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Space Fantasy – The Ride

Coordinates:34°39′55″N135°26′09″E/ 34.6653°N 135.4357°E/34.6653; 135.4357
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Space Fantasy – The Ride
Universal Studios Japan
LocationUniversal Studios Japan
Park sectionHollywood
Coordinates34°39′55″N135°26′09″E/ 34.6653°N 135.4357°E/34.6653; 135.4357
StatusOperating
Opening dateMarch 18, 2010(2010-03-18)
ReplacedE.T. Adventure(2001–2009)
General statistics
TypeSteel–Spinning–Enclosed
ManufacturerMack Rides
DesignerUniversal Creative
ModelCustom
Lift/launch system3friction wheel-poweredlift hills
Height7 m (23 ft)
Length585 m (1,919 ft)
Inversions0
Duration275 seconds
Capacity1920 riders per hour
Height restriction102 cm (3 ft 4 in)
Trains19 trains with 2 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 8 riders per train.
SponcorJTB
Single riderline available
Space Fantasy – The Rideat RCDB

Space Fantasy – The Ride(スペース・ファンタジー・ザ・ライド,,Supēsu fantajī za raido)is aspinning roller coasteratUniversal Studios JapaninOsaka,Japan.The ride opened on March 18, 2010, as a replacement for theE.T. Adventuredark ride.The ride is themed to a journey through space and features an array of special effects and immersive theming including interactive projection screens, on-board audio, lasers andfibre optics.

History[edit]

In March 2009, Universal Studios Japan announced that they would be closingE.T. Adventureon May 10, 2009.[1]Following the ride's closure in May, the ride system was removed with Universal Studios Japan temporarily reopening the attraction as a walkthrough attraction for five days from July 18, 2009.[2]

On September 14, 2009, the park announced a newindoor ridewould open in 2010, replacing in E.T. Adventure. Although Universal Studios Japan did not announce full details of the attraction, they did state it would bespace-themed and measure 585 metres (1,919 ft) long.[3]Less than one month later, the park announced their new ride's name would beSpace Fantasy – The Ride.[4]In December 2009, Universal Studios Japan stated the ride was scheduled to open on March 18, 2010.[5]On March 18, 2010,Space Fantasy – The Rideofficially opened to the public.[6][7]

The ride is often overlaid to work withVRfor half a year in order to promote theCool Japancampaign.

Characteristics[edit]

Two trains inSpace Fantasy – The Ride's station

Space Fantasy – The Rideis a spinning roller coaster manufactured byMack Rides,a German amusement ride manufacturer. The ride was custom-built so it could fit within the existingshow building,formerly used for the E.T. Adventure ride.[8]

Statistics[edit]

The 585-metre-long (1,919 ft) ride isenclosedin a show building 19 metres (62 ft) high with a floor area measuring 72 by 89 metres (236 by 292 ft).[5]The ride features threefriction wheel-poweredlift hillswhich take the ride to its maximum height of 7 metres (23 ft).[8]Space Fantasy – The Ridereaches a top speed of 11 metres per second (36 ft/s) over the course of its 275-second ride.[8]The trains are themed as solar shuttles.[9]

Trains[edit]

As Universal Studios Japan is the busiest non-Disneypark in the world,Space Fantasy – The Ridefeatures nineteen 8-person trains catering for an hourly capacity of 1920 riders. Each train features a pair four-seater cars. Riders are grouped in pairs and sit back-to-back on the round vehicles.[8]The trains are fitted with on-board speakers which provide a soundtrack throughout the roller coaster ride,[6][8]as well asmonitorswhich display various items relevant to the ride's theme and storyline.[5]Riders must be at least 122 centimetres (48 in) tall to ride alone or 102 centimetres (40 in) tall if accompanied by an adult.[10]

Theme[edit]

As the name suggests,Space Fantasy – The Ride,is themed as a journey through space. Riders begin their journey on planetEarthwith the objective of restoring life to thesunby collecting stardust.[8]Their journey takes them past many planets includingSaturnandMercury,[3]as well as pastvoids,stars,nebulaeandcomets.[8]To help develop this theme, Universal Studios Japan contracted American-based interactive technology firmGestureTek.GestureTek's 3D camera tracking technology andmulti-touchtechnology was employed torecognise gesturesof guests both in the queue and on board the ride.[11]

Ride experience[edit]

The ride's entrance with signs for its three queue lines

Riders enter the queue forSpace Fantasy – The Ridefrom the Hollywood section of Universal Studios Japan. As part of the ride's theme, queue features an 85-foot-long (26 m) wall which is able to recognise the movements of up 132 hands on 66 guests without them physically having to touch the wall. The wall is powered by 223D camerasand 13projectorsconnected to an array of 16quad corecomputers.[11]Space Fantasy – The Ridefeatures separate queues forsingle ridersand holders ofUniversal Express Passes,as well as offering "child switch" where one parent can experience the ride while the other parent looks after their child before switching their roles.[10]

Thestationof the roller coaster features aconveyor beltloading system. This system allows the ride to achieve its relatively high throughput of 1920 riders per hour.[8]Once the trains are loaded they are dispatched up the first lift hills. On one of the lift hills, riders are able to interact with the surrounding screens by effectively collecting "stardust clouds" to help power the sun.[11]Aside from interactive technologies,Space Fantasy – The Ridealso features a collection of standardprojection screens,lasers,fiber optics.[12]Throughout the 275-second ride, the individual four-seater cars perform both magnetic-controlled spins and uncontrolled spins; the latter relies on the riders'weight distributioncoupled with theforce of gravity.[8]After navigating the 585-metre (1,919 ft) track, the trains return to the station where riders disembark and return to Universal Studios Japan's Hollywood themed area.[7]

Reception[edit]

Space Fantasy – The Ridehas generally been well received.Park World Magazinestated the ride is "packed with exciting features and fun theming". They also commended the ride for its "controlled car movements and added effects", when compared with other spinning roller coasters.[8]Christina WarrenofMashableprovided a review of the ride's special effects, describing them as incredible. Warren also stated she "can't wait for some of this technology to hit American theme parks".[11]

In November 2011,Space Fantasy – The Ridereceived a Thea Award For Outstanding Achievement.[13]The 18th Annual Thea Awards were presented by the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) and held at theInternational Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions(IAPPA) trade show inOrlando, Florida.[14]TEA described the ride as "a thrilling experience that delivers an engaging story using advanced effects in a meaningful way, making an on-the-spot connection with its target audience".[15]

Although the ride did not receive a ranking in its debut year,Space Fantasy – The Rideranked 91 out of 365 roller coasters featured in the worldwide Best Roller Coaster Poll.[16]The Best Roller Coaster Poll is recognised by park owners and enthusiasts alike, due to its ranking algorithm which prevents the poll from being purely a popularity contest.[17]

References[edit]

  1. ^"“ありがとうE.T.™キャンペーン” "(Press release) (in Japanese). Universal Studios Japan. 23 March 2009.Retrieved29 March2013.
  2. ^"Trong lúc hạn định アトラクション “E.T.アドベンチャー ザ・レジェンド” "(Press release) (in Japanese). Universal Studios Japan. 11 June 2009.Retrieved29 March2013.
  3. ^abĐãi vọng の tân đại hình ライド・アトラクション(Press release) (in Japanese). Universal Studios Japan. 14 September 2009.Retrieved29 March2013.
  4. ^Đãi vọng の tân đại hình ライド・アトラクション の tên quyết định(Press release) (in Japanese). Universal Studios Japan. 2 October 2009.Retrieved29 March2013.
  5. ^abcMỹ しく lớn mạnh な không gian vũ trụ を駆け rút ける đại hình ライド・アトラクション “スペース・ファンタジー・ザ・ライド”(Press release) (in Japanese). Universal Studios Japan. 16 December 2009.Retrieved29 March2013.
  6. ^abMarden, Duane."Space Fantasy The Ride (Universal Studios Japan)".Roller Coaster DataBase.Retrieved29 March2013.
  7. ^ab"Space Fantasy The Ride (Universal Studios Japan)".Parkz.Retrieved29 March2013.
  8. ^abcdefghij"Space Fantasy at Universal Studios Japan".Park World Magazine.Datateam Business Media Limited. 7 May 2010.Retrieved7 May2015.
  9. ^"Space Fantasy launches at Universal Studios Japan".Park World Magazine.Datateam Business Media Limited. 7 April 2010.Retrieved29 March2013.
  10. ^ab"Space Fantasy – The Ride".Universal Studios Japan.Retrieved29 March2013.
  11. ^abcdWarren, Christina (4 August 2010)."Roller Coasters Get the Multi-touch 3D Treatment".Mashable.Retrieved29 March2013.
  12. ^Alton, Elizabeth (5 December 2012)."Space Fantasy at Universal Studios Japan".Entertainment Designer.Retrieved29 March2013.
  13. ^MacDonald, Brady (27 February 2012)."Industry award recognizes France's Puy du Fou as a theme park classic".Los Angeles Times.Tribune Company.Retrieved29 March2013.
  14. ^"18th Annual Thea Awards".Park World Magazine.Datateam Business Media Limited. 1 December 2011.Retrieved29 March2013.
  15. ^"Space Fantasy The Ride - Thea Awards Committee Comments"(PDF).Themed Entertainment Association.Retrieved29 March2013.
  16. ^Hawker, Mitch (2013)."Steel Roller Coaster Poll 12 Year Results Table (1999 - 2012)".Best Roller Coaster Poll.Retrieved29 March2013.
  17. ^Wilson, Richard (13 March 2008)."Motocoaster comes in second last in worldwide coaster poll".Parkz.Retrieved29 March2013.

External links[edit]

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