2009 amusement & theme park preview

With the teetering economy and the tightening credit crisis, 2009 is looking like a particularly bleak year for new rides, shows and attractions at amusement and theme parks throughout California, across the United States and around the world. Here’s a brief look at the highlights:

California amusement parks
* Addition of Disney characters to It’s a Small World water ride at Disneyland
* Thematic makeovers of Mickey’s Fun Wheel and Silly Symphony Swings at Disney’s California Adventure
* Terminator Salvation wooden roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain
* “Creature From the Black Lagoon” musical stage show at Universal Studios Hollywood
* “Bob the Builder” 4-D movie at Legoland California
* Odin’s Temple Of The Tiger animal exhibit at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom

U.S. amusement parks
* Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit roller coaster at Universal Studios Florida (Orlando)
* Manta flying coaster at SeaWorld Orlando
* “American Idol Experience” show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (Orlando)
* Addition of Barack Obama to “Hall of Presidents” at the Magic Kingdom (Orlando)
* Buccaneer Battle interactive boat ride at the Six Flags Great America Hurricane Harbor water park (Chicago)
* Wiggles World kiddie land at Six Flags Fiesta Texas (San Antonio)
* Glow in the Park parades at Six Flags St. Louis and Six Flags Over Texas (Dallas)
* Diamondback roller coaster at Kings Island (Cincinnati)
* 110-foot-tall Americana Ferris wheel at Kings Dominion (Virginia)

International amusement parks
* Monsters Inc. Ride & Go Seek interactive dark ride at Tokyo Disneyland
* Copy of Disney’s California Adventure’s “Turtle Talk with Crush” show at Tokyo Disney Sea
* Copy of Legoland California’s Land of Adventure themed land at Legoland Windsor (England)
* Jet Rescue personal watercraft-themed roller coaster at SeaWorld Australia

Find the latest amusement and theme park news at the Los Angeles Times Funland blog: latimes.com/funland.

— Brady MacDonald, Los Angeles Times staff writer

Image: Universal Studios

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 23, 2008 at 2:13 pm by Brady MacDonald and is filed under Asia, California, Chicago, Disney's California Adventure, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Disneyland, East Coast, Family & Kids, Florida, Legoland, Los Angeles, Magic Kingdom, Magic Mountain, Midwestern States, Northern California, Orange County, Pacific & Australia, San Diego, San Francisco, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, Southern States, Texas, Theme Parks, Tokyo Disneyland, Universal Studios Florida, Universal Studios Hollywood, Water Parks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.