snorts and giggles

Peppa Pig reveals all the rides coming to new Fort Worth-area theme park

Peppa Pig Theme Park will open in North Richland Hills in 2024.

Photo courtesy of Peppa Pig Theme Park

Peppa Pig is arriving soon in North Richland Hills, and the beloved British cartoon character is bringing families new ways to soar, sail, slide, and splash around: The new Peppa Pig Theme Parkhas revealed all the rides and attractions that visitors can expect when it opens in 2024.

According to a release, the "oinktastic experiences" will include five rides, seven themed playscapes, a water play area, and more.

"Designed to be the ultimate experience for little ones, the new theme park combines interactive rides and themed playgrounds with character shows and an indoor cinema for climate-controlled entertainment," park organizers say in the release. "Every corner of the charming new park is crafted with preschoolers in mind, from their first roller coaster rides and fairground games with the whole family, to a pedal path adventure built just for kids, and a colorful splash pad that celebrates 'muddy puddles' jumping fun."

Park attractions will include:

Rides
Daddy Pig's Roller Coaster: A "beginner" roller coaster featuring Daddy Pig driving his iconic red car on a curvy exploration. "This family-friendly thrill ride is the perfect first roller coaster for brave little visitors," the release says.

Peppa Pig's Balloon Ride: A family-friendly aerial carousel ride that takes guests soaring into the sky for thrilling views of the whole theme park.

Grandad Dog's Pirate Boat Ride: A boat ride in search of hidden treasure with Grandad Dog.

Grampy Rabbit's Dinosaur Adventure: An epic dino quest (while riding on a dinosaur) that searches for prehistoric surprises through Grampy Rabbit's Dinosaur Park.

Mr. Bull's High Striker: A hammer hits the bell on Mr. Bull's High Striker, and the whole family bounces up to the sky. "Hold on tight and be prepared for a surprise because, after all, what goes up, must come down," they say.

Play spaces and attractions
Muddy Puddles Splash Pad: A water play area with spouting fountains, slides, and of course, splashing around in "muddy puddles."

Peppa's Pedal Bike Tour and George's Tricycle Trail: A pedal experience that takes kids on camping adventure in the woods, and through mountains and more.

Fun Fair: A fairground adventure with Peppa her friends, filled with free games and rides, including Miss Rabbit's hot air balloon and Mr. Bull's High Striker ride.

George's Fort: A maze through Granny Pig's Garden leads to George's Fort, "just waiting to be explored," they tease.

Grandpa Pig's Greenhouse: A chance to slide around Grandpa Pig's Greenhouse and see what he's growing.

Peppa Pig's Treehouse: Peppa's (not-so-high) treehouse that can be climbed up and then descended via a slide to the bottom, wheeeee!

Rebecca Rabbit's Playground: A playground that encourages kids to get active by finding all the ways to play - jump, crawl, or hop around the rabbit burrows.

Madame Gazelle's Nature Trail: A nature pathway of mysterious footprints to follow and explore with Madame Gazelle.

Mr. Potato's Showtime Arena: Mr. Potato's stage offers live shows featuring songs, games, snorts, and giggles all day long.

The Cinema: Favorite episodes of Peppa Pig will be played on the big screen in an indoor theater.

Announced in spring 2023, the North Richland Hills location (under construction at 8851 26 Blvd.) will be just the second Peppa Pig Theme Park in the world, following one that opened in Lakeland, Florida in early 2022. It will also be an expansion of the Peppa Pig brand in Dallas-Fort Worth, as Peppa Pig World of Play opened at Grapevine Mills in 2019.

"As many preschoolers' first best friend, Peppa encourages kids to explore the world with confidence, treating every first step as a new adventure, from the everyday to the epic," the release says.

The park comes from Merlin Entertainments, which also owns brands like LEGOLAND, Madame Tussauds.

The exact opening date for the park has not yet been revealed, beyond "2024." Fans can sign up for Peppa Pig Theme Park emails at peppapigthemepark.com/dallas-ft-worth to stay up to date.

Peppa Pig Theme Park is not the only major family attraction coming to the Dallas-Fort Worth area. A Universal Studios-branded Universal Kids Resort is also in the works in Frisco.

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Alex Bentley contributed to this story.

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Movie Review

Long-anticipated Wicked movie adaptation does not disappoint

Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-Butera in Wicked.

The musical Wicked is indisputably the biggest Broadway smash of the 21st century, having grossed more $1.6 billion in New York alone and achieving the rare feat of running for over 20 years. All of which is to say that the long-awaited movie adaptation of The Wizard of Oz prequel will most likely be a massive success whether it lives up to what longtime fans envisioned or not.

Part one — yes, this 2 hour and 40 minute film is merely the first act of the musical; part two arrives a year from now — introduces Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), the green-skinned witch who goes on to become Dorothy’s nemesis, and G(a)linda (Ariana Grande-Butera), the pink-garbed “good” witch, as they meet at Shiz University in Oz. Glinda is the ultra-popular one with sycophantic hangers-on, while Elphaba is shunned by almost everyone, sometimes including her disabled sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode), who’s desperate to make her own space away from Elphaba.

Her mistreatment by others leads Elphaba to get angry, which manifests itself in uncontrollable magic. Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) notices this and takes a personal interest in her, giving her one-on-one instruction in hopes of harnessing her power. In the meantime, Elphaba and Glinda attempt to go from forced roommates to actual friends, although Glinda’s entitled personality is more of an obstacle than anything else they encounter.

Directed by Jon M. Chu and written by original book writer Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox, the film does a great job of distinguishing itself from the stage version while still remaining true to what made it so beloved. As Chu showed in his last film, In the Heights, he has an innate feel for how to tap into the essence of the source material while expanding it into something befitting the scope of a blockbuster movie.

In this case, he finds a way to give even greater emphasis to the bigotry that Elphaba faces simply because of her green skin; the fact that she is being played by a Black woman drives home the point even more. The story remains light and fluffy for the most part, but the ostracization/otherness that Elphaba feels is delivered in a powerful way, as is her empathy for talking animals like Dr. Dillamond (voiced by Peter Dinklage), who are facing their own persecution.

Of course, the highlight of the film is Stephen Schwartz’s music, and while not all of the songs are equal in impact, they still make for a cohesive whole. The number of songs and order they appear in the first act is identical to the stage musical, with the standouts remaining “The Wizard and I,” “Popular,” and “Defying Gravity.” While there is some superfluous action and cutaways added to certain numbers, it’s not enough to distract from what makes the songs effective.

Oddly, the progression of the friendship between Elphaba and Glinda works better on stage when the timeline is accelerated, but Erivo and Grande-Butera make up for this slight lack with their fantastic performances. The emotion each brings to their characters fits them almost perfectly, and there’s simply no denying the strength of each of their voices. Bode, Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Ethan Slater as Boq, and more make for a solid supporting cast.

The well-known ending of the first act of Wicked is a huge high point that is so good that it almost makes up for the fact that audiences won’t see the second film for a long time. But if part one is any indication, part two should turn out to be another great musical theater adaptation in a decade that has already seen its fair share.

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Wicked opens in theaters on November 22.

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