The Future of RITA..

[The Moon]

It is just like Xcelerator, rubbish ass equipment not designed well or strong enough. Intamin are rife with bad design and rehashes. I305 reprofile, Hydro and Perilous Plunge restraints, the Kingda Ka malarkey, S:ROS restraints etc. it was only time that the inevitable would come to light.

[Kenzie2012]

Meh, things happen.... This cable snap will do nothing to spur the removal of Rita.

It's still a good ride, in it's prime.

[Jevaaaans]

Rita really badly needs more theming to bring it into the "Dark Forest" area. Just throwing some trees and green paint onto the control booth and spray-painting the sides of the cars brown really wasn't enough to make it fit.

It would make more sense if the full track was painted that dark green colour where it goes above tree height, to make it feel more emerged in the darkness of the forest.

Also, the cars should look more damaged by the forest, perhaps some artificial scrapes along the sides of them, or some branches coming up from the base of them to make them look engulfed by the supernatural forest, similar to the van in TH13TEEN's queue line.

Add some darker music and a station repaint to dark brown or green you have a new Dark Forest Rita. I know more could be done but this would be a good start.

[roary01]

taken from the alton towers guide on facebook..

shows the new walkway in dark frest under RITA which they have tried to fit into the theming of TH13TEEN, which i kinda like, but this is the kind of coverage needed over more areas too which will give it a darker/forest look..

[scott.smith]

Couldn't have asked more, i just hope the fences will be taken down soon though

[Zach]

At Alton towers other and realised a load of X marked onto certain supports of Rita near thirteen any ideas ???

[Kenzie2012]

There's a photo of that from opening day... I don't think anything was ever reported for it.

[Zach]

Does seem very odd though hmmmmm....

[Boz]

If it's anything like the marks that have been going on trees, it might suggest that they were recently marked for the purposes of creating a plan layout of the area. that is pure speculation though, they might even have been there since Thirteen's plans were drawn up, and we simply didn't notice.

[Kenzie2012]

That would make sense. The photos are taken from the que of 13 and tht area was scrubland and trees prior to construction.

[George B]

MY problem with Rita is the lack of theming. All of the other big rides(except air) has a good storyline and theming. Just add a story!

[mccroriec]

Give it lap bars 

[truckaddict]

I just saw the lightning bolt idea! Rather than the traditional yellow/white bolt it should be green xD

[Henry]

I would like to see Rita converted to lapbars and adding a zero-g roll into it, but to be honest, I don't see any of that happening its too old. A tunnel over the launch could work well with some lighting and theming inside (not that you'd see it anyway :mrgreen:)

[Heisenberg96]

MY problem with Rita is the lack of theming. All of the other big rides(except air) has a good storyline and theming. Just add a story!

Ah but there was a tremendous difference. Air works best not having a storyline. It's contrast with nemesis and emphasis on the 'flying aspect' is as far as I'd have liked to see Air go. Rita needed a storyline, and I don't know why. There's just a difference between the nature of the rides that makes me think Air works better without a story and Rita is in desperate need of one.

[jmed]

Rita defintely needs a proper theme. It didn't fit in with Ugland, and it doesnt with Dark Forest either. The theme idea was ok, Rita, Queen of Speed, racecar drag race style, but how that fits with cave man themes or dark creepy forest themes i dont get. Ok, it may have been a rushed 'off the shelf' coaster but thats no excuse for such poor themeing. Especially for AT. AT historically has themeing way beyond anything else in the country. Most other parks dump a coaster on a plot of land, and theme it well but without any relation to adjoining rides or areas. Alton Towers creates immersive themes lands, Forbidden Valley based around Nemesis, X sector based around Oblivion, even Mutiny Bay had all the existing rides re-themed to match well.

But Rita doesn't go. I like the enclosed launch idea, although if done poorly the lightening idea could end up looking like a dodgy Space Mountain. I would like to see the whole area get a slight change to the theming. The area layout, the food and games stalls and general look of the area feels like a fairground to me, i think the area should be themed as an old haunted abandoned fairground on the edge of a dark forest, in which the haunted forest is overtaking the old fair.

Thirteen keeps its theme with the back story of it being an old poorly maintained coaster in which the trees have swallowed up most of the track.

Rita could become a haunted house style ride, hear me out. Just the station could be themed to look like the old open front station of a fairground haunted house ride. the cars look like a like of fairground ride cars, and the story is again that the trees have taken over and the previously 'slow' ride gets launched into the trees. they could even have the train return into the station through the old swinging doors with all the creepy/cheesy sound effects.

Also some small flats could be added, again typically fairgroiund style, but all themed to look old and abandoned.

As for the ideas of adding inversions to Rita, i think this is unfortunatly not going to happen and would involve too much work and could even require re-submitted planning if it changed the height or view of the ride. For years people have said oblivon needed a bit extra but its never happened.

thought??

[Benjsh]

I'm indifferent when it comes to Rita. I'll go on it if there's next to no queue but I won't wait longer than 15-20 minutes for it anymore. I remember waiting 2hrs 10 mins (yes i still recall) when it first opened and being INCREDIBLY underwhelmed when I got off. Not worth even half that queue time.

They won't do anything with it now I wouldn't imagine. It's still popular and that's the only thing they are bothered about really.

Could it have been themed better and marketed better???? Absolutely !!! They did a pretty poor job with both those aspects for me. Like some people have eluded to above, it's almost like it was rushed, which is incredibly un-alton towers if you will. Too late now though.

Thirteen looks great but lacks the punch. Rita has the punch but looks awful. Exact opposites of each other. Dark Forest hasn't been a huge success so far for me. It needs MAJOR work in the coming years. FB and X sector are / soon will be kicking it's backside.

[Kenzie2012]

I hope Rita doesn't disappear.... I like it. Yes it's not worth a huge queue, but like everything in the park other than Air, if its 20, every other ride will be the same or more so ill wait.

[Balb0wa]

I love Rita, did it 8 times in a row on ERT last year before they took it off , no ride like it on the park for giving you a shove in the back at launch.

The theming on it doesn't really bother me.

[SpecyBeast]

I hope this ride has no future!