Wallace & Gromit Power Up The Thrill-O-Matic at Blackpool Pleasure Beach

Apr 26, 2013 Joe Kleiman News, Theme Parks 0

Blackpool, England (April 24, 2013) /PRNewswire/– Thrill-O-Matic, the world’s first Wallace & Gromit ride, was officially opened by Nick Park, Blackpool Pleasure Beach’s Managing Director Amanda Thompson OBE and Deputy Managing Director Nick Thompson this morning [April 24] at the UK’s favourite amusement park.

With an investment of £5.25 million, Thrill-O-Matic is the culmination of 2 years of love, dedication and hard work from the Aardman and Blackpool Pleasure Beach teams. The Thrill-O-Matic will delight Wallace & Gromit fans with a riveting ride through some of the most iconic scenes from their much-loved adventures.

From the moment riders take their place in the carriage for their adventure – a giant slipper – they are transported into the colourful world of Wallace & Gromit. Guests will travel through scenes from A Grand Day Out, The Wrong Trousers, A Close Shave, A Matter of Loaf and Death and The Curse of the Were Rabbit. With minute detail such as a holiday brochure to the moon and special effects that bring Wallace’s cracking contraptions to life, this ride provides over four minutes of pure fun for those on-board.

Managing Director of Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Amanda Thompson OBE, said: “Thrill-O-Matic is a fantastic ride that we know the family will love.

“Wallace & Gromit have a special place in the heart of lots of people so we thought it would be an ideal fit to have their first ride here at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. We are very proud of the ride and we know that families will want to ride it again and again to see all their favourite characters.”

Nick Park, creator of Wallace & Gromit, said: “We have the perfect marriage between Wallace and Gromit and Blackpool Pleasure Beach. I grew up in Preston, which is just down the road so Blackpool feels like a natural home for Wallace and Gromit. It has been a great experience working with the Thompson family to create this family ride that sits right in the heart of the park, I really hope that our fans enjoy the Thrill-O-Matic as much as we have enjoyed creating it.”

And if the ride itself wasn’t enough, visitors to the Thrill-O-Matic can pick up exclusive merchandise from the UK’s only dedicated Wallace & Gromit shop. Goodies on offer include everything from modeling kits, mugs, pin badges and even cheese-flavoured rock.

www.blackpoolpleasurebeach.com