New Rides Revealed for Britain's First Jumanji Theme Park Land

January 17, 2023, 4:02 PM · Merlin Entertainments has announced what new rides will be accompanying the world's first Jumanji-themed roller coaster in a new land at Chessington World of Adventures this spring.

The anchor of the World of Jumanji land will be Mandrill Mayhem, a Bolliger & Mabillard wing coaster that shuttles forward and backward. Featuring two launches and the park's first inversion, Mandrill Mayhem will have a top speed of 45 mph and a 47-inch height requirement.


Concept images courtesy Merlin Entertainments

"The most fearsome of all the wild animals, the mandrills are unpredictable and will launch at full speed through the treetops, flipping upside down on a hair-raising adventure, spiralling to the summit of the 55ft tall Jaguar Shrine," Merlin Entertainments said in its announcement. "Glimpse the Jaguar's Eye Jewel glow before falling and braving the adventure again... backwards.

In addition to the detail on Mandrill Mayhem, Merlin today announced two other rides that visitors will find in the World of Jumanji land when it opens at Chessington World of Adventures, outside London, this spring: Mamba Strike...

Mamba Strike

and Ostrich Stampede.

Ostrich Stampede

Merlin called the new land the single largest investment in Chessington’s history and noted that, in addition to the three rides, World of Jumanji also will feature a maze of pathways based on the Jumanji board game depicted in the original movie.

Last year, Merlin's Gardaland opened a Jumanji-themed dark ride [Jumanji: The Adventure Opens at Gardaland]. The Italian park is adding Jumanji: The Labyrinth, an immersive walk-through maze, later this year.

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Replies (2)

January 18, 2023 at 7:28 AM

This will be interesting to see if B&M come up with a more accessible restraint system for younger/smaller guests. All the wing coasters in the US have height restrictions of 52" or 54" (Stealth at Thorpe Park is 55"), which is definitely outside of Chessington's core demographic. At the very least, this coaster would need to accommodate guests as short as 48" if not 42".

Considering the park is just officially announcing the attraction lineup now, I think getting open for "spring" would be quite optimistic. I'd be surprised if this is open by mid-May. However, if it's open the first week of April, we might find some time to squeeze in a quick pop-in to check out this interesting new addition while we're in England for Spring Break.

January 20, 2023 at 5:02 AM

Theming looks great - let’s hope that this is the beginning of a trend to more immersive theming at merlins parks that up to now has been average at best.

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