The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
4,329 films were submitted to the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. This blog had 36,000 views in 2012. If each view were a film, this blog would power 8 Film Festivals
“We live in a rainbow of chaos.” – Paul Cezanne
Dolly Parton said “If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.” Though if you happen to be at New Reoma World, that’s not the case as the park’s “rainbow” themed dark ride provides shelter from natural water bombing. While Japan is a stomping ground for coasterers, few make the trek down to Shikoku island, where New Reoma World and its four roller coasters remain hidden deep into the countryside of Kagawa prefecture.
“Rainbow Bandits” was a surprisingly funtastic attraction. The ride system was Peter Pan’s Flight meets hot air balloons set amidst a cute and corny Teddy Ruxpin and Rainbow Brite-esque universe. Granted the animatronics aren’t as “animated” as those with Disney’s signature, but the duration of the ride is filled with colorful, imaginative, and humorous scenes.
It’s no Phantom Theatre (King’s Island), but Rainbow Bandits has earned a spot in my dark ride top ten.
Special thanks to DreamUSJ for posting the on-ride video.
Photos are copyright 2012 Crave Cravak. Please do not copy, publish, or distribute without permission from CraveCoasters.com.
Lady Bug Tamer
For my three hundred sixtieth coaster I decided to pull a 360 degree turn. While I visited Marineland in Niagara Falls, Canada for the first time in late May, I purposefully skipped their kiddie coaster. It was symbolic to hold off until the 360th spot became available. If my parents had taken me as a child to Marineland, chances are the Lady Bug Coaster, then called the Tivoli Coaster, would have been my first coaster. I desired to take this special ride back to my childhood. How fitting it hop aboard the Lady Bug Coaster for the first time at #360. I guess you can say I’m a romantic rider.
Nestled amongst tree-lined avenues of a Buffalo suburb, resides a hidden gem. A testament to human passion and preservation stands a relic of America’s industrial past and its continued pursuit of amusement. When on Thompson Street in the heart of North Tonawanda, your eyes need to be peeled for a red brick complex built in 1915. Inside its crimson walls organs serenade and horses run wild. You will enter not a re-creation, but a true representation of the past. Welcome to the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum.
The museum has been treating visitors to a merry-go-round of insight into the area’s rich contributions to antique carousels and children’s ride production. The building served as the primary facility for the Allan Herschell Company.
Hop aboard living history!
According to Carousel historian and collector Charlotte Dinger, Allan Herschell was born in Scotland in 1851 later emigrating to Buffalo, New York. After seeing a carousel in New York City, he was determined to begin building steam-operated merry-go-rounds. His first company the Armitage Herschell Company was unable to survive two fires and economic downturn. Herschell’s passion for carousels led him to continue on by joining forces with his brother-in-law to form the Herschell-Spillman Company. It’s not surprising that it was a mere 2 years after Herschell’s retirement that he jumped back into the carousel business. Founding the Allan Herschell Company, the fourth carousel producer in North Tonawanda, Herschell competed against the Spillman Engineering Company, who conveniently removed his name. Continue reading
By Stephen “Crave” Cravak
Pixar’s Brave audiences were treated to the first glimpse of Walt Disney Animation Studio’s next theatrical production, Wreck-It Ralph. Slated for release on November 2nd, the movie promises to be a hip departure from folk-lore inspired classics. From the 2 minute plus trailer, there also doesn’t appear to be a damsel in distress. Instead, the hero of the story is a donkey kong-esque villain who dreams of being a hero. In many ways, Wreck-It Ralph promises to be the “Toy Story” of the video game world pitting original main characters within an existing world of pop icons.
When it comes to turning movies into attractions, or attractions into movies, Disney has a resume long enough to empty your ink cartridge. Especially with the ability to include classic 80s and 90s villains from Super Mario, Sonic, Pac Man, and Street Fighter, Wreck-It Ralph would lend itself well to any Disney park. The film’s pixelated logo has a nostalgic look and would look appealing on a T-shirt. A hyper cast member could easily jump into the costume of the title character or the mario-esque Fix-It Felix. While there is a Sonic Spinball themed coaster in Tokyo, the amusement industry has long ignored video games as potential tie-ins. Wreck-It Ralph provides Disney with the chance to strongly promote one of its own, non-Pixar films, while tapping into a lucrative industry. Continue reading
“It’s not always fun” (Space2000 @ Gyeongju World, Korea)
Please Note: This list is in no particular order and is subject to change due to disagreements over what classifies as a coaster. Check back as this list will be periodically updated.
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Mayan Adventure @ Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village
Teal steel dominates the park's entrance.
Vaughan, Ontario - Canada’s Wonderland opens to the public on Sunday, May 7th with a trump card up its sleeve… Leviathan: a massive sea-themed monster. The roller coaster was the first from Swiss design firm Bolliger & Mabbilard to rise above 300 feet and cost an estimated $28 million (USD). When first announced, coaster enthusiasts questioned Wonderland’s decision to add a coaster which by design draws parallels to the park’s Behemoth built in 2008 also by Bolliger & Mabillard. Both use towering lifts to create speed with neither sending riders upside down. Though these same enthusiasts couldn’t wait to dig their claws into Leviathan. Continue reading
