Peek-A-Boo Blog #3 - Play the ice cubes!

After the two blogs providing a view behind the scenes of building this unique media dark ride in France, we round up the project blog with probably the most important element: the users feedback!

The ride is now open to the public, and with great success! So what better way to get an impression of the ride than to experience it, view the ride movie here:

With more than 1000 animals and 31 attractions, Le PAL is already recognized as the leading theme park and zoo in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France. The addition of Champi'Folies further cements its reputation as a must-visit destination for families. This new exciting attraction combines an immersive storyline with thrilling action and impressive theming. Guests are taken on an unforgettable journey through a world filled with the hilarious TooMush characters.

International fan & industry press celebrate opening

To celebrate the opening of the ride, and even more importantly, to get the feedback from seasoned industry fans, we invited a group of 50 international journalists and bloggers to theme and animal park Le PAL on 8 and 9 May. The two day event included a panel debate with park owner Arnaud Bennet, Triotech CEO Ernest Yale and BoldMove's CEO Benoit Cornet accompanied by Fabrice Guichard of Polymorph. The park was open to the public the first day of this event so our guests could get the feedback and see reactions from park visitors. The next day the park was closed and everyone could explore the ride in the dark, in the light and walk behind the scenes and across the tracks. Lots of press reviews got published in several languages on park channels. ​
​View press event aftermovie here.

Don't take our word for it!

The proof of the pudding is in the eating! What do the customer, park guests and journalists say after having experienced the ride?

Arnaud Bennet, CEO of Le PAL: "We choose this ride as we wanted to offer a new kind of attraction to our visitors. Champi’Folies is a true family experience that can be played between young children, parents and even grand parents. This type of ride can usually be only found in the big parks so we are pleased to offer this in a medium park to complement our offer.”​ ​
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​Erik Huijing of DarkRideDatabase (NL): "A smash hit! Champi'Folies is definitely one of the smallest dark rides we've ever seen. However, with its rotating cars, high quality interactive scenes and ride time of almost 4 minutes, it proves that size does not matter if you want to create a fun immersive experience!" ​
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​Marcus Gaines, CoasterTouring (UK): "I can't wait to see more of these opening up at parks around the world. Smash & Reload is sure to be a huge success. Congratulations to all involved in delivering such a great attraction."

Great ride recipe for families and fans

We aimed at providing an easy and non-violent gameplay, making this ride a true delight for visitors of different age groups. Grandparents and grandchildren playing together, competitive players searching for hidden clues to get the highest scoring… we made the ride totally inclusive, with fun for all skill levels.

While the Smash & Reload was designed as a product, we made sure it is customisable to the specific park environment. The media contains many elements that can be dynamically adjusted to individual occasions like a birthday, an event or seasonal park activities.

Visitors who only discovered the ride after opening were amazed by the rich theming. Whatever area or corner the eyes can see, is decorated with many elements to be discovered - including references to attractions or even other parks. This feeling of total immersion is made possible thanks to the small footprint of the ride.

However, despite the compact size the ride itself feels rather large and provides a perfect playing duration. The reload stations bring variety in the gameplay and by use of moving media scenes players experience an exciting adventure from their vehicle.

The combination of all these elements guarantee that this ride provides the best value for money on the market, while delivering a great throughput.

So, what 's next?

Come over to experience the ride yourself! We warmly welcome you at Le PAL with a special guest programme. Our team looks forward to your future plans during a meeting at our Brussels office or at one of the upcoming trade events in Riyadh (SEA) & IAAPA Singapore, Vienna and Orlando. Speak or see you soon! ​
​Contact us on [email protected]

Previous blogposts: Welcome to a smart & smashing multiverse (#2) and Meet the Mushies (#1)

Photo credits: © Thomas Faull Photography