The Polar Express is rolling through SeaWorld Orlando this holiday season.

SeaWorld Orlando, Warner Bros. Pictures and Iwerks Entertainment are reprogramming the theme park’s Wild Arctic simulator ride, transforming it into a simulated train ride to “Santa Town,” based on Chris Van Allsburg’s children’s book The Polar Express and the 2004 animated movie of the same name.  The reformatted ride debuts Dec. 7 and will be in place through Jan. 1.  After that, the ride will be returned to its original Wild Arctic format.

The ride uses motion technology and big-screen video to simulate a wild, fast-moving trip. Normally, it offers visitors a simulated helicopter flight to an Arctic animal-research station, complete with swooping maneuvers to spy various animals and to avoid danger. Under the new format, the ride will simulate a train excursion powered by a massive steam-locomotive. In the film, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Shangri-La Entertainment, children rode the train, conducted by a character voiced by actor Tom Hanks, up snow-cloaked mountains, across frozen lakes and along perilous, icy passes. Wild Arctic also serves as SeaWorld’s exhibit of polar bears, beluga whales, walruses and other Arctic animals.  They will remain part of the post-ride show, and will still be available for people to view separately if they choose to skip the ride.  But the exhibit area is also being made up as a winter wonderland, to match the film’s locations, for the holiday season.

Stumble it!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 5th, 2007 at 3:15 pm and is filed under Orlando, SeaWorld. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.