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Gardaland unveils huge animatronic created for new Jumanji ride

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gardaland stone giant animatronic jumanji ride

Gardaland will be the world’s first theme park to feature a ride inspired by Sony Pictures‘ $2bn film franchise.

Gardaland Resort in Italy has unveiled an enormous ‘Stone Giant’ animatronic, created for the theme park’s new Jumanji ride, scheduled to open at the start of the 2022 season.

Earlier this year, it was revealed that Gardaland will become the world’s first theme park to offer a ride inspired by Jumanji, Sony Pictures‘ $2 billion film franchise.  

“Gardaland continues on the winning path of licensing agreements with leading global brands,” Aldo Maria Vigevani, CEO of Gardaland, said in September.

“Synonymous with adventure, fantasy, fun, action, play and imagination, Jumanji blends seamlessly with Gardaland’s founding values,” he added.

Jumanji – The Adventure will be a family-friendly dark ride that transports visitors to a Jumanji-themed world. Animatronics in the attraction include the head and hand of the ‘Stone Giant’, as well as a huge hippo and supersized spider.

Jumanji ride due to open in 2022

The animatronic head of the ‘Stone Giant’ is 6.45 metres high and around 6 metres wide, while the hand is 4 metres high and 3 metres wide.

Both parts are being moved via cargo ship from Futura Form’s headquarters in Turkey to Italy, with three 6-metre-long container trucks ready to transport them to Gardaland.

“Adding many new elements, fans will be transported far beyond their imagination, deep into the jungles of Jumanji,” said Jeffrey Godsick, EVP of global partnerships and brand management and head of LBE at Sony Pictures.

“The team at Gardaland are top-notch creatives and storytellers who have designed an immersive experience that expands on the world created by the films.”

Gardaland Resort, part of Merlin Entertainments, houses Gardaland Park, Legoland Water Park and the SEA LIFE Aquarium. It also features three hotels – Gardaland Hotel, Gardaland Adventure Hotel and Gardaland Magic Hotel.

Images: Merlin Entertainments

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Bea Mitchell

Bea is a journalist specialising in entertainment, attractions and tech with 10 years' experience. She has written and edited for publications including CNET, BuzzFeed, Digital Spy, Evening Standard and BBC. Bea graduated from King's College London and has an MA in journalism.

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