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From The Orlando Sentinel:

Seaworld Will Replace 'Believe' Next Year

SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment will launch a new killer-whale show next spring in its three U.S. marine parks, as it attempts to move beyond the February death of a trainer that has shadowed the company for nearly a year.

Jim Atchison, SeaWorld Parks' president and chief executive officer, said in an interview with the Orlando Sentinel on Monday that the as-yet-unnamed show will replace the 4-year-old "Believe" as the signature attraction at SeaWorld parks in Orlando, San Diego and San Antonio.

"We've been working very hard at developing a new concept that I think is going to be very exciting," Atchison said.

Atchison said the new show has been in the works for roughly a year. But the timetable for its debut was accelerated following the Feb. 24 death of Dawn Brancheau, the 40-year-old SeaWorld Orlando trainer who was killed by a six-ton orca named Tilikum.

Brancheau's death prompted SeaWorld to pull all of its trainers out of its orca pools while it conducted a still-ongoing trainer-safety review. That in turn forced an awkward, on-the-fly rework of Believe, a 30-minute show that emphasizes the close relationship between killer whales and trainers and which had relied heavily on in-water interactions.

Atchison declined to say whether trainers will be back in the water for the new show. SeaWorld has said it will not re-institute trainers' "water work" with killer whales unless it can make sufficient safety improvements.

But Atchison said the safety review launched after Brancheau's death has helped shape plans for the new show.

"We've certainly changed the scope of the shows and the impact of the shows," he said.

Industry analysts say designing a new killer-whale performance is an important step toward turning the page on the Brancheau tragedy, which has hung like a cloud over SeaWorld throughout the year. Even now, nearly nine months later, SeaWorld continues to battle both the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and multiple private lawsuits.

"They almost have to [create a new show] to go forward," said Jerry Aldrich, president of Amusement Industry Consulting in Orlando. "It is important, and it is important for them to do it now, to get rid of the negative connotations of the problems they had."

That said, other factors are also driving SeaWorld's overhaul of its killer-whale show. The company faces increased competition for tourists, particularly in Orlando, where Universal Orlando this year opened the wildly popular Wizarding World of Harry Potter in its Islands of Adventure theme park and Walt Disney World is in the midst of expanding the Fantasyland section of its Magic Kingdom park.

And SeaWorld, like other parks, must periodically reinvent its live shows to ensure repeat visits by guests. Believe is now in its fifth year; SeaWorld's previous orca show, "The Shamu Adventure," ran for eight years.

"All of this stuff has compelled SeaWorld to make a change," said Robert Niles, publisher of ThemeParkInsider.com.

Designing a new killer-whale performance, which Atchison called "our marquee attraction for the SeaWorld parks," is expensive. Just the improvements made to SeaWorld Orlando's Shamu Stadium for Believe reportedly topped $10 million.

SeaWorld is expected to unveil thematic details of the new show in coming weeks. Atchison said it would be "stunning."

"It's going to be a great show, an exciting show, and I think something that's going to have a big impact on the guest experience," he said.

[PhantomCat]

Wouldn't it be neat if they came up with an attraction like Spiderman but longer and with a Sea theme? Can't you just see that in their parks as a main attraction for 2011?

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One Ocean opens this weekend at SeaWorld Orlando.


http://www.insideseaworld.com/one-ocean-debuts-seaworld-orlando-april-22

SeaWorld parks across the U.S. will soon debut an all-new Shamu show this spring and summer, connecting you and your family to the sea with a new level of energy, excitement and vibrancy as it educates and inspires you to make a difference in this world.

SeaWorld Orlando launches One Ocean on April 22.

“One Ocean” features SeaWorld’s majestic killer whales as ambassadors of the sea, and the ocean as the center of our natural world. The show connects you with these remarkable animals and immerses the you in the vivid colors and sensations of the underwater world. At the core of the show is the unifying message that both animals and humans are part of one world, with one ocean, and its future is in our hands to cherish and protect.

This new show is what you love about our parks – thrilling entertainment that educates and inspires you to celebrate, connect and care for the world we share.

One Ocean features spectacular whale behaviors, including thrilling high-energy leaps and multiple whales performing simultaneously. The whales interact in new ways with trainers, the audience, each other, and even the set itself. In one segment, the whales play amid giant fountains.

Shamu Stadium – with its three-story set, panoramic LED screens and hundreds of surround-sound speakers – will feature special effects that envelop you in the show experience, including brilliantly colored lights; soaring fountains; stunning underwater imagery and an original, contemporary musical score with global rhythms.

But even more important is the educational message the show imparts: we are all part of one world and have the power to make a difference. The message of caring and respect for the world we share is woven throughout the show – encouraging guests to make a difference through their own everyday actions.

Find out more at http://www.SeaWorldOrlando.com/OneOcean

More on the Making of One Ocean:

http://www.insideseaworld.com/beneath-surface-making-seaworlds-new-killer-whale-show-one-ocean

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http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-04-21/travel/os-seaworld-new-shamu-show-20110421_1_dawn-brancheau-kelly-flaherty-clark-killer-whale-show

SeaWorld's new killer-whale show 'One Ocean' awash with inspiration

SeaWorld Orlando's new killer-whale show includes old favorites, new maneuvers on display and a message designed to inspire landlubbers.

"The title itself, 'One Ocean,' says we're all in one world, the world is one ocean and we as a species can make a difference," says Kelly Flaherty Clark, SeaWorld's director of animal training. "We're hoping people leave affected, changed and inspired to change the world."

"One Ocean" makes its debut Friday, April 22, at the theme park's Shamu Stadium. It replaces the "Believe" show, which started at SeaWorld in 2006.
AdvertisementThe tone of the new show is a notch less New Age-y than its predecessor. One segment of the 22-minute show is decidedly playful, both musically and in the whales' performances.

"We see them interact with each other in ways that look a lot like the way kids interact with each other," Clark says.

"While we're watching them on their free time, they're interacting with one another as mother and calf, they're interacting with one another as two young adolescents, they're interacting with each other in courtship, and we've witnessed all these things throughout the years," she says. "We want to share some of that with the audience."

Guests may spot Makaio, the park's youngest whale, in action during "One Ocean." He was born in Orlando in October.

"He's absolutely adorable because he does not stick to script," Clark says. "He does what Makaio would like to do. We're perfectly OK with that."

Although a new show is being put into place, the whales aren't unnerved by that, Clark says. They are accustomed to change.

"The animals don't live in a predictable environment," she says. "Their show is different every time you see it. They really don't know what's coming up next."

The whales respond to trainers' signals and to underwater tones not heard by the audience. "One Ocean" has less choreographed movement by the trainers, Clark says.

"We let you see our relationship with the whales and how we interact with them right through the glass," she says.

Trainers are not in the tank with the whales for "One Ocean." The practice was suspended after the death of trainer Dawn Brancheau in early 2010.

The Shamu Stadium stage is still dominated by a fluke — the tail of a whale — but the structure is taller now and more colorful than the black-and-white version for "Believe." Trainer costumes are also brighter. The rotating video screens remain but with new imagery of the sea, above and below its surface.

The splash zone is bound to get even wetter with the addition of 35 fountains that line the base of the seating area. Some are choreographed to shoot water 35 feet straight up, others go in an arc over the pool for 50 feet.

"I'm sounding very theatrical here, but they bring the audience in," Clark says. "They connect the audience with the show."

The presentation is bookended with messages about becoming involved and finding personal inspiration. In the beginning, guests may notice the whale-inspired necklace that played a key part in "Believe." That represents a transition.

"'Believe' was about believing in yourself," Clark says. "This show is about 'Go out there and do it. Make a difference.'"