Benin

Testing video ahoy! Looks good, and if the music playing is the ride's theme? Offfft...

Dunno why Merlin gets the blame for Bubbles, or Charlie... Then again, Dark Forest...

I would say they would hope that an Angry Birds show would require an actual queueline rather than a batching area... As Marc says, it'll probs be like Ice Age 4D, including a crappy green screen photo op no doubt...

I'm surprised there hasn't been any visible application for it considering the Dodgems are a new building technically... Or does it come under the MTDP location indicators? If so that's what to look at to pinpoint the area...

They'd repainted the track last year anyway, so it's not that big a deal...

Depends what courses they're doing, probably sommat rubbish like Media or Game design... That thing is ridiculous though... Actually pathetic behaviour from people to act like that because they got told off for being too loud... Can't help but think they won't exactly go far in life with such attitudes... Shows how unlucky you can be at uni in regards to halls as well...

They were on Facebook (Josh shared two of them if I recall)... They probably deleted them since...

Having a big stage though will add some cost to it if they're gonna put in a decent system... £8m should go reasonably far though...

Now that looks good... Build the damn good concepts!

And because making an effort an building a solidly built bridge queueline is out of the question for the park... Yet they were quite happy to build climable fences in the Tomb queue, I think more kids climb the apparently 'safer' metal fencing than with the shorter fencing... I really hope we don't get a boring queueline, Runaway's was one of the best queues in the country (before the Zoo/removal of the building balcony walk)...

But it's a GOOD idea... This is the sort of concept that should be supported for it's uniqueness and originality... Otherwise we end up with crap like Storm Surge...

Moonsquirters and Greendrops? So I make that 6 brand new attractions (plus the photo op)... Not bad at all considering...

I think they're keeping the abandoned mine theme though... So I doubt we'll get any fancy new shell, the focus will be on the rockwork (I hope)... Cheaper that way...

I know, getting paid £21k a year and all I do is spend the majority of my time on the internet

It's a bar by the looks of things... It's fab though whatever it is, why can't this level of imagination be imbraced more?

Did I say it was the wrong choice or a ridiculous move to go into the family market? Indeed, it's something I've been saying for a while but was told that the thrill market was where it was at... And now Thorpe are doing what they should've done years ago when it was clear that they were struggling for success... Unfortunately, you cannot change things overnight, and the way in which they are just going from thrills to family market is a bit weird, as they lack the actual ability to fulfil the family requirements AT THE CURRENT TIME... Adding this will not automatically make Thorpe a viable destination for families... Indeed, they need a lot more (and to replace the old guard of younger rides like Safari and the Train) whilst providing a lot of other options for things to do... The thing is, with the Angry Birds addition, it does scream of a desperate move to quickly get the family market into the park without long term thinking in order to fulfil the requirements of the higher ups... It's cheap and easy to bring in with minimal theming or effort from them, and will easily bring in the people... How to bring in the market you alienated years ago 101 some might say... Will it work? Time will tell, but they're sending out mixed messages to the guests atm with many on Facebook seemingly confused as to why they are adding this to a thrill based park... The Waterfront Hotel move is similar... Just changing the name is a quick and easy way of making it a lot more marketable to the family market... Will it help bring them in? Probably, depends on the quality of it... Thorpe is currently a mish-mash of ideas and focus, and the drastic and sudden change of marketing audience is not helping that matter... Indeed, another season of sprucing up the park and adding the dodgems and 4D Cinema would be fine, especially off the back of the last season, but now with the addition of the branding of Angry Birds it gives a lot of new pressure to them from expectant guests straight off the back... Changing to the family market needed to be gradual and finished with a big installation, not a cheap tiny 'land' that will look out of place against the once extremely beautiful Amity Cove and Inferno... tl;dr - Change should be gradual, drastically trying to change perceptions is a risky move for any business... And considering Thorpe alienated the people it's now trying to bring in the addition of Angry Birds is clearly a quick buck move of desperation to get the much needed income and guest figures...

It might work like their new game, where to unlock more theming you have to pay Thorpe £35 to get a fuller Angry Birds experience...

I think that's the issue that we've had with a lot of Merlin IPs, that it will be a success in bringing people in for that one trip regardless of the effort put in, so why put large amounts of effort into it? Short-term thinking is Merlin's forte...

But, Waterfront Hotel is still essentially CrashPad right? Of course, it probably has nothing to do with the desperate cling at the money-friendly family market... So what does this mean for such events like MoS, which aren't particularly family friendly? Or indeed, Fright Nights... The park needs to focus properly instead of bodging together things...

http://www.meathchronicle.ie/news/roundup/articles/2014/01/08/4019012-roller-coaster-plan-for-tayto-park/ Wut? Is Ireland going to get a RMC? WHAT?

I've never got the obsession with Saw's indoor queue... It's a corridor with shotguns before an eternal staircase... Can people explain why it is so good? It's been confusing me for 5 years...

Don't forget Dung Heap and the Tent areas are both being used for this, so at the moment we have 3 attractions (Sensory Garden, Allotment and Nina) that are all completely new... Bish Bash (Justin's House), Riverbank (Night Garden), Squirrel Nutty (Get, Set, Go), Doodle Doo Derby (Unknown) and Tractor Ride (Postman Pat at a guess) are all getting rethemed, so it's actually quite a decent number so far...

If it involves Merlin Studios (when did they change their name to Magic Makers?) then that will probably get you a piece of theming, since they do charge the parks for stuff (hence why Towers/Chessie outsource certain things that shouldn't cost the earth, like signage)... They made Madagashcar Live... So it's all all good stuff they've done it seems... They do seem very hit and miss with the quality of things (Sub-Terra is a prime example of this)...

Surely a film franchise being rebooted means it is dead and it's just Lionsgate wanting to make more money from a popular franchise? That the ride was built before the 6th film still means that it was after the IP reached it's peak of popularity... Especially as the 6th film was actually the lowest grossing of the 7 films (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saw_%28franchise%29#Box_office)... So yeah, popular choice, dying franchise... Plus factor in new coaster syndrome to the park, it's not as black and white evidence really...

All this talk of IPs and look what Towers are adding... Now THAT is an IP that will get the kids excited...