An “immersive experience” that promised to transport Willy Wonka fans into a “magical realm” has turned out to be such an epic letdown that customers called the police and compared the attraction to a meth lab.
The U.K. event was titled Willy’s Chocolate Experience and charged customers $44 each (photos below). The attraction was not affiliated with the Warner Bros. movie Wonka, though the event’s marketing came as close as possible to suggesting it was based on author Roald Dahl’s creation. The ad copy invited fans to journey to “a universe where confectionary dreams are brought to life” that included “mind-expanding projections, optical marvels and exhibits that transport you into the realm of creativity” and “wondrous creations and enchanting surprises at every turn!”
The event organizers apparently used artificial intelligence to generate promotional images that suggested a very high-quality attraction, which looked just like the immersive and trippy Wonka-esque world that the ad copy promised. But the result was somewhat different, and ticket buyers needed pure imagination to think it looked anything like a fantastical chocolate factory.
As reported by The Guardian, customers showed up in Glasgow to find “a sparsely decorated warehouse with a scattering of plastic props, a small bouncy castle and some backdrops pinned against the walls.” Scotland police were even called to the scene, the event shut down and parents said their children were in tears. All the event lacked was a man in top hat telling customers: “You get nothing! You lose! Good day, sir!”
Photos from the event went viral online comparing what was promised to what was delivered: [Reply]
It's $200 and you don't even get to see a real painting????
No actual paintings there. They project images of his artwork on the walls and ceilings and in some cases the floor, and have alot of effects added. If you do a couple of bong rips before you go, you will enjoy it more. [Reply]
I've heard about other examples of shit like this. It's basically a little scam. Put up a little display, advertise it, charge $30-50 for some trashy bullshit. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Bump:
I've heard about other examples of shit like this. It's basically a little scam. Put up a little display, advertise it, charge $30-50 for some trashy bullshit.