Fantawild Holdings Inc., a leading one-stop solution provider in the theme park industry, operates over 10 distinct Fantawild theme park brands, amounting to more than 30 parks in total. Often coming in the top five of yearly global theme park attendance figures, the company has been recognised with a number of awards including the TEA’s Thea Awards, the IAAPA Brass Ring Awards, and the Lotus Award.
The firm attributes much of this success to Fantawild Film Inc., which has a focus on providing one-stop solutions for theme park attractions, from content design and production to visual effect guidance, to filming, post-production and media production.
Fantawild Film Inc., a subsidiary of Fantawild Holdings, has been a leading player in the film industry for over 20 years. With the largest special effects film research institute in China, the company offers an integrated industrial chain for special effects film production, including content planning, design, production, recording, equipment debugging, and installation.
Fantawild has produced over 100 world-class special effects film programs, offering tourists and commercial customers a unique experience. The company’s special effects film production system has been used in theme parks and global markets, selling over 70 sets to over 40 countries and territories.
4D dark rides, holographic AR and more
Fantawild Film Inc. is a leading innovator in cutting-edge technology, developing over 10 special effects films, including dynamic track rides, suspended spherical screen movies, 360° circular-screen movies, giant screen movies, water screen movies, and holographic AR movies.
Fantawild is an expert in special effects film production, designing customised programs for various themes and storylines. It uses different screen types, and technologies like visual tracking, image splicing, and restoration to create immersive sensory experiences and artistic effects.
It also creates 4D dark rides like The Wizard Academy and The Legend of Nüwa for children’s entertainment. Another example is Dino-Rampage, a 4D dark ride at Fantawild Dino Kingdom in Zigong, where visitors can play the role of a superhero saving a city filled with dinosaurs. The multisensory experience uses hyper-realistic and dynamic image-tracking technology, synchronising screen types, dynamic track vehicles, simulation settings, and lighting special effects.
Fantawild also created the world’s first 360-degree holographic AR theatre, Eternal Love, for a dreamlike and aesthetic experience. The immersive film integrates augmented reality technology with live performance, offering a 360-degree view from any location. Special effects, such as performers disappearing and reappearing, vines growing on the wall, and the cracking, collapsing, and then vanishing of structures enhance the viewing experience, alongside weather effects like wind, snow, thunder and lightning. The protagonists dance together and transform into butterflies in the finale.
Qu Yuan (pictured, top), another holographic AR film, explores the life of China’s first poet life through ink painting and dynamic special effects animation. This won a Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement in 2019.
Bringing art to life
Fantawild showcases themes and artistic effects through stylised film content, including cartoons, hyperrealism, traditional origami, ink painting, scroll painting, and digital restoration. Fantawild has created numerous special effects programs with cultural significance and technological traits, such as Bridge to Love, Battle of Red Cliffs, Marvels of Chinese Culture, and Chinese Opera Express.
Fantawild’s productions focus on cultural representation, combining traditional stories with creativity and technology to create tailored recreational attractions. To do so, it conducts extensive research, sourcing, brainstorming, and technology evaluation. Fantawild focuses on innovative development, conversion of cultural content, and special effects films, aiming to restore authentic artistic elements and offer unique experiences for tourists.
Special effects films at Fantawild Asian Legend
Fantawild was the first Chinese company to build a park featuring ASEAN member states’ cultures, Fantawild Asian Legend. Over 50 members of the film production team travelled to Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Cambodia, and Laos to study their customs and collect relevant materials. Fantawild showcases the unique cultural elements of each nation, showcasing folklore, legends, and natural landscapes. Special effects production includes 4D dark rides, holographic imagery, and water-screen film.
Fantawild has created over 10 special effects films for Fantawild Asian Legend, including Dancing Islands, Manila Manila, and Finding Merlion, to showcase diverse nature, history, and cultures from ASEAN nations. Nanning Fantawild Asian Legend offers visitors the chance to learn about these cultures without travelling and has hosted influential political figures.
Amazing Angkor, a giant screen film, recreates the architectural characteristics, social customs, and geographic landscape of Angkor Wat. Fantawild engineers visited and researched the site, utilising hyper-realistic digital assets software and normal mapping methods. Hundreds of photographs and 3D digital remastering technology ensure detailed accuracy in the film’s visuals.
Let’s Fly is another popular attraction at Nanning Fantawild Asian Legend. This features a suspended dome theatre with a unique spherical screen and suspended seats. The film uses super-realistic CG production, image drawing, and texture mapping to create authentic replications of various countries’ scenery, including Mount Popa, Borobudur Temple, the Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque, and the Shwedagon Pagoda.
Technical innovation
Fantawild holds over 500 patents and is adept at concept design, visual effect creation, special effects, television production, on-site guidance, audio and video post-production, motion capture, high-precision asset production, commercial advertising, 3D animation production, and virtual digital content.
Fantawild Film Inc. has advanced creative and R&D capabilities, including a hyper-realistic 360-degree photogrammetry system and intelligent shooting systems. It also excels in film and television production, including simulation technology, extra sensory experience, and post-production special effects.
Fantawild was also the first Chinese organisation to develop a giant screen stereo projection system with 8K resolution and 48 fps and a spherical system with 4K resolution and 60 fps. It creates realistic virtual worlds through 3D digital remastering, hyper-realistic asset technology, live shot integration, and stylised picture effects.
Fantawild continuously modernises performance styles and content in themed attractions by developing virtual interactive entertainment equipment and intelligent control systems. This has led to enhanced presentation formats like suspended dome theatres, 4D dark rides, and dynamic dome theatres.
In addition, Fantawild Film Inc. was the first creative team to use digital 3D remastering technology to recreate ancient paintings. It developed Flying with Cranes, a unique spherical screen flight simulation, showcasing the artwork in a unique way.
Fantawild engineers created a 3D model of a painting using traditional Chinese painting techniques and 3D digital technology. They aimed to preserve carving strokes and intricate details while studying the colouring process and colour overlap to create a perfect replica of the original piece on a giant spherical screen with 4K resolution at 48 fps. Visitors sit in suspended chairs, enveloped by a large spherical screen, creating an illusion of flying in line with cranes as they get close to the ancient landscape painting from the Northern Song dynasty.
The company creates spaces where visitors can travel in time and experience immersive adventures that blend culture, technology, and imagination.
Fantawild Holdings opened its latest park, Fantawild Wonderland, on 18 July in the city of Xuzhou in Jiangsu Province, China.
