Freed from the constraints of owners more interested in brewing beer than building theme parks, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment is accelerating plans to expand into new businesses, including movies, television and hotels.

After flirting with the idea for years, the Orlando-based theme-park operator will release a feature film this month through SeaWorld Pictures, the company's new film division. The sea-turtle documentary, expected to reach as many as 400 theaters this summer, is the first of what executives hope will be a long line of SeaWorld-produced nature films that capitalize on the company's reputation for marine-life expertise and buttress it against criticism from anti-captivity activists.

SeaWorld wants to make more than movies eventually. Company executives say they are exploring new projects in television, publishing and consumer products.

At the same time, SeaWorld is working on plans to build its first hotel. And it says it is making progress toward its first international theme park, with the most likely location somewhere in Southeast Asia.

With such projects, SeaWorld is borrowing a page from the playbooks of other large theme-park operators such as the Walt Disney Co., all of whom are searching out new sources of growth to confront what experts say is a nearly maxed-out American theme-park market. Walt Disney Parks and Resorts has devoted much of its capital spending in recent years to building up "flanker" businesses, such as cruises and time shares, and to international expansion, including the $4.4 billion Shanghai Disneyland resort scheduled to open in about five years.

SeaWorld's expansion plans come even as it pumps nearly $200 million this year into new rides and shows for its 10 existing U.S. amusement parks, which collectively draw more than 20 million visitors annually.

"There are really a few things that we're focused on as a company. One is looking forward to grow the parks we have," said Jim Atchison, SeaWorld Parks' president and chief executive officer. "But we'll also look for ways to expand the business internationally or into new geographic markets. We'll also look for ways to grow the business from a tangential standpoint, into other lines of business."

Bolstered by an internationally recognized brand, SeaWorld executives have longed for years to branch beyond theme parks. But their plans proved difficult to sell to higher-ups within longtime owner Anheuser-Busch Cos., for whom theme parks were a one-off business that lacked a direct tie to the company's core business of making and selling beer.

But that's no longer an obstacle for SeaWorld, which in 2009 was sold by Anheuser-Busch InBev to the Blackstone Group in a deal worth about $2.5 billion.

Now, a key corporate goal is to "take such a wonderful, established brand and really expand it beyond the borders of our parks," said Scott Helmstedter, a former entertainment producer who in April was hired as SeaWorld Parks' new chief creative officer.

CONTINUE TO READ >>

Aren't these some really exciting news? Blackstone may have sold its Universal share, but they sure want to take care of their SeaWorld Parks! We are looking forward to know where they are going to build a new hotel, as it would be fantastic to have a sea-themed hotel here in Orlando! Also, we are really curious to see how they will expand in Asia.

What do you think? Which of those projects are you most interested to see? Share your thoughts!

The above article is subject to the copyright of the Orlando Sentinel. © 2011, Orlando Sentinel.