Ralph to the Rescue?

Ralph to the Rescue?

Upcoming Animated Feature Well Suited for Disney Attraction

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. 

Hot Off the Presses: AppleSeeds Features Amusement Parks

AppleSeeds magazine launches a thrilling issue this summer with “How the World Works: Amusement Parks.” While AppleSeeds is a social studies publication geared towards grades 3-5, this installment is the perfect read for coaster enthusiasts of all ages.

CraveCoasters’ own Stephen “Crave” Cravak had the honor of serving as the consulting editor ensuring each article accurately represented and portrayed the wonderful world of amusement parks.

Special thanks to AppleSeeds, editor Susan Buckley, and all of the writers, photographers and contributors for delivering a fresh, unique, and informative look into the amusement industry.

  Order a copy now!

Magic Kingdom Becomes Less Scary

R.I.P. SNOW WHITE’S SCARY ADVENTURES

@ WDW’S MAGIC KINGDOM

1971 – 2012

Snow White may have ransacked her way through theatres Friday June 1st, but the animatronic version at Disney World has bitten the apple. Walt Disney World is revitalizing the Fantasyland section at the Magic Kingdom. With new rides such as the Little Mermaid, comes a price. Snow White’s Scary Adventures, a staple dark ride attraction since 1971 is no more of Wednesday, May 30th. Though fans of the 1937 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, first full-length animated feature, can still “ride” its glory as the park plans to unveil the Seven Dwarfs Mine Coaster in 2014. For those still loyal to the original ride, have no fear; riders can still experience similar Scary Adventures in California’s Disneyland, as well as Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disneyland.

DizneyWorld: Thailand’s Dream World

Please enjoy Crave’s photorific journey through Thailand’s Dream World theme park.

Or click here to view directly on YouTube

Space Mountain (HK Disneyland)

Space Mountain, the pinnacle of enclosed coasters, is a Disney landmark and the symbol of Tomorrowland. Coaster outsiders may assume that every Space Mountain (Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, Paris, and Tokyo) are a carbon copy of each other, though differences exist. For instance, Disneyland Paris’s version features 3 upside inversions. While Hong Kong’s ‘Space Mountain’ is the newest on the block, its similar to both Disneyland’s re-built version and the one in Tokyo.

Luckily for us the wait time was under 5 minutes. Since it was Halloween, we coasted through ‘Ghost Galaxy,’ a special format featuring a different soundtrack and alien/ghoulish images.

Since 2005, Space Mountain has been the only coaster in the park, but that will change in 2012 when two new siblings arrive.

Synopsis: While the que is not as ‘magical’ as Disney should be, it’s certainly a strong highlight of this low-budget effort of a theme park.

ADDITIONAL LINKS:

Wikipedia Space Mountain (Hong Kong) Article

Space Mountain’s RCDB Profile

Theme Park Review’s Space Mountain Page