We paid a visit to Alton Towers to check out the brand new Alton Towers JoJo and Gran Gran at Home interactive walkthrough experience.
Let your curiosity run wild as you explore Gran Gran’s house. You’ll be able to call Great Gran Gran in Saint Lucia from the sitting room and help bake Gran Gran’s famous banana bread in the kitchen. You’ll also be able to head out into Gran Gran’s garden to kick autumn leaves, see spring flowers grow and explore a maze, as well as find JoJo who is hiding in the garden!
When you walk up to JoJo and Gran-Gran at Home what strikes you is the unusual show building in which the attraction is housed in. The building is painted in the same scheme as you see on the show but it has a really unique texture to it that reminds me of a matte painting.
It’s not as vibrant as I was expecting and looks a little muted in places but with an interactive window that features Gran Gran ushering you into the attraction, it’s a nice touch.
The queue line wall is also very vibrant next to the muted show building.
Inside the attraction, there is a living room, kitchen, garden and treehouse to keep kids entertained.
There are numerous touchpoints and interactive elements within the house. Take a peek inside the fridge, open the cupboards and have a look and take a seat on the sofa whilst you use a tablet to dial JoJo and Gran-Gran for a nice video call.
What I noticed immediately about the video calls was that the audio levels were so low you couldn’t hear what the characters were saying on the call, that certainly needs fixing.
With interactive buttons to press and cogs to turn to allow sunflowers to grow in the garden, there’s plenty for kids to see and do.
The building does feel a little empty in places and with such a high ceiling there is only show building lighting and a few insects dangling from the roof.
It feels as though there could be more added to this space to keep it fresh moving forward but with it being a Merlin park… I’m sorry to say I think this will be the final version of this particular experience.
It does feel a little half done as do many of these attractions (Gangsta Granny the Ride being another example) and done on the cheap but it’s still worth a visit and the kids will certainly love it.
Take a look at the video below as we take a tour of JoJo and Gran-Gran at Home.
Alton Towers JoJo and Gran Gran at Home review by Sean Evans
