Toyland Tours | |
---|---|
Alton Towers | |
Status | Closed |
Opening date | 1994 |
Closing date | 2005 |
Replaced | Around the World in 80 Days |
Replaced by | Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The Ride |
Ride statistics | |
Attraction type | Dark boat ride |
Manufacturer | Mack Rides |
Designer | Tussauds Studios |
Capacity | 1,000 riders per hour |
Vehicle type | Boat |
Vehicles | 10 boats |
Riders per vehicle | 9 |
Toyland Tours was a former attraction in the Land of Make Believe area of Alton Towers theme park, Staffordshire, England. The attraction was opened in 1994, replacing Around the World in 80 Days and took riders on an animated boat tour of an eccentric toy factory. [1]
It featured many animated gags and an energetic soundtrack. [2]
Early in the 2005 season it was announced that Toyland Tours would be closing, to be replaced by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The Ride the following year. [3]
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a 1964 children's novel by British author Roald Dahl. The story features the adventures of young Charlie Bucket inside the chocolate factory of eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka.
Alton Towers Resort is a theme park and resort complex in Staffordshire, England, near the village of Alton. The park is operated by Merlin Entertainments Group and incorporates a theme park, water park, mini golf and hotel complex.
Walt Disney Studios Park is the second of two theme parks built at Disneyland Paris in Marne-la-Vallée, France. which opened on 16 March 2002. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Experiences division. Upon opening, it was dedicated to show business, movie themes, production, and behind-the-scenes, but in the 2010s, in a similar manner to Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World in Florida, it began to distance itself from the original studio backlot theming and entered a new direction of attraction development inspired by iconic Disney stories. The park is represented by the Earffel Tower, a water tower with Mickey Mouse ears similar to the one formerly located at Disney's Hollywood Studios, which in turn was inspired by the water tower at the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank, California.
Chessington World of Adventures Resort is a 128 acres theme park, zoo and hotel complex in Chessington, Greater London, England, around 12 miles (19 km) southwest of Central London. The complex originally opened as Chessington Zoo in 1931; the theme park aspect was developed by The Tussauds Group, debuting on 7 July 1987 as one of the first combined animal-amusement parks in the UK. The theme park, which features over 40 rides, is now owned by Merlin Entertainments, following its merger with The Tussauds Group in 2007. Under Merlin, Chessington has been increasingly developed into a resort and tourist destination, including two on-site hotels, swimming pools, a campground, spa and fitness facilities.
Nemesis Reborn, previously Nemesis, is an inverted roller coaster located at the Alton Towers theme park in Staffordshire, England. It was manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M) and designed by Werner Stengel, from a concept by park developer John Wardley. It opened in the Forbidden Valley area of the park on 19 March 1994.
Galactica is a flying roller coaster located in the Forbidden Valley area of Alton Towers amusement park in Staffordshire, England. It originally opened as Air on 16 March 2002 and is the first flying coaster manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard. Guests ride in a prone position, meant to produce the feeling of flight, as the train passes close to the ground, under footpaths, and narrowly past trees and rocks. The ride was refurbished for the 2016 season and reopened as Galactica. It features an 840-metre-long (920 yd) track and reaches a maximum speed of 75 km/h.
Spinball Whizzer is a spinning roller coaster located in the Adventure Land area of Alton Towers in Staffordshire, England. Built by Maurer Söhne, it was previously sponsored by Sega, the company that created the Sonic the Hedgehog video game franchise, and was known as Sonic Spinball from 2010 to 2015.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The Ride was a dark ride located in the Cloud Cuckoo Land area of Alton Towers theme park, Staffordshire, England. It was based upon the famous 1964 Roald Dahl book of the same name, and took its thematic inspiration from the illustrations of Quentin Blake. The ride closed at the end of the 2015 season and was replaced by the Alton Towers Dungeon in 2019.
Merlin Entertainments Limited is a British entertainment company based at Poole in Dorset, England, which operates a number of theme parks and other tourist attractions. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange until November 2019, when it was acquired by a consortium that includes Kirkbi A/S.
Around the World in 80 Days was an attraction in the Talbot Street area of Alton Towers theme park, Staffordshire, England. The attraction opened in 1981, just one year after the park first opened. It was the first dark ride at Alton Towers, one of the largest in the UK at the time, and was produced by Keith Sparks for the park's owner John Broome.
Doom & Sons was a former attraction in the Talbot Street area of Alton Towers theme park, Staffordshire, England. The attraction was opened in 1981 and was Alton Towers' first haunted attraction. It was a walk-through with illusions, interactive features and sensory effects. The attraction closed in 1991.
Nickelodeon: Outta Control was a former attraction in conjunction with Nickelodeon in the Cred Street area of Alton Towers theme park in Staffordshire, England. The attraction opened in 1997 consisting of several rooms, each with its own theme. The fun house featured a variety of interactive options, including slides, rope bridges, and a room filled with sound effect buttons. Upon leaving, guests were played back a recording of their journey around the attraction. The attraction closed in 1998 for unknown reasons.
Babes in Toyland is a 1997 American Christmas animated musical-comedy fantasy adventure film based on the 1903 operetta. Directed by Charles Grosvenor, Toby Bluth and Paul Sabella, the film stars the voices of Joseph Ashton, Lacey Chabert, Raphael Sbarge, Cathy Cavadini, Charles Nelson Reilly, Jim Belushi, Bronson Pinchot and Christopher Plummer. It was released direct-to-video in the United States.
Thirteen is a steel roller coaster/haunted attraction/drop tower at Alton Towers in England. The ride was constructed by Intamin and opened on 20 March 2010. It is the world's first vertical freefall drop roller coaster, on which the track and train freefall approximately five metres in darkness. The ride replaced and is built on the former site of the Corkscrew, which resided at Alton Towers for 28 years between 1980 and 2008.
Nemesis Sub-Terra is a haunted drop tower dark ride located at Alton Towers theme park in Staffordshire, United Kingdom. The ride opened to the public on 24 March 2012. Its theme is focused on the discovery of a nest of eggs in a network of caves, an extension of the theme and concept of the park's Nemesis Reborn roller coaster that opened in 1994.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a media franchise based on the 1964 novel of the same name by British author Roald Dahl. It includes two books, three live-action theatrical films, three video games and miscellaneous other properties, such as touring musicals and theatrical adaptations, various merchandise and defunct amusement park ride.
Dynamo was a Huss Breakdance ride located in the Forbidden Valley area of the Alton Towers theme park. It was the first ride seen to the left when entering the area, and was opposite to Ripsaw, which was a Huss Top Spin.
Alton Towers is located near the village of Alton in Staffordshire, England. The former country estate was a former seat of the Earls of Shrewsbury. It is now a major theme park in the United Kingdom. In 2012, it attracted 2.4 million visitors, making it the most visited theme park in the United Kingdom and 9th most visited theme park in Europe. It employs in excess of 2,000 staff members during the summer months.
Boneshaker was a Mondial Supernova flat-ride located at Alton Towers in Staffordshire, England. It was removed on 9 November 2003 due to mechanical failure in the ride's gearbox and inability to source required parts. The park also needed to source additional space to build a new roller coaster, Rita: Queen of Speed scheduled for completion in 2005 which also formed part of the decision. It first opened at the park in 1995 under the name "Energizer", but ran on less intense cycles in its later years to better suit Ug Land's intended family audience.
Wicker Man is a wooden roller coaster at Alton Towers theme park in Staffordshire, United Kingdom. Manufactured by Great Coasters International, the £16-million ride opened to the public on 20 March 2018 following a three-day weather delay. It set several milestones among wooden coasters including the first to be built in the UK in 22 years and the first to incorporate fire. Initially codenamed "Secret Weapon 8", a traditional naming scheme for major upcoming projects at Alton Towers, its official name was revealed in January 2018.