Polar Express Ride to Debut at Sea World Orlando

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Orlando Sentinnel Article:

 

Polar Express debuts at SeaWorld on Friday

The park's Wild Arctic attraction will be changed to simulate a train ride to 'Santa Town.'

 

Scott Powers | Sentinel Staff Writer

November 20, 2007

 

The Polar Express is going to roll through SeaWorld Orlando this holiday season.

 

 

SeaWorld officials confirmed Monday that they, Warner Bros. Pictures and Iwerks Entertainment are reprogramming the theme park's Wild Arctic simulator ride, transforming it into a simulated train ride to "Santa Town," based on Chris Van Allsburg's children's book The Polar Express and the 2004 animated movie of the same name.

 

Although they released some details of the conversion, park officials were not commenting further, saying full details would be released soon. The reformatted ride is to debut Friday and will be in place through Jan. 1. After that, the ride will be returned to its Wild Arctic format.

 

The ride uses motion technology and big-screen video to simulate a wild, fast-moving trip. Normally, it offers visitors a simulated helicopter flight to an Arctic animal-research station, complete with swooping maneuvers to spy various animals and to avoid danger. Under the new format, the ride will simulate a train excursion powered by a massive steam-locomotive. In the film, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Shangri-La Entertainment, children rode the train, conducted by a character voiced by actor Tom Hanks, up snow-cloaked mountains, across frozen lakes and along perilous, icy passes.

 

Wild Arctic also serves as SeaWorld's exhibit of polar bears, beluga whales, walruses and other Arctic animals. They will remain part of the post-ride show, and will still be available for people to view separately if they choose to skip the ride. But the exhibit area is also being made up as a winter wonderland, to match the film's locations, for the holiday season.

 

Visitors will be given a three-minute pre-show presentation setting up the movie's plot, to the point at which they board the train. When the ride ends, people will step into a set made up as the frozen North Pole, complete with towering Christmas tree, a gift-laden sleigh, village decor and a Santa Claus character.

 

"The result will completely immerse guests into a thrilling combination of fantasy and reality," Michael Fletcher, SeaWorld Orlando's vice president of entertainment, said in a news release.