Newsletter: In the Loop: Video games move out of the living room and into theme parks

Welcome to another edition of In the Loop, the Los Angeles Times’ theme park newsletter. I’m Funland theme park blogger Brady MacDonald, and this week we weigh the wisdom of a Sony theme park in Minnesota, take a sneak peek at “The Lego Movie 4D,” check out plans for Star Wars Land and struggle to save the universe from zombies and aliens.

Video games

A new generation of theme park attractions based on popular video game titles will let gamers looking for bigger thrills in a larger arena fend off zombies and battle aliens as they compete for the highest score and struggle to save the universe.

Star Wars Land

MiceChat publishes a map revealing the location of the two attractions and the layout of the new Star Wars Land planned for Disneyland.

‘The Lego Movie’

USA Today gets a sneak peek at “The Lego Movie 4D: A New Adventure” coming to Legoland theme parks.

Sony theme park

Plans for an indoor Sony theme park and water park in Minnesota call for experiences based on “Smurfs” and “Men in Black.”

SpongeBob SubPants

BlooLoop takes an in-depth look at the SpongeBob SubPants Adventure at Moody Gardens in Texas, complete with a behind-the-scenes video showing how the digital puppeteer system works.

Ticket fraud

The Department of Justice announces that four family members have been sentenced to federal prison for their involvement in a fraud ring involving Orlando, Fla., theme park tickets.

Injury reports

Florida state records reveal the number of visitors injured at Disney World, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld Orlando during the last quarter of 2015.

And finally

Check out this terrifying video advertisement for the new Flying Dinosaur roller coaster coming to Universal Studios Japan.

Still need more theme park news? Check out the Los Angeles Times Funland theme park blog on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Instagram. Also feel free to email me with any feedback on the newsletter.

MORE

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