Kids' WB Fun Zone
ThemeKids' WB Australia
Looney Tunes
Attractions
Total8
Roller coasters1
Other rides7
Warner Bros. Movie World, Gold Coast, Australia
Coordinates27°54′23″S 153°18′40″E / 27.90639°S 153.31111°E / -27.90639; 153.31111
OpenedSeptember 2007 (2007-09)
ReplacedLooney Tunes Village (1997–2007)
Looney Tunes Land (1991–1997)

Kids' WB Fun Zone is a themed attraction in Warner Bros. Movie World on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia based on the Looney Tunes cartoons. The attraction was originally named Looney Tunes Village and was renamed in late 2007 when two new rides were added.[1] At the same time, the Australian Kids' WB TV show began filming at the theme park.[2][3][4]

Visitors can also meet and greet Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and the other Looney Tunes characters.

History

The attraction currently known as Kids' WB Fun Zone opened with Warner Bros. Movie World as Looney Tunes Land. At the time, the only attractions were the Looney Tunes Studio Tour (later Looney Tunes River Ride), Speedy Gonzales Tijuana Taxis, Looney Tunes Musical Revue and a playground.[5] In December 1997, Warner Bros. Movie World renamed the area Looney Tunes Village and added several new rides including Marvin the Martian's Rocket Ride, Taz Hollywood Cars, Sylvester and Tweety Carousel (later Sylvester and Tweety Cages) and Yosemite Sam's Railroad.[6] The addition of these rides forced the removal of the playground.[7] On 26 December 2000, the Road Runner Rollercoaster opened on the former site of the Looney Tunes Musical Revue.[8] The Looney Tunes Musical Revue was relocated to a portion of land near the adjacent Village Roadshow studio complex where part of Superman Escape now stands.[9][10] In December 2001, Warner Bros. Movie World added the Looney Tunes Splash Zone.[6]

In late 2007, the area was renamed Kids' WB Fun Zone to tie in with the filming of Australian TV show Kids' WB, at the park.[1][2] At the same time, the Looney Tunes Carousel and Sylvester's Pounce 'n' Bounce opened. To avoid confusion between the Sylvester and Tweety Carousel and newly added Looney Tunes Carousel, it was also renamed, becoming "Sylvester and Tweety Cages".[1] The removal of Marvin the Martian's Rocket Ride in 2010 was followed by the Looney Tunes River Ride the following year.[11]

In 2013, Warner Bros. Movie World originally planned to open the Mini Cars Driving School. The ride would have allowed children to drive their own cars around a miniature version of the theme park.[12] The ride would have been located in the Kids' WB Fun Zone where the Looney Tunes River Ride once stood. The plans to build the ride were reportedly put on hold due to Village Roadshow reallocating the investment towards an expansion of Sea World's Polar Bear Shores.[13]

Timeline

Looney Tunes LandLooney Tunes VillageKids' WB Fun Zone
199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023
Junior Driving School
Looney Tunes Carousel
Looney Tunes River Ride
Looney Tunes Splash Zone
Marvin the Martian's Rocket Ride
Road Runner Rollercoaster
Speedy Gonzales Tijuana Taxis
Sylvester's Pounce 'n' Bounce
Marvin the Martian: Cosmic Boom
Sylvester and Tweety CarouselSylvester and Tweety Cages
Taz Hollywood Cars
Yosemite Sam's Railroad
Unknown playground

Former attractions

Sylvester's Pounce 'n' Bounce
  • Looney Tunes Musical Revue was a live show featuring Looney Tunes characters. The show began in 1991 and was relocated in 2000 to a location where Superman Escape currently stands. When Superman Escape was constructed in 2005 the show was relocated again before ending and being replaced with Looney Tunes – What's Up Rock?.
  • Looney Tunes River Ride was an indoor boat ride where guests would be taken on a journey to help find Bugs Bunny. The ride opened with the park in 1991 and closed in 2011 to make way for a new attraction.[11][14]
  • Looney Tunes – What’s Up Rock? was a live show featuring Looney Tunes characters including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Lola Bunny, Tweety, Sylvester, Wile E. Coyote and Taz. The show ran in The Movie World Show Stage. After 2012 the show has never been performed.[15]
  • Marvin the Martian's Rocket Ride was a Zamperla Crazy Bus themed to a rocket ship.[16] Theming around the ride related to Duck Dodgers (Daffy Duck) as seen in one of the cartoons.[3] The ride was plagued with a variety of maintenance issues and was removed in 2010.
  • Sylvester's Pounce 'n' Bounce, along with the Looney Tunes Carousel, opened in 2007 when the zone changed its name to the Kids' WB Fun Zone. Prior to the ride being built, several giant carrots were located here. This ride is a SBF Visa Happy Tower in a shape of a tree. A Sylvester character is mounted on the carriage and is trying to catch Tweety who is at the top of the tree.[1][3][17] The ride was removed in 2020.
  • Taz Hollywood Cars was a set of Zamperla Mini Bumper Cars.[18] The ride was intended for younger children, as the cars were smaller and slower than the park's other similar rides. The attraction's building was refurbished and reopened in late 2016 as Taz Rest Stop, a rest and parent room for families with babies and young children.[19]
  • An unknown playground opened with the park in 1991 and closed when the area was renamed to Looney Tunes Village in 1997.

Attractions

This ride, along with the Sylvester's Pounce 'n' Bounce, opened in 2007 when the zone changed its name to the Kids' WB Fun Zone. Prior to the ride being built, a merchandise shop was located here. This ride is a carousel with several Looney Tunes characters which guests can ride on.[3]

Looney Tunes Splash Zone

"Children can have the best fun getting wet and cooling down at Looney Tunes Splash Zone, a permanent attraction located in the ever-popular Looney Tunes Village at Warner Bros. Movie World." This attraction opened in 2001.[20]

Marvin the Martian: Cosmic Boom

This ride is a 10 metre Drop'N Twist children's ride by SBF Visa Group,[21] which opened in April 2023 to replace Sylvester's Pounce 'n' Bounce, which closed in 2020.[22]

Road Runner Rollercoaster

Road Runner Rollercoaster

The Road Runner Rollercoaster is a Vekoma Sitdown Junior Coaster which opened on 26 December 2000.[8][23] The 335m ride features an incline of 11 metres and reaches a top speed of 40 kilometres (25 mi)/hour. The coaster's two trains are both made up of eight cars.[23] The ride has a minimum height requirement of 100 cm.

Speedy Gonzales Tijuana Taxis

One of the parks original rides, The Speedy Gonzales Tijuana Taxis are a fun one for little ones. It has a track just wide enough to let one car at a time through, forcing them in the one direction. They are small slower 'Go Karts' for the little kids!

Sylvester and Tweety Cages

Originally called Sylvester and Tweety Carousel, this ride is a flat ride where riders are rotated and periodically raised and lowered. The ride changed its name in 2007 when the Kids' WB Fun Zone had an actual carousel built.[3][4] The song Thumbelina by Raffi used to play at the ride in the 2000s.

Yosemite Sam's Railroad

The current layout of Yosemite Sam's Railroad.

Yosemite Sam's Railroad is a Zamperla Kiddie Train.[24] Riders board the train and complete two circuits of the track. Originally the ride featured a set of crossroads to enable the train to do a figure of 8. This was removed and replaced with a series of corners.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Kids' WB Fun Zone Opens. Retrieved from Warner Village Theme Parks' Media Centre on 12.09.09:
  2. 1 2 Kids WB TV Show. Retrieved from official website on 12.09.09 Archived 12 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 WB Kids (Warner Bros. Movie World). Retrieved from Parkz Database on 12.09.09: .
  4. 1 2 Kids WB! Fun Zone | Warner Bros. Movie World. Retrieved from official website on 12.09.09: "Kids' WB! Fun Zone | Warner Bros. Movie World". Archived from the original on 3 July 2009. Retrieved 11 May 2009.
  5. ↑ Park Map (Map). Warner Bros. Movie World. 1991.
  6. 1 2 Warner Bros. Movie World (2 December 2001). "Get wet and cool down thanks to the awesome interactive water fountain in Looney Tunes Village!". Press Release. Theme Park Press Releases. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  7. ↑ Park Map (Map). Warner Bros. Movie World. 1998.
  8. 1 2 Road Runner Rollercoaster (Warner Bros. Movie World). Retrieved from Rollercoaster Database on 12.09.09:
  9. ↑ Park Map (Map). Warner Bros. Movie World. 2001.
  10. ↑ Park Map (Map). Warner Bros. Movie World. 2005.
  11. 1 2 Warner Bros. Movie World. "Attractions Maintenance". MyFun. Archived from the original on 18 August 2011. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  12. ↑ "Mini Cars Driving School". Warner Bros. Movie World. Archived from the original on 3 May 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  13. ↑ "Mini Cars Driving School (Warner Bros. Movie World)". Parkz. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  14. ↑ "Looney Tunes River Ride (Warner Bros. Movie World)". Parkz. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  15. ↑ What's Up Rock?! | Warner Bros. Movie World. Retrieved from official website on 12.09.09: "What's up Rock?! | Warner Bros. Movie World". Archived from the original on 27 August 2009. Retrieved 12 September 2009.
  16. ↑ Zamperla Crazy Bus. Retrieved from Zamperla website on 12.09.09
  17. ↑ SBF Happy Tower. Retrieved from SBF Visa website on 19.01.12 Archived 26 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  18. ↑ Zamperla Mini Bumper Cars. Retrieved from Zamperla website on 12.09.09
  19. ↑ "Services and Facilities". Warner Bros. Movie World. Village Roadshow Theme Parks. 11 March 2018. Archived from the original on 11 March 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  20. ↑ This Summer- Get Wet & Cool Down Thanks to the Awesome Interactive Water Fountain in Looney Tunes Village! Retrieved from Warner Village Theme Parks' Media Centre on 12.09.09:
  21. ↑ "Marvin the Martian: Cosmic Boom". Village Roadshow Theme Parks. 25 January 2023. Archived from the original on 25 January 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  22. ↑ Pierce, Jeremy (20 July 2022). "Movie World unveils first glimpse of new entertainment precinct". Gold Coast Bulletin. News Corp Australia. Archived from the original on 19 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  23. 1 2 Road Runner Rollercoaster (Warner Bros. Movie World). Retrieved from Parkz Database on 12.09.09:
  24. ↑ Zamperla Kiddie Train. Retrieved from Zamperla website on 12.09.09
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