Kennywood’s 4-D theater opens with ‘Ice Age’ short
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Large blue and white balloons filled the sky at Kennywood Park in West Mifflin Wednesday for the grand opening of the park’s newest attraction, “Ice Age: No Time for Nuts 4-D,” at the Kennywood 4-D theater.
Located in the former laser tag building near the Grand Prix, the new multimilliondollar theater, which seats 88 people, has been under construction since mid-January.
According to Kennywood director of public relations Nick Paradise, the theater combines 3-D technology with multisensory special effects to create a fully immersive film that “takes the movie-going experience to the next level.”
Created by Blue Sky Studios and Fox Animation in partnership with SimEx-Iwerks Entertainment, the nine-minute “Ice Age” animated short follows Scat, the frenzied saber-toothed squirrel, as he chases his iconic acorn through time and space. His inadvertent travels, sparked by the discovery of a time machine, lead him to encounter historical events from the Coliseum in Rome to the sinking of the Titanic, and even the French Revolution, where he has a brief but comical run-in with a guillotine.
“We worked with Kennywood to figure out the right placement for the theater,” said Howard Brodsky, a representative from SimEx-Iwerks, adding that the company worked with the San Diego Zoo on the same attraction. “The goal is to make you feel like you are a part of the film, whether the seats actually move or not.”
“The ‘Ice Age’ characters are well known and appeal to our audience,“Jerome Gibas, Kennywood general manager, said of the film in a release.
In addition to the film’s 3-D visuals, audiences will also experience blasts of air and water — delivered through inconspicuous nozzles in the back of the seats in front of them — as well as snowflakes, bubbles and strong scents, like pine, that are pumped in to accompany the visuals. And to heighten the experience even more, there are “foot ticklers” under the seats, and the seats themselves vibrate and poke audiences at key points throughout the film.
“The special effects really added to the experience,” Pam Kanai of Crafton said as she walked through the theater’s gift shop. “I was laughing, she was laughing,” she added, pointing to her 5-year-old daughter, April. “It was just really fun.”
“My favorite part was the bubbles,” April exclaimed, giving it a thumbs-up.
While the ride is focused on the “Ice Age” franchise, the park has the capability to change the film at any time, and there are plans to screen a “Friday the 13th” film during Phantom Fright Nights and a “Polar Express” film during the Holiday Lights celebration.
“We just wanted to provide something that we didn’t have before,” Mr. Paradise explained. “It’s a little bit of a show, a little bit of an attraction, and we think people will really love it.”