This could turn out to be another Air... which I hope it's not.

A ride with a totally different theme plonked in a pre-existing area that already has an established theme.

It's great the designers get to create the theme's for each new SW project with story etc, but they need to think about the bigger picture and how the rest of the theme will fit within the land its going in...

cookiee_munster wrote:

This could turn out to be another Air... which I hope it's not.

A ride with a totally different theme plonked in a pre-existing area that already has an established theme.

It's great the designers get to create the theme's for each new SW project with story etc, but they need to think about the bigger picture and how the rest of the theme will fit within the land its going in...

I don't see that happening as the towers need this to succeed and be popular to the GB enthusiasts alike to truely clear their image. With it's current lay out i see it being like thirteen, a family coster which would make sense coming from a thrill ride like the smiler also air IMO is a perfectly good ride

Alton's four new limited edition pin badges are Corkscrew, Black Hole, River Rapids, and Mine Train. It gave me the idea - could the emphasis on iconic rollercoasters and the Katanga Canyon area be a hint to SW8's theme and location?

S.J_O'Grady wrote:

Alton's four new limited edition pin badges are Corkscrew, Black Hole, River Rapids, and Mine Train. It gave me the idea - could the emphasis on iconic rollercoasters and the Katanga Canyon area be a hint to SW8's theme and location?

I think they could have released any combination of badges and it would be possible to tenuously link them to SW8

That's a good point Just an idea.

The park map shows an opening in the wooden fencing at MB, giving the impression that is where the enterance will be to the ride. The opening in the fence is next to the Buggy Park

With the construction of SW8 proceeding at a fast pace, it is time to resurrect this topic. Lots of rumours are circulating regarding how the wooden rollercoaster will blend in with the existing areas, if a particular area will be receiving a retheme or if the coaster will be a standalone attraction/area.

Working on the current name of Wicker Man and the idea that it will be incorporated into a particular area, would SW8 fit better with Gloomy Woods, Katanga Canyon or Mutiny Bay? Would one of these areas be better re-themed?

As things stand, based on the information we have, I am leaning towards thinking we may see some form of re-theme for at least part of Mutiny Bay. However, exactly what this will be I'm not 100% sure. With the re-development of the Courtyard, and the removal of the stage for the Pirates of Mutiny Bay it very much seems like the Resort are moving away from the pirate theme, although I do have some doubts in my mind as to whether they would go as far as re-theming all the rides in the area.

One thing I am pretty certain of is that the ride will not form part of Gloomy Woods, Whilst I do appreciate it is listed under that area on this season's map, to have the ride officially located in that area would just be ridiculous as the closest the ride gets to that area is the turn at the top of the lift hill, even then this point is nearer the Congo River Rapids than it is Gloomy Woods. The other thing to remember is that the entrance to the ride is located in what is currently Mutiny Bay, something which is confirmed on both the submitted plans and from the construction of the queue pathways. Why on earth would they place a ride in one area then have the entrance in a totally different place?

I 100% agree Lakey, I can't see this being part of Gloomy Wood, however it doesn't really fit Mutiny Bay, so I'm joining you in expecting a partial retheme of Mutiny Bay. One thing I'm personally thinking, is SW8 potentially creating an entirely new mini area that connects Mutiny Bay and Katanga Canyon. I mean for all we know those pirates could have found an island in their exploring, just off the coast of central Africa, which had a strange pagan ritual figure

Personally, I'd welcome a Mutiny Bay retheme to a Medieval village or something similar. However, I have no idea how they'd go about retheming the exisiting rides and attractions. Sharkbait Reef and Battle Galeons would be very tricky.

I'm thinking The Courtyard and SW8 will form a new sub-area within Mutiny Bay/Katanyga Canyon/Gloomy Wood. Think how The Swarm has it's own area or Thorpe Jct as a sub area within The Jungle/Old Town/Calamity Cove at Thorpe Park.

Pagan Mythology and Pirates will be able to live alongside each other with the help of some Merlin Magic Making.

Bert2theSpark wrote:

Pagan Mythology and Pirates will be able to live alongside each other with the help of some Merlin Magic Making.

Merlin Magic Making, is that marketing speech for cost cutting?

No, it's an actual department of Merlin that deals with theming construction and upkeep of their attractions. One problem with MMM however, is they're responsible for upkeep of theming for two years after the attraction/area/ride opens, and after that it's the individual park/resort/attraction's responsibility to maintain. Hence why some effects on older rides don't get maintained as well as the newer stuff. (See the Marmaliser for instance)

If Mutiny Bay was to be re-themed then I could see a village like area working. It could even be tied in with a fishing harbour and at a push it could include Gloomy Woods.

It worked well when it was Merrie England so something similar to that would be nice. A fishing harbour would be nice too and the current rides and attractions could easily fit in. 

Medieval fishing village would work very well. I can imagine a good storyline where the villagers have myths of the "Gloomy Wood beyond the village boundaries" so sacrifice/perform rituals. Not sure the lengths that Towers would go to do this though, e.g. Battle Galleons boats - would they need an overhaul to be in-line with the fishing theme rather than pirate ships?

Remember the new Courtyard canopy will be in the same style as the existing one. There aren't many themes this style would match.

I can see it being more katanga themed but its far to close to mutiny bay to be katanga or gloomy wood IMO so I think we'll see minor themeing changes to mutiny bay to accommodate it. It could be a pirates voyage to an island with paganism.

TheDuke wrote:

I can see it being more katanga themed but its far to close to mutiny bay to be katanga or gloomy wood IMO so I think we'll see minor themeing changes to mutiny bay to accommodate it. It could be a pirates voyage to an island with paganism.

The idea of an "Island" is actually probably the most plausible route for the Resort to take, although its not something I'd personally like to see, it'd make the most sense. SW8 and its area is surrounded by the Congo-River Rapid's and in close proximity to Mutiny Bay, another water based area. I also recall somebody  earlier in the topic talking about the ride having a Skull Island/universal feel. It could be an interesting marketing strategy to market the ride as waiting on a previously undiscovered, dark and mysterious island or piece of land, settled in-between Katanga Canyon, and Mutiny Bay, sourcing its dark powers from Gloomy Wood. The narrative of the whole "Be Chosen" thing could work well with this concept, step upon the island, but be warned, will you be chosen?. Again I will reiterate its not something I'd like to see, neither do I know if the resort would even entertain such an idea.  I'd much rather the ride just form an extension to an existing area, however if you consider its positioning so close to all three areas with a seemingly detached entrance area, an island could make sense. Sense aside, the most likely outcome as others have previously stated is some kind of general name change for either Gloomy Wood or Mutiny Bay, focusing semantically  maybe on myths and legends or historical magic.

The undiscovered island thing would fit in well with the idea that these people don't like new technology, sort of like those tribes in the Amazon which have no contact with civilization and attack helicopters which are taking pictures with spears.