Attraction Source Forum

Is it just me but doesn't adventure land and old McDonald farm yard make no sense at all.So isn't it about time they replaced it with something younger for example like a cartoon style looking part because it you watch the tv ads it always looks a bit wacky and adventurous. I know sonic is getting removed next year because sponsorship runs out with sega. It also makes sense to completely remove the ride as that's why it got returned to sonic in the first place to give it a new look and life. So my question is what should they returned both areas into to be one big area.

I wouldn't mind to see a bit of a re theme of that area not turning it into some thrill junkie area. Still family/young kids orientated but im sure there's only a certain number of times you can ride squirrel nutty before you realise the Pedals don't work...

As we already know, Merlin big wigs have always hated spinball and with the attempt to sort the tent out (Shrek) the other year all things point to this area being the next on the list. And with 2014 being a small to medium investment year and a family year, it's very likely.

No we love the farm

An update is definitely needed, but I don't think I'd like to see the areas turn into a Disney and Warner Brothers commercial sell out. The fact there isn't a great deal of influence from major children's entertainment companies makes the experience so unique.

What you have to realise is we need something which is British and fits in, so an American Cartoon land will simply not work. We have CCL for that. I guess you really need to look at the needs of the average small family and if you take Legoland as a good example, an area themed around Lego would fit in well as Merlin have got Legoland working very well in multiple countries so there is no reason why a small Legoland wouldn't work there. Kids rides like the Wave surfer would be ideal for this area.

bensaund wrote: What you have to realise is we need something which is British and fits in, so an American Cartoon land will simply not work. We have CCL for that. I guess you really need to look at the needs of the average small family and if you take Legoland as a good example, an area themed around Lego would fit in well as Merlin have got Legoland working very well in multiple countries so there is no reason why a small Legoland wouldn't work there. Kids rides like the Wave surfer would be ideal for this area.

The only thing is i dont think a lego land area will fit into the towers we should see to keep them more seperate

As a longtime fan of the towers and also a father too two boys (Harvey5 & Jensen2) I feel I can comment well on this topic....

Long and short of it.... Remove/change Adventure land - Leave the farm alone

Adventureland has never made sense to me & i think as an area, it is in serious need of attention and is nowehere near useing anywhere near it's potential. Spinball stands out like a saw thumb on approach. To give SB credit, it is a decent enough coaster, but there is no attempt at themeing whilst in the area. Other then Rita, all other rides in the park interact with their environment and use their surroundings to maximize the ride experince.

For this reason, I would love to see a brand new childcentirc area created, aiming for kids who are too big for the farm, but under 1.4/1.2m crippling height restriction set elsewhere in the park. Have a kids coaster along the lines of Disney's Casey JR (http://rcdb.com/1835.htm?p=0) with possible interactive element alongside some tame flatrides. As for the theme of the ride or area... Would have to loved to have "kept it british" with a Wallace & Grommit area, but can't see this happening now with BPB's latest addition.

the farm The only changes I would make would possibly add some more animals as I think for young klids and familes, this is the perfect split of adventure, theme, animals, and education etc.

I no longer want a cartoon area after reading everyones replies, i think we should keep the farm!

Henry wrote: I no longer want a cartoon area after reading everyones replies, i think we should keep the farm!

I'll tell AT to stop the diggers lol

Any slight chance of American commercialisation would need to be cut out completely... AT would lose its magic

Heisenberg96 wrote: Any slight chance of American commercialisation would need to be cut out completely... AT would lose its magic

Agreed.. Was never happy with Sonic theme too be honest. As i mentioned, i would have loved to have seen a Wallace & Gromit land which I feel AT could have done extremely well but unfortunately BPB beat them too it... Question is, what other BRITISH characters could they do ??

Don't touch the farm. Please don't touch the farm.

It's easily one of the most magical areas of the park, a recluse and refuge from the hustle-bustle of a day at Alton Towers. There is no other area quite like it, and it has a charming atmosphere which I would argue can only be matched by Katanga Canyon. When you're in the Farmyard you're not at a theme park, you're in another world, an illusion which Alton Towers very rarely managed to sustain, unlike the Universal and Disney parks overseas.

The likes of the Tractor Ride, Squirrel Nutty and Riverbank Eye-Spy are not just good kids rides, they're completely and utterly ideal. If maintained to a reasonable standard they're timeless additions which could reasonably outlive recent additions such as Sub Terra. Add to this the superb interaction and inclusion of real farmyard animals into the area and it's absolutely perfect for kids, much more ideal than Cloud Cuckoo Land which is almost insultingly garish and obvious, yet clearly less satisfactory. This area of the park, expanding perhaps into Coaster Corner, would be a much better location for any 'LEGO' or IP based refurbishment.

But that's why we have a problem. Because the Farmyard's core is so perfect and yet the surroundings (Sonic Spinball, The Beastie's corpse, The Dungheap, Berry Bish Bash) are insultingly weak and mis-matched. It's not the area that needs replacing, it's elements within. Personally I'd say that all of those attractions can go - send Spinball elsewhere (Gardaland? Maybe Legoland at a push? Or a short-term relocation to the car park near Air? Wherever. Just get it away from the entrance because it's an eyesore and doesn't have the throughput to deal with it.) and scrap the other attractions. Expand the Farmyard - perhaps introduce an IP which doesn't intrude upon the Farmyard and which has broad appeal, particularly for young children. My suggestion has always been Shaun the Sheep.

So we'd see a line-up in the Farmyard something like this, following a spruce-up:
Tractor Ride
Squirrel Nutty Ride
Riverbank Eye-Spy
Doodle Doo Derby
Ice Skating Show (Bring it back! It was popular and it's live entertainment, something the park now lacks)
Mack YoungStar - on the site previously occupied by both Spinball and The Beastie. Emphasis upon theming.
Track-based dark ride in the Berry Bish Bash building. Again this would rely heavily upon an IP - I'd suggest something similar to Toy Story Mania in concept. (Though this would be dangerously similar to Duel, I can't see the latter lasting much longer regardless.)
Upgraded Dung Heap complete with additional theming and some of the play equipment from the current space(?) playground beside Spinball and a 'Farmyard' eatery.


I think something like this would be by far preferable to simply tearing out the Farmyard / Adventure Land and starting again from scratch, there are some gems there.

I love the idea of a dark ride in bish bash, although fear the building would be too small and there isn't really anywhere to expand the building around that area.  A good quality eatery is lacking in this area!

12344321 wrote: I love the idea of a dark ride in bish bash, although fear the building would be too small and there isn't really anywhere to expand the building around that area.

Admittedly this could cause a problem. But doesn't the building already have multiple floors? If the 'dark ride' built in there were to have some sort of 'elevator' system so that the ride cars could switch between floors midway through the ride, then there'd probably be enough space for something of a decent size. The Toy Story Mania concept which I would suggest basing it upon actually takes up very little space, and the ride duration comes from 'lingering' upon each scene. Considering that this new ride would be in perhaps the least visited area of the park, and Duel's lack of popularity (considering that it's a similar concept) I don't think the throughput of this particular attraction would have to be more than, say, 600pph to be effective. So I think there's just about enough space for a dark ride of decent duration, lingering upon scenes... hopefully, anyway.

I do agree with you about the eatery, however, and if the Berry Bish Bash building is the only potential site for such a venture then perhaps that should take priority. The toilets in the Farmyard are appalling, too.

clayj wrote:

Heisenberg96 wrote: Any slight chance of American commercialisation would need to be cut out completely... AT would lose its magic

Agreed.. Was never happy with Sonic theme too be honest. As i mentioned, i would have loved to have seen a Wallace & Gromit land which I feel AT could have done extremely well but unfortunately BPB beat them too it... Question is, what other BRITISH characters could they do ??

In terms of modern children's entertainment, it's virtually all American. I don't know whether there's any sort of Beatrix potter or bagpuss lands in any other theme parks, and I'd love to see it  but that's just something a modern day child wouldn't get... AT could maybe focus in more on Roald Dahl?

Heisenberg96 wrote: In terms of modern children's entertainment, it's virtually all American. I don't know whether there's any sort of Beatrix potter or bagpuss lands in any other theme parks, and I'd love to see it  but that's just something a modern day child wouldn't get... AT could maybe focus in more on Roald Dahl?

I don't think Beatrix potter or Bagpuss would pull the crowds in.... However, Roald Dahl, would be amazing. I loved his books as a child & my kids in turn love me to read them.. My 5 year old has really been bitten by the reading bug & loves his stories.

Other IP I can quickly think off the top of my head which would still carry some form of clout with the modern day family would be;

The Beano,
Stingray,
Thunderbirds,
Dr Who,
Horrid Henry,

Because i'm from Newcastle, by birth right I feel obliged to add Byker Grove into the mix.

Finally, I would neverwant to happen.... Give Rita an actual theme & make it Rory the racing car lol

clayj wrote:

Heisenberg96 wrote: In terms of modern children's entertainment, it's virtually all American. I don't know whether there's any sort of Beatrix potter or bagpuss lands in any other theme parks, and I'd love to see it  but that's just something a modern day child wouldn't get... AT could maybe focus in more on Roald Dahl?

I don't think Beatrix potter or Bagpuss would pull the crowds in.... However, Roald Dahl, would be amazing. I loved his books as a child & my kids in turn love me to read them.. My 5 year old has really been bitten by the reading bug & loves his stories.

Other IP I can quickly think off the top of my head which would still carry some form of clout with the modern day family would be;

The Beano,
Stingray,
Thunderbirds,
Dr Who,
Horrid Henry,

Because i'm from Newcastle, by birth right I feel obliged to add Byker Grove into the mix.

Finally, I would neverwant to happen.... Give Rita an actual theme & make it Rory the racing car lol

Suppose Beatrix potter would just be my taste... Well if you think there's already a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ride, there's an opportunity for the Roald Dahl theme to expand, especially considering the fact Dahl is timeless.
As far as Rory the racing car is concerned...only in a nightmare 

Ever since the foot n mouth outbreak and when they had to get rid of the animals due to it, it has gone downhill
But no it's nice for the young guys and as stated before its nice to get away from the hustle n bustle.