jcrouse

Earlier today, Jacqi and I were at Busch Gardens for the media preview of their new show, Madagascar Live! Operation Vacation. Sea World Parks & Entertainment recently partnered with DreamWorks Animation to bring the very popular Madagascar characters into the parks in what seems to be the most perfect licensed character placement ever. The Madagascar characters fit so well within the Busch Gardens Tampa theming - it's such a natural fit. First a quick word about the theater. The show takes place in the old Stanleyville Theater. To prepare for this show, BGT management decided to enclose the previously open-air theater, creating a very comfortable place to escape the Florida sun and catch a show. Now for the show - Madagascar Live! is a very fun, high energy song and dance show. There is very loose story as the characters try to convince Gloria the Hippo to relax and enjoy her time at Busch Gardens - but its primarily song and dance numbers. To Busch Gardens credit, there is a full, live band and 2 live singers providing all of the music and it's wonderful. Live music adds so much to this kind of production. The show was pretty interactive as the cast invited the audience to stand and dance throughout the show. Our preview audience was filled grade school kids and they were cheering and dancing the entire time. It was pretty clear how well this set of characters connected with kids - as each character appeared, the crowd roar was deafening. Jacqi and I loved the show. The music was a lot of fun and the show was a hit with all of the kids (and adults) in the audience. Madagascar Live! officially opens this Saturday May 18. The Madagascar characters will also be doing meet and greets in Stanleyville and at the front of the park - and there will also be a character dining package that includes a meal at the Zambia Smokehouse followed by the characters leading everyone over to the theater for reserved show seats. A slightly modified version of this show will also be opening in Sea World San Diego in about a month. Congratulations to Busch Gardens and the Entertainment and Production teams - I think you've got a big hit on your hands. Now on to the photos: Media Day Check In at Busch Gardens The New Stanleyville Theater - now with Air Conditioning! The inside of the theater looks fantastic. Hard to believe this was once an open air theater. King Julian welcomed me and Jacqi to the show. Busch Gardens VP of Entertainment, Nancy Hutson welcomes the media to the preview. A live band! (and penguins) Alex the Lion is on vacation at Busch Gardens And we're dancin' But Gloria the Hippo misses New York And we're dancin' some more And singin' Until King Julian steals the show More penguins I think Alex likes it here at BGT Park President, Jim Dean poses with Alex after the show And here's a photo of Sheikra - just because.

Do you think they'll add a ticket booth on each end for people to upgrade their day pass to a two-park pass on the spot? I would think some uninformed GP would get pretty upset if they had to haul their entire family back to the park entrance to upgrade their tickets so they can ride the Magic Train. Do they currently offer a ticket upgrade like that?

Here are my photos from the tour. Jacqi and I were spending the weekend in Jacksonville, so we were only there for the Sally Corp tour and Adventure Landing. I've already commented on how cool the Sally tour was - and while all of the photos show just how cool the display pieces and the design/fabrication areas were, they can't capture the hospitality and enthusiasm the Sally team showed us. They genuinely seemed as happy to host us as we were to tour the plant. We had never been to Adventure Landing before. We were very impressed and want to go back soon. It was the first time we had ever seen a Master Blaster type water coaster at a smaller park. It was a great surprise stop. On to the photos: Everyone poses for the mandatory group photo at Sally Corp entrance. The singing bear that greeted us in the lobby. Jacqi clowns around with Scooby Doo. This is not our Dino! Sally CEO, John Wood and his dinosaur. Let's all sing like the birdies sing. John leads the group through the production areas. Random group photo in the black light room. The Sally crew had a great sense of humor! Animatronic Anatomy. I really think they used actual dental molds to make those teeth. They look so real. The Sally Pirate. Kristin and Amber watching the singing pirate. Another interactive shooting area using some of the newer tech. Under the black light, the colors were amazing. Pretty cool Mark Twain head. The group takes one final photo with the Sally team. Adventure Landing group shot. Congratulations to Jake for riding number 500. What's more impressive - Jake has ridden 500 coasters or that Jake can count to 500? Wacky Worm! Robb hard at work capturing that critical Wacky Worm POV footage. And we end this report with Jake completing that 500 coaster milestone. We're very proud of you Jake. Did the marker ever come off your forehead?

Loved this tour. Sally is such a unique, self-contained imagination factory - from concept and creative through production and fabrication. The few people I got to speak with said they look forward to going to work each day - and it shows in the projects they produce. I'm going through my photos now and should be posting some soon. Thanks to Robb and Elissa for putting this together and even bigger thanks to Robb, Elissa, Sally Corp and the other companies for supporting Give Kids the World! Thank you all!

Michael joked around a bit about changing jobs - "Where am I working this week?" he asked as he was introduced. Not sure exactly how long he's been with Disney - but he said he was very happy to be there. And he did mention that he had worked on New Fantasyland.

One more photo from the event. Me and designer/illustrator/animator guru, Lon Smart.

^ It was great seeing you too, Eric. Thanks for hanging out with me.

Hi Everyone! I attended the 4th annual Entertainment Designers Forum in Orlando Friday night. The event was created to raise funds for Cancer Research in honor of Stephanie Girard, a Universal designer who sadly lost her batter to cancer in 2010. So, first things first – if you have the opportunity, please do what you can to support the American Cancer Society. The event was a complete sell out. Add in the money raised from some really unique items in the silent auction and they shattered their previous fund raising numbers. The event was split up into 2 panels of Theme Park creatives mainly from Universal, Disney and Sea World Parks. Each session was an informal question and answer presentation and each one lasted about an hour and a half. There were a lot of interesting stories – about brightest accomplishments as well as biggest disappointments, and plenty of references to the never ending battle with the execs that hold the purse strings. One common question among the 2 panels was “How can I get your job?”. To that the panels offered these pieces of advise: First, and foremost: Follow Your Bliss And second: You have to put yourself in the position to be successful. Sometimes talent and passion is not enough - you have to be in those circles, hanging out with the people that do what you want to do to get noticed. Expect that there will be some rejections and other obstacles – but you’ll need to maintain your passion and energy. And if all else fails – stalking works. Throughout the evening, the panelists enjoyed taking friendly and subtle jabs at each other. Gregg Dean from Ripley Entertainment had to endure at lest a half dozen “three-eyed goat” jokes. Patrick Braillard, Universal Show Director, and Alan Gilmore, a UK filmmaker who was key creative in bringing the Wizarding World of Harry Potter to life (and for some mysterious reason he’s back here in Orlando working on something or other) – both gentlemen were pressed about what was replacing “Jaws” – and both replied (almost on cue) “Parking Garage” Some of the funnier comments during the event – Michael Roddy talked about the Xmen Stunt Show he wrote a few years back (before the Disney purchase) for Movie World in Germany. The Director never got what was up with Wolverine - why is he so mad and what’s up with his claws? And why does Cyclops wear a mask? Lon Smart was discussing storytelling & attraction theming and commented “we’re not going to throw a Batman logo on a coaster and call it a story.” Hmmmm, wonder what he was referencing? Thank you very much to Kim Gromoll for making this all happen. The evening was fantastic – entertaining and inspiring. I’m already looking forward to next year’s forum. If anyone is into Theme Parks and themed entertainment – as a potential career choice or even as an enthusiast, this is really an event you should not miss. And if any of the panelists should read this, thank you for sharing your stories and your talent. This industry is incredibly unique and touches so many people thanks in no small part to your efforts and dedication. One final note: The Orange County Regional History Center (which hosted the event at no cost) is now showcasing a unique “Backstage Universal Studios” exhibit for the next year. The exhibit will rotate content every 3 months and is currently featuring Universal’s Mardi Gras. Future content will include Universal’s Superstar Parade, Cinematic Spectacular, HHN and Grinchmas. The exhibit has lots of interesting signs, photos, renderings and video pieces – definitely worth checking out. Orange County Regional History Center - the line is already out the door for tonight's forum. This is what we're here for. The evening started with a silent auction for some pretty cool theme park one of kind treasures - like this Gwazi train model. A bottle of Simpsons wine. An autographed Penn and Teller Margarita prop cup from HHN Cute and cuddly bloody bunny plushes from the Silent Hill house at HHN A really cool paper Haunted Mansion model An exclusive event print created by Lon Smart The First Panel (left to right) Mike Aiello (Uni), Summer Aiello (Uni), Cecil Magpuri (Falcon's Treehouse), Rick Spencer (Uni), Rich West (Uni), Matt Usi (WDI), Kim Gromoll (Uni) at podium The Second Panel (left to right) Patrick Braillard (Uni), Lon Smart (WDW), Brian Morrow (Sea World), Michael Roddy (WDW), Kim Gromoll (Uni), Alan Gilmore (Uni), Gregg Dean (Ripley) Mike Aiello, Universal Writer/Show Director (HHN) Backstage Universal Exhibit Mardi Gras Anyone remember "Universal Studios Fright Nights"? In 1992 it became Halloween Horror Nights!

Great photos! I love the fisheye pics - especially the Tea Cups and Thunder Mtn. shots. Nice work.

More photos from the Sea World Xmas Event. Kraken is a walk on ? Yes, please. O Wondrous Night - these are the Herald Angels and they're going to sing about the birth of Christ and the animals that were there in the manger. The finale of this show was incredible. There were animals and flying birds everywhere. Highly recommended. Ice Skating! And Fireworks! There were lights and beautifully lit paths everywhere. The park was very sparkly at night. Santa Shamu! Happy Holidays from Sea World!

SeaWorld Christmas Celebration Media Day Saturday night, Jacqi and I took the kids out to experience SeaWorld's Christmas Celebration. Jacqi and I have long been Sea World Annual Passholders, but we'd never ventured out to for their Holiday event. SeaWorld's Christmas Celebration is included with park admission and runs every weekend through the end of the year and weekdays during the Thanksgiving and Christmas weeks. While the park is decked out with lights and decorations in just about every nook and cranny, the centerpiece display is the "Sea of Trees" - a collection of over 100 lit trees that surround the lake. Three times a night, the trees come alive as their lights dance to holiday music. I got a opportunity to talk with Vice President of Entertainment, Michael Fletcher - and he explained that the show uses over 5 tons of lights and requires over 9 miles of electrical and fiber cables. The show is in its third year and has become the signature element of their celebration. We were then whisked off to a showing of "O Wondrous Night" - their telling of "the greatest story never told" The show was a unique version of the Christmas story as told by some of the animals that witnessed the birth of Christ. Musically the show was amazing - 16 performers all mic'ed and singing. And while some of the puppet work and story lines weren't exactly my cup of tea, the nativity finale was fantastic. Live animals were everywhere - each entrance more impressive than the previous and probably the grandest nativity I'd ever seen. Finally, our preview concluded with Winter Wonderland on Ice, a holiday themed ice skating show - and Holiday Reflections, a fireworks and fountains show. Both took place at the Bayside Theater. Both shows were very good. The ice skating show felt more like an old holiday TV special, which was fun and the Reflections show was a nice finale for the evening. Reflections felt a bit short and most of the pyro was lower level bursts - but if all fit very well. We didn't get to see Polar Express, Santa and his elves, the holiday Clyde & Seymour show or the Xmas Shamu show (unfortunately a lot of these things were happening at the same time and we had to pick and chose which things to take in). But there was also plenty of seasonal food and merchandise all over the place - and we seemed to run into small holiday musical groups providing atmosphere entertainment around every corner. Overall the park was beautiful and the entire event was a lot of fun. Its great to see Sea World continue to grow their seasonal offerings without resorting to a hard ticket/upcharge type of event. I'm eager to go back and check out all of the things we missed. Sea World is all set for their Holiday Event. We're in the right place. Here is our media badge. Here is the event map. Looks pretty Christmassy. Jacqi and the girls in front of Sea World's Christmas tree. Holiday decorations are everywhere - even the light posts. The park was beautiful with decorations and lights all over the place. More holiday decorations. Sea World themed nutcrackers, anyone? Holiday musicians - these groups seemed like they were everywhere. These elves were playing around too. Entertainment vice president, Michael Fletcher introduces the Sea of Trees show to the Media. Sarah has some company during the show. The Sea of Trees - this picture does not do the show justice. There are over 100 trees that appear to be floating on the lake - all with animated lights that move to holiday music. After the show, Michael took a moment to pose for a photo with me.

Here's a shot of us by the Canyon Blaster. We were pretty easy to spot - just had to look for the wheelchair!

Jacqi and I attended the Universal Halloween Horror Nights Media Sneak Peek on Wednesday, Sept. 12. It was a quick look into the upcoming event showcasing some of the costumes and theming for each of the houses. We also got a chance to see make-up artists at work up close and then a walk through 2 of the houses. The houses and their themes have all been revealed long ago, so I won't recap them here but Universal did throw out a few new bits of info. Universal's House of Horrors will feature Universal's classic stable of horror characters "reimagined and reanimated". They promised a new "lightning flash" style of animation - but they weren't ready to go in to any further details. Universal also revealed that the roaming characters would not be confined to "scare zones" this year and that no place is safe - restaurants, gift shops, attraction queues are all fair game. Someone brought up the restrooms and the response was "Wait and see..." Among the roaming characters will be a hoard of "Walkers" - zombies from AMC's The Walking Dead. Up to 75 of these zombies will primarily infect the San Francisco area. Approximately every 45 minutes, the zombies will gather in a massive hoard and stagger their way off set during cast change outs. Also announced was a bonus for those following HHN on Facebook. Fans of the page can have a scary phone message sent to themselves (or someone who could use a good scare). Then it was time to check out the houses. The first house was "Dead End" and it was in "show ready" form with all of the effects and actors in place. This was pretty good. As one of the few houses that didn't have a license attached to it, it felt like a regular haunted house - and that's a good thing. It was a haunted northern mansion with some great effects and scare sequences and a creepy evil spirit that paced the loft above you. The other house we previewed was "Silent Hill" based on the video game series - this house was completely lit with work lights and had none of the actors. But even with all of the lights on, you could tell this was going to be very cool. I only know a little about the game series - only that its set in a small creepy town populated with stacked nurses that have butt-ugly faces. They said that the pyramid head character would be in the house and that it also pulls a lot creatively from the new movie that comes out in a few weeks. Over all the sneak peek really has me looking forward to going to this year's event. Thanks to Universal for hosting us and here are the photos... Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights Media Preview We're in the right place. They brought us to the Cafe La Bamba for our briefing. Along the side walls are the displays for each house. The Walking Dead costumes. Universal worked closely with the AMC cosmetic and costume artists to recreate actual zombie characters from the show. Welcome to Silent Hill. Seriously, what's that on your face? Jacqi was a little intimidated by the Showman from Alice Cooper's Welcome to my Nightmare. Something is different about this showgirl from Penn & Teller Newkd Las Vegas... Oh yeah, I needed three fingers to count her boobs. This is one of the evil spirits that haunts "Dead End". Hello Ring Mistress - from the 20 Penny Circus One of the roaming "scareactors" - Bioshock, anyone? One of the scareactors getting a nose job. On our way to our first house, we passed this cool table of heads. Welcome to Silent Hill - our second house of the day. All of the lights were on for our tour. This guy has seen some better days. Hello, Nurse. I guess I need to play the games and find out what's up with this chick. Hey, it's a cute little Bloody-Bunny! Pale little girl at the top of the steps = creepy. OK - now that is scary. And here's how we end this report. Go on, I dare you.

I really enjoyed the show. It is a must see for theme park employees - but if you've ever been in or around theme park entertainment, this show is a hilarious, almost too-real, window into that world. I'm not sure what was funnier - the obvious parody gags - or the fact everything they did and said was so true to life. The songs wonderful. I highly recommend seeing this if you get the chance. Jazz hands, everyone!!

^ I don't think so, Chuck. I can't wait to play that course.

Great pictures, Dave! That was my first visit to Yak and Yeti and it was really good.

Hi Everyone... This thread took off pretty quickly. I had a hard time keeping up with the new versions and suggestions. Here is the concept I've been working on. The general consensus was that we needed a large feature area with a rotating image, scrollable updates and yet maintain the current flavor of the existing site with a simpler approach. Please take a look, kick the tires and let me know your thoughts.

Done and done.

Just got our tickets! Can't wait to see everyone!

Just got our tickets! And look out, we're bringing the kids...

Great Trip Report. If you don't mind - I'll add a bit to it. We were also at Busch Gardens that day - in fact, Jacqi and I were ON the train stuck on Sheikra. We were there at 8am for the AP Cheetah Hunt ERT. We worked our way around the park as the lines were very light that early in the day. Walk on lines for Montu and Kumba. Our oldest daughter, Sarah was riding many of these for the first time and loved everyone of them. But neither of my girls wanted to ride Sheikra, so they stayed behind in the gift shop while Jacqi and I went off to ride. The wait was only about 5 minutes. After flying through the first half of the ride, we hit the brake run and immediately came to a full stop. You could really feel the swaying of the support system once we had stopped. Since we were facing away from the park at that point we really could't see what was going on - but the girl next to me was able peek around the restraint and look back at the park and she said that nothing was running - then we hear a fire truck siren coming from what seemed like right below us. There was no announcement or communication from the station - but we could hear PA announcements coming from the skyride saying that they were experience technical difficulties. After what seemed like about 15 - 20 minutes, a ride op appeared on the maintenance platform - and after she caught her breath, she informed us that the power had gone out park-wide. The maintenance guy that followed her confirmed that the power had gone out and has been restored, but the Sheikra computer had gone down and they couldn't get it restarted. So we had to be evacced - and since the coaster is floorless, there was a 10 minute procedure that involved laying metal planks across the gaps on the train. Then one row at a time they released the restraints and we gathered by the stairs. Park policy dictates that only 8 guests go down the steps at a time with one op in front, one op in the middle and one bringing up the rear. The poor ride ops had to go up and down multiple times as well as climb all over the train to lay the floorboards - all at 138 feet in the air. The walk down the stairs was interesting - I'm terrified of heights and the steps were not solid - just a wire frame. You could see right through them. The Ops lead told me to focus on the stairs themselves and not look through them. That was good advice... The whole experience lasted about 30-45 minutes. They gave us each a front-of-the-line ticket for one ride. (Cheetah Hunt doesn't count...). It wasn't that bad though - for as hot as it was that day - we had a beautiful breeze blowing up there and we were facing away from the sun the entire time. The staff was friendly and professional and handled the situation very well. Busch Gardens is an incredible park - we get over as often as we can. And Cheetah Hunt is a fantastic addition. Standing on the Sheikra maintenance platform - 138 feet up Our train, stuck on the break run - with temporary platforms and railings. Holding on for dear life and about to start the journey down the steps. The view from the bottom. And here's why we were there in the first place. Great new ride - my family loved it.

Love the presentation Adam! The Dinosaur-Elvis thing in the Galaxy Palace show was recycled from a show at Epcot - "Splashtacular" - The show took place in front of the main fountain and was about an evil alien queen who comes to earth to steal all of our colors (oh, noes...) The Dinosaur was one of her monsters that raised up out of one of the planters - essentially, its a big head on a scissor lift... the show only lasted a year or so. The prop was then sent to the Kingdom to be used in Galaxy Search - an intergalactic talent show. I can't make this stuff up...

Amazing! The video cone completely rocks. I prefer DL's props too - but, that was amazing. The dragon sequence was incredible -

Nice Trip Report, Adam - You did collect all 6 stickers to get your cool, collectable "Race Around World Showcase" button - didn't you? I sure hope you did...

This sounds great. Jacqi and I would be there - maybe one or two more.