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The World of David Walliams: General Discussion

It's almost like God is saying dump the damn thing. If Project Horizon was still happening then no doubt TWODW would have been on the cards for a retheme anyway, steampunk anyone? Maybe have GG rethemed into say the HG Wells story The Time Machine?

Granted no clue if PH is still happening but at the very least the retheme of TWODW was going to happen sooner or later, this news has lightly forced Towers' hand to do something about it sooner than later.
 
MrTowers said:
The area has an identity crisis anyway. The website lists all the rides belonging to Towers or cloud cuckoo land. The app still mentions TWODW though.

I wonder if they will just quietly remove his name from everything for next season and just refer to it as the Towers. Gangsta Granny the ride could just be called gangsta granny loosing his name above it. My guess is it will have a retheme as part of tidying up this area anyway, hopefully being incorporated into Horizon if that ever happens.

I do wonder if minecraft land had gone to Towers if the ride would of had a minecraft theme applied to it. I do expect there will be a big IP attached as that seems to ve the current merlin strategy. Maybe Lego Harry Potter following the recent announcement or something else lego. Being quite far from legoland means it would not be competing for the same market unlike putting lego into chessington for example.
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I think that makes the most sense if the IP agreement allows it. Remove the entrance portal and Walliams references and rename it to the towers. Would be the cheapest option.
 
WL18 said:
I think that makes the most sense if the IP agreement allows it. Remove the entrance portal and Walliams references and rename it to the towers. Would be the cheapest option.
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Surely the publisher has the entertainment rights anyway? So they don’t really need his name. It’s not like the name is a big draw.

Depends on when the license was due to run out. If it had another year they could just drop his name for the coming season before getting rid entirely later.

Either way, there isn’t time for a full retheme before the next season.
 
AltonLover123 said:
Surely the publisher has the entertainment rights anyway? So they don’t really need his name. It’s not like the name is a big draw.
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His name, or the brand associated with his name, is the big draw.

Nobody in the entertainment or publishing industry will be surprised by today's revelations in The Telegraph, nor will Merlin. I'd argue that there's likely a good reason why Walliams' World was never expanded, and possibly even sidelined from marketing materials over time.
 
AltonLover123 said:
Surely the publisher has the entertainment rights anyway? So they don’t really need his name. It’s not like the name is a big draw.

Depends on when the license was due to run out. If it had another year they could just drop his name for the coming season before getting rid entirely later.

Either way, there isn’t time for a full retheme before the next season.
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Not sure if they’d have a clause saying any changes to the area or ride naming must be approved by whoever manages the Walliams “brand.”

I’d heard IPs are usually for 5-years and whilst this was initially supposed to open in 2020 but got pushed to 2021, so it’s already operated for five seasons, yet no works are taking place.

Either way, Id imagine Walliams references being removed if allowed or simply continuing with not marketing it would be favoured options.
 
I would suggest Towers Relocated Royal Carousel to its old location Block of both sides of the walk way and just have Driving School and Royal Carousel for the a short term fix
 
Hid said:
I would suggest Towers Relocated Royal Carousel to its old location Block of both sides of the walk way and just have Driving School and Royal Carousel for the a short term fix
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I mean it wouldn't fit in very well in its current theme but stick it in Dark Forest or X Sector and you immediately fulfill the flat ride requirement, albeit it temporarily! 🤣
 
I think it’s a bit hasty to suggest that the area is definitely done (Walliams’ books may arguably be bigger than him to an extent), but with that said, I do think this saga highlights the risks involved with putting a public figure’s name onto a ride or area.

Even without today’s revelations, though, I think the area was always more of a stopgap rather than a permanent area with a long shelf life. Despite the area’s relatively new age, it’s probably one of the most obvious areas for development at Alton, and I do hope Project Horizon comes soon to breathe some new life into that whole section.
 
Matt N said:
I think it’s a bit hasty to suggest that the area is definitely done (Walliams’ books may arguably be bigger than him to an extent), but with that said, I do think this saga highlights the risks involved with putting a public figure’s name onto a ride or area.
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It would be a terrible look to have a theme park children’s area named for someone that has been dropped by their publisher for allegedly inappropriate nature of a certain kind involving young women. I can’t see the park retaining the World Of David Walliams naming.

They can retain the theming of Gangsta Granny and some elements of the books themselves but the name of the area itself you’d guess would hastily be given something very generic or just dropped altogether and integrated in to a Towers area.
 
Not gonna lie, as someone who is such a big nerd of the park to the extent I check this forum multiple times a day, I honestly completely forgot The World of David Walliams existed until I got the notification on this thread with the news…

It was never anything more than a reskin of Cloud Cuckoo Land beyond Gangsta Granny anyways…
 
QTXAdsy said:
Also, I'm kinda baffled as to why they went with this as an IP? Where they that sure it was a surefire hit which if so I'd like to be a fly on the wall to figure out what the thought process was.
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Probably because it was a cheap IP going at the time, particularly as Merlin were interested in buying the IP rights of middle-aged white men at the time.

I think one of the better post-Varney moves that Merlin have made is the better selection of IP brands. They were doing some market research into a Minecraft-themed walkthrough recently, even with Chessington getting their area. Wouldn’t surprise me if that’s the next IP to replace Walliams. Especially if Towers is more indoors/dark ride based compared to Chessington’s with the coaster as the set piece.
 
I feel World of David Walliams is honestly the saddest area of the park it has so much untapped potential and for me personally it was my main childhood area when it was Cloud Cuckoo Land had Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Twirling Toadstool, Ice Age 4D Cinema, Wobble World and Driving Schoop all were Rides and Attractions would always do
 
Hid said:
I feel World of David Walliams is honestly the saddest area of the park it has so much untapped potential and for me personally it was my main childhood area when it was Cloud Cuckoo Land had Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Twirling Toadstool, Ice Age 4D Cinema, Wobble World and Driving Schoop all were Rides and Attractions would always do
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I’d agree. As a kid, Cloud Cuckoo land, especially with Twirling Toadstall, frog hopper, and Charlie was one of the highlights of the park. I feel like this area really needs a grand big flat ride like toadstall, and to reopen Charlie and the 4d cinema to make it come alive again. It’s just felt so dead after these closed back in 2015/16 and has never recovered
 
This whole area of the park is a depressing disaster. Urgently need not just a retheme but a revamp of the whole area. The sooner they get rid of Walliams world the better
 
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Quantum said:
This whole area of the park is a depressing disaster. Urgently need not just a retheme but a revamp of the whole area. The sooner they get rid of Walliams world the better
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I would say it needs a retheme but try and keep and use the buildings quite like the shape of the buildings next to each other just require a different coat of paint and more detail
 
It's an incredibly depressing area to walk into and around. Not helped by the biggest ride there having a terrible throughput and thus an awful queue.

Ghost town area with zero atmosphere. Needs far more than a lick of paint to become worthwhile for the majority of visitors.
 
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