Looney Tunes River Ride

Looney Tunes River Ride
Warner Bros. Movie World
Area Kids' WB Fun Zone
Coordinates 27°54′21″S 153°18′40″E / 27.905788°S 153.311053°E / -27.905788; 153.311053Coordinates: 27°54′21″S 153°18′40″E / 27.905788°S 153.311053°E / -27.905788; 153.311053
Status Closed
Opening date 3 June 1991 (1991-06-03)
Closing date 1 February 2011 (2011-02-01)
Warner Bros. Movie World Germany
Coordinates 51°37′09″N 6°58′27″E / 51.619091°N 6.974105°E / 51.619091; 6.974105
Status Closed
Opening date 1996 (1996)
Closing date 2004 (2004)
Replaced by Ice Age Adventure
General statistics
Type Free flow boat rides
Manufacturer Warner Bros. Movie World
Lift system 1 vertical lift
Duration 5 minutes
Boats 14[1] boats. Riders are arranged 4 across in 4 rows for a total of 16 riders per boat.
Height restriction 90 cm (2 ft 11 in)
Restraint style Lap bar
Must transfer from wheelchair

Looney Tunes River Ride (formerly Looney Tunes Studio Tour) was a dark boat ride at Warner Bros. Movie World on the Gold Coast, Australia. A near-duplicate, named Looney Tunes Adventure, existed at Warner Bros. Movie World in Bottrop, Germany (now Movie Park Germany). The ride in Australia opened with the park on 3 June 1991 and closed on 1 February 2011 to make way for a new attraction. The German ride opened in 1996 and was closed in 2004 before being replaced by Ice Age Adventure.

History

The Looney Tunes River Ride opened with the Warner Bros. Movie World on 3 June 1991 as the Looney Tunes Studio Tour.[2] It was one of four attractions in the Looney Tunes Land section of the park.[3] In December 1997, the ride's name was changed to Looney Tunes River Ride alongside the launch of Looney Tunes Village.[4]

In 1996, Looney Tunes Adventure opened with Warner Bros. Movie World in Germany. The ride was very similar to the version that opened in Australia with the primary difference being references to Australia were changed to Germany.[5][6] In 2004, Warner Bros. Movie World in Germany was acquired by StarParks.[7] This acquisition resulted in various Warner Bros. licensed properties being removed from the park including DC Comics and Looney Tunes.[7] The following year, Movie Park Germany opened with Looney Tunes Adventure being rethemed to Ice Age Adventure.[7][8]

In early January 2011, Warner Bros. Movie World announced that the ride would close on 14 February 2011 until further notice.[9] Towards the end of the month, the closing date was re-announced to be 1 February 2011.[10] On 1 February 2011, the ride was permanently closed.[2][11] It was later confirmed that the Looney Tunes River Ride would be replaced with a new attraction.[12]

Ride experience

The ride began with riders queuing outside a white colourbond show building decorated as a movie studio. They would then be led into a room by a guide where they were welcomed to "Hollywood". Guests were then informed that they would be taken on a tour of the studio where the latest Looney Tunes movie was being shot. However, Bugs Bunny had dug a hole into the centre of the earth down to Australia, resulting in the production to cease. The guests would then walk into another room where the guide would show them a light which indicates the production status. Since production had been stopped, the guests would proceed through a door to the next room. This room was filled with animatronic Looney Tunes characters looking down a hole in the ground. Guests were told that Bugs Bunny had dug a hole through the middle of the earth to Australia. Riders then were moved into a giant earth drill where they were transported through the Earth to come out at Australia. Guests would then get on 4 boats, each with 4 rows of 4 seats each before being taken through an animatronics filled ride with a surprising drop towards the end.[2] Then guests go past another scene identical to the one with the animatronics looking down the hole but now Bugs Bunny has joined them and is directing the movie. The boats stop at the unloading station and the guests are unloaded whilst Porky Pig delivers his signature line, "That's all Folks!".[6]

Ride design

Looney Tunes River Ride was originally designed in-house by Warner Bros. Movie World in Australia. The park's parent company, Village Roadshow Theme Parks, previously opened Lassiter's Lost Mine at Sea World in 1987 which utilised the same, in-house ride system used on the Looney Tunes River Ride.[13][14] The ride's fourteen boats catered for 16 riders distributed in rows of 4.[1][2] The audio-animatronics featured in the ride were designed by Sally Corporation who went on to design Looney Tunes animatronics for Six Flags Over Texas' Yosemite Sam and The Gold River Adventure dark boat ride in 1992.[15]

The German ride, Looney Tunes Adventure was manufactured by Intamin.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Westthorp, Tanya (14 December 2012). "Fans bid for movie memorabilia". Gold Coast Bulletin. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Looney Tunes River Ride (Warner Bros. Movie World)". Parkz. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
  3. ↑ "Park Map". Warner Bros. Movie World. 1991.
  4. ↑ "Movie World - History in Maps". Thrill History. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  5. ↑ ThrashGangsters (1 May 2012). "Warner Bros. MovieWorld 1999 Germany - Looney Tunes Studio Tour "Onride"". YouTube. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  6. 1 2 B., James (15 June 2006). "Loony Tunes River Ride @ Movieworld on the Gold Coast, Aus". YouTube. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  7. 1 2 3 "Germany's Movie World to change in 2005" (Press release). StarParks. 31 August 2004. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  8. ↑ "Ice Age Adventure". Movie Park Germany. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  9. ↑ Warner Bros. Movie World (January 2011). "Attractions Maintenance - Warner Bros. Movie World". MyFun. Archived from the original on 26 January 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
  10. ↑ Warner Bros. Movie World. "Attractions Maintenance - Warner Bros. Movie World". MyFun. Archived from the original on 1 February 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
  11. ↑ Weston, Paul (14 April 2012). "Coast theme parks tagged 'Giant Flop'". Gold Coast Bulletin. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  12. ↑ Warner Bros. Movie World. "Attractions Maintenance". MyFun. Archived from the original on 14 August 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  13. ↑ "History and Development of Sea World". Sea World. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  14. ↑ "Lassiter's Lost Mine (Sea World)". Parkz. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  15. ↑ Sally Corporation. "Dark Ride Brochure" (PDF). ERMES Technologies. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
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