Polar Express debuts at SeaWorld on Friday

R

ROTM

Member
Original Poster
Polar Express debuts at SeaWorld on Friday

The park's Wild Arctic attraction will be changed to simulate a train ride to 'Santa Town.'

The Polar Express is going to roll through SeaWorld Orlando this holiday season.

SeaWorld officials confirmed Monday that they, Warner Bros. Pictures and Iwerks Entertainment are reprogramming the theme park's Wild Arctic simulator ride, transforming it into a simulated train ride to "Santa Town," based on Chris Van Allsburg's children's book The Polar Express and the 2004 animated movie of the same name.

Although they released some details of the conversion, park officials were not commenting further, saying full details would be released soon. The reformatted ride is to debut Friday and will be in place through Jan. 1. After that, the ride will be returned to its Wild Arctic format.

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The ride uses motion technology and big-screen video to simulate a wild, fast-moving trip. Normally, it offers visitors a simulated helicopter flight to an Arctic animal-research station, complete with swooping maneuvers to spy various animals and to avoid danger. Under the new format, the ride will simulate a train excursion powered by a massive steam-locomotive. In the film, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Shangri-La Entertainment, children rode the train, conducted by a character voiced by actor Tom Hanks, up snow-cloaked mountains, across frozen lakes and along perilous, icy passes.

Wild Arctic also serves as SeaWorld's exhibit of polar bears, beluga whales, walruses and other Arctic animals. They will remain part of the post-ride show, and will still be available for people to view separately if they choose to skip the ride. But the exhibit area is also being made up as a winter wonderland, to match the film's locations, for the holiday season.

Visitors will be given a three-minute pre-show presentation setting up the movie's plot, to the point at which they board the train. When the ride ends, people will step into a set made up as the frozen North Pole, complete with towering Christmas tree, a gift-laden sleigh, village decor and a Santa Claus character.

"The result will completely immerse guests into a thrilling combination of fantasy and reality," Michael Fletcher, SeaWorld Orlando's vice president of entertainment, said in a news release.
Click to expand...

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/busi...-polar2007nov20,0,5017904.story?coll=orl_mezz
 
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pheneix

Well-Known Member
This is actually pretty good as far as overlays go. The simulator ride is kind of odd because it jumps from 1st to 3rd person perspective randomly, but I still found it a little bit touching and well done.

I hope they don't change it back. This is way better than the normal ride.
 
crazydaveh

crazydaveh

Active Member
It's not bad. The ride is a basic simulator ride with all the drama that goes with it.

What I don't like is how you're in the "movie" part of the arctic and then all of a sudden, they put you back in the normal setting when you're viewing the animals.

It would have been great if August Busch IV would have approved more money to transform the entire inside to go along with the other theming.
 
dr_teeth90210

dr_teeth90210

Active Member
I rode the attraction yesterday and was really suprised with the theming. Sea World made the loading area look like a forest setting and even had a pine tree smell pumped in. The actual ride vehicle itself was decked out very nicely to resemble the inside cabin of a train. After departing the ride they had a bunch of christmas trees and Polar Express's Santa was there with his sled behind him for a photo op.

Although, the ride itself was just scenes from the movie spliced together for a 4 minute simulator ride. I had to keep my eyes closed most of the time to
prevent a protien spill. The motions of the simulator didnt quite match what was on the screen.

Even though the ride itself was lackluster due to almost 20 year old ride technology, the overall experience was very well done.
 
NoVa Mom

NoVa Mom

Member
We missed this ride by 2 days! :brick: I was so sad to leave w/out seeing it! My son is 4 and LOVES the Polar Express movie and all things train! I hope someone posts it on youtube so we can still see it! For those of you that got to go I hope it was great for you! Happy Holidays anyway! :wave::xmas:
 
DisneyChick1984

DisneyChick1984

Member
Oh my gosh. I love the Polar Express!

I don't have an AP for Seaworld but I guess I'm going to have to go throw connections to get in there to ride this before its gone!
 
R

Rabflmom

Active Member
crazydaveh said:
It's not bad. The ride is a basic simulator ride with all the drama that goes with it.

What I don't like is how you're in the "movie" part of the arctic and then all of a sudden, they put you back in the normal setting when you're viewing the animals.

It would have been great if August Busch IV would have approved more money to transform the entire inside to go along with the other theming.
Click to expand...

That was my first thought, too, but because it is done for only a short time, the expense would have been greater than it already was. I thought making it look like the train and even changing the Arctic employees costumes to conductor costumes was way good! For a change that will last only for 40 days at most, they put out the money. Did you notice that one entire wall is now real bricks(well the half brick stuff contractors use on the exterior of a lot of houses?

My second thought on why they didn't continue the theme in the animal section is that with the crowds it does get crowded down there. It may have been a safety issue and also an accessibility issue if they added trees and decorations in those areas.

I was also surprised that only the waterfront area was really decorated. Most of the rest of the park was the same as usual.
 
R

Rabflmom

Active Member
The motions of the simulator didnt quite match what was on the screen.>>>>

Now, I disagree on that statement and I kept my eyes open.<grin> Like all simulator rides the movement is a little different in each row.Mid section rows seem to not move as much as front rows or back. I rode it in the fist and 2nd rows yesterday and thought the seat moved right with the scenes from the movie.

The intro and the simulator segment is straight from the movie and thanks to it being shown on ABC Friday night, I had a good idea which scenes they would use in the ride. When my son joined us at SW after the Disney park he works at closed, he asked what perspective the ride was in. You really can't say----at times it was the ticket, the train, even a jingle bell so finally I just said-anything that moved. <grin> I am going to convince some friends at work to go and go once more before they close it.

Personally I thought it was better than I expected it to be.

The park closed at 8, but we didn't even get into the ride until after then. They did not rush us through anything, but definitely go earlier than closing because the only animals we saw were the belugas that time. The polar bears and walrus were not out to be seen. The whole park didn't seem to be rushing anyone out the gate to get the park cleared when we left just before 9. We had a fun day there yesterday.

How was the Shamu Christmas Miracle show at the end of the night and the watershow on the lake? We missed both of those.
 
R

Rabflmom

Active Member
The motions of the simulator didnt quite match what was on the screen.>>>>

Now, I disagree on that statement and I kept my eyes open.<grin> Like all simulator rides the movement is a little different in each row.Mid section rows seem to not move as much as front rows or back. I rode it in the fist and 2nd rows yesterday and thought the seat moved right with the scenes from the movie.

The into and the simulator segment is straight from the movie and thanks to it being shown on ABC Friday night, I had a good idea which scenes they would use in the ride. When my son joined us at SW after the Disney park he works at closed, he asked what perspective the ride was in. You really can't say----at times it was the ticket, the train, even a jingle bell so finally I just said-anything that moved. <grin> I am going to convince some friends at work to go and go once more before they close it.

Personally I thought it was better than I expected it to be.

The park closed at 8, but we didn't even get into the ride until after then. They did not rush us through anything, but definitely go earlier than closing because the only animals we saw were the belugas that time. The polar bears and walrus were not out to be seen.

How was the Shamu Christmas Miracle show at the end of the night and the watershow on the lake? We missed both of those.
 
NoVa Mom

NoVa Mom

Member
I tried to watch this ride on youtube and only got thru the accapella preshow from the cast. I will have to try again when my 4 yr old son isnt on my lap shouting where is the train??? I am so sad we missed this. Anyone got a video they can share??? :animwink:
 
MattBoom

MattBoom

Active Member
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGU3WerMRB8

The youtube video doesn't show the actual ride for two reasons..
One: They tell you you're not allowed to record during the ride.
Two: The screen just shows clips from the movie. So if you've seen the movie, you've seen the ride. It's a shortened version of the scene where the train goes down the large hill, onto the ice and to Christmas Town.

My son and I waited in line for an hour and a half to ride it last night.
 

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