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View Full Version : How do you theme an Xtreme Coaster?



3894
07-02-2001, 12:12 PM
The recent Discovery Channel show on xtreme roller coasters got me wondering. There's very little way to truly theme a 300-ft.+ high coaster because of the intense speeds.

BUT they're very popular. How would you solve this problem if you were an imagineer? You can put your coaster in DL or DCA.

Since this is a pie-in-the-sky question, let's say that Walt's rules have been re-instated.

Napsto
07-02-2001, 02:34 PM
what do you mean walt's rules?

3894
07-02-2001, 03:39 PM
No exposed skeleton/frame, as in the DCA coaster.

amynicole22
07-02-2001, 03:49 PM
I also watched the Exteme Coaster special on the Discovery Channel last night. The sheer size of those monsters would probably make encasing them in a ride building impossible. They would have to be exposed, at least to some degree. Plus, how much are you going to notice while you're going 80-90 mph? I imagine that it would be difficult to tell a story while people were going that fast and screaming their heads off.

If you were going to try to theme the ride, I think that the storytelling would have to take place primarily in the queue, or pre-show. Maybe the ride could be Tarzan themed, with an intricate pre-show with animatronics, a jungle type experience, etc, and the the ride itself could imitate Tarzan's "tree-surfing," which seemed roller-coaster reminiscent. I've always thought that an Aladdin coaster would work well too - escape from the Cave of Wonders. Extreme roller coasters often go through tunnels - why not caves as well?

Would an extreme type roller coaster even appeal to Disneyland's family demographic though? I guess that's the real question. Why try to compete with Magic Mountain's roster of adrenaline rides at all?

Rok
07-02-2001, 10:45 PM
I really don't see Disney putting 'extreme' rides into the park. Although if they did I would expect to see stuff real similar to Superman the Escape at Magic Mountain. Themed que, themed launch area and superman on top.

scanmom
07-04-2001, 10:18 AM
can anyone say " Rock-N-Roller Coaster"? I think this ride is fairly "extreme" and has great themeing!!!:cool:

lillas
07-04-2001, 10:36 AM
I enjoy the extreme stuff as much as anybody, but it has no place at DL. As far as "Walts Rules" go, how about parents and children enjoying an attraction together. You might want to re think why you think you love DL

Napsto
07-06-2001, 04:00 PM
Originally posted by 3894
No exposed skeleton/frame, as in the DCA coaster.

i didn't know that/

SimpTwister
07-06-2001, 05:41 PM
No offense Rok, but I think the themeing on Superman at Magic Mountain is HORRIBLE!

That's about the lamest Fortress of Solitude imaginable. It feels more like walking through a service tunnel.

...and that (static!) Superman figure up on the tower is unbelievably tacky.

I like that ride just fine, but they really missed an opportunity.

Considering the price tag and the physical scale of the ride, they should have gone the extra mile and built a HUGE, AWE-INSPIRING Fortress of Solitude for the queue and station rather than that crappy little concrete bunker.

It would change the whole feel of the ride.

It's cool to have some theming on the tower, but maybe it should have been the disembodied voice of Jor-El, or something.

Anything but that tacky Superman figure.





Originally posted by Rok
I really don't see Disney putting 'extreme' rides into the park. Although if they did I would expect to see stuff real similar to Superman the Escape at Magic Mountain. Themed que, themed launch area and superman on top.

JRob2k1
07-06-2001, 05:41 PM
I dont think there's a way to physically theme an extreme coaster. And Im talking about one that is like 300+ feet. Any themed elements would take place in the que and maybe a tunnel or something. But a 300 foot coaster would be moving way too fast to see any sort of theming.

There is no way to disguise the structure for an extreme coaster especially in Disneyland.

-JRob

Rok
07-06-2001, 08:52 PM
Twister,

Oh, I must not have been clear. I just meant that I would expect to see theming in the que area, in the launch area and perhaps at a spot where the ride slows down. I totally agree that the Superman theming is terrible, but those are about the only places I would expect to see themed. I mean when you are going 100+ miles per hour down a track, not much time to check out the scenery.



Originally posted by SimpTwister
No offense Rok, but I think the themeing on Superman at Magic Mountain is HORRIBLE!

That's about the lamest Fortress of Solitude imaginable. It feels more like walking through a service tunnel.

...and that (static!) Superman figure up on the tower is unbelievably tacky.

I like that ride just fine, but they really missed an opportunity.

Considering the price tag and the physical scale of the ride, they should have gone the extra mile and built a HUGE, AWE-INSPIRING Fortress of Solitude for the queue and station rather than that crappy little concrete bunker.

It would change the whole feel of the ride.

It's cool to have some theming on the tower, but maybe it should have been the disembodied voice of Jor-El, or something.

Anything but that tacky Superman figure.

SimpTwister
07-06-2001, 08:58 PM
Ah, I see. When you said 'similar to Superman', you were talking about which parts are themed, rather than the quality of the themeing.

Gotcha.

Morrigoon
07-07-2001, 12:07 AM
How do you theme an Xtreme coaster?

Put it inside in the dark... you know... a "mountain" or "tower". Any looping thing you can come up with, they could build a building over. Once you have a controlled environment like that, you can do a lot more too.... hide structure from the outside for example, attach things to be viewed from funky vantage points along the attraction. Or how about putting all of the theming on the ceiling and making it seem like the whole world's upside down?

(sigh) But they never ask me....