Kraken at SeaWorld

is updating the creature near the entrance and re-theming the queue.

The makeover of the Kraken roller coaster at SeaWorld Orlando goes beyond the addition of virtual-reality headsets. Look for real-life physical changes as well for the area around the attraction when it reopens in June.

Among the changes: The enormous eel-like kraken creature — big enough for people to walk under and for the coaster to speed through — near the ride’s entrance has been dismantled. There’s a new kraken in town, explains Brian Morrow, vice president of theme park experience for SeaWorld Parks & Resorts.

The mythical beast that will be seen via virtual-reality headsets on the ride is a different species of kraken than the slithery one that originally inspired the thrill ride, which debuted in 2000, Morrow said. So, for consistency’s sake, the old big blue figure had to go before the new Kraken Unleashed name kicks in.

“We had to make sure that the creature that’s represented in physical form at the entry of the ride matched” the VR version, he said.

“All you see of the new kraken are her tentacles because she’s based off a squid and not an eel,” Morrow said. “Now, we’ve made it a little more interesting with suction cups and teeth inside the suction cups.“

Those pinkish tentacles at the entrance are to the scale of the sea monster passengers will view in the VR experience. She’s kind of a big deal. “She’s very big and upset that we’re there,” Morrow said of the ride’s future story line.

Retheming of the queue will help set the scene of the onboard visuals. Park visitors will walk through scenes that represent a sea base off the shore of the Greek island of Mykonos that was established by an adventure capitalist, Morrow said. It’s designed to look like a repurposed fishing village, essentially rented out for an eco-tourism enterprise.

Also new to the queue will be media for storytelling and for explaining — via digital animation — how the VR equipment is used. The new Kraken story takes place in a (virtual) submarine, where passengers will explore an underwater geological formation.

“It’s very easy to understand. It really helps the virtual world, that we’re going to put the guests inside of, make more sense because the practical world is matching,” Morrow said. “That way it’s not so jarring when you put the headset on. This is what theme parks do. We’re place-makers.”

What you won’t see at the ride’s re-opening: Educational moments in the “Save the Kraken” vein. SeaWorld emphasizes real-life animals and their associated wonders, but the entire park doesn’t have to be allnature, all the time, Morrow said.

“Kraken and [Journey to] Atlantis fill that gap of imagination and legend and wonder without feeling the need to do too much education,” he said. “It’s like recess in the school day. You get a break and then you go back into the learning world.”