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Small News From The Theme Park Industry

I went to Phantasialand before Christmas when it snowed. Trust me, the chaos in the car park at closing was no better than how we'd handle it here. The van in the ditch on the Autobahn slip road didn't look so good either.
 
Old news, but nothing has been posted here so far about these new parks coming to Japan.

Katana, the company that was involved with the renewal of Seibuen Amusement Park in Saitama which reopened in 2021, and has also helped with the rebranding and management of Huis Ten Bosch, a theme park in Nagasaki, has two new theme parks in the works. Last October the company unveiled a plan to open a large-scale theme park focused on immersive experiences called Immersive Fort Tokyo, which will be opening in Odaiba this March.

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The world's first fully immersive indoor theme park will feature 12 unique attractions along with six shops and restaurants at the 323,000 square foot (30,000 square meter) site formerly occupied by the Venus Fort outlet shopping mall.

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The park will feature murder mystery, horror, and anime-themed attractions including a Sherlock Holmes-themed attraction where guests get to solve a case with the famous detective; a Jack The Ripper horror maze where visitors will be transported to 19th century London and have to evade the serial killer as he tries to make them his next victim; as well as a Tokyo Revengers-themed escape room wherein guests are caught in the middle of a conflict between the Tokyo Mankai and a group of new baddies.

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The park will be located next to Tokyo's largest EV Cart Racing Circuit - City Circuit Tokyo Bay. The only motorsports circuit in Tokyo, with over 118,400 square feet (11,000 square meters) of space, features both indoor and outdoor tracks along with virtual reality simulators.

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In addition to the urban indoor entertainment park, Katana is leading a plan to open a nature-focused theme park on Okinawa’s main island in 2025 called Junglia.

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The 60-hectare park will be built on a former golf course site that stretches from the village of Nakijin to the city of Nago.

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The ¥70 billion ($469.7 million) project will feature attractions like a hot air balloon ride, zip lines, and an attraction in which guests are chased by dinosaurs through the jungle.

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So no coasters or other traditional attractions, but still interesting options for anyone planning a Japan trip in the next couple of years.

Immersive Fort Tokyo source and Junglia source
 

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I thought that Venus Fort place was kinda like a budget version of the Venetian mall in Las Vegas (without the canal) - all shops and artificial sky. Sounds like this new "theme park" is just a repurposing of the units to the instagram-generation now that the shops have all given up! No rides like you say, but its pretty nearby to the Tokyo Joypolis which has "stuff" - the general area (there's another plush mall/eaterys in the area) is all a quite pleasant kill-a-few-hours sort of place.
 
BGT’s Skyride has just had new signage installed, meaning a re-opening could be near.

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Movie Park Germany has released a survey which not only hints at future re-themes of both The Lost Temple and Time Riders, but also further collaboration and integration of Paramount Pictures IPs into the park (other than Nickelodeon and Star Trek). The survey starts by asking visitors what they think of the two attractions, but also if they recognize the following properties:
  • Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde
  • Rosemary's Baby
  • Mission: Impossible
  • Sleepy Hollow
  • Italian Job
  • Paranormal Activity
  • Star Trek
  • Friday the 13th
  • Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters
  • A Quiet Place
  • Pet Sematary
  • World War Z
  • The Lost City
Then the second half of the survey asks the participant to rate the films and whether implementing them into existing attractions would increase the rides' appeal. The survey also mentions guest interest in adding new 4D effects, animatronics, live actors, and other interactive elements, and If the guest would like to see Paramount brands added to scare zones during the park's horror event.

 
In light of heavy snowfall in Brühl this week, Phantasialand has been using Taron and F.L.Y.’s trains as snow plows:

Looks slow ;) 🤣

Plopsa has unveiled new logos for all of their properties, giving them a more sleek and simplified look:

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Oh dear... From this...

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To that... :/
 
Interesting. Screamscape speculated here this might be the LEGO Factory Adventure Ride from New York (and Korea), but the stated hall is both significantly larger and a few meters taller than that ride. So might this fit a themed indoor coaster? Merlin are currently adding coasters to LEGOLAND parks all over their portfolio so it wouldn't surprise me.
Turns out I was right, after all, lol. I think the project deserves its own thread, though.
 
Plopsa has unveiled new logos for all of their properties, giving them a more sleek and simplified look:

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Not only are the park logos changing for 2024, but the staff outfits are as well. Plopsa is collaborating with the clothing company Suit Up on a radical new look, combining dark blue jackets with ochre yellow trousers. Apparently Plopsa’s new management are looking to give the whole chain a more ”mature” makeover to appeal to older demographics going forward.

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A large fire ravaged the Wild West-themed Pullman City amusement park in Eging am See, in Lower Bavaria, Germany last night. Several wooden structures along the park’s Main Street, including the saloon, steak house restaurant, and music hall, were consumed by the devastating flames, leading to extensive damage and financial losses which are estimated to be in the millions of Euros. At the time the fire broke out approximately 180 guests were evacuated from the park's hotel, which was spared from the flames. Only one of the 20 park employees on duty and one of the 280 firefighters battling the flames were slightly injured. Source (in German)

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Not only are the park logos changing for 2024, but the staff outfits are as well. Plopsa is collaborating with the clothing company Suit Up on a radical new look, combining dark blue jackets with ochre yellow trousers. Apparently Plopsa’s new management are looking to give the whole chain a more ”mature” makeover to appeal to older demographics going forward.

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Everybody on this forum from Belgium or the Netherlands knows that Plopsaland is themed towards a television studio creating televisions shows for small children. I think this "mature" makeover to the chain is a very tricky step, and I don't believe it's a wise one. But for them I hope to be proven wrong.
 
Merlin have announced that from 31st January 2024, the parks will revert to height-based free admission as opposed to age-based free admission:
At the moment, the parks seem to resort to “free admission for under 3’s”, but the new policy will be:
  • Free admission for guests under 0.9m at Alton Towers, Chessington and Legoland Windsor.
  • Free admission for guests under 1.2m at Thorpe Park.
The midway attractions will remain age-based, allowing free entry for under 2’s.

I think this is a good move, personally. Seeing as most rides have height restrictions rather than age restrictions, basing it on height is fairer in the theme parks, in my opinion.
 
In addition to Kings Island's new Snoopy's Soap Box Racers Vekoma family boomerang, three rides will change names as part of the park's Camp Snoopy expansion. The 'Flying Ace Aerial Chase' Vekoma suspended family coaster will rebrand as 'Woodstock's Air Rail', while the 'Woodstock Gliders' Larson flying scooters will be called 'Franklin's Flyers', and the 'Race for Your Life Charlie Brown' Arrow Dynamics log flume will become 'Charlie Brown's Rushing River Log Ride'. Source
 
So Avonturenpark Hellendorn was set to open RidderStrijd a Reverchon spinning wild mouse from what was La Feria Chapultepec Magico in early 2022, many delays have happened but it was completed with theming ready for this year with testing apparently taking place, however the coaster currently looks like this:
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A lot of the track has gone with only the breaks to the top of the lift left. This is due to the rest of the track having to be strengthened back at the Reverchon factory. The park are now aiming for a summer opening, this seems like a lot of effort for a wild mouse.

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So finally it looks like Avonturenpark Hellendoorn will be opening their spinning coaster from La Feria that was ment to open years ago.

Track is back up and trains are running, the coaster is said now to open in March.
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For anyone visiting Paris this Spring: The annual Foire Du Trône fair has been shortened by a month due to plans to install a military encampment on the site in preparation for the upcoming Olympics. Instead of running from late March until the end of May as intended, the fair will only run from March 22nd to April 21st.

 
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Comcast revealed in its fourth-quarter earnings report Thursday that its NBC/Universal theme parks division saw a 12.2% increase in revenue to $2.3 billion, with the company attributing the growth partly to the ongoing popularity of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan in Osaka and Universal Studios Hollywood in California. Source
 
Bobbejaanland will be spending over a million euros in renovating their one-of-a-kind Vekoma Illusion Revolution over the winter months. This will include a completely new chassis from Vekoma and a train design that harkens back to the ride’s original appearance when it opened in 1989. The ride itself will also receive upgraded lighting and effects, and the queue will also be renovated.

To commemorate the occassion, the park will be putting out a five-part video series over the winter months documenting the process of renovating the fan-favourite attraction.


 
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