Restless Planet, the DHS 1.1 billion world class dinosaur theme park at City of Arabia have taken delivery of their very first dinosaur. The Tyrannosaurus Rex, giant of the dinosaur world, was constructed in Japan by Kokoro Dreams who are the leaders in animatronics and partners with the Natural History Museum in London. The giant dinosaur is the first of a total of 109 animatronic dinosaurs who will thrill visitors in the eagerly awaited edutainment attraction adjoining the Mall of Arabia which will be open in late 2008.
According to Mustafa Galadari, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Ilyas & Mustafa Galadari Group, “The Restless Planet provides a visual, audio and tactile experience allowing visitors to experience some of the exciting things that have gone on in the earth’s history. Extremely realistic, scary but at the same time, educational, the 500,000 sq ft Restless Planet will most of all be enormous fun – a thrilling ride in a scientifically accurate environment”.
Restless Planet, which will tell in a highly dramatic way the story of the birth of Planet Earth and the rise and fall of the dinosaurs is being developed with the assistance of an international team, led by Jack Rouse Associates and includes the Natural History
Museum of London and Dr Jack Horner, the famous dinosaur expert and adviser to Stephen Spielberg for the Jurassic Park movies, who has more dinosaur species named after him than anyone else. The Restless Planet content is all finalized and will take visitors on an unforgettable journey back in time.
Accessed via Level 2 of the Mall of Arabia, the start of the Restless Planet experience will bring visitors into an 75m-high dome, where they will be assailed by a display that will set the tone for the visit to one most spectacular theme attractions in the world.
In an unmatched experience of light and sound, the birth of the planet Earth will be brought to life as visitors experience everything from the ‘big bang’ to the creation of the mountains and oceans. Moving on, a series of dark rides incorporating animatronic wizadry and computer graphics will bring them into contact with numerous lifelike dinosaurs as they experience the thrill of being part of the Jurassic world.
Perhaps the most amazing thing about the Kokoro dinosaurs is that they are all created by hand, making each animal individual. Compact servo motors and pneumatic systems beneath the dinosaurs thick skins, which may take more than 6 months to build, propel the beasts smoothly through a range of movements and expressions on a minimum 30 minute loop. Skeletons of electronics, aluminium, steel, plastic and plywood are coated in layers of polyurethane foam and patented silicone skin formula before being treated with special glues, paints and fabrics to render a realistic beast. Additionally, the wonder of animatronic technology now allows them to be programmed to react to a particular colour so visitors may be shocked to find a dinosaur watching and following them as they walk past.
New information is being discovered about dinosaurs all the time and from a scientific point of view the dinosaurs themselves as well as the flora and fauna in the Restless Planet will be as accurate as they possibly can be. Wherever the dinosaurs appear visitors flock in, fascinated perhaps by the fact that these creatures no longer exist. The Restless Planet will be offering an unmatchable experience bringing these giants back to life in the City of Arabia..
© 2006 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
