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Cleverest uses of illusions within theme parks?

Matt N

Matt N

CF Legend
Hi guys. When designing attractions, particularly dark rides, showmanship and theatrical design skills are a big part of the design process. Designing a dark ride is almost like designing a show; you want your guests to be constantly wowed and immersed in a unique adventure. One mechanism that is often used to do that is illusionism, or putting illusions into rides. It's often a really cool technique in my opinion; there's nothing quite like riding a new ride for the first time and coming across an illusion that makes you think "how the hell did they do that?" and makes you question your own perception of what was really happening. So my question to you today is; what are some of the cleverest uses of illusions within theme parks, in your opinion? What illusions have blown your mind and made you think "how the hell did they do that"?

I'll get the ball rolling with my answers.

I can think of a fair few illusions that have impressed me:
  • Spinning Room (Various Madhouses) - I know the Spinning Room illusion used by Madhouses is very common and quite simple by today's standards, but I must say that it always rather impresses me! Even though you never actually go upside down at all, Madhouse rides very cleverly trick you into thinking you are, and it's actually a very convincing illusion, in my view; it still gets plenty of first time riders going, and I must admit that I was pretty stunned when I first discovered that Hex at Alton Towers (my first ever Madhouse) didn't actually go upside down!
  • Simulated Freefall (Various Simulators) - This effect is now used on various simulator rides across the globe, but I must admit that the freefall effect on The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man at Islands of Adventure properly impressed me the first time I rode it! When I first rode Spider-Man, I was genuinely convinced that the freefall on the ride was a genuine drop, and even now, I must admit that I'm still not sure quite how it's done! I think the way that Oceaneering were able to simulate a convincing gravity-driven freefall within the car in unison with the rider experiencing a huge freefall on the ride film is absolutely spell-binding, and still one of the most clever illusions out there, in my opinion!
  • Simulated Inversion (Flight of Passage & Flight of the Sky Lion) - Flight of Passage at Disney's Animal Kingdom and Flight of the Sky Lion at Legoland Windsor may be two very different rides, but one similarity they share is a very cool section where the ride simulates a barrel roll-type inversion. This is stunningly executed, and incredibly convincing, in my opinion; even though you never once go upside down, it looks like you're going upside down and it feels like you're going upside down! It's so clever, in my opinion!
But what are some of your favourite uses of illusions within theme parks?
 
The vanishing Idol in Tower Of Terror at Tokyo DisneySea,
I've litterally watched videos of the section of the preshow this happens and I still dont really know 100% how they do it. (To be clear I'm not really sure i want to know) but damn is it a good effect.
 
roomraider said:
The vanishing Idol in Tower Of Terror at Tokyo DisneySea,
I've litterally watched videos of the section of the preshow this happens and I still dont really know 100% how they do it. (To be clear I'm not really sure i want to know) but damn is it a good effect.
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I think I saw a video once showing how it's done but it's still very impressive to watch. Every time I see videos of the preshow I have to rewind that part. Definitely the best effect I can recall.
 
A second vote for the hanging carriage in Derren Browns Ghost Train. The Ride experience is garbage, but that room is still impressive!
 
The hanging carriage of Ghost Train gets another vote from me. It's a fairly simple illusion, but done on such a grand scale. It's a shame that in practice it's lost on so many people.

I'll also mention the disappearing spaceship on Area 51 at Movie Park Germany. Presumably just a case of Pepper's Ghost, but damn it's just done SO WELL.
 
spicy said:
One of my favourites even though I’ve never even seen it in person is the Shanghai PoTC Jack Sparrow.
It just looks so awesome and such a clever use of peppers ghost.

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That's the one that immediately sprang to mind for me. No video I've seen has ever really done it justice. No video has ever really done any of that ride full justice, actually. It's ****ing insane.
 
The audible reaction to that from each boat is uplifting.


And the hidden support's on the suspended ghost train was lost on me. So obvious now when thinking about it that they must have done. It looks so cool I was just focused on that.
 
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It's been a while since I've been on it, but I remember being particularly impressed with the 'disappearing room' effect on Poseidon's Fury at IoA.
At least I think it was Poseidon's Fury... have I got that right? 🤔 One minute you're in a fairly small, confined room, the lights go out briefly and when they come back on you're in a vast, stage-like setpiece. I mean, it's removable walls, obviously, but it's how swiftly and silently they're removed that impresses the most, and I still haven't figured out where they go. 🤷‍♂️
Also, the water vortex tunnel in the same attraction is pretty awesome too.

Fairly predictably, I'm gonna give a shout-out to The Clinic too. I know not many people have done it (sly nod to those who have 😉), but seeing as it's looking unlikely that The Clinic will return I'm gonna include a spoiler or two here:
in one sequence you are buried alive. Not for real, obvs - it's an illusion - but just let that sink in for a moment. Buried alive!! 😮
In another sequence, on your journey towards eternal damnation, a ghastly image of the Devil's face is imprinted on your retinas and for several seconds you literally can't unsee it. Even if you look away or close your eyes - there he is, still glaring back at you.
Really, really unnerving, but oh-so clever. I was sh**ing myself, but quietly applauding the ingenuity at the same time.

*Important edit: I was wrong - The Clinic IS returning, in fact tickets are on sale now, so if you plan on doing it and don't want spoilers, don't read this post!
 
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The queue for Hogwarts Express at IoA has a very clever one.

At some point as you approach the platform itself, you see a view of the queue ahead of you. It appears to go straight into a brick wall. And then you see people walking through the wall as if it wasn't there. You round the corner yourself, see a large opening in the same brick wall, and pass through it to the amusement of people behind you in the line.

The effect is quite clever but captures poorly - or rather, too well - on camera (the trick is very visible in this video). Your initial view of the opening is through a luggage trolley, which holds a large semi-transparent mirror that reflects the opposite wall, imposing an image of a solid brick wall over the opening.

Also, a shout-out to another Floridian illusion, the enchanted mirror in the Enchanted Tales with Belle attraction at Magic Kingdom:
 
For me it will always be transporting aboard the Enterprise at the Star Trek Experience in Vegas. I would even say that I was more impressed during the backstage tour where they let you do it with the lights on. Wild. RIP
 
I'll throw out two simple special effects that actually point to clever ride logistics, both at Galaxy's Edge:

1. Rise of the Resistance People Carrier Swap - the illusion here (time stamp below) happens ride as the ridden portion begins, where your transports are "communicating" with other droid transports. In reality, the ride cars are just being staged for the next set of riders, but very cleverly woven into the story plot that doesn't make riders think twice of why there are empty ride cars in the middle of the ride.


2. Smugglers Run Rotating Cockpits - the experience of Smugger's Run is seamless; you board the Millennium Falcon, enter the cockpit, leave out of the Millennium Falcon. But to make capacity work, there need to be multiple cockpits, which rotate carousel style to allow higher throughput. The illusion, in reality, is you feel like you never left the starship, even though you are exiting differently than you entered.
 
The vanishing ballerinas in the finale of Carnesky's Ghost Train at Blackpool was a really good effect.
Shame the whole ride vanished!
 
No matter how many times I ride it, I still absolutely love the effects and on ride illusions on Tower of Terror in Orlando, a cool concept done pretty much perfectly to me.

Sent from my SM-S908B using Tapatalk
 
Lime said:
Derren Browns Ghost Train at Thorpe Park.

Although the ride experience itself is a messy shambles, the aesthetic and idea of the ride is still very clever.
The whole suspended train carriage and the clever use of mirrors to disguise the supports, and the entering the train carriage in one location and seemingly being transported to another location is very well done.

A polished t*rd.
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Yeah that ride had so much potential to be world class. But yeah it's a shambles
 
I'm surprised no one has mentioned mystic manor at Hong Kong Disney, I think led lights drop from the ceiling on invisible wire and light up like individual points of light floating in space like magic dust, this is all combined with lasers for an awesome effect. It doesn't really come across that well in videos I've seen.
 
Rollercoaster David said:
I'm surprised no one has mentioned mystic manor at Hong Kong Disney, I think led lights drop from the ceiling on invisible wire and light up like individual points of light floating in space like magic dust, this is all combined with lasers for an awesome effect. It doesn't really come across that well in videos I've seen.
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It's not LED lights on wires; it's all lasers. During a very brief blackout, mesh screens fall down and the lasers are projected onto them, giving the illusion of floating lights. It's definitely up there the best ride illusions, yeah.
 
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