Charles Parry

I mean, I suppose Diagon Alley is just beautiful sheds... I was dismissive of the idea Universal would be interested in a UK park anyway, but I was going through old online seminars and I stumbled on one from 2013 about the Harry Potter Studio Tour. In the Q&A at the end someone in the audience states they looked at the location the tour uses for a "Universal Studios location". I didn't even know Universal had actually properly looked at doing a park over here, let alone at a location a mile from my front door. Sounds like the main problem was the local council and access too, to think what could have been! Anyway, here is that Q&A, suppose it makes the idea of them taking over the Paramount Park project a bit more possible. https://youtu.be/gmVOmYxfDys?t=27m

So themeparx.com is reporting that London Resort Company Holdings, the company behind Paramount Park, are now in talks with Universal Studios to create Universal Studios London on the site in Swanscombe. I mean, it'll never happen, but just imagine for a single second if it did...

Announced today this will be getting a 5D interactive dark ride based around the Ghostbusters IP! Being built by Triotech. Enjoy this cringe-y launch video:

As I understand it, Hulk coaster is ready, the queue isn't. The rebuild was projected to take longer than it did, and so they didn't start work on the new queue line until comparatively late. So the ride itself has been done for a while, but they need to finish the queue, which is apparently very nearly done as the walls have started to come down.

The animatronic Elsa in Frozen Ever After is incredible! Have we finally left the uncanny valley?!

I think they mean: Despicable Me announced to be replacing Back To The Future at Universal Studios Japan and an announcement at Universal Studios Hollywood at 7:30am there time (so in an hour or so) most likely to be Secret Lift of Pets.

Guys can we keep spoilers stuff in the pinned spoiler thread in general discussion:

I swear they used to back when I was a regular at the park a few years back. They always had at least one staff member in a harness,

Watched the pov vid. A bit too screen heavy and the story is a bit ****, but the queue and animstronics are awesome. Now all I need is a couple of thousand to get over there and ride it.

Only the Magic Kingdom doesn't do booze (except for Be Our Guest and Club 33). But all the other parks (Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Studios and probably the water parks) serve alcohol.

Fracking could cause an earthquake or the tunnel to fill with water etc. The force of the water pressure could open up an area not seen for a 100 years.

Will no doubt be a clone of the other ones opening this year, which allows riders to make hand movements (instead of light guns etc) to battle their way through the ride.

I was off by a day (thought it would open Friday not Saturday)! I think that deserves a gold star or the changing of my display name to Nostradamus or something.

I could see Merlin deciding to build a RMC in the UK (and only the 2nd in Europe), but I would have thought it would be ear marked for Alton Towers to be the always dreamt of woodie in the valley that John Wardley had always wanted to build. I wouldn't be surprised if Thorpe went a little tamer for it's next coaster, and built something with little to no inversions. Perhaps a floorless dive coaster.

Just a thought on opening. Derren Brown is touring, spending the latter half of May in Ireland,so he won't be available to do the launch of the ride or the prize winning meet and great thing. The week before he is in Bristol, so not too far away, but the first week of May he has off. I think they are really going to be trying for opening at the end of the first week of May. Perhaps a soft opening in the week, then Derren officially opening on the Saturday?

I'd hate to see what Merlin's notorious maintenance habits would do to something like this....

Well if Loggers really is to go, an Aqua-trax could make a great substitute.

Surprised they didn't leave it a couple of years and then add VR to the ride instead.

Interestingly they talk about all 5 senses on the mindswanted page etc. Sight: Yep Sound: Yep Touch: Can see how that might work Sent: Has been done Taste: ...? How they are going to get people to taste is genuinely intriguing. Free tea and biscuits at the end of the ride?

A few links I haven't seen here: Thorpe's press release, which gives a few bits of interesting info, can be downloaded here: https://www.thorpepark.com/press/press-releases/ And a load of promo pictures, perhaps more info can be gleaned from them: https://www.flickr.com/photos/taylorherringpr/sets/72157661239690493

God that clue took me over an hour but I got there. Hopefully the VR is used sparingly and is of the augmented reality type. Could be great having say a virtual hobo screaming, then VR switches off and there is a real hobo in the carriage, then lights off and then no hobo etc. And I would expect a much higher throughput than people think. Can see 3 sections minimum with 60 in each. 60 in train, 60 in preshow, 60 in post show.. Give it about 700 per hour if that happens.

Would be the worlds most expensive mirror maze by tens of millions of pounds... And the train on the badge is to an American design. Could mean something, could mean absolutely nothing.

The 5 stuff is a countdown, as they are launching Monday (5 days time). Don't think that'll be the name.

I'm almost certain that a ride that has been kept as secret as this will not be leaked by picks casually posted on Scruffy Dogs' Facebook. Merlin will no doubt have a confidentiality agreement with them not to reveal any information in any form on the ride and putting out images like the above could see them losing out on future work.

Bit more info in the casting call for the new stage show: "Chessington Resort presents the BRAND NEW for 2016 live show PANDA-MONIUM. Creating a family of performer wearable, lifelike animatronic Panda suits that can deliver a number of live shows for ‘The Legend of the Temple’ story. We are looking for: • Flexible with strong core strength character performers between 5’4 to 5’6 • Strong male and female actors • Skilled puppeteers" Sounds interesting.