Warner Bros. Movie World is Enchanting with “Wizard of Oz” Precinct
Photos: Luke Sciacchitano
(eap) “We have been incredibly buoyed by the response from our guests to The Wizard of Oz precinct over its opening period with strong visitation numbers visiting Movie World over our peak period. It has been extremely pleasing to see so much positive feedback from our guests of all ages who are really enjoying the precinct’s theming and rides,” comments Bikash Randhawa, Chief Operating Officer at Village Roadshow Theme Parks, the operating group behind Warner Bros. Movie World in Australia.
Just in time for the Australian summer around the turn of the year, the park on the Gold Coast (Queensland) opened its new themed area “The Wizard of Oz”, where visitors can meet the characters from the 1900 children’s book by US author William Wallace Denslow (which has already been adapted to film several times) up close and personal and experience two new family-friendly roller coasters.
The two coasters are a Suspended Family Coaster (“Flight of the Wicked Witch”) and a Family Boomerang (“Kansas Twister”), both of which were built by Dutch manufacturer Vekoma (see EAP 6/2024). Flight of the Wicked Witch has a track over 450 meters long, with the highest point at 19 meters. Passengers with a minimum height of 105 centimeters are allowed to ride, and the train reaches a maximum speed of 67 km/h. The second ride, Kansas Twister, is a Duelling model with a track of 225 meters and another of 220 meters in length, with the highest point of both at 22 meters. The coaster trains whizz along the Boomerang layout at a maximum speed of 58 km/h: they travel backwards, forwards and backwards again. A minimum body height of 95 centimeters is required to be allowed to ride. This combination of the two coaster types has already been implemented twice in Europe: At Erlebnispark Tripsdrill in Germany and at Emerald Park in Ireland (see EAP 2/2020 & 4/2024).
“The Wizard of Oz precinct is like nothing we have ever done at Movie World where incredible theming and technology complements the physical ride elements to provide a unique and immersive guest experience,” comments Village Roadshow-CEO Clark Kirby on the new and detailly themed precinct.
Randhawa adds, “We knew The Wizard of Oz IP holds a very nostalgic and emotive place with viewers and that our guests would have a strong connection with the precinct, but to see the next generation of children visiting the precinct dressed in Dorothy outfits, singing along to the songs, and seeing the pure elation of their faces when the characters are in the precinct has been a wonderful an positive surprise.” ■
