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Drayton Manor’s Movie Coaster?

AvalancheAttractionsUK

AvalancheAttractionsUK

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Recently I remember that online a few years back, I’m sure I saw concept art for a movie coaster at Drayton Manor. Don’t remember too much about it expect that there was a water tower with the DMP logo on it, and I think some soundstages around the coaster’s train. Was this a real thing, or is it something I’ve made up years ago?
 
So i've actually done quite a bit of research into this potential coaster...

Look at this video
, Seem familiar? that pink launch coaster looks like it was clearly designed as some kind of family launched invert as a replacement of the buffalo. This was "leaked" (accidentally included on the official S&S channel) in early 2017 and the video was swiftly deleted from the internet with the only clip left i can find being this particular one.

Rumours of Drayton recieving an S&S built coaster surfaced in 2016, before this video was ever "leaked" and so it's highly likely they were considering buying this coaster in 2016 for a 2018 opening. Important to note S&S are an American company and this was around the time of Brexit where the pound would have been in chaos, a weaker pound to dollar ratio could have effectively increased the cost of this ride by up to 2 million pounds (VERY rough estimates) this combined with 2017 being a hard year for the park with major losses and the rapids incident likely doomed this ride.

Interesting note: it appears the park submitted a five year plan which marked the area between buffalo and veritgo as expansion ground for the theme park. In the same RCCGB meeting where the rumours of this S&S first surfaced, there was also rumours about wooden coaster, putting 2 and 2 together it seemed like drayton were planning on totally revamping this area of the park with the 2 new coasters over the next 5 years (perhaps with this movie theme i keep seeing pop up!) Worth nothing these are entirely rumours and i've not personally seen this 5 year plan, only heard it from other people.

I'd consider both coasters totally cancelled at this point, it looks like the buffalo is recieving some major maintanence over this off season and is on the 2020 park map. However if we're looking at this with an optimistic approach, this plan could just be canned indefinitely while the park recovers from some bad seasons profit wise. I do think this kind of investment would have been very good for them and would help kick start the park into another good decade for them.

Take most things I said here with more than just a grain of salt, it's almost entirely speculation! But i think it's an interesting topic so i've been doing my research, if anyone has any more infomation on this project (especially that movie themed concept art, i've not seen that before!) please send it my way!
 
Evan said:
So i've actually done quite a bit of research into this potential coaster...

Look at this video
, Seem familiar? that pink launch coaster looks like it was clearly designed as some kind of family launched invert as a replacement of the buffalo. This was "leaked" (accidentally included on the official S&S channel) in early 2017 and the video was swiftly deleted from the internet with the only clip left i can find being this particular one.

Rumours of Drayton recieving an S&S built coaster surfaced in 2016, before this video was ever "leaked" and so it's highly likely they were considering buying this coaster in 2016 for a 2018 opening. Important to note S&S are an American company and this was around the time of Brexit where the pound would have been in chaos, a weaker pound to dollar ratio could have effectively increased the cost of this ride by up to 2 million pounds (VERY rough estimates) this combined with 2017 being a hard year for the park with major losses and the rapids incident likely doomed this ride.

Interesting note: it appears the park submitted a five year plan which marked the area between buffalo and veritgo as expansion ground for the theme park. In the same RCCGB meeting where the rumours of this S&S first surfaced, there was also rumours about wooden coaster, putting 2 and 2 together it seemed like drayton were planning on totally revamping this area of the park with the 2 new coasters over the next 5 years (perhaps with this movie theme i keep seeing pop up!) Worth nothing these are entirely rumours and i've not personally seen this 5 year plan, only heard it from other people.

I'd consider both coasters totally cancelled at this point, it looks like the buffalo is recieving some major maintanence over this off season and is on the 2020 park map. However if we're looking at this with an optimistic approach, this plan could just be canned indefinitely while the park recovers from some bad seasons profit wise. I do think this kind of investment would have been very good for them and would help kick start the park into another good decade for them.

Take most things I said here with more than just a grain of salt, it's almost entirely speculation! But i think it's an interesting topic so i've been doing my research, if anyone has any more infomation on this project (especially that movie themed concept art, i've not seen that before!) please send it my way!
Click to expand...

Thank you for that. I have seen them videos from S&S before, and with the lake right by them, I’m 80% sure they were planned for Drayton Manor, as they could have been designed for promotional use. I’d imagine once Drayton have recovered from their recent/ current financial difficulties (I’d expect within the next 3 years at most) the area in between VertiGO and The Buffalo will be used for development. I wouldn’t be surprised if that area gets a permenant addition before the G Force site does (the rumoured beach will most likely be temporary). Plus with a movie theme, they can create a whole land out of it, giving them an opportunity to use a movie IP within it (something like Dreamworks (so Shrek, Kung Fu Panda) would work within their target market, and would most likely be highly successful).

Whilst the park may be in a bad place at the moment, I’d say in 10 years time, we could be visiting a whole new Drayton Manor. One that gets significant investment like it did in the 90s until the mid 2010s.
 
Here's to hoping! If the inverted coaster got themed to an IP i'd expect maybe something like how to train your dragon (If merlin don't have exclusive rights to it) but I do think a movie/studios themed area around that back would be very nice!
 
remlap said:
I didn’t realise they had a walking dead coster. It’s been quite a while since I’ve been to Thorpe (probably 10 years +).
Click to expand...
I not been since 2011 as most of the rides are for the 1.3m or above height range it’s a long way to go to my daughter hits the 1.4m.
Anyway the walking dead coaster is just the X coaster rethemed.
 
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Themeparksandy1981 said:
I not been since 2011 as most of the rides are for the 1.3m or above height range it’s a long way to go to my daughter hits the 1.4m.
Anyway the walking dead coaster is just the X coaster rethemed.
Click to expand...

The IP may be leaving soon too - a lot of TWD themed attractions closed in the past year around a similar time
 
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Soooo, about this movie coaster. I know exactly what you mean.

IMG_20200428_002030.jpg


The coaster was rumored to be a family launch coaster by Mack Rides. It was speculated to be released in 2014 with apparently park staff even talking about the plans. Some plans leaked showing the layout of the ride, with the station, brakes and launch within a building that resembled a filming studio. The ride doesn't have any inversions and stays quite low to the ground with the exception of two airtime hills.

The ride is mostly just twists and helixes (Don't know if I just invented that word or not). The first hill and turn-around after the launch would be over the lake, whilst the rest of the ride would wip around objects like a water tower. The coaster was to be situated in the area where VertiGO and the Buffalo are.

Here's a video of a recreation on No Limits.

Though I should probably say, everything I said earlier in those paragraphs is bull?.

This is actually designed by a freelance architect called John Burton. He's been building a portfolio in his spare time called John Burton Creative which contains the poster art, plans, side-by-side illustrations and a few illustrations of the coaster from the view of guests. It wasn't just this coaster either, he did a few custom coasters with great themes to them and did a ton of illustrations for Alton Towers such as a pirate-themed water coaster where Wicker Man is, a Dynamics 5D coaster in the Duel building and an RMC Wooden launch coaster.

My personal favourite was a zac-spin for West Midlands Safari Park.

Fortunately, his portfolio got him a job at Merlin, hiring him as an imagineer for the Walking Dead ride and the David Walliams attraction. Unfortunately, he took down his online portfolio, with remnants of his work left on the Internet such as his old Facebook page, I really regret not saving any of it. I remember when I first saw his work, I didn't realise it wasn't real, and with Helix at Liseberg being announced near enough the same time I was mega-hyped with Drayton getting the Uk's first Mack launch, but it's just a mock-up. If the people of Drayton Manor are reading this forum... A 2021 opening would be much appreciated(y)
 
Bit off-topic but I found the designer's Facebook along with a few attraction concepts including both the Alton Towers 5D coaster and the West Midlands Safari Park Zacspin:

860138_331342070310863_232732176_o.jpg


10379610_555953107849757_500499739141097655_o.png


Here is a link to John Burton's Facebook page:
Click Here
 
Bull said:
Soooo, about this movie coaster. I know exactly what you mean.

View attachment 1992

The coaster was rumored to be a family launch coaster by Mack Rides. It was speculated to be released in 2014 with apparently park staff even talking about the plans. Some plans leaked showing the layout of the ride, with the station, brakes and launch within a building that resembled a filming studio. The ride doesn't have any inversions and stays quite low to the ground with the exception of two airtime hills.

The ride is mostly just twists and helixes (Don't know if I just invented that word or not). The first hill and turn-around after the launch would be over the lake, whilst the rest of the ride would wip around objects like a water tower. The coaster was to be situated in the area where VertiGO and the Buffalo are.

Here's a video of a recreation on No Limits.

Though I should probably say, everything I said earlier in those paragraphs is bull?.

This is actually designed by a freelance architect called John Burton. He's been building a portfolio in his spare time called John Burton Creative which contains the poster art, plans, side-by-side illustrations and a few illustrations of the coaster from the view of guests. It wasn't just this coaster either, he did a few custom coasters with great themes to them and did a ton of illustrations for Alton Towers such as a pirate-themed water coaster where Wicker Man is, a Dynamics 5D coaster in the Duel building and an RMC Wooden launch coaster.

My personal favourite was a zac-spin for West Midlands Safari Park.

Fortunately, his portfolio got him a job at Merlin, hiring him as an imagineer for the Walking Dead ride and the David Walliams attraction. Unfortunately, he took down his online portfolio, with remnants of his work left on the Internet such as his old Facebook page, I really regret not saving any of it. I remember when I first saw his work, I didn't realise it wasn't real, and with Helix at Liseberg being announced near enough the same time I was mega-hyped with Drayton getting the Uk's first Mack launch, but it's just a mock-up. If the people of Drayton Manor are reading this forum... A 2021 opening would be much appreciated(y)
Click to expand...

Thank you very much for sharing that - I’m glad that the image can still be found after I thought it was gone forever a few years ago. This, the scrapped waterpark and other failed ideas (e.g. the Scooby Doo takeover of The Haunting) does make you realise how different Drayton Manor could have been during the last few decades.

It’s also interesting to see that it was made by John Burton, who (by judging his portfolio) is a highly-talented theme park designer. I’m glad he’s finally got his big break with Merlin, and I do look forward to riding Gangsta Granny: The Ride (in which he’s created) once the country gets back to ‘normal’.
 
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