The world’s first Dragon Ball theme park
will be built near Riyadh, and it’s going
to be massive. The CEO of Falcon’s Beyond
discusses the challenges of bringing
the much-loved anime series to life
Dragon Ball theme park
will be built near Riyadh / Image: Falcon’s Creative Group
In March 2024, Saudi Arabia’s Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC) announced that it plans to build a theme park based on the Japanese animated series Dragon Ball as part of the Qiddiya City project.
Covering more than 500,000sq metres within Qiddiya City near Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the park will feature seven themed lands recreating iconic locations from the original series, including Kame House, Capsule Corporation and Beerus’s Planet.
Dragon Ball theme park will feature more than 30 attractions, including five state-of-the-art rides. A 70m-high figure of the dragon Shenron from the series will house the park’s signature rollercoaster ride and themed restaurants and hotels will continue the story.
Falcon’s Creative Group has been chosen as the masterplanner, attraction designer and creative guardian of the Dragon Ball theme park. Here Falcon’s Beyond CEO Cecil Magpuri lets us into the plans for this major new attraction.
What is special about the Dragon Ball theme park project for you? What are you most excited about? The Dragon Ball franchise helped introduce the world to manga and anime, and its influence can be seen in the global impact it’s had on pop culture. The fanbase is incredibly passionate and excited about this project and we are too. In fact, our design team is led by true fans who know every nuance of Dragon Ball.
When you have fans creating for fans, you can dive deeper into the lore and not only deliver what fans think they want, but surprise and delight them with things they may not even know they wanted or needed. What I’m most excited about with the Dragon Ball theme park is to push all the boundaries of theme park design. Not even the world’s biggest theme parks have given fans the level of immersion we’ll deliver.
How do you approach a project like this? What is your starting point? The starting point is the source material. Luckily, we’re already true fans who love the franchise – many of our creative team since their childhood or teen years. Pulling from the hundreds of episodes of Dragon Ball and the thousands of pages of manga was a breeze. From there, the exciting part became working with the actual IP holders who made the TV series. Working with Toei Animation has given us unprecedented insight into the brand.
What are the biggest challenges of bringing such a well-loved series to life? Is the sense of responsibility to Dragon Ball fans daunting? Working with this iconic IP and the decades of storytelling it embraces is amazing – it’s daunting and exciting at the same time. Dragon Ball has very passionate fans and so we have to deliver.
Falcon’s has a long history of working with some of the largest IP holders in the world, so this is familiar territory for us. Respecting this brand is of utmost importance to us – as is respecting the passion that comes from these fans. The fan base is incredible.
Can you reveal any highlights that fans can expect from the theme park? Dragon Ball theme park is going to be fully immersive. When guests walk through the gate, they’ll become a part of the Dragon Ball universe. For true fans, it’s going to be a mind-blowing adventure. Park guests will be able to create epic sagas of their own with Goku and pals as they experience the breadth of the entire series – from the original Dragon Ball to Dragon Ball Super.
What will make this project unique? This project is going to push the boundaries of the theme park industry. It’s very rare to have a whole theme park dedicated to one single IP.
Dragon Ball Theme Park will be solely devoted to the world of Dragon Ball and its legendary epochs – Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball Super. We get to follow the main character Goku’s journey through life – Dragon Ball begins the series with him as a little kid, but by the time the Super series takes place, he’s a grandparent.
It’s so rich with storytelling. It has realms and environments that allow us to go deeper into the lore of Dragon Ball.
It’s really exciting to be able to execute that in this canvas. Part of pushing the boundaries of theme park design is the recognition that our park will cover all of these beloved epochs in ways visitors can enjoy them all.
You’ve said that you aim to deliver not just what fans think they want, but also things they may not even know they want. How do you plan to do this? One of the things that I think we’re most excited about is the manifestation of Dragon Ball in real life.
Fans are hungry for that – we can see that in the success of Dragon Ball pop ups. This will be the first permanent installation of an environment that replicates that experience fans love and have been following for years.
We’re doing so many innovative things in terms of technology to immerse guests in the story that it won’t even matter if they know the Dragon Ball lore. They’re going to be immersed in such amazing technology and storytelling that they’re just going to fall in love with the story, and will probably go back and start to watch all the Dragon Ball episodes. Fans will leave the Dragon Ball theme park feeling like they’ve truly been in the world of Dragon Ball.
Will the recent death of Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama affect the project? We were saddened by Toriyama’s passing. He helped introduce manga and anime to legions of people around the globe, and his influence can be seen in the impact that Dragon Ball has had on global audiences. Toriyama is a revered figure, and as the theme park’s designers, we’re honoured to protect his rich legacy and offer generations of fans the opportunity to enjoy his amazing creation first-hand in an entirely new and exciting way.
How closely are you working with Qiddiya and Toei Animation on this project? Who takes the lead in terms of the creative vision? How does the partnership work? We’re working closely with Qiddiya and Toei Animation on every aspect of the park. We share the same creative vision for this park, and have been given the opportunity to think boldly. These things will help us create something the world has never seen before.
What trends do you see in the attractions industry that are affecting your work? Post-pandemic, we’ve seen tremendous growth in the experience economy. People want to get out of the house and have new adventures, so our work in location-based entertainment is booming. Companies are making significant investments in live experiences that pay off with unforgettable moments.
What do you love most about your job? I knew at seven years old that I was an artist and that this would be my life’s work. Being able to create every day makes me happy. I love being surrounded by other artists and creatives at the top of their game and collaborating with them to take IPs to the next level and bring them to life through storytelling that connects with audiences via digital and physical experiences.
Falcon’s Creative Group
Cecil Magpuri / Image: Falcon’s Creative Group
Founded in 2000 by Cecil Magpuri, themed entertainment company Falcon’s designs, creates, and operates high profile guest experiences for global audiences. The company works across theme parks, museums, zoos, aquariums, location-based entertainment venues, themed restaurants and shops and resorts.
Clients include the National Geographic Museum, Motiongate Dubai, Kennedy Space Center and Lotte World. As well as the Dragon Ball theme park, Falcon’s is also the master planner and creative guardian of Qiddiya’s Aquarabia, the Middle East’s largest water theme park, and is involved with design and technology development for Qiddiya’s Gaming and Esports district.
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2024 issue 3
Multimedia: Sakchin Bessette
How did the team at Moment Factory go from designing visuals for raves to illuminating the Sagrada Familia and creating stage shows for Madonna? The co-founder shares the journey
Museums: Roll of honour
From the Rijksmuseum’s first family exhibition to a 4D experience that wows on a budget, we check out Museum + Heritage Award winners
Theme parks: Cecil Magpuri
Work has begun on the first Dragon Ball theme park, and it’s set to take theming to a whole new level, according to its designer
Museums: Rise up
Filled with colour, music, technology and storytelling, the John K Randle Center is a fitting celebration of Yoruban culture and history, says its architect Seun Oduwole
Experiences: Flight of fancy
Airbnb is diving into the world of immersive experiences with its new Icons initiative. What does this mean for attractions?
Immersive experience: Andrew McGuinness
As Layered Reality prepares to launch its highly-anticipated Elvis Experience, we speak to its CEO about the business of wowing visitors
Zoos: Making a difference
Visiting zoos and aquaria inspires people to act more sustainably, finds a study from the University of Sheffield and Chester Zoo
Tourism: Vertical reality
From energy-generating viewing pods to world-class art installations, a new generation of vertical attractions is shaking up the scene. Dr Terry Stevens investigates
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
opened by Rivington Hark, as St Johns Beacon invites operators and partners to shape its
next phase. [more...]
The world’s first Dragon Ball theme park
will be built near Riyadh, and it’s going
to be massive. The CEO of Falcon’s Beyond
discusses the challenges of bringing
the much-loved anime series to life
Dragon Ball theme park
will be built near Riyadh / Image: Falcon’s Creative Group
In March 2024, Saudi Arabia’s Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC) announced that it plans to build a theme park based on the Japanese animated series Dragon Ball as part of the Qiddiya City project.
Covering more than 500,000sq metres within Qiddiya City near Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the park will feature seven themed lands recreating iconic locations from the original series, including Kame House, Capsule Corporation and Beerus’s Planet.
Dragon Ball theme park will feature more than 30 attractions, including five state-of-the-art rides. A 70m-high figure of the dragon Shenron from the series will house the park’s signature rollercoaster ride and themed restaurants and hotels will continue the story.
Falcon’s Creative Group has been chosen as the masterplanner, attraction designer and creative guardian of the Dragon Ball theme park. Here Falcon’s Beyond CEO Cecil Magpuri lets us into the plans for this major new attraction.
What is special about the Dragon Ball theme park project for you? What are you most excited about? The Dragon Ball franchise helped introduce the world to manga and anime, and its influence can be seen in the global impact it’s had on pop culture. The fanbase is incredibly passionate and excited about this project and we are too. In fact, our design team is led by true fans who know every nuance of Dragon Ball.
When you have fans creating for fans, you can dive deeper into the lore and not only deliver what fans think they want, but surprise and delight them with things they may not even know they wanted or needed. What I’m most excited about with the Dragon Ball theme park is to push all the boundaries of theme park design. Not even the world’s biggest theme parks have given fans the level of immersion we’ll deliver.
How do you approach a project like this? What is your starting point? The starting point is the source material. Luckily, we’re already true fans who love the franchise – many of our creative team since their childhood or teen years. Pulling from the hundreds of episodes of Dragon Ball and the thousands of pages of manga was a breeze. From there, the exciting part became working with the actual IP holders who made the TV series. Working with Toei Animation has given us unprecedented insight into the brand.
What are the biggest challenges of bringing such a well-loved series to life? Is the sense of responsibility to Dragon Ball fans daunting? Working with this iconic IP and the decades of storytelling it embraces is amazing – it’s daunting and exciting at the same time. Dragon Ball has very passionate fans and so we have to deliver.
Falcon’s has a long history of working with some of the largest IP holders in the world, so this is familiar territory for us. Respecting this brand is of utmost importance to us – as is respecting the passion that comes from these fans. The fan base is incredible.
Can you reveal any highlights that fans can expect from the theme park? Dragon Ball theme park is going to be fully immersive. When guests walk through the gate, they’ll become a part of the Dragon Ball universe. For true fans, it’s going to be a mind-blowing adventure. Park guests will be able to create epic sagas of their own with Goku and pals as they experience the breadth of the entire series – from the original Dragon Ball to Dragon Ball Super.
What will make this project unique? This project is going to push the boundaries of the theme park industry. It’s very rare to have a whole theme park dedicated to one single IP.
Dragon Ball Theme Park will be solely devoted to the world of Dragon Ball and its legendary epochs – Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball Super. We get to follow the main character Goku’s journey through life – Dragon Ball begins the series with him as a little kid, but by the time the Super series takes place, he’s a grandparent.
It’s so rich with storytelling. It has realms and environments that allow us to go deeper into the lore of Dragon Ball.
It’s really exciting to be able to execute that in this canvas. Part of pushing the boundaries of theme park design is the recognition that our park will cover all of these beloved epochs in ways visitors can enjoy them all.
You’ve said that you aim to deliver not just what fans think they want, but also things they may not even know they want. How do you plan to do this? One of the things that I think we’re most excited about is the manifestation of Dragon Ball in real life.
Fans are hungry for that – we can see that in the success of Dragon Ball pop ups. This will be the first permanent installation of an environment that replicates that experience fans love and have been following for years.
We’re doing so many innovative things in terms of technology to immerse guests in the story that it won’t even matter if they know the Dragon Ball lore. They’re going to be immersed in such amazing technology and storytelling that they’re just going to fall in love with the story, and will probably go back and start to watch all the Dragon Ball episodes. Fans will leave the Dragon Ball theme park feeling like they’ve truly been in the world of Dragon Ball.
Will the recent death of Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama affect the project? We were saddened by Toriyama’s passing. He helped introduce manga and anime to legions of people around the globe, and his influence can be seen in the impact that Dragon Ball has had on global audiences. Toriyama is a revered figure, and as the theme park’s designers, we’re honoured to protect his rich legacy and offer generations of fans the opportunity to enjoy his amazing creation first-hand in an entirely new and exciting way.
How closely are you working with Qiddiya and Toei Animation on this project? Who takes the lead in terms of the creative vision? How does the partnership work? We’re working closely with Qiddiya and Toei Animation on every aspect of the park. We share the same creative vision for this park, and have been given the opportunity to think boldly. These things will help us create something the world has never seen before.
What trends do you see in the attractions industry that are affecting your work? Post-pandemic, we’ve seen tremendous growth in the experience economy. People want to get out of the house and have new adventures, so our work in location-based entertainment is booming. Companies are making significant investments in live experiences that pay off with unforgettable moments.
What do you love most about your job? I knew at seven years old that I was an artist and that this would be my life’s work. Being able to create every day makes me happy. I love being surrounded by other artists and creatives at the top of their game and collaborating with them to take IPs to the next level and bring them to life through storytelling that connects with audiences via digital and physical experiences.
Falcon’s Creative Group
Cecil Magpuri / Image: Falcon’s Creative Group
Founded in 2000 by Cecil Magpuri, themed entertainment company Falcon’s designs, creates, and operates high profile guest experiences for global audiences. The company works across theme parks, museums, zoos, aquariums, location-based entertainment venues, themed restaurants and shops and resorts.
Clients include the National Geographic Museum, Motiongate Dubai, Kennedy Space Center and Lotte World. As well as the Dragon Ball theme park, Falcon’s is also the master planner and creative guardian of Qiddiya’s Aquarabia, the Middle East’s largest water theme park, and is involved with design and technology development for Qiddiya’s Gaming and Esports district.
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2024 issue 3
Multimedia: Sakchin Bessette
How did the team at Moment Factory go from designing visuals for raves to illuminating the Sagrada Familia and creating stage shows for Madonna? The co-founder shares the journey
Museums: Roll of honour
From the Rijksmuseum’s first family exhibition to a 4D experience that wows on a budget, we check out Museum + Heritage Award winners
Theme parks: Cecil Magpuri
Work has begun on the first Dragon Ball theme park, and it’s set to take theming to a whole new level, according to its designer
Museums: Rise up
Filled with colour, music, technology and storytelling, the John K Randle Center is a fitting celebration of Yoruban culture and history, says its architect Seun Oduwole
Experiences: Flight of fancy
Airbnb is diving into the world of immersive experiences with its new Icons initiative. What does this mean for attractions?
Immersive experience: Andrew McGuinness
As Layered Reality prepares to launch its highly-anticipated Elvis Experience, we speak to its CEO about the business of wowing visitors
Zoos: Making a difference
Visiting zoos and aquaria inspires people to act more sustainably, finds a study from the University of Sheffield and Chester Zoo
Tourism: Vertical reality
From energy-generating viewing pods to world-class art installations, a new generation of vertical attractions is shaking up the scene. Dr Terry Stevens investigates
A new immersive attraction designed to transport visitors into the final hours of ancient Pompeii
is preparing to open near the world-famous archaeological site in southern Italy.
Experience design company, BRC Imagination Arts, has completed a transition that sees founder
Bob Rogers pass ownership of the business to four long-serving senior executives, while
remaining actively involved with the company.
Movie Park Germany has opened a new Paramount Pictures-themed attraction as part of its 30th
anniversary celebrations, using immersive storytelling and adaptive reuse to reinforce the park’s
longstanding “Hollywood in Germany” positioning.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Efteling has opened Hooghmoed, a new family drop tower designed to broaden the appeal of its
recently launched Sirene Island themed area and introduce younger visitors to thrill attractions.
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’
planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–
Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism inv
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-
Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional
revenue opportunities.
The UK government has announced a temporary reduction in VAT on visitor attractions and
children’s meals as part of a summer cost-of-living support package designed to stimulate the
visitor economy and encourage family days out.
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The government of Thailand is exploring plans for a THB300bn (£6.3bn, US$8.3bn)
entertainment complex in the country’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), with officials
proposing a large-scale theme park and sports destination as part of a broader tourism and
economic development strategy.
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
opened by Rivington Hark, as St Johns Beacon invites operators and partners to shape its
next phase. [more...]
