The Scooby-Doo Spooky Coaster

The world's bravest Great Dane super hero has arrived at Warner Bros. Movie World, on the Gold Coast in Queensland with the launch of the scariest, spookiest spine-tingling Roller coaster/Dark ride ever created!

Scooby-Doo Spooky Coaster is a $13 million indoor combination Dark ride / Roller coaster inspired by the feature film shot at Warner Road show Movie World Studios on the Gold Coast, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr., Matthew Lillard, Linda Cardellini and Rowan Atkinson.

You prepare for your encounters with the supernatural as you approach the spooky facade from the main street of Movieworld, up the steps and into the creepy dimly lit courtyard, where clips from the movie are shown to keep riders occupied during the wait. From there you move past the creepy gargoyle fountain and talking suits of amour, then into a forced-perspective corridor guaranteed to make you feel like something's wrong, and then into the heart of Spooky Castle to the loading area.

The carriages look almost identical to the Spooky Castle Dark ride carriages from Scooby-Doo the film, and send guests on a hair-raising dark-ride journey complete with laser lighting and sound effects, animatronics and a kaleidoscope of color, depth, height and trickery of dimension.

Among the most memorable encounter is a Òclose shaveÓ as you head straight for the giant swinging pendulum axes from the movie - and escape from their razor-sharp edges in a novel and unexpected way ! Dip, anyone ??

The animatronics are similar to the ones seen in the film, and include a creepy Grim Reaper that pivots 360 degrees to keep an eye on your vehicle, as well as others that threaten you from all sides, even popping down from above !

Just when you think the dark ride is over, your carriage is levitated upwards into the castle ceiling. This is a very clever dual lift. Halfway through your ascent, the platform tilts first one way, and then the other. This is designed so that the descending lift can pass your rising lift - and adds a few thrills along the way.

Once you reach the top, you are thrust on an adrenalin pumping journey downwards towards a ring of fire! (Be warned, the first part of this wild indoors Rollercoaster section of the ride might not be in the direction you expected ! ). Once you get back to the bottom of the cavernous main ride building, you end up in front of a very realistic Scooby animatronic, who delivers one last word of warning, followed by yet another finale surprise (they know how to keep you in suspense, folks !)

Warner Village Theme Park Chief Executive John Menzies describes the Scooby-Doo Spooky Coaster as a world-first and is a unique combination of two different types of entertainment experiences.

ÒScooby-Doo Spooky Coaster is completely innovative, no other ride in the world can be compared to this combination of experiences - the classic haunted castle Dark Ride utilizing the latest technological advances and lighting and sound effects and the adrenalin pumping thrills of an indoor roller coaster,Ó said Chief Executive, John Menzies.

The multi-million dollar blockbuster, Scooby-Doo, was filmed at Warner Road show Movie World Studios on the Gold Coast in 2000/2001 and is the highest budget production ever filmed in Queensland to date.

Scooby-Doo Spooky Coaster, and Scooby-Doo the movie opened simultaneously in Australia in time for the June 2002 school holidays, with a Premiere launch event at Warner Bros. Movie World.

So if you're ever on the Gold Coast, why not join Mystery Inc. super sleuths Fred, Daphne, Velma and Shaggy and solve the mystery of Scooby-Doo Spooky Coaster at Warner Bros. Movie World!

Heinrich Mack & Co GmbH supplied the roller coaster itself including track sections, cars, vertical lift etc. The animatronics throughout the ride were supplied by a number of different companies sourced by the Project Manager, Ken Spiller. Where possible characters from the movie sets were sourced and made to "come alive" in-house (Ken Spiller and Technical Services at WBMW) and the knights and skeletons throughout the ride were supplied and installed by a company in Sydney called Ideation Australia.

A number of scenic artists and sculptors were contracted for the scenic work and FX Pro Art supplied the foam for this scenic artwork and the front entry facade.

The engineering of the swinging blades was done by Ken Spiller and materials for this scene were sourced locally. The lasers in the high section of the ride were supplied and installed by Sydney based company, Laservision.

All Images except for Spooky Coaster Facade © Warner Bros Movie World, Gold Coast, and used with permission. Special Thanks to: Nicole Miller, Consumer emarketing Executive, Warner Village Theme Parks for her help with this article.

This article C 2003 by Robert Lashmore and used with permission by the "International Dark ride Association" or "I-RIDE". Entire article C2003, "I-Ride". You may contact the author through the website.


	Written by Robert Lashmore, Australian Correspondent "I-RIDE", International Darkride Association
	Produced and designed by Bret Malone and Rhett Fox at "Tunnel Studios"