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Ratatouille: The Ride artwork

2014 promises to be a huge year for the world's theme parks. In Florida, Universal Orlando will open the eagerly-anticipated Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley, while Walt Disney World will finally complete the New Fantasyland expansion at the Magic Kingdom. Elsewhere in North America, Six Flags will open new attractions at every single one of its parks, while Cedar Fair will experiment with a new kind of dark ride at Canada's Wonderland.

There's excitement in Europe, too, where Disneyland Paris will open a major new attraction - one that is completely original to the resort. Europa Park will add a new area featuring a prototype roller coaster, and Sweden's Liseberg will open an enormous new coaster, too. Italy will welcome an entire new ambitious movie studio-themed park.

The industry is growing fast in Asia, and China's parks will continue to expand with a host of new rides. In Japan, excitement will be focused on Universal Studios Japan's clone of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

To give you an idea of the breadth of new rides that will be on offer this year, let's take a look at 50 new theme park attractions that will debut in 2014! And remember...even this lengthy list is not exhaustive.

50. 10 Inversion Coaster (Cinecittà World, Italy)

10 Inversion Coaster

Originally due to open in 2011, then postponed several times, Cinecittà World is finally due to open in 2014. It will feature rides and shows inspired by Cinecittà Studios movies and television shows, and will be located just outside of Rome. One of the headline rides will be a clone of Thorpe Park's 10-inversion roller coaster Colossus, complete with some impressive spaceship theming.

49. Angry Birds Dodgems (Thorpe Park, UK)

Bad Piggies

Thorpe Park will open a new land themed around the Angry Birds mobile game for the 2014 season. This will feature a dodgems ride with cars themed around Red Bird and the Bad Piggies.

48. Pipe Scream (Cedar Point, USA)

Pipe Scream

Image © Cedar Point

One of two new additions to the Gemini Midway for the 2014 season, Pipe Scream will be a Zamperla Disk'O Coaster.

It will see riders seated on a rectangular gondola, which will race up and down an undulating, coaster-style track, spinning as it goes. A "camelback" hill creates a floating sensation in the centre of the ride's circuit.

47. Lake Erie Eagles (Cedar Point, USA)

Lake Erie Eagles

Image © Cedar Point

Another new addition to the Gemini Midway for the 2014 season, Lake Erie Eagles will be a flying scooters attraction similar to those of days gone by. It will feature eight glider-style vehicles that rotate around a central tower, with riders able to control the height of their individual eagle.

46. Victorian Carousel (Paultons Park, UK)

Victorian Carousel

Paultons Park will install an old-fashioned Victorian Carousel close to the Viking Boats Ride for the start of the 2014 season. It promises that "the magical, hand-crafted Carousel will transport guests back in time to enjoy the most iconic fairground ride of all, set in a beautiful period-themed garden."

45. Scorpion Express (Chessington World of Adventures, UK)

Runaway Train

John Wardley's famous Runaway Train roller coaster will receive a makeover for the 2014 season, re-emerging as Scorpion Express. The Mexicana Area of the park will be renamed as "Scorpion Valley", with the coaster being set within "a land of sweeping sands and gold mines".

44. Cocoa Cruiser (Hersheypark, USA)

Cocoa Cruiser
Image © Hersheypark

Cocoa Cruiser, a small family roller coaster, will join Hersheypark's line-up in 2014. The park promises that the steel coaster will "allow our younger guests to experience the thrill of a coaster for the first time."

The park will also add a Tea Cups attraction and the child-friendly Happy Swing for the new season.

43. Magic Mouse (Pleasurewood Hills, UK)

Magic Mouse

One of the most popular attractions at Pleasurewood Hills during the early 2000s was the spinning Magic Mouse roller coaster. The park has been teasing its return in 2014, with the Twitter hashtag "#mouseisback".

In reality, the former Wild Mouse coaster from Flamingo Land is on its way to the park. It doesn't spin, but does feature a number of hairpin turns.

42. Camp Snoopy expansion (Knott's Berry Farm, USA)

Camp Snoopy concept art

Image © Cedar Fair

Knott's Berry Farm will add 3 new rides to its Camp Snoopy area for the 2014 season. The first, Charlie Brown's Kite Flyer, will invite campers to "fly a kite" with Charlie Brown and soar above Camp Snoopy's winding paths and babbling streams. The second, Pig Pen's Mud Buggies, lets kids climb aboard their very own all-terrain vehicle for an adventurous ride around the High Sierras. The final new addition, Linus Launcher recreates that classic Peanut’s moment when Snoopy grabs Linus’ blanket and launches him on a wild ride.

41. Legendary Dragon (Romon World, China)

Legendary Dragon

Image: Weibo.com

China's latest new theme park, Romon World, is expected to open in late 2014. One of its headline rides will be Legendary Dragon, a Premier Rides launched roller coaster.

 
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