Thomas Pesquet has only to keep well. Because in the new attraction of Futuroscope, which reopened this Saturday, the public is also setting out to conquer space. The objective of these roller coasters, the first for the Vienne park: to reach the planet Mars. In the waiting area of "Objectif Mars", you would think you were transported to a NASA training center: white sanitized walls and yellow lines on the ground, equipment of astronauts, robot voices and sounds of rockets adorned for takeoff. "I went to visit the space base at Cape Canaveral, in Florida, to soak up the places and transcribe the atmosphere of the site here," says Olivier Heral, creative director.
In a waiting room, an inverted bathroom decor glued to the ceiling to simulate the loss of landmarks in space, has its small effect. We can't help but think of "Star Tours", the legendary flight simulator from Disneyland Paris. But the comparison stops there.
Countdown
Because it is now time to get into the cars, after a swipe to disinfect the seats. Once seated, the countdown begins. Here we go. First step: pass the tests before leaving on a mission, like a real astronaut. The tests follow one another at full speed. Real flames appear to simulate the solar flares, visible on Mars. Then electric arcs reproduce the magnetic fields that the space shuttles must cross to reach the red planet. Would you like to know more? No time to linger to seek scientific explanations. There won't be any. The tests are validated and the train has already left. We are mainly there to have fun after all.
The ride accelerates, the journey begins. And with it, the start of the thrills. We go from 10 to 55 km / h in just a few seconds. In turns, uphill and downhill, the heart is lifted. The seats turn on themselves, in all directions. Exhilarating. Before an astonishing final: a free fall over ten meters, technology "unprecedented in France" promises the designer, who will make even the most timid scream.
Back on Earth, the expedition is over. It lasted just under three minutes. "It's a bit short, but it throws," says still moved Frederica, quarantine. It was missing, a roller coaster here ». "I'm not a fan of big sensations, and there, it's perfect, we don't need more," said Capucine, 19, who came with two friends.
So those who want to turn their heads may be disappointed. The target audience is family, the minimum size required, 1.10 m. “Surveys of visitors have shown that they want more thrills, says park director Rodolphe Bouin. But we don't have the vocation to have the tallest or the longest rollercoaster, we stay in what we know how to do best, that is to say to tell immersive stories ”. "Objectif Mars", which cost 20 million euros, is the most expensive attraction ever made by the park.
The park sees bigger
Specializing in immersive experiences behind a screen, Futuroscope has big ambitions for the next few years. An investment plan of 100 million euros must be detailed in early July. The project includes the creation of a water park, two hotels and a thematic restaurant. An indoor free fall simulator, "Zero gravity", is ready. And work on a 6000-seat Arena, scheduled for 2022, has already started.
"This plan will allow us to reach a significant milestone," promises Rodolphe Bouin, CEO of Futuroscope. Our objective is to increase the capacity, from 1.9 million visitors per year today to 2.5 million in five years. We want to bring people from further away and make them stay longer. For that, we need additional content, and in particular, boost the offer inside the park ”. A new attraction should therefore be created every two years.
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When it came out in the middle of the Poitou fields in 1987, with its crystal-shaped buildings and giant spheres, the Futuroscope was a UFO. It was then the first amusement park inaugurated in France, before Parc Astérix (1989) and Disneyland (1992). The initial ambition is leisure, certainly, but educational. And all the attractions showcase technology, science, discovery. In 1996, attendance was at its peak with 2.7 million visitors. But the 2000s marked a turning point. Visitors abandon the site and the accounts are in red. We have to reinvent ourselves.
Mission accomplished in the 2010s, when Compagnie des Alpes, already owner of Parc Astérix, becomes majority shareholder. The awards are raining and the audience is coming back. "Arthur, the 4D adventure", designed with Luc Besson, "The Time Machine", received the title of best attraction in the world by the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA). In 2019, Futuropolis and its 21 games and merry-go-rounds, a sort of outdoor children's city, will delight the little ones, previously excluded from most of the park's major attractions, around forty in total.
Reservation required on futuroscope.com. Open Saturday and Sunday, then every day from June 27, 2020.