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New Kings Island rides let you get nostalgic ... or high
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Photo By Sean Hughes/photopresse.com
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Scooby-Doo braves the Haunted Castle.
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Paramount's Kings Island has finally answered that age-old question:
Scooby-Doo, where are you? For the 2003 season, the quivering
canine crime-solver snares a prominent role at the park with
the interactive ride, Scooby-Doo and the Haunted Castle. OK,
thrill ride fanatics are probably more in tune to the unveiling
of the gravity-defying Delirium. And the crossover popularity
of Spongebob Squarepants has surged beyond the sea in anticipation
of his 3-D adventure film, opening in May.
One year, three new attractions. That in itself is something
to scream about. A variety of logistics often limit theme
parks to one, perhaps two, key additions per year. But it's
Scooby's return as top dog that's every bit as tasty as the
Great Dane's Scooby Snacks.
For kids of the '70s, it's a return to the heyday when classic
Hanna-Barbera characters like Yogi Bear and Huckleberry Hound
were the honey of the kids' eyes. But attending Kings Island
for the first time for my 7th (or was it 8th?) birthday, I
was all about a Scooby spotting.
And there he was, along with his pal, Shaggy, in one of
the scenes of the Enchanted Voyage, a boat ride amid animatronic
displays of Muttley, Snaggle-tooth and all the rest. It was
a simplistically magical ride, remaining so even as I aged.
And, to a lesser extent, even after the Smurfs took reign
over the Voyage in 1984 until they were smurfed out in 1991.
A coworker tells me that the closing of the Enchanted Voyage
ruined his childhood. The ride's shuttering definitely closed
a chapter on that childlike innocence. Enchanted Voyage's
replacement, Phantom Theater (1992-2002), attempted some kiddie
chills, but the heart of the ride had been washed away.
How fitting then for Scooby-Doo and the Haunted Castle to
rise up in the very locale where I first witnessed the panic-stricken
pup. It's a nod to Kings Island's past -- and to my own past
as well. (And yes, I know it builds on the big-screen success
of 2002's live-action Scooby-Doo. Just let me revel
in my own nostalgia for a moment.)
Within the castle walls, Mini Mystery Machines transport
riders through 18 different scenes. As ghosts pop up from
behind headstones and cobweb-laden furniture, riders use their
"Fright Light ghost blasters," which look like Day-Glo green
foghorns, to zap the apparitions and rack up points. (Hint:
Aim for the blue lights.)
There's a smoldering jubilation at seeing some of the more
noted specters, phantoms and spirits from the original animated
series. And there is a perverse pleasure in helping Scooby
with his ghost-busting.
Sadly, the ride doesn't fully embrace 3-D animatronics,
using just a smattering throughout. Instead, it relies heavily
on wooden cutouts to set the stage, which flattens the overall
experience. But there's still a smile in seeing Scooby and
Shaggy up to their old tricks and in their rightful home.
At six minutes, Scooby-Doo and the Haunted Castle is an entertaining
enough diversion, but my heart sailed away with the Enchanted
Voyage.
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Photo By Sean Hughes/photopresse.com
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Delerium swings into action.
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My stomach, rather than my heart, got the best of me for
this year's big thrill ride, Delirium. In short, I chickened
out. At the bottom of a pendulum rests a ring of 50 outward-facing
suspended seats. As the ring begins turning at eight revolutions
a minute, the contraption begins swinging back and forth reaching
higher with each arc. At its tip-top point, riders dangle
at 137 feet in the air with enough hang time to make Michael
Jordan proud.
Standing and watching as the Roller Coaster Enthusiasts
braved the first ride, I tested out a variety of expletives
to denote my opposition to and innate fear of Delirium. The
more it lurched, the more I quaked.
My sidekick, in a random act of bravery (or stupidity, take
your pick), deftly strapped himself in. His description, a
bona fide thumbs up, left me to imagine being a human tetherball.
He said, had I gone on, I would have been fine. I know that.
I psyched myself out with my occasionally intense fear of
heights.
At some point I'm sure I'll gladly be coerced onto Delirium.
And until hell freezes over, I'll stick to the remnants of my
childhood.
Scooby-Dooby-Doo, where are you?
PARAMOUNT'S KINGS ISLAND is open to the public on weekends,
until May 23, when it is open daily.
E-mail Brandon Brady
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Previously in Events
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Interview By Rob Jansen
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Other articles by Brandon Brady
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To Do List
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