The entire “right” side of Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi celebrates two of the most legendary animation properties in history – Hanna Barbera and the Looney Tunes. But as guests proceed on a counterclockwise tour of the park, the rolling hills that serve as the backdrop for Cartoon Junction are joined by a distant cityscape, and as guests pass into it, they’re stepping into the park’s “left” side, where things get a little more serious.
Gotham City
Stylized as the gritty underworld reigned over by Batman, Gotham City sees the sun set on the perpetual daylight of Cartoon Junction. Instead, it’s a dark and sinister cityscape of gothic skyscrapers and villanous aims.
For example, guests entering from Cartoon Junction step into Gotham’s industrial wharf, where a worn-out warehouse houses The Riddler’s Revolution – a spinning Disk-o coaster that spirals out of a smashed warehouse wall, glowing with question marks, before reversing back into the foggy darkness. (Though it’s an “off-the-shelf” ride, the placement and “show” around it make this one of the world’s best.)
Down a dark alley stands Scarecrow Scare Raid, a chaotic “Air Raid” ride where guests are piloted through wild inversions set against the city’s skyline.
A true hidden gem is the Joker’s Funhouse, a legitimate walkthrough dark ride experience that includes a mirror maze, a hall of mirrors, an inverted room, moving walkways, a maze of money sacks, undulating ladders, rollers, and slides all themed to different villains’ traps. (Several moments inside would never be brought to life in the litigous United States, where a trip or a slip could lead to multi-million dollar settlements!)
But the most impressive attraction in the land (and probably the whole park) must be Batman: Knight Flight. An incredibly rare use of the same KUKA Robo Arm ride system that powers Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, the dark ride is a spectacular combination of physical sets with the same kind of projection dome simulators Forbidden Journey is known for. By any measure, Knight Flight would easily rank among the best modern dark rides on Earth, with a surprising sense of spatial consistency that even Forbidden Journey lacks!
But there’s still one more realm of Warner Bros. World to explore…
Metropolis
The “light” counterpart to Batman’s dark and gothic world, the art deco downtown of Metropolis is a sight to behold, even scaled to fit an indoor theme park. Guests can eat at Jitters Coffee & Snacks, inside or al fresco at Big Belly Burger diner; shop at the Daily Planet Newstand, or visit Zatanna Books and Magical Curiosities.
But of course, most of us would visit Metropolis looking for action-packed encounters with Superman and friends, and that’s on the menu, too.
Along its entryway from Gotham is the Metropolis Observatory – home to Green Lantern: Galactic Odyssey. The ride cleverly sees a typical planetarium show evolve into a cross-space journey using a “flying theater” ride system (reminiscent of Disney’s Soarin’).
Teen Titans Training Academy is another “never-in-America” attraction that includes a high ropes course, ziplines, and climbing walls wrapped in a “hero training” aesthetic.
Superman 360: Battle for Metropolis is an unlikely anchor for the iconic hero: a return of “CircleVision” style film, essentially using a spherical Daily Planet drone to bring guests along for a seamless surround-screen rescue with Superman.
But it all comes together on Justice League: Warworld Attacks. The land’s anchor, it’s a SCOOP-based dark ride that uses the same ride system and formula as Universal’s fabled Modern Marvel: The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, thrusting guests into the comic book world. (And unlike many Spider-Man imitators, Justice Leage strikes a healthy balance between physical sets and screens.
It’s a fitting last E-Ticket to bring the park’s tour to a close, because it shows that Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi manages to use some of the industry’s leading ride systems in innovative, clever adaptations. But more to the point, it’s an example of how seriously impressive the investment in this park is…
The End
Think about it… A log flume, three family coasters, a trackless dark ride, an interactive dark ride, a thrilling, spinning Disko, a walkthrough fun house, a KUKA Robo Arm dark ride, a flying theater, a high ropes course, a seamless 360-degree attraction, and a SCOOP-style dark ride, plus a dozen flat rides from family-friendly to thrilling and wild. On its face, wouldn’t that give Warner Bros. World one of the strongest ride lineups out there? A modern, master-planned cast of attractions that (if we’re being honest) exceeds the quantity, diversity, and capacity of Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, or Animal Kingdom’s…
Sure, Warner Bros. World plays by different rules than a Disney Park, and it would be unfair to hold it to the standards of major Orlando players. But in the rapidly-expanding industry of the Middle East, there’s no question that Warner Bros. World is a leader. It’s a beautiful and lovingly-created park designed by some of the industry’s best creatives, and that commitment to quality shows.
In other words, it’s worth putting Warner Bros. World on your bucket list… and seeing how its precedent influences parks closer to home, too…