WINTER HAVEN – Final preparations are being made inside and outside Galacticoaster, Florida’s newest roller coaster, which is set to open at Legoland Florida theme park this month.

Space-themed Lego models — rotating ride vehicles that are customized by passengers and a next-generation animatronic named Biff Dipper — are prominent parts of the indoor coaster.

Near the entrance is a brick-by-brick and way-bigger-than-life model of Lego set 918, a spaceship introduced in 1979.

It’s “a classic ship, but it’s got some extra flourishes that you only really find in the Legoland park,” says Rosie Brailsford, senior project director for Merlin Magic Making, the creative arm of Merlin Entertainments.

About four years ago, Brailsford was instructed to work with Lego Group to develop an attraction that would work on a global platform, she says.

“They have a line, kind of from the ’70s and various different iterations of that, which is what you will find in Lego Galaxy,” she says. “So, it’s kind of a merge of past and present and opportunity for future iterations as well.”

Brailsford guided the Orlando Sentinel on an exclusive walk-through — no riding yet — of the attraction, which opens to the public Feb. 27.

What’s outside

The new coaster is on the site of the Flying School ride that was closed in August 2023. The exterior queue looks down at the park’s Driving School attraction. There are two entrances, including one from Legoland’s water park.

The spaceship is surrounded by Lego characters, including photo opportunities. The Alien Tourist figure — outfitted in a floral shirt, red shorts, aqua hat and big old-school camera — takes snaps of a green and antennaed alien family. A Duplo play area dubbed Tot Spot and designed for the youngest visitors, includes a Lego Shuttle. (A shade structure is being added.) Nearby are large Lego space flowers and a robot dog.

Early on, potential riders meet Capt. Olivia on screen.

“She’s welcoming you to the Lego Galaxy, telling you about a little snippet of the mission that you’re going to go on,” Brailsford says.

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A large screen televises a 10-minute loop of details about what’s coming up.

“There are little moments of backstory here, so that if you are milling around in the land, you’ve already started to absorb in your subconscious what’s going on,” Brailsford says.

What’s going on? In the Galacticoaster universe, they are bracing for “the asteroid of probable destruction.”

What’s inside

The front lobby features a large blocky version of the Lego Galaxy logo, which is a bit interplanetary and a bit NASA meatball. Below it are actual assembled Lego models on display, some of which are vintage and difficult to find, Brailsford says.

A series of halls and customized posters lead to a big Briefing Room with animatronic Biff Dipper, the chief engineer. He’s about 4 feet tall and standing on an elevated platform. His arms, legs and head move, and his face is animated below the visor of his space helmet. He greets future riders — there can be as many as 80 people in the room — and explains the goal. It’s us versus the asteroid.

“Most of our minifigures in our Legoland are static, smooth minifigures. … Biff is essentially next generation of how we want to do that on a show basis,” Brailsford says. They partnered with Engineered Arts of Cornwall, United Kingdom, to create this figure, which sports 45 facial animations, Legoland says.

Merlin is “working really closely with Lego to make sure all of that motion that they do is true to how a minifigure would move, and we’re not just making them do random things,” she says.

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Other on-screen characters give ride instructions and advance the storyline of how to deal with that asteroid. Plans A and B (one involving a giant net) were flops, and they need help with Plan C. It involves “separator swarms.”

The room includes interesting visuals such as a blueprint for vehicle options and a sign that reads “Interested in time travel? Meet here last Monday, 2 p.m.”

From here, Biff sends riders into a room where ride vehicle options are selected. Riders pick design features for wings, tail, nose and such. The choices range from practical to fanciful — add-ons such as hamburger wings and disco balls. The console allows 15 seconds for each selection, and then the total look is uploaded onto an RFID-enabled bracelet. There are more than 600 possible combinations.

The idea, we’re told, is to make the spacecraft “so awesome that it grabs the separators’ attention like nothing else.” Also, don’t let them catch you.

Next stop: the Galacticoaster loading bay.

The ride stuff

Passengers navigate a moving sidewalk to the in-real-life vehicles, which seat four passengers across and have lap bars that lower from overhead.

The ride moves into an airlock space, and there “you’ll see yourself in your awesome creation,” Brailsford says. You’ll linger for about 10 seconds, “then you will launch, up to 40 miles an hour, off on your adventure,” she says.

“And you have your kind of save-the-day moment on the ride.”

The Sentinel walk-through did not include a ride-through. Brailsford said the experience is smooth and the launch makes it punchy, probably more intense than the Dragon coaster, its Legoland Florida sister attraction. The height requirement is 36 inches for riders accompanied by an adult. Unaccompanied visitors must be at least 48 inches tall.

“It’s not like terrifying or anything, but being indoors, we do feel like they’ll get a little bit more of that thrill factor as well,” she says. “Because it’s dark, you don’t necessarily quite know where you’re going.”

The spinning is programmed, she said. “It’s not like a free spinning.”

Legoland’s website says to expect “Special effects, synchronized lighting and surprise appearances from classic Lego Space characters.”

Ride time is about 1 minute and 30 seconds, and, per theme park tradition, the exit is through the gift shop (official name: Orbital Outpost).

Another Galacticoaster is under construction that’s set to open March 6 at Legoland California, and, in theory, there could be more. There are also Legoland theme parks in New York, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Germany, Malaysia, Dubai, Japan, South Korea and China.

“We have, like, a base story and land concept that we can adjust and tweak if we were to roll a version of it out,” Brailsford says. “It might not necessarily be this ride. It might be a different ride with another story from the world.”

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The state’s quarterly theme-park injury report for the final three months of 2025 includes a Nov. 25 death following a ride on Revenge of the Mummy, an indoor roller coaster at Universal Studios Florida.

An unidentified 70-year-old woman was unresponsive and later died at the hospital, according to the report compiled by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The state’s major theme parks self-report about visitors injured on rides if they result in at least 24 hours of hospitalization.

The summary “reflects only the information reported at the time of the incident,” the report says. “Due to privacy-related concerns, the department does not receive updates to initial assessments of a patron’s condition.”

A Universal spokesperson said via e-mail that the company does not comment on pending claims. The Orlando Sentinel has requested records for the scene and date from the Orlando Police Department.

The Mummy ride, which opened in 2004, reaches 40 mph as it rolls through dark Egyptian-themed scenes and fiery effects amid appearances by animatronic Imhotep and scarab beetles plus a drop hill of 39 feet. It has appeared on the quarterly report about 20 times since opening, including the death of an Apopka man who fell from the loading platform onto the tracks in 2004. He died after a related surgery, and his death was ruled an accident by the Orange-Osceola Medical Examiner’s office.

The latest injury report, posted Thursday, has a mix of spinning rides and high-intensity attractions and roller coasters, including Epic Universe’s Stardust Racers.

On Nov. 6, a 78-year-old man had chest pain after being on the Epic coaster, and on Nov. 14, a 61-year-old man had cardiac arrest on the ride. Stardust Racers is considered Epic’s most intense ride, with dueling trains going up to 62 mph and a top height of 133 feet. Both sides include one inversion, sudden launches and intertwined-rails moments. The coaster debuted with the Universal Orlando Resort park in May.

In September, 32-year-old Kevin Rodriguez Zavala of Kissimmee died after riding Stardust Racers. His family and Universal reached an “amicable resolution” in December, but no details were shared. Later, five people filed lawsuits against Universal Orlando, claiming severe and permanent injuries after their heads slammed against the seats in front of them while on Stardust Racers.

Of the nine fourth-quarter reports filed from the three Universal Orlando parks, five involved Epic rides. Other incidents included Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment, where a 41-year-old woman had numbness and visual disturbance on Oct. 4; on Oct. 25, a 19-year-old woman had altered mental status during Mario Kart: Bower’s Challenge, a flat ride with virtual-reality elements; and on Nov. 14, a 47-year-old woman had nausea after Yoshi’s Adventure, a slow-paced flat ride.

At Islands of Adventure, a 45-year-old women had motion sickness and stroke symptoms after riding the Incredible Hulk Coaster on Oct. 13 and a 49-year-old woman had chest pain after being on Jurassic World: VelociCoaster on Nov. 30. Also at IOA, a 61-year-old woman had lower back spasms after Doctor Doom’s Fearfall, a drop-tower ride.

At Walt Disney World, three Epcot incidents are on the new report. On Nov. 12, a 72-year-old woman was disoriented after exiting Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, an indoor coaster; on Nov. 23, a 59-year-old woman had breathing difficulties while exiting Test Track; and on Dec. 28, a 35-year-old woman lost consciousness while on The Seas With Nemo and Friends, a low-speed dark ride that travels through an aquarium.

At Magic Kingdom theme park, a 65-year-old woman felt chest pain after Peter Pan’s Flight ride on Oct. 28, and a 42-year-old woman had a seizure while on Mad Tea Party, the spinning ride commonly called the teacups, on Nov. 22.

A 75-year-old woman had “stroke-like symptoms” aboard Slinky Dog Dash, a roller coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, on Nov. 28.

No reports were filed in the quarter from SeaWorld Orlando, Legoland Florida, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and their associated water parks.

Mechanical birds, bears and princesses have chirped, growled and sung in Orlando’s theme parks for more than 50 years. The animatronic trend shows no signs of fading, as new figures arrive in new places at Walt Disney World, and Epic Universe introduces batches of lifelike characters.

The additions range from a planned electronic version of Walt Disney at Magic Kingdom to a lumbering Frankenstein’s monster figure that debuted with Epic in May.

“People still enjoy seeing lifelike figures of their heroes, villains and others come alive,” said Dennis Speigel, CEO of International Theme Park Services. “I think this is one area that continues to evolve, and I don’t think we’ve seen anything yet.”

Technological advances are enabling the improved illusion of the figures, said Brian Orr, show systems studio executive with Walt Disney Imagineering.

“The way that we can now simulate, the way that we now design, the way that we now can generate content for these and in style — like it is moving like the character that everybody sees and recognizes from the film … I think that’s really the appeal of like, ‘Wow, not only did I see Elsa on the ride, but I felt like it was Elsa. It moved, it performed, it looked at me,’” Orr said.

The next new animatronic at Disney World will be Benjamin Clawhauser, a cheetah character that’s part of the “Zootopia: Better Zoogether” show launching at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park on Nov. 7.

“You will see something new and unique from that figure,” Orr said.

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Other planned figures include Buddy, a support-bot, in the ongoing update for Buzz Lightyear’s Space Rangers Spin at Magic Kingdom; Scooter and other Muppets in the retheming of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios; facelifts for Frozen Ever After figures at Epcot; and the addition of Walt Disney himself at the beginning of Carousel of Progress at Magic Kingdom.

These come on the heels of the first animatronic to represent Walt Disney, which debuted at Disneyland in California this summer.

“I think that has breathed a lot of life back into the animatronics and from the highest level,” Speigel said.

Figures frightening, formidable

Universal Orlando installed animatronics inside Epic Universe’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Ministry of Magic, Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment ride and elsewhere.

“Everyone has their normal lives that they’re going through, and that comes with people wanting to be transported,” said Gregory Hall, assistant director, creative design for Universal Creative. “We have the opportunity to bring new technology and use it for good and use it to entertain and inspire people.”

The Monsters Unchained ride is peppered with figures in action, including Dracula, Mummy and the Creature from the Black Lagoon.

A crowd-pleasing scene happens in the Unchained preshow with new character Victoria Frankenstein and Frankenstein’s monster, who strides into the room. It’s a moment that prompts applause from Epic visitors, Hall said.

“That was the first time we made a figure on that scale walk,” Hall said. “And then he’s right next to Victoria, and they’re using extremely different technology.”

Another big animatronic project was the “erumpent,” a charging beast in the Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry ride.

“We’re really all about, how do we get the fastest, smoothest motion moving this giant thing?” said Anisha Vyas, director of projects for Universal Creative. “It needs to be really visceral. It needs to move really fast. It needs to be moving really fluid,” she said. “Getting it to move and stop is not hard. Getting it to look pretty and gorgeous and realistic? That’s hard.”

And the motion must be repeated for each load of passengers.

“We ensure every guest has the same experience,” Vyas said.

It all started with a bird?

The seed for Disney’s animatronics — the company trademarked the term Audio-Animatronics in the 1960s — goes back to Walt and Lillian Disney’s purchase of a miniature caged-bird decoration that tweeted. That eventually led to Enchanted Tiki Room attractions such as the one at Magic Kingdom, which opened with the park in 1971.

Animatronics got a major boost from “Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln,” developed by Disney for the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. Guests watched the faux former president give a speech, and Speigel witnessed this on a high-school trip to the event.

“When he put his arms on that chair and he stood up and talked, the whole audience, I remember, just gasped,” he said.

The 1960s technology propelled the show’s status, said Bob Rogers, chairman of BRC Imagination Arts. Otherwise, it might have been forgotten quickly, he said.

“The fact that it was just a robot, not a human, was the charm,” Rogers said.

Waiting for Walt

Fast forward to 2025 and the installation of the Walt Disney animatronic at Disneyland. “Walt Disney — A Magical Life” is temporarily taking the place of the Lincoln animatronic presentation there. Some fans have criticized the look of the new figure.

“It looks fine to me from a distance,” said Jeremiah Good, the Florida correspondent for LaughingPlace.com, “But people that were there for the opening that were in the front row filming every bit of it were going that doesn’t look a thing like Walt.”

Critics are more forgiving about animatronic looks for animated beings as opposed to actual humans, Good said. He awaits the Walt Disney figure slated to join Carousel of Progress next year.

“That is supposed to be a little bit older of a Walt, so that’ll be interesting to see,” Good said.

“I think there are some opportunities there for the point in Walt’s life,” said Imagineering’s Orr, who noted that Florida’s animatronic would be seen in shorter but more frequent bursts at Magic Kingdom than its counterpart in California. “I also think there are things just logistically about the run time of shows — if you just look at the run time of the Disneyland, the frequency of that show, versus something like Carousel of Progress that is cycling through.”

Tech talk

After pneumatic and hydraulic phases, animatronics are now settling into an all-electric era with computerized programming.

Last year, Walt Disney Imagineering gave a public peek into the process with an episode of “We Call It Imagineering” on YouTube. This preceded the debut of figures for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, the retheming of Splash Mountain at both Magic Kingdom and Disneyland.

A big challenge was the development of Louis, the trumpet-toting alligator, considered one of WDI’s largest and most dynamic figures.

“There’s a lot of moving parts. “So you have all of these layers, you’ve got fabric and it all has to be in sync,” said Sonny Chapman, principal illusion maker, in the episode. Louis’ big belly, upper torso and arms must work together with the costuming, all while he’s bouncing, looking happy and blinking.

Imagineering has expanded into “stuntronics,” creating figures that can perform elaborate aerial acrobatic feats, including one dressed as Spider-Man at Disney California Adventure theme park. The company has also developed knee-high DBX droids, which made appearances at Disney’s Hollywood Studios this summer.

“They’re wonderful not just because they’re robots, but because they are animated and they are written with stories.” Rogers said. “They express emotions. They’re doing things. They get frustrated when they can’t do what they’re trying to do. … That’s just wonderful.”

Animatronics have proven, multigenerational staying power.

“A lot of our engineers went to school just to work on animated figures. … That’s their thing,” Hall said. “They’re studying their whole lives, and they make their entire lives, and it’s time for their generation to show the next generation how to pass the baton. This is one of those moments that’s even bigger than just [theme] parks.”

Vyas points to their entertainment value.

“I just think they bring so much life to the environment,” she said. “I absolutely love that at Epic Universe we’ve doubled down on that. I really think that it just takes it to the next level.”

dbevil@orlandosentinel.com