• ℹ️ Heads up...

    This is a popular topic that is fast moving Guest - before posting, please ensure that you check out the first post in the topic for a quick reminder of guidelines, and importantly a summary of the known facts and information so far. Thanks.

Thorpe Park: General Discussion

@IanSR Which two dead IPs are you referring to Ian?

I'm not going to pretend I know the ins and outs of contract law, but I would say that almost every commercial agreement I have been involved in has had a clause in it ensuring continuity in the event of a sale or ownership change. The agreement is with the company that has been bought, or has merged - they are still obligated because the purchaser is typically purchasing their assets, liabilities and obligations.

After all, a prime example is Marvel Super Hero Island. It wasn't replaced with Happy Fun Time Land, the contract allowed them to continue with it.
 
Matt N said:
Why would Merlin want to take on an IP that will likely be cancelled within the next couple of years, though?
Click to expand...
Wouldn't be the first time Merlin have created an IP attraction that has been closed/removed a few years after.

The Walking dead mazes and X retheme will be far more lost cost than new rides/hardware, so I doubt losing the IP in 4-5 years time will make Merlin cry in their sleep.

Sent from my LG-H870 using Tapatalk
 
Rick said:
@IanSR Which two dead IPs are you referring to Ian?
Click to expand...

Grufallo and Shrek, by the time Merlin latched onto them both had been out of the mainstream for years and other things were in the spotlight once held by them.

As James says, Merlin are only interested in short term return on their investments, so they probably won't care if the show gets cancelled, what the show needs is a new show runner, although I'm not sure that anything can repair the damage done in the last episode (unless it's all a big ruse in which case the fans will probably be just as angry like after Lucillegate), I am assuming you're familiar with the storyline, apologies if not.
 
IanSR said:
Grufallo and Shrek, by the time Merlin latched onto them both had been out of the mainstream for years and other things were in the spotlight once held by them.
Click to expand...

I assumed you were thinking of Angry Birds and I'm a Celeb. Gruffalo is relatively current compared to Angry Birds.
 
@IanSR @jon81uk I've never actually seen I'm a Celeb, but the last viewing figures I saw for it were in excess of 11 million, beaten only by Blue Planet 2. That's five times the number that visit Thorpe in one year, if that is a 'dead' IP then I feel like we need to discuss this.
 
I've never watched it either, perhaps we should replace dead with useless in this case.

Gruffalo Is almost twice as old as Angry Birds btw @jon81uk
 
I'm a Celebrity just isn't suited to a theme park IMO, not least because at the time of year it's actually on TV (i.e. when there would be the most interest), Thorpe is closed!
 
IanSR said:
I've never watched it either, perhaps we should replace dead with useless in this case.
Click to expand...
I don't understand how it's useless if it has that level of appeal amongst celebrity obsessed Snapchatting drones, who probably like theme parks too.

IanSR said:
Gruffalo Is almost twice as old as Angry Birds btw @jon81uk
Click to expand...
I'm not sure age is an important factor - in some ways it helps. Thomas the Tank Engine first appeared in 1946, he's done wonders for Drayton. Plus, don't forget that IPs work the opposite way around too. Chessington are introducing people to the character and then selling them merchandise. It's mad, when you think about it.
 
Last edited:
Mad then, that's a term we can agree on lol

To be fair, Thomas is still on TV, books are still being published, when was the last time you saw a Grufallo book release or Shrek film in the cinema?
 
IanSR said:
Gruffalo Is almost twice as old as Angry Birds btw @jon81uk
Click to expand...

Okay I went to wikipedia to check and we're both a bit wrong.

The Gruffalo BBC film is much older than I expected, it was shown in 2009 with the Gruffalo's Child in 2011. The book is quite old, first published 1999, but kids books are quite timeless, look at how popular The Very Hungry Caterpiller still is...

The first Angry Birds game was also released in 2009, so is just as current as the Gruffalo film! The Angry Birds film was released in 2016 so ties in with the Thorpe Park land.

Therefore I guess Angry Birds is more up-to-date, even if a childrens book has more of a timeless feel compared to a mobile computer game.


Also yes I'm a Celeb hasn't died off as much as The X Factor has, it still gets good viewing figures, just feels past its peak I guess.
 
IanSR said:
To be fair, Thomas is still on TV, books are still being published, when was the last time you saw a Grufallo book release or Shrek film in the cinema?
Click to expand...
I don't understand why that's important. The traditional view of using an IP is that you can sell an attraction based on your customer base's familiarity with the IP or characters associated with that. With content on demand and a wealth of cable/satellite channels, the fact that things aren't in the cinema now makes no difference. If you built an attraction to open alongside a film coming into cinemas, you could be building an attraction based on a film that bombs.

If anything, building Jurassic Park rides around the world kept the franchise relevant and in the public psyche between Jurassic Park 3 & Jurassic World, in the same way that in 2017 Mickey Mouse is far better known on the back of the theme parks than any media content.

As for children's book releases, I don't buy that either - the nature of a kid's book means that it is going to be read for generations, across the generations. You don't need something to be new and happening for it to be relevant or to have appeal. As @jon81uk mentioned with the Gruffalo book, debuting in 1999, people that had that read to them by their parents will already be having children and will be reading it to them.

The less traditional view of IPs is what I touched on previously. If you want to install a themed dark ride, use an IP to attract people aware of the IP. Those that don't know it will still visit, they will tell their friends who may have heard about the IP and buy merchandise if they enjoy the ride.

Also, mad people still spend money :)
 
Going slightly off topic but the families familiarity and the parents watching something they loved as kids with their children is a big factor at Disney I think.

Disney opened a ride based on The Little Mermaid in California in 2011 and Florida in 2012. The film came out in 1990, therefore some people who watched the film as children will now be showing it to their own children.
Things like Thomas the Tank engine and The Gruffalo probably have a similarly long-term appeal. Angry Birds, probably less so. Charlie & the Chocolate Factory at AT should have been another good example of a book having long-term appeal, it was written in 1964. Its a shame the boat ride was so cheaply done.
 
Most kid stuff is, it's certainly in a different league to say a film or niche tv franchise.

Mind you hasn't the Saw franchise been rebooted already? (I don't follow it).

I guess considering all the big franchises are taken, it's logical for Merlin to take the less well known or relevant ones, TWD is a good fit for Fright Nights, I guess I'm just surprised they didn't do this five years ago when it was really popular.
 
It doesn’t matter if the IP is popular or totally unknown. If the ride is quality it will hold its own regardless. The IP just helps draw people in. See all the above examples.
 
Thorpe Park are now apparently billing 2018 as "The Year of The Walking Dead" in Merlin Annual Pass packages... which all but confirms that X will be rethemed to the Walking Dead next year.

Oh dear god. I just imagined what will probably come in the new year with the announcement: "The world's first theme park season fully dedicated to the Walking Dead. Featuring [insert X's new name here], BRAND NEW for 2018! Every Walking Dead roller coaster, no wait, world class Walking Dead themed experience you've ever dreamed of rolled into one!"
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top