Drone Dash, a sky-high, adrenaline-filled race, is the latest 3D/4D ride simulation film to be distributed by nWave Pictures. Produced by nWave’s long-term collaborator, Red Star Studio, the ride follows drones through a thrilling chase with multisensory special effects such as water, wind, and more.
What sets Drone Dash apart is its unique combination of a high-speed drone race and immersive special effects, promising an unparalleled experience for viewers.
Prepare for an exhilarating experience as five drones surge forward at top speed, embarking on a thrilling chase across a unique universe. From rocky canyons to a lush tropical rainforest, the race is on, promising an adrenaline-filled journey to the finish line.
nWave has partnered with Red Star for many years, resulting in popular titles such as Dino Safari, Calamity Mine Ride, Space Chase and Wild West Mine Ride. To learn more about this latest creation, we speak to Ben Smith, creative director at Red Star Studio, alongside nWave’s Matthieu Gondinet, managing director, and Goedele Gillis, senior VP of sales and distribution.
Drone Dash offers a fresh new story
While nWave has created several successful feature films in recent years, producing and distributing content for parks and attractions is in its DNA.
“We remain very close to this business because it’s where we come from; it’s our roots, and it also brings in a decent piece of business,” says Gondinet. “We want to stay involved in this business for years to come, supporting distribution and production.
The decision to co-produce this new ride movie aligns with this goal. “The good thing is that this business creates synergies with our films—any time we produce a feature film, we also create a short-format version for the theme park business. So, from a pure production standpoint, it makes a lot of sense. Additionally, nWave is producing its own IPs, and for us, extending an IP into the parks business helps it resonate with a different audience.
“We are truly a two-pillar company, offering feature films and ride films. That’s what we do.”
Drone Dash is the first new ride simulation film from nWave since before the pandemic. “This type of four-minute ride simulation film hasn’t had a new entry in some time, so we knew we wanted to offer something.
“We also wanted something more modern than what we usually distribute. We’ve done a lot of mine rides and mission-based releases with more classic themes. We felt that a drone race would be a fresh, modern concept, both in terms of editorial approach and content, something we had never done before. That’s why we decided to go in this direction.”
Drone adventures
Drones are not just trending – they are now a big part of everyday life.
“They are deeply integrated into the world that teenagers and young adults are growing up in,” says Gillis.
“For my generation, drones were primarily associated with sports events and traffic monitoring, but today, they are becoming increasingly a part of daily life. So, we thought incorporating this modern element into a ride would be a great idea.”
Plus, drones are not just relevant in one region—they’re everywhere.
“In Korea, for example, drones deliver pizzas to your door. When you watch a cycling race on TV, drones capture every angle. There’s no way to miss anything these days. That’s why we believe a drone-themed ride will resonate with teenagers and young audiences.”
Smith adds: “I’m old enough that when you talk about these kinds of rides, I think back to Return of the Jedi and the speeder bike chase through the forest. I thought, ‘That’s a great idea. That just works.’
“The concept for Drone Dash started with racing through a forest. Then, we liked the idea of drones. It feels modern, part of the zeitgeist. And you always want these experiences to have a straightforward story, just so there’s a reason for it to end. With some rides, you reach the end and wonder what motivated it to stop. Making it a race gave it a natural conclusion. You finish because you’ve won.
“So, it all came together—the forest, the drones, and the race—creating something simple, fun, and instantly understandable. There’s no complexity to it; you get it without any explanation.”
A multisensory experience
The team maximised every possible effect so theme parks and attraction parks can fully leverage the experience.
“That’s also what audiences want,” says Gondinet. “They want to be thrilled, excited. Even if the ride is only five minutes long, they should come out saying, ‘Wow, what was that? I want to do it again!’
“We have the movement with the seats, water, scent, heat, wind, and leg ticklers. In this particular movie, there will be movement, wind, and water effects. When you go underground, you pass through some volcanic-type environment, and you can feel it.”
“And then you also have the soundscape for a fully immersive experience. In the beginning, there are a lot of flowers and greenery so that you can smell the scent of the flowers, then the woods, and then the forest.”
The challenge with these rides is that you’re moving through an environment that needs to look good but will also whiz past quickly. Smith says: “The practicalities of making that work are important. We always knew the forest environment would be key, racing around trees and going under obstacles. We spent a lot of time building that world to ensure the race felt fast and immersive.”
At the same time, it’s a family-friendly ride, so the team had to approach the visual style in a way that made it exciting but fun for everyone.
“The goal isn’t to make it hyper-realistic. It’s about creating an experience. The animation style makes it clear that it’s not meant to be scary. As an animation company, we naturally lean toward a style that fits our audience.”
See also: The Inseparables: new nWave title encourages audiences to dream big
Animating Drone Dash by hand
The film is all animated by hand, says Smith:
“We animate the camera’s movement, which is the viewpoint and, therefore, the experience.
“We’ve learned that the ride experience is deeply connected to the environment you’re moving through. For example, we have to place trees in a way that makes weaving between them feel natural. If it doesn’t work, we adjust the trees. It’s a constant back-and-forth between shaping the landscape and refining the camera movement.”
“It’s more of an art than a science. I remember when we started doing this 20–25 years ago, and there was this idea that you could base it on the movements of an actual vehicle or use some scientific model. But the reality is, you just make it look good. The simulator platforms will move around, and operators essentially use a joystick to fine-tune it. There’s no great science to it—it’s all about feel.”
“We don’t rely on cheap AI-generated visuals,” adds Gondinet. “We do it the old-fashioned way, with people behind the screens producing the movie. You can feel that when you watch it; it’s high quality.”
nWave and Red Star
Talking about why nWave chose to partner once again with Red Star for Drone Dash, Gondinet says:
“First, we like the people. We’ve known them for many years, and things naturally become easier and more fluid when you have a long-term relationship. We understand each other because we’ve worked together for so long.
“They also have an excellent reputation for creating this kind of content in the market.
We’ve had successes together like the Dinosaurs release and 20,000 Leagues. We know how to create a success together, so we’ve chosen to partner with them again.”
Gillis adds: “Red Star delivers quality, and we have a very good understanding with them. We know what we’re getting—there’s confidence and trust between us. They deliver a good film, and they know that we have a huge network of theme park clients we work with yearly, so we know exactly where to place the film. They finish it, they deliver, and we take care of the rest. It’s a perfect fit.”
“We hadn’t done a ride film like this in years,” says Smith. “We’ve worked with nWave for about 15 years, and after COVID wiped out the market for a while, we realised we needed more content. It was great to collaborate again and create something new. It’s been a long time since anyone did something like this.
“nWave has a strong distribution network, and they have done a great job selling these films over a long period. They wanted more content, and we were happy to partner with them to provide that.
“We both respect each other’s areas of expertise, and it’s been a great partnership. There are only a few distributors in this space, and nWave is one of the longest-established. They’re just good to work with.”
Rolling out Drone Dash
The new ride film has debuted at Bakken Park in Denmark, where the response from both the guests and the operator has been positive.
“We’ve known them for a long time,” says Gillis. “They came by our IAAPA Expo booth in Orlando, saw only a few seconds, and said, ‘Okay, we’re going to take this one.’
“That’s usually the reaction from people who see the teaser. Those who saw it in Orlando liked it because it’s very colourful. It speaks to the audience, and that’s the most important thing.”
However, the film is not just suitable for theme parks and amusement parks. Given the topic, it would also be ideal for a museum environment.
“Any site with a simulator can purchase it,” says Gillis. “It would be perfect for a transport museum, a technical museum, or a science museum, for instance. There’s a lot of science behind the drones.”
Fun for all ages
“This is one of the first times since post-COVID that we’ve made new content,” says Smith. “I hope the market appreciates that we’re creating more content and still servicing these venues with fresh material. There’s been a considerable slowdown in the volume of content being made for them, but people still want high-quality, new content to keep these attractions fresh.
“We know that the right content, in the right context, can be very successful in theme parks. But ultimately, these films want to be fun. They’re not meant to be all-singing, all-dancing experiences, but they’re meant to be fun, and that’s what we want people to get from them.”
“People will enjoy the 4D effects. You get water splashes, lightning, and little electric zaps. The environment works nicely; it’s recognisable but also cool and futuristic, and the drone theme feels modern and relevant.”
Gondinet adds:
“Drone Dash is a brand-new film created in 2025. It’s high-quality, with many different effects possible, and appeals to all ages—whether you’re seven or seventy-seven.
“It’s a must-have.”
