Nick Central Expansion 2006

[CoolCoasterMan]

Now that the Italian Job is offically open, it is time to speculate on what is in store for next year. The direction of the park is to make more of a theme park, with movie based attractions.

The most common rumor is to see some type of Nick Central expansion. The park has won the best kids section the last few years in Amusement Today's Golden Ticket awards. The most recent Paramount Park Survey featured a few possible attractions that could fit into a Nick Central expansion. The following were those listed on the survey, and considering how rides such as the Italian Job were on a similar survey the past year, they sometimes can be a good indication for what is in store.

Nickelodeon Car Wash: At the Nick Car Wash, all of your favorite characters are on hand to get you, sopping wet-each in their own special way! Riders explore a series of indoor/outdoor scenes, each featuring a different Nick character in a wacky cartoon car wash. And this car wash is interactive, allowing riders to control their own spped through the scenes.

Comments: The ride could use the antique cars that were removed this year. Sounds like an interesting addition and could be a likely replacement for the water maze because you get wet.

SpongeBob Squarepants: Crash Course Boating School: Climb aboard a boat with Spongebob Squarepants at the wheel, and you're in for a completely wacky ride! The rip-roaring indoor family coaster ride will put guests on a twisting, turning, underwater crash course with all of the creatures of Bikini Bottom! With Spongebob behind the wheel, surpriese are sure to be around every corner, as guest whiz through a cartoon environment full of spectacular sights, silly sounds, and crazy "underwater" special effects! Buckle up and take the wheel with everyone's favorite sponge at Mrs. Puff's Driving School for a wild, wet, and whacked-out underwater adventure with SpongeBob and Friends!

Comments: Another family coaster similar to perhaps in thrills of Rugrats Runnaway Reptar Roller Coaster. Water and other effects, and it is themed to a popular kid cartoon. Seems like it is a likely addition.

Feel free to respond and predict what ride you think they are getting for next year. It does not have to be either of these two, but just seems like these were the ones on the survey and the more likely choices.

[Captain Nemo]

I really like the idea of a water coaster. What I think PKI needs is a MAJOR water ride. I think a more advanced version of congo falls would be nice. Maybe a water ride much like the one at Knotts Berry Farm would be cool!

PERILOUS PLUNGE

[PKIVortex]

As i'm not really sure what PKI will get in 2006, I would be surprised to see a Nick Central expansion. If they do I also wouldn't be surprised to see the Nick Carwash. It just all kinda add up. Screamscape posts a rumor of a major attraction removed at the end of 2005, and I still predict the Slim Maze and Nick Theater. But time will only tell.

[CoastersRZ]

I would not at all be surprised to see a Nick expansion. After all, it will have been three years since PKI added an upgrade to that area of the park. Also, the Nick Carwash is a strong possibility as it seems as if the park has held onto the Antique Cars (they are not sitting behind the Delirium control booth on the other side of the fence, vacating their former location to allow for the floats for the Nick Parade. IMO, it seems only logical that they would spruce up that area of the park since Carowinds did the same thing this year. I`m sure they really do not want to loose their golden ticket for Best Children`s Area (although they might for this season).

[Scooby_Doo]

I really think we will see a Nick Expansion along with that spongebob coaster and nick carwash and I'm hoping to see a flying super saturator.

[PKI Punk]

Well, seeing as how the tiques are still at the park, we should assume 99% that they will be coming back, and I say that they will return as Nick Car Wash because if you read the description, you control the speed of your veichle.

By the way, be sure to get some pics of the water maze for down the road. You may never see it again.

[HomerJay]

PKI is the only park that I visit where I actually enjoy spending some time in the kiddie area (I don't have kids). They always do a good job, and I think some changes to Nick Central would be fun. . .

Although, both of these rides seem water-themed. What if they expanded Nick Central into Boomerang Bay as a family-themed water park?? I know BB has a kids' area, but due to the popularity of Spongebob and the fact that most of these rides seem water themed, it just seems logical. Also, isn't BB right next to HBL? If its not, it's still pretty close. . . would be a cool way to make the transition from PKI to BB, especially with Wild Thornberries there.

If they do go with the indoor NC attractions, though, I hope they put more care into the theming than with SDHC. Let's go with something more than lame cardboard cuttouts. Look at Splash Mountain at Disney. I would love to see a Nick ride that utilizes some of that type of animatronic technology.

[Oldiesmann]

Boomerang Bay is really close to HB. The picnic grove seperates the two, and there's not much room for expansion in that direction.

[Thrill_Biscuit]

The Mrs. Puff Boating School thing is a cool idea. Maybe a full-scale Krusty Krab restaurant with tv's playing the funniest SBSP episodes ('Frankendoodle', 'The Algae's Always Greener', 'Band Geeks') would be a neat addition.

I wonder if PKI has ever had a 'you're in the video' place where kids can go in front of a blue screen, recite some lines, then come back and pick up a DVD where their footage has been cleverly edited into a cartoon short (Spongebob, FOP, Neutron, etc.) That'd be neat-o.

[RingMaster]

what if PKI and the other Paramount Parks pulled a Universal and started building amazing movie rides, like Earthquake and Back to the Future?

think about it-Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow could be an all-new motion simulator experience in its own building! It would probably be in the form of Disney's StormRider and Star Tours attractions, to where you would enter the ride vehicle and the screen would be inside the car, rather than just having moving seats in front of a big screen.

Or they could do an Earthquake-styled War of the Worlds attraction, where you're escaping the wrath of aliens invading the city (Los Angeles, for instance), and your only means of transportation is, like, a city bus or a helicopter. And all this destruction is occuring all around you, with fire effects and water and laser beam fire.

Finally, imagine Disney's Splash Mountain scaled down a bit and themed to Nick Central characters and you get Nicktoon Falls! you get into a log boat and travel into the side of a canyon cliff and into the world of the Nicktoons. Twisting and turning you come across evil in the form of Vicky, Angelica, and others who send you plummeting down Nicktoon Falls and into the river.

[Scooby_Doo]

WOTW Rights has been given to Universal not Paramount!

But NickToon Falls sounds like cool idea...I really am hoping to see Spongebob Squarepants Crash Course Boating School.

[Scooby_Doo]

Check out this picture it's a pic of a Photo op at USF it has all the popular nicktoons on a coaster.

Nicktoons Coaster

[Captain Nemo]

I've never understood the Universal Rights/Paramount Rights. I know that Nick is part of Paramount but where does Universal come in? Do they own Nick as well?

[Scooby_Doo]

Just Character rights now they used to own full rights to nick but since Nick Studios is gone they only have the rights to the walk-around characters same with Hanna-Barbera.

[Captain Nemo]

What about before that. Did they both own Nick?

[RingMaster]

Originally Universal had rights to Nick involving taping live shows at Nick Studios in USF in the early 90s, since paramount didn't get into the theme park business until around '92. Now that Paramount is becoming a bigger theme park corporation, they want to have their Nick rights back, considering now Nick Studios at USF is utterly useless.

and, to answer Scooby_Doo, War of the Worlds is, in fact, a PARAMOUNT movie, not Universal. If WOTW turns out to be a good movie, there's no way Paramount can miss a great opportunity to build a ride off it.

[Gordon Bombay]

As of now (according to Jeff Seibert at the IJST tour) the war of the worlds ride theming rights are not determined to go to anyone. Universal had an exhibit of the new movie out at their park and according to Jeff, the only PKI did nto get the exhibit is because they were not open at the time.

[Captain Nemo]

That still is confusing.

[RevengeofTheSmurfs]

Originally Universal had rights to Nick involving taping live shows at Nick Studios in USF in the early 90s, since paramount didn't get into the theme park business until around '92. Now that Paramount is becoming a bigger theme park corporation, they want to have their Nick rights back, considering now Nick Studios at USF is utterly useless.

and, to answer Scooby_Doo, War of the Worlds is, in fact, a PARAMOUNT movie, not Universal. If WOTW turns out to be a good movie, there's no way Paramount can miss a great opportunity to build a ride off it.

Many people know its a paramount movie but so is Indy jones and Disney has exclusive rights to Indy as for right now scooby_doo is right amblin is giving the rights to Universal it may be a paramount movie but amblin holds the rights to WOTHW just look at the backlot studio tour....

[Jasper]

I would love to see the HB characters come back. That would be cool.

[Scooby_Doo]

Thank you smurfs..yes recently Universal got the rights to war of the worlds..but any way back on topic..

With HBL(sadly) fading out of PKI what Nick attractions if pki does go the nick route in 2006 would you guys&gals like to see?

I wanna see Spongebob Squarepants:Mrs.Puff's Crash Course Boating School and the Nick Carwash..I wouldnt mind seeing a Saturator or a Rugrats themed ride..also I keep hearing that the rugrat walk around characters will be getting updated to the all grown up verisons next year.

[tubaman]

I prefer the original Rugrats to the new episodes.

[King Bowser]

^^ Yeah Rugrats are strongly being rumored to be replaced by there all grown up counter parts in the near future.

I dont mind what we get as long as it's spongebob

[Beast Freak]

Save HB Land . They took out the flyers they can't take out HB Land.

[Scooby_Doo]

I dont want Hanna-Barbera Land to go anymore than you do but paramount doesnt own HB Warner Bros. does thats why the only places you can see the HB characters are in certain six flags and Universal studios parks.

[RingMaster]

Is it just me or did Paramount enter the theme park industry too late?

Think about it-Disney had rights to Indiana Jones and Universal had rights to film Nick shows at Nick Studios before Paramount even went into the theme park biz.

They didn't want to waste so much money on building an all-new theme park so what do they do? They buy the corporation that had PKI, PKD, PGA, Carowinds and Canada's Wonderland under its belt and "improve" on them.

Instead of "improving" the parks, they tear down popular rides for no apparent reason and put up new rides that don't work (Yeah, I'm looking at you, TR:TR and IJ:ST) to keep up with Disney and Universal.

Realizing that they can't keep up (and somehow forgetting that PKI is the #1 attended seasonal park in the world), an auction begins to sell off the Paramount Parks. Universal, Disney and Cedar Fair (Cedar Point, Knott's Berry Farm) are all in the running, and just when Cedar Fair is about ready to buy, Paramount jacks up the price and everyone drops out.

Now, Paramount is joining forces with Great Wolf to build an all-new Great Wolf Lodge resort hotel with an indoor water park for PKI. If what everyone is saying about 2006/2007 is true, Paramount better come up with something good.

(Note: The auction was an actual event that had to be kept to a bare whisper.)

[RollerNut]

It is sad to say but Paramount Park is doomed due to the fact that they ain't Disney. Paramount Movies aren't timeless like Mickey Mouse and his friends. So there for in ten more years, the older movies will be replaced with newer ones. This will doom Paramount in the long run as they can't keep reinventing the parks.

Paramount Parks will be done by 2020!

[erniebald57]

Disney movies used to be timeless until about 10 years ago. The new ones that they are putting out are far from that, which is why they are building thrill rides like Mission Space and the Everest Coaster. They have failed to create good new characters to theme around What separates PKI from Disney is one thing....money. Disney spends big, PKI doesn't. Paramount has put out plenty of timeless movies over the years, but many of them don't lend themselves well to a theme park attraction, and the ones that do are licensed to other parks. An Indiana Jones themed ride would be great, so would a War of the Worlds attraction. Heck put a Godfather themed attraction in with the old antique cars. If Paramount wants its parks to stay sharp, than they have to quit licensing out all the movies and characters to the competition and use it themselves. You don't see Disney licensing out Mickey Mouse, nor do you see Universal licensing rights to their best "theme park attracton" movies. I'll be sad to see Hanna Barbera go, but Viacom owns Nickelodeon, and Nickelodeon is perfect for theming a kiddie area. Now Paramount Parks needs to tap into the full potential that Viacom has for them.

[adam16068@yahoo.com]

Hanna Barberra Land should Remain that's what's left of the old Kings Island we know of. I think paramount should keep them. I thought when they leased the park. They weren't to lose the originality of PKI when it was under KECO.

[RingMaster]

Disney movies used to be timeless until about 10 years ago. The new ones that they are putting out are far from that, which is why they are building thrill rides like Mission Space and the Everest Coaster. They have failed to create good new characters to theme around What separates PKI from Disney is one thing....money. Disney spends big, PKI doesn't. Paramount has put out plenty of timeless movies over the years, but many of them don't lend themselves well to a theme park attraction, and the ones that do are licensed to other parks. An Indiana Jones themed ride would be great, so would a War of the Worlds attraction. Heck put a Godfather themed attraction in with the old antique cars. If Paramount wants its parks to stay sharp, than they have to quit licensing out all the movies and characters to the competition and use it themselves. You don't see Disney licensing out Mickey Mouse, nor do you see Universal licensing rights to their best "theme park attracton" movies. I'll be sad to see Hanna Barbera go, but Viacom owns Nickelodeon, and Nickelodeon is perfect for theming a kiddie area. Now Paramount Parks needs to tap into the full potential that Viacom has for them.

The fact is that Paramount is just plain scared to build a massive "movie ride". Think about it, what's the last big ride PKI put out?.......Son of Beast. Remember, Paramount was about ready to sue the people who built it due to some sort of design flaw. Now, they're stuck building small attractions (Scooby-Doo, Tomb Raider, IJ:ST).

If they would just stop and look to see what Disney and Universal are doing, then they can see what they are doing wrong. I know two major attractions that could have been a WHOLE lot better than what they are now-Tomb Raider and Italian Job.

TR:TR could have, and should have, been a Spider-Man clone, seeing as how the press release mentioned "rocketing up to razor-sharp stalactites" and "plummeting into a pit of boiling red-hot lava." Sounds like the climax of Spider-Man where they make you feel like you're rocketing into the sky and falling 400 feet...virtually, doesn't it?

And IJ:ST just screams Test Track at Epcot. Just imagine two other cars running side-by-side with you in a much more believable Los Angeles movie set.

Oh, one other thing-can that new Sahara movie become a Expedition Everest-style coaster experience? Someone give me some more information, and I'll try to word it together into a believable ride experience.