|
What Exactly Is ‘5-D’? Alterface Has the Answer …
 First came the 2-D experience, which takes guests inside a theater to watch a movie. Then came the 3-D adventure of donning stereoscopic glasses that added a dimension of depth to what was onscreen. That was followed by the phenomenon of 4-D, with in-theater special effects like fog, water droplets, and leg ticklers. Now, we’ve entered the era of 5-D.
But there’s disagreement about what added element is necessary to truly justify the 5-D tag. “There’s a bit of confusion around the 4-D and 5-D [labels], and I even heard 6-D lately, so basically people can just invent dimensions!” says Benoit Cornet, CEO of Alterface (www.alterface.com) in Louvain la Neuve, Belgium, whose company creates interactive multimedia systems for amusement parks, science centers, and museums.
But there’s little debate that Alterface’s newest creation warrants the 5-D moniker. The House is Alterface’s product name for the “Castle of Chaos” (http://castleofchaosbranson.com), a haunted attraction that opened recently in Branson, Missouri. In addition to 3-D movie imagery and 4-D animatronics and special effects, the attraction incorporates an interactive shooting game and an impressive rotating platform. Alterface teamed with Clostermann Design and Kuvera Attractions to create the piece.
“The rotating platform and the interactive game really add that extra dimension,” explains Cornet. “It allows you to stay in the same room and yet seemingly move from one place to another, and the interactive shooting game [posts] players’ scores and creates a competition.” Certain attraction elements react to the players’ shots— crawling insects explode, candle flames flicker, some of the decor wobbles, and ghosts fly from urns.
 Cornet notes the interactive game adds another critical element to the attraction: “The beauty of interactivity is that the lifespan of the attraction is really extended, and it will be able to survive much longer because people want to play again and again to improve their scores.”
Of course, there’s also a plethora of special effects guests have come to expect from 4-D experiences—seats that vibrate, twist, and tickle; lightning, wind, and rain; and smells. All of this is done on an attraction footprint of less than 2,150 square feet.
Cornet tells FUNWORLD how the idea for “Castle of Chaos” came about: “We thought, ‘We want to go to America and [make an impact] with the American people, so what product would really talk to them?’ We wanted the power of a dark ride and the power of a video game and an interactive theater. Then we presented it at IAAPA Attractions Expo 2008 and got three or four interested customers, and a couple of months afterward, we signed an agreement.”
Cornet says the key in this process was Alterface’s realization that getting scared is something people really seem to like in America, much more so than in other places; they observed that at American theme parks, haunted attractions are “evergreen.”
Though Cornet says “Castle of Chaos” is a “seven-digit attraction with lots of equipment,” he notes there are less-costly offshoots for small parks and family entertainment centers: “We will also have pedestrian and cart-based dark rides that don’t have the rotating platform.”
Universal Sentosa: A Movie Park with New Plot Twists
The new Universal Studios Singapore theme park set to debut later this year at Resorts World Sentosa (www.rwsentosa.com) will be far from a simple copy of its sister locations in North America and Japan, says Robin Goh, communications director for the US$4.4 billion resort.
“It’s going to be a world-class theme park, but it will be different from any other park because 18 of the 24 rides and attractions will be unique, even from the other Universal Studios parks,” Goh explains. “They will either be unique in the world or they will be redesigned for Universal Studios Singapore.”
As an example, he cites the “Jurassic Park River Adventure” ride located in Orlando and Hollywood; Singapore’s version will have a different look, including completely different boats. “Also, in Orlando, ‘Revenge of the Mummy’ has a kind of Mann’s-Chinese- Theater facade, but in Singapore, it features an entire haunted Egyptian temple,” Goh reveals. “We will also have the world’s tallest dueling coasters, themed after ‘Battlestar Galactica.’”
 Another element that will make this park stand out is the collaboration between Universal Studios Singapore and DreamWorks Animation to create six attractions based on DreamWorks films.Two of the attractions—“Madagascar: A Crate Adventure” and the “Far, Far Away Castle” from the “Shrek” movie series—will be the only attractions of their kind in the world. The “Madagascar” attraction will be a stateof- the-art indoor boat ride with animated figures, digital projection and sound, and original humorous special effects. “Far, FarAway Castle” will be 130 feet tall and house attractions like “Shrek 4-D,” “Magic Potion Spin,” and “Donkey Live.” The “Battlestar Galactica” dueling coasters, meanwhile, built by Vekoma, will have a couple of distinctive attributes. According to Goh, they will feature LSM (Linear Synchronic Motor) launches on lift hills, in the breaking/trimming zones, and in the station. One of the coasters will be a high-thrills ride with inversions, while the other will be a little less intense and will not go upside down. Finally, the US$20 million “Revenge of the Mummy” ride by Premier Rides will also feature some new twists on the versions operating in Orlando and Hollywood.
Complementing the park’s attractions will be a collection of 30 restaurants and food carts and 20 retail locations. Goh notes that although the new park will be centered around American movies, cultural elements of the area around Singapore will be mixed in. “We are going to throw in cuisine that is a part of this region, and we’ll have a restaurant that serves Muslim halal food,” he says, “and the park will also have the unique Asian hospitality. But Universal Studios theme parks are very American, and that’s what people will be coming for, and we don’t want to detract from that.”
Hershey Chocolate Lab Teaches Visitors to Make Their Own Candy
 Anyone who has been to Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania, knows the wonderful aroma that often flows from the nearby Hershey chocolate factory and pervades the park-A-visit to the adjacent ChocolateWorld gives visitors an up-close perspective of how chocolate is made and shaped into various popular candies. Now guests can take the experience a step farther by actually getting hands-on lessons on how to fashion their own chocolate creations.
At a time when many museums are realizing the importance of interactive experiences for guests (see “Static Electricity” in the September 2009 FUNWORLD), The Hershey Chocolate Lab, located in The Hershey Story museum just minutes from Hersheypark, now offers four different classes daily on the wonders of chocolate.
“The classes are neat, hands-on lessons— real chocolate classes, the only ones of their kind in the U.S.,” says Kyle Nagurny, Chocolate Lab manager for The Hershey Story. “It’s a great way to promote the use of chocolate. The classes are fun, but they are also absolutely educational.”
The lab offers up to eight 45-minute classes per day, each accommodating 30 students, and Nagurny says the sessions are typically sold out by 11:15 a.m. The classes cost $10 for adults and $7.50 for kids 12 and younger, but can be purchased at a discount when combined with the museum experience.
 The sessions cover a range of topics. “Chocolate By Design” teaches how to create art from milk and white chocolate; “Planet Chocolate” follows on a map where chocolate is grown and processed in the world; “Chocolate Origins” teaches the history of the chocolate back through the Mayan and Aztec civilizations; and “Build a Bar,” dubbed “Make Your Own Chocolate,” is the newest class and allows guests to pour tempered milk chocolate and create their own bar, with five or six added ingredients.
The $23.5 million Hershey Story museum opened a year ago, and the classes are a part of the new facility’s offerings. Nagurny notes the popularity of the sessions is prompting the Chocolate Lab to consider adding two more classes this spring. “We hope to offer one on tempered chocolate and one on making truffles, and these will be a little more technical,” she says. “We also offer classes to school groups that follow a set educational curriculum.”
Nagurny says offering the interactive classes requires eight to 12 part-time staff members, depending upon the season, and two educators who work with school groups.
Although The Hershey Story Museum isn’t a part of Hersheypark or ChocolateWorld—it’s operated by the M.S. Hershey Foundation—the facilities maintain a close relationship and run a complimentary shuttle between the museum and the park.
Dreamland Goes Back to the Future as New ‘Historic Park’
 In an era when seaside amusement parks are scarce, there’s one planning a comeback of sorts. Dreamland amusement park opened in July 1920 in the resort town of Margate, Kent, England, and became part of the landscape of the coastal community. Numbering among its rides was the “Scenic Railway,” the oldest roller coaster in the United Kingdom. But in 2003, the park’s owners announced they were closing the facility so the land could be used for other commercial developments.
Several local residents were disturbed by the announced closing and felt the loss of the park would be devastating to the resort community, so they started the Save Dreamland campaign, with the idea of returning the park to operation. That idea has now developed into a plan to open Dreamland Margate (www.dreamlandmargate.com), a nine-acre amusement park dedicated to historic rides and attractions. Nick Laister, chairman of the Dreamland Trust, who is spearheading this effort, says the Margate property would be the first of its kind when it opens.
“We’ve done a bit of research and not found another full-size permanent amusement park that has only historic rides,” Laister tells FUNWORLD. “It will be focused on the ‘Scenic Railway’ that is still in place and was there when the park opened in 1920. Some of the rides will be the only ones of their kind in Europe or in the world.”
 Laister, who works as a planning and development adviser to parks around the UK and volunteers his time as chairman of Dreamland Trust, says the original plan was to reopen Dreamland as a park focused on new rides. But as coastal real estate values skyrocketed and seaside amusement parks began closing to be redeveloped for retail and residential purposes, Dreamland Trust realized that wasn’t going to happen. However, the recent economic downturn has opened the door again.
The main focus of Dreamland Trust has been raising funds for the park. “We’re getting about 3 million pounds from the national lottery fund, about 4 million is coming from the government’s Department of Culture, Media, and Sports, 4 million from the developer, and the rest from other sources, like the local council,” he says. The awarding of a £3.7m (US$6.1 million) grant by DCMS in mid-November was a watershed moment for the new park and, according to Laister, helps ensure the development will be able to keep to its planned timeline.
Currently, the trust is appointing staff to run the project. Design work will continue for the next year, with hopes of starting construction on late 2010 and opening the park during Easter 2011.
Laister notes the struggles facing anyone who attempts to reopen a park like Dreamland: “The main challenge is trying to bring all of the councils and local organizations together because without their support, it can’t happen. Also, we’re trying to ensure the development plan is a viable proposition. In some ways, this is a living museum.”
As for the park itself, the central attraction will be the “Scenic Railway,” which has been “listed” by the British government, meaning it has received protection as a historic site. Unfortunately, the ride suffered significant damage from an arsonist’s fire in 2008, though it is repairable. The park will also feature an architecturally important cinema built in the 1930s, as well as retail, restaurants, cafes, and a new town square.
Contact News Editor Keith Miller at kmiller@IAAPA.org.
|
