The Great Gremlins Adventure

[Guest Doc Brown]

Does anyone have any photo's or videro's of this attraction? I would also love some information on it, i may have gone on it when i was little, but unfortunetly i don't remember, was there ever any official gremlin ride meorabilia? like photo's, pins, buttons, postcards? they have an original gremlin doll in a display case in the guest service building.

[GoGoBoy]

I have to say I really loved this ride. It was a true dark ride. It was nice on a hot day because the pre-show cinemas were always well air conditioned. The pre-show involved entering one of a number of mini cinemas which basically looked like a standard (but slightly smaller) movie theatre. The idea was you were supposed to be watching a selection of Hollywood out-takes or bloopers and there was no mention of Gremlins. Then all of a sudden in the middle of the film you could hear the projectionist screaming and the sound of a Gremlin laughing. A staff member would then burst into the theatre and tell everyone to evacuate as Gremlin's had taken over the film vaults. You were then hurried out of the theatre through a back passage way. In this passage way was an animatronic Gremlin hanging from one of the lights above you. I should also point out that the Gremlins were very realistic looking. You would then board one of the ride vehicles in the loading area. I won't go into great detail of the ride itself but basically you were taken through the film vaults in the vehicle with Gremlins all around and chaos everywhere. It was a great atmosphere in the ride and actually a little scary for younger kids. I remember being really sad when they replaced it!

[BNErider]

[Spotty]

It would have to have been my favorite ride as a Kid, followed closely by Bermuda Triangle. I mean I love the Spooky Coaster, but I still find it a bit sad that they replaced the Gremlins Ride. I had very fond memories of it and even Beetlejuice was hidden inside the ride. I was so happy when I had my orientation down there at Christmas time because our training was in one of the old Gremlins cinemas. They are still fully intact inside the buliding. When you are in the main foyer for the Spooky Coaster there is a fire door on the left hand side. Just inside there the whole corridor and cinema's are still intact. It was a major walk down memory lane for me. Even my trainer said "For some of the older members you might remember this hallway from the Great Gremlin's Adventure Ride" and I just said "Hey... i'm not that old!" Ah... good times. Daniel "Thought it was funny that during my Evacuation Drill training, that the Spooky Coaster had to be evacuated" Harmer

[DEAP]

I had the fortune to sort of go on this ride twice before it was shut down. The first time i was very you about 7 i think and i remember sitting through the cinema show and getting re-assured at the end of it that it would be ok but i could leave if i wanted. I decided to go onto the ride (meanwhile my brother and cousin chickened out) but when i got to the "back passage way" and saw the hanging gremlin i got totally freaked out and ran out lol. After that while we were waiting for the rest of my family to finish the ride the staff member out the front was kind enough to take us all done another side passage way and explained to us that it was fake and full of air from memory. Just another example of Movie worlds excellent customer service. The second time was a couple of years after that and i went on fine. I was glad i did because it closed not long after that, and was indeed a great ride.

[Gazza]

Just a little observation, but it seems very frequent for people to say this scared them as a little kid, and not just on this forum (I think I rode it when I was 3 or 4, I think I probably scared by it too, but can't really remember, might have to ask mum) Do you think part of the reason it was eventually scrapped was because it just scared such a large proportion of the family audience it was aimed at?

[Spotty]

Hmmm... I never thought of it like that Gazza, but it raises a very valid point. It would be good if someone was able to do some delving into why it was closed. It sucks because the only real dark ride we have left in Australia would be Bermuda Triangle (not including little ghost trains like at Luna Park) And we need something to fill the void. There has also been rumors for quite a while about a 3rd Gremlins Movie, so if that does happen I'd love to see Movie World re-incarnate this family classic.

[WalleyWorld]

Oh, I remember this ride. Pretty sure i went on it on the first trip to Movieworld. lol And I was also really scared . I think the Gremlins looked really creepy, that's why all the kids got scared. Especially when in the first room where the Gremlins were on ladders and they swang down towards the car. If I remember correctly I cried through the whole ride after that part . I also remember that the carriges looked really weird; sorta looked like sleighs.

It sucks because the only real dark ride we have left in Australia would be Bermuda Triangle (not including little ghost trains like at Luna Park)

Wouldn't you say that the Lonney Tunes River Ride is a dark ride? On a side note, why are there sooo many rides in the WVTP's that are basically copied over into the Germany Movieworld???? (seaworld and movieworld mainly) Like the video that Ash posted, that was a video of the gremlins ride in Germany, but there was also one in our Movieworld. Does anybody know how they are able to copy the rides from our parks? Edited September 16, 2008 by CoAsTeR TeeN

[S.W24]

On a side note, why are there sooo many rides in the WVTP's that are basically copied over into the Germany Movieworld???? (seaworld and movieworld mainly) Like the video that Ash posted, that was a video of the gremlins ride in Germany, but there was also one in our Movieworld. Does anybody know how they are able to copy the rides from our parks?

Thats a good question that, correct me here if im wrong but originally when Movieworld first opened here they were some way offiliated with other movieworld parks design wise. Again correct me if im wrong but when did burmuda Triangle go in at Sea world because id heard rumours before that Movieworld was going to get it when the park first opened in 1991 and it would be located were superman is but then sea world took it making way for the studio tour to replace it. There is a video on you tube about Both movie world construction and training in germany and relates a lot of stuff to ours its half in german but you can see a lot of interesting stuff.

[little lefty legend]

i remember this ride. went on it when i was bout 5 or 6 if that. loved it. got slightly scared though in relation to memorabilia i still have a little stuffed gremlin at home somewhere, and a photo of me with a giant gremlin that was walking round the park

[MickeyD]

^^ MW Germany WAS copied from the original GC park - in fact when I was working there, some of my collegues were priviledged to fly over to Germany and assist with the opening of the park. When WB's sold out their ownership of the parks, Germany cut it's ties all together. The Gold Coast park has been lucky to maintain the WB's indicies (VERY marketable) As for Gremlins, ask me anything about it - I ran that ride from a control room that was basically behind the loading dock wall (where BJ sat) for a number of years. Had an awesome time working in there and scaring the little ones:) I have to say I am quite suprised there are so many people on this site commenting about the ride actually being scary? The feedback I got when working in the park was that it needed to be scarier?!?! As for it's removal, there are two main reasons; #1 The rides general repair and upkeep. We had a permanent guy on site that would make the conifains and skins for the Gremlins which would constantly deteriorate under the rides conditions of water and lighting. They would literally melt and fall apart after some time. At any given time there half a dozen odd Gremlins that were out for repair. It was an ongoing nightmare!!! The cars themsleves would often crash into each other around the building and damage the frames. They were fitted with Whiskers at the front that should (in theory) have prevented this from happening - the constant rusting caused by the water and steam effects throughout the ride didn't help either. #2 The rides repeatability. Attitiude of most people on Gremlins was been there, done that. The film itself became quite dated and tedious to those who had seen it all before. The Supervisor had an option to play with long or short show - you would have been quite lucky indeed to see the long version as it was rarely used. Whilst I miss Gremlins and would have dearly loved to see them plus up the ride, the on going upkeep costs really didn't justify it in favour of a new ride that had greater reliability and repeatability

[revolutionx]

I bawled my eyes out when I went on it at the age of about 6, and then next time I went to MW was when I was 9, and it had closed. I would like to go on it again though.

[S.W24]

MickeyD thats right the germany park was copied by ours, thanks for the info on that. One question relating the theatres for the ride how may was there or is there and were abouts are they located on the scooby premises. I thought they were taken out to make way for the giant que room not to mention last monday was bloody chockers iv never seen so many people for a normal off peak monday, ticket booth line ups were across the staff/coach road in front of the park still at 11:30 ride ques were pretty long most people would enter scooby and walk back out again.

[Spotty]

Klassen, The theatres back onto what I would presume is the Control room for the Spooky Coaster. They are still intact and there are 3 of them from memory. Sunday was just scary... Scooby doo and Superman were both having issues... Scooby's line was 45 minutes long... lethal around 30 minutes, Superman was running VERY well for 1 train operation with queues around 20 minutes and Batwing was a walk on.

[S.W24]

Thanks for that spotty, Well im glad they have at least kept some of the ride and acctually kept it in tack i didnt even know they were there still. Well at least they havnt been used a somewere to keep old useless stuff Movieworld doesnt use anymore like the mavrick show set its still all there and in tack and in good condition the show could start up again one day. But you walk behind the set and there's costumes everywere bits and peices here there and everywere.

[jjuttp]

but are there still some of the little G's(gremlins) still in tact or more importaintly "hanging" though

[rappa]

Wow the maverick set IS NOT in good condition. The wiring and effects are long gone and the set is a rat infested rotting nightmare. You would never see that set used again and the only reason its still there is it's cheaper to build in front than to knock it down. I would love to see the show stage returned to that former glory some day, there was quite an install of show control equipment to run that show in its hey day.

[MickeyD]

^ so would I.. Another show of the MAV/PA standard IMO would be a great addition to MW. My hunch though is this is the site for the Park's next major attraction/ride

[jjuttp]

hey i was just waching the video that ash had posted and i noticed that the cartoon caractor ALF is in it , whats he got to do with any thing anyway????????????please tell me because i havent seen the movies (yet anyway)

[MickeyD]

^ absolutely nothing!!! Alf was simply a more popular character in Germany than Beatlejuice was in Australia.. so they went with him instead.. BTW BJ has nothing to do with Gremlins either in case you didn't know

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

Well it was set in the Movie Vault - where old movies go - maybe old movie CHARACTERS went there too?

[taronga]

Going through the props warehouse was the best part of the ride.

[Guest Doc Brown]

does anyone have any pictures of the gremlins ride, like the theatres and hallway? and the actual ride, i dont remember going on this ride at all, but i may have. anyway it sounds amazing!!!

[S.W24]

djrappa your probably right about the set. But i saw it all when the shrek show was there and it didnt look to bad i reckon they could just give it all touch ups. But i suppose all off the wiring and effects have been taken out it would probably be a pretty big effort to re-do all that with a newer more modern system. From what i can remember from when i last went in there and saw the set there were lots of control panels all over the place very old style. But i would be really good if they did bring that show back with more modern magic. I myself am a magician for events and birthday parties and there is so much they could do with such a venue like its self and its just sitting there most of the year with nothing in it, it gets used for the occasional function like the maccas function held at the park in july they used the venue for a short 10 min presentation and the whole place was packed. Question Does anyone know or could fill me in on why we didnt end up getting a similar set up to soaring at DCA how come that didnt go ahead???

[bluman]

Another question: what has happened to the fittings from Gremlins and also Harry Potter (eg. the train)? Has Movie World stored them; kept elements for archiving purposes; or have they disposed of them? It is something, I am curious and interested in Cheers, B