Action Zone / DC Universe retheme?

[Tr0y]

Banshee - Bizzaro 

Drop Tower - Lex Luther Drop of Doom

The Bat - The Dark Knight Flight

Delerium - DC Super-villains Swing

Congo Falls - Aquaman: Power Wave

Invertigo - Two Face: The ride

X-treme Skyflyer - SuperGirl Skyflyer

Timberwolf Theatre - Removed for 2025  coaster?

[Benjamin22]

I really hope that tacky theme doesn’t come to Kings Island.

[disco2000]

Timberwolf removed for a Larson Looper.  I hear those are popular with SIX 

[Tr0y]

1 minute ago, disco2000 said:

Timberwolf removed for a Larson Looper.  I hear those are popular with SIX 

That’s basically a coaster. 

[Orion742]

33 minutes ago, Tr0y said:

Banshee - Bizzaro 

Drop Tower - Lex Luther Drop of Doom

The Bat - The Dark Knight Flight

Delerium - DC Super-villains Swing

Congo Falls - Aquaman: Power Wave

Invertigo - Two Face: The ride

X-treme Skyflyer - SuperGirl Skyflyer

Timberwolf Theatre - Removed for 2025  coaster?

I will not stand for this. We need an actual retheme that’s not just slapping an ip in an area. If this happens then we are basically back to Paramount.

[WoodVengeance]

Don't give Six Flags the idea...

[KIghostguy]

28 minutes ago, Orion742 said:

I will not stand for this. We need an actual retheme that’s not just slapping an ip in an area. If this happens then we are basically back to Paramount.

Our CEO, COO, General Manager, and SVP of Creative Development all come from Paramount Parks, among others. Something like this would certainly be in-line with Paramount.

That being said, I don't know if I would ever go back to Kings Island if they started using DC IP. 

[Orion742]

22 minutes ago, KIghostguy said:

Our CEO, COO, General Manager, and SVP of Creative Development all come from Paramount Parks, among others. Something like this would certainly be in-line with Paramount.

That being said, I don't know if I would ever go back to Kings Island if they started using DC IP. 

I would sell my house and move to outside Branson MO. Lol.

[johnjniehaus]

It's a horrible idea that makes sense... I'm definitely against it but I could definitely see it happen. The Bat might look cool with a navy blue, yellow, and grey Batman color scheme but that's about all I'd enjoy - the fact that The Bat is still around 

[Kenban]

The DC IP is honestly good, but has been poorly utilized, mostly just using the name, logos and a color scheme.  It’s possible to actually make it good, and the IP sells a LOT of merchandise.  Utilizing it at one of the two parks in Ohio makes sense, and frankly Kings Island feels like the more logical location.  Building a new land from scratch is doable, but Action Zone needs a retheme already, I was hopeful we might see something that would allow Banshee to fit in with no changes, but DC makes sense.

I do not think that it would be as simple or cheap as just renaming the existing attractions.  It sounds like the Cedar Fair executive team will be in charge of the combined company and they realized a long time ago that just doing the absolute minimum is not enough, building larger more expensive projects less frequently produces better returns.

Personally I would lean towards removing Congo Falls, Timberwolf, and either moving or removing the Skyflyer.  I would even remove the gift shop and ice cream stand, just start over.  That gives a giant plot of land for new flat rides, a coaster, gift shops, restaurant the works.  At least that’s what I would do.

Assuming this merger goes through, and frankly it feels likely, using the IP’s from Six Flags in Ohio makes sense, the closest Six Flags park is likely Chicago.  Assuming DC, and Loony Toons will likely end up at one of the parks, and I feel like making sure there is no duplication and giving each their own unique feel to make visiting both parks more enjoyable.  Plus to create a little more separation from Great America, Kings Island makes more sense to me.

[Tr0y]

The Bat - The Flight of the Dark Knight

 

Much more original than Batman: The Ride which is used by like 3 other coasters.

[Driver8rws]

2 hours ago, KIghostguy said:

I don't know if I would ever go back to Kings Island if they started using DC IP. 

Why would they NOT use DC?

They (now) own the rights to it! 

They would be crazy not to use it. 

Probably a reason they bought Six Flags! 

 

Also, 

I would MUCH rather have Looney Toons for the kids areas rather than the lame, boring, Charlie Brown crap that no kid even knows what the heck it even is.

One of the lamest things that Cedar Fair partnered with...

[SonofBaconator]

5 hours ago, KIghostguy said:

That being said, I don't know if I would ever go back to Kings Island if they started using DC IP.

I hope they don’t use it. If Action Zone has to be rebranded then so be it but that’s the extent. While I enjoy Batman, I’m not really a huge fan of DC.

[Tr0y]

1 hour ago, SonofBaconator said:

I hope they don’t use it. If Action Zone has to be rebranded then so be it but that’s the extent. While I enjoy Batman, I’m not really a huge fan of DC.

I think it would be a smart use of their IP to re theme Action Zone to DC Universe. Action Zone needs a theme change badly. I agree with you tho that the DC themed rides should only be found in the DC Universe area of the park. That was the mistake Paramount did by placing their IP’s all over. Tomb Raider - Rivertown, Italian Job - Coney Mall? Those IP’s didn’t fit their area’s at all.

[johnjniehaus]

The main thing I don't like about the DC retheme idea is that nearly every six flags park has that area already and they all feel similar. Cedar Fair in my opinion has knocked it out of the park with the unique themed areas at KI (Adventure Port & Area 72) and also the Jungle Expedition at Kings Dominion. It makes for a more individualized feel to each park and keeps things interesting and fresh to anyone who is coming from out of town. 

[BeeastFarmer]

The only thing that makes sense is to renovate Action Zone into Safari Village. I mean, they said in the presser that the combined company will have Safari experiences...and this area used to be a safari...and they own the IP to the name Safari Village from Kings Dominion.

(This post is satire)

[IndyGuy4KI]

9 hours ago, johnjniehaus said:

The main thing I don't like about the DC retheme idea is that nearly every six flags park has that area already and they all feel similar. Cedar Fair in my opinion has knocked it out of the park with the unique themed areas at KI (Adventure Port & Area 72) and also the Jungle Expedition at Kings Dominion. It makes for a more individualized feel to each park and keeps things interesting and fresh to anyone who is coming from out of town. 

If they were to go the DC route, (which I am not a fan of) I think it should be one area of the park only. Leave the rest of the park in its current unique theming areas. 

[DJSkyFoxx]

I truly do not want to see any of our original rides get the DC treatment/overused SIX IP's such as...

Banshee=Batman: The Ride

The Bat=Ninja

Drop Tower=Superman: Ultimate Escape/Tower of Power 

Invertigo=Two Face: The Flip Side

Delirium=Wonder Woman's Lasso/Whatever other SIX IP name unrelated to DC

Congo Falls=Aquaman Power Splash

Yeah you get my point. I am in the camp of not wanting to see a copy/paste "make-over"

While I am all for Action Zone getting a retheme or at the very least a face-lift, I'd rather the area get rethemed to something more original. I once saw someone suggest the idea for "Cryptid Creek" and I thought that was a neat idea for the area seeing as there are already two spooky rides and I think that would be so much cooler/unique than something you can experience in any of SIX's properties. 

[WoodVengeance]

I do feel original theming would be better. However, if Six Flags (the new company) REALLY wants to put DC at Kings Island (which might be likely considering what Zimmermann said about the merger), the very least they could do is go with a consistent theme. For example, instead of having a themed area for the entirety of DC, maybe just have it based on Gotham City and have the rides there themed around Batman and other characters from the Batman franchise specifically. They could also implement enhanced theming on-par with what Cedar Fair has been putting in lately, so at least it would look better than the generic DC areas that already exist at Six Flags. Again, would still rather have original theming though, this would just be a compromise.

[ahank]

Personally, I would welcome a DC retheme of Action Zone if it's done with intention. Like Kenban said above, the DC IP is good -- it's how the IP is implemented across the SIX parks that's lackluster.

Examples exist for how the DC IP could be integrated successfully with an Action Zone retheme. A couple that immediately come to mind are Joker: Carnival of Chaos at SFFT, The Dark Knight Coaster at SFGAm, and -- while not a Six Flags park -- Batman Gotham City Escape at Parque Warner Madrid.

Joker: Carnival of Chaos at SFFT has an impressive, immersive queue experience, on par with something that could be found at Marvel Super Hero Island at Islands of Adventure:

I like how SFGAm has upped the ante on the typical Wild Mouse with theming and storyline on The Dark Knight Coaster:

Finally, Parque Warner Madrid has done a pretty incredible job of integrating theming and thrills with their new for '23 coaster Batman Gotham City Escape (the merger also gives me the slightest glimmer of hope that CF and Intamin will work together again ):

Some new additions outside of DC show that SIX is capable of doing theming with intention. Dr. Diabolical's Cliffhanger (again at SFFT) is a great example of this:

All of this being said, I, too, would only want DC rides and theming to be concentrated in one specific area. However, if done with intention, I think there are some exciting possibilities for a facelift for Action Zone.

[IndyGuy4KI]

I do think my issue with SIX is the bad use of DC being sporadically placed all over the park. Specific themed areas like I have been suggested, I might be open for a bit more. 

[purdude86]

3 hours ago, ahank said:

Personally, I would welcome a DC retheme of Action Zone if it's done with intention. Like Kenban said above, the DC IP is good -- it's how the IP is implemented across the SIX parks that's lackluster.

Examples exist for how the DC IP could be integrated successfully with an Action Zone retheme. A couple that immediately come to mind are Joker: Carnival of Chaos at SFFT, The Dark Knight Coaster at SFGAm, and -- while not a Six Flags park -- Batman Gotham City Escape at Parque Warner Madrid.

Joker: Carnival of Chaos at SFFT has an impressive, immersive queue experience, on par with something that could be found at Marvel Super Hero Island at Islands of Adventure:

I like how SFGAm has upped the ante on the typical Wild Mouse with theming and storyline on The Dark Knight Coaster:

Finally, Parque Warner Madrid has done a pretty incredible job of integrating theming and thrills with their new for '23 coaster Batman Gotham City Escape (the merger also gives me the slightest glimmer of hope that CF and Intamin will work together again ):

Some new additions outside of DC show that SIX is capable of doing theming with intention. Dr. Diabolical's Cliffhanger (again at SFFT) is a great example of this:

All of this being said, I, too, would only want DC rides and theming to be concentrated in one specific area. However, if done with intention, I think there are some exciting possibilities for a facelift for Action Zone.

I agree. DC wouldn't be my first choice but AZ as is can't really get much worse. It's already a concrete pad with rides plopped around. Any themes with add some cohesion. Another addition I wouldn't mind seeing in a DC retheme would be the Battle for Metropolis dark ride.

And examples you gave are some of the hope I do have for the merger. Six Flags is kind of known for cheapness but they do have some good theming in areas too, and especially with some newer stuff like Dr. Diabolical's. 

[KingsIsland1972]

I really hope that KI keeps their lowkey and simple theming as it is.  THAT'S what will distinguish us from every other copycat Theme Park.  I don't need DC or anything else rammed down my throat.  We already get the numbers.  If anything....bring back a "Resurrection Grave Yard" of all the classic favorites.  I've been pushing for this for years.  All new construction, but bring back King Cobra, Firehawk...  Add a movie theatre, roller skating and park benches for the park watchers and older folk who just would love to sit and relax.   That's all I have to say about that.  

[WoodVengeance]

1 hour ago, IndyGuy4KI said:

I do think my issue with SIX is the bad use of DC being sporadically placed all over the park. Specific themed areas like I have been suggested, I might be open for a bit more. 

Paramount's Kings Island had that problem too, where they introduced Action Zone to essentially be the "Paramount section of the park", but also went ahead and put Paramount rides in other areas too like Italian Job and Tomb Raider. Hopefully with Cedar Fair's input they won't repeat that same mistake, but we'll have to wait and see.

[Joshua]

On 11/2/2023 at 1:31 PM, Tr0y said:

The Bat - The Dark Knight Flight

Why not The Batwing? 

[IndyGuy4KI]

3 hours ago, WoodVengeance said:

Paramount's Kings Island had that problem too, where they introduced Action Zone to essentially be the "Paramount section of the park", but also went ahead and put Paramount rides in other areas too like Italian Job and Tomb Raider. Hopefully with Cedar Fair's input they won't repeat that same mistake, but we'll have to wait and see.

Good point. We still have Paramount execs on the board though. Will be interesting. 

[DonHelbig]

On 11/2/2023 at 1:31 PM, Tr0y said:

Banshee - Bizzaro 

Drop Tower - Lex Luther Drop of Doom

The Bat - The Dark Knight Flight

Delerium - DC Super-villains Swing

Congo Falls - Aquaman: Power Wave

Invertigo - Two Face: The ride

X-treme Skyflyer - SuperGirl Skyflyer

Timberwolf Theatre - Removed for 2025  coaster?

Soak City Water Park - Hurricane Harbor 

[IndyGuy4KI]

1 hour ago, DonHelbig said:

Soak City Water Park - Hurricane Harbor 

Let's just bring back Crocodile Dundee's Boomerang Bay. 

[PKIDelirium]

Hurricane Harbor is easily the more recognizable name because of how Six Flags markets the waterparks a lot more than Cedar Fair, so that would be a good application of one of the original Six Flags names.

If they take the DC route on the current Cedar Fair parks, at KI Action Zone would be the obvious choice for the dedicated area. We've just now gotten to where Paramount's damage to the themed areas of the park has been essentially fixed by Cedar Fair, with Camp Snoopy taking care of the last major thing, that being the rough transition between Rivertown and Planet Snoopy. Action Zone is the odd one out, having been worked on and improved but never fully overhauled.

Our original themes and areas are perfectly fine (Backlot is a completely different story...) so there's no need to clutter them with random instances of licensed IP. Paramount threw stuff around the main park like IJST and TRTR where they didn't fit, and hopefully with Cedar Fair management in the lead for this deal, keeping the integrity of the various areas will stay a priority. Action Zone would be the ideal place to do a total overhaul and use the DC IP.

At KI at least, it seems obvious how to best implement DC if it's used here. Obviously other parks vary but the Cedar Fair method of managing themed areas would seem to lean in the same direction of having a DC Universe area instead of placing things randomly throughout the parks like Six Flags tends to do.

Regarding Looney Tunes, I think that IP is rather stale and outdated. Peanuts continues to age well, but Looney Tunes just feels old and irrelevant. We'll see what happens with it, but I certainly wouldn't object to that license eventually being completely dropped and Peanuts being used across the combined chain. Cedar Fair has a lot of history with Peanuts, and I'm not sure how they'd be able to use it in the non-SF parks without it feeling tacky and out of place. It certainly wouldn't fit in with any of the Camp Snoopy type of areas.

I'm cautiously optimistic about the entire thing. I think it's telling that having rejected both SIX and SEAS before because they wouldn't have been the majority, now that a deal came around where Cedar Fair DOES have the majority, they accept it.

[WoodVengeance]

One thing I've heard is that with the Peanuts IP, there is a lack of variety when it comes to which characters are represented. Most of the major rides that currently exist at Planet Snoopy are either themed to Snoopy or Woodstock. Of course, other characters are used as well like Charlie Brown, Lucy and Linus, but the main focus definitely seems to be on Snoopy and Woodstock, hence the area's name as Planet Snoopy and not Planet Peanuts or Planet Charlie Brown.

With the Looney Tunes IP, however, there is a lot more to work with when it comes to character variety. Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky the Pig, Tasmanian Devil, Foghorn Leghorn, Elmer Fudd, Tweety and Sylvester, Wil-E-Coyote and the Roadrunner, and that's just scratching the surface. Personally, I don't know how I would feel about a change to the kids area, heck I'm still conflicted with this entire merger as a whole. However, I do think this is one upside of the Looney Tunes IP that might as well be brought up.

As for Hurricane Harbor, I don't really know what the upside would be for retheming our water park to that. Like Soak City, it is a rather generic theme for a water park without any IPs attached.