Canada's Wonderland · Operating · 2005

Backlot Stunt Coaster

50 ft · 40 mph

Photo: Jeremy Thompson · CC BY 4.0

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Family rideCanada's Wonderland Official park siteInternational FestivalPremier Rides50 ft · 40 mph

Backlot Stunt Coaster has launched riders through a movie-backlot chase scene since 2005, when Premier Rides installed the family launch coaster as Italian Job: Stunt Track, themed to the 2003 heist film of the same name. A linear induction motor launch propels cars from a standstill through tight turns, a simulated helicopter attack, and pyrotechnic effects across a compact circuit built for riders too young or nervous for the park's larger steel coasters. Cedar Fair dropped the film license and renamed the ride Backlot Stunt Coaster in 2008 as part of a wider effort to remove Paramount branding across its newly acquired parks, generalizing the stunt-chase story while keeping the same physical layout. Nearly two decades after its debut, it remains one of the more accessible launch-coaster experiences in International Festival for families easing into faster rides.

Specifications

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Ride profile

Scaled against Canada's Wonderland's operating coasters

LaunchFamilySteel

Park intensity

Height

50 ft

#10 of 11 at Canada's Wonderland

Height50 ft

Speed40 mph

Length1,400 ft

InversionsNone

Ride experience

Launch
Family
Premier Rides
Steel

Specs from sixflags.com

Learn more

All guides

Launched coasters

Motors or hydraulics replace or supplement the lift hill for rapid acceleration.

Mine train coasters

Smaller trains, winding layouts, and family-friendly pacing — often themed as mining adventures.

Flywheel launches

Store energy in a spinning mass, then dump it into the train in one burst — classic hydraulic acceleration feel.

How launches work

LIM, LSM, hydraulic — different ways to shove a train from rest to serious speed.

History

Sourced timeline and background for Backlot Stunt Coaster.

Timeline

2005
Opens as Italian Job: Stunt Track
Themed to the 2003 film The Italian Job.
Source
2008
Renamed Backlot Stunt Coaster
Paramount film licenses lapse across the chain after the Cedar Fair sale.
Source

Background

Paramount announced Italian Job: Stunt Track for both Kings Island and Canada's Wonderland in August 2004, timed to build on the popularity of the 2003 heist film The Italian Job, with the Canadian installation opening on May 1, 2005.

Premier Rides' linear induction motor launch coaster fires cars from a standstill through a parking-garage-style helix, banked city turns, and a mock abandoned subway tunnel, with sound effects, a simulated helicopter attack, and pyrotechnic and water effects built into the ride experience to recreate the film's climactic chase scene. The compact, family-friendly launch format let Canada's Wonderland offer a genuine thrill-coaster sensation without the height or intensity of the park's larger steel rides.

When Cedar Fair acquired the park from Paramount, the studio's film licenses lapsed across the chain, and at the end of the 2007 season the ride was renamed Backlot Stunt Coaster, with movie-specific effects softened into a more generic Hollywood backlot chase story.

Nearly two decades after its debut, the ride's launch mechanics and layout remain unchanged — only the story wrapped around the same circuit has been updated to match the park's current branding.

History primarily sourced from sixflags.com. See also our data policy.