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From concept to creation: Legoland’s new Lego Mythica attraction opening later this month | Planet Attractions
     

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From concept to creation: Legoland’s new Lego Mythica attraction opening later this month

With the opening of the UK’s hottest new attraction imminent, Gary Pope of Kids Industries has revealed how Legoland Windsor’s newest addition - Lego Mythica - was brought to life




Lego Mythica is set to open its doors to the public on May 29   Credit: Legoland Windsor

The highly anticipated Lego Mythica, set to open soon at Legoland Windsor, will introduce an array of new features and attractions to the popular British theme park.

In addition to a number of new rides, the park expansion will feature new dining options, photo opportunities and, of course, mind-boggling Lego creations.

To develop the attraction’s USP, the team behind the new addition have created a storyline based around mythology and fantastical animals dreamed up through the ages.

Mythica will tell the story of every Lego creation, no matter how big or small, with these creations coming to life in a parallel Lego universe.

In the story of Mythica, a portal to this universe has been discovered at Legoland Windsor, with guests invited to come on a journey to witness the impossible as some of the most renowned creatures from different mythologies that have existed throughout human history are brought to life in Lego format.



Kids Industries is an award-winning research, strategy and creative agency that specialises in the family market. Led by its CEO, Gary Pope, the company worked in partnership with Legoland Windsor and Merlin Magic Making on the creation of the new land.

“As human beings, we love stories,” Pope tells Planet Attractions. “So if you can create a theme park experience which is about a story but not one you’ve already been told, you can immerse yourself in that to create something that becomes quite compelling.

“This idea of mythical lands, of there being some kind of weird chasm between this world and another, and that children would be able to enter this world, we had to think about how we would bring this world and the narrative to life through these mythical beasts.”



With an immersive experience being a key idea in Mythica’s design, creating unique monsters that reflect the narrative being told by the world was imperative.

While the Mythica story is an original one, the new attraction is centred around a number of creatures inspired by tales told in mythology. Drawing on elements that guests will already be familiar with, the experience tells these ancient tales in a new way, hopefully captivating the imaginations of guests in attendance.

Many steps have been taken to achieve the levels of immersion desired, ranging from the construction of grand Lego models to the rides themselves, all of which are connected to the theme of Mythica.

To create a vision for the new addition, Kids Industries worked with a number of parties to try and create the best experience possible.

The research was focused heavily on children aged seven to eleven, with children alongside their parents trying to find the best possible theme and story. While Legoland is designed to appeal primarily to a younger demographic it’s believed that with the right immersive story, any visitor of any age can fall into the story and enjoy the experience.

Pope said: “Our role was to really anchor from the consumer perspective of ‘what is going to work and why?’ We’re going to make this for children and for families, what is it we really need to include? How do we bring the consumer to the table?”



Lego Mythica will be anchored by three signature attractions, all of which are diverse in their nature.

The three rides - Hydra’s Challenge, Fire and Ice Freefall, and The Ride of the Sky Lion - are all designed with storytelling at the heart of their creation, with an aim for them to bring the audience into the world of Lego Mythica.

Of the three rides created, The Ride of the Sky Lion is certainly the most ambitious, with the attraction holding claim to being the first flying theatre in the UK.

“You’re taken on an incredible flying ride through the land of Mythica,” said Pope. “There hasn’t been a land like this in the UK before and through these ride experiences, you get to understand why this land of Mythica is so special.”

Standing at 25m (82ft) tall, the Sky Lion attraction is an interactive expedition that immerses spectators in the heart of Mythica. The ride boasts a face-to-face experience with the ‘rarest and scariest’ creatures that Lego Mythica has to offer, including the legendary Chimera. “We’re thrilled to be bringing the first flying theatre ride to the UK,” said Legoland Windsor divisional director, Helen Bull. “All of our new rides and attractions will make Lego Mythica: World of Mythical Creatures a must-do experience for families in 2021.”



The second ride addition to the park is the The Fire and Ice Freefall - a vertical launch ride, which sends riders high into the sky and twirls them around a dizzying number of times.

According to Legoland, the ride will allow participants to “experience weightlessness with Crystal Flame, the Fire and Ice Bird”. In stark contrast to this, Hydra’s Challenge takes guests through a twisting and turning water ride with the deadly double-headed serpent of myth making an appearance during the experience.



Utilising more than 1.7 million individual pieces of Lego, 13 new models of mythological creatures have been built for the new attraction.

685,530 pieces alone, weighing 1,500 kilograms have been used to create Maximus the Sky Lion - the centrepiece of The Ride of the Sky Lion. Construction of Maximus took 15 builders a combined 3,000 hours to put together.

In addition to Maximus, a Chimera model has also been revealed. The part-snake, part-eagle, part-lion hybrid comes in weighing 334 kilograms and is the result of 12 model makers and 653 hours of building.

“It’s been an amazing experience to watch the team build such a diverse set of large-scale Lego models inspired by the imaginations of children,” said Marianne McGoldrick, marketing director at Legoland Windsor. “Each mythical character is so unique and like nothing else we’ve ever featured before.”



A number of technologies are being used to enhance the guest experience with augmented reality (AR) a prime example of this.

Through a mobile app, visitors will be able to scan the Mythica characters, with AR bringing each to life in a vibrant and unique way.

“There’s some wonderful AR technology in the park, which really brings the story to life,” said Pope. “It means I can lose myself in that story on my own terms.”

The park’s existing 4D cinema has undergone a complete retheming, with the attraction now featuring a new Lego film detailing the story behind Mythica and the creatures that inhabit it.

The film is shown through the eyes of the soon-to-be mascot for Lego Mythica, BitsAndBobs - a rainbow-coloured flying unicorn - who takes visitors on a journey through the world of Mythica, unveiling the mysteries of this special world.



Also on offer at the attraction is the new Creature Creation area, which allows visitors to make their own mythical monsters. Other attractions and features include a play area called Lava Dragon Play, food outlets in the form of The Hungry Troll restaurant and Beastly Bites Snack Bar, and a character meet and greet called Creature Encounter.

Subject to government guidelines, Merlin Entertainments and Legoland Windsor will open the new attraction on May 29.

“The whole country has never needed escapism more than they do right now and we’ve worked closely with children and their families to make sure our new land delivers the thrills for everyone, whether it’s their 25th visit to Legoland Windsor or their very first” said Bull.


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From concept to creation: Legoland’s new Lego Mythica attraction opening later this month | Planet Attractions
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From concept to creation: Legoland’s new Lego Mythica attraction opening later this month

With the opening of the UK’s hottest new attraction imminent, Gary Pope of Kids Industries has revealed how Legoland Windsor’s newest addition - Lego Mythica - was brought to life




Lego Mythica is set to open its doors to the public on May 29   Credit: Legoland Windsor

The highly anticipated Lego Mythica, set to open soon at Legoland Windsor, will introduce an array of new features and attractions to the popular British theme park.

In addition to a number of new rides, the park expansion will feature new dining options, photo opportunities and, of course, mind-boggling Lego creations.

To develop the attraction’s USP, the team behind the new addition have created a storyline based around mythology and fantastical animals dreamed up through the ages.

Mythica will tell the story of every Lego creation, no matter how big or small, with these creations coming to life in a parallel Lego universe.

In the story of Mythica, a portal to this universe has been discovered at Legoland Windsor, with guests invited to come on a journey to witness the impossible as some of the most renowned creatures from different mythologies that have existed throughout human history are brought to life in Lego format.



Kids Industries is an award-winning research, strategy and creative agency that specialises in the family market. Led by its CEO, Gary Pope, the company worked in partnership with Legoland Windsor and Merlin Magic Making on the creation of the new land.

“As human beings, we love stories,” Pope tells Planet Attractions. “So if you can create a theme park experience which is about a story but not one you’ve already been told, you can immerse yourself in that to create something that becomes quite compelling.

“This idea of mythical lands, of there being some kind of weird chasm between this world and another, and that children would be able to enter this world, we had to think about how we would bring this world and the narrative to life through these mythical beasts.”



With an immersive experience being a key idea in Mythica’s design, creating unique monsters that reflect the narrative being told by the world was imperative.

While the Mythica story is an original one, the new attraction is centred around a number of creatures inspired by tales told in mythology. Drawing on elements that guests will already be familiar with, the experience tells these ancient tales in a new way, hopefully captivating the imaginations of guests in attendance.

Many steps have been taken to achieve the levels of immersion desired, ranging from the construction of grand Lego models to the rides themselves, all of which are connected to the theme of Mythica.

To create a vision for the new addition, Kids Industries worked with a number of parties to try and create the best experience possible.

The research was focused heavily on children aged seven to eleven, with children alongside their parents trying to find the best possible theme and story. While Legoland is designed to appeal primarily to a younger demographic it’s believed that with the right immersive story, any visitor of any age can fall into the story and enjoy the experience.

Pope said: “Our role was to really anchor from the consumer perspective of ‘what is going to work and why?’ We’re going to make this for children and for families, what is it we really need to include? How do we bring the consumer to the table?”



Lego Mythica will be anchored by three signature attractions, all of which are diverse in their nature.

The three rides - Hydra’s Challenge, Fire and Ice Freefall, and The Ride of the Sky Lion - are all designed with storytelling at the heart of their creation, with an aim for them to bring the audience into the world of Lego Mythica.

Of the three rides created, The Ride of the Sky Lion is certainly the most ambitious, with the attraction holding claim to being the first flying theatre in the UK.

“You’re taken on an incredible flying ride through the land of Mythica,” said Pope. “There hasn’t been a land like this in the UK before and through these ride experiences, you get to understand why this land of Mythica is so special.”

Standing at 25m (82ft) tall, the Sky Lion attraction is an interactive expedition that immerses spectators in the heart of Mythica. The ride boasts a face-to-face experience with the ‘rarest and scariest’ creatures that Lego Mythica has to offer, including the legendary Chimera. “We’re thrilled to be bringing the first flying theatre ride to the UK,” said Legoland Windsor divisional director, Helen Bull. “All of our new rides and attractions will make Lego Mythica: World of Mythical Creatures a must-do experience for families in 2021.”



The second ride addition to the park is the The Fire and Ice Freefall - a vertical launch ride, which sends riders high into the sky and twirls them around a dizzying number of times.

According to Legoland, the ride will allow participants to “experience weightlessness with Crystal Flame, the Fire and Ice Bird”. In stark contrast to this, Hydra’s Challenge takes guests through a twisting and turning water ride with the deadly double-headed serpent of myth making an appearance during the experience.



Utilising more than 1.7 million individual pieces of Lego, 13 new models of mythological creatures have been built for the new attraction.

685,530 pieces alone, weighing 1,500 kilograms have been used to create Maximus the Sky Lion - the centrepiece of The Ride of the Sky Lion. Construction of Maximus took 15 builders a combined 3,000 hours to put together.

In addition to Maximus, a Chimera model has also been revealed. The part-snake, part-eagle, part-lion hybrid comes in weighing 334 kilograms and is the result of 12 model makers and 653 hours of building.

“It’s been an amazing experience to watch the team build such a diverse set of large-scale Lego models inspired by the imaginations of children,” said Marianne McGoldrick, marketing director at Legoland Windsor. “Each mythical character is so unique and like nothing else we’ve ever featured before.”



A number of technologies are being used to enhance the guest experience with augmented reality (AR) a prime example of this.

Through a mobile app, visitors will be able to scan the Mythica characters, with AR bringing each to life in a vibrant and unique way.

“There’s some wonderful AR technology in the park, which really brings the story to life,” said Pope. “It means I can lose myself in that story on my own terms.”

The park’s existing 4D cinema has undergone a complete retheming, with the attraction now featuring a new Lego film detailing the story behind Mythica and the creatures that inhabit it.

The film is shown through the eyes of the soon-to-be mascot for Lego Mythica, BitsAndBobs - a rainbow-coloured flying unicorn - who takes visitors on a journey through the world of Mythica, unveiling the mysteries of this special world.



Also on offer at the attraction is the new Creature Creation area, which allows visitors to make their own mythical monsters. Other attractions and features include a play area called Lava Dragon Play, food outlets in the form of The Hungry Troll restaurant and Beastly Bites Snack Bar, and a character meet and greet called Creature Encounter.

Subject to government guidelines, Merlin Entertainments and Legoland Windsor will open the new attraction on May 29.

“The whole country has never needed escapism more than they do right now and we’ve worked closely with children and their families to make sure our new land delivers the thrills for everyone, whether it’s their 25th visit to Legoland Windsor or their very first” said Bull.


 



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