Nostalgia is Killing Theme Parks

Just like every industry, a theme park has to evolve to stay relevant, keep us engaged. This past year, we saw some major events in the theme park industry from roller coasters being shut down and rides being repurposed. Theme parks were never meant to stay constant, which is why the best ones continue to innovate. Is Nostalgia important for the longevity of a theme park? Join me as I discuss some of these thought-provoking concepts that are floating around in the coaster community.
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[@MattMcIrvin]

Man, I remember the good old days when nostalgia wasn't killing theme parks. Why can't we bring that back?

[@starryagent9936]

Nostalgia is a potent drug; the film industry knows it right now, and so does the amusement industry. I live in Virginia, so I get to watch the two opposing viewpoints on nostalgia in theme parks take shape. KD is adding Rapterra, replacing the Volcano, and when they had their first test earlier, I counted at least six or seven comments complaining that Volcano was taken down at all. Meanwhile, Busch Gardens is adding Big Bad Wolf 2, and literally steered course to name it as such after people online said so. Objectively, Rapterra will be the better ride, but I feel as though casual people are more excited for BBW than Rapterra, as one isn’t taking the plot of a fan favorite attraction. As for the Kingda Ka issue, the problem isn’t that Great Adventure closed it down. The problem is 100% the fact that this was never televised to the masses, and that they closed it without any official announcement beforehand. That’s the main reason why people got pissed off, because it was never announced, and many people never knew it in advance and thus never got their rides in. I’m all for new investments, but only if the old guard receive their due farewell in the process. Heck, you literally mentioned Kennywood paying homage to their past before moving forward into the future, which is NOT what Six Flags did with Ka. Sorry for the essay, I just wanted to vent some of my thoughts in here 😅

[@XscreamThrills]

Yeah i didn't even think to bring up big bad wolf 2, it's simply playing on nostalgia

[@MarsJenkar]

I agree. Kingda Ka's closing wouldn't have stung so much if the park had given it a proper sendoff. Instead for whatever reason the top leadership forbade anyone from giving a formal announcement until after it had actually closed. Obviously this kind of sendoff can't always be done--sometimes a ride breaks down before the sendoff can be started properly; looking at you, Top Thrill Dragster--but there seemed to be ample time and opportunity to give Kingda Ka the sendoff it deserved. I consider the lack of a sendoff in this case to be Six Flags' major blunder here.

[@markvolpe2305]

Also, last year BGW decided not to tear down Lochness Monster, but instead, retrack and refurbish the coaster and retheme it. Same thing with King's Dominion, they decided not to tear down their Bobsled, but instead, repaint, rename, and retheme it to the new area it's now in.

[@mdf3530]

For SFGAm’s next big attraction after Wrath of Rakshasa, there are four possible places. 1. American Eagle. It’s been a maintenance nightmare for the park and it doesn’t often get a long wait. 2. Demon. I love Demon, but I can’t marathon it like I could when I was a younger man. Iknow that they replaced the lift hill motor, but it’s gotta be on borrowed time. 3. Roaring Rapids. It wasn’t open at all this year. 4. The area occupied by Aquaman Splashdown and Logger’s Run. They’re old Arrow flume rides. Of the two, I like Logger’s Run better because of the double down on the drop, but If one of them goes I think the other will be gone too.

[@mdf3530]

Walt Disney himself said “Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.”

[@ChuckE.CheesesIllinois]

Walt Disney also has the Br'ers from Splash Mountain as his favorite childhood characters. Also stop tossing around this quote because it's stupid, this shit isn't imagination, it's a mandate.

[@zacg_]

My main problem with this quote is it is ALWAYS invoked as a way to imply that no change needs to be held up to scrutiny. People don't use this quote to explain why good attractions are added because they generally stand on their own. It's especially silly because it is more often invoked to defend attractions being closed at WDW where they have a ton of space to expand and they don't need to close attractions to add more. Meanwhile, Disneyland somehow still manages to expand despite extreme logistical difficulty in doing so. The real issue is that Disney has become lazy and creatively bankrupt. And Walt's quote should never be invoked to defend laziness.

[@ravensflockmate]

Im still splash mountain forever

[@mtfan]

Kennywood also has the burden and limitations that come with being a National Historic Landmark. Thats a significant factor in maintaining a lot of its nostalgia and signature classic rides.

[@clubstep8244]

Meanwhile Phantasialand nearly completely replaced their whole Park right now😂

[@brianschulz7833]

I know people are (rightfully) bummed about Ka and co, but I do think the park will come out stronger on the other side. This sort of rough transitional period is to be expected post-merger-but with less financial dead weight to haul around, I think SFGAdv can really flourish in the future with the right investments and leadership.

[@timk987]

Indiana Beach has the answer: add new old rides!

[@IRDeady]

The new coaster at GA will be the world's flattest and slowest B&M family coaster.

[@zacg_]

Here is the central question: is change justified simply because it's inevitable or should the change be held up to scrutiny? I know change is always risky and you're never entirely sure how something will go until it's tried. But it would also be silly to say we have no idea at all if a change is likely to be for the better or not. For example, if Six Flags announced that Kingda Ka would be replaced by a cloned family coaster or even a flat ride i think it would be fair to say that the change was bad. Now at least in that case we know that no matter what they were going to her rid of the ride because of operational matters. But we would still be reasonable to expect that Kingda Ka should be replaced by a coaster that will impress in a major way. But let's imagine that the biggest nostalgia chain Disney decided that they were bored with the Haunted Mansion because they had failed several times at turning it into a successful film franchise. So they decide to close it and give it a cheap overlay of some Disney+ series. Would i be okay with that? No! Not only is Haunted Mansion a classic but it's a ride that holds up well to this day and is beloved. Disney would be tempted to pull out Walt's quote about how Disneyland would never be finished but they would only be doing that to use it as cover for creative bankruptcy and a desire to use the park's exclusively as promotional opportunities for their IPs. My point is that nostalgia can be a limiting factor but it should not be dismissed as a way to justify bad corporate decision making. And if you think a change is bad, that doesn't mean you're just stuck in the past. That could be true. But it could also be true that a park is failing to live up to the standards it has previously set for itself.

[@jeffgilbert5109]

I was also thinking about this recently. I am not a huge Disney fan, but I enjoy the parks occasionally. It's expensive, so I like to space out my trips, and wait for them to add a decent number of new things so I am not paying a premium and traveling far for a "been there, done that" experience. While I am waiting for them to add new things that appeal to me, I am better off spending much less money going to regional parks that are almost always less busy. It doesn't hurt that there are plenty of regional parks that I have not been to, or that have added a decent number of things since my last visit. I know some families will do the same thing, and space out trips to save money, and only go when Disney adds new stuff. Makes me wonder if Disney will shoot themselves in the foot by trying to appease their most hardcore fans just a little too much. Especially since Universal is opening a new park and is still a better value than Disney.

[@Cheezbat]

I’ll change may be necessary at times, I don’t believe most of the time it’s actually for the better… I do not think what they’re doing to Six Flags. Great adventure is going to turn into a much better project. I see this as something that was very shortsighted and they knew they needed something big to replace the worlds, tallest roller coaster, but I still don’t think what we’re going to get is going to be anything better… We’re losing six rides at that park. do you want to talk about changes for the worse? There have been so many… So very many… For mission space… The original journey into imagination for the secondary water down version to the current version… Twister for Jimmy Fallon dot earthquake/disaster for fashion and furious supercharged… The great movie ride from Mickey and Minnie‘s runaway railway… And dare I say volcano for rapTerra.

[@edt-ze3ke]

Still wished SFOG didn’t have to ruin Mindbender cuz it’s becoming a rougher ride and is a shell of what it once was. Definitely the worst thing and the biggest mistake they’ve ever done other then investing in a no good piece of dump Skyline coaster.

[@gregorymoore2877]

Interesting video. Kennywood, however, is by definition not a theme park. If they did have to remove the Kangaroo, hopefully they would not scrap it, but find it a new home where it would be appreciated. Like... Knoebels Grove which specializes in vintage rides and whose mascot character is... a kangaroo. Now I almost hope that can happen someday. Unless Knoebles already has a Kangaroo, which would not surprise me.

[@coasterking0]

I think if Kingda Ka is successfully demolished, I could see Cedar Point seeing that and then tearing down Top Thrill 2 since it was such a disaster this summer. I honestly don't think TT2 will ever reopen. I think they'll probably just build a new, record breaking tallest and fastest coaster in the world in that plot of land. They'll probably go with Intamin now that they're so much more reliable.

[@MarsJenkar]

Since both parks are owned by the same company now (Cedar Fair and Six Flags officially merged this year, with the former's leadership ending up mostly in charge), Ka's demolition is probably linked with TT2's issues--had TT2 worked out, Kingda Ka would probably have gotten the same treatment. I think they're going to give TT2 one more chance at Cedar Point, and if they can't get it to work, _then_ it gets the axe. As for Intamin getting another chance, we've seen that Cedar Fair's leadership tends to hold grudges against manufacturers for past issues, so that might not happen as quickly as you think.

[@coasterking0]

@@MarsJenkar Do you that if TT2 ends up being fixed that Ka's demolition will be halted? I think that tearing down Ka will be super expensive because of how huge it is so I feel like if TT2 gets fixed and is successful, it would be so much better to keep Ka and reimagine it.

[@MarsJenkar]

@@coasterking0 I think the wheels are already in motion for Kingda Ka's demolition. I don't see it stopping outside of extraordinary circumstances at this point.

[@edt-ze3ke]

@@coasterking0Ka in not getting reimagined. It’s going to get completely demolished. It doesn’t have any connections towards TT2 despite that coaster having its own problems.

[@lkeshow86]

I agree with this video.. bgw is my homepark and ive been going for years.. i loved big bad wolf and i think verbolten is an excellent replacement... so i was bummed to see that land that couldve given us and iron gwazi level ride be used for a b&m family invert.. i dont hate the idea but it could've been placed somewhere else

[@ThePirateprincess23]

I had a similar feeling when Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout opened at California Adventure in 2017, replacing Tower of Terror. I wasn't a big fan of the ride at first. Then I went on it during Halloween time when the ride would transition from Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout during the day to Guardians of the Galaxy: Monsters After Dark in the early evening. I have enjoyed it ever since then.

[@sf-dn8rh]

Bad or cheep overhauls also kill experances

[@XscreamThrills]

It's very noticeable when a project gets rushed

[@FAFO4wisdom-s9o]

It saddens me to say it, but, thoosies are killing theme parks too.

[@fredleggett923]

It isn't nostalgia killing theme parks, but laziness and greed. I live in Central Florida, so my home parks are Universal and Disney. I can't speak for Disney, as I haven't been there in awhile, but Universal on the Studios side (as an example) keeps replacing previous stellar rides with inferior replacements. Earthquake/Disaster was shuffled off for the deplorable Supercharged, Kongfrontation was axed in lieu of Skull Island (which has already been downgraded despite its newness), and Twister got yanked in favor of Jimmy Fallon. And on the Islands side, Dueling Dragons couldn't survive Harry Potter (no, Hagrid's isn't a worthy successor), Poseidon's Fury was permanently shuttered, and the ONE live show, Sinbad, hasn't seen action in years. Even Mythos, the supposedly 5-star restaurant at IOA, has reportedly nosedived. Innovation is great, but only when applied in an evolutionary manner to enhance or replace previous experiences. We all know why Splash Mountain was replaced with TBA and it had nothing to do with sprucing-up The Magic Kingdom, nor has it done so.

[@XscreamThrills]

Universal really shine when their creative team is set free. epic universe will display that No doubt

[@fredleggett923]

@@XscreamThrills I hope you're right. I sincerely do, as I know the ability is there, it's just the will that's frequently missing.

[@awefawn7793]

I already know I’m gonna love this one. Disney fans lately…..

[@drewaj]

I don't even care about ka, but the park has so much land, and so many dead spots, they should've made the park better before knocking out a bunch of rides

[@jonny-b4954]

I don't know. It's a thin line. They didn't change Splash Mountain to update it though. They updated it due to a vocal minority backlash. THAT'S what I don't support. They didn't do a true, full renovation because that wasn't the point. It was to avoid bad PR, but they misread the actual backlash. It was from a vocal .001%

[@Spiderific]

I agree with you completely. On all of it.

[@alexandercronk5694]

Rapterra doesn't come anywhere close to replacing Volcano.

[@XscreamThrills]

It'll be the sleeper hit of 2025. As fun as the launch was on Volcano, the majority of the layout was kinda meh

[@alexandercronk5694]

​@@XscreamThrillsVolcano was meh? Are you sure you like coasters?

[@vinniet2828]

You hit the nail! This video describes perfectly on how I feel about "nostalgia" in parks. Meanwhile, I also think if it's a good attraction and people are satisfied with the old ride, why fix it if it's not broken. There are some old rides though that are really outdated and have since way passed their time (ie: Peter Pan's Flight and Living With The Land) and they use nostalgia is basically an excuse to keep these rather dull attractions in operation. (They can't even refurb Peter Pan's Flight to add more capacity)

[@CoasterRumors]

I disagree about Kingda Ka

[@AdamSmith-gs2dv]

I dont hate that Disney changed Splash Mountain I hate WHY they changed it. Thankfully America gave Disney the biggest FU this election they could have. It was glorious watching everyone on ABC having an absolute meltdown

[@alaeriia01]

I have a suspicion you might be eating those words before long.

[@notathoosie]

Those Disney adults on twitter going crazy🤣 it seems that nothing within the last 3 or 4 year’s could please them. I thought Tiana’s was cool, tron was fun, guardians was AMAZING and I’m super excited for the new cars land at Magic kingdom and the dinosaur retheme.

[@XscreamThrills]

The frontier imagining is going to do wonders for magic kingdom

[@notathoosie]

@ I really don’t get people aren’t seeing it🤷‍♂️

[@ChuckE.CheesesIllinois]

You got Disney adults wrong, they're the ones who love Tiana's. Me personally, I'm mad Disney got rid of the black history Splash Mountain had because people still think Song of the South is offensive. Tiana's is mediocre as an attraction too because not only it's inferior to Splash but also has a lame story and a cheep feeling with its sets

[@notathoosie]

@ eh I think the new animatronics and effects are cool.