The Debut Of Voyage To The Iron Reef™ – A Spectacular, Interactive 4-D Ride

Knott’s Berry Farm just discovered a problem brewing beneath the boardwalk; the Kraken Queen and her maniacal aquatic army have surfaced and are feeding on the steel of Knott’s beloved attractions. Guests who have what it takes to become brave deep sea navigators will climb aboard four-person submarine-inspired ride vehicles and embark on the four-minute, 4-D interactive adventure into the Iron Reef.

Voyage to the Iron Reef’s™ 4-D experience integrates high definition 3-D animation with creative place making props and scenery.  The media based ride enables the actions of our guests to have a direct impact on the outcome of the experience, and ensures that no two voyages are ever the same.

Voyage to the Iron Reef Ride Insights:

· Iron Reef is the newest interactive 4-D ride on the West Coast

· It is also the only interactive 4D ride in the dense So Cal theme park marketplace featuring an entirely original story and characters (does not re-tell a story guests are already familiar with)

The ride spans over 600 Ft (183.2 M) of track – Iron Reef’s sheer size per sq. ft.( Approx. 18040 sq. ft.) is equaled to:

· Riding the equivalent of two football fields all while battling 4-D elements and mechanical minions

· Almost FOUR NBA basketball courts: An official NBA or NCAA basketball court measures 94 feet by 50 feet and has an area of 4,700 square feet

· Almost FIVE baseball infields: The size of the infield (area between the bases) is 3,600 sq. feet

· Almost FIVE Silver Bullet Rides: Total Track Length: 3,125 ft.

SPOILER ALERT:  In the second scene, as your view pans onto the ocean floor, you can see that the Kraken Queen’s mechanical cronies have stolen and hoarded iconic items from Knott’s past, like the Roaring 20’s sign that used to stand proudly overlooking the Boardwalk in the 1970s. Unbeknownst to riders, that very sign is just one of many easter eggs hidden within the ride. If your freeze ray zaps the sign, it lights up just like it used to.

SPOILER ALERT:  The soundtrack was designed to enhance the mood of each scene – mystery, suspense, tension/fear, mechanical strife, and sweet victory.  The Knott’s creative team listened to multiple sounds meticulously, such as the sound of old steam engines as a source of inspiration. They were very cautious with the sounds to ensure that they were not too dark or industrial.

· The sound is used to punctuate “emotional curves” that brings the story to life by indicating how riders should feel as the ride progresses

· Music fills the transitions between each scene – from one chapter to next possibly accompanied by something else

· In some scenes – like the encounter with the octopus, dialogue is added to elevate the tension.

· To create sound effects for each specific character, the creative team began with an image of that character (or scene, or gun blast) and created a sound that matched the unique look

When designing the sound of the freezer blaster shots, the Knott’s creative team tried 40-50 different sounds before finding the perfect sound – WHY?

· They insisted the sound had to be distinct, memorable, but short. “You’re going to hear this every time you save yourself from being pierced by a blowfish, chopped at by an eel and more!” 

SPOILER ALERT:  Wherever you shoot your freezer blaster, you can instantly see the impact of your ice crystal shot growing and spreading on all surfaces of the mechanical villain

· Your shot is unique to each player – shots are traced by a ray of color, making every shot visible 

· Every creature explodes and some other objects do as well… but of course we are not going to give that away!

· At the end of the ride, rider’s very own picture pops up on the leaderboard announcing each personal score and new naval-inspired titles: Commander, Captain, etc. Riders can always compare their rank vs. their train mates and even the all-time top scorers of the Voyage

About Knott’s Berry Farm and Cedar Fair Entertainment Company:
Knott’s Berry Farm and Knott’s Soak City is owned and operated by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, a publicly traded partnership that is listed for trading on The New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “FUN.” In addition to Knott’s Berry Farm, Cedar Fair owns and operates ten other amusement parks, three water parks, one indoor water park, and five hotels. Cedar Fair also operates the Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park in California under a management contract. Visit knotts.com or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.