December 11, 20168 yr comment_245864 I'm waiting for the chipboard tunnel with projection mapping waterfalls beamed on to them... It's certainty worth waiting to see what they do with it, it could be brilliant. But if the Smiler effort (with its poor alignment, unreliability and general simpleness) is anything to go by, concerns are more than understandable. A fanale of floating through the windows screen saver does not sound quite as magical as the strobing fountains.
December 31, 20168 yr comment_246305 It's called "The Gruffalo River Ride Adventure" according to the Chessington Breaks website. https://www.chessingtonholidays.co.uk/gruffalo-sign-up.html Great to see the park bursting with creativity... not.
December 31, 20168 yr comment_246306 That was the most popular name in a poll last year, though partly because it appeared twice... https://uk.toluna.com/polls/5098013/A-UK-theme-park-is-considering-opening-a-ride-based-on-the None of those names seem particularly appealing, though I'd have preferred The Gruffalo Riverboat.
January 1, 20178 yr comment_246312 TBH not the worst name I've seen for attraction and given the choices on the poll, arguably one of the better ones. However I must confess I am disappointed "I don't enjoy theme parks so who cares" didn't win. Source-Merlin Annual Pass Facebook Group Apparently there will also be Gruffalo themed rooms in the hotels. Source-Uk Theme Parks-Theme UK It's alright I suppose.
January 1, 20178 yr comment_246313 The Gruffalo begrudgingly heads over to Chessington, to see what his fate is...
January 1, 20178 yr comment_246317 1 hour ago, BaronC. said: The Gruffalo begrudgingly heads over to Chessington, to see what his fate is... The Gruffalo Has Crippling Depression Because He Remembers Professor Burp
January 1, 20178 yr comment_246318 What? Wild Woods? So The Ride Will Be Near Hocus Pocus Hall? Either The Building Is Getting Moved There(Unlikely) Or They're Doing Something And Building A New Building
January 1, 20178 yr comment_246320 Bugger off with your worlds first crap and just make it the best it could possibly be.
January 1, 20178 yr comment_246323 They're not still throwing the "world's first" rubbish around are they? Logo; Description on the website; Quote Join Mouse on a magical riverboat journey through the deep dark wood. As you float down the lazy river, the world of The Gruffalo will magically unfold in front of your eyes, with exciting twists and turns along the way! https://www.chessington.com/2017/
January 1, 20178 yr comment_246324 Meh! Quite looking forward to this actually. No real surprise I suppose and there is very little substance to this 'huge announcement' but the concept art looks nice so yes, I'm relatively optimistic for a change.
January 1, 20178 yr comment_246325 1 hour ago, Coaster said: They're not still throwing the "world's first" rubbish around are they? I know people dislike it but it does grab people's attention which ultimately is the job of those within the PR departments! The concept art looks fairly good actually and Merlin are usually pretty good at getting the final product close to the concept art - quite looking forward to it!
January 1, 20178 yr comment_246328 This is an oversight everyone makes, this is not concept art, it is promotional art and designed with the sole purpose of makign you excited about a brand, not the ride itself. The real concept art for the ride's production could be extremely different and won't be published. As Merlin have proved with every single project they've ever done, take no notice of hype and promotion and judge only by the finished ride when it opens.
January 1, 20178 yr comment_246329 Concept Art: Promotional Art: Working for Merlin's Marketing team for new attractions must be the easiest thing ever... "What's the selling point of this attraction?" "No-one's done a Gruffalo ride before have they?" "That makes it a World's First right?" LUNCH
January 1, 20178 yr comment_246330 The only difference there being that Baron's promotional art uses an actual photo, or at least an honest representation, of the finished ride. I don't know many of Merlin's that use anything even from the finished rides. Recently Chessington under the current management team have been big culprits for this, in their adverts showing footage from a completely different ride that doesn't exist in the park in the Scorpion Express TV ad, or heavy CGI to make the park look 3x the size and look completely different in their resort ads. On this front, it's a ridiculous company obsessed with image at all costs. Their hype really is nothing to do with the rides they make.
January 1, 20178 yr Author comment_246331 10 minutes ago, Wumbamillio said: The only difference there being that Baron's promotional art uses an actual photo, or at least an honest representation, of the finished ride. I don't know many of Merlin's that use anything even from the finished rides. Recently Chessington under the current management team have been big culprits for this, in their adverts showing footage from a completely different ride that doesn't exist in the park in the Scorpion Express TV ad, or heavy CGI to make the park look 3x the size and look completely different in their resort ads. On this front, it's a ridiculous company obsessed with image at all costs. Their hype really is nothing to do with the rides they make. Or the rockwork beside the main drop of Dragon Falls that hasn't existed for numerous years now in their adverts!
January 1, 20178 yr comment_246332 4 hours ago, Themeparkwizard said: What? Wild Woods? So The Ride Will Be Near Hocus Pocus Hall? Either The Building Is Getting Moved There(Unlikely) Or They're Doing Something And Building A New Building It's perfectly obvious. Transylvania will be renamed. I'd be surprised if Vampire remains untouched really but I'd imagine it'll still fit.
January 1, 20178 yr comment_246333 14 minutes ago, Kerfuffle said: It's perfectly obvious. Transylvania will be renamed. I'd be surprised if Vampire remains untouched really but I'd imagine it'll still fit. Tell you what won't fit though. Transylvania themed buildings, most of which it would seem they're not changing. Tbh, Bubbleworks leaving isn't the end of the world but I'll be very disappointed if Transylvania goes, it's one of my favourite areas in the UK. EDIT: Transylvania is still Transylvania on the website, unless it'll change in March.
January 1, 20178 yr comment_246334 5 minutes ago, ChessingtonSam said: EDIT: Transylvania is still Transylvania on the website, unless it'll change in March. Honestly, from past experience in web design, I highly doubt they'd change it on the day the change is announced. Anyhow, I'd actually be happy if they give Transylvania a complete overhaul to fit the new Gruffalo theme, because it just wouldn't fit in if they kept it the same. I'm already not a fan of the bright blue and green coloured facade for the ride but hopefully they do a Scorpion Express and surprise us last minute.
January 1, 20178 yr comment_246335 3 hours ago, Marc said: I know people dislike it but it does grab people's attention which ultimately is the job of those within the PR departments! The concept art looks fairly good actually and Merlin are usually pretty good at getting the final product close to the concept art - quite looking forward to it! It doesn't advertise the attraction though, it's just a dull phrase which has been overused by Merlin. Doesn't sound hopeful if they're selling it on the "world's first" tagline rather than the actual ride.
January 1, 20178 yr comment_246338 3 hours ago, Kerfuffle said: It's perfectly obvious. Transylvania will be renamed. I'd be surprised if Vampire remains untouched really but I'd imagine it'll still fit. Room on the broom!
January 1, 20178 yr comment_246339 I'm sure the face to face part is literally the model just poorly worded. Going to struggle to retheme Vampire.
January 2, 20178 yr comment_246349 Wait, So This Is How The Facade Will Look When It Opens. Looks Decently Themed With The Leaves, But The Transylvania Facades Won't Fit In.
January 2, 20178 yr comment_246354 Haha, I think its hilarious they plan to rename Transylvania 'Wild Wood'. So much is going to be out of place now, not that they seem to care.
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.