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The World of David Walliams is coming to Alton Towers

vaugc002 said:
I feel like I watched something different, because to me it just seemed like a load of screens and not much else?
I wish AT would try a bit harder.
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For what is ultimately a small family-aimed dark ride, at a park that doesn't have a screen-based dark ride, I don't think there's an issue with it being a load of screens. Hard to say about the quality from the video, but it's probably too soon for 'try harder' like comments just now...
 
JoshC. said:
For what is ultimately a small family-aimed dark ride, at a park that doesn't have a screen-based dark ride, I don't think there's an issue with it being a load of screens. Hard to say about the quality from the video, but it's probably too soon for 'try harder' like comments just now...
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Why is it that Alton Towers are going for a 'small family-aimed dark ride' though? This is one of the UK's biggest theme parks... I just wish they try something a bit more interesting/ exciting.

I know we talk about Symbolica a lot, but just compare the two.
I'm sure families will enjoy the IP if they have kids, but I think it's fair to say it's not exactly a high-effort installation.
 
I can kind of see where you're coming from, but feels like a bit of a weird comparison.

Not every ride will be a major ride.
Towers last invested in a major ride in 2018 (Wickerman, a roller coaster), and now are investing in a smaller ride in 2021 (Gangsta Granny, a family dark ride).
Efteling last invested in a major ride in 2017 (Symbolica, a family dark ride), and invested in a small ride in 2020 (Max and Moritz, a roller coaster).
It's not really much different?

Obviously the crux of the situation will be the quality of any addition. A small ride can still be good and fun. I'd love to see Towers invest a large amount in a major, fun-for-all-the-family dark ride, but I'm not against a smaller, cheaper addition as long as it's enjoyable.

Pulling off big, interesting, exciting rides isn't something that most parks can do every single time; arguably they don't actually have to either.
 
JoshC. said:
I can kind of see where you're coming from, but feels like a bit of a weird comparison.

Not every ride will be a major ride.
Towers last invested in a major ride in 2018 (Wickerman, a roller coaster), and now are investing in a smaller ride in 2021 (Gangsta Granny, a family dark ride).
Efteling last invested in a major ride in 2017 (Symbolica, a family dark ride), and invested in a small ride in 2020 (Max and Moritz, a roller coaster).
It's not really much different?

Obviously the crux of the situation will be the quality of any addition. A small ride can still be good and fun. I'd love to see Towers invest a large amount in a major, fun-for-all-the-family dark ride, but I'm not against a smaller, cheaper addition as long as it's enjoyable.

Pulling off big, interesting, exciting rides isn't something that most parks can do every single time; arguably they don't actually have to either.
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I mean, Max and Moritz wasn't exactly a small addition - it cost 15m Euros.
But I agree - no park has to ensure each new addition is huge and impressive.

I just don't think this ride looked overly interesting. I think that's fine for me to say.
Money spent on the IP so the ride turns out looking cheap. That's all.
 
^
This I will agree with.
I don't know a lot about the ride and haven't yet seen the video, but I'd rather have something akin to the mini-Symbolica at Legendia rather than spending the theming budget lining the pockets of a comedian most of us have forgotten about. I feel like very few of the non-Merlin parks feel the need to do this and it doesn't seem to do them any harm.

I suspect I'll get a lecture on 'the importance of brand' now...
 
A screen based ride.... eeeeesh.

I hope there is something interesting going on in at least some of the scenes. There will be no long term charm with only screen animations.

Peet said:
Is it just me, or does David seem a bit underwhelmed in that video?
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I think he just felt a bit awkward with how the kids were ‘forced’ to contribute and wouldn’t necessarily be honest.
 
^
I'll admit I didn't know that.
As depressing as that is, it possibly makes him a fair replacement for a Roald Dahl based dark ride

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nadroJ said:
Did...did you think they'd made a children's land themed around the man/00s comedian David Walliams? 😂
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No, of course I knew he'd done children's books/tv series! I just had no idea how popular they were :)

...and yes, I do still make the odd Little Britain joke as the enemy of political correctness!
 
Looks s**t.

As others have said, it's probably down to most of the budget being spaffed up the wall on the IP. That might work to get people through the gate in the first year or two it's open, but you're then left with a steaming turd of an attraction with little to no revisit value.

Sent from my Redmi Note 7 using Tapatalk
 
It looks fine. It’s a kids ride, none of us are kids and we aren’t supposed to get excited about it. At the end of the day it’s a new dark ride in a location that has never previously housed a ride, so it’s not like they ripped anything of worth out to fit it in.

I think it’ll probably be really popular and get good reviews from the target market. Queues on the other hand, especially during covid whilst they can’t properly run the ride to max capacity, could be an issue.
 
The area officially opened today, and here is a POV of Gangster Granny (spoilers obviously):-


Ngl looks better than I was expecting! Don't get me wrong it is a screen-based ride but it is well integrated and executed very well overall, with a mix of physical set pieces and special effects! Shame it doesn't seem to have much in the way of animatronics, but I honestly think it looks better than how Duel is now.
 
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Wow, that looks absolutely superb! The screens, physical sets and special effects are really smoothly blended together, and they seem to have gotten a decent ride length out of not very much track, which I think is really quite clever!

On the whole, I’m very impressed with that given the constraints the park was working within; top job, Towers!
 
It's fine I guess. 5 mins isn't too bad a ride time and has some nice effects, just nothing exactly awe-inspiring . I'm happy Alton Towers has another decent dark ride (until the IP runs out and it gets removed) 😏
 
I got around to riding this yesterday - it was a particularly arduous queue in a small, narrow building, full of loud, small, odorous children.

There's nothing wrong with the ride - but there's nothing really right with it either and the cynic in me says it probably won't be all that long until effects start breaking. There's also only so many 'fart jokes' one ride needs and I feel like there's a coaster in Denmark that adequately fulfils the quota.

I'm sure the kids love it, but I'd still rather have a Symbolica or Bazyliszek - even that ludicrous thing at Tusenfryd!
 
Will said:
I got around to riding this yesterday - it was a particularly arduous queue in a small, narrow building, full of loud, small, odorous children.

There's nothing wrong with the ride - but there's nothing really right with it either and the cynic in me says it probably won't be all that long until effects start breaking. There's also only so many 'fart jokes' one ride needs and I feel like there's a coaster in Denmark that adequately fulfils the quota.

I'm sure the kids love it, but I'd still rather have a Symbolica or Bazyliszek - even that ludicrous thing at Tusenfryd!
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I thought the same about the fart jokes. And the use of smells. Kids will love it though and I get I'm not the target audience so it's fine but yh, I was really grossed out in the end!
 
nadroJ said:
I thought the same about the fart jokes. And the use of smells. Kids will love it though and I get I'm not the target audience so it's fine but yh, I was really grossed out in the end!
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I couldn't figure out if the smell in the queue line was intentional or just the children I was surrounded by, but it was unnecessary either way.

I liked the silly portraits, but that's about the only thing I could say in favour of the queue.

Obviously not target audience either, but there's plenty of family orientated dark rides I'd re-ride over that one.
 
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