Importance of Theming

[Hayzle]

Members of TPR, I was talking to a friend today about which was better Kingda Ka or Top Thrill Dragster. He said by far Top Thrill Dragster. When he said that I was confused. They seem like they would offer nearly the same ride. For this ride and other comparable rides (Tatsu/Manta, Afterburn/Alpengeist, Scream/Bizarro{SFGADV}) the ride with the better theming seems to come out on top more often than not. So I was wondering what you guys thought, does theming play a major role in how good a ride is, or does Six Flags have it right, build great rides with no theme what-so-ever?

[RedB]

In regards to Kinda Ka vs. Top Thrill Dragster, the difference in restraints seems to play a large role as to why many prefer Dragster.

 

As for theming in general, when done right it enhances the ride. However it doesn't matter how much theming you add to a coaster like Son of Beast, it's still going to be a horrible coaster.

[GLund]

Doesn't KK have more theming than Dragster?

[Skycoastin Steve]

As for theming in general, when done right it enhances the ride. However it doesn't matter how much theming you add to a coaster like Son of Beast, it's still going to be a horrible coaster.

This pretty much sums up my thoughts on theming. Is it necessary? Absolutely not. Does it help in some cases? Sure. Can it turn a crap ride into a great ride? Hell no! Case in point: the Dark Knight coasters.

 

 

^Edit: I'm not sure on what crazy planet KK would ever be considered as having more theming than TTD. Cedar Point might not go all out with theming on many attractions, but TTD has dragster-styled trains, grandstands, the Christmas tree lights both next to the launch track and on the tower, the soundtrack before you launch, the start/finish lines, and the speedometer. KK has.............?

[Chrissie]

I personally love rides that are themed. I think it makes it that more memorable and exciting. I think it can help make a ride that's not that great a little more enjoyable.

 

My favourite themed ride is a toss up between Tower or Terror @ WDW & Florida Mummy. In both rides the queue is awesome and the castmembers always play up to the theme which in my opinion makes them just a little more awesome.

[the ghost]

Theming will make a bad ride good. Sure, a rough ride will be rough, but look at it this way. Imagine space mountain.... it's dark, loud, surprising. Remember if all of that was taken away... the ride is like 1/100th as good. Think of FMP's old vekoma mine ride compared to something like Mammut at Gardaland... absolutely no comparison as to which ride is better.

[andyuk200523]

To me, I much prefer Immersive themeing, such as Big Thunder Mountain/Saw/Nemesis etc.....

 

IMHO Top Thrill Dragster may have themeing elements, but it is by no means immersive, but this is purely opinion based on the subject matter, I personally put TTD in the same category as i305 and Stealth, it creates a certain atmosphere, but by no means an immersive atmosphere!

[Sir Coaster]

I enjoy theming, but it doesn't change anything about the coaster...A terrible coaster it still terrible, even with theming...

 

 

...The Dark Knight, for example.

[Ed Farmer]

I'll never complain about a little theme thrown in to enhance the experience, but I've never ridden a bad coaster that I enjoyed because of theme. Dark Knight was a great example. If I can watch stingrays swimming around while I'm waiting in line, sweet- just hope I'm not waiting to ride something forgettable.

[Skramp]

But what about water rides? I mean would you prefer a log ride that just meanders through the woods or one like Splash Mountain or Ripsaw Falls where they tell you a story as you go? I think a good theme on a ride can go a long way, i.e. Adventure Express. But, I think what you are forgetting is that some rides are meant to tell a story or transport you to another world (Tomb Raider, Adventure Express, It's a Small World) while others are just pure rides. I think it depends on what you want and how you like to be entertained whether having a theme matters or not.

[jarmor]

I think theming absolutely plays a major role in how good a ride is. If revenge of the mummy was outdoors with no theme it wouldn't be as successful as it is today, in my opinion. It also depends on the level of submersion, to me.

[Sir Clinksalot]

I think theming plays a HUGE part in a rides experience.

 

Does a ride "have" to have theming to be a good ride? Absolutely not.

 

Can theming take an otherwise "ok" ride and make it "great". Absolutely.

 

Take Big Thunder, Matterhorn or Space Mtn for example. All three rides, without the theming would be ho-hum, not very exciting. But you put the theming in and it makes them all great. They aren't perhaps "great coasters" but they are great rides, and great ride experiences.

[dammie16@vt.edu]

Gonna agree with the consensus here. I think if you have an already great ride, like MF, Diamondback, S:RoS, etc., theming won't make it better. I think it plays a huge factor into smaller rides or coasters, like Stunt Coaster, Mummy, Skull Mountain, log flumes, etc.

 

I also believe that a well themed ride will draw more people to it if they don't know what it is.

[cfc]

I think the perfect example of theming greatly improving an otherwise mediocre ride is the Vekoma Mine Train. The heavily themed versions in Europe (such as Phantasialand's) are lots of fun; the barebones version at Freestyle Music park was not.

 

Theming plays an important role in Black Mamba at Phantasialand, too.

[coasterbill]

I like Dragsters theme better, but when you're going 120+ MPH it doesn't really matter. In most cases, theming plays a big role but since those rides are so fast and so short (duration wise) I don't think it matters. I've ridden both coasters and I'm not sure which I prefer. You don't notice the height difference, I don't love KK's restraints but it's not that big of a deal. I guess I like Dragster a little better since there's a better view from the top but again... not that big of a deal since you only have about 2 seconds to appreciate it.

 

I can think of a lot of times when theming made a good ride great though, Big Bad Wolf comes to mind immediately. That coaster is still on my top 10 list. I'm not just saying that because they got rid of it, it was my favorite ride at Bush Gardens (I went before Griffon or Dark Castle). Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Volcano the Blast Coaster and Adventure Express also come to mind.

 

Good theming always makes a ride better, but I think the bigger and faster the ride is, the less you notice it because you have less time to appreciate it as you're going through the ride.

[BaMiTsPaT]

As stated countless times above, I believe that theming can always improve a ride, but some rides are spectacular without theming. Millennium Force is an amazing coaster with no theming, whereas something like Space Mountain would not be a great ride if it were not for the themed aspect. I also believe that a themed queue is important, especially at a park that sees a high amount of traffic. Dueling Dragons had my favorite queue of all time, and I didn't mind waiting as long because of how interesting the queue line was. Bizarro at SFNE is painful to wait in line for because it is just a bunch of switchbacks that seem to never end on busy days, making it a less pleasurable experience.

[Topdrag]

I think there are two parts to a ride. The ride itself without any and the ride experience which includes the theming. Theming does help the overall ride experience and it can help make a bad ride better but if the ride itself is bad then its a bad "ride" but it could still be classified as a good experience.

 

I for one prefer to look at the ride from an experience standpoint but I know some people out there are very technical about the ride itself. It all really depends on your perspective.

[WW1 Flying Ace]

Similar to other opinions I think that theming can make a ride significantly better but cannot make a ride go from awful to good. Mean Streak is still pathetically bad no matter how much theming is added. In the case of an immersing attraction it is helpful for a full experience like on Expedition Everest or Manta. Expedition Everest might have the most stuff to look at in a queue I have ever seen. (I feel like I'm forgetting something though.)

[CoasterPrince]

Themeing does play a major role in a coaster but like someone at Cedar Fair said, I'd rather pay for more track than themeing. Just look at Maverick. A basic theme can go long way for a lot of track.

 

 

....and to the people who honestly think Dragster has more themeing than Kingda Ka. Really?! I understand Dragster has a pretty impressive theme but from the moment you step under the entrance arch, you are completely immersed in the jungle atmosphere on Kingda Ka. Too each his own however.

Edited February 23, 2011 by CoasterPrince

[doublestufforeo]

I can't really comment much on this because there isn't a single ride in Florida that I can think of off the top of my head that didn't have excellent theming, and comparing the ones that are less theming (i.e. Gwazi as opposed to Dueling Dragons or The Hulk) are still insanely well done rides.

 

Granted, on another note, log flumes (comparing Stanley Falls to Dudley Do Right) kind of don't do it for me, unless they have something to attract me along the way to the drops, otherwise it's just a boring boat ride to me.

 

- Oreo

[PSiRockin]

Doesn't KK have more theming than Dragster?

I'd say so. It has a whole land themed around it, a nice build-up to it (the ride is distanced from all the others), nice natural plants, a better theme than TTD (let's theme it after Dragsters! Cause, you know, both go fast, huh?), a nice soundtrack in the station and around the ride (Eye of the Tiger, get it?), and the ride used to have a really nice que (before the attack of the cable). TTD is nice and does have better restrainsts, but its theme is not as good in my eyes.

 

However, theming doesn't make a wild mouse great, and many great hypers do fine without any theme.

[WW1 Flying Ace]

I can't really comment much on this because there isn't a single ride in Florida that I can think of off the top of my head that didn't have excellent theming, and comparing the ones that are less theming (i.e. Gwazi as opposed to Dueling Dragons or The Hulk) are still insanely well done rides.

 

 

- Oreo

 

BGA is pretty light on theming with most rides having very minimal theming but, it is still raved about for it's coaster collection. So theming doesn't significantly improve rides that are already good. (EX. Sheikra)

[alpengeist04]

I would consider BGA more as moderate theming, since the whole park has one general theme broken up into several sections. ...While Six Flags/Cedar Fair would be more on the light side and Universal/Disney on the heavy.

[WW1 Flying Ace]

I said the "Light theming" Thinking of coasters and rides but probably falls more into a moderate theming category overall as stated above.

[FeelTheFORCE]

Doesn't KK have more theming than Dragster?

I'd say so. It has a whole land themed around it, a nice build-up to it (the ride is distanced from all the others), nice natural plants, a better theme than TTD (let's theme it after Dragsters! Cause, you know, both go fast, huh?), a nice soundtrack in the station and around the ride (Eye of the Tiger, get it?), and the ride used to have a really nice que (before the attack of the cable). TTD is nice and does have better restrainsts, but its theme is not as good in my eyes.

 

However, theming doesn't make a wild mouse great, and many great hypers do fine without any theme.

 

One thing I dislike about KK is the fact that you basically just sit there in silence before launch. The engine sounds and 'Christmas tree lights' on TTD are really cool, and definitely heighten the experience, albeit being just a small touch.