Friday, November 22, 2013
Theme Park History: A look back at the inventor of just about everything, Arrow Dynamics
www.themeparkinsider.com: We owe a lot to Arrow Dynamics — yes, a lot more than backaches and sore necks after disembarking what once was the pinnacle of the roller coaster universe. Arrow brought us the first golden age of steel roller coasters during the late 1970s and early '80s — a time when its twisted-coat-hanger-inspired creations were the hottest commodity in the theme park universe.
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8 comments:
WOW! During whole time watching videos and reading article, I was so thrilled to know about the history of the steel roller coasters. I always enjoy riding roller coasters and try scary ones too, but I rarely thought about which company was first to build these kinds of roller coaster. Although it is really sad to hear how Arrow Dynamics disappeared, I think it is still great how the company left a significant influence in public entertainment and X in Six Flags. X in Six Flag is the only attraction in the Six Flag that I haven't ride yet because it seemed so scary. I think it is so cool how a small metal shop turned into giant steel roller coaster producing company that have fascinated so many people still. Also, reading the article, it is so awesome how this company developed its idea with cooperation with Disneyland. Without the collaboration and bigger goal and dream, they would not have thought of creating roller coaster. Although it will be hard for people to remember the name of Arrow Dynamic, people will remember its products which brought them a great memory of their youth.
This past summer I went to Disneyland for the first time and it was an incredible experience. I learned a great deal more about the parks, company and business than I had ever known and this just adds another layer of icing to the cake. I never knew that a small shop was responsible for one of the biggest revolutions in the entertainment industry but its an incredible story and I can only imagine what an amazing and stressful journey it must have been for them. It's a shame that they couldn't keep up with the bigger companies taking over the industry with the bigger and badder coasters, but we see that more and more with each passing year.
This make me regret being too afraid to go on the Matterhorn when I visited Disneyland as a child. Stories like this are always interesting to me, especially seeing how small a business Arrow began its life as. I'm curious why Disney did not use the company for other attractions, like Big Thunder Mountain and Space Mountain. I definitely know the feeling that the author talks about when riding an early steel roller coaster. It is a concussion inducing ride.
It has been a very long time since I have found my self on a roller coaster, probably a good 10 to 12 years and I guess because of that I had not really taken any time to think of them with an artistic mindset. But now that I am, it is such an intriguing method of story telling. You get to design an entire world that your audience literally gets thrust into and the possibilities are really endless. I know when I get through with college that I want to try out all different areas of the entertainment industry, I am very interested in things like music videos and such that are a little different but it seems like all the time I am realizing more and more areas that would be so much fun to work in. I am certainly glad we are in a profession where we don't have to do the exact same job for 40 years because there is so much out there that I want to try it is almost overwhelming.
I had never really thought about the inventor and first builder of roller coasters before. I doesn't surprise me much that Disney wanted the roller coaster first. However, I am surprised that a coat hanger was used to develop ideas! I am not a big roller coaster person myself, but I have always been interested in the mechanics of them. Reading this article definitely helps me to think about distinguishing attributes between older roller coasters and newer ones.
It's pretty incredible how shockingly little I know about roller coasters. To be perfectly honest, I've never really been terribly fond of the invention but just like Carolyn, I have never really considered who invented them, which one was first, or who's idea they were. I suppose it makes perfect sense that Disney was the one who started it all but I find it really interesting that the original company used to make carousels. I think April is right about how it's a completely different way of storytelling, and it's actually something that my Foundations II group started trying to utilize. I think it is a very interesting way of taking an audience and really throwing them right into the middle of a story. The only tricky part is how to tell the story in, what's the average ride, two minutes? As a theater artist, I think roller coasters an incredible type of performance. As a person who's afraid of heights? I hate them. I'm glad I know more about them now though.
The roller coasters at Disneyland are experiences rather than just rides. They take you to a different place and time and if they were violent and rough then they would take you out of the experience. For the Matterhorn it works because its a fast sled on a mountain but for other rides like It's A Small World the rides have to be perfectly smooth so that you can be entranced by the singing robots.
I was excited to read this article because I know a lot about the Disney theme parks history, but i never realized the extent that this small company at the time was involved in the development of some of their centerpiece ride systems. I think this speaks to the ingenuity of the Walk disney and his colleagues saying that they want it to be done perfectly so theyre going to get the best people in the world to do it. I also like how this going along with the general belief at WDI that what we have isnt good enough, that we're always trying to make it better and reinvent the way people experience attractions .
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