Ug Land / Rita 2010

[Chris1]

The one thing I fear is that Ug Lands food outlets will get the same sort of revamp that the Merrie England ones recieved; a paint job, with a few simple additions/ alterations...

I would obviously prefer to see an extensive overhaul of the facades....

[kingda dude]

[quote=""jammat""]Doesn't the original concept art already show Rita in a Dark Forest (along with the robo arms and an unknown coaster in a crypt falling down some kind of broken track)?[/quote]

Woah wait a second can I see this artwork and is it official to the park?
That last coaster sound allot like the possible desription of SW6!

[jammat]

No idea if its official, but here's a link to a youtube video someone put up.

[url=" target="_blank][/url]

I haven't really studied it, so I could be wrong.

[Wes]

[quote=""jammat""]No idea if its official, but here's a link to a youtube video someone put up.

[url=" target="_blank][/url]

I haven't really studied it, so I could be wrong.[/quote]

Those are the Dark Forest concepts which were found online last year.

[Dara]

I think it's really unlikely that Rita will be re-named. It has proven a very catchy name which people remember and there is alot in a name, which is why when Samurai moved from Chessington to Thorpe, it was not re-named, despite the fact that in its new locaton it had no relevence to its surroundings. Names are remembered and are very important. I think that changing Rita's name would be very unwise.

It's likely to just have a new logo and new theming. I seriously think/hope the name will stay

[And.]

[quote=""Dara""]I think it's really unlikely that Rita will be re-named. It has proven a very catchy name which people remember and there is alot in a name, which is why when Samurai moved from Chessington to Thorpe, it was not re-named, despite the fact that in its new locaton it had no relevence to its surroundings. Names are remembered and are very important. I think that changing Rita's name would be very unwise.

It's likely to just have a new logo and new theming. I seriously think/hope the name will stay[/quote]

There's no reason why the name couldn't stay to be honest. Rita is a pretty generic name imo - you know, it could be applied to a number of themes and still make sense.

[shawnoc]

I can imagine they will drop the Queen of Speed part of the ride. No more tire entrance, or they will just put vines over it!

[Dara]

I think this is likely and i would welcome this move away from Stealth's theming. At the moment the two coasters are themed almost exactly the same.

[Gloomy Dude]

[quote=""Ryanfuk""]I honestly think Alton Towers will not re-theme or rename Rita, instead stripping it of any fantasy regarding races and clearly displaying it as a rollercoaster.

As with Thunderlooper in the Forbidden Valley, the coaster is something from the world of Alton Towers that is part of the backdrop to something they've found in the forest.

Alton Towers only actually have one ride which is a rollercoaster posing as something else, and that's Rita posing as a racetrack....think about it ->

- Nemesis (the rollercoaster) is explained as the steel used to pin Nemesis down, and it is now ridden by the public...as a rollercoaster (Compare with Black Mamba - A snake)

- Oblivion is a rollercoaster, and the queueline suggest nothing other then the fact that that's all it is....of course, the fear and theme come in with the psycological side of things...the real story is all about the feelings you feel and how the ride and videos manipulate that...it's not a machine, it's not a black hole, it's not a monster.....it is a rollercoaster. (Compare with Sheikra - Riding on the back of an eagle)

- Air has no story, it's unashamedly a rollercoaster that makes you feel like your flying...they haven't themed it to look like an eagle, they haven't themed it to look like a plane, it's a rollercoaster. (Compare with Manta - Flying under a ray)

That's where Alton Towers excel, they don't hide their rides under a veneer, there's always an explanation for a coaster being at the heart of their attraction but it isn't the story-teller, it's the environment it's in or the things it does that tells the story.

Which makes it easy for them to carry on this practice by using Rita as a rollercoaster in it's own right, meaning that SW6 is merely a discovery in the woods. Make Rita look run down, get rid of all references to UG Land, call the area Thunder Rock Rally, and have SW6's queueline and station in the semi-deconstructed remains of Corkscrew.

It just all helps in grounding SW6 to real life, especially if it's going to be based on some sort of legend or myth.[/quote]


I was planning a post to exactly the same sentiment as this. Thanks for saving me the time. You are wise and insightful my friend. This is what I have thought all along

[DisneyImagineer]

Why can Rita not fit in with the theming?

A village of Thunder Rock.
With a disturbing past.
Dare you enter into the caves of its past?
Through the happy side of Rita and into the Truth?

Or are you like everyone else, going to stay with Rita? Happy and excited. Not scared of the Unknown?

DI.

[Sir John Talbot]

[quote=""DisneyImagineer""]Why can Rita not fit in with the theming?

A village of Thunder Rock.
With a disturbing past.
Dare you enter into the caves of its past?
Through the happy side of Rita and into the Truth?

Or are you like everyone else, going to stay with Rita? Happy and excited. Not scared of the Unknown?

DI.[/quote]

Agreed. I like the idea of an old, abandoned Race Course.

They could weather all the currently buildings and theming, have them looking like they're in a dire and almost eerie state of disrepair, with the forest evidently devouring all of the remaining structures. Somewhat like Amity Speedway at Thorpe which has a weathered look to it, but much more delapitated. Rita could have a vague dash of green and brown to make it appear it has worn, rusted and become dirty due to lack of use. A phenomenon could be found in the discovery of "Rita", a price winning car from the past that can still thrill riders despite it's worse for wear state.

That could entirely fit in with the 'Crypt' idea and theme and have the history of the Towers underlying this apparent past modern area, much like Nemesis' presence and how it was underlying in the Valley, and the Vaults presence and how it was underlying in the Towers.

It'd also bring continuity to the notion of mysterious things being found at the Towers during restoration work, just like Hex and Nemesis.

I think that'd give a great contrast between the modern nature of the Towers in present day, and the omnipresent History that shrouds the park in that mysterious, 'to be discovered' way.

[DisneyImagineer]

[quote=""Sir John Talbot""]

Agreed. I like the idea of an old, abandoned Race Course.
[/quote]

I like your idea, but I was thinking more of an old still functioning race course. Few licks of rust and dingy paint job.

A bit like the film the village!
All happy on the inside but when you venture into the Forrest!
Something the locals talk about.

DI.

[Jon]

I sortof like the idea of the old raceway. Like having T.V. moniters around that are all out of tune, grey and fuzzy and you keep seeing snapshots of the raceway in the "oogd old days" and odd sounds of crowds cheering intermingled with fuzzyness to give an impression of "what happened to this place?". All quite errie.

BUT

The chances of Alton pulling this off and pulling this off well are slim. Rita would still need to be almost completely rethemed because there is barely any racetrack themeing there in the first place. It's not as if all they'd have to do would be to weather what's there down a bit to make it look older, because there's hardly any themeing there to water down. What is there is intermingled with the caveman theme so it doesn't scream racetrack in the first place. To achieve this you would need plenty of themeing that is quite obviously racetrack and then weather it down.

Even then, the theme might still not be properly executed. When Rita was introduced there was a half-arsed stab at combining the racetrack theme with the Ug Land theme. It could have worked. Many enthusiasts presented ideas for how the two themes could have been successfully amalgamated. But Alton didn't put in that effort. Yes, they have shown that they can put in more effort into themeing since the years of Rita, but it would still require a lot of effort. Effort I'd much rather they put into making SW6 fantastic.

It would actually take less effort to create a much more impressionable theme for Rita if they went for a generic foresty theme.

[jammat]

Could the whole area have a sort-of archeology theme?

[And.]

[quote=""Jon""]I sortof like the idea of the old raceway. Like having T.V. moniters around that are all out of tune, grey and fuzzy and you keep seeing snapshots of the raceway in the "oogd old days" and odd sounds of crowds cheering intermingled with fuzzyness to give an impression of "what happened to this place?". All quite errie.

BUT

The chances of Alton pulling this off and pulling this off well are slim. Rita would still need to be almost completely rethemed because there is barely any racetrack themeing there in the first place. It's not as if all they'd have to do would be to weather what's there down a bit to make it look older, because there's hardly any themeing there to water down. What is there is intermingled with the caveman theme so it doesn't scream racetrack in the first place. To achieve this you would need plenty of themeing that is quite obviously racetrack and then weather it down.

Even then, the theme might still not be properly executed. When Rita was introduced there was a half-arsed stab at combining the racetrack theme with the Ug Land theme. It could have worked. Many enthusiasts presented ideas for how the two themes could have been successfully amalgamated. But Alton didn't put in that effort. Yes, they have shown that they can put in more effort into themeing since the years of Rita, but it would still require a lot of effort. Effort I'd much rather they put into making SW6 fantastic.

It would actually take less effort to create a much more impressionable theme for Rita if they went for a generic foresty theme. [/quote]

I'm inclined to disagree with you a little on the retheme point. What you have to remember is that Rita came at a time of general under-investment in the park. Tussauds/DIC wanted quick bucks for their investment, so very little effort went into new and existing attractions. Cases in point: Spinball, Rita, removal of Ice shows, general grottyness of park for quite a while.

I don't agree that it would take very much effort to "retheme" Rita as there isn't much theming there in the first place. It'd be pretty easy to strip off what's there (the control box etc), and put a delapidated (beyond repair) raceway theme in its place.

I really like the abandoned raceway idea with the old fashioned TVs flickering black and white images of the "good times" - i.e. today.

Have some creeping vines up the supports and fences of rita, and fanny's your aunt - you've got a pretty decent theme there.

This would add to the storyline of SW6 (assuming it's one of archeaological discovery) that they discovered this crypt on the site of the Corkscrew, something happened, and it caused people to be scared away and Thunder Rock to be abandoned.

The more I think about it, the more I think of an "Alton Towers abandoned - and this is 30 years later" kinda theme.

I'd be awesome imo.

Granted, probably wouldn't happen but it's an idea anyways.

[Killer Chinchilla]

I think they should re-theme ugland as a sort of abandoned thing (forbidden valley would have fitted but it's already being used ) with rita rusted and worn and entangled with roots and vines from the SW6 ride and tree roots coming up through the ground wrapping rita up-a bit like an abandoned race track.

Because on the ideas of the entrance it suits the theme of an abandoned village pretty good.
I think personally the shops and everything in ugland that looks like a caveman theme looks really tacky now and they REALLY need to change it! i think all the fair ground games make it look horrid as well.

I think that if they do something similar to what i've said. it could be the best themed and popular part of the park.

[Joe Koopa]

Visting the park on Tuesday, I noticed about how much space there is where UG Swinger was, infact I'll be really suprised if there isn't a flat or something in there.

[Killer Chinchilla]

you just posted that... #-o

[ThrillJunkie]

I personally don't think we will see a change in Rita at all for the SW6 project. I think they will just create a "secret" themed area behind rita that will be home to the new attraction (and only the new attraction).

I will be so surprised if they rename or change rita in anyway although i have always thought that Rita has never fit in not even in Ugland.

Do we even know that Ugland will be disappearing? Has it been confirmed or is it just rumours?

[Killer Chinchilla]

I hope it does, it's completely tacky and mingin lol :P