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The World of David Walliams: General Discussion

To be quite honest the quality of everything in the park beyond Hex is a complete embarrassment to the UK theme park industry, let alone the UK’s biggest theme park. I really do hope the TWODW is as temporary as it looks. If they refresh the area properly and it wasnt too much of a wild departure from what it is now, GG could easily remain as a standalone Walliams attraction. Hopefully this is under consideration for when Project Horizon opens.


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Trooper Looper said:
Oblivion?
Wicker Man?
Heck, even Th13teen!
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I am talking about the areas of the park past Hex ala Dark Forest and TWODW. While DF is slightly off topic, it suffers from the same issues as TWODW. Largely the exact same infrastructure from when the park began, just cheaply bodged over and over to fit a theme.


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This area definitely feels like it has been a victim of the change in ownership of Merlin. It was arguably the last of the investments signed off under public ownership and was simply too underfunded to realise anything of a decent enough quality.

I was certain there would be a ‘phase 2’ to come, including a driving school retheme, bringing the theatre back into use and some form of walk through in the Nick building along the lines of Room on the Broom at Chessington. However as time has moved on, and Merlin are now stepping up investments under the new ownership it seems to have been passed by.

The next few years seem to be set in terms of investment and marketing - Duel replacement, Nemesis reopening and Project Horizon, leaving little room for anything in TWODW. I guess 2024 would be the most likely - Nemesis for thrill seekers and some expansion in Walliams for families. I won’t be holding my breath though.
 
I hope that the fact the Dungeons are temporary and they're building something in coaster corner means the whole area will be sorted as part of that. Some Walliams attractions can exist as part of a wider themed area. No idea what the theme of the new attraction will be (a purple painted haunted woodland discovered by a secret organisation during routine excavations probably).

A new dark ride in the dungeon, a new 4d show in the cinema and the whole area themed to whatever is going in coaster corner and jobs a good 'un. Would be even better if they used some of the empty buildings for a couple of flats.
 
Matt.GC said:
I hope that the fact the Dungeons are temporary and they're building something in coaster corner means the whole area will be sorted as part of that. Some Walliams attractions can exist as part of a wider themed area. No idea what the theme of the new attraction will be (a purple painted haunted woodland discovered by a secret organisation during routine excavations probably).

A new dark ride in the dungeon, a new 4d show in the cinema and the whole area themed to whatever is going in coaster corner and jobs a good 'un. Would be even better if they used some of the empty buildings for a couple of flats.
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Give us Port Discovery for that area and we're good to go. I know you think that the Steampunk theme is overused for many theme parks nowadays but honestly, that would be a damn sight better than TWODW for sure. Bring back 80 Days for the Dungeons building, new look Black Hole for Project Horizon, 4D show based of Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds that is being used for VR that not only could be done but fit in with the Jules Verne and HG Well theme and maybe retheme Gangsta Granny into say The Time Machine...not all that hard to do and no need to pay for any IP as they are all in the public domain, even Merlin could see the benefits to that rather than some 'new' fangled IP though then again they never learn. Oh, and something for the Nickelodeon building please!
Coaster said:
Oblivion had a cool style, but is tired and botched up so far that it's awful nowadays.

Thirteen is one of the worst attempts at theming a coaster I have ever seen, it and its entire area looks cheap, tacky and nasty.
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If you mean the scaffolding theming for Thirteen (which I will never count as theming) and the Dark Forrest itself then yes, everything else about the ride though is actually good IMO and its station building both inside and out is better looking that Smiler's for sure. Oblivion is needing a refresh I'll agree with its theming looking tired and I suspect that we might have seen something with it tie in with its 20th anniversary in 2018 had the Smiler crash not happen and budgets were slashed across the board. Maybe this might still happen in future after Nemesis' overhaul is done though I suspect it would be a copy and paste job from its Italian cousin which might not go down well with many fans.
 
I never understood why they didn’t just add gangster granny in to CCL as they have added IPs to the land before, although once ccl had it’s very flat repaint and had the depth of the buildings removed a few years before wodw it was just in need of a complete overhaul, should have spent the money and done it properly but that’s Merlin I guess
 
Matt N said:
In fairness, I liked CCL as well, and I was slightly sad when it went. I think the idea could have had wonderful potential if the park had capitalised on it more.

With that being said, however, I don’t dislike TWODW either. Gangsta Granny is a fun ride, and even if the rest of the area changed very little, I think it did freshen things up a bit!
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What exactly, in the end, was good about CCL? You contradicted yourself with 'it had potential' but simultaneously said you 'liked it'. What did you like?

I mean. CCL was naff. TWODW is naff. Both nothing more than repaints of decrepit 1980s infrastructure. Peeling paint is already everywhere in the area, and they still haven't even bothered to integrate the driving school meanwhile one of the area's rides they don't even own, there's no proper F&B facility and the theatre remains mothballed.

Gangsta Granny is adequate.

The whole area is a half job so typical of areas since the mid 2000s Alton Towers.

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Rick said:
You're like an algorithm that pumps out something vaguely nostalgic for something that really wasn't that great.
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He's a kid though be fair on him. CCL was the best theme for that area that we've had, nice music, nice colours and original style. The problem has always been it's crammed behind the Towers with no room for real attractions.
 
Talbot Street was the best iteration of that area we had. Make Believe was a visual downgrade but brought with it better attractions like Toyland. The new all time low was the latter years of CCL, I dread to think how bad Walliams World would be in a few years time if it remains as is with a 4th theme shoehorned in to it on top. Upon opening, the area has been downgraded with every new version.
 
CCL did get completely repainted towards the end stripping the original style out. I remember it being more lively and fitting the Alton Towers theme when it was new.
 
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If TWODW is torn down one day, what would you like to replace it? Given that nobody seems to like it, I'm sure that some people have thought of some ideas of their own as a replacement theme for the area-perhaps themed to whatever Project Horizon's theme will be?
 
zeock said:
If TWODW is torn down one day, what would you like to replace it? Given that nobody seems to like it, I'm sure that some people have thought of some ideas of their own as a replacement theme for the area-perhaps themed to whatever Project Horizon's theme will be?
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Said it already many times...bring the Port Discovery steampunk theme to life. Ironically had it still has much of it's Talbot Street theming then it could have blended in well with a steampunk look if done correctly.

Merlin still have from the days of Tussauds the name of Port Discovery trademarked which means in theory they could go for it if they wanted to.

But regarding TWODW, it is clearly a sign of a park that lacks a proper direction they had during the 1990's which is why many look back on that with fondness though you could argue the same is with Thorpe and Chessie so honestly I suspect there is a lack of idea of where the park should go unless the new Merlin ownership of the park have a better idea of things.
 
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