Though Cedar Fair went to great lengths to supercharge the former “Paramount Parks” with thrill rides in the years after their purchase, they eventually settled down. Today, it’s easy to look across the legacy Cedar Fair parks (including the former Paramount Parks contained within) and recognize that gradually, Cedar Fair did learn to emphasize environments, stories, and even themes to strengthen their parks – from Kings Island’s “Mystic Timbers” to Carowinds’ “Aeronautica Landing.”
But none are as spectacular as the transformation of Kings Dominion’s adventure-themed land. We dove deep into the history of this area of the park in an exploration of its 2022 rebirth as Jungle X. There, Cedar Fair has crafted an overarching frame story, setting us down in uncharted jungles alongside the Whey Expedition. Original characters and lore has turned new and existing rides into ancient “temple trials” imbued with the power of animals.
For example, in 2022 the land welcomed Tumbili – an S&S free-spin coaster, but set down in the ruins of a monkey temple and stylized as an ancient shrine that allows us to experience the wild whimsy of flipping and swinging like a primate. Alongside it, existing rides were absorbed into the mythology, too. The park’s bobsled coaster became Reptilian – a serpentine, slithering snake trial. Then, a classic scrambler was reimagined as Arachnidia.
In 2025, the land will finally welcome a long-awaited replacement for the park’s Lost Legend: VOLCANO – The Blast Coaster. That’ll be Rapterra – a launched B&M wing coaster through the ruins of a temple, soaring and inverting through the unknown reaches of Jungle X. (We dug into the full experience of Rapterra in a standalone story here…!)
Of course, as we explored in our tour of Jungle X, hints had been laid of what other wonders of the region might be uncovered… Ancient pictographs indicated that further animal temples might be uncovered… and indeed, why couldn’t the park’s stunt chase family coaster be reimagined as a wild ride through a rhino river temple? Why couldn’t the enclosed, alien-themed Flight of Fear become a dark race through a bat temple?
And for that matter, didn’t that furthest “mountain peak” visible in the distance on an in-universe 1930s map of Jungle X kinda-sorta look like Intimidator 305…?
Before the 2024 season, both “Intimidators” (Kings Dominion’s gigacoaster and Carowinds’ B&M hypercoaster) were stripped of their branding. Apparently representing a lapsed licensing agreement, Carowinds’ ride was generically renamed Thunder Striker. But Kings Dominion’s legendary giga coaster called for a much more iconic, world-class rebrand… and apparently, Kings Dominion wasn’t ready to unveil it yet. The ride spent all of 2024 with a new name:
Project 305. Still maintaining the sleek, metallic styling of the former NASCAR-themed ride, Project 305 did manage to slip in an obvious nod to the future: a sort of “cheetah” pattern backdrop that clearly indicated what fans had daydreamed: that Jungle X was expanding…
Pantherian Rises
In October 2024, it was official: Project 305 would be reborn for the 2025 season as Pantherian – the trial of the jungle cat. Pantherian will reimagine the ground-hugging turns and leaps that once stood in for NASCAR maneuvers as the agile, breathless, and growling speed of a panther.
(Granted, yes, Pantherian is a bit of an odd choice given that Busch Gardens Williamsburg – Kings Dominion’s only regional competitor – is anchored by its own Intamin coaster called… Pantheon. Huh…)
Swapping red and yellow for orange, crimson, and gray, the reimagined Pantherian will maintain all the speed and intensity of its forbearer, now simply becoming the apex trial of Jungle X. It’s a brilliant way to absorb the ride (and of course, here’s hoping that future expansions create similar new experiences of the Back Lot Stunt Coaster and Flight of Fear).
We should also acknowledge that – despite artwork – it’s unlikely that Cedar Fair (or rather, Six Flags) plans to plant a fully formed jungle of tropical plants around the renamed gigacoaster. For better or worse, it’s likely that Pantherian will be set down in the same grassy field that Intimidator 305 was set down in. We can maybe hope that the steel station will be lightly redressed. But hey, placemaking is something the rest of Jungle X-pedition did spectacularly! It’s just that – in the midst of its own massive upheaval via its merger with Six Flags – it seems somewhat unlikely that Cedar Fair will spend too much on a “simple” re-name – especially given that Rapterra will earn the lion’s share of marketing in 2025.
Still, this is a momentous occasion… In Pantherian, we see the past and future collide. Here, an icon of the “Coaster Wars” smashes up against Cedar Fair’s new focus: theming, storytelling, and compelling environments fans want to explore and expand upon. It’s not even day one of the world’s tallest, fastest, and most iconic roller coasters gets a whole new name, identity, and facelift…
So are you excited about Pantherian? Do you continue to enjoy watching the multi-year unfolding of Kings Dominion’s Jungle X? Do you think or hope Cedar Fair Six Flags will continue to invest in “lands” of this style? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
