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Small News From The Theme Park Industry

ECG said:
I think that's only for the original "Steamboat Willie" Mickey. Please correct me if I'm mistaken.
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I did some research and you're not mistaken.

Another big one is Winnie the Pooh.

But the trouble with Winnie and Mickey, is that Disney still have protection over everything people nowadays would recognise as those characters. Because their images, as we'd recognise them today, are derivative works. coming from later books / cartoons / movies, so their current likenesses are still protected. Most people wouldn't recognise Steamboat Willie as Mickey Mouse, and Winnie's red top was introduced much later, so that is still protected, isn't WInnie just another bear without his red top?

Peter Pan is a rabbit hole worth going down. It should technically be in the public domain by now, and is in many places. But in the UK, presumably because the rights are held by, and directly support Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, the government made special provisions a long time ago allowing them to still receive royalties to this day. https://www.gosh.org/about-us/peter-pan/copyright/

I don't understand it all fully, aside from a bit of a rabbit hole today. But ultimately, I think it will only work for things like Wizard of Oz. Where any illustrator / artist can draw up brand new character images, and them be instantly recognisable, such as the ones above. Draw any young girl, witch, lion, scarecrow and tin man in the same image, and it's instantly recognisable as Wizard of Oz. In short, very very smart move Gulliver's.
 
Graeme said:
At this stage I just hope they keep Megafobia and hold tight until they can recover. 😐
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I doubt it tbh. I don't have a clue what's happened to the park.

Our last visit in 2023 when Megaphobia re opened again. 10am till 10pm close. Despite the day was very poor operation wise, it was a very good long day.

I wonder if Bounces removal is something to do with the "incident" it had?

I cant see Oakwood lasting another season.

I
 
Six Flags Entertainment reported a net loss of $206 million for 2024, following its merger with Cedar Fair. While fourth-quarter revenue rose to $687 million from $371 million, the company experienced a net loss of $264 million. CEO Richard Zimmerman anticipates positive growth in 2025, with a 2% increase in attendance and a 3% rise in season pass sales already this year. Source
 
Marsden10002 said:
I cant see Oakwood lasting another season.
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Funny thing is, I think we've all said the same for at least ten years. The park has long appeared to be doomed, but has somehow chugged along for years regardless. That being said, they might have made just enough money to pay for operations and daily maintenance, but not enough to compensate for long-term wear and tear. They can keep attractions running until they break, but when they do, there's no replacing them, and each removed attraction will chip away at their income.
 
Pokemaniac said:
Funny thing is, I think we've all said the same for at least ten years. The park has long appeared to be doomed, but has somehow chugged along for years regardless. That being said, they might have made just enough money to pay for operations and daily maintenance, but not enough to compensate for long-term wear and tear. They can keep attractions running until they break, but when they do, there's no replacing them, and each removed attraction will chip away at their income.
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I don't get Aspro at all. It isn't exactly a 'small' company, Aqualands are everywhere you turn around the med.

I wonder what the long term plans for their theme parks are, as they don't seem to be adding much to any of them. Is it a 'milk it until it's dead' operation?
 
Marsden10002 said:
I doubt it tbh. I don't have a clue what's happened to the park.

Our last visit in 2023 when Megaphobia re opened again. 10am till 10pm close. Despite the day was very poor operation wise, it was a very good long day.

I wonder if Bounces removal is something to do with the "incident" it had?

I cant see Oakwood lasting another season.
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Yeah, it's a dire situation, but I still think there's a way forward. The park is so remote, and I think they tried to be too major for the location. Just my personal taste, but I think a 2nd woodie would have had much broader appeal than the more extreme Hydro and Speed.

If they can strip it back to Megafobia + small supporting rides, they might be able to stabilise themselves until they can afford to invest again. I reckon a Vekoma or Gerstlauer family launched coaster would be just the thing to complement Megafobia.
 
The fact that they are spending the cash to actually remove these rides gives me some (small) hope for Oakwood. Drenched was a huge drain on their resources and I know they did spend a lot on the boat to try and get it back up and running last year. Let’s hope they get some real investment soon, or Aspro sell up!
 
Heads up for anyone heading to SoCal this month.
Disneyland will temporarily close Indiana Jones Adventure and Guardians of the Galaxy-Mission: Breakout as part of the park's standard refurbishment schedule. Guardians of the Galaxy will be closed March 10th-20th, and Indy will be closed March 17th-April 24th.
The new closures join Grizzly River Run, It’s a Small World, Pixie Hollow, and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, which are already shuttered for refurbishment.
Grizzly River Run will return March 14th after the annual winter refurbishment, but It’s a Small World is not expected to return until the spring.
The "Fantasmic" nighttime spectacular will also be dark on March 3rd-6th, March 10th-13th, March 31st-April 3rd and April 7th-10th.
 
Alsacian theme park, Le Parc du Petit Prince, is now owned by the Ptak Group (Mandoria).
The group is planning to invest really quickly into their new property, a new rollercoaster is already planned for 2026 !

Ptak were initially going to buy an English theme park as their first foreign property before choosing the small french park !

https://www.lalsace.fr/culture-lois...ign=Facebook&at_medium=Social&at_source=nonli

We also learn in the same article that the project for the second Mandoria park in the North-East of Poland is scrapped due to pressuring from the ecologist
 
Us3rmane said:
Alsacian theme park, Le Parc du Petit Prince, is now owned by the Ptak Group (Mandoria).
The group is planning to invest really quickly into their new property, a new rollercoaster is already planned for 2026 !
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Could it be the Gerstlauer Bobsled Coaster that is in storage at Mandoria?
 
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Us3rmane said:
Alsacian theme park, Le Parc du Petit Prince, is now owned by the Ptak Group (Mandoria).
The group is planning to invest really quickly into their new property, a new rollercoaster is already planned for 2026 !

Ptak were initially going to buy an English theme park as their first foreign property before choosing the small french park !

https://www.lalsace.fr/culture-lois...ign=Facebook&at_medium=Social&at_source=nonli

We also learn in the same article that the project for the second Mandoria park in the North-East of Poland is scrapped due to pressuring from the ecologist
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I wonder which English park this would have been 🤔

I hope they're still interested in the future, as another operator could really shake up the UK scene !
 
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