Saturday 17 September 2005

Orge-Whelming Shrek 4D Adventure Comes to Warner Bros. Movie World

Warner Bros. Movie World once again breaks new ground in live entertainment with the launch of an ogre-whelming new attraction starring the world’s most famous and loveable ogre.

Now open, ‘Shrek 4D Adventure’ is a cutting edge multi-sensory attraction – a totally new movie with spectacular visuals and multiple special effects yet to be seen, heard and felt in a ‘4D’ attraction in Australia.

‘Shrek 4D Adventure’ will bridge the narrative between DreamWorks’ Oscar® - winning movie ‘Shrek®’ - “the greatest fairy-tale never told,” and the sequel from DreamWorks Pictures, ‘Shrek 2®’ and once again feature the comic talents of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and John Lithgow who give voice to the swamp-dwelling ogre, Shrek®, his faithful chatterbox companion, Donkey; his bride, Princess Fiona™; and the vengeful ghost of Lord Farquaad™.

Donning specially-created “OgreVision” glasses, guests will be transported into a state of the art 3D film that, along with surprising sensory elements, will propel them into the ultimate ‘Shrek 4D’ experience.

The experience becomes even more immersive with the creation of uniquely designed ‘Shrek’ seats, each equipped with seven different special effects that repeat numerous times in tandem with the 3D animation, including vertical drops and horizontal motions!

Guests visiting Warner Bros. Movie World will also have the chance to meet the big, green and loveable ogre Shrek and his new bride, Princess Fiona who will join the star-studded cast of characters appearing in the Park daily.

In announcing the new attraction, John Menzies, Chief Executive Officer, Warner Village Theme Parks said, “Warner Village Theme Parks are always striving to introduce innovative new attractions such as Shrek 4D Adventure in an effort to drive holidaymakers to the Gold Coast and further enhance the region’s reputation as Australia’s leading holiday destination.

“Warner Bros. Movie World is a world-class movie studio theme park, offering unique and groundbreaking entertainment experiences not found anywhere else in Australia.

“Our commitment is to bring the most unique and exciting entertainment experiences to life based on popular contemporary movie product. The new Shrek 4D Adventure attraction is an example of the tremendous rewards to be realised from working with a creative powerhouse such as DreamWorks.

“We are so delighted to welcome Shrek to Warner Bros. Movie World and believe it will strengthen the Park’s already exceptional stable of movie themed attractions,” Mr Menzies said.

‘Shrek 4D Adventure’ marks the first animation to be created for a theme park by the animation wizards at PDI/DreamWorks, the creators of ‘Shrek’. The addition of three-dimensional depth to the animation and the creation of in-theatre effects by attraction designers at Universal Creative will be parts of the new OgreVision multi-sensory experience.

Members of the team responsible for ‘Shrek’ and ‘Shrek 2’ also created the new animation. David Lipman, the co-executive producer for ‘Shrek’ and producer for ‘Shrek 2’ also produced the theme park attraction and Simon Smith, Head of Layout on ‘Shrek’ directed it. Also, Harry Gregson-Williams, one of the composers on ‘Shrek’, composed the new orchestral score.

The ogre-whelming ‘Shrek 4D Adventure’ begins when guests are ushered into a pre-show chamber and greeted by the late, vertically challenged Lord Farquaad himself, who, in his first posthumous appearance, will inform guests of his ghostly scheme to haunt Shrek, Princess Fiona and Donkey. The video and animatronic preamble will prepare guests for their entry into the main theatre and the wild adventure to follow.

Once settled in their specially-designed seats, guests will be transported to the fairy tale realm of Duloc, as the screen and the theatre itself come alive with the tale of the Shrek-Princess Fiona honeymoon adventure.

The tale begins as Shrek, Princess Fiona and their companion, Donkey set off for a honeymoon. But the ghost of Lord Farquaad, intent on taking his fearsome revenge, interrupts the honeymooners’ bliss. Soon, our fairy-tale heroes are face to face with ghostly foes and the audience is transported into the centre of a thrilling adventure packed with such fast-paced sequences as an aerial dogfight between fire-breathing dragons and a steep plunge down a 1,000-foot deadly waterfall.

It’s an ogre-load of fun not to be missed!

Warner Bros. Movie World is the only place where you can become lost in a world of fantasy and fun; meet Shrek and all your favourite stars and super heroes, and experience the exhilaration of world-class adventure rides, movie attractions and an array of stunning shows including the Shrektacular new ‘Shrek 4D Adventure’ attraction.

Warner Bros. Movie World – where movie magic happens every day!

Warner Village Theme Parks $65 Million Expansion

Group commits to massive expansion to drive Gold Coast tourism

Warner Village Theme Parks on Australia’s Gold Coast have announced an unprecedented $65 million expansion plan in recognition of the need to continue to grow visitor numbers to the holiday region through innovative and contemporary new attractions and entertainment experiences.

As a major driving force behind building tourism business for the Gold Coast region, Australia’s largest and most celebrated theme park group, employing some 2,500 staff plans to diversify and enhance their current product offerings by introducing even more unique and groundbreaking attractions to lure holidaymakers.

In addition to two dynamic new attractions at Warner Bros. Movie World and a multi-million dollar expansion program for Wet’n’Wild Water World, will be the 2006 launch of ‘Australian Outback Spectacular’, a unique and exciting dinner show attraction which will be the first of its kind in Australia.

This huge capital injection will extend Warner Village Theme Parks’ already well established reach into major consumer markets both domestically and internationally, and further support the Group’s commitment to building the Gold Coast’s tourism profile and nurturing the growth of the tourism industry throughout the region by extending business and employment opportunities within the local community.

The exciting expansion underway includes:

Warner Bros. Movie World
Traditionally home to the biggest and best movie themed attractions, Warner Bros. Movie World will bring out the big guns of the world’s most popular brands with the September 2005 launch of DreamWorks ‘Shrek 4D Adventure’ and the December 2005 launch of ‘Superman Escape’.

Opening September 17, ‘Shrek 4D Adventure’ is a cutting edge multi-sensory attraction – a totally new movie with spectacular visuals and multiple special effects yet to be seen, heard and felt in a ‘4D’ attraction in Australia.

‘Shrek 4D Adventure’ will bridge the narrative between DreamWorks’ Oscar - winning movie ‘Shrek’ - “the greatest fairy-tale never told” and the sequel from DreamWorks Pictures, ‘Shrek 2’ and once again feature the comic talents of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and John Lithgow who give voice to the swamp-dwelling ogre, Shrek, his faithful chatterbox companion, Donkey; his bride, Princess Fiona; and the vengeful ghost of Lord Farquaad.

Guests visiting Warner Bros. Movie World will also have the chance to meet the big, green and loveable ogre Shrek and his new bride Princess Fiona, who will join the star-studded cast of characters appearing in the Park daily.

In December, Warner Bros. Movie World will launch its most awesome new ride experience to date – ‘Superman Escape’. This exhilarating ride experience will be the first of its kind in the world, with an exciting pre-show adventure themed around the world’s most popular super hero. ‘Superman Escape’ has been specifically chosen as a catalyst to build the family and teen market visitation to the Park.

Wet’n’Wild Water World
Wet’n’Wild Water World’s $20M expansion includes a massive new children’s attraction - the all-new Buccaneer Bay, opening September 17, as well as the Boxing Day launch of an incredible new thrill slide precinct offering adrenaline junkies the ultimate extreme aquatic experiences.

‘Extreme H2O Zone’ will be located behind Calypso Beach and showcase seven oversized thrill slides like nothing ever seen before in Australia including the Mach V attraction which will house the Park’s two longest rides that will have guests sliding through 160 metres of twists and turns in open air flumes as well as three adrenaline pumping high speed body slides. Extreme H2O Zone will also feature Blackhole - two enclosed slides that will catapult riders into pitch black spirals of darkness.

By the busy Christmas holidays, the Park will literally have increased in size by one-third and offer the biggest and best selection of water based rides and slides anywhere in the world, whilst simultaneously increasing the capacity by 50%, reducing queue times of the Park in line with its ever growing popularity.

But the excitement won’t stop there. Next year will see the launch of yet another thrill slide - Tornado, adding a further dramatic dimension to Wet’n’Wild’s total entertainment offering and cementing the Park’s position as the country’s leading water park, and one of the best of its kind in the world.

Sea World
Sea World will take its popular Ski Show through a total revamp this September, transporting the dynamic presentation back in time to the ‘Golden Era’ of Surfers Paradise in the 1960s. ‘Waterski WipeOut’ is full of catchy tunes, colourful costumes and sets, slapstick humour and a very cool cast of characters, all themed in true 1960s style.

Australian Outback Spectacular
Australian Outback Spectacular is an enthralling new show extravaganza which will provide domestic and international visitors with a unique and exciting night time experience, simultaneously fulfilling the current desire for additional night time attractions on the Gold Coast for all age groups, and enriching the destination’s overall appeal as one of the world’s leading holiday destinations.

Australian Outback Spectacular will be the first of its kind in Australia. A unique and exciting show capturing the grandeur of the Australian Outback with spectacular visual effects and raw energy all its own, the attraction will open April 2006 and be situated between Warner Bros. Movie World and Wet’n’Wild Water World, and be officially presented by R.M. Williams.

Australian Outback Spectacular will have a capacity of 1,000 seats and include a full Aussie BBQ dinner served during the heat of the show.

The new ‘Waterski WipeOut’ and ‘Australian Outback Spectacular’ were written and choreographed by Ignatious Jones, the creative genius behind the Sydney 2000 Olympics opening ceremony.

Chief Executive Officer of Warner Village Theme Parks, Mr John Menzies comments that the expansion plan will confirm the Group’s position as the leaders in premiere theme park entertainment in Australia.

“The scope of this expansion program is unprecedented in the history of the Warner Village Theme Park Group, and the history of theme park entertainment in this country. We are expanding our horizons considerably in an effort to provide the ultimate entertainment experiences for people of all ages, which are comparable to anything found anywhere else in the world.

“We also believe our efforts will contribute greatly to the overall appeal of the Gold Coast as the country’s leading holiday destination – now visitors from all over Australia and the world will have even more reason to come here and experience all this wonderful destination has to offer. Warner Village Theme Parks are committed to the tourism industry, and this can be qualified by our plans to introduce contemporary new entertainment experiences which will provide huge enjoyment for people of all ages visiting the region.”

Each expansion phase will be supported by mammoth marketing programs Australia wide, and in major international markets including New Zealand, South East Asia, Japan, India and the UAE.