Benin

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...

Cable lift hill so the building underneath is the housing... Can kind of see it on Piraten here: EDIT - A pic has been found (on CF) that might well be the indoor Intamin drop coaster... Hopefully some theming will be added...

As a Movie themed park though it's a bit different... Looking at their rides though most opened when the brands were during their peak (MIB, Mummy and Shrek), whilst Simpsons is the weirdest one... As Turtle said though, the likes of Twister (which is FABBBB), ET, Jurassic Park, Seuss, Marvel, Toon Lagoon, Potter (hardest to tell, but it's certainly made Universal obscenely rich) and whatever other IPs I've missed are very much eternal in a sense... Much like Thomas Land will never be out of date because it is an iconic character... Fad like IPs (Ice Age, Saw, this) which are done poorly and on the cheap are rather obvious quick money makers...

Now you see a Despicable Me area would really be an example of a current IP that really is suitable for everyone... But really would cost the earth to get... And Merlin don't seem to want to do that with IPs... Not gonna be the case though is it what with the next coaster delayed to at least 2016 no? It won't be anymore than fibreglass models dotted around the area... And some stuff thrown on the buildings as well to 'fit'... Mean if even CBeebies Land is re-using a lot of the current stuff, what makes anyone think Thorpe won't be doing exactly the same?

Based on what exactly? If it's based on gate figures, then surely Towers did better? Based on KPIs, probably yes, but even then the season wasn't THAT fantastic... How are we assuming that Angry Birds will be better than CBeebies Land? So many questions come from this statement it's actually a bit weird for it to be said... Will Angry Birds have the same draw as CBeebies? Will it garner more income as a result of popularity? Towers are adding 3 new attractions (and a show) as a result of that and Thorpe bring back a Cinema that closed due to being unpopular and that makes it better? If people aren't allowed to judge the area as crap before seeing the plans, then people cannot judge it as a success before it's even opened... Here's a fantastic post about the situation from Joey on Coasterforce... Enjoy...

Bit harsh to have a go at them about Creaky Cafe as well, was only on fire a fortnight ago... Wouldn't expect it to be reopened in time for March...

Do you really think adults will want to see the 4D cinema? I'm sure Moshi Monsters' film got it's popularity from waves of adults dashing to go and see it and weren't pestered by their children one little bit... Add to the fact that most 4D cinemas are utter crap, and well, one ride out of three being of the broad spectrum ain't bad is it? EDIT - Found a pic of the area in Finland (because Lightwater's is only an 'Activity Park'), so this is the level of 'effort' we'll be seeing...

I'd argue that the ideal family area consists of rides the family can ride together and enjoy, rather than splitting up to do rides individually... An effort is not a word many would associate with Merlin additions... Indeed, to me effort will take more than a couple of fibreglass statues squeezed in because an IP is easier to market to the masses... Indeed, if you want to see an IP ride with effort, then Arthur is the answer... One of the Finland parks already has a themed area... I doubt Thorpe's will look much different...

Surely though a family area in the UK's "THRILL CAPITAL" makes no sense though? Thorpe's current mix of marketing is going all over the place... Especially given the new THORPE PARK Resort stuff they're now doing... I think that's a big issue, conflicting marketing terms... Thrill capital does not scream Angry Birds land, it shows a bit of uncertainy amongst Thorpe's branding scheme as the whole "OMG MUCH THRILLS" wasn't as successful as they hoped...

I think it's been mentioned as "Detonator - INVADED by Angry Birds", because imagination is dead...

Getting rid of the music automatically means it's bad (cos it's the best music on park)... And considering http://www.lightwatervalley.co.uk/angry_birds.php already exists... My hopes aren't exactly high considering it's not exactly the most complex thing to theme and won't go beyond a few models dotted around (mostly given Merlin's track record of area rethemes mind)... It does seem though that in the future Thorpe will be a weird mess of themes and target markets...

It peaked about 2 years ago... Typical Merlin IP choice then, something that's dying (Saw, Ice Age, Madagashcar, Shrek)...

Oh, just when I was getting excited... EDIT - AND on Det? Sigh, how depressing...

Wir haben ein Namen fur die Achterbahn (I'm practicing)... http://www.flug-der-dämonen.de/geschichte/geschichte/ FLUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!

Another example of ingenious Intamin design right here...