Happy weekend everyone. A lot has transpired in the theme park industry the past week. Let’s break it down.
LEGOLAND FLORIDA’S PROJECT VENUS: A 4.5 ACRE THEME PARK EXPANSION
A plan for a 4.5 acre expansion at Legoland Florida has been leaked via Florida’s permitting websites.
AQUAMAN: POWER WAVE ROLLER COASTER AT SIX FLAGS OVER TEXAS DELAYED TO 2022
A recent update on the Six Flags Over Texas website claims that Aquaman: Power Wave will open in 2022.
DISNEY ANNOUNCES REOPENING DATES FOR ALL-STAR MOVIES, BEACH CLUB, WILDERNESS LODGE
Guests can now make reservations starting on following dates:
ORLANDO’S ICON PARK ADDING TWO RECORD-BREAKING ATTRACTIONS IN 2021
ICON Park on Orlando’s International Drive, which is home to the famous 400 foot Ferris wheel known as “The Wheel”, has announced two new attractions coming to the park in 2021.
Super Nintendo World Direct – Livestream for Universal Studios Japan’s New Land
Nintendo hosted a “Nintendo Direct” exclusively about the upcoming Super Nintendo World coming to Universal Studios Japan in 2021. Here are some of our main takeaways from the livestream:
Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Super Mario, greets viewers of the livestream. He enters Super Nintendo World through a giant green pipe that resembles a warp pipe from the Mario games. The inside of the pipe features various lights and sounds to make it seem like guests are actually being transported through the pipe. Once they arrive on the opposite end of the entrance pipe, guests will find themselves in a recreation of the main room of Peach’s Castle. Theme music from Super Mario 64 can be heard in the background.
Once guests exit the castle, they will find themselves in the middle of the new land. An incredible amount of detail can be seen on the various set pieces of the land, including spinning coins, a moving animatronic Yoshi, different Koopas and Goombas, and more.
A ? Block is shown to demonstrate the interactivity guests will have with the land. Guests will wear “power-up bands”, which are bands that are able to read and interact with different items throughout the land. There is also a QR code on the bands that guests can scan on their phone in order to keep track of coins and other rewards they receive while visiting. the land. The power-up bands come in 6 different varieties, each resembling a different character from the Mario universe.
According to Miyamoto, these interactive objects and characters throughout the land are called “activities”. Different activities that are shown off include a giant piranha plant, interactive POW blocks and Koopa shells, and a dungeon. walkthrough with a giant “Bob-Om” bomb. If a guest is able to obtain three “keys” while doing different activities, they can take on a final battle with Bowser Jr. It is unclear how many keys can be found within the land.
A shop called the 1-Up Factory is shown. There is merchandise that can only be found within this store, including a special toy known as a Tokotoko Mario. The Tokotoko Mario will move it’s legs if you push it, and seems to be an innovative product for Nintendo.
Miyamoto can be seen walking around with a power-up star shaped popcorn container. The land will have special Mario-themed popcorn flavors, such as caramel peach and mushroom flavor (gross).
The signature restaurant of Super Nintendo World is Kinopio’s Cafe, which is a restaurant ran by toads that. appear on different screens. Chef Toad is the head chef of the establishment, and there are lots of mushroom-themed dishes available. Some of these dishes include a Mario Burger, a Pizza Bowl, and some sort of ? Block dish. There are also various activities in the restaurant that reward you coins.
Luigi and Mario are walking around the land as interactive costumed characters. They will have meet-n-greets for guests to take pictures with them.
At the end of the video, Miyamoto enters Bowser’s Castle, which is home to the land’s main attraction: Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge. According to Miyamoto, the ride took 6 years to develop. Guests will pass lots of theming in the queue, such as a giant bowser statue and different trophies from the Mario Kart games (including a special Universal Studios trophy). A bit of the ride’s story is revealed, which is that the course guests will race on is Bowser’s “special course” that is designed to beat Mario. Guests will be on Mario’s team and race Bowser’s team for victory.
Finally, a viewers are given a glimpse of the AR visor that rider’s will wear during the attraction. These visors will allow guests to throw different items at opponents, and take part in other unrevealed interactive parts of the ride.
Miyamoto closes the Nintendo Direct by stating that there is a lot more to the land that hasn’t been shown yet. Stay tuned as Universal Studios Japan reveals more about the upcoming land at a later date.
Watch the full Nintendo Direct here:
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Andrew Krivsky’s Instagram (Editor): @krivsky.ac
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