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When Cedar Fair opted not to renew their license for the Warner Bros.-owned Scooby-Doo and Mystery, Inc.™ properties, major re-branding was necessary in the children’s areas of Canada’s Wonderland, Carowinds, Kings Island and Kings Dominion. According to Rob Decker, corporate vice president for planning and design at Cedar Fair, “We discussed other uses for the facility, but in the end we knew that a Sally dark ride experience would continue to be a good fit—longer term. Dark rides have proven successful for our parks; they give a positive, value-added experience that complements our other attractions quite well.” The Scooby-Doo-themed interactive dark rides at the four former Paramount Parks now owned by Cedar Fair have undergone a major transformation—Sally Corporation, has re-themed them into Boo Blasters on Boo Hill. Each ride has new characters, new storyline, new music and audio tracks and new, exciting special effects; even the ride cars have a new look. Created as a family ride, Boo Blasters on Boo Hill pits guests against the wiles of the mighty king of ghosts, Boocifer, and his cohorts as they try to retain their hold on a stockpile of Scare Tonic, which they need to maintain their frightfulness and thus hold onto their haunted domain. The visitors are charged with zapping the Scare Tonic and driving out the ghosts…accumulating points along the way, of course. Many exciting and scary events happen throughout the sixteen-scene black-light ride. “Boo Blasters on Boo Hill is a simple concept, and simple is often good,” says Decker. “Guests understand the interactive dark ride concept: it’s primarily a target shoot experience. However, riders come away appreciating the goofy, spooky, interactive elements that make each ride experience unique. It’s a laugh in the dark as much as it is a fun gaming experience. “We’ve had a long history of success with Sally, and we knew we could count on them to deliver high attraction value for our guests,” Decker continues. “They brought new technologies to the project that we had considered too costly in the past, and effectively inserted new components to freshen the experience and deliver a wow factor.” “The concept for Boo Blasters on Boo Hill is based loosely on Sally’s Ghost Blasters II at Elitch Gardens,Denver, which is a guest favorite,” says Sally Corporation CEO John Wood. “One of the most significant changes (from the Scooby-Doo ride) is the color enhancement of all the new ghosts and sets to achieve a 3D experience, using special glasses which are sold separately. In addition to many of the effects we used at Elitch, including a huge, awesome fog screen projection of Boocifer that guests ride through, we’ve added a secondCGI of Boocifer, with an intense flame effect, appearing from a gravestone. And the ending, with its black light to white light transition and the demise of Boocifer, leaves guests smiling every time. “We were proud of the Scooby-Doo rides,” Wood comments. “They had a good run and were very popular. However, Cedar Fair’s decision to make a change has brought a fresh new look and feel to the ride; a whole new experience for visitors to the parks.” So, when your license runs it’s course, consider retheming! Retheming will bring new life into an old ride. Change the scenery, consider 3D options, add some state of the art gags and you’ve got a brand new experience for your guests!
