MonteZOOMa Train Moving Down Launch Track!! | Knott's Berry Farm Vlog #63 | 6/1/26

I rode the new Phantom Theater at Kings Island...

...and it was fine. I definitely have notes. As expected, the animatronics and sets by Sally are extremely budgeted but very much appreciated. That said, the overall execution could've been better.

The recycled castle exterior is disappointing. Was great for Scooby but really doesn't set the theater tone this new attraction is going for. 

The interior queue / preshow is fine. The audio can be a little hard to understand, which seems like a common complaint. The cats voice is also annoying. Frustratingly, the No Legs Larry preshow instructional video looks awful. It looks like was made with microsoft paint and they use "Larry" making it himself as an excuse for why it looks that way. Seriously, why not make it look like it's drawn with crayon with stick figures, you could have Larry drawing himself as being jacked. You could even have it drawn out in real time like a ghost is drawing it. Like their own explanation for the video could've led to a much more humorous, and pleasing looking instructional video than what we got. A wasted opportunity.

The hallway immediately following with the portraits doesn't really work for me. Artwork looks like adobe after effects manipulation, possibly even ai, but it's the portrait filter effect that completely blurs the image when viewed from an angle. Probably shouldn't have put these in a tight hallway, as they work better from a distance.

Now onto my biggest disappointment with this attraction, the interactive elements...or lack there of. I felt like I had no effect on the scenery or outcome of the story. Hitting a ghost note didn't do anything other than increase your score. In Scooby Doo I had different targets to hit which could revel secrets within the scene. Ghost notes on the other hand just feel like an after thought. Like the entire attraction was built already and they decided at the last minute to project notes on the background of all the scenes. No variety, no invested interest, no replay value. If it's between interactivity and ride capacity, I'll take the capacity.

Another problem with the attraction is the tone. There is no variety. The original Phantom Theater had spooky moments to go along with the goofy moments. This new version seems all goofy. None of the characters have angry faces anymore and most of the scenery is free of dust or cobwebs. It's just the same bright lighting and smiling faces all throughout. After awhile it all starts to feel samey.

Lastly, the big "show" scene with all of the acts together is terrible. This replaced the show stopping peppers ghost scene from the original but damn does this need a lot of work. To start with, the staging is BORING. The characters are cramped in a plain looking room (stage), all evenly spaced apart, all standing on circus stands. They should all be spread out on different levels of the stage, surrounded by unique props and scenery representative of their acts. Remove the rotating Larry to expand the scene if you must, as a lone rotating character serves no purpose.

End of the day, its an improvement but also a missed opportunity.

Jeffery Siebert announces leave from Six Flags

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Knott's News: I never visited Fiesta Texas but I have been following his tenure and hes done an amazing job. I've honestly never seen a park president soo beloved by a fanbase before but seeing all hes done to improve the park and all the down to earth interactions hes had with guests, its not hard to see why. We'll miss you Jeffery, I've been a fan since your days at Paramount Kings Island and would've loved to see what you could've done with that park today. Enjoy the down time and we look forward to see what you do next.

Six Flags names 10 new park presidents

A Six Flags game of musical chairs will leave many former park presidents sitting in the same seat they had before along with a few of familiar faces moving to new locations after the amusement park chain eliminated the roles last year in a cost-cutting move.

Six Flags announced on Wednesday, April 22 the names of the park presidents who will be reintroduced in 10 key markets — including Knott’s Berry Farm and Six Flags Magic Mountain.

“These changes are about putting leadership, expertise and accountability as close to our guests and team members as possible,” Six Flags CEO John Reilly said in a statement. “We’re empowering our teams to move faster, innovate locally and deliver exceptional experiences every day.”he names of the park presidents who will be reintroduced in 10 key markets — including Knott’s Berry Farm and Six Flags Magic Mountain.

Read the rest at the OCRegister

Knott's News: Kind of a redundant story but now it has the complete list of all 10 newly appointed park presidents.

This change has led fans to speculate that any park not part of the core 10 are up for sale. Enchanted Parks and Herschend are said to express interest.

IDK what the future holds but I do believe downscaling is best for everyone. Parks sold and parks staying will all receive more attention.

Six Flags reverses course and brings back park presidents

“Six Flags is moving to a new operating structure designed to better support the unique needs of each park,” according to Six Flags officials. “This change reflects our commitment to being more strategic, flexible and responsive as our business evolves. It positions Six Flags to continue growing while staying true to what makes each of our parks special.”

[...]

Raffi Kaprelyan will return to Knott’s Berry Farm as vice president and park manager — a role he held for a decade from 2011 to 2021.

Read the rest at the OCRegister

Now Showing: a first look at some of the merchandise celebrating Phantom Theater: Opening Nightmare!

🎼 Now Showing: a first look at some of the merchandise celebrating Phantom Theater: Opening Nightmare, available at select locations beginning opening weekend! pic.twitter.com/34Hh6JOObn

— Kings Island (@KingsIslandPR) April 14, 2026

Sally Dark Rides: Reviving A Classic…

The Collected Peanuts Book Bundle

I know I'm a little late posting this but charity organization Humble Bundle has posted a new book bundle; The Collected Peanuts by Fantagraphics. For just a $25 donation (a portion of which supports Canine Companions), you can own 50 years worth of Peanuts comics. The main portion, the 26 volume collected works spanning Charles Shultz entire career, are presented as 40-45mb pdfs. Have skimmed through them, they look great.

I highly recommend this to any Peanuts fan!

Check it at HumbleBundle

Knott’s Berry Farm to open reimagined Montezooma coaster this summer

Knott’s Berry Farm looks forward to opening the reimagined Montezooma: The Forbidden Fortress launched roller coaster by summer 2026 or sooner, according to Knott’s officials.

“The park is eagerly awaiting to see the ancient legend rise again,” according to Knott’s officials. “We are getting close to unveiling an opening date and welcoming all who are brave enough to embark on an unforgettable expedition in search of Montezuma’s elusive gold.”

The extensive renovation of Montezooma’s Revenge at Knott’s Berry Farm will introduce a backstory about doomed treasure hunters along with Aztec-themed trains, randomized launch sequences and new rider restraints.

All the parts needed for the Montezooma makeover are at Knott’s — including the track, motors and coaster trains.

Read the rest at the OCRegister

New facade details are bringing Phantom Theater: Opening Nightmare to life!

A little construction, a lot of dramatic flair 🎭 🎶 New facade details are bringing Phantom Theater: Opening Nightmare to life! #KingsIsland pic.twitter.com/julIJauzCF

— Kings Island (@KingsIslandPR) April 2, 2026

Knott's News: I loved the castle for Scooby Doo, it looked great. That said, it's disappointing that they're reusing the castle instead of creating a theater facade. The original facade was a dilapidated Palace Theater, with the PT logo working as a stand-in for Phantom Theater. A castle exterior just doesn't make any sense.

LSM Installation for MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress!!! | Knott's Berry Farm Vlog #59 | 3/20/26

Kings Island - Phantom Theater Curtain Call: Episode 5 - The Rick Bastrup Special

Knott’s Boysenberry Festival Guide 2026: Berry Best Bites & a Beautiful Bird Cage Revival

Returning this year to the Bird Cage Theater is the (now improved after a major restoration) old-fashioned melodrama, The Great Bank Robbery. The audience is encouraged to cheer on the hero, boo the villain, and sigh for the heroine. It’s fun for the whole family and cannot be missed during your visit.

Just in time for the festival, the Bird Cage Theater has undergone an extensive refurbishment. It’s quite the glow up. What they’ve done here is absolutely gorgeous and should be applauded. The stage has received extensive upgrades, especially to the lighting and sound. The former is even evident in photos— take a look at just how sharp and brilliant the photos turned out.

Read it all at MiceChat

Bird Cage Theatre

Kings Island Phantom Theater Opening Nightmare | NEW Ride Construction Preview

 

Knott's News: Looks good overall and I hope it's a hit. Tony says this is a litmus test and could lead to other similar projects based on the success of the tecnology and popularity. My biggest concern is the ride capacity remaining unchanged. When they converted from Phantom Theater to Scooby Doo they removed 28 doombuggies and majorly reduced capacity from 2160 p/h to about 650 p/h. They said at the time this was to allow for the interactive elements to reset but I'm not sure I buy that. The Buzz Lightyear attraction at Magic Kingdom is far older and is a continuous stream of ride vehicles without the need for any resets. It hasn't been a problem in years due to the lack of interest in Boo Blasters, but like with the new Bear-y Tales, I'm afraid this is going to lead to artificially inflated wait times come opening.

Kings Island Boo Blasters props up for auction

👻 The ghosts are clearing out their attic…

Props and pieces from Boo Blasters on Boo Hill have escaped the manor! From eerie set pieces to ride memorabilia, you can take home a haunting piece of the attraction with our online memorabilia auction.

🗓️ Bidding starts March 18… pic.twitter.com/idJViqLGFx

— Kings Island (@KingsIslandPR) March 9, 2026

Knott's News: Gives you a good idea of what - if any - props are being reused.

Boomerang now sits atop a Mall in Indonesia

Six Flags Entertainment shedding seven parks to EPR Properties

Six Flags Entertainment (FUN) has sold seven parks to EPR Properties for $331M as part of the company’s efforts to optimize its portfolio and bolster its balance sheet.

Included in the transaction are Valley Fair in Minnesota, Worlds of Fun inKansas City, Michigan’s Adventure, the Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Galveston, Texas, Six Flags St. Louis, Six Flags Great Escape in Queensbury NY, and Six Flags La Ronde in Montreal. These parks all generate ~$260M in net revenue and ~$45M in adjusted EBITDA.

Read the rest at SeekingAlpha


Knott's News: It'll be nice if they can continue to trim their portfolio down and make significant investments in what remains. Right now the company is just too spread out with limited resources and with only a few parks carrying the whole company, wasting those resources on low performers with no growth potential just hurts the company as a whole. I'm hoping the scaling back allows the forgotten parks like Knott's to start receiving the attention it previously received.

Financially, this sale of 7 parks only nets them $331 million, which goes straight towards paying off that $5.18 billion debt. For prospective, when Paramount sold their 5 parks, Cedar Fair paid $1.24 billion and even now one of those parks (California's Great America) was sold off for $310 million.

New Supports & Footings for Montezooma's Revenge! | Knott's Berry Farm Vlog #58 | 3/3/26

Kings Island - Phantom Theater Curtain Call: Episode 4 - Setting the Stage