Dinosaurs Alive! (attraction)

Dinosaurs Alive! was an animatronic dinosaur themed area which formerly operated at several Cedar Fair parks, but has since been closed. Kings Island was the first park to open the attraction in 2011, while the other parks opened their attraction in 2012 or 2013. The version of this attraction at Kings Island was the world's largest animatronic dinosaur park.[13] A $5–6.00 fee was charged to enter the attraction. At Carowinds, admission was free with a Gold or Platinum Pass. Each park also featured Dinostore, a gift shop filled with dinosaur toys and souvenirs. On October 27, 2019, the two remaining Dinosaurs Alive! exhibits closed permanently.[14][3]

Dinosaurs Alive!
Canada's Wonderland
AreaPlanet Snoopy
StatusClosed
Opening dateMay 6, 2012 (2012-05-06)[1]
Closing dateOctober 29, 2018
Carowinds
AreaCarolina RFD
StatusClosed
Opening dateMarch 29, 2013 (2013-03-29)[2]
Closing dateAugust 18, 2019[3]
ReplacedJoe Cool's Driving School
Cedar Point
AreaAdventure Island
Camp Snoopy
StatusRemoved
Cost$1 million[4]
Opening dateMay 12, 2012 (2012-05-12)[5]
Closing dateSeptember 3, 2018
ReplacedPaddlewheel Excursions
Replaced byForbidden Frontier
Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
StatusClosed
Opening dateApril 28, 2012 (2012-04-28)
Closing dateOctober 28, 2018
Kings Dominion
AreaOld Virginia
StatusClosed
Soft opening dateApril 5, 2012 (2012-04-05)
Opening dateApril 6, 2012 (2012-04-06)[6]
Closing dateOctober 28, 2018[7]
Kings Island
AreaConey Mall
StatusRemoved
Opening dateMay 26, 2011 (2011-05-26)[8]
Closing dateOctober 29, 2017 (2017-10-29)[9]
Replaced byOrion
Valleyfair
StatusClosed
Cost$3.5 million[10]
Opening dateMay 11, 2013 (2013-05-11)
Closing dateOctober 27, 2019 (2019-10-27)[11]
Worlds of Fun
AreaAfrica
StatusClosed
Opening dateApril 20, 2013 (2013-04-20)
Closing dateOctober 27, 2019 (2019-10-27)[12]
General statistics
Attraction typeWalkthrough exhibit
ThemeDinosaurs
Single rider line available
This is a pay-per-use attraction

The exhibits were created by Dinosaurs Unearthed. Some markets, like Toronto, previously staged their touring exhibit at other venues.[15] Some reviewers noted that seeing a roller coaster in the background was an "incongruity".[15] A sand pit allowed children to "dig" for dinosaurs at an area near the end of the attraction.[16]

Dinosaurs

The exhibits featured dinosaurs that were built to scale and depicted various habitats they would have likely encountered. Among the variety of species present throughout the attraction, the dinosaurs themselves could range from several feet in height and length to the much larger Ruyangosaurus, which stood more than 30 feet (9.1 m) tall.[17] Each amusement park configuration was unique, with some featuring exhibits not present at the others:

Park Dinosaurs
Canada's Wonderland[18] Albertosaurus, Allosaurus, Baryonyx, Carnotaurus, Chasmosaurus, Deinonychus, Dyoplosaurus, Eotyrannus, Herrerasaurus, Huayangosaurus, Hypacrosaurus, Irritator, Kosmoceratops, Maiasaura, Mamenchisaurus, Mojoceratops, Monoclonius, Monolophosaurus, Ouranosaurus, Pachycephalosaurus, Pachyrhinosaurus, Parasaurolophus, Ruyangosaurus, Spinosaurus, Stegosaurus, Tenontosaurus, Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus and Yangchuanosaurus
Carowinds Tsintaosaurus, Dilophosaurus, Triceratops, and more
Cedar Point[19] Albertosaurus, Allosaurus, Amargasaurus, Angustinaripterus, Anhanguera, Apatosaurus, Baryonyx, Carnotaurus, Chasmosaurus, Deinonychus, Dilophosaurus, Eotyrannus, Herrerasaurus, Hypacrosaurus, Irritator, Kosmoceratops, Mamenchisaurus, Mojoceratops, Monoclonius, Monolophosaurus, Olorotitan, Omeisaurus, Ouranosaurus, Pachycephalosaurus, Pachyrhinosaurus, Parasaurolophus, Ruyangosaurus, Saltasaurus, Spinosaurus, Stegosaurus, Tenontosaurus, Torosaurus, Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus and Yangchuanosaurus
Dorney Park[20] Albertosaurus, Allosaurus, Amargasaurus, Angustinaripterus, Apatosaurus, Baryonyx, Carnotaurus, Chasmosaurus, Deinonychus, Dyoplosaurus, Eotyrannus, Herrerasaurus, Irritator, Kosmoceratops, Mamenchisaurus, Mojoceratops, Monoclonius, Monolophosaurus, Ouranosaurus, Pachycephalosaurus, Pachyrhinosaurus, Parasaurolophus, Ruyangosaurus, Spinosaurus, Stegosaurus, Tenontosaurus, Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus and Yangchuanosaurus
Kings Dominion[21] Albertosaurus, Allosaurus, Amargasaurus, Angustinaripterus, Apatosaurus, Baryonyx, Carnotaurus, Chasmosaurus, Deinonychus, Dyoplosaurus, Eotyrannus, Herrerasaurus, Irritator, Kosmoceratops, Mamenchisaurus, Mojoceratops, Monoclonius, Monolophosaurus, Ouranosaurus, Pachycephalosaurus, Pachyrhinosaurus, Parasaurolophus, Ruyangosaurus, Spinosaurus, Stegosaurus, Tenontosaurus, Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus and Yangchuanosaurus
Kings Island[22] Albertosaurus, Allosaurus, Amargasaurus, Angustinaripterus, Apatosaurus, Baryonyx, Carnotaurus, Chasmosaurus, Deinonychus, Dilophosaurus, Dyoplosaurus, Eotyrannus, Herrerasaurus, Hypacrosaurus, Irritator, Kosmoceratops, Mamenchisaurus, Metriacanthosaurus, Mojoceratops, Monoclonius, Monolophosaurus, Olorotitan, Omeisaurus, Ouranosaurus, Pachycephalosaurus, Pachyrhinosaurus, Parasaurolophus, Pinacosaurus, Psittacosaurus, Ruyangosaurus, Saltasaurus, Spinosaurus, Stegosaurus, Styracosaurus, Tenontosaurus, Torosaurus, Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus and Yangchuanosaurus
Valleyfair Unknown
Worlds of Fun Unknown

In addition to being life-sized, many of the dinosaurs were animatronic. Models featured moving skin, with no visible joints or seams.[15] Some were interactive, that allowed visitors to press buttons on the exhibit's sign to control the movement of various body parts depending on where the button was located (e.g., button on snout opens jaws, button on throat thrashes neck and button on rear makes the tail sway). The non-interactive animatronic dinosaurs were activated when motion sensors detect movement by guests walking by. Sound effects from hidden speakers also accompanied the various movements including roaring, bellowing and/or shrieking.[16][15][14]

Size
Dinosaurs Alive! exhibit entrance at Canada's Wonderland
LocationParkDinosaursTrail lengthArea
Ontario (Vaughan)Canada's Wonderland40[1]Unknown7 acres (2.8 ha)
North Carolina (Charlotte)Carowinds321,000 yd (910 m)[23]5 acres (2.0 ha)
Ohio (Sandusky)Cedar Point501,900 ft (580 m)4 acres (1.6 ha)
Pennsylvania (Allentown)Dorney Park372,100 ft (640 m)3.3 acres (1.3 ha)
Virginia (Doswell)Kings Dominion363,000 ft (910 m)6 acres (2.4 ha)
Ohio (Mason)Kings Island604,000 ft (1,200 m)12.5 acres (5.1 ha)
Minnesota (Shakopee)ValleyfairUnknown2,837 ft (865 m)5 acres (2.0 ha)
Missouri (Kansas City)Worlds of Fun351,900 ft (580 m)2 acres (0.81 ha)

Movie

A dinosaur-related 3D movie was shown at Carowinds in their respective Action Theater with the motion seats removed. It was also shown at King Dominion and Canada's Wonderland as well. The film was included with park admission at most parks,[24][25][26] while admission to both the attraction and film costed $6 at Canada's Wonderland.[15] At Wonderland, the film shown in the theater is the 11-minute Monsters of the Deep,[27] while Dinosaurs: Monsters of Patagonia was shown at Carowinds and Kings Island.[26]

Kings Island, Cedar Point and Carowinds charged an additional $5 admission per person over the age of 2. However, Carowinds did offer special Dinosaurs Alive! endorsement stickers that could be attached to season passes for $15, granting the passholder unlimited trips through the exhibit for that season.

Reception

The added admission fee was the target of criticism. Cedar Point representatives have stated that the fee is to avoid overcrowding in the section.[23] A writer for Wired.com suggested that, given the cost of admission, parking and food at Canada's Wonderland, the added cost of Dinosaurs Alive! was trivial.[15] Some theme park enthusiasts suggested in advance of opening that the attraction would not be "repeatable", in advance of its Cedar Point opening.[23]

Many dinosaurs in the Canada's Wonderland attraction were juveniles, causing one reviewer to speculate this was "a cost-saving measure."[15] The reviewer also noted that in some instances, the info panels didn't match the depiction in the exhibit. For example, the Canada's Wonderland Eotyrannus lacked feathers despite the nearby illustration suggesting otherwise.[15]

See also

References
  1. "Dinosaurs Unearthed at Canada's Wonderland". Press Release. Canada's Wonderland. 15 November 2011. Archived from the original on 16 November 2011. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
  2. "Carowinds opens for the year". Seattle PI. March 29, 2013. Archived from the original on March 30, 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2013.
  3. "Dinosaurs Alive | Animatronic Dinosaurs | Carowinds". www.carowinds.com. Retrieved 2019-07-23.
  4. "Press Release". Cedar Point. Archived from the original on October 26, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  5. "Dinosaurs Alive! about". Cedar Point. Archived from the original on January 21, 2012. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
  6. "Kings Dominion's new attractions on schedule — Richmond Times-Dispatch: Business: p, business, economy, local, companies". .timesdispatch.com. 2012-03-06. Retrieved 2013-01-25.
  7. https://www.kingsdominion.com/blog/2018/8.30-dinosaurs-alive-extinction
  8. "Dinosaurs Alive! at Kings Island opens to rave reviews". KI Insider Blog. May 30, 2011. Archived from the original on September 20, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  9. "Kings Island To Retire Dinosaurs Alive This October". Screamscape. September 27, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
  10. "Dinosaur exhibit new Valleyfair attraction in 2013". Shakopee Valley News. September 6, 2012. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
  11. https://twitter.com/ValleyfairMN/status/1126260551238213633
  12. https://www.worldsoffun.com/play/dinosaurs-alive
  13. "Kings Island to open world's largest dinosaur park". Mason Buzz. March 18, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  14. Egan, Kerry (12 August 2013). "Budding paleontologists can find dinosaurs at Carowinds". South Carolina. Just Right. Archived from the original on 1 April 2014. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  15. Moon, Brad (11 June 2012). "Canada's Wonderland Plays Host to Dinosaurs Alive! Exhibit". Wired.com. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  16. ""Must go faster!" RUUUUUUUUN! Dinosaurs Alive! at Canada's Wonderland". Afar. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  17. "Ruyangosaurus". Dinosaursalive.kingsdominion.com. Archived from the original on 2013-04-05. Retrieved 2013-01-25.
  18. "Canada's Wonderland Dinosaurs". Canada's Wonderland. Archived from the original on November 18, 2011. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  19. "Dinosaurs Alive! At Cedar Point". Cedar Point. Archived from the original on October 25, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  20. "Dinosaurs Alive! At Dorney Park". Dorney Park. Archived from the original on July 26, 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
  21. "Dinosaurs Alive! At Kings Dominion Info Page". Kings Dominion. Archived from the original on October 24, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  22. "Kings Island Dinosaurs". Kings Island. Archived from the original on October 24, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  23. Bullock, Joel (23 September 2012). "Carowinds and Valleyfair to add Dinosaurs Alive! for 2013". The Coaster Critic. Virginia. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  24. Kings Island. "E-Newsletter — Dinosaurs Alive! 3D an Adventure With Teeth!" VisitKingsIsland.com. Cedar Fair Entertainment Company. May 10, 2011, accessed May 10, 2011.
  25. Sim, Nick. "Kings Island's Dinosaurs Alive! 3D movie to be free for 2012 season". Theme Park Tourist. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
  26. "Carowinds Offers Newest Attraction: Dinosaurs Alive!". The Weekend Homemaker. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  27. Fox, Jim (2013-05-04). "Summer of thrills at Canada's Wonderland, Toronto's CN Tower". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 2014-07-16.
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