I Went On Movie World’s ‘Scooby-Doo’ Ride And I’m Sad To Report It Doesn’t Hit As Hard As An Adult

Going to Movie World was one of the greatest things that could have ever happened to us when we were children.

It was (and still is for that matter), the best theme park in Australia, by far. And the main reason for that is simply because it had the best rides. Movie World had the Superman Escape, the Batwing Spaceshot and the Wild West Falls Adventure Ride. But, let me tell you, these three rides combined didn’t live up to the hype of the Scooby-Doo ride. 

Going on the Scooby-Doo ride was one of the best things that ever happened to me as a kid. From waiting in line and watching the entire Scooby-Doo movie to getting inside the creepy Jester cars, I was beyond excited to go through the haunted ghost ride castle. And the ride not only met my expectations, but it exceeded them.

In the ride, you would zoom through the castle that appeared in the movie. Movie World’s attention to detail was beyond flawless. There were the same creepy monsters, there were the swinging axes, even the art on the wall bore a very strong resemblance to what was in the movie. And don’t even get me started on the thrill that I got when I was flung backwards in the latter half of the ride. 

All-in-all, it was forever burnt into my brain that the ride was the greatest of all time. So, when I visited Movie World as a full-grown adult in 2021, I was expecting it to be a highlight. But, let me tell you, it did not hit as hard. Like, at all. 

Let’s Talk Why The Scooby-Doo Ride Didn’t Hit As Hard 

Firstly, given its phenomenal reputation, this ride had the longest wait time out of all of the rollercoasters. And sure, it’s partly my fault for going during the school holidays, but that’s neither here nor there. The wait for this ride was too long and unjustifiable that I ended up paying $20 to jump the queue to the very front. Money aside, I was still excited. 

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Somehow, In The One Ride, I Was Able To See Everything & Yet Nothing At All

I was placed in the front carriage of the ride, which I initially thought was great, but as it turns out, it was bad. Like, very bad. Because my 6-foot self was placed in the front, I was able to see the tracks of the roller coaster ahead of me, which meant that all the previous jump-scares were being seen from a mile away. As a result, the scary swinging-axes suddenly were not so scary. 

But, while we’re on the subject of seeing things, can we talk about the fact that half of the ride operates in literal darkness?! Was this always the case? The level of disorientation was far too much, my God. You can watch the ride here:

Over the years, Movie World has gone to an effort to update the ride to keep it fresh and modern, and this update comes in the form of TVscreens in one section of the ride. Now, while this may have been cool, due to a slight glitch, I was taken out of the illusion and I low-key got a little claustrophobic. But, seeing Scrappy-Doo evolve into his monster form was actually quite cool. 

Look, all-in-all this ride wasn’t bad at all, it just paled in comparison to my initial experience when I was a kid. But, don’t take my word for it, go try it out for yourself.  The sheer amount of nostalgia that’s embedded in Movie World is enough to justify the price ticket anyway.

While we’re talking about theme parks, let’s reflect on the time there was meant to be a Hunger Games one.