Justice League Warworld Attack at Warner Bros. World, Abu Dhabi

Immersive technology and special effects recreate an epic mission to save the planet in a thrilling dark ride.

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INTRODUCTION

Warner Bros World Abu Dhabi is the world’s largest indoor theme park and home to exciting visitor experiences featuring many of the best-known characters from comic book fiction. In ‘Justice League Warworld Attacks’ visitors join Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the rest of the Earth’s Super Heroes in an epic series of battles against their greatest enemies on a thrilling, immersive 5D dark ride.

Visitors ride in trackless motion-based dark ride vehicles that branch into multiple immersive multi-sensory media scenes that feature large-scale video screens with spectacular 3D effects, surround-sound audio and lighting effects.

Electrosonic worked in partnership with Thinkwell, Smart Monkeys, vehicle manufacturer Oceaneering and Medialon to design and integrate the audiovisual, lighting and advanced control systems that bring the spectacular battle scenes to life on one of the world’s first branching trackless rides.

OVERVIEW

Audio, video and lighting create an immersive environment from the outset. In the Hall of Justice, visual media integrated with massive statues provide information about the Justice League characters. In the queue line, a projection solution sets the scene for battles ahead with surveillance views and graphical data displays, while audio and video recreate discussions among the characters.

Onboard the vehicles, visitors encounter the threats posed by Mongul, the Justice League’s greatest enemy, as they move from scene to scene. The control system triggers special sound effects and video as the vehicles approach and leave each zone with sounds of police sirens and crashing buildings immersing visitors.

Visitors experience the sensations of various battle scenes as the mission builds to a crescendo and Justice League members tackle their enemies. In one scene, video and special effects recreate Wonder Woman taking part in a battle in the sky.

In the final battle, where Superman tackles Mongul, four separate projection screens and surround-sound audio create a 360° immersive experience for the dramatic large-scale encounter.

This dark ride brings together more than 100 speakers, 15 displays and 30 projectors. Electrosonic deployed and integrated Smart Monkeys’ ISAAC platform to give the operations team full control over the entire audiovisual and lighting system from a single point of coordination.

CHALLENGE

The biggest technical challenge for ‘Justice League Warworld Attacks’ was synchronization across the large–scale, technologically advanced dark ride that features trackless vehicles branching into multiple themed scenes. Each scene features video, audio and special effects that have to be synchronised to the movement of the vehicles and the actions of the characters.

The trackless vehicles travel two different ride paths and an alternating story runs within the same fleet of vehicles. The show control system has to track the correct storyline to the correct vehicle route. Both on-board and off-board synchronization of audio and video was required. The requirement for this synchronization was 5 ms and in the end this goal was met with room to spare. To engage the visitors in the action, it’s important that the technology is not obvious to the eye.

SOLUTION

To ensure content is synchronized with the passage of the vehicles, the ride control system is programmed to detect vehicle approach and exit for each scene. Electrosonic used QSC’s Q-Sys Cores for each vehicle synchronized over a coax system where the coax itself acted as an antenna.

In one scene, special immersive audio equipment is integrated with the video on a 100 feet 360° screen to move the sound of the objects as they appear on screen. To ensure technology is hidden, projectors and speakers are integrated with the architecture.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Audiovisual technology and special effects are used in a highly creative way to recreate the fantasy world of comic book characters like the Justice League. Here, architecture and storytelling are fused with hidden technology to bring epic struggles to life in immersive scenes that engage visitors of all ages.

‘Justice League Warworld Attacks’ is one of the many world-class attractions that helped Warner Bros World Abu Dhabi win a coveted THEA Award for Outstanding Achievement.

Project Details

Client

Warner Bros. World, Abu Dhabi

Location

Yas Island, Abu Dhabi

Size

1.65 million sq. ft. (full park)

Services

Technology Design Consulting

Build & System Integration

Audio, Video & Control Systems

Detailed Engineering

Commissioning

Project Management

Distributed Audio

Immersive Technologies

We had a great synergy with Electrosonic and Medialon and could not have asked for better partners.

Stephen Villet

Owner, Smart Monkeys

Heighten expectations In the Hall of Justice, massive architecture fuses with hidden technology to create a magical illusion that heightens visitors’ expectations.

Shared experience Visitors waiting in the queuing area listen in to Justice League members discussing their plans to tackle the forces of evil.

Dark ride Trackless vehicles transport visitors into the heart of immersive scenes of destruction in Metropolis created by 360⁰ audiovisual and special effects.