World of Chima themed land coming to Legoland Florida
A new themed land debuting at Legoland Florida this summer will take visitors to a fantasy world where animal tribes battle for possession of a mystical energy source known as chi.
Photos: World of Chima themed land at Legoland Florida
Debuting in July, the new World of Chima themed land will include an interactive boat ride, a 4-D film and walk-around characters based on a new line of Lego construction toys and a Cartoon Network television show.
The centerpiece of the new land will be the Quest for Chi boat ride where visitors will enter through the mouth of a stone lion. Built by German-based Mack Rides, the new attraction will let riders shoot at one another with water cannons as they sail past Chima animal habitats.
Artist renderings show boats sailing inside a gaping crocodile mouth and around a floating mountain levitating on a fountain of water. A significant portion of the track appears to travel inside a building, suggesting a dark ride portion of the attraction.
As part of the expansion, a new 12-minute “Legends of Chima” 4-D film will take over an existing Legoland Florida theater and feature special effects such as wind, smoke, water and motion.
The “Legends of Chima” story follows four young animals on a journey through a battle-torn kingdom before concluding with a chariot race pitting lion-leader Laval against the evil crocodile Cragger.
Meet-and-greet versions of the Laval and Cragger characters will walk around the new themed land.
The roll-out of an entire themed land based on a new brand represents a bold commitment by Legoland Florida, which opened in 2011 on the site of the former Cypress Gardens theme park in Winter Haven, about 40 miles from Walt Disney World.
The move follows an emerging trend in theme parks where entire lands -- including Cars Land at Disney California Adventure and Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal’s Islands of Adventure -- are based on a single intellectual property. Chima attractions are scheduled to open this year at Legoland theme parks in California, Denmark, Germany, England and Malaysia.
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