Ride Profile
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Futuroscope 2014
Operated by Compagnie des Alpes since 2011, the publicly- owned Futuroscope is currently in the midst of a bold renewal strategy that calls for the rennovation or replacement of 50% of its
The hall of curiosities featured in the pre-show area
A nice touch in the outdoor queuing area is a door that that purports to give direct access to the attraction, yet those opening the door in hope of a queue jump are simply teased by a rabbit “bwaaahing” back at them. Why not employ a similar trick at your park to add a bit of humour for those waiting in line?
Toilet humour
On boarding the ride’s three-car/15-seat trains, rethemed by Jora Vision as public conveniences, passengers are requested to don 3D glasses, rather than the augmented reality viewers that were previously provided on Les Animaux du Futur. Then they are taken on a “bwaaayge” into time, played out across five high definition 3D animated scenes, linked by vortex light effects that appear to make the train change speed. Thanks to this and various effects such as vibrating floors, moving seats, leg ticklers, wind blasts and even collapsing toilet seats, Futuroscope is marketing the attraction as a “5D” experience. In keeping with the light-hearted nature of the ride, the time machine is in fact a washing machine. The first period passengers are teleported back to is Ancient Greece, witnessing the birth of the Olympics followed by the American West, where they discover how smoke signals are made and experience a rain dance complete with water effects. Towards the end of the
Like most other Futurocope attractions, the ride is housed inside an imposing building
The hall of paintings in the pre-show. Spot any rabbits?
journey, the train travels into a “decrétinisation” zone, where guests are returned to the present day via X-ray. The retail store featured at the exit of the attraction features such wacky merchandise as Lapin Crétins branded lavatory seats, toilet brush microphones and miniature washing machines. Visitors can also post a postcard featuring one of defaced paintings from earlier in the attraction, buy their own attraction photo or take part in a green screen video adventure featuring the mad rabbits.
Developed over an 18-month period, key members on the 100-strong Machine à Voyager dans le Temps team included Futuroscope artistic director Olivier Héral, project manager Jean-Pierre Joyaux and film director Samuel Tourneux. Jora Vision took responsibility for all of the ride’s design and theming, working alongside subsidiaries Jora Entertainment, Jora Graphics and local companies such as Poitier- based SECOM to deliver various special effects and murals. Media content, including pre-show elements, were handled by the Paris studio Circus. If you fancy a visit to an museum fused with a bit of toilet humour and an encounter with multiple shrieking mad rabbits, you know where to go. Futuroscope reopens on 15 February.
futuroscope.com
ABOVE: The rethemed ride vehicles feature toilet seats!
attractions every two years. Earlier in 2013 it rebooted its Robocoaster attraction Danse avec les Robots by integrating music from French superstar DJ Martin Solveig, as well as opening the world’s first Aerobar by Aerophile. Due to the park’s year-round operating schedule, it uses winter to launch many of its new attractions, and so now La Machine à Voyager dans le Temps will see it through the first half of 2014. Hopefully this and the new 3D IMAX experience Mission Hubble, launching later this year, will help reverse the results last season, when attendance is believed to have dipped below the 1.7 million guests recorded in 2012
JANUARY 2014
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