Welcome to Theme Park Insider

Busch Gardens Williamsburg completes the track for Verbolten

Busch Gardens Williamsburg has completed the track for its new multi-launch roller coaster Verbolten, which will open at the Virginia theme park this spring.

Here's an update from the park, with some footage from inside the ride's show building, currently under construction.

Verbolten will be a high-speed ride through the Black Forest, along the course of the old Bid Bad Wolf coaster.

Comments (1) | Submit Comment | Archive Link
Tweet

2012 Best Attraction Tournament: Best Musical?

We're celebrating musicals today in the 2012 Theme Park Insider Tournament by selecting the best theme park live musical. Here are the top five nominees, based on your Theme Park Insider reader ratings.

Campaign for your favorite by posting a link to today's post on Facebook or Twitter, and encouraging your friends to vote.

Aladdin - at Disney California Adventure

Beauty and the Beast - Live on Stage - at Disney's Hollywood Studios

Beetlejuice's Graveyard Revue - at Universal Studios Florida

Festival of the Lion King - at Disney's Animal Kingdom and Hong Kong Disneyland

Finding Nemo: The Musical - at Disney's Animal Kindgom

On Monday: The tournament returns as we pick the best Bolliger & Mabillard Flying Coaster

Comments (10) | Submit Comment | Archive Link
Tweet

2012 Best Attraction Tournament: Best Indoor Ride?

Today in the 2012 Theme Park Insider Tournament we're honoring the dark ride - indoor track rides that take us to fantastical places or ancient times, telling us engaging stories along the way. Here we've listed the top five dark rides in your Theme Park Insider reader ratings. Note that these are only the "dry" dark rides - We voted earlier on best boat rides (winner: Pirates of the Caribbean), as well as for shoot-'em-up dark rides (winner: Men in Black).

Campaign in the comments, and on Facebook and Twitter, to rally the troops to vote for your favorite.

Haunted Mansion - top-rated version at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. Also at Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, and as Phantom Manor at Disneyland Paris.

The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure - at Disney California Adventure and coming later this year to Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom.

Pooh's Hunny Hunt - at Tokyo Disneyland

Spaceship Earth - at Epcot

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea - at Tokyo DisneySea

Tomorrow: We close the week with a vote for the best theme park live musical show.

Comments (21) | Submit Comment | Archive Link
Tweet

Universal Orlando confirms 2012 parade, night show, Despicable Me opening and Spider-Man changes

Universal Orlando this morning declared 2012 its "Year to be Here."

"Never before have we created this many new experiences across the resort in a single year," said Mark Woodbury, President of Universal Creative during the invitation-only webcast (embedded below) to announce the resort's plans for the year. Here's what's coming to the resort, which we first told you about earlier this month:

Blue Man Group debuts a new show in February.

Universal Creative is reanimating The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, with a 4K HD 3D film, to open in March. The Stan Lee cameo is confirmed, but Woodbury wouldn't say where in the show he will appear. (A "Hidden Stan?")

We asked about down-time in preparation for the new show, but Jim Timon, Senior Vice President of Entertainment, didn't give a specific answer, saying only that there would be a "brief" closure and to check Universal's website for specific dates. Currently, there is no closure for Spider-Man listed. Update: Reader in the comments hears from guest relations that the ride will be closed starting Feb. 8.

Universal Studios Florida will offer two new entertainment shows. Universal Super Star Parade will be a rolling "street show" with four show themed show stages: Despicable Me, Sponge Bob Square Pants, Dora and Diego and Hop. The parade will run once a day and open in "spring."

Also in spring, Universal will debut its new nighttime show, Universal's Cinematic Spectacular - 100 Years of Movie Magic, a "World of Color"-like lagoon show narrated by Morgan Freeman, with screen projections, fountains and lights.

So what will be the best place to see the show?

"It's designed to be see from anywhere around the lagoon, so there's not a bad place to see it," Timon said. "It's the last kiss goodnight at the end of the day."

Finally, Woodbury showed some rough animation from Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem, the 3D adventure which will open this summer.

In addition, Woodbury confirmed that Hollywood Drive-In Golf will open in February, and he plugged a new water play area at Wet n' Wild, to open this summer.

Universal told reporters before the webcast that there would be no announcements about the new Harry Potter land, but make no mistake. This announcement very much was influenced by Potter. Universal's trying hard to impress visitors with everything else the resort has to offer - to encourage people to visit this year, instead of waiting several years for the new Potter land.

Update: Domenik was out at Universal today and took these shots of the lagoon. Coupled with the concept art, it looks like we're talking about actual physical screens for the lagoon show, and not the mist projections we saw in World of Color.

And here's the webcast, now available to all:

Comments (31) | Submit Comment | Archive Link
Tweet

2012 Best Attraction Tournament: Best 2D Film?

Film provides an important component in many theme park attractions, but a great film can stand on its own as an attraction, too. Today in the 2012 Theme Park Insider Tournament, we're honoring the best of the best in theme park 2-D film experiences.

Here are your top nominees, based on Theme Park Insider reader ratings. For the winner, let's select the film that best engages the viewer, rewarding us with stunning visuals and a unique experience. Campaign for your favorite in the comments, or hit up Facebook and Twitter to rally the troops to your favorite film's cause.

Impressions de France - at Epcot

O Canada! - at Epcot

Reflections of China - at Epcot

Walt Disney: One Man's Dream - ar Disney's Hollywood Studios

Tomorrow: It's a biggie. We'll be voting for the title of best indoor ride.

Comments (12) | Submit Comment | Archive Link
Tweet