The redesigned water ride Area 51 – Top Secret has been inaugurated at Movie Park Germany, following a transformation of the former attraction, Bermuda Triangle – Alien Encounter.

Secret alien laboratory, UFO experimental area or secret US government base – numerous rumours are circulating about the mysterious restricted military zone Area 51. Now it is high time to dispel these stories! From now on, visitors to Movie Park Germany will be able to get to the bottom of the legendary restricted area and explore its secrets themselves at the newly designed attraction Area 51 – Top Secret.

Area 51 – Top Secret features a new pre-show, new music, numerous special effects and detailed theming throughout the queue and attraction.

Thorsten Backhaus, Managing Director of Movie Park Germany:

“With today’s opening of ‘Area 51 – Top Secret’ we are presenting all our visitors with another season highlight. This attraction has been one of the most popular rides since the Park’s beginnings. We are thus particularly fond of this project, and the ride’s refurbishment is an essential part of our quality strategy. We are proud of the result and look forward to taking our visitors on a new exciting journey to one of the most mysterious places in the world.”

The popular family ride – unique in Europe on an area of more than 4,000 sq/m with a mixture of dark ride and water ride – does not only involve a new story line. The external redesign of the attraction also takes visitors directly to Groom Lake in the Nevada desert, where the famous restricted US military area is located. The idea and concept came from Movie Park Germany’s own creative department, which developed it in close cooperation with the IMAmedia team.

The attraction takes visitors back to the 1950s...

"The military area around Area 51 is a big secret for the population; rumours about supernatural life forms at Groom Lake have become louder and louder. Do aliens really work there for the US government? Are alien spaceships housed there? Access to the area is usually top secret! However, due to the persistent rumors, the US government, together with the Department of Defence, is organising the first official open day for the public to visit the Air Force Base, designed to provide more transparency for the population. During this mysterious journey, visitors will be able to find out for themselves just how much truth is behind the stories."

Guests can look forward to the ride’s new, epic musical identity, composed by IMAscore, which will accompany them during their discovery tour. The IMAscore team recorded the theme of Area 51 – Top Secret with real instruments. The soundtrack of the attraction has also been completely redesigned and is based on a movie of this genre with a calm introduction, nerve-racking tension in the main part and the epic finale when the boat returns to Groom Lake Air Force Base after a mysterious adventure.

Manuel Prossotowicz, Project Manager for Area 51 – Top Secret:

“The entire set and design now fit the storyline even better. From the new preshow to the scenes in the attraction itself, we have freshened up the content and design of the attraction and breathed new life into it”, sums up Project Manager Manuel Prossotowicz. “In addition, we have also redone numerous effects and sounds to offer visitors a spectacular overall experience. We have overhauled the aliens already used for the ride. Of course, they are still the main actors of the ride and should not be left out in ‘Area 51’."

To make the attraction as authentic as possible, numerous props and even genuine military items from the US Air Force were used: starting with the 100 percent true-to-original replicas of the Area 51 warning signs, a 1:3 scale military aircraft, typical US power poles, a surveillance tower or the typical Willy US military jeeps. Original military camp beds from 1950, original components of a US jet and genuine aircraft parts complete the attraction. One eye-catching highlight is also a 300 sq/m original US Army parachute, normally used to make heavy loads and jeeps sail to the ground.

Movie Park Germany not only redesigned the turntable and the boats of the ride in terms of colour but also completely overhauled and adapted them to the theme of the US Air Force Base. The design and color schemes selected by the project team are strictly based on the original colours of the period. Since the Air Force base is located in the Nevada desert, the former volcano has also been adapted to the story line and now boasts a new, red shine – matching the stones and rocks in the American desert – and has been given the typical mine entrance look of the region.