Theme Park Landscape



A type of landscape featuring natural formations that are the functional equivalents of theme park rides: Waterfalls, mountain torrents, glaciers or icebergs double as water slides, plot-sensitive erosion has created rock or snow formations that act as rollercoaster tracks or bobsled runs, complete with Ramp Jumps, giant water lilies serve as trampolines or at least provide a fun and bouncy way to cross a stretch of water, hanging vines can be used as ropeways, swings, for bungee-jumping or Tarzan-style transportation and so on...

Alternatively, the setting can be industrial or urban, as long as the environment invites misuse as a carnival ride. This can be both Benevolent Architecture or Malevolent Architecture, depending on your viewpoint and if you liked the "ride" or intended to take it in the first place.

Related to Skate Heaven Is a Place On Earth. Rollercoaster Mine, Ramprovisation and Lily Pad Platform are subtropes. No relation of Theme Park Version.

See Watching a Video Game for the type of movie where this is popular.

Film

 * Ice Age: Perhaps most Egregiously, in the second movie there's actually a freestanding ice formation shaped like (and used as) a water slide complete with water mysteriously flowing from its highest point.
 * The Rollercoaster Mine in Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom, most obviously.
 * Neverland in Hook.
 * In Disney's Tarzan the winding, moss-covered branches become a sort of jungle skate park for the Ape Man to do some sick moves.

Video Games

 * Almost any level from the Genesis era Sonic titles would count; particularly the Green Hill Zone with its rolling hills, spirals, and loops.
 * On any console, really. Sonic Adventure 2 even has a highway with loops and jumps.
 * Sonic Colors takes this to literal extremes with giant amusement park levels, such as Planet Wisp, which is one in progress.

Western Animation

 * Several Wile E. Coyote cartoons feature this type of landscape, most notably when the gag involves a falling boulder or rocket skates.
 * The chute system in the Avatar: The Last Airbender city of Ba Sing Se might count, given that it's sorta like a giant slide and rollercoaster all in one. It was even shown that Aang and Bumi used to play on them when they were kids.