CedarPointer Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 The thing is, there are alternatives to going with a cartoon character. Fairy tales are timeless, and they would likely not require a license, which even Snoopy does! Also, they could turn NU into a Junior Kings Island (Kids Island?) area, Reptar could be Flight Deck, Plankton could be Drop Zone, and they could add a small Eiffel Tower in one of the plaza-ish areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cory Butcher Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 I was just thinking, I would like to see a large family-friendly park themed to Aesop's Fables. I think that would be pretty cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CincyMan98 Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 I think I said this already, but does it have to be Planet Snoopy? I mean, do they have to follow whatever Cedar Fair does? In fact, they don't even need a theme at all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 ^ Well, no theme at all = KidWorkz, which is what every other Paramount Park has, as did Geauga Lake. Although I'm sure it makes no difference to kids (they'd probably rather have no character than a character they don't know), it certainly looks... cheap. To me, at least. In all fairness, I probably just think it looks cheap because the only one I've really bothered to explore is Geauga Lake's, which was comprised of Cedar Fair's half-hearted job of removing the Looney Tunes. Notice the giant carrots that make up the walls of the pathway? Even Bugs Bunny's House, held up by carrots, remained after the sale, generically themed to a carrot house... This tree was Sylvester chasing Tweety. It was generically themed after their dismissal from Aurora, and was later taken to Cedar Point where a smiley face was plastered on the tree and it was renamed "The Kite Eating Tree." Like with the Paramount Parks, they kept as much as they could, took away what they couldn't have, then didn't replace anything... Plus, the naming thing... Boomtown Water Works became Little Squirtz, etc. I would be apt to believe that the other KidWorkz at the former Paramount Parks were created with much more personality and attention to detail. Geauga Lake's KidWorkz is to Looney Tunes Boom Town as The Crypt is to Tomb Raider: The Ride - pretty much a last-minute "get rid of anything we can't have and make it as generic as possible" sort of transformation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CincyMan98 Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 Well that looks a lot better than Planet Snoopy in my opinion...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mech Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 Well that looks a lot better than Planet Snoopy in my opinion...... i think we need to see it before judging it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CincyMan98 Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 I have seen it, from the Facebook pictures.......although I did say the same thing about Planet Snoopy about 4 months ago...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XGatorHead 8904 Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 I was just thinking, I would like to see a large family-friendly park themed to Aesop's Fables. I think that would be pretty cool. Wow... and people think Snoopy is old and outdated... Well that looks a lot better than Planet Snoopy in my opinion...... I'm sorry, you've seen the finished Planet Snoopy how, exactly? Let's see the finished product before we judge it... Edit: Just saw your response to the post above... hmmm, okay... the Facebook pictures are not the finished product, so let's wait until April 17th to say PS looks worse than something else, okay? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CincyMan98 Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 Okay okay guys.......I said "in my opinion". My opinion. Thank you. Carry on with the thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mech Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 Edit: Just saw your response to the post above... hmmm, okay... the Facebook pictures are not the finished product, so let's wait until April 17th to say PS looks worse than something else, okay? im adding this and then moving on; its like seeing a few photos of a house and saying you dont like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browntggrr Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 I have seen it, from the Facebook pictures.......although I did say the same thing about Planet Snoopy about 4 months ago...... I love when people say that seeing pictures can give a good enough description of what something looks like and form a legitimate opinion. "I don't need to go to the Grand Canyon, I've seen the pictures." "I don't need to ride that coaster, I've seen the POV." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Also: I don't need to go to Great Adventure....many enthusiasts have told me how terrible it is and how much more wonderful Cedar Point is. Sigh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TH13TEEN Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 I think you people need to see this. These pictures of Planet Snoopy at California's Great America pictures, 66-75. Almost done and it looks great to be honost. http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?v=feed&story_fbid=1233752006071&id=1297305735#!/photo.php?pid=3721516&id=28442453154 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RingMaster Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Reminds me exactly of Toon Lagoon at Islands of Adventure. One can only hope that it will look just as good (hopefully better) over here come Opening Day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PREMiERdrum Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 I think you people need to see this. These pictures of Planet Snoopy at California's Great America pictures, 66-75. Almost done and it looks great to be honost. http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?v=feed&story_fbid=1233752006071&id=1297305735#!/photo.php?pid=3721516&id=28442453154 It does look great, I figured we'd see those large-format graphics like they have at CP's Planet Snoopy. I'll reserve final judgement until we see KI's finished product, but I do have high hopes for the makeover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Here are just a few images from other parks Planet Snoopys, released via their respective Facebook pages. I think these are very nice and would convince even the skeptics (myself included!) that while the source material may be old, the physical kids area looks brand new! CAROWINDS From Carowinds... I would guess that these "old-timey" Peanuts billboards are scattered throughout the car ride. We are most likely receiving this exact ride in place of Blue's Skidoo. GREAT AMERICA Yes, it does appear we'll be getting the much-maligned "creepy" costumes like Cedar Point has. Great America didn't get a "Boo Blasters on Boo Hill," but rather a "Kidzville River Adventure." As was already posted, this ride looks great! Didn't it used to be Wild Thornberry coconuts? Nice transition! This will likely be outside the "Peanuts Pirates" boat ride. Very cool to know they're investing in such large (and likely expensive) figures. Note that this is not simply a de-branding and removal of all things Nick - something I'm pleased to see. Inside the restaurant. A lot of thought went into the painting of this building! Again, lots of bright colors, and lots of characters. I'm glad! CANADA'S WONDERLAND The new "Lucy's Tugboat." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HTCO Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Doesn't look to shabby. Lets home KI gets the same treatment. Except for those character costumes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CincyMan98 Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 The thing that's so scary about those costumes is the smiles just stay there......and the eyes.....it looks like they're watching you wherever you go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 "Lucy" at Great America. The 'Other Mother' from Coraline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahank Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Welp. That creeped me out a little bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CincyMan98 Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Oh my god that's so true! They look just like the Coraline characters! Linus looks a little like the little kid in Coraline. I forget his name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alluna Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Why the heck don't they just get people to dress up as the characters? These are PEOPLE in PEOPLE COSTUMES, which is why I think it's so creepy. Surely they could find an army of short teenagers willing to hone their acting skills. I always thought the same of Lilo at Disney World...just get a cute little girl to come in and pay her on the same hourly system they use for child actors (except less pay!). It's more expensive and they have to switch the kids out a lot, but darn, it would be much better than a PEOPLE COSTUME. Then again, I'm sure they thought of this alternative and for some good reason decided on Lucy ala Silence of the Lambs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coney Islander Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 ^ I love that idea... And with the outrageous cost of those big costumes, Kings Island would save money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 For parks like Disney, at least, teaching a young child a script of pre-approved statements and questions takes a lot more work than buying a silent character costume. Besides, I think cartoons don't translate well into "real life." Take a look at the new Avatar: The Last Airbender movie. The kid playing Aang may be dead-on the most perfect person in the world to play the character but it's like... Avatar is a cartoon... Not a person. So no person will ever look right to me until I've seen the movie and added that actor to my mental list of who Aang is. ^ If that kid was walking around Kings Island, I certainly wouldn't equate him with being Aang. Would you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alluna Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 True, live action can never be a cartoon, but I still think real people will look more like the characters than any freaky skin suit does. Even if they had a pre-teen playing Lilo or Aang, it wouldn't be hard to have a coach with them the whole time. Kids who stage act can consistently say lines. I guess it's just a matter of getting the right kids and a solid, supportive team to work with them. Yep, more $$$ than a weirdo suit, but I think they'd have a better draw of families based on character greetings and character meals. Disney World bases so much of it's revenue and advertising on meeting the characters, that it seems like a really neglected market where KI is concerned. Of course, KI jsut switched to a set of characters no one cares about, so it probably doesn't matter anyways. No kid is in bed at night dreaming of the day they'll meet Lucy of the Peanuts gang... Also, I think if the Aang kid in the Avatar movie were out of the movie context and greeting around the park, they would have him in more vibrant colors and the cape thing, sticking more strictly to the original character design. In the context of the movie, it's obvious who he is, and within the realistic styling of the movie, there is no need to adhere to cartoon-like coloring, therefore the costumes/makeup are considerably more subdued. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bsktgrvy Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Disney World bases so much of it's revenue and advertising on meeting the characters, that it seems like a really neglected market where KI is concerned. Of course, KI jsut switched to a set of characters no one cares about, so it probably doesn't matter anyways. No kid is in bed at night dreaming of the day they'll meet Lucy of the Peanuts gang... I think that is true for most parks not affiliated with Disney characters. Most Disney characters are loveable. I never got that with Rugrats or any of the Nickelodeon characters. Hanna-Barbera characters are good, but they are not exactly current, either. At least the Peanuts specials are shown throughout the year. Most kids will know them and I think the kids area will be just fine. And it doesn't hurt that their parents (and / or grandparents) grew up with Peanuts. I think you may be surprised at how much that will matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjkjkj Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Maybe after kids get to know Snoopy in the park, they will ask their parents to get some of the Peanuts movies/specials, and if these are sold in the park, then i'm sure the park would make some money off of it! Since the parents also grew up with Snoopy, I'm sure they wouldn't mind buying a Peanuts movie for their kids, while they're in the park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XGatorHead 8904 Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Of course, KI jsut switched to a set of characters no one cares about, so it probably doesn't matter anyways. No kid is in bed at night dreaming of the day they'll meet Lucy of the Peanuts gang... I just wanted to thank you for yet another post that overgeneralizes the "unpopularity" of Peanuts. Just because YOU don't care about them doesn't mean that there aren't people that do. I have a 5 year old daughter who is COMPLETELY PSYCHED to finally meet Snoopy and the gang. We watch every Peanuts special every time they're on, and we have for years, for as long as GatorGirl has been watching television (and Mrs. Gator and I watched them every year we've been married before GatorGirl was born). She loves the specials. One of the first stuffed animals I bought for her was a Snoopy doll wearing bunny slippers, which I bought at Cedar Point while my wife was pregnant. She still sleeps with that thing at night. In fact, just last night out of the blue GatorGirl asked, "When is the Charlie Brown St. Patrick's Day show going to be on?" I told her there wasn't one, but told her that the Charlie Brown Easter special is on next Wednesday. She said "Yay!" When I tell her how long it is before KI opens, she says "But that's too long!" She's even still holding out hope that SD&THC will become "Charlie Brown's Funhouse", the name she thought up on her own for the re-theme, even though I told her it's not going to be a Charlie Brown ride. So there IS a girl out there anticipating meeting Lucy. I'm completely FED UP with people saying that NOBODY knows or cares about Peanuts... THERE ARE PLENTY OF PEOPLE WHO DO!!!! We might be in the minority, but there's NO WAY TO KNOW THAT FOR ABSOLUTE CERTAIN without polling EVERY VISITOR TO THE PARK... or everyone who even THINKS about going to the park. Are the Nick characters more popular? Yeah, probably. Will there be people who miss them? Absolutely, yes. I'm very sore about losing Scooby, myself. But don't lump EVERYONE into a group of Peanut haters, or at least Peanut apathists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
standbyme Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 ^Every man has his breaking point...and I think we found Gator's! I hope I have not offended you TOO much with my constant Peanuts' bashing. If you prefer, in the future I can add "WARNING: Peanuts Bashing Alert" to the beginning of some of my posts if it saves you any future heartache! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raptor Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 When I was a kid the last reason I went to an amusement park was to meet characters, I wasn't so stupid to not know that it was just an average Joe dressed up in a Halloween costume, never paid attention to any of that stuff, it was all about rides, food and games. But hey I guess that was just me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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