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Chessington changes for 2012

Phew, that's better than them taking them out completely! Are they really just going to put seats there though??
 
Absolutely Awful.

The Swarm areas looking great so Merlin can do it, it's just Chessie seems to get bitched.

When is Chessie going to get something remotely worthwhile...
 
Nice one Chessie, that's just what you need to get more people through your gates next year... :roll:

whatanawfulpark.
 
*Bangs head against wall*

This better be one of the projects that gets cancelled. Part of me wonders what must be going through their minds though, it costs just over a grand to submit a planning application plus a lot more to get it all drawn up etc. I've lost count of how many have been submitted over the last few years that have never actually been built.

I just don't understand what is wrong with management. Think this will be the end of me being a fan of the park, it's becoming too frustrating.

Link to planning application images
 
Whilst I think this retheme could be far worse (I don't think the proposal for the redressing of the shop is that bad at all? Am I really alone? Looks fine to me.), I can't help wonder what the point of it is? It just seems like you might as well do nothing unless you do it properly, to me.

Perhaps the fact that we go so often is skewing our perception in that respect. The average visitor would just go and be like "oh this is new". Perhaps the very fact that the old area is gone (as far as the average guest is concerned) is enough to improve the perceptions of guests? Perhaps it creates the sense that the place is modern, changing, adding new stuff regularly? Funny that this couldn't be further from the truth, but it would make sense to try and convey that...?

Perhaps I'm alone here, but whilst Toy Town is/was very out of place in the park's new identify (in fact, it has been since I can recall) I felt that it needed time and deep consideration to really create a new theme for it. John and I have spent hours brainstorming possibilities, none of which really grabbed us, felt right or even made sense. It's evident they've been thinking about Toy Town for a while, there's been solid sounding rumours for ages. When I briefly worked there in 2010, there were rumours floating around about a Toadies retheme. I wonder if sheer desperation of what the hell to do with that space has set in and spending money on an unconfident idea is just silly?
 
I quite like it. It's a LOT better than what's there at the moment and at least they're being seen to do SOMETHING.

The fact it's pretty generic will only help when they eventually, hopefully, do something with the centre of the park. Because at present it's so out of touch and out of date with the rest of the park.

What were we all expecting? I305?! ;)

Shame about the removal/hiding in a corner somewhere of the bouncy Disney knock-off though. They're quite fun! :p
 
It looks OK. Since when did CWOA become an African themed park? It's creeping in all over the park. How long until Transylvania is rethemed to bongos and lip plates?

In reality, Toy Town is looking tired so a retheme is due (as was promised a few years ago), but why Africa FFS? I'm guessing it's because the bright colours and easy theme is pleasing to the eye and has a "exciting" vibe?

2012 has to be the last year of shows and walk-thru style attractions. If the Toy Town refurb happens, the park will have no further need for shows. Chessington is one of the best theme parks in the country. It really needs a well themed ride for 2013...for my own selfish pleasure. I have very little interest in shows and the like.
 
I can see why they're going for the theme. It's simply that they're trying to get a consistent "feel" across the park. They're very "animal" focussed, so the bright, child colourings are at odds with the overall park.

This is a generic, "kind of matches everything else" type of makeover. Utterly bland, making the overall feel of the park "brown".

I can understand why they're doing it from that front, but the area was easy to ignore because it looked tired and dated (when it should really be vibrant for a toy town). Now it'll be even easier to ignore because it looks like everything else in the park; but at least it's new.
 
peep said:
Think this will be the end of me being a fan of the park, it's becoming too frustrating.
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Might well join you on that front John, this sorta thing has been happening for too many years for me to care anymore...


No-one could be expecting I305, but at least something more substanial than just a show and would could potentially be the most hashed out area retheme since Dark Forest (funnily enough, the building image reminds me of Ug Land)... Considering the park only a year or two back got rid of the Market Square show stage for whatever reason, it's proving how circular the minds of the management are for bringing back ideas that were done originally but didn't work that well or were just phased out...

The park is still relying on 20+ year old rides to get through life... It needs to get its act together and start thinking long-term plans, because maybe that is a reason why they don't get investment money... Because they think Splash Battles are a good investment halfway through the season, then change again to sommat else...

I'm all up for Entertainments to be plussed, but not at the expense of better looking attractions...

Plus Berries is still there... Soooooo dunno what's gonna happen with them, one would hope they get rethemed but you just don't know with Chessie...

Also, an African theme does kinda make sense cos of it being right next door to Forbidden Kingdom...

And finally, I was told that the Monkey Kingdom stuff had height based issues with some of the structure, so dunno how they just took that as "screw it then, we'll build sommat cheap" instead of "let's shorten it slightly so we can really push on with both the park AND zoo"...

Despair at this park, it's literally DCI all over again, with Kobra being Fury...
 
I just thought it was so it fits in with the 'adventure/round the world' theme? I can definitely see how it would work. It'd be better (although definitely more costly) if they just.......tore out the whole area and started from scratch. Because you've also got the likes of Toadies and the little lorry ride (can't remember what it's called) as well as some, yes nostalgic, but old and out of date looking theming around that area that just doesn't fit with the park nowadays.

I do like the fact that Chessington are working on their consistency, but there area other things that need addressing before the focus goes onto a Toytown retheme, in my opinion.
 
I think the thing that does my head in about this retheme is that they're simply just painting over the old buildings without any substantial work to them, which would work okay on any normal building but the fact that the toytown buildings have been built in such a cartoony and wonky fashion makes the retheme stick out like a sore thumb.
 
Crazycoaster said:
I think the thing that does my head in about this retheme is that they're simply just painting over the old buildings without any substantial work to them, which would work okay on any normal building but the fact that the toytown buildings have been built in such a cartoony and wonky fashion makes the retheme stick out like a sore thumb.
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I think it was Jordan that gave mention to this earlier, but African buildings do sort of look like that. They're not exactly constructed through multi-billion pound investments. And they're also finished on time :p .
 
Crazycoaster said:
I think the thing that does my head in about this retheme is that they're simply just painting over the old buildings without any substantial work to them, which would work okay on any normal building but the fact that the toytown buildings have been built in such a cartoony and wonky fashion makes the retheme stick out like a sore thumb.
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This.

nadroJ said:
I can definitely see how it would work. It'd be better (although definitely more costly) if they just.......tore out the whole area and started from scratch.
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And This.

Its just such a lazy retheme its rediculous, a Madagasgar retheme really isn't a bad idea at all but you got to at least give it some effort. Not just a stage with some logs and a bit of paint and straw on the ToyTown buildings. I bet Berries doesn't even get touched..
 
And finally, I was told that the Monkey Kingdom stuff had height based issues with some of the structure, so dunno how they just took that as "screw it then, we'll build sommat cheap" instead of "let's shorten it slightly so we can really push on with both the park AND zoo"...
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I did wonder if this was the case, but it's concerning that they get so far through the planning stages before this becomes apparent every time. Same with Alton. I feel like the park management just keep forgetting? It must be far more complicated than it looks to us.

I bet what happened was it become too late to submit revised plans. I mean, revising the height probably involved making substantial changes design wise, then structurally wise and by the time it was all submitted it would be too late for next season. So, it's probably been put on hold until 2013, and they've gone back to older ideas for Toy Town retheme.

I've also just thought that if anywhere in the park needed a show building, it's there. It's "out of the way" but also very near two larger attractions. It means families can split and entertain the little ones with the show whilst the big kids go on the larger rides. And that, I like. It also makes me wish silently they they'd sort of LotD... but, also no, cuz.... I'd rather they spent their limited funds elsewhere, lols.

On the subject of "Why Africa", it's closest neighbour is Forbidden Kingdom, so it made some sort of logic.

I follow the "it's all brown" logic though. Most of the criticisms of Wild Asia were that it's all grey, and it's true. I spoke to a freelance theming guy by e-mail once about the need with theming to break up the style and colour to draw interest to certain areas, and give the whole thing a more varied appearance. It's basic, very basic, arty logic and yet it was something I hadn't considered before. Wild Asia demonstrates the negative effect of it well. There's no break, nothing to make the overall appearance exciting. As far as it goes is with bunting.

Kinda hoping this area will look like it fits in with Forbidden Kingdom, though. And then it will make my OCD about keeping the park continents fairly logical happy.
 
The Ribena-Powered Willy-Lift-Inducers stick out like a sore thumb in Toytown!

They'll look a lot more at home in the rehash of the area than in its current guise. Bloody enthusiasts :roll:



Edit - Joey, they're prayer flags, let's not lower the glorious level of bunting now, I'll cry! :p
 
I was going to say I think people are going a bit ott on this.

Wild Asia was old buildings with new fronts and a lot of people thought it was great.

When this is done it might look ok, that picture is 2d when it's built it will look a lot better there will be depth to it. Problem is this will be done with the lowest budget possible :(

I personally want to see them do more, but have got used to the fact this is Chessington and we are not their focus at all. We are out of the age range and most of us don't have kids.

I will wait and see how this turns out, but it's not an addition to the park in my view it's just a shop re theme to make people think its new.
 
I've gotta say I thought a Toytown retheme was one of the most needed things in that dump. And it kept coming up in that ideas for Chessington topic <//3

Is Africa the most inspired choice for a theme? Not really. Is it one that fits in perfectly with the park, and specifically, that area of the park? Yes.

What we've actually seen in terms of plans is shocking, yes, but, like Marc said, it's not that much worse than Wild Asia, everyone's favourite cheap, grey, dull retheme!

I just wonder how long it'll take everyone to realise Chessington are ****. They haven't done anything worthwhile since 2004, they don't know what to do with the place, they change their mind every five minutes, and it's run by creatures who would be more suited to being exhibts in the zoo, than managing it.
 
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