Phantom Theater
| Phantom Theater | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Kings Island | |
| Area | International Street |
| Status | Closed |
| Opening date | 1972 |
| Closing date | 2002 |
| Replaced by | Scooby-Doo and the Haunted Castle |
| General statistics | |
| Attraction type | Dark ride |
| Manufacturer | D. H. Morgan Manufacturing |
| Model | Omnimover |
| Vehicles | 27 |
| Riders per vehicle | 3 |
| Previous names |
Smurf's Enchanted Voyage (1982–1991) Enchanted Voyage (1972–1982) |
Phantom Theater was an Omnimover dark ride located at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio. Originally opened in 1972 as a dark boat ride called Enchanted Voyage, the ride was later converted to an Omnimover system in 1992 by D. H. Morgan Manufacturing and renamed Phantom Theater.[1][2]
Phantom Theater was replaced by Scooby-Doo and the Haunted Castle in 2003 and again by Boo Blasters on Boo Hill in 2010 utilizing the same ride system.
Enchanted Voyage (1972–1981)
A dark boat ride, akin to Disney's It's a Small World, was themed in a building shaped like a giant TV set taking guests through several rooms featuring animatronics of new and old Hanna-Barbera characters. It cost about $2 million and was the most expensive ride at Kings Island when it opened. A very catchy theme song played throughout the ride that recited themes from familiar HB characters such as Fred Flintstone, Scooby-Doo, and Yogi Bear. Less common shows such as Wacky Races and The Banana Splits were also included. The first room introduced the song while the second room changed to a western accent, the third utilized a Caribbean flavor and the fourth had a "spooky" theme. The fifth and final room reverted to the original music with a circus-like ambiance. The rides final exit was at the "mouth" of a giant clown as each boat would travel a few feet up an inclined lift before splashing down into the water on the other side.
Smurf's Enchanted Voyage (1984–1991)
Beginning in 1984, the theme of Enchanted Voyage was changed to The Smurfs. This included new animatronic characters, decorations, and song to coincide with the cartoon. The Smurfs Enchanted Voyage depicted the smurfs during various seasons of the year including holidays like Christmas and Halloween. The ride was usually open during Winterfest, an annual holiday event once held at the park from 1982 to 1992.
Phantom Theater (1992–2002)
At the end of the 1991 season, the building housing the attraction was gutted and the water transportation system was removed. Installed in its place was an Omnimover-type dark ride similar in style to The Haunted Mansion at various Disney parks across the globe. The original boat loading area was converted into the queue area for the Scooby Zoom ride. The entrance to the new ride was moved to the opposite corner of the building. A section of the building was converted into a children's theater called "Enchanted Theater". The theater was used for several years, but now only hosts the Halloween attraction, CarnEVIL.
Phantom Theater was themed to a behind-the-scenes tour of a theater haunted by the dead. The exterior of the building was stylized as a dilapidated and crumbling opera theater. The ride itself featured seventeen separate scenes which the Omnimover vehicles slowly traversed through. The ride notably featured a Pepper's ghost trick, a famous and widely used dark ride trick, for its stage production scene.
Kings Island displays a number of the Phantom Theater Omnimover vehicles that were removed in 2002 as Halloween displays during the park's Halloween Haunt. They are removed from storage each year and placed on the International Bandstand at the base of the Eiffel Tower. Sometimes the ride's original theme is played during Halloween Haunt.
See also
References
- ↑ "Park Timeline". KIExtreme.com. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
- ↑ 1996 D. H. Morgan Mfg. Inc. Partial list of Clients and Projects