Key Information
Blackpool Pleasure Beach has confirmed long-standing rumours that it will open a ride based on the popular animated duo Wallace & Gromit. Dubbed Wallace & Gromit's Thrill-O-Matic, the £5.25 million attraction is due to open at the park in 2013. It will replace the classic Gold Mine ride, which closed in 2011.
The seaside amusement park has promised that a range of well-known characters from Wallace & Gromit's animated adventures will feature in Thrill-O-Matic. Riders are set to traverse the dark ride in around four minutes, witnessing key moments from award-winning classics such as A Grand Day Out, The Wrong Trousers and A Close Shave. They will then disembark into a new shop that will sell Wallace and Gromit merchandise.
The Gold Mine closed to the public on September 25, 2011, with construction work having been ongoing since. The ride had been in place since 1971, and saw riders board mine car vehicles before travelling through a series of scenes depicting a gold rush era mine. Its track is expected to be reused for Thrill-O-Matic, with the scenes being replaced by ones populated by animatronic Wallace & Gromit characters.