The Action Theater is a

motion simulator A motion simulator or motion platform is a mechanism that creates the feelings of being in a real motion environment. In a simulator, the movement is synchronised with a visual display of the outside world (OTW) scene. Motion platforms can provi ...

ride that debuted in 1993. It is currently only operating at California's Great America. Located formerly at

Canada's Wonderland Canada's Wonderland, formerly known as Paramount Canada's Wonderland, is a amusement park located in Vaughan, Ontario, a municipality within the Greater Toronto Area. Opened in 1981 by the Taft Broadcasting Company and the Great-West Life As ...

, Carowinds,

Kings Dominion Kings Dominion is an amusement park located in Doswell, Virginia, north of Richmond and south of Washington, D.C. Owned and operated by Cedar Fair, the park opened to the public on May 3, 1975, and features more than 60 rides, shows and att ...

and

Kings Island Kings Island is a amusement park located northeast of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio, United States. Owned and operated by Cedar Fair, the park first opened in 1972 by the Taft Broadcasting Company. It was part of a larger effort to move and expa ...

. The attraction was previously known as "Paramount Action F/X Theater" before being renamed following the purchase of the

Paramount Parks Paramount Parks was the operator of Paramount's Kings Island, Paramount's Kings Dominion, Paramount's Great America, Paramount's Carowinds, and Paramount Canada's Wonderland, which annually attracted about 13 million patrons. National Amuseme ...

chain by Cedar Fair in 2006.

History

Action Theater first opened in 1993 at Carowinds and

, operating as a

themed to the Paramount film '' Days Of Thunder''. The following year, the attraction was installed at California's Great America,

, and

. In 1998, Action Theater was renamed "Paramount Action F/X Theater", and a new feature debuted at each location called "James Bond 007: License to Thrill" – a play on the title of an older Bond film called ''

Licence to Kill ''Licence to Kill'' is a 1989 spy film, the sixteenth in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, and the second and final film to star Timothy Dalton as the MI6 agent James Bond. It sees Bond suspended from MI6 as he pursues t ...

''. Dino Island 3D was shown from 1999 to 2000, Meteor Attack in 2000, and Superstition in 2000 and 2002. In 2001, the theme parks presented The 7th Portal (based on the web comic by Stan Lee) as a three-dimensional ride in which the riders help the Data Raiders fight the Nullifiers. In 2003,

SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D (also known as SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D Ride, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Ride or SpongeBob SquarePants 3-D) was a 2003 cel-shaded 4-D film simulator ride based upon the animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePant ...

made its debut at all locations. In 2006,

The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera ''The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera'' is an American animated syndicated programming block produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that ran on a weekly schedule and was performed in live action. The program ran from 1985 to 1994. Overview The ...

was presented. It had been closed after its last run in 2002 at

Universal Studios Florida Universal Studios Florida (also known as Universal Studios or USF) is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida. Primarily themed to movies, television and other aspects of the entertainment industry, the park opened to the public on June 7, 1990 ...

. In 2008, the theater was renamed Action Theater to remove ties to the Paramount branding, and the action movie signage was replaced with a comic book theme. In 2013, Dinosaurs: Giants of Patagonia was being shown at Carowinds and Kings Island, while "Happy Feet: Mumble's Wild Ride" was being shown at California's Great America. Canada's Wonderland's Action Theater featured Monsters of the Deep 3D, and

's featured "The Lost World 3D". The theaters playing Dinosaur-themed films have had the motion seats removed. In 2015, California's Great America announced that a 4D holographic attraction themed to BioWare's

Mass Effect ''Mass Effect'' is a military science fiction media franchise created by Casey Hudson, Drew Karpyshyn and Preston Watamaniuk. The franchise depicts a distant future where humanity and several alien civilizations have colonized the known unive ...

video game (titled '' Mass Effect: New Earth'') would debut in a newly renovated Action Theater for the 2016 season. Also in 2015, Carowinds announced a similar renovation of their Action Theatre for 2016. The 3D gaming attraction is based on the '' Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare'' video game and named ''Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare: 3Z Arena'' until its closure in 2022.

References

External links

Mass Effect: New Earth at California's Great America

Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare: 3Z Arena at Carowinds
{{Authority control Amusement rides introduced in 1994 Carowinds Cedar Fair attractions