I was trying to bait @horsesboy into saying something
Project 2027: New Killarney Sim Building Attraction?
- Thread starter Irishlad
- Start date
I wouldn’t be mad if they just remade Battle for Eire in a flying theater. I think that could work really well. I don’t think that attraction got enough recognition for its film.
But yeah, an updated Corkscrew Hill would also be great! I hope they decide to go for something animated instead of real footage.
But yeah, an updated Corkscrew Hill would also be great! I hope they decide to go for something animated instead of real footage.
Maybe it's just nostalgia talking, but I found Corkscrew Hill to be the zenith of the simulator videos - it fit perfectly into the building and hamlet, was an entertaining little story, and didn't rely upon a gimmick for it to work (AR goggles). Just two boys taking their magic box of humans to an evil witch for some reason then getting saved in the air by a flying horse, before returning back to the bar.
Eire was ok, but I really felt it was mostly chase the dragon through portals, and then you see a ripoff of Mike Wazowski from Monsters Inc as the bad guy that you somehow defeat with fae?
Eire was ok, but I really felt it was mostly chase the dragon through portals, and then you see a ripoff of Mike Wazowski from Monsters Inc as the bad guy that you somehow defeat with fae?
My understanding is Corkscrew has been looked at by the park but that the company that made it and owned the rights to it went belly up years ago and that the rights are tied up in an expensive and complex legal maze that makes it almost impossible for it to ever return.
Wasn't it Falcon's Treehouse? I thought they spun the movie off that showed up in a FEC a few years ago, but the company is still doing work in the industry. Didn't they have a booth at IAPPA recently?
Yeah, I’ve definitely seen Corkscrew Hill offered as one of the movies offered in 4D theaters at places like Ripley’s museums. Surely some entity still owns the rights to the film.
I don't want the exact same video, just used as inspiration. Maybe the next generation?
They did! I actually got to chat with them for a bit. They’ve done work for a LOT of things, including the very famous Curse of DarKastle. Fun fact, they have a podcast and just did an episode about Curse of DarKastle!
DarKastle and Battle for Eire were Falcon's projects. As far as I know, they had no involvement with Corkscrew Hill.
The Corkscrew Hill film was produced by Synthespian Studios and the rights for the original film are now owned in some form by SimEx-Iwerks. Judging by old @Icer and @CastleOSullivan posts, it seems like the most likely explanation is that some combination of BGW and Synthespian Studios own the underlying IP and have either sold or leased rights to rebroadcast the original ride film outside of BGW to SimEx-Iwerks.
@Icer originally heard a rumor about a possible "Corkscrew Hill remastered" years ago and posted about it here. It's also worth noting that Synthespian Studios, at one time, had a desire to use the IP for a feature-length film.
The Corkscrew Hill film was produced by Synthespian Studios and the rights for the original film are now owned in some form by SimEx-Iwerks. Judging by old @Icer and @CastleOSullivan posts, it seems like the most likely explanation is that some combination of BGW and Synthespian Studios own the underlying IP and have either sold or leased rights to rebroadcast the original ride film outside of BGW to SimEx-Iwerks.
@Icer originally heard a rumor about a possible "Corkscrew Hill remastered" years ago and posted about it here. It's also worth noting that Synthespian Studios, at one time, had a desire to use the IP for a feature-length film.
I'm excited for an indoor ride in a currently unused building. But I can understand this reaction.
I thought Battle for Eire and Europe in the Air both felt dated immediately. Corkscrew Hill was more timeless. Is that just because it was there during my formative BG years?
How do you make a screen-based ride classy? Or re-rideable? Why has Mickey's Phillarmagic lasted at Disney World for 20 years and remains good? I know we're not getting animatronics or Disney-level animation. But, to me, that's the model for this kind of attraction.
Because Disney doesn’t really rely on repeat customers. It is a world-renowned park and I would imagine 50-60 percent of its attendees are first timers to the park.
To be fair, Questor was a regional park budget version of Soarin (though I believe it was produced first), DarKastle had a lot of similarities to Spiderman at Universal, and while the direct inspiration connections are fuzzy to me for other attractions, I'm pretty sure much of the difference is not only based in rerideability but also expense.
Disney and Universal can throw multi millions to develop a brand new ride concept and story with ridiculous attention to detail, regional operators usually can't afford that and need to scale back.
Disney and Universal can throw multi millions to develop a brand new ride concept and story with ridiculous attention to detail, regional operators usually can't afford that and need to scale back.
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Yet rides like Boo Blasters at Kings Dominion exist and still fill that niche. United Parks has just never committed to maintain a dark ride.
Boo Blaster is an interactive and group experience for many people which is something I hope the new ride goes for. Darkastle and all of the sim rides never really fell into that category.
Very true. I'd love something like that. Darkastle was a special ride, unfortunately it didn't seem to maintain long lines, and was probably costly to maintain. That ride now with year round ops could have had a different result.
Whatever they are planning to use the space for, I desperately hope that seasonal overlays are designed in from the start—whether it be significant alterations (secondary ride films if this is going to be a theater experience for instance) or light but still apparent holiday overlays, I really hope year-round variance is designed in.
The removal of DarKastle was an enormous injustice, but it is just true that it didn't see the highest ridership—certainly not the ridership it deserved. Unfortunately, for an unchanging, story-driven experience at a locals-heavy park, that should be expected. Giving people a reason to experience an attraction seasonally would have done wonders for many of BGW's previous darkride, theater attraction, and even their more themed experiences broadly in my opinion. Viewership of, say, Gloria, would dwindle quickly if it played year-round—the fact that it is a limited run each season is why it consistently sees the traffic it does during its run each year. BGW should apply the same principles of artificial scarcity and seasonal relevants to other non-thrill-focused experiences throughout the park.
The removal of DarKastle was an enormous injustice, but it is just true that it didn't see the highest ridership—certainly not the ridership it deserved. Unfortunately, for an unchanging, story-driven experience at a locals-heavy park, that should be expected. Giving people a reason to experience an attraction seasonally would have done wonders for many of BGW's previous darkride, theater attraction, and even their more themed experiences broadly in my opinion. Viewership of, say, Gloria, would dwindle quickly if it played year-round—the fact that it is a limited run each season is why it consistently sees the traffic it does during its run each year. BGW should apply the same principles of artificial scarcity and seasonal relevants to other non-thrill-focused experiences throughout the park.
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I’ll always wonder if something like the Justice League dark rides, or Iron Reef/Bear-y Tales at Knott’s, was considered as a replacement for DarKastle. You’d think they could’ve easily reskinned it as an interactive 4D ride with a ton of re-rideability. I don’t hate DarKoaster, but it’s far less unique and impressive than some dark ride-adjacent replacement for DarKastle could’ve been.
Regarding the Killarney sim building, if the next attraction is still a simulator of some kind, I’d love for them to consider something like what Star Tours has: a huge library of different scenes that are randomly selected and stitched together, so there are literally thousands of combinations of stories you could possibly get. Sure, it requires creating more scenes up front, but you have a much more re-rideable attraction because you never know what story you’ll get. That could be a game-changer for a simulator in a regional park like BGW.
Regarding the Killarney sim building, if the next attraction is still a simulator of some kind, I’d love for them to consider something like what Star Tours has: a huge library of different scenes that are randomly selected and stitched together, so there are literally thousands of combinations of stories you could possibly get. Sure, it requires creating more scenes up front, but you have a much more re-rideable attraction because you never know what story you’ll get. That could be a game-changer for a simulator in a regional park like BGW.
Europe in the Air was the budget Soarin', opening nearly a decade after Disney's attraction.
Questor was pretty unique in its look and feel, particularly for a 1991 attraction at a regional theme park. I would love to see it return for a new adventure, though I do realize the Corkscrew Hill contingent seems to be more vocal than the Questor fan club.
My enduring love for Questor has a ton to do with the analog and mechanical Jules Verne-meets-Lord-Of-The-Rings nature of the attraction, bolstered by an endearing preshow and a ride video combining real video footage of natural spaces with enjoyably fantastical handbuilt scenic miniatures that you got to visually dive into during the ride. That vibe represented a true get-out-there adventure, and didn't age at the same speed as any other iteration of BGW's sim ride system IMO. I was so sad to see it go.
(Let's say nothing here about its immediate successor.)
To be fair, my memory of the full Questor experience was from when I was under the age of 10, so let's just say it's not necessarily accurate.
Either way, ride technologies have come a long way since then, so my guess is that the theater space as-is isn't up to the specs needed for a brand new attraction.
I just hope it's not another coaster but a dedicated indoor attraction.