The company took compelling and immersive storytelling and combined it with an incredible wooden coaster. That combination created something truly special and shows how storytelling could be as integral a part of the experience as the coaster itself.
Holovis show produced the entire multisensory attraction experience, from the intricate backstory that begins in the queue line through to ‘What’s In The Shed’, brought to life through media, complex AV, lighting, scenic and animated FX.
From the time guests enter the queue line they are immersed in the back story of the Miami River Lumber Company. Every detail alludes to why it’s been abandoned for so long, with elements that seem ‘stuck in time’ from that fateful day in 1983 when the mill closed. For example, from within an abandoned crashed truck at the gate to Mystic Timbers guests can hear radio shows playing. If they listen carefully, they’ll hear a talk show speculating on the mill closing interrupted by music and Kings Island advertisements from 1983.
They then reach a Guard Shack, finding it empty. On the security screens, glimpses of guards who are out chasing interlopers sneaking around the mill can be seen and as guests get closer to the Load Station, the messages from the guards get more frantic, warning them not to go in the Shed. They then board the coaster and twist, turn and race though a mysterious timber forest until they inevitably come to the Shed and discover the secrets hidden inside. This creates a total guest experience from start to finish.
But guests will never discover all of its secrets. Mystic Timbers is unique in that the experience changes, playing out different scenarios, so guests are unlikely the see the same show twice. Multiple rides are essential to truly discover ‘What’s in the Shed’.
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