“Long ago, in the deepest heart of the Black Forest, a young prince lived – unloved – in a dark castle…”
Once upon a time, Curse of DarKastle was an almost-unbelievable technological showcase – well ahead of what guests would expect from a seasonal, regional theme park. This 21st century haunted house infused with a custom-created story of a Mad King hellbent on trapping guests in his icy palace did the unthinkable in attempting to repurpose Universal’s greatest ride system with Disney’s signature storytelling. It was a Modern Marvel; a testament to the newfound power and accessibility that technology afforded even to “in-between” parks… But of course, it was doomed.
Though DarKastle brilliantly headlined Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s park of myths, legends, and adventures from “The Old Country,” it ended up a ghost story itself… at least until a spirited return to DarKastle thawed the castle’s gates once more, creating a spiritual sequel few saw coming… Do dare cross the threshold into Mad King Ludwig’s Black Forest fortress, forever frozen in time…?
Founded in 1987 by Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard, B&M today is one of the world’s most respected roller coaster design & manufacturing films, supplying headlining attractions to amusement parks across the globe. In fact, you’d be hard off to find a major, thrill-focused coaster park in the United States (or elsewhere, for that matter) that doesn’t have at least one B&M creation among its lineup…! No, really… Try to think of one…
If you’re not sure, just venture into the rabbit hole of your friendly, neighborhood park’s unofficial fansite discussion board; scour RCDB; or more to the point, visit a park with a seasoned coaster enthusiast. Without fail, a coaster geek can spot a B&M a mile away thanks to unmistakable signs: rounded support columns; four-abreast trains; signature “pre-drops” before the biggie meant to relieve stress on chain lifts; buttery track transitions; signature maneuvers like wing-overs, dive loops, Immelmans, and cobra rolls… once you know how to spot them, B&Ms are everywhere.
Image: B&M
In part, the proliferation of B&M rides around the world is thanks to the firm’s apparent three-word mantra: reliability, reliability, reliability. A designer who knows how far to push the limits (and what lines not to cross compared to, say, their nearest competitors, Intamin), B&M rides are trustworthy crowd-pleasers and people-eaters. But the spread of B&M coasters is also due to their part in the epic “Coaster Wars” of the ‘90s and early 2000s, when parks were willing to spend big to prototype B&M’s cutting-edge, record-breaking ride systems that would earn parks attendance, awards, and acclaim.
The breakneck pace of innovation and the thirst for record-breaking has (mostly) quelled. The primary competitors in the “Coaster Wars” – Six Flags and Cedar Fair – have since noticed that in their two decades of bigger-taller-faster obsession, they might’ve accidentally forgotten to invest in anything but thrill rides, leading to a significant slowdown in coaster construction throughout the 2010s and a needed shift toward flat rides, dark rides, and entertainment. But now, a new patent suggests that B&M may be ready for a comeback…
Today, we’ll tour through the major reinventions of the roller coaster pioneered by B&M over its thirty year history, watching as they reposition, reorient, and remake riders’ roles in thrill rides. Think you know what B&M might have planned next? We bet you’ll be surprised…
Long ago, legend tells, an ancient civilization of unfathomable knowledge and power was doomed by the gods and swallowed by the ocean’s tide. “In a single day and night of misfortune,” Plato spoke in his Critias dialogues over two thousand years ago, “the island of Atlantis disappeared in the depths of the sea.”
It turns out that Plato’s tale of Atlantis’ fall was merely a prologue. In the thousands of years since, academics, explorers, and adventurers have set out into the surf, intent on discovering the secrets of the lost continent… And since 1998, voyages into the remains of Atlantis have departed from none other than SeaWorld Orlando.
Humans have spent much of their modern history trying to take to the skies, and for nearly as long, theme parks have sought to create the seemingly impossible sensation of soaring. From the gentle charm of sailing over London on Peter Pan’s Flight to the breathless, tear-jerking wonder of AVATAR Flight of Passage, engineers have come a long way in granting humanity the power of flight. But once in a while, they get it wrong.
Imagine a roller coaster so rough, its first riders told the news that they’d “need a new spine” afterwards. Imagine that the feedback on this multi-million dollar roller coaster was so consistantly negative that engineers literally rebuilt a section of track just to try to save the ride from being universally despised. Imagine that despite all their best efforts, the park determined that there was quite literally nothing that could be done to save the ride, tearing it down after just a few years.
It may sound surreal, but this almost-unbelievable tale is only the start of our story today as we explore one of the most short-lived and poorly-received roller coasters ever and the scar it left on one of the world’s most beautiful parks.
“Ancient.” You know what that means: curses, booby traps, and angry gods. We’re counting down our lists of the Wonders of the Theme Park World. If you missed our collection of the Seven “Natural” Wonders take a step back and see the incredible mountains, trees, and valleys all built by… well… we’ll call it “nature.” Then step ahead to the Seven Technological Wonders of theme parks today!
Today, we’ve got a countdown of the Seven “Ancient” Wonders of the Theme Park World. Luckily, theme parks have sprung up around these temples, citadels, and tombs, giving us the chance to see what thousands of years of history have led to. In the comments, let us know which of these Wonders you’ve seen first hand, and which ones are the most magnificent up close and personal?
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