On the second day of the IAAPA Expo Europe in Amsterdam, Jora Vision, together with Holiday Park, Plopsa and LF Studio’s, shares four animated scenes and additional details of the upcoming Smurf dark ride at Holiday Park.
Holiday Park is a popular amusement park located in Haßloch, Germany, about an hour from Frankfurt. It’s ride line-up includes the famous Expedition GeForce roller coaster, consistently rated as one of the best in the world. In 2010, the park was acquired by Plopsa, which brought significant investment and expansion to the park, with many projects coming up. One of the new projects is the refurbishment of the former ‘Burg Falkenstein’ dark ride. Here, the Smurfs are about to settle down in 2025. At the booth of Jora Vision at the IAAPA Expo in Amsterdam, Plopsa, Holiday Park, Jora Vision and LF Studio’s presented the latest developments of the ride.
A new chapter for a classic attraction
When the German Holiday Park announced their classic ‘Burg Falkenstein’ dark ride was closing, many fans of the park wore a heavy heart. The 35-year-old classic had a cult-like status because of its original and unique scenes of castle under siege. Through an auction for charity, many of the rides’ unusual medieval habitants found a home with dark ride enthusiasts.
This transformation of the ride goes beyond a typical refurbishment. The entire interior of the former castle was stripped, leaving only the building's shell and the original ride track. This canvas has allowed the creative teams from Plopsa and Holiday Park to reimagine the space entirely, crafting a new adventure from the ground up.
A home for the Smurfs
It was announced that the refurbished building was to become home of the Smurfs, the famous blue woodland creatures. Created by Belgian comic artist Peyo, their bold escapades are particularly fitting for a dark ride adventure.
"The Smurfs have captivated audiences for generations," said Carl Lenaerts, the Plopsa CEO. “Recent media productions have introduced these lovable characters to a new generation, making this a perfect addition to the popular IP’s the Plopsa group has. We're excited to see the Smurfs come to life in Holiday Park."
The “Flora Monstera” run amok
For the attraction Plopsa and Holiday Park wrote a brand-new story. Of course, the woodland village where the Smurfs live will take central stage. As always, they are threatened by their archenemy the grumpy Smurf-hating wizard Gargamel.
In a short video render, we got a sneak-peak of four of the nine scenes in the ride. In the intro scene, we find ourselves in Gargamel's lair, a dimly lit chamber filled with mysterious tomes. A massive spell book lies open, revealing the ominous "Flora Monstera" - a giant carnivorous plant that threatens to devour the Smurfs' home and its blue inhabitants.
A following scene reveals Gargamel's nefarious plan in action, when he conjures up one of the dangerous plants in his castle tower. As we subsequently enter the forest, we're plunged into a world of oversized flora. Gigantic orange Flora Monstera plants dominate the landscape, their vine-like tendrils reaching out to ensnare anything in their path.
Finally, we reach Papa Smurf's laboratory, where Papa Smurf is hard at work, concocting an antidote to save their beloved home. A brave Smurf prays a purple goo over an intruding plant in an attempt to subdue the monster. If this is enough to save the Smurfs from being overgrown and eaten, or if they must take stronger measures, is not yet clear. Knowing the lay-out of the track, we’ve only seen a number of the smaller scenes in the ride.
How to build a wonderful woodland world
After Plopsa and Holiday Park made the designs, they had to find the right party to create the themed world where the adventure takes place. The Dutch design and build company Jora Vision stepped up to the plate. With over 35 years of experience, they are experts at creating dark rides with physical sets that feel real.
From Gargamel’s castly laboratories to the whimsical Smurf village: with over 5 minutes of ride time and 160 meters of track over two floors, there is a lot of custom décor to be produced. Also, because the ride is based on the latest 3D movies of the Smurfs, Holiday Park and Plopsa are looking for a very specific style in the environment. With over 3000m2 of workshops, Jora Vision has the capacity for such a build and was delighted they are picked for the job.
“Our craftspeople are specifically accomplished in building 3D sets that have the cartoon-like look that Plopsa was looking for”, says Sjors van Roosmalen, Senior Creative Director at Jora Vision. “Plopsa and Holiday Park did a great job in designing vibrant environments. It’s a real treat to fine-tune these designs and watch them come into being.”
Smurfapalooza
The best dark rides feature a lot of animatronics, and with over 40 moving Smurfs, this ride is going to be a true Smurfapalooza. LF Studios (the future of LifeFormations), was engaged directly by Plopsa and Holiday Park to bring the Smurf character IP to life across the entire dark ride. Over 40 Smurfs, Gargamels and Azreals (his cat), along with lots of vegetation from the Smurfs world, including the giant “Flora Monstera” plants, are enlivened by the American firm. In addition to the figures themselves, LF is responsible for many show elements, artfully integrating the Smurfs into the elements. Lastly, most character will have integrated LED screens for eyes, this brings them truly alive and elevates the realism of the characters.
The expertise of LF Studios is clearly visible in the Papa Smurf animatronic that is presented on the Jora Vision booth. Though simple in movements (he pats a sign, while wiggling his feet and nodding with his head), it’s clear that getting all workings in such a tiny figure is no easy feat.
“One of the challenges is fitting all the mechanics in the tiny blue figures. Each Smurf is only 60cm tall, and some have 4 to 5 motions. Packaging the mechanicals to achieve the desired motion profile and providing access for maintenance, all while maintain IP integrity has been a fun challenge”, says Jay Rottinghaus, the Excecutive Vice President from LF Studio’s.
Rottinghaus loves working with this unique IP: “When I think of my childhood, I fondly remember watching the Smurfs after a busy school day. I found myself lost in their world and there was always a specific Smurf I could relate to that day. Having this opportunity to help realize this magical place is exciting. I can’t wait for the day to experience the ride as a visitor and once again lose myself in this world.”
Continuous action
Refurbishing existing rides is a sustainable way to create new, exciting experiences for park guests, a practice highly encouraged. The ride utilizes the vintage endless chain omnimover system by Mack Rides, ensuring continuous movement. Well-known for its high capacity, this system also requires the show elements to run non-stop during operations. So, show control needs to be fine-tuned in detail so that every guest gets the full experience. Next to the show elements that are handled by LifeFormations, the Belgian Painting With Lights (PWL) will install over 350 lighting fixtures, more than 10 projectors and video panels as well as a handful of smartly hidden special effects.
Opening 2025
The Smurfs dark ride is scheduled to open in spring 2025. If you are curious about the rest of the story and the scenes, follow the channels of Holiday Park closely. More details about the attraction will be released by Holiday Park in the fall of 2024. If you’re visiting the park, you can also find a preview center of the ride, where you can sometimes even meet Papa Smurf.