Two new ‘Wizard of Oz’ roller coasters now open
Roller coasters themed to “The Wizard of Oz” — Flight of the Wicked Witch and Kansas Twister — are now open at Warner Bros. Movie World in Australia.
Warner Bros. Movie World in Oxenford, Australia opened a “Wizard of Oz” theme park land, complete with two new roller coasters, on Dec. 20, 2024.
Photo by Luke Sciacchitano / Warner Bros. Movie World Australia
Flight of the Wicked Witch is a suspended coaster, meaning the track is above the coaster train rather than below it. The ride reaches speeds of 67 km/h (or 42 mph) and a height of 19 meters (or 63 feet). Onboard the roller coaster, riders imagine themselves as soaring alongside the Wicked Witch’s flying monkeys, just like in “The Wizard of Oz.” Flight of the Wicked Witch is in “technical rehearsal,” according to the park’s website, which states the coaster’s “operational times may vary while our teams fine-tune their operations of the attraction.”
Kansas Twister — based on the tornado that barrels through the Gales’ farm in “The Wizard of Oz” — is a boomerang roller coaster, traveling forward along its track, pausing, then traveling back along the same track backward. It reaches speeds of 58 km/h (or 36 mph) and a height of 22 meters (or 72 feet).
“We have worked closely with our partners at Warner Bros. Discovery Global Experiences to make this one of the most immersive and beautifully themed precincts in any Australian theme park,” said Clark Kirby, CEO of theme park company Village Roadshow, “and we can’t wait for our guests to experience it.”
The area at Warner Bros. Movie World Australia is advertised as the “world’s first ‘Wizard of Oz’ precinct.” Though that claim with that exact verbiage may be true, it’s not the first example of the “Wizard of Oz” story being adapted into theme park attractions. The precinct follows in the footsteps of:
- Land of Oz, a former theme park in Beech Mountain, N.C. that now serves as the location of the Autumn at Oz festival annually
- The Great Movie Ride, a now-closed attraction at Disney-MGM Studios (now Disney’s Hollywood Studios) near Orlando, Fla. which featured “The Wizard of Oz” as its finale scene, complete with an advanced Audio-Animatronics figure depicting the Wicked Witch of the West
- Wicked: The Experience, a walk-through venue with merchandise, movie props, and character greetings at Universal Studios Florida
See more from the roller coasters and atmosphere inside the new “Wizard of Oz” precinct at Warner Bros. Movie World in this video:
More Attractions Magazine stories:
Follow us:
No matter where you want to go, our trusted partner MEI-Travel will handle the planning so you can focus on the memories. They offer free vacation-planning services and have nearly 20 years of experience creating memorable vacations. Visit MEI-Travel for a fee-free, no-obligation quote today.
