Hey, I wanted to review this attraction because it is very disney like and I was able to have it fresh in my mind from a few days ago.
Background: (skip if you know this stuff)
Anyway Hersheypark shares its grounds with a unique-ish attraction center called "Chocolate World". In many ways Chocolate World is like an old Epcot Pavillion, even though it predated Epcot by nearly 10 years. It currently has grown to include a foodcourt with a magnificent glass roofed atrium filled with tropical trees that Out "The Lands" The land's display, A Omnimover style attraction that opened with the building known as The Great American Factory Tour, where you're taken on a "tour of the factory" with displays of every step of the chocolate making process even a roaster you enter where you feel warm (predating Test Track's heat area), and a place to buy "trolly bus" tickets for a wacky tour of the town of Hershey. And in the 1990s a Create your own candy bar, Desert Studio, "Chocolate Tasting Adventure" and a 3-D movie was added. The Original 3-D movie was "Hershey's Really Big 3-D show" (brevity is not their strong suit is it?), and was set up like a Lecture Hall about the History of Hershey Chocolate, thats interrupted by a rather rude hollywood bigshot who keeps trying to jazz it up with parody scenes of Casablanca, Indiana Jones, etc. It was decent for a non-Disney/Universal show but not exactly Disney Quality. Although the Set up was golden, and the music was great, It seemed to fail to gain attention and draw big crowds.
The GCFMI4D and review: (may contain spoilers)
In 2013 (this year) this new show opened.
The entire chocolate world entrance lobby reversed itself. The Line for Chocolate Tasting Adventure now occupies the space where the old Preshow entranceway was and the ticket booth. The Ticket Booth switched to the other side of the Lobby. The Bathrooms switched to the front, and the hallway that used to lead to the bathrooms was sealed up on one end and the lobby facing end was now the entrance to the new show.
Preshow:
Guests now enter through what I assume was once a service entrance to the preshow lobby and collect their glasses in the old Bathroom Hall. (ew! lol) When you enter what was once the lecture hall gallery (the preshow room) that is now adorned with photos of the Chocolate characters (the talking hershey bar kiss and Reeses Cup) Going about their daily lives and travels. Its billed as the "Hershey Gallery" and among every set of digitally manipulated photos is a fake tablet/Iphone with live feed from each chars "SweetSpace" walls describing the pics and revealing that Kiss is the artist there. It seems way more immersive and sets up for the first time in Hershey history, Unique characteristics to each char (Hershey Bar is the practical one and the leader, Kiss is the sweet girl artist, Reese is the goofy rocker who collects classic cars). It even included comments from the cow characters in the Omnimover ride tying them together. In the center of the wall that you now face when you enter are 3 artistic portraits of the chars in large frames which appears to be Kiss's grand cream of the crop accomplishment in her gallery.
Before the preshow you can text a number given as Reeses personal number and tell him about any anniversary birthday or "talent" you may have that will come into play later. A guy also goes around talking to youngest guests about their talents and both times I was there it seemed there was someone who drew and someone who drew princesses. hmm... I wish I went to this as a kid I'd always get picked!
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After all this the announcer tells you that there is a mystery in the factory and the chars will soon come talk about it. The characters appear in the frames of their 3 big portraits revealing them to actually be screens for the pre show. (Which is good because when I first came in I thought they deleted all pre show ness) The chars come on and explain that the factory has been activated after closing and strange beings that look like robots have been flying around. They squabble a bit but finally decide to ask the gallery's guests (you) for help and explain the doors will open and you can back out (which would be dumb since you already payed for your tickets) if you don't feel "up to it".
Verdict:
The pre-show is a vast improvement from the one before which starred the crazy boss of Elaine from Seinfeld showing a brief history of hershey movie that was interesting the first time but after a while got old. The immersive Galley was a great way if your paying attention, to learn about the chars backgrounds before the show. Its kinda like a local viral marketing, very local that is. Nonetheless, this kind of thing always gets me hooked, I love to be taken into the world of each attraction. The portrait screens are also a nice touch and the room has been given a fresh coat of paint. It kinda reminds me of the land's paint scheme how it went from dark green to brighter colors. (The old colors reminded me of the old Lion King animatronic show preshow room in MK.) All in all as far as Preshows go, especially non-Disney/uni ones, this is one of the better ones. It trumps the preshow of other local attractions including the ones for Houdini's great escape, The Dark Knight, and err wait thats all the preshows I know about up here! so 8/10 for this, the only missing ingredients being interactive scenery and more seating.
Continued next post......
Background: (skip if you know this stuff)
Anyway Hersheypark shares its grounds with a unique-ish attraction center called "Chocolate World". In many ways Chocolate World is like an old Epcot Pavillion, even though it predated Epcot by nearly 10 years. It currently has grown to include a foodcourt with a magnificent glass roofed atrium filled with tropical trees that Out "The Lands" The land's display, A Omnimover style attraction that opened with the building known as The Great American Factory Tour, where you're taken on a "tour of the factory" with displays of every step of the chocolate making process even a roaster you enter where you feel warm (predating Test Track's heat area), and a place to buy "trolly bus" tickets for a wacky tour of the town of Hershey. And in the 1990s a Create your own candy bar, Desert Studio, "Chocolate Tasting Adventure" and a 3-D movie was added. The Original 3-D movie was "Hershey's Really Big 3-D show" (brevity is not their strong suit is it?), and was set up like a Lecture Hall about the History of Hershey Chocolate, thats interrupted by a rather rude hollywood bigshot who keeps trying to jazz it up with parody scenes of Casablanca, Indiana Jones, etc. It was decent for a non-Disney/Universal show but not exactly Disney Quality. Although the Set up was golden, and the music was great, It seemed to fail to gain attention and draw big crowds.
The GCFMI4D and review: (may contain spoilers)
In 2013 (this year) this new show opened.
The entire chocolate world entrance lobby reversed itself. The Line for Chocolate Tasting Adventure now occupies the space where the old Preshow entranceway was and the ticket booth. The Ticket Booth switched to the other side of the Lobby. The Bathrooms switched to the front, and the hallway that used to lead to the bathrooms was sealed up on one end and the lobby facing end was now the entrance to the new show.
Preshow:
Guests now enter through what I assume was once a service entrance to the preshow lobby and collect their glasses in the old Bathroom Hall. (ew! lol) When you enter what was once the lecture hall gallery (the preshow room) that is now adorned with photos of the Chocolate characters (the talking hershey bar kiss and Reeses Cup) Going about their daily lives and travels. Its billed as the "Hershey Gallery" and among every set of digitally manipulated photos is a fake tablet/Iphone with live feed from each chars "SweetSpace" walls describing the pics and revealing that Kiss is the artist there. It seems way more immersive and sets up for the first time in Hershey history, Unique characteristics to each char (Hershey Bar is the practical one and the leader, Kiss is the sweet girl artist, Reese is the goofy rocker who collects classic cars). It even included comments from the cow characters in the Omnimover ride tying them together. In the center of the wall that you now face when you enter are 3 artistic portraits of the chars in large frames which appears to be Kiss's grand cream of the crop accomplishment in her gallery.
Before the preshow you can text a number given as Reeses personal number and tell him about any anniversary birthday or "talent" you may have that will come into play later. A guy also goes around talking to youngest guests about their talents and both times I was there it seemed there was someone who drew and someone who drew princesses. hmm... I wish I went to this as a kid I'd always get picked!
.After all this the announcer tells you that there is a mystery in the factory and the chars will soon come talk about it. The characters appear in the frames of their 3 big portraits revealing them to actually be screens for the pre show. (Which is good because when I first came in I thought they deleted all pre show ness) The chars come on and explain that the factory has been activated after closing and strange beings that look like robots have been flying around. They squabble a bit but finally decide to ask the gallery's guests (you) for help and explain the doors will open and you can back out (which would be dumb since you already payed for your tickets) if you don't feel "up to it".
Verdict:
The pre-show is a vast improvement from the one before which starred the crazy boss of Elaine from Seinfeld showing a brief history of hershey movie that was interesting the first time but after a while got old. The immersive Galley was a great way if your paying attention, to learn about the chars backgrounds before the show. Its kinda like a local viral marketing, very local that is. Nonetheless, this kind of thing always gets me hooked, I love to be taken into the world of each attraction. The portrait screens are also a nice touch and the room has been given a fresh coat of paint. It kinda reminds me of the land's paint scheme how it went from dark green to brighter colors. (The old colors reminded me of the old Lion King animatronic show preshow room in MK.) All in all as far as Preshows go, especially non-Disney/uni ones, this is one of the better ones. It trumps the preshow of other local attractions including the ones for Houdini's great escape, The Dark Knight, and err wait thats all the preshows I know about up here! so 8/10 for this, the only missing ingredients being interactive scenery and more seating.
Continued next post......
