Written by Gregg Condon
Pictures by Matthew Nelson (Good pictures) and Gregg Condon (Bad pictures)

Since Six Flags Magic Mountain has a panel today let's take a look at the awesome decorations in their booth. 

So many amazing things to see on the show floor. 

We spent most of the morning hanging out in the Hall of Shadows and checking out the Decayed Brigade show. Be sure to check out our video of the show below. 

Hanging out with Sally from Fear Station 

​Soooo ... story time. My son turned 18 in February. And I know many of you have met him, and he's kind of quiet, until you get to know him. 

We have a great father/son relationship, but more than that we are really good friends. I was only 22 when he was born so because we hang out, play games, go to theme parks, etc. We've always just loved hanging out with each other. 

This story begins as we headed out of the show floor to check out the kittens that were up for adoption ... innocent enough right? 

So right next to the Kittens were the art galleries, etc, so we figured we'd check them out. And in this area was a show called "Urban Death". The show was JUST letting in so we figured we'd check it out. I did see that it was 18+ but (and this is TOTALLY my fault) I didn't really check out the description. So we headed in and the doors closed and the lights went out. 

What followed was a show I would have probably found intriguing if I wasn't standing next to my 18 year old son. A show that he probably would have found intriguing if he wasn't standing right next to his father, and 150 strangers. 

How to describe the show, it was a bunch of vignette's of what I assume is their normal show. Each one lasting 30-60 seconds. Some were funny, some disturbing, some made you think, and some, yes, contained nudity. 

It was definitely one of those weird things and when we left the show I don't think either of us said a word to each other for awhile. 

But the good thing was, as soon as it was over it was time for the Fright Fest panel!!

​So lesson, Mom's and Dad's ... check the description of things before you go in. And kids, make sure your Mom's and Dad's check the description. 

It wasn't that it was inappropriate for him, we don't shelter him like that, but it was just, as I said above, awkward. But it gave a great story and there doesn't seem to be any permanent damage done. ;) 

It did make me want to see their full show though, so job done Zombie Joe's!! Hope we get to see you in October. 

Let's check out the Six Flags Magic Mountain Fright Fest panel ... 

Before we get to the panel, let's talk about the event for a minute. 

Fright Fest was an event, for the first 15 or so years was kind of an afterthought of Halloween events. While I've been an (almost) yearly visitor to Knott's Scary Farm for a long time, I'll admit I didn't go to my first Fright Fest until the mid 2000's. 

And it's not hard to imagine that if Magic Mountain had a similar panel at a similar event 5 or so years ago, it wouldn't have been as well attended as this one was. This is a HUGE tribute to the amazing changes they've made to the event. 

Just back in 2012 we were invited for a backstage tour of the Willoughby's Haunted Mansion re-do and that was really the start of the amazing transformation of this event. (one of these day's we'll revisit that tour in a Throwback Thursday post)

All of this is to just say THANK YOU to the management of SFMM for putting the $$ and talent into Fright Fest. And we can't wait to see what's coming this year. 

​Let's get on with the panel. 

What's a panel without a few friends? 

During the panel they announced an all new Maze - Aftermath 2 which will be located in the location where Deja Vu was as well as the all new Suicide Squad Scare Zone in DC Universe. 

For more information you can check out the official press release as well as our Six Flags Magic Mountain update from yesterday. 

The majority of the panel was spent talking about the history of Knott's Scary Farm, which is always amazing to hear. For those of us who didn't go in those early years (or weren't around then) it's amazing to hear the stories of how they did what they did. 

There was also a huge portion spent on talking about how they create the audio effects for the event. Which I absolutely loved. I could listened to Adam talk about audio stuff for hours, and have already offered to buy him a beer after Haunt this year and do just that. Hope we can do that and maybe record it and have some fun talking audio stuff. 

Then came announcement time. 

First, Paranormal Inc is coming back (no surprise there) with a few minor changes, but nothing major. 

Infected is also coming back with some pretty significant changes. 

But the biggest changes announced were the elimination of individual skeleton key rooms in a set number of mazes. Instead there will be 4 "skeleton key experiences" scattered throughout the park called Slasher, Prey, Visions and Zozo. 

Slasher

• Step into an 80's slasher horror film
• The Angel Maker Killer is on the loose
• Will you become the next victim? 

Prey

• Navigate a hay maze with only a lantern as your guide
• Mutant beast are around every corner

Visions

• Investigate the Sarah Marshall Greene Witch Trials with the Paranormal Inc Team
• Use the Phantom Finder augmented reality device to discover hidden clues from items in the museum 

Zozo

• Are spirit boards just a myth? 
• Can you summon the demonic entity Zozo? 

To say we're excited about what we heard so far from Knott's Scary Farm is an understatement. We love these intimate types of experiences and if they don't take away from the other mazes, even better. 

We'll find out more from Knott's Scary Farm on the 25th during their preview event. Cant' wait. 

And with that there's the end of our Midsummer Scream coverage for 2016. It was an amazing event (not just an amazing first year event). Thanks to the entire crew for allowing us to play even a small part in the success of the event and I know there is going to be amazing things to come from this event in the years to come. 

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At just about 10:30am they were already using the 2nd lot. Surprisingly enough, the park didn't seem too busy, but we bet Hurricane Harbor was. 

Note to self, be sure to get to the park in time for Gold Pass early entry. 

Note to SFMM, the fingerprint scanners are still excruciatingly slow. Not sure why the machines at this park seem to be slower than the other SF parks we've visited. 

Note to girl at the left of the picture, you're at Magic Mountain ... could ya smile maybe? =) 

Suicide Squad promotions at the front of the park. Even though the movie hasn't been getting great reviews, we're still very much looking forward to the Scare Zone during Fright Fest. 

Random coaster shot .. 

We had walked over to ride Scream as we assumed Colossus would be too long of a line. Turns out, it was a 2 train wait for the front. Or a walk on for any other row. 

So let's talk Fright Fest ... the Suicide Squad Scare Zone for DC Universe is starting to get lighting. 

It's pretty minimal for now since the park is open daily still. 

The lights are up, just need to be untangled or something. =) 

Raise your and if you knew there was Air Conditioning in the Batman queue. I dont' see any hands raised. But guess what, there is, and it was on ... and it was on GOOD. I honestly can't even remember the last time this was on. A welcome minor addition that won't get any fanfare, but we'd like to say thank you to the maintenance staff at the park for this. 

Because you can't use any Olympic symbols without paying a crap load of money, be sure to check out the "Summer of Games" at the park. 

Tidal Wave is back open and we totally got soaked riding it for the first time in FOR-E-VER. 

Another kudos to the park for keeping small touches like this for 27+ years 

They are running 2 boats, but do have to drain them once in awhile (apologies for the zoom) 

Alright, let's move on to Project 2017 (which will be announced on Sept 1). 

​Nothing has really changed at all in this area. 

So a few months ago we did a bit of project speculation (see the video below) that we'll kind of touch on here a bit. (also, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel, we have some awesome stuff on there)

We did a Periscope later in the day and one of the comments was something like "I forget how large that plaza is". And yes, it's actually quite large. 

So here's what we know as of right now (that we can actually say): 

• Something big is coming in 2017, that much is clear
• The area around Riddlers Revenge and Tidal Wave will be closing prior to the beginning of Fright Fest in preparation of 2017 (we got this info at Midsummer Scream last weekend)
• We don't know just how many rides are coming, but the area they have cleared is much bigger than what they would need for the rumored ride
• We don't know if the addition of the rumored ride is going to include re-paint/re-theme of any rides or the entire area
• Given that with every ride since Green Lantern an area re-theme has accompanied it, a re-imagining of the area wouldn't be a rumor that was too far out there

As you can see, there's a lot of room for them to play with if they so choose. 

A look at the area, it's huge. There's more to the left than what you can see in this picture. 

A look at the area they are working with from Google Satellite. As you can see, they've got no shortage of room here. 

So with that, let's move on to take a look at the work going on near Apocalypse for the new maze 

Apocalypse is closed, supposedly for some retracking. We did see some work going on in the final turn around and it does look like some track has been removed. 

The entrance to Aftermath 2

Again, apologies for the zoom, but you can see they've got a crane back here and are moving in some pretty big set pieces. Could be another reason why Apocalypse is closed. 

Alrighty, that's going to wrap it up for this update from Six Flags Magic Mountain. We hope you enjoyed and be sure to check out our upcoming coverage of the Six Flags 2017 announcements on September 1st. 

We're thinking of doing a YouTube live chat that night to talk about the additions but we'll figure that out closer to the announcement day. 

Written by RD Sussman

The news has been awash over the past few days of some serious shakeups at the Walt Disney corporation, notably in the Walt Disney Imagineering unit (WDI). As of some estimates, nearly 450 people were let go over the past two days, and that major reformations are beginning. 

So what went so wrong so fast? ​

Historically, it has been WDI (and previously WED Enterprises) were the true geniuses when it came to theme parks & attractions. And in many ways, they were the ones who brought some of the most dramatic and incredible shows & attractions to the forefront of the theme parks. Working with groups such as Arrow Development (Matterhorn, It's A Small World, Omnimoviers, etc.) and later Dynamic Attractions (Soarin' and others) they have innovated or developed technology that is in use to this day. Their mark on design are permanent - historical pieces of engineering & creativity that are monumental to say the least. 

However, they have always been one of the most expensive parts of the Disney organization. As they never sold their attractions outside the parks (Save for a single installation of a PeopleMover) they were not generating revenue in-stream. Disney relied on the profits from the theme parks, movies & merchandising to keep WDI afloat and creating.  

As times have changed, so has the world around WDI. Disney movies are no longer a guaranteed blockbuster (See also: BFG...) and no longer always draw the merchandising profits, WDI has become harder to justify its size, shape & scale. Most engineering firms derive their operational capabilities as part of a profit process, but WDI has never had that over their heads. In a way, this never limited their creativity and prowess... 

And then came Universal. ​

Universal's parks have always been in semi-competition with Disney - but at the same time, they were co-draws in the same cities. A decade ago, Universal made the bold move to capitalize on their Harry Potter franchise, and go for broke with appropriate areas in their theme parks. Taking the book from Disney, they went for total immersion in their attractions, redefining the art & the scale of the theme park ride for the masses. The success was astonishing to say the least - in fact, the draw of attendance was notable on a massive scale. Repeating success with more success, expansions at the Universal Orlando added a second immersion area complete with themed transport between the two areas in the two parks; and then recently the Hollywood expansion of Harry Potter. 

Disney's countering was to have WDI take on a blockbuster property which has since faded: Avatar at the Animal Kingdom park in Florida.  And it has been an epic nightmare on a grand scale. Delays now running into years, and costs nearly double of what was anticiapted, WDI had egg on their face. ​

And on the other side of the planet, Shanghai Disneyland had its own issues - namely with the increased technology of the attractions developed by WDI - and with the local contractors & building systems. It too shot over budget - and well beyond the planned estimates for opening day. 

Though both the Avatarland & Shanghai Disneyland projects are near or at completion/opening day, the impact is clear & very heavily felt throughout the world. WDI has lost its way - and now is feeling the after effects of its own weight & size. Disney has financial indigestion... and unfortunately, cash-flow diarrhea. 

Here we are today: Disney has major construction ongoing in the two US operations - namely the Star Wars Lands - as well as expansion projects in Tokyo & Shanghai.  The cost of these expansions are on the very high-end of budgets; indeed, one Star Wars land would be enough to build a brand new theme park from the ground up. And the cash coming in from these expansions won't be seen for another three to four years - or more. Shanghai Disneyland's financial fallout will be felt for at least a decade - and EuroDisney's financial strife continues to this day. ​

Disney had a choice - a big choice - to keep operating the WDI group as it is, and taking huge losses, or to reformat and rebuild themselves from the inside out. It was the latter which they chose to do, especially in light of the mass casualties from the layoffs. 

Realistically speaking, this is a move 25-30 years overdue. Even Eisner knew that WDI was too big & too bloated to move easily & nimbly from project to project. Disney could no longer justify up-streaming profits from other units to cover the constant losses & operational issues of WDI. And at the same time, fewer & fewer projects were coming out - and those that did arrive were arriving late. WDI had been too dependent on itself and it's ego, and a bad case of stasis had set in. Universal had done what WDI had once done - at 2/3rds the cost and 1/2 the time.  And Universal had a winner.  ​

So where does WDI go now? How does it continue with this massive staff reduction? And how will it recover? 

From my own experience, staff cuts and getting rid of the dead wood isn't always a bad thing. It tightens up the remaining staff - and forces a change in management & administration.  With the right impetus, and the right management style, this could produce powerful results. By eliminating the concept of single-project teams, and going with a group effort, projects come through faster - and with better ideas. The costs drop, and thinking creatively comes up with longer-lasting ideas.  

WDI also must be allowed to do outside work - to justify it's existence. It has to be able to sell projects & concepts to other groups whether Disney or not, and to make its own way as part of Disney. Not just as a profit point on the annual report, but also as a way of justifying the overall long-term financial investments.  And more importantly, the financal results need to be accounted for at corporate level. Endless money for a handful of projects has to go - WDI has to be responsible for their own reasons to be, and not just a playground for a creative group of people. 

Walt Disney started WED Enterprises with a staff of five people, and grew it up to 20 to build an entire theme park - in less than a year. Now it has taken nearly 700 people six years to build one theme park. Less is more, WDI - and in this case, you're taking the medicine that was long ago prescribed to make you well again. 

R.D. 
8/5/16

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In the early evening we found ourselves at CityWalk LA 

After checking in we made our way inside. I had actually never been inside the restaurant when it was Panda Inn but it looks beautiful. 

We started off with some appetizers (and some AMAZING Chicken Dumplings). They also had some displays of some of the food. Give it all to me. 

After a quick introduction it was time to eat, and eat we did. 

Everything on this plate was absolutely delicious. Some had some issue with the spiciness, but not this guy. I actually would have preferred a bit more of a kick on a few things. 

After a couple of hours of eating and talking with our great friends from those other sites it was time to head out and start planning our next trip to Dongpo Kitchen. We can't wait to try out everything else on the menu. 

They are hiring as well so be sure to email them a resume if you are so inclined. 

Thanks to Universal Studios and CityWalk for having us out. We loved the restaurant and appreciate you including us in this great night. 
​
All of the information on the restaurant and the opening is below. 

• Universal CityWalk’s all-new Sichuan-style restaurant, Dongpo Kitchen, opens on Monday, August 8, 2016.
• This is the first-ever U.S. casual dining concept from Meizhou Dongpo and its renowned and innovative owners, Chef Gang Wang and his wife, Chef Di Liang.
• In 2008, Meizhou Dongpo won the prestigious honor of catering the Beijing Olympic Games for thousands of athletes from across the globe within the Olympic Village.
• Dongpo Kitchen is located at the heart of CityWalk in a completely remodeled, artisan-inspired venue tantalizing diners with upscale and modern cuisine within the comforts of a casual environment.
• The new restaurant will offer both indoor and al fresco dining, serving Southern Californians and guests visiting around the globe a variety of signature dishes.

 
Sample signature key dishes include:

Putting on an event is hard, it takes a LOT of hard work. As we learned from a lot of the panels over the weekend, when it comes to a Halloween event the work for the next years event usually starts just after (or sometimes during) the previous years event. Putting on any large scale event is no different. The amount of planning and preparation that goes on takes a year, from booking talent, convention space, vendors, and in the case of Midsummer Scream, scare zones and mazes. 

The fact that the team was able to do all of this in about 4 months is amazing. Even considering the years of expertise of those involved (and they are exceptional at what they do) pulling off what they pulled off in 4 months was amazing. 

Saturday: 

We arrived at the event about 30 minutes prior to doors open, usually a time when you find chaos and issues everywhere. Yet there was a calm and orderly general admission line, when we went inside to get our press badges there were only a few people in line. The staff knew just where to send us and we were ready to go with a good 15-20 minutes before the event opened. 

This gave us time to catch up with friends, get some amazing pictures and plan our attack for the day. 

First up was a walk of the show floor, which is the heart of any event of this kind. And this was our kind of event. So many amazing displays, merchandise and even mini experiences. We could have spent SO much money.

We then headed into the Hall of Shadows and without even realizing it we walked right into a Scare Zone ... at a convention. And it was amazing. You could tell the talent was having so much fun with it, and the entire event was just so calm and relaxed, no drama that we could see. ​

​Be sure to check out our 360° video of Hall of Shadows. We will have additional videos with our day two update next week. 

​Our first panel of the day was "Frightful Attraction Design for Theme Park Audiences" and our first chance to thank the Midsummer Scream crew for all of their hard work.

 This didn't have the feeling of a first year event and you could tell they were all (rightfully) proud of what they've created. ​

Oh yeah, the panel. It was amazing. Great talk about some amazing dark rides like Indiana Jones Adventure, Monster Plantation at SFOG, the Ghostbusters show at USF and of course the greatest scary dark attraction of all time Alien Encounter (I assume as sadly I never got to experience it). 

Having the panel hosted by Rick West who's expertise and familiarity with both the rides and the panelists made it that much better. 

After a quick lunch at one of the plethora of nearby eateries it was time for our 2nd panel of Midsummer Scream ... Queen Mary's Dark Harbor. 

First of all, if you've never been to Dark Harbor, what are you waiting for? 

Secondly, if you've never attended a panel about Queen Mary's Dark Harbor at one of these conventions, what are you waiting for? The cast of characters they bring out is amazing. Both at their event and at Midsummer Scream their actors get to bring their own personality and fun into the experience. 

Throughout the presentation they talked about this years event (you can find all of that information here). Needless to say it's going to be amazing once again and we can't wait to experience this amazing event again. 

Click to see the full update on what's coming to Queen Mary's Dark Harbor in 2016 ... 

After some more time spent on the show floor it was time to head back into the ballroom and to check out the presentation for Halloween Horror Nights. 

Unlike the other panels of the weekend nothing was actually announced at the HHN panel, but that didn't take away from the greatness of it. John and Chris so love what they do and it shows. They spent the hour (that went by way too quick) talking about the history of the "Big 4" Slashers that will be appearing at this years event. 

And that's going to pretty much wrap it up for day 1. Be sure to check back on Monday for Day Two of Midsummer Scream. 

In the meantime, be sure to check out the release for Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Freddy vs Jason coming to Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood and for Krampus coming to HHN Hollywood and Orlando. 

Be sure to check back next week for the rest of our Midsummer Scream coverage and great panels from Six Flags Magic Mountain and Knott's Berry Farm. 

Last night Kings Island announced their all new coaster Mystic Timbers, coming in 2017. It's a GCI wooden coaster with some surprise elements we haven't even seen yet. And the crowd that showed up to see the unveiling was pretty big. 

But before the ceremony even started a chant of "RMC, RMC, RMC, RMC" started in the crowd. Even though many recognized members of GCI there and it was pretty obvious what was coming. 

Look, I get it, RMC has taken the coaster world by storm. They have a LOT of fans, myself included. But would you REALLY want every coaster to be an RMC? Isn't there a place for the traditional wooden coaster along with RMC's? 

And if it had actually turned out to be an RMC, there would have also been an equal amount of gnashing teeth on the other side. This isn't just a one-sided thing, it's not an us vs them thing, it's an us vs us. 

As long as there have been coaster manufacturers there have been people who were fans of different ones. And that's great. There are some that I like better than others as well. 

But the most important thing a coaster manufacturer does is create FUN. Not everything has to be the biggest, tallest, fastest, loopiest, spinnyest, throwingupinest ride in the world. I'm sure many of you reading this have a #1 wooden coaster that is NONE of these things. I know, it's my #1 wooden coaster too. 

So sure, while there may be some disappointment in "another GCI" or "the video doesn't look very good" ... the ride looks FUN!! Nobody thought much of Gold Striker at California's Great America when it was announced, and that's one of the best GCI coasters of the last decade. 

We are now just at the beginning of "Ride Announcement" season. Different chains do it different ways. There will be more announcements coming out of Cedar Fair in the coming weeks. Heck, Kings Island even said there was going to be another announcement in a few weeks. 

Six Flags will be making their announcements towards the end of August, and already there has been the gnashing of teeth regarding some of the leaks, never mind that we don't actually have any details yet. ​

Lets, as a community, take a step back, realize that we are here for fun, rides exist to be fun.

So (insert ride manufacturer here) isn't making a ride at your favorite park next year. Get out, travel, see the country/world and visit that park that has a coaster from your favorite manufacturer. Realize that business decisions aren't made at the park level, they are made at the corporate level, and that decision is made to get the most amount of people to show up at (insert park here).

So I don't like rides from (insert ride manufacturer here) and my favorite park is making (insert monstrosity here). Skip the ride, but look at the faces of those coming off the ride. Are they happy faces? Are there A LOT of them? Are they spending money? Guess what, that gives (insert park here) more revenue to do MORE things. 

So (insert park chain here) is making ANOTHER of (insert ride I don't like here). This is a common practice, one that many parks do (yes, even Disney). It's a nature of the business. Yes, theme parks are a business. They are in the business of making money. Sometimes chains realize they've gone too far too late but that's for them to figure out. 

And sure, while certain parks have great social media, amazing park managers and staff that love to host coaster enthusiasts, at the corporate level, these rides aren't built for us. 

While it's fun to speculate and have fun with "what we would do with (insert park here)" at the end of the day, most of the things we'd like to do to parks would end up bankrupting them. 

Keeping that in mind, let's remember to have fun, remember that there are those future coaster enthusiasts that are going to LOVE a ride like Mystic Timbers. Remember that there are families that can ride this together. Remember that there are those little pops of air found on GCI's that make them great. Remember that there is a place for all different types of rides. Remember that innovation is a great thing and that no park we visit is a museum. 

Happy riding ... 

​Gregg