Park News EXTRA
Parc Astérix kicked off its 2016 season on April 2 with a wonderfully themed new attraction, spending a total of €3 million to get just the right scenic effect. Looking at these pictures of Discobélix begs us to ask the question: Why has no one ever thought to theme a Zamperla Disk ‘O like a giant discus before?
Discobélix T
Astérix meets the Olympics!
The Olympic exploits of
Obelix So, what’s the storyline behind Discobélix? Nobody has forgotten the time when Astérix, Obelix and their cartoon friends from the Gallic Village took the Olympics by storm. After taking a magic potion, Obelix was forbidden from taking part in the games, but couldn’t resist training in private in the hope of smashing a few records himself. Never short of ideas, he simply ripped a bronze disc off a giant statue of a discus thrower and threw it so hard that it remained in perpetual motion. Now, visitors to Parc Astérix can hop on board that spinning disc for an unforgettable ride, which unfortunately comes to an end after just a few minutes.
he new ride is in fact a Disk ’O Coaster, featuring a hump in the middle of its W-shaped track. Astérix adventurers will find the new family-friendly thrill ride
within the Greek themed world of the popular French park near Paris. The 40-seat attraction whisks riders away to the ancient city of Olympia where Astérix comic hero Obelix can be seen throwing the discus at the Olympic Games. “Once we had chosen the attraction, we just needed to
find a place for it in Astérix and Obelix’s world,” explains Thierry Bourgeois, project manager and artistic consultant for the new ride. “That’s where Julien Bertévas, our scenographer, comes in. After designing Oz Iris, the [B&M] inverted coaster which opened in 2012 and is now one of the park’s biggest attractions, he was asked to contribute his expertise to the creation of Discobélix.” The idea of Obelix and the ancient Olympic Games soon became the focus for the efforts of Bertévas and the Parc Astérix team. The scenographer designed props that would be right at home amongst Ancient Greece’s finest treasures. The giant 10m spinning discus brushes past the columns of the imposing Greek temple which houses part of the queuing area. As it flies back and forth, the disc “ricochets” off a pool of water before pivoting at the top of a steep slope, causing a flame to be lit – all under the eye of a 6m- tall Obelix statue. “The whole of Parc Astérix references the humour used in
the Astérix comics,” emphasises Bourgeois. “It’s all over the place, especially in the queuing area, where visitors have
18
time to appreciate every detail. When you enter the gymnasium just before the temple in Discobélix, for example, you walk through Obelix’s dressing room and see his discus collection. This “discography” contains hard discs, of course... but also floppy discs! On the walls, meanwhile, frescoes tell the story of Obelix and his discus.” Building Discobélix was a challenge, we are told, because it needed to be inserted between two existing attractions, and a large proportion of the ride’s 80m-long rails sit directly above water. To help with installation, a dam was built to drain half the lake. Work on a major new attraction for 2017, a rollercoaster, has already begun. In the meantime, the 2016 season continues until
November 2, including extended opening until 10pm on June 25 and all Saturdays throughout July. Guests can also look forward to the Peue sur le Parc Halloween season from October 15 to November 2 and an added Christmas season from November 19 to December 18.
MAY 2016
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
