Phantom Theater

Last updated
Phantom Theater
KingsIsandPhantomTheater.png
Kings Island
Area Hanna-Barbera Land
StatusRemoved
Opening date1992 (1992)
Closing date2002 (2002)
ReplacedSmurf's Enchanted Voyage
Replaced by Scooby-Doo and the Haunted Castle
Ride statistics
Attraction type Dark ride / Haunted attraction
Manufacturer D. H. Morgan Manufacturing
Model Omnimover
Vehicles55
Riders per vehicle3

Phantom Theater was a dark ride located at Kings Island amusement park in Mason, Ohio. The ride was manufactured by Morgan Manufacturing and was similar to Disney's Omnimover ride system, with a continuously moving chain of vehicles. [1] The attraction took guests through a haunted, abandoned theater and was furnished with sets and characters created by R&R Creative Amusement Designs, Inc. [2] The ride replaced Smurf's Enchanted Voyage (1984-1991), which in turn was a re-skin of the original Enchanted Voyage (1972-1983). The ride was re-themed to Scooby-Doo and the Haunted Castle in 2003, and again to Boo Blasters on Boo Hill in 2010. The ride system remains in place, albeit with modifications.

Contents

History

Taft Broadcasting, interested in finding a way to promote its recently-acquired Hanna-Barbera division, met with Gary Wachs and his father Ralph, both of whom owned Cincinnati's Coney Island and were intent on expanding and moving the park, for a possible merger. The business purchased the land in 1969. Construction of Kings Island began in 1970, and the most expensive attraction erected for the park's inaugural year was a dark ride called Enchanted Voyage, which cost approximately $2 million to construct. [3] The ride was manufactured by Arrow Development and opened with the park in 1972.

Enchanted Voyage was located in a building shaped like a giant TV set, taking guests through several rooms featuring animatronic versions of new and old Hanna-Barbera characters. Its theme song was composed by well-known Hanna-Barbera music producer Paul De Korte, and the lyrics were written by William Hanna and former Coney Island executive Dennis Speigel. [3] It played throughout the ride, reciting themes from familiar characters such as Fred Flintstone, Scooby-Doo, and Yogi Bear. Less common shows such as Wacky Races and The Banana Splits were also alluded to. The first room introduced the song while the second room changed to a western accent, the third utilized a Caribbean flavor and the fourth had a "spooky" theme. The fifth and final room reverted to the original music with a circus-like ambiance. The rides final exit was at the "mouth" of a giant clown as each boat would travel a few feet up an inclined lift hill before splashing down the drop into the water on the other side. [4]

Smurf's Enchanted Voyage (1984-1991)

For the 1984 season, Kings Island updated the ride's theme to Hanna-Barbera's The Smurfs, and it was renamed Smurf's Enchanted Voyage. New animatronics were used for various characters and decorations, and the song playing throughout the ride was changed to coincide with the cartoon. Smurf's Enchanted Voyage consisted of several rooms, each themed to a different season of the year focusing on holidays such as Christmas and Halloween.

Phantom Theater (1992–2002)

At the end of the 1991 season, the building housing the attraction was gutted and the water transportation system was removed. Installed in its place was an Omnimover-type dark ride similar in style to The Haunted Mansion attractions at various Disney parks around the world. The original loading area for the boats entering and exiting the ride was converted a line queue area for a children's kiddie roller coaster originally named Scooby Zoom and later known as Great Pumpkin Coaster. A new entrance was constructed for Phantom Theater at the opposite corner of the building. A small, unused section of the building was converted into a children's theater called "Enchanted Theater".

Phantom Theater was themed to a behind-the-scenes tour of a theater haunted by the dead. The exterior of the building was stylized as a dilapidated and crumbling opera theater. The queue area featured low lighting and walls that were decorated with busts and portraits of some of the ghosts that would be seen during the ride, with eyes that would seem to follow the riders as they walked past them. The ride itself featured seventeen separate scenes which the Omnimover-like vehicles slowly traversed through. The ride notably featured a Pepper's ghost trick, a famous and widely used dark ride trick, for its stage production scene.

Kings Island previously displayed a number of the Phantom Theater vehicles that were removed in 2002 as Halloween displays during the park's Halloween Haunt. They were removed from storage each year and placed on the International Bandstand at the base of the Eiffel Tower.

Removal

Phantom Theater closed in July 2002. Almost all thematic elements were removed and replaced with new scenes created by Sally Dark Rides. 28 of the 55 ride vehicles were also removed, while the remaining were retrofitted with laser light guns that riders would use to point and shoot at various targets throughout the ride. The attraction reopened in 2003 as Scooby-Doo and the Haunted Castle. In 2010, Cedar Fair opted to not renew the license for Scooby-Doo and Mystery, Inc. [5] The ride was renamed Boo Blasters on Boo Hill and was slightly altered to feature a new story line.

Following Phantom Theater's removal, leftover ride components have served as props during the park's annual Halloween Haunt event. The furnace from the ride appears in Slaughterhouse, and the sarcophagus and cannon appear in Madame Fatale's Cavern of Terror. Ride vehicles and characters have occasionally been displayed as well in various areas across the park.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kings Island</span> Amusement park in Mason, Ohio

Kings Island is a 364-acre (147 ha) amusement park located 24 miles (39 km) northeast of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio, United States. Owned and operated by Cedar Fair, the park first opened in 1972 by the Taft Broadcasting Company. It was part of a larger effort to move and expand Coney Island, a popular resort destination along the banks of the Ohio River that was prone to frequent flooding. After more than $300 million in capital investments, the park features over 100 attractions including fourteen roller coasters and a 33-acre (13 ha) water park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dark ride</span> Type of amusement ride

A dark ride or ghost train is an indoor amusement ride on which passengers aboard guided vehicles travel through specially lit scenes that typically contain animation, sound, music and special effects. Appearing as early as the 19th century, such exhibits include tunnels of love, scary themes and interactive stories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paramount Parks</span> Former amusement park owner and operator

Paramount Parks was the operator of Paramount's Kings Island, Paramount's Kings Dominion, Paramount's Great America, Paramount's Carowinds, and Paramount Canada's Wonderland, which annually attracted about 13 million patrons. National Amusements-owned Viacom assumed control of the company as part of its acquisition of Paramount Pictures in 1994. On June 30, 2006, Cedar Fair acquired the company, and the deal included a ten-year license to use the Paramount Parks name and theme, and a four-year license to use Nickelodeon names and themes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kings Dominion</span> Amusement park in Virginia

Kings Dominion is an amusement park located in Doswell, Virginia, 20 miles (30 km) north of Richmond and 75 miles (120 km) south of Washington, D.C. Owned and operated by Cedar Fair, the 280-acre (1.1 km2) park opened to the public on May 3, 1975, and features more than 60 rides, shows and attractions including 13 roller coasters and a 20-acre (81,000 m2) water park. Its name is derived from the name of its sister park, Kings Island, and the nickname for the state of Virginia, "Old Dominion."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carowinds</span> Amusement park

Carowinds is a 407-acre (165 ha) amusement park located adjacent to Interstate 77 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The park straddles the North Carolina-South Carolina state line, with a portion of the park located in Fort Mill, South Carolina. However, it has an official Charlotte address, and its business offices are located on the Charlotte side of the park. The park opened on March 31, 1973, at a cost of $70 million. It is the result of a four-year planning period spearheaded by Charlotte businessman Earl Patterson Hall. Owned and operated by Cedar Fair, Carowinds also features a 27-acre (11 ha) water park, Carolina Harbor, which is included with park admission. The park has a Halloween event called SCarowinds and a winter event called WinterFest.

The Omnimover is an amusement ride system used for Disney theme park attractions. Roger Broggie and Bert Brundage developed the system for WED Enterprises, which patented Omnimover in April 1968. The term was coined by Imagineer Bob Gurr. Outside of Disney, it is sometimes known as an Endless Transit System.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California's Great America</span> Amusement park in Santa Clara, California

California's Great America, often shortened to Great America, is a 112-acre (45 ha) amusement park located in Santa Clara, California. Owned and operated by Cedar Fair, it originally opened in 1976 as one of two parks built by the Marriott Corporation. California's Great America features over 40 rides and attractions, and one of its most notable is Gold Striker, which has been featured as a top-ranked wooden roller coaster in Amusement Today's annual Golden Ticket Awards publication. Other notable rides include RailBlazer, a single-rail coaster from Rocky Mountain Construction, and Flight Deck, an inverted coaster from Bolliger & Mabillard. The park appeared in the 1994 films Beverly Hills Cop III and Getting Even with Dad.

<i>The Funky Phantom</i> Australian animated television series

The Funky Phantom is an animated television series, produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, in association with Australian production company Air Programs International for the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). The show was a clone of Hanna-Barbera's popular Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, with a trio of teenage detectives driving around the country and solving crimes. In this case, the "Scooby-Doo" role was taken by a Revolutionary War-era ghost.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haunted attraction (simulated)</span> Horror-themed recreational venue

A haunted attraction is a form of live entertainment that simulates the experience of visiting haunted locations or storylines typical of horror fiction. They usually feature fearsome sets and characters, especially demons, ghosts, monsters, possessed people, witches or wizards, serial killers, and slashers. Humorous characters may also be included.

Hanna-Barbera Land was a theme park based on the cartoons of the Hanna-Barbera animation studio. It was located in the Spring, Texas, United States, north of Houston, and operated for the 1984 and 1985 seasons. After the park's closure following the 1985 season, the rides were sold and the land was reused as a water park, which is now operating as Six Flags Hurricane Harbor SplashTown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodstock Express (Kings Dominion)</span>

Woodstock Express is a wooden roller coaster located at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia. It opened as Scooby-Doo in 1974 after the famous Hanna-Barbera cartoon character. Despite being classified as a family roller coaster and located in the children's area of the park, the ride notably has a ride rating of 4 out of 5.

<i>The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera</i> (ride) Defunct simulator ride

The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera was a simulator ride at Universal Studios Florida and one of the park's original attractions. The story line tells that Dick Dastardly and Muttley have kidnapped Elroy Jetson. Yogi Bear and Boo-Boo give chase and the audience is in for the ride of their lives. The attraction opened on June 7, 1990 and closed on October 20, 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scooby-Doo's Haunted Mansion</span> Scooby-Doo themed interactive series

Scooby-Doo's Haunted Mansion is a Scooby-Doo-themed interactive dark ride series created by Sally Corporation based on Hanna-Barbera's long-running animated television series. The ride transports guests in a vehicle equipped with light guns that are used to shoot at various targets to collect points throughout the ride. At its peak, the ride model was located at seven amusement parks around the world including Canada's Wonderland, the location of the first installation that debuted in 2000. Initially known under a variety of names, the ride's Scooby-Doo theme has been replaced by Boo Blasters on Boo Hill at several locations and removed from others. The last remaining installation is La Aventura de Scooby-Doo at Parque Warner Madrid in Madrid, Spain.

The Smurfs is a Belgian comic book series created by Peyo in 1958. It became well-known worldwide with the Hanna-Barbera cartoon series in the 1980s. With the popularity of the Smurfs came a wide range of toys and spin-off products and use of the Smurfs in merchandising. In 2008, Smurfs merchandising generated about 5 to 12 million euro in Europe alone, while the total figure after fifty years worldwide is about $5 billion. In 2020, ViacomCBS partnered with LAFIG Belgium and IMPS to manage licensing rights to the Smurfs in several territories, as part of a deal that will also see the company's Nickelodeon channel air the IMPS-produced animated Smurfs series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scooby's Ghoster Coaster</span> Defunct roller coaster

Scooby's Ghoster Coaster was a suspended roller coaster at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio. Opened in 1998, it was billed as the first suspended roller coaster in the United States designed for children. The ride is also the first in the country from Caripro Amusement Technology, a defunct company once based out of the Netherlands and later bought by Vekoma. Scooby's Ghoster Coaster was removed in the 2005-2006 off-season to make room for other rides during the area's conversion from Hanna-Barbera Land to Nickelodeon Universe.

Through its history, Hanna-Barbera has operated theme park attractions, mostly as a section in Kings Island, Carowinds, California's Great America, Kings Dominion, Canada's Wonderland, and, recently, Six Flags Great America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Children's attractions at Canada's Wonderland</span> Childrens areas at Canadas Wonderland

There have been several children's areas at Canada's Wonderland since opening in 1981.

Ghost Blasters is an interactive dark ride franchise, designed and created by Sally Corporation. The franchise includes many locations at various amusement parks throughout the United States and Canada. Riders on "Ghost Blasters" are equipped with laser guns, as the attraction travels through a themed "haunted manor". The goal of the attraction is to accumulate a high score by aiming and firing at lit targets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boo Blasters on Boo Hill</span> Cedar Fair dark ride

Boo Blasters on Boo Hill is an interactive family dark ride designed and manufactured by Sally Corporation. The ride is located at four Cedar Fair amusement parks — Canada's Wonderland, Carowinds, Kings Dominion, and Kings Island. The ride was previously themed to Hanna-Barbera's Scooby-Doo, but Cedar Fair rebranded the rides shortly after purchasing the parks from Paramount. Each ride's new theme debuted in 2010 at all four parks.

References

  1. ↑ 1996 D. H. Morgan Mfg. Inc. Partial list of Clients and Projects
  2. ↑ Young, Josh (2014-10-21). "Designing Phantom Theater for Kings Island With R&R Creative Amusement Designs". Theme Park University. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
  3. 1 2 Keeter, John (January 9, 2018). "Remembering The Enchanted Voyage" . Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Here are nine Kings Island rides we wish had never gone away". WCPO. WCPO. 14 April 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  5. ↑ "Life Without Scooby". Sally Dark Rides. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.