The bird on a stick isn't an animatronic though. It's a static bird... on a stick. Velocicoaster's on-ride raptors are also static, but they probably couldn't justify spending the money to make them animatronics when you speed past them so quickly. It's not like you're just sitting there staring at them, unlike the bird... on a stick. And we know they can do convincing raptor animatronics, as the queue (and other, more recent Jurassic rides) proves, so that wasn't the issue.IMO Velocicoaster is the best coaster I've ever been on. I emphasize the word coaster. It's not the best coaster-based attraction though. I would rather ride Hagrid's than Velocicoaster. To me, VC just falls short on theming elements and I know it's going at 65mph but they still could've given the feel of threat from the raptors. Maybe have a simple animatronic (like the bird on a stick) pop out at one of the corners...or pop up on a rock right before the coaster dives under. Yes, you're in the raptor paddock...but never once do I feel like the raptors are a threat...they're just there.
Velocicoaster is in fact highly themed for a large, outdoor roller coaster that's meant to be thrilling to actual thrillseekers rather than just your typical Disney (or even Universal) clientele. I can only think of one or two others -- worldwide -- that even compare. These things are almost never thematic works of art. So people need to place it within the proper context before judging it instead of comparing it to Disney's coasters, as they don't have anything remotely comparable, and it's not like I can't point out serious thematic problems in some of their coasters that are significantly smaller & less intense, meaning they should've been easier to theme. Disney is still the best at theming coasters (at least until a focal point of the ride breaks and then stays broken for literal decades), but their best-themed coasters would all be considered kiddie rides by Velocicoaster's target demographic. The same will be true of most Epic Universe coasters, with the exception of Starfall Racers. Should you expect to be blown away by the theming of all the smaller coasters? Probably not, but it's way too soon in the park's progress to be nitpicking. We don't actually know what these rides will look like yet. Of course, reason & logic can never be applicable for a certain troll.
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