| Space Fantasy – The Ride | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Universal Studios Japan | |
| Location | Universal Studios Japan |
| Park section | Hollywood |
| Coordinates | 34°39′55″N135°26′09″E / 34.6653°N 135.4357°E /34.6653; 135.4357 |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | March 18, 2010 (2010-03-18) |
| Replaced | E.T. Adventure (2001–2009) |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel –Spinning –Enclosed |
| Manufacturer | Mack Rides |
| Designer | Universal Creative |
| Model | Custom |
| Lift/launch system | 3friction wheel-poweredlift hills |
| Height | 7 m (23 ft) |
| Length | 585 m (1,919 ft) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Duration | 275 seconds |
| Capacity | 1920 riders per hour |
| Height restriction | 102 cm (3 ft 4 in) |
| Trains | 19 trains with 2 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 8 riders per train. |
 Universal Express available | |
 Single rider line available | |
| Space Fantasy – The Ride at 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 coaster atUniversal Studios Japan inOsaka,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.
In March 2009, Universal Studios Japan announced that they would be closingE.T. Adventure on 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 ride would 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 be Space 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 Ride officially opened to the public.[6][7]
The ride is often overlaid to work withVR for half a year in order to promote theCool Japan campaign.
Space Fantasy – The Ride is 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]
The 585-metre-long (1,919 ft) ride isenclosed in 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 hills which take the ride to its maximum height of 7 metres (23 ft).[8] Space Fantasy – The Ride reaches 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]
Space Fantasy – The Ride features 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 asmonitors which 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]
Space Fantasy – The Ride is themed as a journey through space. Riders begin their journey on planetEarth with the objective of restoring life to thesun by collecting stardust.[8] Their journey takes them past many planets includingSaturn andMercury,[3] as well as pastvoids,stars,nebulae andcomets.[8] To help develop this theme, Universal Studios Japan contracted American-based interactive technology firmGestureTek. GestureTek's 3D camera tracking technology andmulti-touch technology was employed torecognise gestures of guests both in the queue and on board the ride.[11]
Riders enter the queue for Space Fantasy – The Ride from 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 cameras and 13projectors connected to an array of 16quad core computers.[11] Space Fantasy – The Ride features separate queues forsingle riders and 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]
Thestation of the roller coaster features aconveyor belt loading 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 Ride also 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 distribution coupled 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]
Space Fantasy – The Ride has generally been well received.Park World Magazine stated 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 Warren ofMashable provided 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 Ride received 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 (IAAPA) 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 Ride ranked 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]
During special events such as Universal Cool Japan, Space Fantasy may receive a temporary overlay where it operates as an "XR Ride".During an "XR Ride" guests can experience the world of each themed overlay in 360 degrees while wearingVR goggles. During these overlays, the ride vehicle is altered so that it does not rotate, and only the front seats are used. In addition, guests under 132 cm tall cannot ride the XR ride even if accompanied by a guardian.
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