ATLANTEAN REALM
Wide corral tunnels lead to a coastal New World seaport in the Age of Exploration. Brave navigators travel from this hilly Caribbean town, dominated by Spanish architecture, across the Seven Seas. On the ocean they face all manner of sea monster – Leviathan, Kraken, Mermaids. Not all live to tell their tale. A morass of shipwrecks clutters the bay. A giant squid hangs captured from a fisherman’s line. Giant tentacles clutch bridge supports at water’s edge. A desert island in the distance is actually a massive sea turtle, its face alone the size of a building. And on a far untamed coast, strange plants are the Vegetable Lambs of Tartary, bizarre hybrids of cotton pods and sheep. At night, the realm’s oceanic waters glow with bioluminescence, creating a tranquil, unearthly glow.
ATTRACTIONS
Bermuda Triangle Leviathan (height requirement: 48”) (VQ)
Join a doomed voyage in search of the fabled sea serpent Leviathan! Near an enormous conical mountain – modeled on St. Lucia’s Gros Piton – would-be sailors enter the ship-house of Captain Proteus. Mad like Ahab, Proteus seeks to destroy the Leviathan at all costs, and charts a course for the beast’s Bermuda Triangle hideout. This Mack Rides water coaster starts as a flume dark ride, ferrying guests aboard rowboats on a haunted nighttime sea. Giant fins circle the boats. A distant projected typhoon depicts Leviathan’s shadowy form – a whale crossed with a crocodile. Boats try to evade past whirlpools, until a coaster dip sends them inside the Leviathan’s huge open mouth! In the belly, they ascend a lift surrounded by a watery vortex.
Leviathan spits out his prey. The coaster dives down the St. Lucian mountain and wends through the shipwreck graveyard. Coaster tracks blend in with shattered schooners. Over airtime hills, then plunging into the cove. Splash is minimal; Japanese tourists like to dress nicely, and hate getting soaked. Boats drift under the Carta Marina dining ship, and into a toothy cave to unload.
Enchanted Mermaid Grotto (VQ)
This paradisiac land’s interior is littered with overgrown Mayan ruins, with carved friezes depicting an underwater kingdom. Indeed, descent into the pyramids’ recesses reveals a far larger civilization, the tip of what is truly ancient Atlantis! A gentle boat dark ride proceeds further into the depths, magically passing underwater (dry-for-wet effect) to the bustling heart of Atlantis. A society of Mermaids and water-horse Hippocampi welcome guests with their lovely siren song – original music to be created by Studio Ghibli’s Joe Hisaishi. Altogether, Enchanted Mermaid Grotto is a peaceful, exhilarating musical dark ride with memorable tunes and characters.
Turtle Island Adventures
Nautical myth tells of the Aspidochelone, a sea turtle so vast, its shell is mistaken for an island. Guests to Atlantean Realm may explore such a creature, accessible from the mainland via the turtle’s titanic fins. The shell teems with jungle vegetation and freshwater streams. Guests climb car-sized barnacles, or walk directly through the sun-dried skeletal remains of an ancient whale. A Haitian witchdoctor’s hut is open so that guests may explore, examine the dried pufferfish, play with the
gris-gris, and even remotely control a chained animatronic voodoo Zombie. Numerous winding pathways let guests get lost in their own imagination.
Kraken Shakin’ (height requirement: 40”)
On the back side of Turtle Island is a towering British man-o’-war ship, ready to make sail. Guests proceed inside to a galley where Lord Tennyson’s poem “The Kraken” displays. Headed topside, guests board a traditional swinging ship ride contained inside a show building, mimicking the open ocean at night. The ship swings and salty waves splash in a pool below. Huge animatronic Kraken tentacles attack! Riders endure the onslaught, only to be saved by the dawn’s morning light.
The Beast of Blackwood Bay
A secluded coastline is home to a unique animatronic meet ‘n’ greet. Here, a cast member claiming herself to be “The Beast Whisperer” summons the Beast of Blackwood Bay. This friendly animatronic Sea Serpent emerges from the waves – controlled live by an unseen cast member – and poses alongside guests for playful photos. The Beast will sing, spit water, and dance to the Whisperer’s fife.
DINING
Carta Marina
A Spanish Armada ship docked in the bay acts as the realm’s primary counter service eatery. Guests may order a wide assortment of a-la-carte Spanish tapas, including olives and manchego and sautéed scallops, which they then enjoy either below decks or topside. Cast members portraying salty old seamen roam the craft, always ready to regale diners with a tall tale of ocean madness.
Creature Comforts
Deep in a water-hewn cave is a comfort food restaurant fashioned from the discarded pieces of ruined ships. Here, light seafood specialties are served counter service style. Double-paned glass walls containing water overlook portions of Enchanted Mermaid Grotto, creating a nice dry-for-wet effect.
Legendary Bites
A majestic lighthouse stands guard over the bay, three massive fang marks in its body suggesting past encounters with unspeakable monsters. At the structure’s base is a snack stand which serves Caribbean street food like fried plantains and jerk chicken. For drinks, we specialize in coconuts with straws.
RETAIL
Here Be Monsters
Captain Proteus lives in an ivy-covered estate inspired by Italy’s Villa del Balbianello. Here he amasses and sells the strange and exotic goods he finds upon the ocean. Cabinets overflow with oddities like the Fiji Mermaid (a hoax) or a mislabeled narwhal skull. Ships-in-bottles, many depicting merchant marines battling aquatic beasts, are a popular souvenir.
Parts Unknown
This Spanish fort overlooking the shipwreck bay serves as an additional outlet for plundered goods. Deep in the stronghold’s munitions storehouse are conquistador helmets, toy cutlasses, spyglasses, and other nautical bric-a-brac.
Tienda Tortuga
A castaway’s shack on the back of Turtle Island Adventures holds all manner of washed-up detritus, from bottled messages to treasure chests. Salvaged merchandise from the East India Trading Co. populates bamboo shelves. “Terra incognita” cartography maps decorate the walls, and are available for purchase.
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Atlantean Realm imagines guests on a high seas adventure without equal. Lengthy water rides send them to Poseidon’s depths and face-to-face with the park’s largest, wildest creatures. Large exploratory pathways allow guests to make their own adventure. The oceans remain a mysterious world which we still barely know, and a common source of Japanese myth. Many of the mythical monsters depicted here have proved to be real. Explore the depths of imagination!
SHOGUN REALM
Crossing the oceans, we reach Asia, and a realm sure to resonate with locals – Shogun Realm, a feudal Japanese kingdom of
yokai creatures which seem bizarre in the West, but commonplace in their home country. Entry is under a shattered samurai gate, reminiscent of the Rashomon doors. On the frame is a carved Oni face. Within is a small Edo town around a Shinto temple, all protected by a moat of sharpened poles. On the waters is a red Itsukushima Shrine gate. Occasionally, massive animatronic koi fish surface. A bath house restroom is home to Akaname, a filth-licking green demon. Pathways lead deeper into an enchanted bamboo forest. The creatures of Shogun Realm are among Monstrous Realms’ cutest, largely realized in a
kawaii style. Attractions are similarly benign, making this an ideal realm for our youngest guests.
ATTRACTIONS
Mystic Kirin Mountain (height requirement: 36”) (VQ)
The Kirin is a lion-dragon, an omen of good luck which dwells high in snowy Mount Hotaka. Whosoever rides this whimsical beast competes for its blessing. Mystic Kirin Mountain is a Vekoma junior coaster, its train resembling a stylized Kirin similar to a Chinese New Year dragon. This ride is double the length most junior coasters, combining Vekoma’s two standard models. The Kirin gallops through a mountainous
torii path, like Kyoto’s Fushimi-ku. Like a roller coaster meets “slideboarding,”
torii gates feature unique colors; riders must press corresponding buttons in their coaster car. The car with the highest total score is bathed in heavenly light at ride’s end.
Kitsune’s Critter Theitter
The fox-spirit Kitsune hosts a charming, comical children’s theater show on a Noh stage. Kitsune’s show utilizes call-and-response, allowing for goofy improvisational fun from its cast of critters, the Adorable Horribles. Children take to the stage and play along. Elements of a Hyakki Yagyo – a traditional Japanese monster parade – are incorporated. After performances, children meet our monstrous cast in a one-on-one “meet ‘n’ shriek.”
Sailing Lanterns (height requirement: 40”)
According to folklore, extremely old inanimate objects can come to life. These are known as “Tsukumogami.” One famous example is the Chochni-Obake, a one-eyed lantern ghost. These goofy spirits love to carry people playfully. Guests enjoy this sensation on a mild Intamin parachute ride centered around two 50-foot pagodas. Enjoy panoramic views in a silly, non-threatening setting.
Leaping Yokai
Another fun-loving possessed object is the Kasa-Obake, a one-eyed umbrella which hops on a single leg. Here the Kasa-Obake manifests as a Zamperla Jump Around flat spinner in the town square. Jumping umbrella carts circle a central “King Umbrella.” Riders may open their carts’ smaller parasols, which causes carts to rotate crazily.
Tengu Kites
The Tengu is a man-bird which rules the skies. Guests may fly like him on the Tengu Kites aerial carousel. Held in kite-shaped cars, they sail over a spraying water fountain and underneath a Shinto dome. The dome’s interior displays planetarium star projections which rotate with the ride, for a wild cosmic experience.
Twirling Tanukis
Join the mischievous Tanuki raccoon dogs in a wild dance circle! Board one of many fuzzy “balls” alongside a goofy Tanuki statue. Ceremonial chants start, accompanying a classic teacups ride. Instead of turning a wheel to spin, guests must pound faster and faster on a central drum, in beat with the rhythm like Guitar Hero. At night, blue Hitodama fire spirits illuminate the circle.
Kappa Creek
Kappa the demon frog lives in a river playground. Here children play in a grid of squirting fountains alongside a costumed Kappa cast member. They splash through a zero depth pond. Play music on flute-like water spouts. Admire Kappa’s bonsai collection. Or simply rub river-formed meditation stones.
The Bone House
Alongside a Zen rock garden is the private house of the Gashadokuro, a skeleton spirit 15 times the size of a normal human. Now immobilized by a Shinto spell, the Gashadokuro’s ribs and bones are refashioned into a children’s playground. Here are numerous net ladders, rope bridges, slides, and even a “Zen garden” ball pit, all in all a fun way for children to play, and for adults to rest their weary bones.
DINING
Namazu Sushi
A gigantic beached Namazu catfish, a
yokai the size of a house, forms the structural basis for a counter service sushi restaurant under fishing huts. All the sushi dishes are playfully named after famous Japanese fish monsters. Namazu itself is famed as a causer of earthquakes, which can sometimes be heard rumbling under the ground whenever the massive fish twitches its fin.
Futakuchi Noodle Shack
Inside of a water mill on the edge of a flooded rice field, the two-mouthed Futakuchi makes her lair. Futakuchi is a very hungry beast, obsessed with noodles, which she shares with guests beside a spinning water wheel. Chefs behind a window make all manner of fresh delicious noodles – ramen, udon, soba – in full view of passersby.
Hitotsume Treats
The forest’s Shinto shrines are overrun with Hitotsumes, shapeshifters which appear as one-eyed bald child monks. These are trickster spirits, fond of desserts. Amongst this Shinto shack’s signature snacks are the “Hitotsume Mochi,” sticky rice balls which resemble their playful namesake.
RETAIL
Tsukumogami Market
The village’s general store has a problem with its merchandise. It is all possessed, like the living lanterns and umbrellas. So while this might seem a traditional feudal marketplace full of banal tools, all of these items laugh, sing and move – in actuality, battery-driven toys and plushes. There are dozens and dozens of these adorable objects, driving Japan’s love of collectibles.
Oni Gate
A guardhouse at the shattered entry gate was first built to ward off the red demon Oni. With time, the Oni mended its cruel ways, and now it stands guard, protecting the prefecture from greater threats. Within the Oni’s office are many colorful ceremonial masks, robes and incense sticks, all festival items available for purchase.
The Kawaii Yokai
AKA “The Super Cute Monster!” This is a simple rickshaw cart which specializes in caricature. Every guest identifies most with a specific monster. Our artists will now draw you as that monster in an anime style – a hilarious keepsake!
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Shogun Realm caters to very young visitors with a collection of non-threatening flat rides and character encounters. In its native Japan this is the most familiar realm, even while its depiction of a fantastical Japanese Neverland makes it just as magical as anyplace else. Japan’s panoply of legendary critters is massive, possibly the widest of any culture! Monsters continue to dominate Japanese popular culture to this day, from kaiju to Pokémon, and Shogun Realm will be a welcome addition to this storied tradition.
PERSIAN REALM
Stone gateways lead to the final realm, set in the hot Arabian Desert. Here is the cradle of civilization, ancient Mesopotamia, home to the world’s oldest monsters. A mighty ziggurat dominates an Assyrian city, with verdant gardens and a serene central fountain. Assorted statuary depicts the mythical Lamasu, the great bird Simurgh, or the demon Pazuzu. A blue Gate of Ishtar leads out over the Tigris River. Past Hammurabi’s Code, past half-hidden Egyptian temples, is a windswept desert canyon similar to the Wadi Rum. Man has yet to settle these wild wastelands. An animatronic Karkadann – a monstrous rhino – wanders freely, accompanied by its human handler. As the walkways transition back to the Ottoman Realm, guests pass through a fantastical version of Turkey’s Mt. Nemrut, where megalithic heads depict Gryphons, Dragons and other beasts.
ATTRACTIONS
Roc! (height requirement: 52”) (VQ)
The largest monster to ever fly was the enormous eagle Roc, whose talons could crush an elephant. This titanic bird of prey terrorizes the entire realm as an exciting B&M wing coaster. Its sand-toned coaster tracks are impossible to hide entirely, though this double out-and-back course (in the realm’s outer edge) is carefully incorporated into mountain ranges, towers and pillars.
Guests queue in a Catal Huyuk mud settlement at the foot of Mount Qaf, the legendary nesting ground of the Roc. Seated in midair on either wing of a Roc train, guests proceed up the slopes of Mount Qaf, past enormous hatching Roc eggs inside a nest made of tree trunks. Diving down the snowy peaks, the Roc corkscrews around the Tower of Babel, then does an airtime camelback over the ziggurat. Nearing a sheer cliff wall (an eye opens in the wall – this is the sleeping Behemoth!), riders turn back via Immelmann loop. An inline twist through ziggurat keyholes, then a giant flat spin around the Tower, to a brake run
inside Mount Qaf. Ahead, a full-scale Roc animatronic screeches! Riders do a diving loop in the darkness. Outside amidst a tangle of Akkadian pillars, they do a super slow Zero G Roll. A final helix spins riders around a whale-sized Antlion in quicksand, and to a final brake run in Mount Qaf’s caves, bursting with treasures.
The Kingdom of the Djinn (VQ)
Inside the great Ziggurat of Qaf is a portal to the imaginal dimension, a kingdom populated by the Djinn, corporeal spirits made of smokeless fire. In the West we know them as Genies, who do far more than grant wishes. Upon slow omnimover golden lamps, guests discover this for themselves. With astounding sets, screen effects and cloud tanks, they enter the phantasmagorical world of the Djinn, formed by the emotions of humanity. Here the Djinn boast a society much like ours, with weddings and dances and trials. Details are taken from the tale of Aladdin, yes, but also from other Arabian sources, for a unique psychedelic dark ride journey.
The Mummy’s Tomb (due to frightening content, not recommended for guests under 12)
A Karnak temple complex houses this frightening haunted maze deep within. Guests pulse through a desert tomb. Scarab beetle projections infest hieroglyphic walls. Chanting flows from an unseen source in an unknown language. Sarcophaguses shake, and rotted arms emerge. Live “scare actors” torment guests – leaping from blind corners, foggy pits, ceiling holes. They appear as bandaged Mummies, or as creepy Egyptian deities with heads of jackals or falcons. Animatronic effects (crocodile pits, crawling Mummy torsos) compliment this permanent haunt which is sure to thrill.
Using the Monstrous App’s virtual queue, guests even sign up for a low-capacity “escape room” experience within the pharaoh’s burial chamber. Deduce Coptic riddles in a race against time and a descending ceiling!
Riddle of the Sphinx
Half hidden in the sand is a limestone Great Sphinx monument. Inside it is the great hall of the mythic Sphinx, a winged lion-lady who delights in tormenting travelers with riddles. Guests may test their wits against this animatronic Sphinx, which is voiced and animated live by an unseen cast member. Far from a simple meet ‘n’ greet, this is a mind-bending upgrade to the Turtle Talk model. In Japanese only, except by request.
DINING
The Hanging Gardens
The visual crown jewel of Persian Realm is The Hanging Gardens, a tiered structure displaying hundreds of exotic plant species, a masterpiece of irrigation and landscaping. Should they ride a raising chamber (elevator) to the upper level, guests will discover a table dining restaurant atop an artful green roof under tent shading. Bas reliefs depict an assortment of Persian myths. Every diner enjoys views out to the whole of Monstrous Realms. High-end Middle Eastern cuisine features on the menu, as does Continental food, ensuring nearly every taste is satisfied.
Buraq Lounge
This is the Hanging Gardens’ sister bar on the ground floor, where flowing aqueducts power the beer taps. Fine silk curtains drape about, giving this space a soft, feminine glow. Elaborate wall mosaics depict the winged Buraq, a Persian steed which ferries the righteous to heaven. Among a variety of hors d’oeuvres, the lounge specializes is hummus with pita bread, served with different seasonal flavors.
Humbaba’s Cedar Grill
The Epic of Gilgamesh – possibly the world’s oldest story – tells of the giant Humbaba who lived in a cedar forest. Within his primitive stone hut, perched on the edge of Legendary Lagoon’s cedar point, Humbaba grills Lebanese food, dominated by figs, hummus, baba ghanoush, cinnamon, and eggplant.
Scorpion Man Skewers
In a Bedouin tent erected around the base of an old socotranum tree, the mythic race of Scorpion Men cooks up a tempting array of kababs and skewers. Desert cliff bas-reliefs depict Tiamat and her scorpion offspring. This snack stand also serves frosty date shakes, a surprisingly delicious desert dessert!
RETAIL
Three Wishes
This flagship shop sits opposite The Hanging Gardens in a Babylonian palace. The interior glows with ornate hieroglyphic walls. An antechamber is designed to suggest the interior of a Djinn’s lamp, complete with furnaces and tulle drapes. Along with Persian souvenirs and fancy textiles are interactive decorative elements such as a floating magic carpet (which hovers atop a magnetic plate), animatronic snake charming baskets, and cast members performing as ascetic fakirs.
Death-Worm Fine Silks
Natural caves in the desert wastelands hide treasure caches straight out of Arabian Nights. Peddlers in an “Ali Baba” chamber offer only the finest silk from the gigantic Mongolian Death-Worm. Interactive treasure chests open when guests utter the magic words, to be found by studying the realm’s carved details, and the words are
not “Open sesame.”
Behemoth Boutique
The base of the Tower of Babel holds Behemoth Boutique, accessed from the canyon via a massive graven Mouth of Moloch. Inside under a towering light shaft is a trove of fine baskets, lamps, and other bazaar souvenirs.
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Persian Realm rounds out our park with an array of intriguing Arabian-themed adventures. This realm’s elements all come from greatest antiquity, the very foundation of Man’s myths and legends. These stories inspire a robust wing coaster and a mesmerizing dark ride, along with exceptional dining and retail. Persian Realm is a joy simply to explore. Its every nook contains references to ancient Mesopotamia or ancient Egypt, lands with a surprisingly wide variety of legendary creatures!
NIGHTTIME SPECTACULAR – PHOENIX REBORN
The cycle of night and day is a cycle of death and rebirth. This is the story of Monstrous Realms itself. It is the story of the Phoenix, perhaps the most beautiful of all legendary animals. After nightfall, all of Legendary Lagoon and the Beastly Basilica in its center light up for Phoenix Reborn, a spectacular which dramatizes the Phoenix’s life, death and resurrection. With our park’s careful circular layout, this show is visible from the shores of every realm, and from the bridges which divide the lagoon.
Set amidst all these bridges are water fountains, able to dance with music and create mist screen projections. Scored to Igor Stravinsky’s ethereal “Firebird Suite” (abridged), the brilliantly multicolored Phoenix appears in these fountains, and projection mapped on the surface of Beastly Basilica. The music turns deadly, and flames shoot up! The Phoenix burns into nothingness...only for the music to swell once again, accompanied by an array of colorful lasers. Every realm joins in. Sparks belch from the Grecian factory. Gothic lightning covers Tower Prometheus. The Celtic wicker man bursts into flames. The Atlantean lighthouse reflects beams. Shogun Hitodama spirits glow. Smokeless Persian fire bathes the Tower of Babel. The Phoenix emerges fully formed, with a carefully choreographed crescendo of fountains, lights and music!
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Like the Phoenix, Monstrous Realms rises from the ashes of Nara Dreamland. What was once a fantasy kingdom becomes one once again. Forged by trials and abandonment, what now arises is far more original, and far more evocative. Guests to Monstrous Realms discover the worlds of legendary creatures and mythic monsters. Countless cultures from throughout the globe congregate to create our rich, textured realms. From cute yokai to fearsome dragons, mighty serpents and wise birds, Monstrous Realms boasts a truly eclectic bestiary.
It is entirely possible to gain a foothold in a competitive market. Universal proved this in Orlando. Monstrous Realms looks to prove it again in Japan, trusting that imagination and excellence will guide our park to success!
”Nature is ugly, and I prefer the monsters of my fancy to what is positively trivial.”
