Legoland’s big investment
Theme park shares news about new rides coming with its Movie World expansion
Legoland Florida officially unveiled Wednesday to its peers three attractions that will be part of its new Lego Movie World expansion, expected to open in the spring.
The announcement came at one of the amusement park industry’s largest trade shows.
It was a closer look into the 7-year-old theme park’s plans for the expansion, which officials have said represents Legoland Florida’s biggest investment since its debut. Some details about the rides were released last month.
The announcement, which also included confirmation of a previously revealed on-site hotel, came at the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions show being held in Orlando.
No specific opening date for the new park or hotel has been announced.
Lego Movie World will feature three major rides: Unikitty’s Disco Drop, Masters of Flight and Battle of Bricksburg.
The Disco Drop is a swift drop tower based upon the ruler of the fictitious Lego kingdom that elevates passengers before jolting them with a swift drop, spins and other movements.
Battle of Bricksburg is a water ride that where riders will protect the Lego world from alien invaders using water cannons.
Masters of Flight will place riders in a triple-decker couch as it soars through scenes based on The Lego Movie’s world.
“We are lucky to have a strong intellectual property,” said Keith Carr, project director for Merlin Magic Making. “It helps us as we create the storylines.”
The Masters of Flight structure will represent the first ever built by Brogent Technologies of China.
Officials would not share details about the agreement between the two companies.
Brogent, which has been around since 2009, specializes in building simulators that feature a row of seats and can be integrated into virtual reality or other worlds.
Its latest version, the one that features a triple-decker system that rotates as much as 180 degrees during the ride, will debut at Legoland.
“They were looking for a flying theater,” said Tim Chen, sales and marketing director of Brogent. “And we have a reputation and the references.”
Lego Movie World will also feature meet-and-greet opportunities with characters from the film.
The new world comes as Legoland tries to compete for a growing tourism industry in Central Florida. Last year, a record 72 million tourists visited the region.
“We are always looking at, how do we bring guests here and keep them here,” Carr said.
During a news conference at IAAPA, officials also confirmed for the first time that the Winter Haven-based park would be opening a 150-room, five-story hotel on what is now the northern end of the Legoland parking lot.
The attraction filed plans for the property in August but had not officially confirmed that it would build the hotel until Wednesday.