Expedition Odyssey, the flying theater attraction that debuted at SeaWorld Orlando last year, is receiving a ferocious update this year.
The attraction will be rebranded as Expedition Odyssey Fire & Ice. The new film will include animals and scenery, but will focus on storytelling and narration, park officials confirmed Thursday.
“We’re telling an entirely new immersive adventure from start to finish,” said Kevin Boot, vice president of attraction design.
In the attraction’s story, visitors take on the role of arctic researchers working on observation missions. The trip illustrates the contrast between geothermal fire and ice, Boot said.
“Guests will see new environments they’ve never seen before, and new animals they’ve never seen before, including sperm whales,” he said.
“And new environments, like volcanoes. … I won’t give too much away, but really unique environments exist because of these forces at play. People will be surprised that there are places like this in the world,” Boot said.
The ride system designed by Germany’s Mack Rides is still used. Passengers sit in long rows, legs dangling, facing a large domed screen. The visuals are enhanced by seat movement and special effects with mist and smells. The attraction debuted last May in the building that previously housed the Wild Arctic Simulator attraction.
The original version of Expedition Odyssey featuring polar bears and killer whales will remain available to park visitors during the 40-day transition to Fire and Ice.
The new version aims to make even more use of the ride system.
“I think we’ve made a really, really good movie about animals, and the killer whale part in particular is very emotional,” said Justin Newton, senior vice president of project development.
“But I felt like I bought a Ferrari to take my kids to school, and now it’s time to put that Ferrari on the autobahn. That’s what we’re trying to do here: take full advantage of the cool dynamic range of that car and exploit the dynamic range of the projection,” he said.
It’s unusual for a theme park to restart a new attraction after a year of operation.
“If we can do better and have a more positive impact on ordinary people, why wouldn’t we do it?” President John Peterson said.
“We’re about inspiration, we’re about education, we’re about entertainment, and to marry that with a ride is a really unique way,” he said.
The attraction will continue to feature real arctic animals such as walruses and beluga whales as part of the exit. This area was being renovated for the debut of Expedition Odyssey.
“Even if you don’t want to be an Arctic researcher, I hope you go away feeling motivated to preserve and preserve many of the natural worlds, biomes and ecosystems that exist today,” Boot said.
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