Are vehicles theming?

Just wondered what you thought to the idea of using vehicles as theming? For some rides such as Nemesis, the rapids, even Nemesis Sub Terra, the addition of what is in essence an abandoned vehicle can add to the theming.



For example for me really works, the vehicle is relevant it has some extra theming applied to it and it doesn't look 'plonked down', well it does, but it looks considered.



This for me doesn't work as well. Yes, Jigsaw would have been pursued by the police, but the car seems an after thought to take up space.



Again, this works for me, because the vehicle itself is not the theming, the theming is what is applied to the vehicle.

So, what do you think of vehicles as theming? Or are you just annoyed that the same photocopy elements: shipping container, abandoned vehicle, satellite and security cameras are used so frequently?

Are vehicles theming?

In short, yes, I think vehicles are theming, and also I do think they can be excellent theming.

A vehicle can bring so much to a theme I think, even the saw police car. The ride is themed to a movie, the 'cop' is a big part of that movie, just like the stag is a big part of the N:ST story.

Vehicles I think can also be used effectively (and cheaply) to create a devastation theme, such as nemesis and the swarm.

The only time I don't think they would work is if they were meant to look 'clean' so to speak. Unless in a sealed room, they will always look dirty and need attention. Attention they would hardly get at a theme park. Uk especially.

Trying to think of other examples of vehicles being used and have drawn a blank, but the ghostbusters vehicle from Universal is one of the first things I think of when the park is mentioned.

Vehicles are theming. Shipping containers, satalite dishes and security cameras and not.

Re: Are vehicles theming?

smudge said:

In short, yes, I think vehicles are theming, and also I do think they can be excellent theming.

Vehicles I think can also be used effectively (and cheaply) to create a devastation theme, such as nemesis and the swarm.

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Yes - moreorless exactly what I was thinking...

(This is Mirabilandia, Italy)

In fact, away from Thorpe, I'm struggling to think of somewhere that's used this idea poorly...?

Universal's Hulk car is a bit pointless...


source


...and ugly.


Seriously though, I don't mind parks using vehicles but for me, things like the Sub Terra tank don't excite me as much as some people get over them. They're pretty cheap and don't usually require much thought. Incorporated into an decent experience that already features the right level of quality theming and they can work well, such as the crashed Land Rover in katanga Canyon.

Who could forget Aerosmiths tour bus on Rock n Roller?

I wouldn't class the Hulk car as theming, just a clever VW advert.

This on the other hand.... (at WBMW Madrid in the Batman queue.)

Alton has a long and glorious history of using vehicles for theming:

The Land Rover in Katanga Canyon
The Nemesis bus
The old Nemesis Nosh bus
The Ripsaw ops cabin
The Sub Terra Stag
The Th13teen van
The Scarefest hearse

And I'm sure there are others. Generally, I think they're great - an easy (and cheap) way of introducing a large and effective authentic bit of theming.

Some of the examples up there ^ are a bit dodgy though...

No. Vehicles do not make great memories, inspire or entertain people.

We see vehicles everyday and in no way are they offering people a visual escape or fuelling their imagination. In fact I struggle to think of a less interesting visual motif, apart from satellite dishes and shipping containers.

They may be used as "theming", but theming is pointless unless it works with the area around it to illustrate a themed environment. You can't convey a theme convincingly by filling the space with vehicles.

It's so easy to buy a car, beat it up/paint it and put it behind a fence. And since the creators put minimal effort in doing that, the public will have a minimal response to it.

Look at The Swarm - it has a plethora of vehicles but in my opinion they don't convey the "devastated urban landscape" Thorpe Park were going for. The Swarm's design basically consists of a big pavement surrounded by a fence, on which a flimsy-looking plane wing, second hand fire engine and miniature helicopter have been neatly parked.



If they were going for a realistic tone - that's certainly not what real destruction would feel like: where are the empty shells of destroyed buildings, the torn up roads, etc...? If they were going for a stylistic tone, it lacks any visual characteristic. ...Except for the upturned ambulance which certainly improved the area, people seem to love taking photos of themselves underneath it and interacting with it - fantastic.

However, the Katanga Canyon vehicle, for example, is being used much more subtly and isn't the type of vehicle you see everyday. By moving it on to the hillside, the vehicle now suggests an adventure gone wrong, perhaps, or a safari across the field.



You don't notice it straight away, it's not trying to shout "I'M A PIECE OF THEMING! THIS AREA IS AFRICAN THEMED!!!11!!". It's just a nice little touch to notice as you traverse the wooden bridge. Even then I think Katanga Canyon is something of a weak area.

The Thirteen vehicle was something I quite enjoyed when the ride first opened. The implications of the old van, obviously disused for decades (hence the 'magic' logo) and being pulled into the trees by dark forces of nature, were quite interesting.



However, the fact that this is the queueline's only feature is somewhat pathetic. ...Especially since right next door to Thirteen is a real Gothic wonderland that was, for years, in a state of ruin. Why not take inspiration from there?

Of course vehicles are theming. In effect, anything can be theming.

Personally, I think they make great theming elements. You take something as common as a vehicle, and integrate it into a theme park environment; it is a great touch if used properly.

Swarm seems to have been focused on a bit. Now, it's no secret that I absolutely adore Swarm and think it's the idea of a perfect coaster, so I guess some may feel my views on the theming are 'biased' in some way, but geniunely, I think they're all used well.

We have the ambulance, which is just a brilliant feature - something as simple as an ambulance on an angle attracts so many people to have photos with it, and it greets people as they enter the plaza. It works with the theme of destruction (and the seemingly strong dislike The Swarm has against emergency services...).

The fire engine is great for the sheer irony it brings in my opinion. I mean, a fire engine, on fire? It just works. Okay, so it's behind a fence, so what? It's something which is meant to be visually stunning, not to be 'interacted' with. Okay, so theming can do both, but the point of it is it is meant to explode and shock people.

The helicopter is a great feature as well. The fact the blades spin make the attack of Swarm feel so current, like it's just happened. My first thought when I saw it was that it was like out of a disaster film. The unfortunate thing here is it's quite far away from public viewing, which is due to a last minute change of plans. I do think had the original plan occurred, and when the adjacent island opens up, it will feel more integrated than it currently does.

The plane is, in my opinion, the weakest element. It doesn't feel complete enough - if a plane was to crash land, I'd have expected all of it, not half of it. I understand why this is, but hey ho. It serves a visual purpose, works well with the wingrider idea, and again, I always find a nice bit of irony seeing a plane fly over (sorry BALPA! :-[ ). There's also the police van inside the station, which seems to be the most criticised, but I like it to be honest.

The thing with Swarm is it isn't meant to reflect a town or city. The Swarm are attacking Thorpe Park, and hence we're seeing all this wreckage being dumped about. In that respect, the church is the thing which makes the least sense story-wise, but that's a different story...

For Merlin attractions, I think vehicles are well used when they have been used. From the various ones used at AT and the car-like things in Wild Asia at Chessie which you can get, they all serve purpose and fit in nicely with the theme, and are styled well. Can't complain with them to be honest!

If they seem to be placed with some creativity, have added theming to them, or are linked to the ride or film, then yes, they are theming. TH13TEEN's van is an example of this and so is the Ford Anglia at IOA:



However, things which do not agree with the above points or are not really classed as good theming, such as the Hulk car, are therefore not theming.

Anything that has been added to a ride for decorative purposes, and is superfluous to a ride's operation, is theming.

JoshC. said:

The fire engine is great for the sheer irony it brings in my opinion. I mean, a fire engine, on fire?

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I agree, a fine little gag, but if only the irony was that clear. The fire engine isn't set up in a 'thematic' way (words don't really exist to describe this sort of thing well). I mean, a truck on fire will be amazing wherever you put it. But if it had been presented more dramatically, the effect on passers-by would be amplified greatly. In fact, since it is obviously a real truck, I think it looks pretty mundane and lacking any style. Now I love The Swarm as a ride, it's a shame the roller coaster is so immiscible with its theme.

Look at Amity Cove - that (used to) do everything The Swarm attempts, but better, and the theme was actually coherent. The fire effect on Tidal Wave was much better than The Swarm's - it felt like a spectacle, part of Amity Cove, and was one of many effects. The buildings especially looked more characteristic - either at angles and slightly exaggerated, again for 'thematic' effect. It even had its own truck, extending beyond the path into the water.

I remember everybody sitting on that grassy bank (RIP) in Amity Cove , just relaxing and enjoying the spectacle of that enormous wave. The atmosphere was fantastic.

A bunch of vehicles on a pavement just can't do that.
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There's also the police van inside the station, which seems to be the most criticised, but I like it to be honest.

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Really? I like it too, that's my favourite part! It looks quirky, and the trains get very close to it as they enter the lift hill. Implies the Swarm has been chucking the vehicles about and all that.

the car-like things in Wild Asia at Chessie which you can get, they all serve purpose and fit in nicely with the theme, and are styled well.

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Those are actually real auto-rickshaws from Mumbai, I think. Different south-Asian cities all have their own rickshaw designs. They're great in Wild Asia because you can get in them and have fun. So, vehicles are more effective when the theme has a cultural setting. However, there's a much wider world out there than just cars. Really.

Sam said:

Anything that has been added to a ride for decorative purposes, and is superfluous to a ride's operation, is theming.

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Interesting. In that case I don't believe in 'theming'. I think of it in terms of the entire experience. The public don't often respond to decoration.

The only answer worth reading is Sam's. Maybe I'm just a really bad 'ethusiast', but I think reading more into it than what Sam said is just pretentious and anal.

I don't think it's quite as clear cut as that, though - for example, by Sam's definition, any landscaping/planting (added to a ride for decorative purposes, but superfluous to its operation) is theming, but I certainly wouldn't class it as such.

It's completely contextual. The upturned police response vehicle on The Swarm or the enveloped van on Thirteen work, where as the old tank randomly plonked outside of Sub-Terra doesn't.

I wouldn't say it's pretentious to discuss theming and what it includes. Theming is generally designed to make guests feel a certain way or like they're visiting a certain place, but at most parks it only goes so far and the rest comes down to your own personal interpretation. I wouldn't expect everybody to feel exactly the same way I do about a particular area of Towers for instance.

I generally share Sam's view on this, though that's not to say that there aren't exceptions to the rule (there probably are some out there, but I'm struggling to think of any right now). If a park shoehorns a vehicle that serves no functional purpose into an area then for me it still counts as theming. It may not however be good or appropriate theming, and that's a different discussion entirely!

Also, there are many things on rides which are functional but are stylized in such a way that they almost become theming.

Take the fencing around Oblivion's drop for example. Clearly it is functional, to stop people falling into the pit, but it almost acts like theming in a way because they are made to look like electric fences with the addition of flashing beacons.

Blaze said:

The only answer worth reading is Sam's. Maybe I'm just a really bad 'ethusiast', but I think reading more into it than what Sam said is just pretentious and anal.

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I also find it annoying when obssessives "read into things" that aren't there, but everything that I and others have said is real. Being aware of how theme design works is actually really fascinating. Good theme parks DO employ teams of people to develop exciting new ideas.

So when Merlin keeps using the same formula of vehicles, it does have a bland, repetitive effect (that's the point being discussed).

Perhaps Merlin share your view, that to think any more creatively would be "pretentious", hence they often do the bare minimum. In that case why bother at all? What's the point of spending money in superfluous decoration?

Vehicles are good for themeing when used right. However that is the key, used right. Ripsaw's op cabin and Nemmy's bus are examples of right. If you have the vision to look at this:



And think it might do well as this:



I think that is a good use (they are the exact same bus btw, C46 HDT) . Plonking the Hulk car down just looks silly for example.