Theme parks have long been an especially immersive way for guests to experience the worlds of their favorite film and TV franchises through rides and other attractions. Walt Disney Parks and Universal Studios have transformed that idea into something massive in scale with many of their creations, such as through the recent addition of Avengers Campus in Disney’s California Adventure or the cutting-edge Velocicoaster at Universal. It regularly has us thinking about what other series could make great rides. How about Ghostbusters?
The franchise that recently continued with the release of Ghostbusters: Afterlife last month is a Sony property, so it doesn’t fall immediately in the territory of our favorite theme parks. However, the film’s director, Jason Reitman, did recently share a great idea for a ride should it ever become possible. In the fillmmaker's words to Collider:
The chase sequence in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, with Phoebe hanging outside of Ecto-1, flying around corners, trying to catch Muncher. I mean, that is something I want to live, I want to know what it feels like to hang out the side of the car. I made it because, you know, I’m trying to relive fantasies of riding in the DeLorean or riding on speeder bikes on Endor in Return of the Jedi. So if I could know what it felt like… There’s that great ride at Universal Orlando, it’s a Hogwarts ride where you’re on Hagrid’s motorbike with the sidecar. And if we could do something like that with Ecto-1, so down.
Yeah… I’m sold and ready to get in line. A Ghostbusters ride could be an absolute blast, and there are so many ways it could be done. Of course, having the iconic Ecto-1 as the vehicle guests ride, as some ghostly nonsense occurs around them, would be especially awesome. Jason Reitman, who took on director’s duties for Afterlife after his father Ivan Reitman made the first two movies, even offered a great reference from Universal. Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, is a great comparison and is, of course, one of the most awesome additions to the Orlando park in recent memory.
Sony is actually getting into the theme park game with an amusement park coming to Thailand called the Columbia Pictures Aquaverse. The place had an opening delay due to COVID-19 but is expected to make a decision this month about when it will allow guests in. The water park includes a Ghostbusters-themed water slide, but that isn't anywhere near the possibilities a ride at Universal would take it. And it could technically happen considering other studios have worked before with Universal to get rides made. For example, there’s the tried-and-true Spider-Man attraction in Universal Orlando, and that’s a property also owned by Sony. Oh, and Warner Bros. owns the Harry Potter universe, yet it has a major presence in Universal.
Afterlife serves as a sequel to the first two Ghostbusters movies that focuses on the grandchildren of Harold Ramis’ Egon Spengler, played by Mckenna Grace and Finn Wolfhard, who move to a rural town in Oklahoma and begin to uncover the Ghostbusters past. It's a sweet film and one that's definitely ripe with theme park ideas,
Ghostbusters: Afterlife is still playing in theaters, and you can check out our interviews with the cast here on CinemaBlend.
