Rate KI's theming/animation

[SonofBaconator]

With the 2020 project on everyone's mind, I thought it would be a nice change of pace to something different. 

Knott's Berry Farm has been updating and changing the theming and animation of their rides over the past couple of years and Cedar Point has it's fare share of theming and animation throughout the park.

Kings Island was big on animation and theming at the beginning of the 70s as animation wasn't as big in the Midwest as it was out in other parts of the country. With that being said do you think we've gotten better at theming or worse?

[KIghostguy]

We have gotten worse over the years but major steps are being taken. Mystic Timbers, Flight of Fear queue lighting effects, Festhaus glockenspiel and the International Street renovation are prime examples of this. Mike Koontz is making this a big goal to have a larger focus on theming.

[Sorner]

I gave them a 2/5. Sure, they're taking steps in the right direction, but it's taken them way too long to realize things were looking bad. The glockenspiel is great, I-Street is great, but theming everywhere else seems to have fallen apart. Adventure Express looks abysmal. It's falling apart everywhere. The fake rock is peeling in the tunnels, the arm guys (what are they?) never seem to work properly (eyes not lit up, arms barely moving/not moving at all), the access door is always open and is completely rotten, and the guy dropping the bucket at the end never works. Flight of Fear is okay, but still, there are a TON of lights that have burned out and have never been replaced. The line is also really gross, there is gum EVERYWHERE. The area formerly known as Action Zone is just a cluster of randomness, but I do like how the changed Flight Deck to The Bat to fit in with the scary kind of theme. We all know that Oktoberfest is basically non-existent at this point.

The only area with good theming is Rivertown, and I feel that Cedar Fair is always theming coasters and areas to the old west because its easy and things are supposed to look old and worn down, so there is very little maintenance involved.

I think they can do much better. I've actually never understood how they could let the theming in AE get the way it has, and Flight of Fear needs work. I know Cedar Fair isn't concerned with keeping themes fresh and in-shape, but it reflects poorly on the park in my opinion.

[Benjamin22]

I said a 3/5, When it comes to amusement parks I’d say Kings Island is up there when it comes to theming. Mystic Timbers, I-Street, Rivertown are all themed pretty well. I’d like to see Coney mall get a bit of love but that area is somewhat in decent condition. I think the biggest area of the park that needs to get addressed is Action Zone.

[JAHill]

I've always felt this way -- it's better to build things with no theming if it won't be maintained. Broken theming looks worse than no theming at all.

I say this understanding that most of the themed rides that no longer work were not built under the current owner. That said, eyesores should be addressed.

[KIghostguy]

R & R Designs is still around. It would be great if they could do a large Adventure Express refurbishment a la the Calico Mine Ride renovation at Knott's. 

[Sorner]

I agree @Ben43065 and @JAHill, reading back at what I write I feel like it was a little harsh. I haven’t been to many parks. Really just Universal, Disney, KI and CP. Out of those parks, KI is the one with the worst kept theming. Cedar Fair didn’t build those rides with the theming, but it is their job to maintain them now. I hope one day they do at least refurbish AE. FoF is in need of some major renovation, but I think it’s like a time capsule back to the 90s. I love seeing those old computers. 

[IndyGuy4KI]

How much money do you devote to theming maintenance? Is that a good use of the parks money? How important is the theming on existing rides to our average guest?  These are some of the questions Mike (and I am guessing) the Sandusky office have to answer. There has been a nice shift over the past few years with theming and renovations. What we have seen this year has been great. Lets hope the trend continues and we see improvements to the existing theming on rides as well.

 

 

[SonofBaconator]

@IndyGuy4KI I think inexpensive theming can be added here and there. If you go to Cedar Point there's a lot of little pieces of animation that could be applied to KI. 

https://identity.flickr.com/panda.html

 

[TheBeast54]

I gave it a 3/5 for a numerous amount of reasons.

The Good - I-Street brings back the good old feel of I-Street and is something you can't miss. Mystic Timbers & KMAA are good examples of rides with good themes in the last few years. Rivertown is well-themed and really represents the backwoods feel. Coney Mall is in a sort of, "alright" situation. IMO, it feels like the color is just draining over the years. Flight of Fear is still themed to the point that it becomes alright. 

The Eh - Planet Snoopy - I can't really say if it's bad or not because I don't go there too often, but from a general perspective it looks like your average Cedar Fair Snoopy area but with a little bit more theme added to it. Oktoberfest - I'm sequencing this so i'm running out of time, but Oktoberfest is themed well, but small area with a small amount attractions. So it gets an Eh.

The Bad - Action Zone. Not trying to be disrespectful but it feels like different colored legos sets being put with another set that doesn't match. Its just a bunch of coasters with different themes (most commonly horror/scary) slapped on a themed area. X-Base was alright, but with the removal of FH, I feel like the area is going to decrease and GP are going to miss it. Plus, the areas biggest theme is FOF, its only attraction. I feel like they could have done so much more for this area. 

Soak City - While I wouldn't consider it an area, it feels like it. While I would put it in the "Eh", here's why. There is tropical themes in some places, but there are also places with less theme, the biggest plunge (see what I did there?) is the skyline/horizon. When you look in the distance, you'll either see woods or KI. It just throws it off the intended experience (Not the woods). I know KI can't do anything about it, but it just does (well, seeing the airtime hill on DB coming out of the treeline is pretty cool).

I ran out of time so if I missed anything, @ or quote me.

[Kifranatic]

2/5. Adventure Express has seen far better days. The ending tunnel needs a ton of work. I was looking at an old video and the sound and animatronics looked and felt a lot better back then. Riding it a week  ago, I can say that it felt nothing like what the video showed at the end. Flight of Fear is also a lot worse than what it was many years ago. Just look up old videos of these rides and you can clearly see the difference. I also miss old rides like Tomb Raider which had its own theme throughout the entire ride and I really wish it would make a comeback. Cedar Fair can do much better when it comes to theming their rides and making them come to life. 

[Phantom Theater]

Hopefully some will see this post since everyone is in the 2020 thread 

With the new coaster coming to X-Base, does anyone think they will fix up Flight of Fear? I hope to see them replace lighting and speakers, replace lights, and do one general cleaning to everyday. 

[SonofBaconator]

1 hour ago, Phantom Theater said:

Hopefully some will see this post since everyone is in the 2020 thread 

With the new coaster coming to X-Base, does anyone think they will fix up Flight of Fear? I hope to see them replace lighting and speakers, replace lights, and do one general cleaning to everyday. 

I hope they enhance it, not change it. Unfortunately I don't know how they can enhance it. I personally like the cheesy videos, however I haven't seen them on this year.

The extended que might get some theming. If you look at Copperhead Strike's que, it has some of the most detailed and elaborate theming ever given to a Cedar Fair coaster.