The Ilyas & Mustafa Galadari Group (IMG) has confirmed that the indoor theme park it is developing at City of Arabia in Dubai will be known as IMG Worlds of Adventure and feature four themed zones.
The latest zone to be revealed, appearing alongside the Marvel Zone and Cartoon Network Zone, will be the The Lost Valley. This “immersive” environment will house the park’s already announced Mack launch coaster, to be called The Velociraptor, as the latest technology and special effects are employed to bring dinosaurs back to life. Whilst other zones are being developed with partners including Marvel Entertainment and Turner CN Enterprises, IMG believes it has developed a unique concept for The Lost Valley and hopes to develop a trademark and intellectual property for use in other attractions worldwide.
“The project will ensure that the visitors get to witness life-like dinosaurs and experience the same thrill levels as if they were ever to see the dinosaurs for real,” said brothers Ilyas & Mustafa Galadari in a joint statement. “We are expecting the park to set a new benchmark in the industry locally and globally.”
Scheduled to open later this year, the 1.2 million square feet (25.5-acres/111,484 sq m) IMG Worlds of Adventure will form part of the wider City of Arabia project at Dubailand. Situated adjacent to Dubai’s arterial Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road, it is touted as one of the region’s biggest new entertainment destinations, and the largest-climate controlled facility of its kind in the world, boasting capacity for up 10,000 visitors per day.
Over a quarter of the IMG component (350,000 sq ft) will be given over to the Marvel Zone, featuring retail outlets, dining facilities and a range of interactive experiences featuring much loved Marvel superheroes including Spider-Man, Thor and The Incredible Hulk. In the United Arab Emirates, Marvel’s The Avengers has broken 30 box office records and is already the region’s third most successful film of all time.
The Cartoon Network Zone, accounting for 200,000 sq ft, will deliver a number of world-first attractions including The Amazing World of Gumball, Adventure Time and Lazy Town. IMG Worlds of Adventure will also feature the world’s largest Ben 10 retail store and the first ever Ben 10 5D ride, along with branded restaurants and other branded immersive experiences. The Cartoon Network Arabic TV channel and website were launched in October 2010.
The Ilyas & Mustafa Galadari Group boasts a diverse business portfolio including real estate, hospitality, automobiles, luxury boat distribution, food storage and transport. A fourth and final zone for IMG Worlds of Adventure will be announced shortly.
Below: The Velociraptor (Mack launch coaster) will feature as part of The Lost Valley at IMG Worlds of Adventure
