The company that built the ride systems behind some of Disney's and Universal's most popular and iconic attractions has signed a deal to provide two new state-of-the-art ride systems for theme parks in Asia.
Dynamic Attractions has signed a five-year strategic cooperation agreement with an unnamed theme park operator that has "multiple parks" in various stages of development. As part of that agreement, Dynamic Attractions has received a newly announced contract for two new ride systems worth approximately US$56 million.
"Under these new contracts, Dynamic will supply two massive, state-of-the-art rides over the next two years," a Dynamic Attractions spokesperson said in an email to Theme Park Insider. "A third ride contract for a third theme park is expected this year. We are having ongoing discussions about additional rides that may be supplied over the five-year term of the agreement."
Dynamic Attractions has design and construction operations in Orlando, Dallas, Vancouver, Toronto, and Shanghai and has been involved in the development of attractions from Disney's Soarin' to Universal's Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, as well as dozens of other attractions in parks around the world. However, unlike roller coaster manufacturers such as Bolliger & Mabillard and Rocky Mountain Construction, fans don't talk much about Dynamic Attractions because its ride systems tend to play a supporting role to IP-driven narratives. The focus on a Dynamic Attractions ride is almost always the story... not the ride system.
Which, many fans likely would argue, is just the way it should be.
"We are tremendously honoured with the trust that this client has placed in us with the marquee attraction in multiple parks," Hao Wang, President and Chief Operating Officer, said in a press release. "Major theme park operators are investing in new attractions at record levels and we continue to prove that our existing ride products are iconic and best in class."
In case you were wondering, the most common tool used in theme park attraction design and development is the non-disclosure agreement, so Dynamic Attractions won't reveal its client, the parks, or the specific ride systems in its catalog that it will be delivering under this deal. But Theme Park Insider readers aren't party to any NDA, so why should we let anything stop us from speculating what these rides might be and where we might see them in the future?
We know from Dynamic Attractions that the new rides will be going to Asia. And we know that they will be going to a theme park operator with "multiple theme parks in various stages of development." If we start with chains familiar to most readers in the United States, the only U.S.-based theme park operator with multiple parks currently under development who also has (or is opening) parks in Asia is Six Flags.
Of course, if by "various stages of development," one means "a park that opened X years ago and another that opened Y years ago" instead of just meaning ones that have yet to debut, then Disney and Universal come back into play, as well. Disney has four parks in Asia, and Universal has two open with a third under construction.
But one also has to consider that companies outside the United States are driving most of the theme park development in Asia these days. So throw operators such as OCT Parks China, Fantawild, and Chimelong Group into the mix. Those three operators ranked fourth, fifth, and sixth globally in combined annual attendance last year, according to the most recent TEA/AECOM Theme Index attendance report. (In case you are curious, the top three operators were Disney, Merlin, and Universal.)
OCT owns the Happy Valley chain, but that only has one park under construction, while Fantawild has seven parks under development in China. Chimelong doesn't have anything under construction that I am aware of, but Six Flags has 11 parks under development in China. So take your best guess.
As for the ride systems, Dynamic Attractions has been unveiling some tantalizing concepts at the IAAPA Attractions Expo in Orlando the past few years. The company's Dynamic Motion Theater supports both live-action and screen-based storytelling around a moving theater platform. Its Dynamic All-Terrain Dark Ride features a trackless ride vehicle that does not require a flat surface to operate. And the company offers next-generation versions of its flying theater and robot-arm ride systems, as well.
Here are some two videos from the company's IAAPA concept reveals:
Which of these rides would you most like to experience some day?
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