Theme Park Insider

Walk Time: Celebrating the last weeks of summer

Sat, 05 Sep 2026 17:17:00 GMT

By Robert Niles: In theme parks and entertainment, "walk time" is the name for the final paid minutes of your shift, when you gather your stuff and start heading home. At Theme Park Insider, "Walk Time" is our weekend look back at the past seven days in theme park news.

Universal Studios Hollywood set its official opening date for Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift - September 16, just making the coaster's promised "summer" opening by a few days. Meanwhile, the park opened its 2026 edition of Halloween Horror Nights, with a spectacular "Sinner" house and two original concepts leading this year's line-up of haunted houses. We talked about Orlando's HHN debut on the podcast this week and then welcomed industry legend Bob Rogers, who shared some of the secrets of creating emotionally resonant attractions, which he details in his new book, "Deep Story."

In other roller coaster news, Six Flags Magic Mountain's promised announcement this week about its next attraction turned out to be an announcement of announcement. Maybe we will get the actual announcement on Thursday? Or, maybe not.

We also are expecting more news following the Arie family's announcement this week that it has sold the ArieForce One roller coaster and that the highly-rated RMC creation will be moving to a new (undisclosed) home.

Efteling this week announced that its new Raveleijn show, Raveleijn: Battle for the City, will open December 1, along with the new Ravenring ride. Efteling is spending �10 million on the new show, which it is producing in collaboration with Puy du Fou.

As one production prepares for its debut, another is getting ready to call a wrap. Universal Orlando announced this week that its Animal Actors show close November 2. The show was one of the few remaining opening day attractions from Universal Studios Florida, with only ET and the Horror Makeup Show (which is closed until this winter for a rewrite) still going.

In personnel news this week, Liseberg has appointed Amanda Rydenstam as its new Creative Director, succeeding David Schofield. She joins Liseberg from her role as Creative Director at Okidoki Architects.

Storyland Studios has named Adam Moore as the firm's first-ever Vice President of Story. He comes to Storyland from from�Walt Disney Animation Studios, following his role as Chair of the Department of Cinematic Arts Cal State Long Beach.

The Themed Entertainment Association this week honored its 2026 TEA Masters, "honoring themed entertainment professionals whose careers have made significant and lasting contributions to the global industry." This year's honorees are AOA co-founder Tom Acomb, Universal Creative's Eric Baker and Patrice Ragusa, Groupe F's Christophe Berthonneau, Animal Repair Shop's Susan Bonds, RWS Global's Paul Kent, and KirPaint founder Kirsten Ruhs.

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Sinners, original IP lead the way at Horror Nights Hollywood

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 15:01:00 GMT

By Jacob Sundstrom: If I may start my review of Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood 2026 with a mea culpa. For years, I�ve been adamant that what makes Horror Nights Hollywood is its impressive lineup of haunted houses based on movies, TV shows and music you love. This commitment to intellectual property (IP) helped Horror Nights stand out in a market dominated by Knott�s Scary Farm.

And there�s still something special, even magical, about what Horror Nights Hollywood pulled off with Sinners, the haunted house recreating Ryan Coogler�s Oscar-winning masterpiece. But in 2026, Horror Nights Hollywood showed it can make magic happen without any IP at all; Dead, Deader, Deadest might be my favorite house of the year, and the Latin American monsters house of the year, Killcea�era, is very strong.

So uh, maybe Horror Nights Hollywood should do more non-IP houses if these are the results. We�ve moved past the era of black wall transitions that haunted Horror Nights Hollywood for years. But in its place, the slate of IP houses has grown increasingly stale. Killer Klownz From Outer Space is back for the third time in recent memory and Stranger Things returns less as a recap of Season 5 (thank god) and more of an ode to demogorgons and Vecna.

Vecna in the Stranger Things 5 house. All photos by Noelle Sundstrom

But let�s circle back to Sinners, which is a signature achievement for Horror Nights Hollywood. Located in the former year-round Walking Dead Attraction space, Sinners makes full use of its permanent environment beginning with a spectacular show scene inside Club Juke. Horror Nights cleverly leaves one more set of switchbacks for us to navigate in this room, allowing all guests to see Smoke and Stack welcome us to their club.

Naturally, things go horribly wrong from there. Horror Nights brought Sinners� vampires to life, complete with glowing eyes, while hitting many of the action beats from the film. It�s no replacement for watching the movie, of course, but it�s the type of visceral excitement that you can only get from live theater.

How about Dead, Deader, Deadest? The setting is simple: You enter a mortuary where something sinister is taking place. This is a beautifully dressed house, especially the foyer that serves as the entryway. You can watch the full walkthrough if you�d like spoilers, but I was particularly impressed by how the park conveyed your walk into the freezer and the incinerator.

Killcea�era uses a unique hook and framing to reintroduce familiar monsters. Yes, this is basically �Latin American Carrie,� but that works at an event like Horror Nights. She conjures up a roster of monsters that will be familiar, perhaps too familiar, to regular Horror Nights attendees. What I can say is that despite that familiarity, Killcea�era feels fresh.

The Terror Tram features Art the Clown following his tremendously successful debut at the 2025 event. Horror Nights borrows the Christmas motifs from the second film to great success to bring to life the ideal version of Terror Tram. Without the confined spaces to truly be scary, this is an attraction that relies on the personality of its villains and the energy of its performers. Lucky for us, Art the Clown and the performers who portray him have brought plenty of both. [Watch video]

Art the Clown stars in the Terror Tram scare zone

There�s not much new to report from either Killer Klownz nor Stranger Things, though I should note the cast for Klownz was really bringing it on Thursday night. So let�s move on to the other major IP house for 2026, Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness. This house, thanks in large part to the music, is a lot of fun and features some neat environments. But it doesn�t feel as fully realized as the best Horror Nights houses do. [Watch video]

Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness

Hellraiser and Evil Dead Burn round out the haunted houses. Hellraiser has a lot of great moments that will take fans back into the trilogy of horror films. But let�s be real: We�re here to see Pinhead and his merry band of sadomasochists monologue at us before jumping out from behind doors, windows and severed heads. The house delivers on that promise. [Watch video]

I imagine Evil Dead Burn has a plot, but I can�t tell you what it is. How much that matters is a matter of taste; suffice to say this is a cursed house chock full of deadites. That will almost certainly get the job done for most Horror Nights attendees. [Watch video]

The Purge: Dangerous Waters returns as the only show, taking over the Waterworld stage for a stunt show that is virtually unchanged from previous editions. Fast and Furious: Hollywood Drift was running, but only for guests with special tickets (VIP tours, some Express pass holders) so I did not get my first chance to get on the new roller coaster. Ah well.

Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights runs until November 1. Tickets start at $75: Universal Studios Hollywood tickets.

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Disney, Universal file new patent applications for show elements

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 14:50:00 GMT

By Robert Niles: Let's jump into three new patent applications this week from Disney and Universal.

Disney training robots

In Disney's patent application, Imagineers walk deeper into the weeds of training its new generation of robots, such as the BDX droids that it has shown off in Star Wars Galaxy Edge and at D23. Disney has equipped robot operators with game-like controllers to direct their robots' movement. But Disney also uses machine learning models to enable robots to stand and move in basic ways without explicit instructional control from their operators. This application details models that allow the robots to take on more functionality, including emotional expressions, by reacting to guests and others without having to wait for direct commands. See Autonomous human-robot interaction via diffusion-based operator imitation.

Universal's dragon drones

Universal's patent applications describes drones that include motors for both flying and for articulating a character. The current application of this tech seems to be the flying dragons above Isle of Berk in Universal Epic Universe. The application details the specific method by which Universal has designed these drones to create the illusion of a flying character without looking like a bulky drone with dressing. See Drone attraction system and method.

Universal's projection mapping on moving clothing

Plenty of shows and attractions use projection mapping onto human figures. But the animatronics or actors upon which the projections are being mapped have need to remain still for those projections to work. Universal's system accommodates movement in the clothing that an actor or animatronic would be wearing, allowing for a more dynamic scene as the projections move with a flowing dress or flying cape, for examples. See Systems and methods for projection mapping onto flowable textiles in an entertainment environment.

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Step back in time to visit Busch Gardens in Los Angeles

Thu, 03 Sep 2026 21:39:00 GMT

By Robert Niles: The final Super 8 home movie this week is from Busch Gardens Los Angeles, which operated in Van Nuys from 1966�1979.

This is a tough park for me to remember. I last visited when I was six, and since I did not visit again before the park closed, there's nothing to tie those memories to, if that makes sense. It's not like I can visit the park again today in the hopes that it triggers some memory of a visit past, like I can do with other places that I visited as a child.

That said, it's not like there really was much to this park. It was very much a "gardens," more than a collection of rides. My memories are mostly vibes, as illustrated by the boat ride captured here.

I hope that you have enjoyed this week's step back in time with these Super 8 visits: Universal Studios Hollywood, Disneyland, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay,

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Six Flags kicks the can down the road on coaster reveal

Thu, 03 Sep 2026 17:54:00 GMT

By Robert Niles: After last week promising "an official announcement" on September 3, today Six Flags Magic Mountain told fans to wait another week.

In a post on its social media, Six Flags announced "The future is beginning to GLIDE into view" with a teaser video that ended with "Glide into the Future" and "9.10.26."

Presumably, that means fans will need to wait another week for an announcement about Six Flags' new roller coaster for 2027. Unless Six Flags is just planning another announcement of an announcement for next week, and so on, and so on.

I get that Six Flags now owns the theme park rights to the Peanuts characters, but a "Lucy pulling the football on Charlie Brown" social media installation wasn't an attraction that anyone was demanding.

At least Six Flags is acknowledging now that the upcoming Magic Mountain coaster will be the Vekoma Thrill Glider model that government planning documents revealed it to be.

In case you were wondering, there's no news on the future of X2, either - the troubled and now-closed fourth dimension coaster that is looking more and more like it might never reopen.

Podcast: Bob Rogers on the 'Deep Story' secrets of design

Thu, 03 Sep 2026 14:47:00 GMT

By Robert Niles: We have our first guest on the Theme Park Insider Podcast this week. But before we get to him, Jake and I talk about Universal Orlando�s Halloween Horror Nights. We discuss which types of stories seem to work well in the haunted house format and which do not.

Then we welcome industry legend Bob Rogers, who shares the secrets of emotionally engaging attraction design in his new book, �Deep Story,� which debuts September 8. You can buy the book via Amazon or via the publisher.

We then look ahead to announcements coming later today from Six Flags Magic Mountain, and then wrap with an explanation of why Jake thought it important to pursue the Knott�s Scary Farm T-shirt story.

As always, thank you for listening and for recommending Theme Park Insider to friends and colleagues.

Come visit Busch Gardens when it was 'The Dark Continent'

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 20:30:00 GMT

By Robert Niles: Come join me on another step back in time via one more Niles family home movie.

This time, we are visiting Busch Gardens The Dark Continent in Tampa, Florida. It's the early 1980s in the park now known as Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.

My family's silent Super 8 home movie mostly shows the animal exhibits and encounters at the park, though we do get a moment watching us drive the Ubanga-Banga Bumper Cars.

But the more notable ride in this home movie would be the elephant ride that my sister and I went on - something that I cannot imagine a reputable zoo or theme park offering today. Let's consider this a teaching moment - don't do what we did in riding, or Busch Gardens did in offering this to kids.

Check back tomorrow for my new home movie - this time featuring Busch Gardens' sister park... in Los Angeles.

Previously: Step back in time to visit Universal Studios in 1974 and Step back in time to visit Disneyland 50 years ago.

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Dollywood details 2027 plans to honor Dolly Parton

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 18:51:00 GMT

By Robert Niles: Dollywood will honor its late Dreamer-in-Chief with several new memorials to open in time for the 2027 season.

In a presentation at the Pigeon Forge, Tennessee theme park today, Dollywood Parks & Resorts President Eugene Naughton revealed that Dolly Parton, before her death last week, had reviewed and approved expansion plans for the park and its hotels for the next 10 years. That means that Dolly's direct influence will continue to be felt at the park for the next decade and beyond.

"Many of us had extensive conversations with Dolly through the years about how she would want us to carry her vision forward," Naughton said. "Dollywood will always be a place where families find fun, kindness and joy - a place where they can make memories that last a lifetime, just like she would have wanted. We will carry her dreams forward by continuing to grow, welcoming even more guests, and sharing the warmth and hospitality of which she was so proud."

Dollywood will honor Dolly with a new "Dream Maker" character in Wildwood Grove that will debut next year, inspired by Dolly's Imagination Library, the program that provides free books to pre-school children across the country. Wildwood Grove also will be home to new interactive kiosks where park guests may share their stories and thoughts about Dolly and how she might have inspired them. Guests may choose to keep their submissions private or to allow the park to share them as part of its tributes and storytelling.

Naughton introduces the Dream Maker's Dream Wagon, which Dollywood guests will find next year in Wildwood Grove. Images courtesy Dollywood.

The area in front of the park's Robert F. Thomas Chapel will feature a new mountainside waterfall to honor Dolly. That waterfall will include a guitar-shaped sculpture that Dollywood officials hope will become a focal point for fans to reflect and remember Dolly. Inside the chapel will be new stained-glass windows depicting the changing seasons of the Smoky Mountains, to reflect Ecclesiastes 3:1, "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven."

The new Dolly Parton-inspired guitar sculpture outside the Robert F. Thomas Chapel

Finally, the park will update The Dolly Parton Experience, which opened in 2024. A new portal from Showstreet will lead guests into the exhibits, which will be updated with a new film and finale.

For more information about the park, including our advice for visiting, please read our visitors guide to Dollywood.