In April, the Polish Energylandia will open Sweet Valley, its newest themed area. Designed by Jora Vision, the renowned Dutch design and build firm has delivered a second immersive zone to the park. We sat down with our colleague Andrea van der Vlis, Design Lead at Jora Vision to discuss our theming strategy and everything to consider for doing it right.
Candyland. Ever since Hansel & Gretel went wild about their gingerbread house, every child dreams of the magical land of plenty. Considering our universal love for everything sugary, it’s curious that this theme is not half as prevalent in theme parks as swashbuckling pirates or gun-toting cowboys. This April, the Polish Energylandia will be closing the gap with these hatted outlaws: By opening Sweet Valley the theme park adds over 10 new rides in a zone full of chocolate, lollipops, and honeycombs.
Jora Vision has been a longtime partner of Energylandia. Energylandia wanted to transform from a rides park to a true theme park and enlisted the help of Jora Vision. Not only did the Dutch designers create the parks’ masterplan; they also designed Aqualantis. This sunken story world leveled up the parks’ theming.
A park famous for its adrenaline pumping coasters and thrills, Energylandia wanted to add a family area to their menu. Staying true to their thrill-seeking spirit, they also added two coasters: a Vekoma mine train of a whopping 1200 meters in length and a family coaster from the same manufacturer. But how to go from this ride selection to a full theme?
“If a park is unexperienced with theming, they sometimes think that it is a question of adding a few scenery pieces and a splash of color on the walls. For us, the theming is the last layer in a careful process”, Andrea explains. “A quaint village, deserted island, or shopping street needs a great outline before you add the theme to it. It starts with a good base: smart sight lines, routing, and flow. Because we already worked on the park’s masterplan, we had the best base to work from”.
The park was looking for something family friendly and heavily themed. There was a mine train coaster and a diverse selection of flat rides. A wild west theme was tempting, but we wished for something more original. Sweet Valley was born. “The challenge of a whimsical theme like this is balancing theming with building practicalities”, says Andrea. “Straight buildings are easier to construct, but cutely curved houses fitted the land better. It’s tempting to forget about the details to lower costs. Luckily Energylandia showed a strong commitment to the theme. Every air conditioning, speaker, roller shutter and gutter fits the area”. To make sure everything was in its right place, a huge 3D model of the area was created.
But theming strategy is more than consistent décor. Jora Vision created clever rules to make the land come alive. “The sweets in the valley are a resource that grow naturally. A mountain with chocolate nuggets attracted the first settlers, that later started to grow lollipop crops on a farm. A harbour and village followed”. All with their own subtheme, these different areas make the zone come alive. “Each area has its own color palette that fades into the next. The turquoise lagoon blends into the pastel village and a farm with primary colors”, says Andrea. “We had other design rules too. The candy is a resource, but no building material. This keeps the world consistent with the story. In the end it’s all about having a design rationale. Of everything you should be able to answer the question: why is this here?”
Jora Vision found the sweet spot for a rich experience full of taste. Energylandia committed to the design and sugared everything according to recipe. Jora Vision did not only get to do the design and art direction on the project: as icing on the cake their craftspeople got to create a cute phone booth and a colorful cotton candy stand. The result? One of the most anticipated immersive lands in years. Curious? The land opens by the end of April.