Archive for the 'Magic Mountain' Category
Theme park news: Kobe rides Terminator coaster; bring back Captain EO; Hong Kong Disneyland expansion
July 4, 2009 7:29am
A roundup of my theme park Twitter updates for the last week:
* Online petition: Bring back Captain EO as a tribute to Michael Jackson at Disney Parks. Watch EO in 3-D at home. (Distant Creations)
* New lands at Hong Kong Disneyland: Grizzly Trail (a.k.a. Frontierland), Mystic Point (supernatural rain forest), Toy Story Land. Marquee rides: Big Grizzly Mountain coaster, Mystic Manor (a.k.a. Haunted Mansion), shuttle coaster on a U-shaped track. (Disney and More)
* Spoiler: Tinker Bell does double duty as Dumbo during Disneyland fireworks show. (Mouse Planet)
Base-jumper leaps from top of thrill ride at Six Flags Magic Mountain
May 29, 2009 7:25am
A stunt man base-jumped from the top of the 415-foot-tall Superman: The Escape thrill ride at Six Flags Magic Mountain this week as part of an upcoming extreme sports stunt show.
The jump will be featured in the season opener of MTV’s Nitro Circus, starring action sports athlete Travis Pastrana and his reckless band of daredevils.
In the top photo, the stuntman can be seen leaping from the top of the reverse freefall shuttle roller coaster with Hurricane Harbor water park and the I-5 Freeway in the distance.
See the landing after the jump.
Best summer deals: Southern California theme park discounts
May 23, 2009 7:49am
With the Memorial Day Weekend marking the unofficial start of summer, here’s a look at the best deals at Southern California amusement and theme parks:
Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure (Anaheim) — Three-day summer fun pass for $99 after June 1. Check out Mouse Planet for the most complete list of Disneyland discounts.
Universal Studios Hollywood — Six-month pass for $60 starting June 15.
Knott’s Berry Farm (Buena Park) — All-you-can-eat barbecue, plus admission for $37.99 for adults and $28.99 for children and seniors. Weekends only.
More Southern California theme park deals after the jump.
Review: Terminator Salvation coaster debuts at Six Flags Magic Mountain
May 21, 2009 5:21pm
Terminator Salvation at Six Flags Magic Mountain has everything I like in a roller coaster — a smooth ride, unrelenting speed and plenty of off-your-seat airtime. There’s even some theming thrown in for what’s sure to be long waits this summer.
So, is the $11-million Terminator Salvation the greatest roller coaster in the world? Of course not. It’s not even the best wooden coaster at Magic Mountain (Colossus remains my favorite).
Of course, comparing the tightly twisting and turning Terminator Salvation to the classic out-and-back Colossus is like grafting a post-apocalyptic theme onto a wooden roller coaster. Some will say it can’t be done and some will do it anyway.
For me, Terminator Salvation perfectly threads the needle as a hybrid family-friendly thrill ride — providing a healthy dose of terror-tingle for tweens and soccer moms while delivering just enough adrenaline for speed junkies and coaster freaks.
Personally, I found the overall sensation disorienting — the twists, turns and tunnels leaving me constantly bearingless, a fitting feeling for a dystopian-themed coaster.
First look: Terminator Salvation coaster trains at Six Flags Magic Mountain
May 8, 2009 4:00pm
On-track testing of the newly arrived Terminator Salvation coaster trains is expected to begin on Sunday at Six Flags Magic Mountain.
Debuting Memorial Day weekend, the $11-million Great Coasters International wooden roller coaster is under construction next to the Déjà Vu looping steel coaster and in the same location as Psyclone, a reviled wooden coaster mercifully removed from the Valencia amusement park in 2006.
More photos after the jump.
2009 shaping up as a low-key year for California theme parks
May 4, 2009 8:03am
Disneyland sets the pace for theme parks in California. And with the Happiest Place on Earth taking a breather on major new attractions in 2009, the rest of the state’s amusement parks are following suit, opting for smaller fare this year over multimillion-dollar additions.
The lone exception: Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia adds the $11-million Terminator Salvation, a 2,850-foot-long wooden roller coaster which opens Memorial Day weekend with movie tie-in visual effects and a loading station fly-through. (Watch POV video)
A roundup of 2009 additions at California amusement and theme parks:
* Disneyland rehabbed the “It’s a Small World” boat ride in February, adding 29 Disney characters and a new “Spirit of America” scene to the mix. The Anaheim theme park also debuted the Celebrate parade in March and bundled a series of nighttime shows under the Summer Nightastic banner (running from June 12 through August 23).
* Across the way at Disney’s Construction Adventure, the five-year-long $1.1-billion overhaul has begun in earnest, with the Ferris wheel getting a new Mickey Mouse theme (opens in May).
* Universal Studios Hollywood brings “Creature From the Black Lagoon” to the stage in July as a campy Broadway-style musical (I kid you not) with special effects, dance choreography and romance (still not kidding).
* Legoland California unveiled a new “Bob the Builder” 4-D movie in March. The 30-foot-tall Dune Raiders racing slides opens at the Carlsbad kiddie park in time for the Fourth of July weekend.
* Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park offers absolutely nothing new of note for 2009. Here’s hoping they’re saving up for next year.
Top 10 new U.S. theme park rides and attractions for 2009
May 2, 2009 7:04am
Despite the dire economic climate, 2009 is shaping up as a good year for amusement and theme park visitors in the United States.
Here are the rides and attractions I’m most looking forward to this summer:
1) Manta flying coaster at SeaWorld Orlando (Florida) includes a 98-foot-tall pretzel loop with a finale dip into the water that sprays riders. Opens in May.
2) Billed as the world’s highest vertical lift coaster, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit at Universal Studios Florida (Orlando) lets riders select a personal soundtrack from an iPod-style jukebox. Opens in late Spring/early Summer (likely June or July).
3) American Idol Experience at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (Orlando) awards one daily winner a shot at an audition on the reality TV show. Opened in February.
Six Flags Magic Mountain adding BMX stunt show in May
April 25, 2009 7:24am
Mat Hoffman’s traveling team of freestyle BMX, inline skating, skateboarding and motocross daredevils will take up residency this summer at Six Flags Magic Mountain.
Starting Memorial Day weekend and running through Labor Day weekend (May 23 – Sept. 7), Mat Hoffman’s Danger Defying Daredevils will take over the former Batman Begins stunt show theater (soon to be redubbed Street Sports Action Theater).
The interactive show, with three daily performances, features an extreme sports storyline told amid a series of ramps, rails, half-pipes and a “Globe of Death.” The 20-to-30-minute show concludes with a motorcycle stunt-jumping spectacle.
Movie stars add backstory to Terminator coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain
March 25, 2009 11:12am
Riders queuing up to board the new Terminator Salvation wooden roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain this summer will get survival instructions from two of the movie’s stars: rapper/actor Common and model/actress Moon Bloodgood.
Currently under construction, the $10-million coaster will feature an additional $1 million in theming to tie in with the ride’s “Terminator Salvation” movie storyline.
While waiting in the queue, riders will be encouraged via video clips featuring Common and Bloodgood to “join the resistance” and help fight the Terminator robots.
Common, who plays a soldier named Barnes in the movie, and Bloodgood, who portrays pilot Blair Williams, will explain the key points of the movie’s plot while laying out the ride’s back story.
During the “training session,” riders are warned that the “machines are coming” and to “go to the safe house” to await further instructions.
The “safe house” in this case will be the coaster loading station, which will be filled with movie props and memorabilia including Terminator robots. Once riders complete their training, they become “resistance fighters” and board the roller coaster.
Magic Mountain ‘highly profitable’ despite bankruptcy cloud looming over Six Flags
March 16, 2009 2:29pm
I spoke today to Six Flags President and Chief Executive Mark Shapiro about the future of the amusement park company in the wake of a New York Times story that asked the question: Will parents let their children ride a roller coaster owned by a bankrupt company?
Six Flags remains in discussions with bondholders in an attempt to restructure its enormous debt load and keep the company out of bankruptcy court.
Shapiro said safety remains a top priority for Six Flags, which operates Magic Mountain in Valencia and Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo in Northern California, along with 10 more amusement parks in the United States and Mexico. Six Flags, which has $200 million on hand, plans to increase hiring and expand maintenance in 2009, Shapiro said.
“The guest won’t see a difference this summer,” Shapiro said.
