The first videos showing rides from the new Motion Gate park in Dubai appeared on Youtube and here are some filmed by ThemeparkHD and Theme Park Insider showing the park and the Hotel Transylvania, Ghostbusters, Smurfs rides ( les Schtroumpfs, in french ), and more. The Hotel Transylvania,and Smurfs ride appear to be slow family dark rides with few mechanical effects so don't expect any Audio-Animatronics Disney quality like.
But first here is an official video of Motion Gate Grand opening.
Next, have a tour of the park with this video of Theme Park Insider .
Let's move to the on-ride videos with the one of the Hotel Transylvania ride.
Next, is a video showing the Ghostbusters ride.
Next video will show you the Smurfs ride, and here we can even more regret that there is not more animated figures.
Zombieland is a free fall ride, here is the video.
Green Hornet looks to be a Mouse coaster, all outdoor, but the view of the backstage outside is not really the most interesting...
One more video for the fun with this 360° virtual tour of Motion gate Dubai. Note that the 360° effect does not work with Safari but it does with Firefox.
I'm pretty sure that you, Disney addicts, will be disappointed by these rides but to be fair you must remember that the park budget was not the same than the one for a Disney park, which means limits in what you can do. That said, the outdoor theming looks really good but there is some strange choices for some rides like the huge hallways of the Hotel Transylvania ride. I understand that the trackless vehicle had to be able to cross each other in a safe way but, still, i find these hallways really a bit large, to say the least.
We still have to watch videos of the Dreamworks land of the park, and i'll let you know when they will be available!
Picture: copyright Greg Pearn
Videos: copyright ThemeparkHD, Theme Park Insider
Green Hornet was originally supposed to be indoors - but budgets cuts scrapped the box and the special effects originally planned.
ReplyDeleteHotel Transylvania, Ghostbusters and Smurfs have nice art direction, but the static statues kill the illusion completely. It's a stark contrast between the fast moving video and statues which don't move at all, they should have had at least some rudimentary movement. Disney has nothing to worry about here.
ReplyDeleteI am biased towards Disney in every way, and yet I still give islands of adventure in Florida high praise! I also realize the park seems less then half finished and probably shouldn't be open to guests yet. But that being said, aside from the entrance to the park which does evoke a filmmaker whimsy, this park looks Dreadful! I love theme parks and have traveled the world to see them and this place already seems like it needs a major overhaul!
ReplyDeleteNo disrespect to Dubai , but I thought with the affluent community that lives there, there would be a much more immersive impressive park. Maybe I'm not taking into account the price point or surrounding activities, but this park seems like a disaster both thematically and technologically!
I'm so disappointed because I have been wanting to travel to Dubai to see its beautiful city and man made islands. I will still go eventually, but this park is not the incentive to go sooner that I was hoping for!
One saving grace is the Hotel Transylvania area! I'm very fond of that franchise and it did look like a lot of fun! I'm hoping the additions will change my first impression via this video!
I shouldn't pass full judgment yet because the park is only on a soft opening and parts are not even built yet, but so far it looks quite poor.
ReplyDeleteThe theming on the "Main Street" seems more creepy and overbearing than it does immersive. The rides seem very lackluster - especially that rollercoaster. Maybe the dreamworks rides will be better.
And all I can think of is how *this is how the park looks when it's brand new*, so how will it look after a few years of use?
And while a lot of this park is clearly indoors, even the short areas that are outdoors will be unbearable in the summer 40-50deg heat. Even at night it's unbearably hot in the summer (especially for western tourists who are not used to such heat). Dragging a family of kids around this place seems like a nightmare to me (especially if the wife is head-to-toe in black because of medieval rules).
And let's not forget the greater ethical issues: this theme park is built in a country where there is no free speech, no freedom of the press, censored internet, no democracy, no true freedom of religion, where women are oppressed, where rape victims are put in prison for "adultery", where people of a certain race/cast are considered "superior" to others, where homosexuals are charged and imprisoned, and where migrant workers are treated like garbage and violation of their human rights is routine.
Overall, the whole scenario is disgusting, and so is this park.
Yuck.
Our plans had the figures in Hotel T as animated - probably another budget cut once they got into the Production phase of the project. Our ride-throughs also had the vehicles going at a faster pace. Lots of changes from Design to reality here.
ReplyDeleteAnd let's not forget the greater ethical issues: this theme park is built in a country where there is no free speech, no freedom of the press, censored internet, no democracy, no true freedom of religion, where women are oppressed, where rape victims are put in prison for "adultery", where people of a certain race/cast are considered "superior" to others, where homosexuals are charged and imprisoned, and where migrant workers are treated like garbage and violation of their human rights is routine.
ReplyDeleteOverall, the whole scenario is disgusting, and so is this park.
NUFF SAID!