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A roaring 19-ft-tall Indricotherium and a growling, snapping, 25-ft long pre-historic crocodile are among the many museum quality animatronic creatures from the Sally Corporation awaiting visitors inside Spain’s newest dark ride, El Último Minuto (The Last Minute).
Grand opening ceremonies in July drew one of the largest opening day crowds ever seen at Dinopólis, the unique new complex of attractions and scientific laboratories located in Teruel, Aragon. Numerous dignitaries attended the event.
The new attraction is a 2,700 sq ft water-based dark ride that takes visitors on an incredible four-minute voyage through time in multi-passenger boats. It shows man’s journey from primate to homosapien using 39 animatronic beings, plus five static figures. All are scientifically correct and range from two full sized woolly mammoths, a sabre-toothed tiger and cave bear to the small, chimp-like Dryopitecus.
“We had constant professional guidance and oversight from a team of paleontologists and anthropologists to ensure scientific accuracy,” says Sally president Howard Kelley. “What truly distinguishes this ride is the quality of the animatronics and scenic work. This level of authenticity within a theme park environment is unparalleled, and a great compliment to the studies conducted in the laboratories at Dinópolis.” The excitement and mystery of the evolutionary story is enhanced by dramatic custom music, also by Sally, along with scents and special effects.
The journey begins with the end of the dinosaur era, conveyed in a dramatic multimedia first scene where meteors hit earth and dinosaur screams are heard in the distance. Then visitors move through a rain curtain into the world of huge, pre-historic animals. Overall design of the ride was supplied by CB Ocio of Madrid, with Sally Corporation providing the animatronic and static creatures, soundtracks, special effects, lighting, audio and control equipment. Pleyade Arts of Spain created all rockwork, foliage and other scenic work.
Dinópolis, which is owned by the Aragon Provincial Government, serves as a centre for serious paleontological studies, yet is combined with attractions that are both entertaining and educational. The local area has provided a wealth of scientific material about dinosaurs and pre-historic life for study at Dinópolis.
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FUN EXPO - Las Vegas, USA - 23 - 25 September, 2008
LIW 2008 - Birmingham, UK - 23 - 24 September, 2008
TILEZONE - Lódz, Poland - 27 - 29 September, 2008
IAAPA SUMMER MEETING - Munich, Germany - 30 September - 02 October, 2008
EURO ATTRACTIONS SHOW - Munich, Germany - 16 - 18 October, 2008
SUREXPO - Warsaw, Poland - 29 - 31 October, 2008
INTERSCHAU / TECHNOFOLIES - Stuttgart, Germany - 29 - 30 October, 2008
WWA TRADE SHOW - Las Vegas, USA - 18 - 21 November, 2008
IAAPA ATTRACTIONS EXPO - Orlando, USA
