10 cool new theme park developments in the works
Each November, the people that operate theme parks, create rides, and others engaged in the serious business of fun gather in Orlando for a massive trade show. The 2016 event, presented by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), was the largest ever. Over 35,000 attendees flowed through nearly 600,000 square feet of exhibit space crammed with whirring rides, cacophonous arcade games, tantalizing midway food, and more from some 1,100 companies.
The IAAPA Expo is a barometer of the burgeoning industry. With parks and vendors showcasing projects in development and creative visionaries pitching new attraction concepts, the event also serves as a crystal ball that offers a glimpse into what is — and what may be — on the way to theme parks. As I discovered wandering the trade show floor, here are 10 very cool things in the works.
1. VR is a virtual certainty at parks. There were scads of virtual reality goggles among the expo's booths. VR-enhanced roller coasters are already available at some parks, and ride designers are scrambling to incorporate the popular simulation technology into a wide array of new experiences.
For example, ride manufacturer Zamperla invited visitors to don VR headsets and take a spin on one of its existing rides, WindstarZ. The vehicles resemble hang gliders, and passengers can control the angle of their airfoils to float up or down while spinning around. With the addition of VR, riders can be transported to alternate realities such as a steampunk landscape and use the vehicles' controllers to interact with the virtual environment. Zamperla is also considering retrofitting VR for teacups and other spinning rides.
New in 2017: What's coming to Disney parks this year
2. VR does not need goggles. Parks have been transporting visitors to alternate realities for years in theater-based attractions. Instead of solo, individualized VR experiences, they offer shared, group experiences using large format screens. With Soarin', the Disney parks pioneered the concept of a simulated flying attraction. Other manufacturers have been developing their own takes on what are known as "flying theater" rides.
At this year's IAAPA Expo, attraction developer Triotech introduced its version, which it calls The Flyer. Among its unique features, it would be the first to incorporate 3D content and target pairs of seats for motion rather than entire ride platforms.
"Most flying theaters are contemplative and slow-moving," said Christian Martin, VP of marketing for Triotech. "We want to deliver more thrills." The company's system includes a wider range of motions and can move each passenger's seat with a greater degree of precision. "We can really rock you," added Martin. The Flyer is set to debut with a San Francisco-based storyline in summer 2017 at the Golden City's Pier 39.
3. The Walking Dead are having a great run. Fans just can't get enough of the zombie apocalypse. The Universal parks have already featured The Walking Dead mazes at its Halloween Horror Nights events, and Universal Studios Hollywood offers a year-round zombie maze. Manufacturer Sally Corporation is hoping to build The Walking Dead – Battle for Survival, a dark ride that it has developed based on the wildly popular TV series. And Triotech announced at this year's IAAPA event that it would be creating an attraction themed to the spinoff program, Fear the Walking Dead. It will open spring 2017 on Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas. He wasn't able to divulge many details, but Triotech's Martin said the attraction would be a walk-through experience that would incorporate augmented reality elements and also include motion-based seats.
4. They are putting even more motion in motion pictures. Motion simulator rides based on films such as Star Wars and Despicable Me are mainstays at theme parks. Dynamic Attractions, a company that has been behind the scenes helping Disney, Universal, and other parks with their rides, unveiled its own motion theater concept at IAAPA.
Dubbing it the Dynamic Motion Theater, the design firm unveiled a scale model of the attraction. The intriguing ride places a motion base in the center of a round theater and surrounds it with wraparound, Imax-like screens. The motion base can rise, drop, tilt, and rotate 360 degrees. The screens can rotate out of the way to reveal practical, dimensional sets peopled with live actors or animatronics.
Referring to its potent combination of moving seats, projected media, and live action, Guy Nelson, president of Dynamic Attractions, said, "The theater provides a lot of flexibility and gives plenty of depth to storytellers." The company is hoping to woo big movie studios and develop motion theater rides themed to their films. IAAPA gave its Brass Ring Award for best new product concept to Dynamic Attractions for its Dynamic Motion Theater.
5. Old-fashioned rides are here to stay. Despite all of the attention on virtual reality, parks and fans still love tried-and-true roller coasters. Manufacturer Great Coasters International and folks from Busch Gardens Williamsburg displayed one of the cars for InvadR, a wooden roller coaster set to open in 2017 at the Virginia park.
6. But newfangled rides are on the way too. At the Intamin Amusement Rides booth, reps from SeaWorld San Antonio displayed the unique Jet Ski-like vehicles that will be used on Wave Breaker: The Rescue Coaster. To be set mostly over water, the launched steel coaster has a planned 2017 opening at the Texas park.
7. Little kids will be able to go on their own quest. It's not all thrills all the time at theme parks. Chance Rides revealed a scale model of the vehicle it is building for Submarine Quest, a tame attraction coming to SeaWorld San Diego in 2017. Designed for young children, passengers will go on an interactive scavenger hunt and search for virtual and real sea creatures in the park's new Ocean Explorer land.
8. Little kids may get a whole new park. The Legoland parks in California and Florida have proved enormously popular. A third USA park dedicated to the interlocking plastic blocks may be coming to the northeast. According to Merlin Entertainments, the company hopes to open Legoland New York in 2019 if it can get the necessary permits and approval. To be located in rural Goshen, N.Y., the proposed 144-acre park would be similar to other Legolands and include rides and attractions geared to children 12 and under.
9. Thrill seekers are getting a whole new park. The folks from Zamperla announced at IAPPA that they would be providing all of the rides at a new theme park, Owa, set to open in 2017 in Foley, Ala. The featured attraction will be Thunderbolt, a 115-foot-tall steel coaster that will feature a vertical lift hill, a nearly 100-foot loop, and other inversions. It will be similar to the Thunderbolt coaster that opened in 2014 at Coney Island in New York. There will be three other roller coasters along with additional rides at Owa.
10. A new ride would give a whole new meaning to dinner theater. Perhaps the most unusual concept divulged at IAAPA was Extraordinary Voyages Adventure Dining. Premier Rides displayed a model of the attraction at its booth. The immersive experience, which could last as long as 90 minutes, would combine a meal with a motion simulator ride.
Passengers would board an adventure vehicle and be whisked away on a journey. "It could be a dirigible, a submarine, a rocket ship, or an Old West train," said Jim Seay, president and owner of Premier Rides. "There are a plethora of experiences." And, he added, the content could be reprogrammed for the holidays or other seasons, or the attraction could adopt an entirely different theme and destination. During the ride, waitstaff would serve a full-course meal and double as live actors to reinforce the story.