We select just a few of the best rides at Motiongate Dubai located in the heart of Dubai Parks and Resorts, join us as we explore this movie-themed park in the UAE.
In the heart of Dubai Parks and Resort lies Motiongate Dubai where you can step into the heart of the movies, walk down historic movie-themed lands and indulge in a whole world of franchise fun with themed movie rollercoasters and an indoor Dreamworks land which has to be seen to be believed.
From Madagascar to Kung Fu Panda and even Shrek there are plenty of recognisable franchises to sink your teeth into and with theming on par with any Universal or Disney park you’ll be fully immersed in your surroundings in no time.
Motiongate Dubai kindly invited us out to the park earlier this year and we were allowed to film on ride so at the bottom of this article you’ll find a video on-board the majority of rides discussed in this very article so you can see the fun for yourselves!
Madagascar Mad Pursuit
Join Alex, Marty, Melman, and Gloria from DreamWorks’ Madagascar series on a wild chase.
Madagascar Mad Pursuit has a circus theme to it and completely takes you by surprise with one of the most intense launches I’ve been on (movie ride-wise) since Flight Force at Disneyland Paris, which funnily enough was the only redeeming quality of that Abysmal Disney rollercoaster.
Madagascar Mad Pursuit is packed full of twists and turns as you fly in and out of various figured theming whizzing past the beloved characters of the franchise before returning to the station.
Arguably the most thrilling ride on park of the rides that were open as there’s one rollercoaster we have included in this list that we sadly didn’t get to ride. Tipped as the most intense roller coaster in the park it was sadly down for maintenance when we visited but don’t worry, we’ll be back!
Capitol Bullet Train
Inspired by The Hunger Games this high-speed coaster shoots you backwards before launching you forwards into an inversion.
The queue line is drool-worthy with floods of movie easter eggs and recognisable faces but the coaster itself is so beautifully smooth which is surprising considering it’s outside in the blistering Dubai heat all year round.
Capitol Bullet Train was a very surprising addition to the Motiongate line-up. The second I came off I asked to go around again and they obliged, the perks of being invited to the park I guess!
Ghostbusters: Battle for New York
Ever dreamed of being a Ghostbuster?
Ever dreamed of firing a proton gun in some of the most iconic scenes from the first movie?
Well, now’s your chance!
If you can pull yourself away from the queue line and all of the replica props and memorabilia that line the walls you’ll take your seat in your ride car and begin a mission to save New York City.
Packed full of practical effects and screens you’ll start blasting away in your battle against the ghosts.
The ride consists of a nice blend of physical sets and screens but it’s not until you fight Gozer and the Terror Dogs does your inner nerd starts to take control.
I was absolutely in my element, it’s quirky, it’s cheesy and it reverts you into childlike innocence in no time. A fun favourite attraction for all ages.
For the most competitive of you out there make sure you rack up those points when fighting Gozer as you can multiply your score for big bonus points!
Smurfs Village Express
Whilst this particular coaster is themed towards a younger audience there was just something spectacular about wandering around a Smurf village. The level of detail brings this vibrant land to life and whilst the coaster itself is very tame in terms of its layout it’s the views you get just flying through the Smurf village that make it a worthy ride to jump aboard.
A nice gentle pace ride that kids and parents alike will enjoy just make sure you stop off and go and visit the Smurfs Studio Tour ride whilst you’re at it.
This dark ride located in the Smurfs area of the park is located adjacent to the rollercoaster and has you going through various scenes of The Smurfs trying to direct a movie whilst Gargamel is hellbent on destroying the production.
It’s great fun and both rides compliment the area wonderfully.
John Wick: Open Contract
When I heard about the John Wick roller coaster being built in Motiongate Dubai I was adamant that it just wouldn’t work.
My head couldn’t envision how the action-packed movie would translate into a roller coaster and how Keanu Reeve’s wooden acting skills would translate into a pre-show.
Whilst a wooden coaster may have complimented Keanu’s copy-and-paste character throughout the franchise they scrapped him entirely and focused on the Continental Hotel and the paths of a hitman.
Two queue lines split the guests up into each side of the station to board this unique roller coaster. There’s a hunt John Wick queue line and a help John Wick queue line.
Each queue is themed accordingly with easter eggs from the film and such beautiful attention to detail.
As far as this particular ride goes that’s about as much as we can divulge as sadly it was down for maintenance but we did do a very in-depth look at the queue line and shared a POV recorded by a friend of mine when he visited the park and it was open.
You can check out that article HERE
Dragon Gliders
Based on the How to Train Your Dragon franchise this suspended roller coaster is the perfect blend of engineering and immersion.
There has only been a handful of roller coasters in the world that have brought a tear to my eye in terms of how the ride experience is executed and this is one of them.
I’m not a huge fan of the franchise but the blend of a sumptuously crafted soundtrack mixed with the set pieces and the elegance of which the ride has you floating over scenes before taking you out of the dark ride space flying above the indoor Dreamworks area, it’s just amazing.
I couldn’t quite believe how much I enjoyed this ride, there were no loops or twists or abrupt turns, just a majestic flight that got me very emotional.
You could see the level of time, effort and love that had gone into the attraction to make it special and I appreciated every dragon gliding second of it!
When storytelling and ride experience run in harmony you know you have something truly special.
Green Hornet: High-Speed Chase
Certainly not the smoothest ride at Motiongate Dubai but with an immersive queueline you are drawn into the world of The Green Hornet.
Sadly, that immersion ends very quickly the second you leave the station as is the case with most of the rides at Motiongate Dubai but there’s just enough in the ride experience to keep you wanting more.
Hotel Transylvania
This one particular dark ride had me debating whether or not to include it in a ‘best rides’ list because it’s the one ride in this particular article that I question, but maybe I’m just being picky.
Step into the eerie world of Hotel Transylvania on this interactive dark ride. Guests join Dracula and his friends on a thrilling adventure filled with surprises and special effects. The ride’s immersive storytelling and engaging experience will instantly appeal to fans and the castle you have to walk through to get on the ride is stunning but the ride is just… badly designed.
Your train moves at a snail’s pace through an open hall ready to go into scenes but they’re all scenes you can see from a mile away, it’s like being in an open room, you can see every corner of the room and what you’re about to experience before entering it.
As slow as it takes for the sun to rise you slugglishly slide around on a very clever trackless dark ride system but all the excitement has long left your body before you get to the scenes.
It’s a real shame because if each scene was hidden correctly then it would be a surprise when you entered and would turn Hotel Transylvania into a very good quality dark ride indeed it’s just a shame that its design is its biggest flaw.
Zombieland Blast-Off
I HATE drop and shot towers with a passion! My fear of heights has my stomach in pieces as we ascend to the top either slowly or quickly before bouncing down and back up again, nope, I hate it and I always will but I didn’t hate Zombieland Blast-Off.
Whilst my on-ride footage may have you questioning what I just said there (it included lots of screaming) I loved the zombie-themed queue line and the views you got of the entire park.
There’s a lot of scope for Motiongate to expand in the future and it’s an exciting prospect as Dubai Parks and Resort gets its name on the map of go-to destinations in Dubai and seeing how much space they have to play with atop this giant shot tower made me excited for the future of the park.
Shrek’s Merry Fairy Tale Journey
Having the story of the first Shrek movie told to me in puppets was something that on paper (or on screen in this case) doesn’t sound like a worthy attraction.
All that I will say is the second I stepped off this ride the whole magic of Shrek and seeing it for the first-ever time came flooding back as this dark ride captured my heart.
Walk through Shrek’s swamp to get to the ride station and then embark on a ride through Shrek’s journey to rescue Princess Fiona from the castle, escape the dragon and more with Donkey by your side every step of the way.
With all authentic voice actors such as Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz guiding you along your journey, this is one vastly underrated attraction.
Let me tell you a secret.
This was my favourite ride in the entire park as the level of detail and clever storytelling made for a unique and memorable experience that I’ll never forget!
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs: River Expedition
I’ve still never seen this film but this whimsical water ride had a few surprises along the way and I was impressed by how well-themed this rapids ride was.
Many rapids rides here in the UK aren’t themed, they’re very boring run-of-the-mill and look very basic with minimal theming (except Drayton Manor who made a little effort with theirs) so it was a surprise to see such a well-themed rapids ride.
You will get wet but in the Dubai heat, you’ll be dry in no time as this quirky little raft ride was a surprise hit of the day!
Unfortunately, our guide had to head off for the day to do other errands so this is one ride we sadly didn’t get permission to film on so I’ve attached another POV for you to check out the on-ride experience.
Now You See Me: High Roller
As we were filming on-ride we were ushered to the front of this particular queue to get the camera set up for filming. BIG MISTAKE!
We missed the entire casino theming of the queue line as this was yet another ride in the line-up where the queue was jaw-dropping yet the ride itself had zero theming and was just you and the Dubai heat working together in harmony.
This spinning coaster was relentless in whizzing us around to the point of feeling queasy so this is certainly a ride for the stronger stomachs out there but I regret never seeing the queueline so I’ll make it my mission to wander through the next time I visit!
Conclusion
Motiongate Dubai’s top 20 rides showcase a diverse range of experiences, catering to guests of all ages and interests. From high-speed coasters to immersive dark rides and family-friendly attractions, each ride brings the magic of blockbuster movies to life in thrilling and immersive ways.
Attendances at this park are never what they should be and I feel as though this park needs way more appreciation than what it seems to get over there with many people visiting the park with worryingly low attendance numbers.
I’d love to see this park thrive it really does care and they haven’t just thrown money at it with zero love put into the project, it’s operated by people who genuinely care and it deserves all the success in the world.
If you want to see us narrow down the best rides at Motiongate Dubai into a Top 10 (in no particular order) then we created a video that you can watch above including all the POVs we were allowed to capture on the day.
Visit the official Motiongate theme park at https://www.motiongatedubai.com/en
