Some major leadership changes in the theme park industry will send 2022 out on a far more chaotic note than the year began. But as we celebrate Christmas, let’s not forget that 2022 delivered more than its share of gifts for theme park fans.
My favorite moment of the year came in Orlando, where Walt Disney World opened Epcot’s first roller coaster, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. This indoor coaster features Disney’s first-ever reverse launch, but as is the case with almost all Disney coasters, the ride specs take a back seat to the story.
Epcot’s Guardians ride offers the same delightful chaos, starring the original film cast, as the Guardians’ Mission: Breakout drop ride in Disney California Adventure. A relatively intense helix near Cosmic Rewind’s end has divided fans, but I loved every moment in this attraction, from the queue through the pre-show and onto the ride itself. For what it’s worth, this makes two years in a row that my favorite new attraction has starred Chris Pratt, following last year’s Jurassic World VelociCoaster at Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure.
The Halloween season provided two more notable moments in 2022. Dead Man’s Pier: Winter’s Wake at Universal Studios Florida’s Halloween Horror Nights offered the most stunning artistic design I’ve seen in a Halloween house. The Grimoire at Knott’s Scary Farm delivered one engaging moment after another, building a thought-provoking narrative. Each house showed how top Halloween events have become a showcase for great themed entertainment design.
I also will remember getting to walk through the under-construction Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway ride at Disneyland with then-Disney CEO Bob Chapek. The delightfully themed queue for this installation far exceeds what Disney offered with the initial installation of this trackless dark ride at Walt Disney World. Fans will love this addition to the revamped Mickey’s Toontown when it opens next month, but I will always remember the ride for the candid talk that I and a handful of other reporters had there with Chapek, just weeks before the Disney board of directors sacked him to bring back Bob Iger.
That was the most stunning moment of 2022 — the Sunday in November when Disney pulled off one of the more shocking plot twists in its corporate history. Stunning, too, was the news earlier this month that Universal Creative was losing top leaders Mike Hightower and Thierry Coup in an early retirement offer, shocking many of us who follow the industry.
Still, theme park fans have much to look forward to in 2023. Super Nintendo World will begin its passholder previews at Universal Studios Hollywood in January. Disneyland will celebrate The Walt Disney Company’s 100th anniversary with two new night-time spectaculars as well as the return of the Magic Happens parade. Knott’s Berry Farm will open its revamped Fiesta Village with a refurbished MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress coaster. SeaWorld San Diego will open its new Intamin terrain coaster, Arctic Rescue.
So as much as I enjoyed 2022, its best gift to us was hope for an even better 2023.
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