display name]

2 hours ago, themagician said:

I think it’s a hose.

For Kyle it will likely come out his mouth and for Walter, out the fishes mouth, which is in the boot.

Great to see they’re bringing back this feature and they’re introducing new characters. I’d say later this year we’ll see a new show in the theatre which features all these characters.

Also, Belinda’s Tree House has been removed from the maintenance listing and according to the attractions page it is now open. And the Wiggles character Show is moving to the Theatre.

Walter is a German name.    Walter's catchline "du wirst nass"

Must be a multicultural wombat.😂

Edited March 30, 2023 by New display name

[themagician]

Escape Coaster has been pushed back to after the school holidays 

[Stevie]

On 31/03/2023 at 8:37 AM, New display name said:

Walter is a German name.    Walter's catchline "du wirst nass"

Must be a multicultural wombat.😂

His fathers side migrated from Germany. His great great great Grandfather met a lovely Aussie wombat and the rest is history.

[themagician]

Stage 1 is open and it’s turned out well

[TBoy]

Looks like the theatre background is now a screen. Looks good and is helpful so it can be used for multiple shows. Only thing is that it can wear out and will need to be replaced at some point.

Love the 3D signs rather than the 2D ones used previously for Madagascar.

One thing I don't like however is that there is less theming than Dreamworks. Also that the grey track sticks out like a sore thumb compared to the rest of the pavement.

[Michelangelo]

On 8/4/2023 at 4:26 PM, TBoy said:

One thing I don't like however is that there is less theming than Dreamworks. Also that the grey track sticks out like a sore thumb compared to the rest of the pavement.

I think it might be too early for speculation or judgement on that one. The main key words that Greg has said in all announcements is “immersive” and “theming.” Now he’s at the helm, it seems the days of DW doing things half assed has gone.

Also, I remember everyone flipping their sh!te here over the Steel Taipan footpaths as soon as they were first painted, and the finished product was so much different/better. I’m sure it’ll be the same with the grey track through Dreamland.

 

[Whombex]

On 08/04/2023 at 4:26 PM, TBoy said:

[snip]

One thing I don't like however is that there is less theming than Dreamworks. Also that the grey track sticks out like a sore thumb compared to the rest of the pavement.

Going with that being intentional, to help show guests that the area is a thoroughfare.