Thrill vs. Theme - How will Paramount parks fit in with Cedar Fair

Sunday, 28 May 2006

By BENJAMIN ROODE
benjaminroode@sanduskyregister.com

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Walking into the five Paramount Parks across the continent, Kings Island, Kings Dominion, Great America, Carowinds and Canada's Wonderland, is a lot like walking onto a movie back lot: Names of famous blockbusters like The Italian Job, Top Gun and Tomb Raider dominate the midways and paths through the park.

But long distances between parks -- the Paramount influence stretches from the East Coast in Virginia to the West Coast in California -- allow executives to duplicate rides and names without confusing coaster fans as to which amusement park they're in.

Top Gun, the 1986 Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer and Anthony Edwards jet fighter classic, is the theme for three coasters, vastly different despite being made at the same time, at three different parks. Kings Island's Top Gun doesn't resemble the others; it looks more like the Vortex at the Canadian park. Kings Island has its own Vortex; It doesn't look like anything.

The parks also duplicate homages to Tomb Raider, The Italian Job and Face/Off while copying Ohio mainstays like The Beast.

The five Paramount theme parks all embrace a similar theme: Using Paramount movies as inspiration for thrill rides.

It's a theme that acted as a double-edged sword for Viacom: The company owned Paramount Parks (through ownership of CBS) and Paramount Studios, whose movies became thrill rides.

CBS kept the Paramount license after splitting from Viacom last year. The company took a cue from its former parent, though -- and promoted its own rides, including Survivor: The Ride, due to open this season at Great America.

Branding, or "theming" as it's known in the business, has come on strong as of late despite being an industry standard for some time, said Beth Robertson with the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions. One of the first major, corporate amusements parks, Disneyland in southern California, made and continues to use theming as the centerpiece of its strategy.

Movie theming has spawned from Disney's lead in the mid-1950s. Knott's Berry Farm in California branded the Peanuts characters in 1983. Kings Island got it's first movie-themed ride, Top Gun, in 1993, the first year Paramount did a crossover, said Paramount Parks spokesperson David Mandt. Mandt referred all other questions regarding the history of Paramount's theme programs and strategies to Stacy Frole with Cedar Fair.

It's a strategy that attracts amusement-seekers by making them part of the ride, Robertson said.

"It's something to look at besides a line," she said. "The whole experience of the park becomes more popular."

And not only movies get themed. TV shows spawn rides like Survivor in California's Great America that feature challenges between line-mates. Fear Factor the ride at NBC's Universal Studios parks even involves eating live bugs, just like on the television show. The Nickelodeon franchise has allowed Paramount to build large young children's' sections in its parks, tackling an ever-lucrative market.

In one case, a ride itself spawned a movie. Johnny Depp and Keira Knightley starred in 2003's Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, modeled after the ages-old Walt Disney World ride in Adventure Land. Scenes in the movie matched views riders see traveling in their tour boat as they weave through a pirate landscape on the Florida ride.

For coaster fans, the theme doesn't matter as much as the thrill, said American Coaster Enthusiasts president Carole Sanderson. Sometimes just plastering a ride with, say, the Batman logo just makes the ride cheesy and takes away from other nuances, she said.

"It's not critical," she said. "Most of the top rides aren't themed. Sometimes, if theming isn't perfectly done, it can distract you from the ride."

When it purchased Geauga Lake in 2004, Cedar Fair changed the name of what was Six Flags' Batman: Night Flight to the Dominator. Despite losing the themed approach, the ride still is a screamer, she said.

Cedar Fair officials have said they wonder whether theming rides like Top Gun and The Italian Job have staying power as draws to the parks, said Cedar Fair president and CEO Dick Kinzel.

Then again, in such a large purchase, anything is possible.

"It's something we will look at," he said.

PULLOUTS:

Kings Dominion, which has been open for 31 years this season, serves the Mid-Atlantic states from its location 75 miles south of Washington, D.C. in Virginia. Its 400 acres contain nine coasters and myriad other thrill rides. A 19-acre water park, WaterWorks, augments the grounds.

Great America,near San Francisco, California, contains nine coasters and several swing-type rides (a la Skyhawk and maXair at Cedar Point). Nickelodeon Central, Kidzville and Boomerang Bay water park gives kids something to do while their parents run wild on thrill rides.

Canada's Wonderland has 14 coasters and many different thrill rides, including two water-soaking river rides and an antique carousel. Nearby water park Splash Works offers a chance to cool off during a hot day.

Kings Island, near Cincinnati, with twelve coasters, offers great chances of fun for adults and kids alike. The Beast, a 25-year-old wooden coaster, takes riders on a 4-minute tear through the forest. Nickelodeon Universe has 18 rides for the tikes in the group.

Carowinds, in North Carolina, has 11 coasters, including the unfortunately named "Hurler." Nickelodeon is big here, too, with Nickelodeon Central kids park.

All parks have many live shows and opportunities to eat.

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