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What is your favourite use of special effects on an attraction?

Matt N

Matt N

CF Legend
Hi guys. When building an immersive attraction, many parks use special effects in order to build up the experience. But I’d be very intrigued to know; what is your favourite use of special effects on an attraction?

Personally, I’d have to plump for Revenge of the Mummy at Universal Studios Florida. I know that a lot of the ride’s spectacle relies on one type of effect (fire), but I have to say that I think this attraction’s use of fire is so effective that it just makes the whole thing work incredibly; that scene where the ceiling lights on fire especially is sublime!

But what would you say is your favourite use of special effects on an attraction?
 
Quite a subtle one but the way the lights come on at the bottom of the drop on new Pirates of Batavia at Europa. The drop and subsequent scene is done in complete darkness then as soon as the boat hits the water the first scene is instantly illuminated. It's a blink and you miss it moment but the timing is beautiful.
 
Oooh nice topic!
Saw the title - instantly thought of Templo del Fuego at Port Aventura. Fire! Lots and lots of fire. Can't beat it.
Then I actually read the opening post, and yeah, Revenge of the Mummy in Orlando (the Hollywood version has no fire, and is therefore not as good). That coaster spent many years in my top 10, and even now I'd still place it the top 10%. Love it, mainly cos of all the FIRE!
For the same reason again - a shout out to the old Jaws ride, also in Orlando.
Ka-booom!!?
Finally, I must mention something that only a handful of you will know about. The Clinic - Walibi Holland's mind blowing Halloween experience. I know I've banged on about this thing before - it really is a masterpiece of immersive theatre, packed with ingenious physical, special and psychological effects, complete with fiery finalé, but one effect in particular really stuck with me:
Imagine that...
you're strapped to a gurney, completely immobile. You've just died on the operating table. You've been embalmed, toe-tagged, spent some time in the morgue, witnessed your own funeral and have been buried. Pitch black, total silence for... god knows how long. Felt like forever. Then a sudden flash of ultra violet light reveals a ghastly, demonic face right in front of your eyes. The Devil. You're on your way to Hell. The flash of light is only a split second but - and here's the rub - the image is imprinted on your retinas. You can't 'unsee' it, literally. You look away, it's still there. You close your eyes, it's still there!!

Mate, I. Was. Mortified! It was horrible. Thing is, even at the time, I knew what it was, I know exactly how the trick works so in addition to sh*tting the proverbial bricks, I was simultaneously admiring the ingenuity and the craftsmanship involved. "Oh now that's clever", I thought. "And also... Aaaarrrrrgghhhh!".
 
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I think my favourite is in Area 51 at Movie Park Germany. I guess I should do a spoiler warning here just in case..?

It's the disappearing spaceship scene. It just floored me. I guess it's a Pepper's Ghost effect, but I remember seeing it and just being gobsmacked really, as it looked so 'real' and 'there', and then for it to go was just amazing. I don't think many special effects have had that impact on me.


Just reading @Howie's mention of Clinic, and oh my yes. That whole thing is utterly brilliant, but the sequence mentioned I whole heartedly agree with as being up there as a favourite special effect.

Also, I just want to add that my favourite generic special effect is the 'waterfall that turns off just before you go under it'. A classic across many a water rides, and some non-water rides too, but when done right, I'm always left with the "it ain't going to stop, isn't it?" feeling!
 
JoshC. said:
Just reading @Howie's mention of Clinic, and oh my yes. That whole thing is utterly brilliant, but the sequence mentioned I whole heartedly agree with as being up there as a favourite special effect.
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Ah, a fellow Clinic alumni. We should have a secret handshake or sumat. A wink, or just that knowing nod that says 'Yes. I know.'

First rule of Clinic Club is: You do not talk about Clinic Club.
 
There's a (now simple) special effect that always sticks with me years after first seeing it; one of the scenes aboard The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman at Islands of Adventure where the Green Goblin throws a grenade at the riders. The effect is simply scripted; the ride car is moving backwards, away from the 4D projection screen, which shows the animation of the Green Goblin throwing the grenade. The grenade "comes" towards the riders, as the ride vehicle dodges behind a wall, where a fiery explosion erupts where the grenade "impacts".


It's a poetically simple blending of visual and physical effect, that sticks with me even 15+ years after my first ride!
 
I'm a little soft for simple illusions, so for me, if I have to mention anything, it's the barrier between platforms 9 and 10 on the Universal Studios Florida side of the Hogwarts Express. It's visible at around 3 minutes in this video:
It might look a little off on camera, but in person, when you're not expecting it, it's a real "wait, what?!?" moment. A semi-transparent mirror reflects the far wall of the room, making the people on the other side look like they're walking through solid brick. It's a genial little trick of mirrors.

Another shout-out to the Enchanted Tales of Belle at Magic Kingdom. I must admit I passed over the ride when I visited, but if I'd learned about this effect before I went there I definitely would have had a look at it, just for the effect of seeing a picture on the wall turning into a door before my very eyes. I mean, check out this (and just shut your ears at the cringy spiel):

Real Engineering did a whole video about it a while ago, seen here.
 
I was always quite impressed by the use of lasers in Mystic Manor, especialy how they make them apear as if they were a point of light in space rather than just a dot on a wall. It's hard to show up in a video but you can kind of see it here
 
I hadn’t seen a lot of these before - some of them amazing in their simplicity but so effective (like the brick wall in Kings Cross).

I bloody love the inside part of De Vliegende Hollander. The section with storm/rain, where you seem to get run over by a galleon, it’s great. Looked at a POV and you just can’t tell at all what it’s really like.

edit - another vote for Templo del Fuego, on the rare occasions it’s open. I couldn’t believe just how much fire there was, til you are completely surrounded by it. Amazing stuff.
 
Howie said:
Me again. ?
Islands of Adventure (again).
I always did love the water vortex tunnel on Poseidon's Fury.
Haven't been in years, is that even still there?
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Poseidons Fury is definitely alive and well! Went through it earlier this year in March, standard definition projections and all. ? I was definitely thinking about an honorable mention for this one, it too was mind-boggling at the sheer scale of special effects at the time, even though it has somehow invaded universals upgrade schedule, and demolition schedule for that matter.

While I’m popping back in, I was really trying not to be that guy to point out Rise of the Resistance - because of course that ride has amazing techno wizardry up it’s sleeves. In case anyone hasn’t ridden it and is trying to keep some secret, I’ll leave it at the light saber effects employed for Kylo Ren are truly astounding, both in their simplicity but more importantly execution to give very amazing effect.
 
The beginning of Star Trek: The Experience. Twenty or so people enter a small room with plain black walls and are instructed to stand on white painted circles on the floor. Television screens dish out the usual pre-attraction warnings about pregnancy and bad backs. The picture and sound start to break up then the tellies turn off and you're suddenly surrounded by myriad flashing white lights, there's a blast of cold air, the lights come on and you're standing on the pads in the transporter room of the Enterprise.

It's hard to describe how perfectly realised this was - a real WTF moment. Somebody on here posted a behind-the-scenes video a couple of months back but after watching that sequence several times, I'm still not exactly sure how they achieved it.
 
So I did a joke reply first but here are some of my actual favs:

- Whale cracking ceiling in Symbolica and water pours through, fab multi-textured(?) effect 3:48
- Disappearing Shiriki Utundu in Tower of Terror at Tokyo DisneySea
- Smoke ring thing on Indiana Jones at Tokyo DisneySea
- WHOLE ROOM MOVING to simulate moving backwards whilst actually moving forwards on Indiana Jones 4:46
- Fog laser swamp in Coven of 13 at Tulleys 5:41
- Bike duelling mirror fake-out on TRON 11:35
- Roger Rabbit hole stretching (yep) on Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin 3:50
- The twister on Twister 12:00

I'm sure there's loads more but that's off the top of my head for now.
 
^That's a great post @nadroJ , just watched all of those clips, thanks for sharing. ? I've only done Twister and Symbolica, all the rest is weirdo faraway stuff that I'm not likely to go on anytime soon, was a fun watch.
Where's the Roger Rabbit ride? And is Jessica in it?? ?
 
^^ Completely agree with the Disneysea effects, especially the disappering totem. I'd seen videos on that effect before going to Disneysea and always thought it was one of those things that looks extremely convincing on video, but was very visible/obvious in person, but then actually going there and seeing it for myself, it really kind of shocked me how good the effect is. It just left me going "where...where did it go? it was right there, I could see the outline, how?".
 
Projektion said:
^^ Completely agree with the Disneysea effects, especially the disappering totem. I'd seen videos on that effect before going to Disneysea and always thought it was one of those things that looks extremely convincing on video, but was very visible/obvious in person, but then actually going there and seeing it for myself, it really kind of shocked me how good the effect is. It just left me going "where...where did it go? it was right there, I could see the outline, how?".
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I specifically stood directly in front on it and STARED at it and it still baffles me. Amazing.

And @Howie - there's one in California and one in Tokyo. And yes she is.
 
Expedition Everest's Yeti the year it opened back when it worked the way it was originally intended to was to this day the most incredible special effect I've seen.


Hyde said:
While I’m popping back in, I was really trying not to be that guy to point out Rise of the Resistance - because of course that ride has amazing techno wizardry up it’s sleeves. In case anyone hasn’t ridden it and is trying to keep some secret, I’ll leave it at the light saber effects employed for Kylo Ren are truly astounding, both in their simplicity but more importantly execution to give very amazing effect.
Click to expand...

I'll also give this a +1. Crazy to see to Disney's special effects have evolved over the years
 
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