Weekly Rewind 12.18.10

Disney shared some new concept art of the Art of Animation resort being built at Walt Disney World this week.  The four themed sections include the Lion King, Cars, Finding Nemo, and The Little Mermaid.

Six Flags New England has completed painting the new Gauntlet coaster and is now working on the station and queue for the ride.  They've posted updated photos on their Facebook.  I have to wonder what the delay is in officially announcing its name!

Six Flags has posted the new names of some of their de-themed attractions.  Wiggles World at Fiesta Texas, New England, and Great America will be KIDZOPOLIS.  Great Adventure will turn theirs into Safari Kids.  Thomas Town will be renamed Whistlestop Park at some parks, Discovery Kingdom will name theirs Seaside Junction.  Surfing the Six Flags sites reveals many of the changes. 

Djurs Sommerland, in Denmark, is building a new Mack water coaster, and has posted a bunch of photos of it.  It'll be a short ride, but it looks like a ton of fun!  Wish more American parks would pick up one of these.

This photo of the new Great Coasters International ride going in at Knight Valley is just as amazing as the rest, but it really shows the massive scale of this ride.  Absolutely incredible.

Lots of heavy construction going on at Worlds of Fun for the addition of Planet Snoopy.  The park updated their construction gallery showing off all the changes.  The final remnants of Berenstain Bear Country are on their way out!

The Magic Kingdom's Fantasyland expansion is well underway, and the Orlando Attractions Magazine recently published some aerial photos of the work underway.  The buildings for the Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast areas are now standing.

Carowinds is going to present a nightly firework show named Nights of Fire during summer 2011.  Interestingly the show was called Illuminations by the park but quickly changed.  I doubt Disney approved of that moniker.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter has probably been the biggest hit our industry saw in 2010, increasing attendance and revenues at Islands of Adventure amazing amounts.  This article takes a look at that, and speculates on how the resort will take on even more expansions in the future.

Hong Kong Disneyland is celebrating their 5th anniversary next year with a new Parade, Tinkerbell meet'n'greet, and decorated castle.  A new page for the activities is available here.  The parade is named Flights of Fantasy and looks both interactive and very kinetic in nature.

The Kennedy Space Center has begun design work on a new 10 year master plan for the visitor center complex.  Included in the plans is a $100 million exhibit displaying a flown space shuttle orbiter, so long as NASA donates it to them.  Seeing an actual space craft will prove a unique and memorable experience to say the least.

Tis the season for giving, and that's just what Wild Adventures Theme Park is doing.  In addition to the hundreds of toys their drive has raised (by offering buy one get one admission for donating a new toy valued at $10 or more), the park has also donated 200 more gifts on their own.  Now that's the holiday spirit!