SeaWorld will take the next big step in its company-wide evolution this Sunday (8 January), with its San Diego park hosting its last theatrical orca show, a staple of the entertainment giant for many decades.

To be replaced by a natural version of the show – designed to educate rather than dazzle – one of the main contributors to the negative public perception of SeaWorld has been its controversial orca performances.

“Today the shows are more in the style of Cirque du Soleil,” said SeaWorld CEO Joel Manby, speaking in the Q3 2016 edition of Attractions Management. “The orcas are jumping in unison five at a time and they’re trained to do things that some consumers see as unnatural. Our new orca encounter is more Discovery Channel, more educational. It shares the plight of whales in the wild, but it’s still engaging.”

The new show, which will be rolled out to SeaWorld’s locations in Orlando and San Antonio by 2019, will make use of film productions behind the pool with a very large screen and nature-inspired setting. In the show, the orcas will do demonstrations with their trainers showing what they do naturally in the wild, with the trainer explaining why they do it.

“We ran a pilot show and the audience scored it just 1 percentage point lower than the current show on entertainment value and rated it double the educational value. This is an evolution for us,” added Manby.

“The millennial generation wants something that’s fun and meaningful. Brands like Starbucks or Whole Foods are making the world better while also having a very attractive enterprise. I think it’s the wave of the future and that’s what SeaWorld is trying to accomplish.”

The new Orca Encounter will debut in Q3 2017, with work soon to start on removing the existing theatrical moving screens at SeaWorld San Diego and replace them with a backdrop reflecting the orca’s natural habitat. In the interim, the park will conduct an educational presentation in the pool also used for underwater viewing.

“Since its debut in 2011, One Ocean has left millions of people inspired by magnificent orcas in a show that reminds us we are all connected,” said a statement on the park’s website.

“This long-running show will close on 8 January 2017, marking the final orca performance of its kind for our California audiences. Don’t miss your chance to share One Ocean in this final season.”

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