Families Fly High at Paultons Park and Jumanji Brand Expands
Families Fly High at Paultons Park
Fancy taking to the skies in a cute yellow crop duster plane this summer? Paultons Park has guests covered with its newest roller coaster, “Farmyard Flyer,” which swoops and soars above Tornado Springs, Paultons’ 1950s Americana-style land. (Read more at IAAPA.org/WhirlwindRomance.)
“Farmyard Flyer” is the latest Zierer family roller coaster to land in the Hampshire, United Kingdom, theme park. The £1.5 million ride is set in a 1950s-themed farm scene. Half of an upended crop duster plane greets guests at the entrance. A crooked barn becomes an aircraft hangar and ride station, and there’s even a vintage combine harvester that Paultons’ owners, the Mancey family, have cannily co-opted.
“‘Farmyard Flyer’ is the perfect junior coaster for adventurous little ones, with a top speed of 36 kph and engaging theming to fire imaginations. The coaster will complement and complete Tornado Springs, which has proved exceptionally popular with guests of all ages,” says James Mancey, operations director at Paultons Park. “As with every attraction at Paultons Park, we’ve put painstaking attention into the detailed theming that brings the experience to life. There’s even a 7-meter-tall control tower, created and built by our talented in-house team.”
The custom coaster has a single train with eight carriages, a 6-meter lift hill, and a 158-meter-long track.
‘Jumanji’ Comes Alive Through Attractions, Hotels, and More
Sony Pictures Entertainment and Merlin Entertainments have struck an exclusive deal to spread the magic of the “Jumanji” brand across Merlin’s global portfolio of theme parks and water parks in Europe and North America. Guests will explore the mysterious jungles of “Jumanji” through attractions, rides, lands, retail outlets, and themed hotel rooms based on the blockbuster film franchise.
The world’s first “Jumanji”-themed attraction—“Jumanji – The Adventure”—has opened at Merlin’s Gardaland Resort in Italy. Merlin teamed up with Oceaneering and Framestore for the new dark ride. “Jumanji – The Adventure” opened in April, along with “Jumanji”-themed hotel rooms. A second project is coming in 2023 at a different theme park.
“We are excited to be taking our relationship with Sony Pictures Entertainment to the next level with this strategic partnership,” says Mark Fisher, chief development officer for Merlin Entertainments. “Sony is one of the top movie companies on the planet, and ‘Jumanji’ is a multibillion-dollar brand that has appealed to guests of all ages for over two decades. Our Merlin team is already hard at work developing brilliant creative concepts.”
According to Jeffrey Godsick, executive vice president of global partnerships and brand management and head of location-based entertainment at Sony Pictures Entertainment, “Merlin’s commitment to strong storytelling, quality of craftsmanship, and fantastic guest experiences will ensure ‘Jumanji’ fans will be fully immersed into the worlds of our films and have an unforgettable experience.”
