Sorry for the double post, but separately, a month or so ago, a Twitter friend brought up that in Germany stands the Busch family's mansion, Villa Lilly.
Imagine if DarKastle's exterior were transformed into the (elaborate and fantasy-influenced) recreation of Villa Lily, and guests were invited inside for a special one-day "Open Haus" by a (quasi-historical) Adolphus Busch to tour the home's fine collection of exquisite German architecture... An Animatronic of Adolphus greets us in a pre-show in a grand foyer, but is called away by a messenger, leaving us with his two
pine martens – Otto and Lilly – who open a secret passage into the home's hidden breweries. Boarding trackless, LPS-guided carts, guests are whisked away into the factory.
A sort of spiritual mix of Mystic Manor, Efteling's Symbolica, and
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the ride turns into a chaotic trip through the musical, bubbling, electric brewery with the pine martens causing trouble at every turn as the vehicles move through the physical sets, spinning and dancing around one another. But order is restored just as Adolphus returns, and – wouldn't ya know it – along the way we
accidentally created a bubbly, sweet, frothy, never-before-tasted beverage (let's call it Bubblebier ?) perfect for the whole family... Guests then exist through a Bubblebier Garten where they can try the drink in either regular or frozen varieties.
Anyway, it seems like a brilliant way to re-use DarKastle's physical show building but with an original dark ride that feels German, connected to the park's real history and story, and also doesn't rely on so many multimedia pieces that we know require renewal to stay fresh. Plus it has built-in merchandising (plush pine martens? Bubblebier in mugs and steins? Memorable original characters for the whole family?) and feels like a really fun fit for Oktoberfest.
SeaWorld – into it? Give me a call. Haha!