Starlight Spectacular (Canada's Wonderland)

Starlight Spectacular
Canada's Wonderland
Area	International Street
Status	Operating
Cost	1,000,000
Soft opening date	2011: No soft opening 2012: June 22 2013: June 26 2016: June 24
Opening date	2011: June 25, 2011 2013: June 22, 2013
Closing date	2011: September 3, 2011 2012: September 3, 2011 2013: August 31, 2013 2015: September 4, 2015
Replaced	Eruption
Ride statistics
Attraction type	Light, water, and sound show
Manufacturer	A Unique Canada's Wonderland Production
Designer	The Canada's Wonderland Production & Entertainment Team
Model	Starlight Version 7.0.0 (2018)
Theme	2011 - 2012 Projection Mapping Show (Starlight Spectacular) 2013 - 2015 Nightly Water - Sound & Light Show (SS Illumination Of Water) 2016- present Projection Mapping, Water & sound show (Starlight Spectacular Celebration)
Duration	2011: 10:30 minutes (excluding post-show) 2012: 11:12 minutes (excluding post-show) 2013: 15:10 minutes (excluding post-show) 2016: 11:15 minutes (no post-show)
Show Status	Operating (June 25 - September 6)
Wheelchair accessible

Starlight Spectacular is a nightly light and sound show that takes place on Canada's Wonderland's International Street at approximately 10:00 pm EST. The show was introduced to the park for the 2011 season as well to celebrate Canada's Wonderland's 30th birthday (30th operating season). Canada's Wonderland stated that the total cost for the show was approximately 1 million dollars with 16 million different colours and 300,000 LED lights. With the show taking place at the front of the park (International Street), the highlight of the show took place on Wonder Mountain with many different 3D images and many colours. Because the show was created to celebrate Canada's' Wonderland 30th birthday, the show ended on September 3, 2011 which was close to the end of the season. On March 19, 2012, Canada's Wonderland announced exclusively to CW Mania (a fan site for Canada's Wonderland) that the show will return for the 2012 season while on April 13, 2011, Canada's Wonderland announced to the public that the show would return in 2012. The show was created and designed by Tantrum Design for both seasons in 2013 The Canada's Wonderland Production team took the role for the show design and production hiring professional Lighting Designers and Fountain Engineering Company's to take on the installation and production of the 2013 - 2015 .

Synopsis

The show has continued ever since its debut in 2011, but with several changes made each year. The technology is also used during the Halloween Haunt season with unscheduled effects projected on the mountain.

2011 Regular Season

The show began by a single maple leaf flying around Wonder Mountain. Then, along with the single leaf, many more leaves began to fly around the mountain eventually disappearing at the bottom of the mountain. The mountain would then go completely dark and shortly after snow would begin to fall freezing around the mountain causing it to look frozen. Then, the mountain slowly began to transition into the "spring" season where the snow began to disappear, plants began to grow and finally a rainbow formed around the mountain. Butterflies began to fly around the mountain completing the "spring" scene for the show. The music then became more intense and the "spring" scene disappeared leaving what looked like a dark mountain. Fake lightning then began to flash and parts of the mountain began "exploding" pouring out lava. A fake lightning bolt would then strike a part of the mountain leaving a big hole in the mountain. Two yellow eyes came out of the mountain and a dinosaur like creature stepped out screaming and eventually blowing fire around the mountain. The scene ended when the blowing fire covered up the entire mountain.

Next, three white lights would begin to fly around the mountain eventually covering the mountain in a dark blue colour. Almost immediately after the blue colour appeared, a white box appeared in the centre of the mountain. The box then split into three different boxes each with a their own colour (blue, green and red). The green box then began to spill out smaller green cubes. Shortly after, the blue box would begin to spill out smaller blue cubes followed by the red box. The boxes then disintegrated into medium-sized white cubes which would fall over the edge of Wonder Mountain. Once all the cubes finished falling over the edge, the entire mountain became covered in red squares, then turning into green squares and finally blue squares. The blue squares began to move "in and out" and do the "wave". The blue squares would then disappear followed by the mountain being flooded by white squares. A few seconds later, all the squares would crumble down to the bottom of the mountain. Then the mountain began to look like it was moving up and down, left and right and tilting (the mountain itself was actually not moving). Then, once again a number of cubes appeared, moving in all directions. Then, three "strings" which have the colours blue, green and red began flying around the mountain. The mountain would then "collapse" leading on to the next scene.

At the beginning of the next scene, the mountain was completely "invisible" and one by one parts of the top portion of mountain began to appear and begin "moving" and make the sound as if the mountain was a giant machine. Then at the bottom half of Wonder Mountain, moving gears began to appear showing that the mountain was in fact a machine. A white light began moving around the gears. The top of the mountain suddenly began to move faster and faster with the gears become bigger. The white light then left the mountain and split up into two different lights one that was green and once that was aqua blue. (From this point on, the show was now focused around Canada's Wonderland's 30th Birthday) The two lights formed a red light which then (all three lights) turned into "strings". Smaller lights and more "strings" began to appear. Then more small lights (of all colours) appeared and began to fall down the mountain. The music would get somewhat more intense and more lights would appear. The fountains and trees in front of Wonder Mountain would then begin to "dance" to the music right until the show ended.

Blue lights then appeared on the two largest waterfalls on the mountain. The blue lights changed colours and jellyfish like images began to appear beside the waterfalls. Then, the mountain immediately changed scenes and the mountain began flashing colours all over the mountain. Rainbow designs flashed around the mountain and "strings" re-appeared. The mountain then created a multi-colour image where all the colours kept changing never showing the same thing. The images would go away and colours would imitate the four waterfalls on Wonder Mountain. After, a giant disco ball appeared and simulated what a real disco ball would do. The disco ball then fell to the bottom of the mountain and a number of white circles began bouncing around the mountain. After the circles disappear, chains of multi-coloured stars began flying around the mountain. Animated fireworks would then begin to explode on the mountain. Animated balloons followed along with the fireworks. Then, the dinosaur like creature from the beginning of the show re-appeared and began to dance. The dinosaur would disappear and soon after the words "Happy 30th Birthday Canada's Wonderland" along with more animated fireworks and balloons would appear on Wonder Mountain. The show lasted 10 minutes and 30 seconds.

2012 Regular Season

Before the show, a red curtain with the Starlight Spectacular logo is displayed. When the show is ready to begin, the curtain is pulled up and away. A passenger train appears on top of the waterfall ledge as Canadian landmarks are displayed on the rest of the mountain using cutout animation. The Canadian flag and province flags are scrolled through at the peak of the mountain as the scene progresses. The train then rolls off and a spotlight turns its attention to the maple leaf, which begins the "seasons" segment as seen in 2011. In the next scene, the dragon makes an appearance this year, but comes out from behind the falls instead of above. The sound effects/music has been changed. The next two scenes (the 3D effects and furnace scenes) are visually the same but the music has been replaced. The finale segment has the same music but several changed visuals. The scene with the stars has been replaced by a roller coaster, presumably to be loosely based on Thunder Run as it heads back into the mountain when that scene is over. The dragon is no longer wearing a birthday hat and the "Happy 30th Birthday" text has been removed, but the fireworks and balloons are still present. From the dragon, it goes directly to the "Canada's Wonderland" text. Some more visuals have been added behind the "Canada's Wonderland" text as the music comes to an end.

2013 - 2015 Regular Season

Before the show begins there is a 10-minute thunderstorm pre-roll. when the show begins there is a mysterious music swell that leads into show and following the music swell the lights on International Street turn off and the show is ready to begin. The music begins and the fountain's shoots into the air and dances with the music. the mountain is being constantly struck with lightning and lava is being spilled out all over the mountain. as the scene ends the fountains shoot up and they are all red. in the following scene the fountains are flashing with the mountain and the song playing, the fountains twirl and dance to the song and the mountain plays its supporting role as the backdrop in this sequence. the fountain continues to twirl, swirl and dance to the music with vibrant green and blue colored lights and the beam lighting is a UV color pointing at the water fountain and surrounding area. The scene ends and the lighting fades out. The next scene follows with the mountain with streamers draping down from all of the waterfall points and starting the sequence the fountain shoots up in sections this time from the bridge to the front and then all of the beam lights come on in a stunning pattern and move everywhere creating a stunning aura effect and the water fountains continue to follow the music and move around until the scene ends. in the following scene the fountain flashes in an array of colors matching to the mountain. the lights flash a lot of colors and the scene continues with all of the beam lights to come on flashing colors rapidly and moving around the fountain and the surrounding area. The music continues and then the fountain becomes a bot slower creating a rotating spire effect and the lighting is all green and moving around like searchlights. then the scene continues flashing colors rapidly and the fountain lighting also flashes colors rapidly creating a flashing rainbow effect. the scene fade's out and the lights dim off into the next scene. three mountain looks like a giant rock with two sides that move up/down and then the fountain shoots up with red & blue lighting effects and all of the spectacular tree lights come on and the fountain dances with the beat and the scene continues. as the fountains continue to dance the mountain looks like cosmic goop sliding down from the top and then leaking into the fountains created with lighting effects within the fountain. then the scene ends and the final song comes on. the mountain is as specially a supporting role in this scene with the mountain changing with the lyrics of the song like "Tree's Of Green" "Red Roses too" "I See Them Bloom For Me And You" and the song goes on the fountains slowly move upwards in a crossing pattern with yellow lighting effects as well as a rainbow effect when the song says "The Color's Of The Rainbow So Deeply In The Sky" and the fountain & mountain Become A Stunning Rainbow Pattern and the song continues after the end of the song the mountain projects the "Canada's Wonderland" logo with twinkling sparkles and then says Goodnight to the audience then the show progresses into Post Show where the fountain and mountain are general the same with cycling colors and limited show sequences and the show finally comes to an end.

Fountain and lighting equipment

Royal Fountain (2018 Upgrade)

This Season The Fountain has undergone a mechanical reconstruction and much needed update to the aging pumps and control infrastructure (by removing the Hydra constants) and upgrading to the newest VFD (Variable Frequency Drive) to precisely control the fountain and create new effects

the fountain will look better than it did 37 years ago when the park opened

Crystal Fountains (2013 Upgrade)

Crystal played a large role in the design and implementation of the 2013 show. The products used in the main fountain consist of the Choreoswitch & Spyra (A fountain effect that can be programmed to move around in different directions)

Lighting effects

Most of the lighting effects consist of 15 Chauvet Legend Fixtures scattered around the international street area and 15 thousand led water lights submerged in the depths of the royal fountain.

The main fountain has over 2000 fountain instruments each has two to 3 RGBW Lighting Instruments

the fountain uses a unique control system patented by the Canada's Wonderland Company

When programming the fountain the park uses a Grand MA 1 Lighting Desk

Projection and sound

The four projectors that are used during the Starlight Spectacular show.

Projection & Projection Equipment

The Starlight Spectacular show uses four Christe Roadster S+20K 3-chip DLP(r) with Christie Roadster projectors located just in front of the bridge that crosses the fountain pool.

The projectors are contained in a Metal Enclosure Manufactured by Tempest

all content within the show was created by Tantrum, the video is then ran from a Show Control Server.

Sound & Sound Design

(2013 -)Audio Designed By PM Audio For The Canada's Wonderland Company

(2011-2013) Audio Designed By Tantrum

(2014-present) Audio Designed internally