Fan-favourite roller coaster at Canada's Wonderland closes permanently

A fan-favourite roller coaster that has been part of the Canada's Wonderland park landscape for two decades will soon be demolished.

Wonderland has confirmed months of rumours suggesting that the Time Warp roller coaster is no more, and will be torn down ahead of the park's May 8 opening to make way for a yet-to-be-announced future attraction.

Manufactured by Italian ride design firm Zamperla, the attraction opened at Wonderland in 2004 in the park's "Grande World Exposition of 1890" themed area. It was Canada's first flying coaster upon opening on the former site of Great Whale of China, which was relocated to Carowinds Amusement Park in North Carolina.

Initially known as Tomb Raider: The Ride, in reference to the 2001 blockbuster film, the movie theming was scrapped after just three years following the phase-out of Paramount intellectual property, leaving the generic Time Warp branding that exists to this day.

Still, it remained one of the park's more intense coasters, and despite mixed reviews compared to the park's top-billing attractions, it was a popular stop for thrill-seekers throughout its lifespan.

Up until the ride's 20th anniversary and final season of operation in 2024, the steel flying roller coaster saw riders lie flat, traveling headfirst through a zipping track featuring a pair of heartline rolls. 

However, the attraction was removed from the Wonderland website and app following the conclusion of the 2024 season, stirring up rumours that it would not reopen in 2025.

Those rumours have since been confirmed, though Canada's Wonderland remains tight-lipped about a potential future replacement for the coaster.

A Wonderland spokesperson confirms "that the Time Warp roller coaster is being retired and will be removed before the park opens in May," noting that "the flying coaster attraction gave more than 9.3 million rides since first opening in 2004 as Tomb Raider: The Ride."

Wonderland states that "No plans for the area have been announced."

Time Warp may be gone for good, but you can still warp back to a time when the ride was still operational through a POV video from Canada's Wonderland.

Despite months of rumours churning, the ride's upcoming demolition this late in the park's off-season, coupled with the lack of news about its replacement, has come as something of a surprise to some parkgoers. 

Construction of the park's new flagship attraction, AlpenFury, has been ongoing for several months now, and with the park's 2025 opening just under two months away, the sudden announcement of Time Warp's upcoming teardown raises questions about the site's future.

These are questions that will have to remain unanswered until Wonderland reveals what will come next for this area of the park.