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Chessington World of Adventures Resort

Bowser said:
Implication here that Tiger Rock will close in 2027. Makes sense to coincide with Minecraft opening.


From: https://x.com/chessingtonbuzz/status/1976765142516822036?s=46&t=0gSA6DB3t11tFWJ4xv8eFA
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I've noticed this post, Chessington Buzz and a couple of other creators have suggested that Tiger Rock could close at the end of 2025 (potentially for cost cutting reasons).

There has been speculation that it could be part of the Minecraft area for 2027.

I'm sceptical that the park will want to close one of their most popular rides for a year without announcing it in advance.

If it does happen, it'd be annoying as the only other log flume (Legoland), you need friends to ride with 😂

Matt N said:
I’d be surprised if the ride itself wasn’t going given that it’s nearly 40 years old and the direction of travel within Merlin has been staunchly away from unrestrained water rides of that nature, particularly post-2015.
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River Rafts seems to be one of those unrestrained water rides. Although I do agree they seem to be avoiding water rides like the plague for investment.
 
SuperMuscleMan said:
If it does go it's a shame. The area had great themeing. It also lasted the test of time... 38 years! I do wonder with IPS like Jumanji and Minecraft how quickly those will date.

Take Beanoland for instance... It was one of the 'newer' lands but didn't have a huge long lifespan. (RIP CHEGGERS ADVERTS). That area is on its 3rd reincarnation with Minecraft.

I will hold back judgement on the log flume redevelopment area but it did feel as if you got lost in the back of the park going through the winding paths.

I can't see the ride staying, it's nearly as old as me!

Id prefer to see other areas fixed first.
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Minecraft is timeless its been around for a long time now and still has a massive fan base far more longevity than Benoland
 
In the grand scheme of modern IPs, I’d argue that Minecraft is relatively timeless.

If I think back to 2011, and the sorts of games that were around then, I think Minecraft has stood the test of time better than a lot of them.

I got my first iPod touch in 2012, and if I think back to the sorts of games I played on that, hardly any of them are still relevant today. Does anyone still talk about Temple Run, Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja or DoodleJump, for example? Ditto with things like Candy Crush and Bejeweled, which I remember being huge gaming sensations around that time. I remember games like those were all the rage at the time, but have gone out of fashion.

Minecraft, however, seems to have persisted in popularity. Just this year, Minecraft had a movie released that was a huge box office hit, grossing almost $1bn worldwide, and there is a sequel in the works for 2027. It’s not only still around, but it’s thriving, and I think its popularity is not going anywhere any time soon.
 
owenstreet7 said:
I've noticed this post, Chessington Buzz and a couple of other creators have suggested that Tiger Rock could close at the end of 2025 (potentially for cost cutting reasons).

There has been speculation that it could be part of the Minecraft area for 2027.
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Tbh I misread and thought it was closing at the end of 2026. Closing it this year and with no summer warning would be very poor. They can’t afford to lose further capacity. Vampire has been closed for weeks too.

rob666 said:
2011...not timeless.
And to some of us, really quite recent.
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Indeed. Very rare for an IP to be “timeless” compared to original themes.
 
I have said this about Disney and universal, a land can stand above it IP and become Timeless, it just has to be done correctly.

for instance Splash mountain, harry potter land (kinda), the mummy, monsters unchained, world of avatar, etc

if a land is done in a way where people who have never watched can pick up on the theming and understand the story (as though you were theming a non IP theme, where you have to tell the whole story with context) then an IP can easily stand the test of time within a theme park.

however is an IP is done for the IP and focusing on people who have watched / enjoy the IP where the story isn't explained then that can date the IP in the land very quickly as typically people who haven't watched it will grow as the movie gets older.

harry potter is kinda, because the rides require knowledge of the movies to truly understand them (although a good amount of detail is given on top so most people can understand)but the land are IMO quite timeless and could work as a generic wizards land (although it would probably be less popular)

I am unsure of how well Minecraft IP will age, it has been through peaks and troughs of popularity and overall has grown in recent years, however it is difficult to explain the concept of the game (what is a creeper, etc) and most of the game is about making the fun yourself or with frends I am unsure how this can be conveyed in a the form of a Land, however given its popularity I doubt it will die out that quickly (although it may get less popular, then spring back up again)

it may end up being like nintendo land, where the IP is so popular most people understand it
 
Bowser said:
Indeed. Very rare for an IP to be “timeless” compared to original themes.
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When you say timeless I think Mary Poppins, harry potter and LOTR. Maybe Mario, but Minecraft although popular id say doesn't have a cross generational appeal and it's not old.

Beanoland was popular with some demographics when it launched but was hardly a huge franchise.

Again it appeals to a specific demographic.

A bit like tomb raider, I feel Minecraft will eventually fade out, like the Sims and second life has.

Yes it had a movie but so did tomb raider!
 
GooseOnTheLoose said:
The rides require knowledge of the story, not necessarily the films. It is the best selling book series of all time. The films are derived from them.
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I would argue the films are more, as a lot of the rides requires knowing people (e.g who Bellatrix the strange is, who hermiony is, etc) whilst the books can help with the story the films help with knowing who is who, and who is the good / bad people.

sometimes it is easy (e.g hagrid, harry, etc) I would argue quite a few of the characters which show up could be difficult to determine who it is without more context.
 
SuperMuscleMan said:
When you say timeless I think Mary Poppins, harry potter and LOTR. Maybe Mario, but Minecraft although popular id say doesn't have a cross generational appeal and it's not old.

Beanoland was popular with some demographics when it launched but was hardly a huge franchise.

Again it appeals to a specific demographic.

A bit like tomb raider, I feel Minecraft will eventually fade out, like the Sims and second life has.

Yes it had a movie but so did tomb raider!
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Mary Poppins seems an odd example, i'd be very surprised if younger generations had ever heard of it, unless it's had some resurgence i'm not aware of?

I think the difference is good theming either doesn't need a story or only needs a loose affiliation. Wild West, Mystical etc are genres. Or things like Transylvania are linked to famous stories without any detail per se.

Paw Patrol will inevitably become relatively quickly outdated because it's almost completely reliant on knowledge of the IP to get excited about it. Otherwise it's "random puppies in emergency services outfits world".

Agree on Minecraft too, it's very popular but its time will pass and it won't endure for decades more. What's left then? A blocky themed world based on a retro video game, which perhaps is still fine. The key to longevity is transcending generations. Nintendo have done that, will Minecraft? I doubt it but we'll see.

Disney had it right in the first place imo, despite having incredibly popular IP they didn't rely on it, they had a mix, which is where they've somewhat lost their way imo but i do understand why.

It's another reason why i love Efteling. Yes there are links to fairytales but for the most part it's original and gives the place a charm you can't find anywhere else now.
 
Bowser said:
Disney had it right in the first place imo, despite having incredibly popular IP they didn't rely on it
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They just had a weekly television show airing on the US's most popular network, at the time, chronicling the design, building and operation of the park for the best part of 40 years. The advertising revenue of which, for the first few seasons, funded the construction of the first park.

Disney IS the IP, that's how it was designed from the start. Each of the lands, although evergreen, had detailed stories which were broadcast into the homes of millions of children weekly.

The centrepiece of each Disneyland is also a castle, based on a fairytale which Disney didn't create, but has been a part of our collective storytelling for hundreds of years.
 
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Had my yearly trip today, and my immediate thoughts are the park's in a bit of a mess, to be honest.

Obviously, we knew long ago when we booked that Wild Asia & Mexicana were closed for redevelopment, but that still doesn't excuse the rest of the park.

Vampire.
Barrel Bail Out.
Treetop Hoppers.
Elmers.

Were all closed all day. Yes, things happen and rides break, and yes, they were listed online relatively recently, but that many closed on a busy weekend in a relatively busy time of the season is frustrating. Half the zoo (including Amazu) was also closed off, which didn't half compound the feeling that more than half the park was closed. Thankfully we still got on plenty of rides, but there was just that feeling there, if that makes sense? And the 4 closed rides would have all been rides that my 5 year old would've done.

The park is looking tired in most places. The tiger/log flume area is quite frankly a disgrace in its presentation, so it's hardly an ITK stretch to say that might be closing immininently; it has all the hallmarks of a pre-merlin left to rot closure.

Other minor gripes, but the majority of the Canopy Capers were closed off and looked abandoned, & the Trail of the Kings is just a weird, sad abandoned walk through.

Finally, effects are broken on a lot of rides (Grufflo, Tomb & Room were terrible for this.

I knew this year would be a "difficult" year to visit as it were with 2 major projects ongoing, but I didn't quite realise the level of a neglectful feeling that there was in the rest of the park today. Its such a shame, and they've got a a lot of work to do to improve with Universal coming up.
 
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