This summer, Merlin Entertainments opens their new Legoland theme park in Goshen (NY, U.S.A.). Even though the official opening date is not yet announced, the park already opened its doors for annual pass holders. From next weekend, the 29th of May, the park is open for preview for all visitors. The park is however still in the final stages of completion. With the first guests visiting the park, some first pictures and films have emerged that give us a little insight in the new park.
Legoland New York is located 60 miles northeast of New York City. Over the last months, the park announced multiple rides which can be found in the park. Guests find some Legoland classics such as Miniland and the Lego Fire Brigade. The park also contains a couple of (semi-)dark rides, among which the well-known Ninjago dark ride and Dragon semi-dark ride from other Legoland parks. Moreover, Legoland New York premieres the first installation of a new Lego dark ride called ‘Lego Factory Adventure Ride’.
In the Lego Factory Adventure Ride, riders join Professor Brick on a thrilling adventure through the LEGO Factory. Halfway through the ride experience, the ride transforms riders into Lego Minifigures right before their own eyes. “Imagine traveling through a LEGO Factory and suddenly seeing yourself as a LEGO Minifigure!” said Julie Estrada, head of Public Relations North America for Merlin Entertainments. “With vision in hand, we looked to two of the world’s leading developers, Holovis and ETF Ride Systems, to create this first of its kind dark ride experience. I can’t wait to see the looks on our guests’ faces when they experience it.”
The technology for the ride is developed by Holovis. The on-screen recreation is customized based on guest’s attributes and motion tracking even allows the Minifigure to move as the guest does. “The LEGO Minifigure transformation is the textbook use for our HoloTrac technology, and since it’s completely invisible to the guest, the experience feels like real magic when the moment occurs,” said Peter Cliff, Holovis Creative Director. This unique on-ride tracking technology is combined with trackless vehicles, manufactured by ETF Ride Systems. These make guests feel as if they are a part of the automatic robot machinery that you would see in a Lego factory.
