From concept to reality, the following images were used to provide an impression of what the relevant attraction would look like before it was built. Which is your favourite?
Croc Drop
Those daring to ride Croc Drop plunge 25m into the giant jaws of a crocodile, Sobek, the ancient Egyptian Crocodile God and protector of the Nile, who has been possessed by evil spirits, transforming him into a cruel deity. With the once fertile Nile laying stagnant, riders must take part in a ceremony to banish the evil spirits from Sobek, plunging into the crocodile’s soul and freeing the waters back into the Nile.
Elmer’s Flying Jumbos
Everyone’s favourite patchwork elephant, Elmer, created by David McKee and published by Andersen Press, was brought to life from these colourful concept images.
Explorer Glamping
From 2016-2024, guests could stay in the great outdoors in one of the resort’s glamping tents. This concept art shows the designs for the site which consisted of thirty one standard tenants and four premium tents, along with a reception building, a games and seating area, bathrooms, and the ‘Explorer’s Outpost’ bar and restaurant located in the neighbouring Wild Asia themed land.
Land of the Dragons
Surrounded by the track of Dragon’s Fury, Land of the Dragons is a colourful land that mixes high thrills with gentler attractions.
Land of the Tiger
Replacing the ageing Mystic East area, Land of the Tiger was designed to make the tigers the main attraction of the area, and these images showed us exactly how close guests were able to come to them.
When new plans were submitted in March 2018, the accompanying concept images were also updated to reflect the changes made. Although the revisions saw the appearance of the tiger rock head arguably improved, some of the more detailed theming throughout the area was scaled-back, with the more naturalistic, ruins-type look replaced with something more simplified and colourful.
Minecraft World
A range of concept art was released as part of the Minecraft World announcement in March 2026, showing off aspects of the area such as its entrance portal, the area’s headline attraction, an Intamin Multi Dimension Coaster, a floating mountain theming feature, and the themed retail and dining experiences.
Room on the Broom
Room on the Broom – A Magical Journey, was brought to life so guests could walk through the pages of the book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler.
Shipwreck Coast
Shipwreck Coast opened in 2022 and was the reimagining of the former Pirates Cove area. With two new attractions, ‘Barrel Bail Out!’ and ‘Trawler Trouble, the land was refreshed with a new nautical theme billed as a “disaster-ridden harbour town”. These beautiful concept images were not far off the final product.
The Gruffalo River Ride Adventure
These images of The Gruffalo River Ride Adventure showed us how guests would join Mouse as they embark on a ‘magical riverboat journey’ into the Deep Dark Wood. The Gruffalo also came to the Safari Hotel with the introduction of four Gruffalo themed bedrooms.
The Rainforest
New for 2020, The Rainforest gives young adventurers the chance to explore a tropical jungle in the form of three new rides.
Wild Asia
An ancient and mythical Asian kingdom was shown in these beautiful images that were created by designer Matt Wells.
World of Jumanji
2023 saw the opening of World of Jumanji, a new area which features Mandrill Mayhem, a new coaster, as well as two supporting flat rides – Ostrich Stampede and Mamba Strike. In initial consultations, the area was known as ‘Amazon Land’, with more generic concept art published before the IP was confirmed and the final designs drawn up. Note that there were a couple of variations of the World of Jumanji overview and Ostrich Stampede concept art – in the first versions, Mandrill Mayhem’s train has three rows facing forwards and four backwards, and Ostrich Stampede features what appears to be Jeeps alternating with the ostrich-themed seating and an overturned vehicle as the ride centrepiece. To coincide with the area’s launch, new Jumanji themed rooms also opened in the Resort’s on-site hotels.
World of PAW Patrol
Anchored by the iconic Lookout Tower straight out of the show, this colourful concept art was published in February 2026 when the World of PAW Patrol was under construction, and gave us a preview of how vibrant and fun the new family area would turn out to be.
ZUFARI
ZUFARI was an ambitious development for Chessington, with the Resort seeking to overhaul a large area of undeveloped land and zoo exhibits with a new safari experience. Although these initial concepts do reflect all the key elements of the attraction, they also indicate that some areas of the project were scaled back, such as landscaping and rockwork along the route, the number of ‘splash zones’, and the main entrance portal from Forbidden Kingdom.
Gold Rush
New for 2024 at Drayton Manor Resort was Frontier Falls, the first western themed land built at a UK theme park for some time. The flagship attraction in the area is Gold Rush, and this concept art gave us a preview of how the coaster would look, without giving away the secret of how innovative the ride would be.
The Wave
Shockwave’s transformation from a standing to a sitting coaster also brought with it a new name and some extra colourful theming shown in this concept art. Sadly, the shark never made it though!
Duplo Dino Coaster
Originally named Duplo ‘Dream’ Coaster, and later changed to Duplo Dino Coaster, the below concept art was released in late 2019, showing the colourful and vibrant theming that the adorable coaster train would navigate through.
LEGOLAND Woodland Village
2024 saw a huge expansion to the accommodation offering at LEGOLAND Windsor, and this concept art shows general overviews, the resort hub – containing the reception, restaurant and bar areas, along with the lodging itself – standard woodland lodges, premium woodland lodges, and woodland barrels.
LEGO Mythica
Ahead of LEGO Mythica’s opening in May 2021, two impressive images were published which provided a good idea of how the land and its attractions would look. A year later, concept art was shared for the area’s new expansion, The Magical Forest.
Ghostly Manor
Leisure Expert Group were responsible for the design of Ghostly Manor – a new dark ride combined with the technology and integration of Lagotronics, a new and unique ride system from Mack Rides, and the production and theming from Themics.
Lost Kingdom
Lost Kingdom is home to a whole host of Dinosaur attractions including two fantastic Vekoma family coasters, lifelike animatronic Dinosaurs, Jurassic themed family rides, a prehistoric Dinosaur adventure play park and an interactive ‘meet the dinosaur’ experience.
Tornado Springs
Set in a Midwest desert resort town in the American heyday of the 1950’s, the below concept art of Tornado Springs was released during an exciting marketing campaign leading up to the opening. Featured are images of the area, attractions, theming, signage, and restaurant – including some of the dishes which make Jesse’s Route 83 Diner so special.
Valgard: Realm of the Vikings
Leisure Expert Group was responsible for the fantastic concept design of Valgard: Real of the Vikings. Through detailed design, richly themed environments and a carefully curated mix of attractions, the area brings the spirit of the Vikings to life, offering exciting adventures for thrill-seekers and families alike.
Big Easy Boulevard
Replacing Angry Birds for the 2024 season, Big Easy Boulevard was billed as a place to let loose, seize the moment and create memories. The area kept the vibrant coloured buildings but presented them in a better way, also providing a more suitable transition between the two Amity areas and the tropical vibes of Nemesis Inferno and Rumba Rapids.
Colossus
Even after having a budget cut mid-way through the project, Colossus still extended the dramatic Lost City theme throughout its area. The designer John Wardley provided a preview via a Rollercoaster Tycoon version he made in advance.
Ghost Train
Reimagining Derren Brown’s Ghost Train which used virtual reality as its unique selling point was never going to be easy, but Thorpe Park did a great job in making the attraction actor lead, while changing the story, first shown in these concepts.
Lakeside Hotel
In November 2024, Bear Architects were asked to put forward a design proposal to assist Thorpe Park with a business case for a new 100 room hotel, named Lakeside. The proposal was for the accommodation to be situated on the same site across the lake from the theme park where the original planned hotel was going to be located. This concept, like the previous one, never came to fruition.
Nemesis Inferno
One of Thorpe Park’s staples. Nemesis Inferno was a highly themed addition which mirrored its concept art.
Miscellaneous
A new bright orange train for Flying Fish featured as part of its return. The rather plain Thunder River entrance was transformed into a tropical landmark for Rumba Rapids. Samurai is shown here in a slightly different colour scheme compared to what was chosen. Saw Alive turned out exactly like the concept art, and was as grim in real life as depicted!
Quantum
Quantum’s intricate concept art is the most impressive and ornate out of all of the attractions in The Lost City area. The ride opened looking exactly like the plans, but over time, the theming has steadily been stripped away for ease of maintenance.
Rush & Slammer
Still looking mighty impressive, Rush did not feature the designs shown below on the structure. Slammer turned out identical, apart from the stripes on the two towers.
Saw – The Ride
Originally known as Project Dylan, the early concept art and plans gave no indication of the Saw movie theme. The intention was that if the franchise is ever dropped we would still have a suitably themed ride for the Canada Creek area, until Hyperia was built…
Stealth
The following concept image gave an idea of how Stealth’s iconic top hat element would look, with the queue-line following the revised route that no longer featured the grandstand.
The Swarm
The post-apocalyptic land that has been attacked by an alien swarm was brought to life in these images.
The Walking Dead: The Ride
Based on the popular TV series of the same name, we saw the X:\ No Way Out pyramid transformed in to a zombie infested wasteland.
Thorpe Shark Hotel
Originally called Crash Pad, Thorpe Park’s hotel made from shipping containers was leased from Snoozebox. Once the development was purchased, three different concepts were drawn up for consideration, with the Thorpe Shark Hotel theme eventually chosen.
Tidal Wave
Not only did the fantastic theming of Tidal Wave match the great detail put in to the following drawings, it turned out to be one of Tussaud’s best looking rides ever created.
