Sally Announces "Shaun the Sheep"

[Shane]

So this was a bit of an unexpected piece of news that showed up in my feed from Blooloop this morning:

Sally Corp, the talented dark ride creators behind many of the worlds most beloved dark rides, has announced a partnership with UK based Aardman Animations, best known for their stop-motion clay animation featured in Wallace and Gromit among other properties, will bring their Shaun the Sheep characters and stories to a new dark ride offering from the company. The concept artwork presented by Sally shows that they will be using the same ride vehicles operating on SixFlags' Justice League: Battle for Metropolis attractions which were provided by Oceaneering with one significant modification, no interactive game guns. These ride vehicles while much more advanced than Sally's basic ride vehicles, are a more cost effective vehicle than the older vehicles Oceaneerings installed on rides such as Curse of DarKastle, The Amazing Spiderman, and Transformers: The Ride. The ride will utilize a mix of physical sets, scenery, props, and animatronics, along with projection technology to provide a very similar experience to the larger dark rides at Universal Parks and formerly Busch Gardens Williamsburg.

As always with Sally, it's exciting to see what kind of partnerships they are able to make to bring affordable, unique dark ride options to the smaller regional parks.

Fans of the nation’s favorite animated series can now join the flock and help Shaun conquer all havoc on the farm in this fun family ride.Riders will step aboard a custom themed dark ride vehicle that will transport them through the rural,rustic and colorful world of Shaun the Sheep. The 4-minute ride experience will feature dozens of scenes inspired by the stop motion series.

Shaun is a sheep who doesn’t follow the flock – in fact,he leads them into all sorts of scrapes, turning the peaceful Mossy Bottom Farm into mayhem in the meadow! Every day brings a new adventure for Shaun and the flock. With high-energy slapstick and classic silent comedy in Aardman’s award-winning style, one thing’s for sure- when Shaun’s around, the countryside ROCKS!

Shaun the Sheep effortlessly appeals to a global audience. It strives to appeal to adults as well as children, so it can be watched by the whole family and enjoyed on multiple levels.

With Sally’s ability to scale dark rides to any budget or footprint, the possibilities are endless. This attraction is perfect for any park or FEC looking to satisfy their family demographic. From farm-themed attractions and play parks, to cafes and stage shows,people are noticing the universal appeal of this popular IP and integrating it into attractions world-wide. Now, Sally gets the opportunity to join in the fun and create a fully immersive Shaun the Sheep dark ride that will be nothing short of a flockin’ good time.

“Shaun the Sheep loves new adventures and we’re thrilled by the opportunity to provide Shaun’s global family audiences with a completely unique way to immerse themselves in the world of our characters”, says Ngaio Harding-Hill, Senior Manager of Attractions and Live Experiences at Aardman. “Integrating Shaun’s slapstick humour and farmyard antics into a thrilling dark ride experience promises to be an exciting creative partnership that we hope audiences will adore”.