Joshua

Noticed a pair of big metal cargo containers near the old Vortex site on Friday. I'm not speculating, but simply curious, does anyone know what they are for?

Reminds me a certain plumbing company that has a mascot who looks like the Monopoly guy wearing a Mario costume.

Worth noting that Congo Falls matched its area's theme when it was originally installed but I see no reason why it wouldn't make sense in Action Zone today. The ride was literally renamed after an action/adventure movie. Re-theme, slap a new name on it, you could probably make it work no matter what the area is called.

The two kids, sure, they didn't have chaperones. But the two separate couples were adults. I think the system for reporting, laid out several posts above, is flawed. No employee is paying attention to the line itself, where the line-jumping is most likely to occur, so good luck with violators being spotted that way. And the biggest reaction you get out of most is a hands-up "Really?" before moving on about their day. So back up is not likely. To tell you the truth, I don't think most folks even know how and where to report someone beyond leaving the line and going straight to guest services, which no one is going to do. Sure, there is a number to text, but how many in that line actually know it or would think to look one up? Most people came to have a fun time and don't want to let some jerks spoil their day. Even if they do, what are they going to say, "the lady in the red shirt just cut us in line?" There are probably a dozen ladies in red shirts in that one line alone. The more I think about, it is a lot more trouble than its worth. Then again, those jerks are making me wait even longer in a line in the scorching hot heat without little shade and the fans turned off...

Apart from the obvious logo swaps and color changes, I think walling-in the station to look like it's in a cave would easily turn The Bat into The Batman. Truth be told, I don't want the name to change; I simply want something done about the theming. The OG Bat was "Old School Horror" (namely the victorian house and bats) while the "new" Bat is currently "We lost the rights to Top Gun." I've wanted some sort of bat cave theming for the ride ever since they swapped the name from Flight Deck and it probably wouldn't take much for me; a few rubber bats and some fake cobwebs would do the trick.

Went on Saturday. Line-jumping was terrible, happened four times on Mystic Timbers alone. Two separate kids, a 20-something couple and than at one point, another couple came through with.. a couple platters from Brewhouse? At this point, it's like cell phones in a movie theater. The individuals know they are doing something wrong but also know nothing will likely be done about it, so if you call them out on it, they shrug. And most of the time, reporting does nothing because it requires other eye-witnesses to come forward, but a lot of folks won't say anything because they'll feel like a narc.

I've been craving a KI museum as a permanent fixture for years. My dream is a two story walkthrough with photos, newspaper clips and ads, vintage commercials for The Beast and The Bat on a tv screen, surviving pieces of old theming and if possible, tiny portions of old rides. Plus a gift shop, where you could buy park-centric clothing and memorabilia with retro-theming (i.e. Phantom Theater shirts, Vortex mugs, baseball tees with The Beastie logo, etc.). That way a museum could bring in a little revenue.

They could always add snag the rights to a certain Gloria Estefan song, add some palm trees and call it Conga Falls. In all seriousness, I know nothing lasts forever. I love this ride, but it's role it serves in AZ that I love even more. I'd hate to see it go but when it does, I hope it is replaced by another water ride.

My strongest memories of Hanna-Barbera Land in the late '80s/early '90s are fuzzy at best; I remember Scrappy's Slides and finding the sack you slide in uncomfortable, riding the cars in the Turnpike and feeling like I was an adult, seeing the Mystery Machine at The Beastie and wondering why they didn't just name the ride Scooby Doo ( ), and lots and lots of Smurfs. I recall being verrrrrry familiar with Smurfs Enchanted Voyage at the time. I rode it a dozen times at least. I can only remember the joy it brought, not any of the scenes from it, but I'll tell you one thing: I can still hear the blasted music in my head. An endless cycle of "LA la LA la-la-laaa!" It must've drove our parents mad. Oddly enough, I enjoyed The Smurfs at the time but I don't remember watching it as religiously as Scooby Doo, The Flintstones or The Real Ghostbusters; maybe just a handful of times? Once the park left The Smurfs behind, so did I. I think I only liked the show because of the ride and ice cream.

You know what Rivertown could really use? More water. I miss Swan Lake and Kenton's Cove.

Was this ever finished? I was under the impression the project was cancelled. The Facebook page disappeared a while back and the Twitter page (@ki50movie) has been re-named "DELETE."

The use of humble was meant as ironic.

The response to IP being incorporated into the park is always fascinating given KI's beginnings with Taft Broadcasting, Hanna-Barbera and other TV properties.

If rides are indeed themed to DC, Looney Tunes and other WB properties then I hope they put some thought into the theming and don't simply paint a ride black and green and name it "The Matrix" without atmosphere, immersion or the tiniest bit of decor to show for it.

I'll try to be optimistic, but mergers make me nervous. As a movie fan, the mergers of 20th Century Fox with Disney, ATT and later Discovery with Warner Bros. have been painful to watch, particularly with the way David Zaslov is currently running WB. And there are further rumors of Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery being sold to NBCUniversal and Apple. To tell you the truth, it is pretty weird watching these big corporations swallow each other up.