Unpopular Opinions: Theme Park Edition

[Trooper Looper]

@Trooper Looper Pardon ?

I just think there's a lot of similarities between how Merlin and Disney operate, but the Parks that Merlin own don't really fit in with what they want. Remember when they slapped VR on air for no reason apart from it being a trend at the time, same for DBGT? Converting many themed areas into Intellectual Property areas for the sake of it. Disney and Universal (who used to) heavily utilise screens or projections for their attractions and saw huge success in their opening years, Merlin probably wanted to gain a very similar profit, so their indoor attractions contain a lot of screens in an attempt to gain a similar audience.

The difference is that Merlin are on a budget, so their attempts to try what Disney and Universal do mostly backfire on them from their lack of quality.

 

[Alsty]

I don't think Merlin are using IPs simply because they want to copy Disney et al.

 

[Matt N]

I just think there's a lot of similarities between how Merlin and Disney operate, but the Parks that Merlin own don't really fit in with what they want. Remember when they slapped VR on air for no reason apart from it being a trend at the time, same for DBGT? Converting many themed areas into Intellectual Property areas for the sake of it. Disney and Universal (who used to) heavily utilise screens or projections for their attractions and saw huge success in their opening years, Merlin probably wanted to gain a very similar profit, so their indoor attractions contain a lot of screens in an attempt to gain a similar audience.

The difference is that Merlin are on a budget, so their attempts to try what Disney and Universal do mostly backfire on them from their lack of quality.

I think this speaks greater volumes about the direction in which the industry in general is moving rather than any desire from Merlin to copy Disney or Universal.

Ever since areas like The Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened, it has become evidently clear that IPs, in most cases, need to be part of a park’s future strategy to some extent. When done well, IPs can be absolute gold mines for parks. Harry Potter was worth its weight in gold for Universal, but even on a smaller scale here in the UK, Thomas Land at Drayton Manor and Peppa Pig World at Paultons Park had absolutely stratospheric effects upon their respective parks.

For Paultons in particular, few would deny that Peppa Pig was the goose that laid the golden egg, as they’ve been going from strength to strength ever since that land opened. Paultons’ attendance doubled in the year that Peppa Pig World opened, the land is still paying considerable dividends for them 12 years on from its opening, and few would deny that the park has climbed the hierarchy of the UK theme park industry quite considerably during these years. Would that have happened had Paultons built an originally themed children’s land instead? I highly doubt it.

Even within Merlin, I’d argue that there have been some definite IP success stories. Saw The Ride remains very popular at Thorpe Park 14 years on from its opening, CBeebies Land at Alton Towers appears very popular, and The Gruffalo River Ride Adventure at Chessington is also popular.

The reality is that most parks are leaning towards IPs nowadays. Even Europa Park, a possibly more unique business proposition than most, have not shied away from them entirely, with things like Arthur and Valerian (I think?) being IP-based and the ice show recently being themed to Paddington. Ultimately, IP attractions are often easier to market in cases where a ride lacks an inherent USP, and they can be very popular when done well.

As for screens; again, I think that is simply the way that the industry is headed rather than anything unique to Merlin. Screens and media provide a simpler way to convey an effect that is often easier to maintain than a physical prop. And when done well, I believe that they can be very effective; many of the most commonly revered dark rides in the world right now use screens to a certain extent. Most parks’ new dark rides employ screens or media to a certain extent nowadays; Europa Park’s 3 newest dark rides (Voletarium, Snorri Touren and Piraten in Batavia) all employ media to a certain extent, and even things like new Disney rides and Symbolica at Efteling do not shy away from media entirely, from what I gather.

 

[NuttySquirrel]

As for screens; again, I think that is simply the way that the industry is headed rather than anything unique to Merlin. Screens and media provide a simpler way to convey an effect that is often easier to maintain than a physical prop. And when done well, I believe that they can be very effective; many of the most commonly revered dark rides in the world right now use screens to a certain extent. Most parks’ new dark rides employ screens or media to a certain extent nowadays; Europa Park’s 3 newest dark rides (Voletarium, Snorri Touren and Piraten in Batavia) all employ media to a certain extent, and even things like new Disney rides and Symbolica at Efteling do not shy away from media entirely, from what I gather.

Symbolica makes almost no use of screens at all, pretty much 100% of the special effects are animatronic. Even the (spoiler alert) whale behind the glass is an animatronic figure. They could have achieved that effect with a projection but they chose not to. That for me is why Efteling is currently the market leader for dark rides, at least in Europe.

Screen-dominated dark rides can be effective and obviously carry a much lower cost but they just don't have the same immersive quality for me and just aren't as impressive. Some of them are just downright lazy (looking at you Gangsta Granny!)

 

[Sazzle]

@Trooper Looper your posts have certainly made my brain hurt tonight.

Have you ever bought a TV because your neighbour had one? No? Perhaps you bought one because technology had reached a point where the cost means it accessible for most people, and it’s seen as a pretty standard part of living. You probably chose it based on the screen size and various extras (HD, 4K output, streaming service/internet connectivity). But ultimately, it’s a commodity available to many people and so it is for you. You just happened to choose the right one for you.

Now hold my beer.

Did merlin ever buy screen-based dark rides or VR because their neighbour had one? Perhaps they bought it because the technology reached a point where the cost meant it was accessible for their parks, and these things are seen as a pretty standard part of running a globally competitive set of attractions. They chose based on what was right for their parks and with whatever extras they fancied and could get within budget (VR headsets, 2D screens, ride hardware and manufacturer integration).

But ultimately it’s a commodity available to many parks and attractions and so it is for them. They just happened to choose what was right for them.

 

[Rojo]

@Trooper Looper your posts have certainly made my brain hurt tonight.

Have you ever bought a TV because your neighbour had one? No? Perhaps you bought one because technology had reached a point where the cost means it accessible for most people, and it’s seen as a pretty standard part of living. You probably chose it based on the screen size and various extras (HD, 4K output, streaming service/internet connectivity). But ultimately, it’s a commodity available to many people and so it is for you. You just happened to choose the right one for you.

Now hold my beer.

Did merlin ever buy screen-based dark rides or VR because their neighbour had one? Perhaps they bought it because the technology reached a point where the cost meant it was accessible for their parks, and these things are seen as a pretty standard part of running a globally competitive set of attractions. They chose based on what was right for their parks and with whatever extras they fancied and could get within budget (VR headsets, 2D screens, ride hardware and manufacturer integration).

But ultimately it’s a commodity available to many parks and attractions and so it is for them. They just happened to choose what was right for them.

The worst part is that Alton Towers used to be the first one in the street to have a Colour TV or LaserDisc. Now we'll be lucky if we ever get a Blu-ray player

Great Post/Analogy btw

 

[Trooper Looper]

@Trooper Looper your posts have certainly made my brain hurt tonight.

Have you ever bought a TV because your neighbour had one? No? Perhaps you bought one because technology had reached a point where the cost means it accessible for most people, and it’s seen as a pretty standard part of living. You probably chose it based on the screen size and various extras (HD, 4K output, streaming service/internet connectivity). But ultimately, it’s a commodity available to many people and so it is for you. You just happened to choose the right one for you.

Now hold my beer.

Did merlin ever buy screen-based dark rides or VR because their neighbour had one? Perhaps they bought it because the technology reached a point where the cost meant it was accessible for their parks, and these things are seen as a pretty standard part of running a globally competitive set of attractions. They chose based on what was right for their parks and with whatever extras they fancied and could get within budget (VR headsets, 2D screens, ride hardware and manufacturer integration).

But ultimately it’s a commodity available to many parks and attractions and so it is for them. They just happened to choose what was right for them.

The thing is that huge screens in rides is still a pretty new thing (if you're considering 10 years new) and most Themed parks have jumped on that train. I think screens are great when used as backgrounds instead of the main focus, but the way Merlin utilise them just really remind me of how appealing, to me anyway, Disney and Universal do them.

I particularly never cared about the whole 4K stuff and streaming services like Netflix and HBO. As long as I can see whats going on the screen and the telly works, that's all that matters to me, I can easily get a DVD player to go with it and I'm all good. I would never buy a Telly simply because its new

Truth be told, I was really vague about my views on Merlin and VR sorry, but I think the only reason Merlin applied it to their attractions was because it was a big thing back then and was trending everywhere, and they wanted in on that extra dough.

 

[Sazzle]

10 years in technology terms is not new. In fact, something installed ten years ago without upgrades would be pretty bottom of the pack now.

Towers did Charlie and the Chocolate Factory back in 2005, pre-Merlin, and that was “just screens” (with a squeaky moving floor) for the finale but was pretty ahead of the pack for screen based experiences.

I respect that this is your opinion, unpopular as it may be, and I must say I’m entirely in disagreement.

It’s normal for big players who have big money to get the big new shiny things first, then those further down the chain bring it in after. It’s literally how the world works!

I don’t think Merlin are towing the line of the world class players in terms of screens. They haven’t installed a ride good enough for a comparison.

 

[Matt.GC]

Perhaps an unpopular opinion in it's own right then, but I think most of the parks, Towers in particular, were better when there was some actual ambition to deliver as close an experience to the bigger players as possible for a more modest budget alongside strives to appeal to a wider audience.

Now it just seems like they've given up hope, slapped a bit of cheap paint over old stuff, hired in some fun fair flats and called it a day.

 

[rob666]

I did check we were in the Tavern first.
Absofuckinglutely.

 

[RicketyCricket]

Was gonna put this in the Curse At Alton Manor thread but didn't want to be a party pooper...

I'm usually very much an "each to their own" kind of person. But I will never understand why people look at spoilers or watch POV's of dark rides before riding for themselves.

Rise of the Resistence for example - a jawdropping masterpiece of themed entertainment. Absolute madness to watch a POV of that one, unless you're literally never going to ride it in your lifetime.

Coasters are fair game as you can see the layout, so there are no surprises.

 

[rob666]

The Curse topic is now much improved with the spoilers...much quicker to read, and makes much more sense thank you all.
This is how social media can ruin real life experiences...much better seeing things through a four inch screen.
There goes your first experience of the changes.
Glad I only saw the topic after the spoilers had been retrofitted.

 

[Matt N]

I’m purposely trying to avoid spoilers of The Curse at Alton Manor so that my first judgement of it can be in the flesh. I’ve done that for the last few new dark rides I’ve ridden, and it’s worked well!

Based on the spoiler-free thoughts, however, I’m glad to hear that people seem to like their first look at the new ride!

Avoiding completely could be easier said than done given the era we now live in, but I’m going to try and avoid as much as possible before my ride next Saturday…

 

[Llama]

I completely understand where you're coming from, but I tend to watch POVs as soon as they're available, even for things I'm planning on riding. I don't really think you can "spoil" a ride like you can a movie. For rides that are mostly screens, maybe, but for most rides, and theme parks in general, the whole point is that being there in person is a multi-sensory experience that you can't recreate simply via a recording, so having seen a recording prior doesn't affect my enjoyment of the ride.

 

[RicketyCricket]

I completely understand where you're coming from, but I tend to watch POVs as soon as they're available, even for things I'm planning on riding. I don't really think you can "spoil" a ride like you can a movie. For rides that are mostly screens, maybe, but for most rides, and theme parks in general, the whole point is that being there in person is a multi-sensory experience that you can't recreate simply via a recording, so having seen a recording prior doesn't affect my enjoyment of the ride.

On Rise of The Resistence...

Spoiler

After being captured, when the doors opened to reveal the army of Stormtroopers

My jaw hit the floor. I'm not even a Star Wars fan but the scale of that room and level of detail absolutely blew me away. More so than any movie scene had ever done.

There is absolutely zero chance I would have experienced that feeling if I'd watched a video previously.

I really don't get it.

 

[Benzin]

It depends. I've no intention on visiting Towers this year due to Nemesis and no baby.

Resistance wise I got spited visiting by Covid and the likelihood of me visiting anytime soon is essentially zero.

Why not watch a POV? It's not the same at all but especially with things the way they are on social media without taking suitable steps it's almost impossible to avoid things being spoilt anyway.

Let people do the hobby in their own way. Life often gets in the way of hobbies, and POVs are a good alternative (as long as said video doesn't focus on the PERSONALITY filming it).

 

[Rick]

My bug bear with POVs is more the culture that has sprung up on social media and dare I say, forums too whereby watching a POV is seemingly just as good as doing something for real.

Equality in someone's ability to critique something after having watched a shonky POV of a ride on a 6in phone screen vs. someone who hauled their **** across the world to ride it, feels bizarre to me.

 

[Llama]

On Rise of The Resistence...

My jaw hit the floor. I'm not even a Star Wars fan but the scale of that room and level of detail absolutely blew me away. More so than any movie scene had ever done.

There is absolutely zero chance I would have experienced that feeling if I'd watched a video previously.

I really don't get it.

I fully understand where you're coming from, and won't say that watching a POV in advance is a better way to experience something than going in blind. Just saying that personally it doesn't matter to me. I watch a lot of POVs for new attractions, especially for things I likely will never get a chance to experience myself, and I've never felt that it really ruins the experience if and when I get to have it for real. The same way that it's worth visiting the Grand Canyon even if you've seen a picture of it.

 

[John_P]

The Imagineering Story spoiled rise of the resistance for me.

Never seen the point of dark ride pics, except for defunct rides.

For coasters I'll happily watch them, but if I know I'm going to the park I'll stop.

 

[Poisson]

I avoided POVs on the run up to Denmark and was pleasantly surprised by DrageKongen. Watching one would have spoilt the surprising start. Something like Wood Coaster I'll happily watch a POV as I'm not going anytime soon