Jora Vision, a leading design and production company, along with Plopsa, Holiday Park, and LF Studios, has shared four animated scenes and additional details of the upcoming Smurf dark ride at Holiday Park on its booth at IAAPA Expo Europe 2024 in Amsterdam.
Plopsa acquired Holiday Park in Haßloch, Germany, in 2010, and it has been investing in and expanding it ever since. New developments include refurbishing the Burg Falkenstein dark coaster, which will become home to the Smurfs in 2025.
Due to its unique castle siege sequences, the 35-year-old Burg Falkenstein dark ride was a fan favourite, so the park knew it would need to create something special to replace it. This ride transformation goes beyond a standard refurbishment. The castle’s interior was demolished, leaving only the building’s shell and original ride track. The Plopsa and Holiday Park creative teams used this canvas to rethink the space and create a new adventure.
The Smurfs head to Holiday Park
The Smurfs, drawn by Belgian comic artist Peyo, are now set to make their home in the renovated building.
“The Smurfs have captivated audiences for generations,” says Carl Lenaerts, Plopsa CEO. “Recent media productions have introduced these lovable characters to a new generation, making this a perfect addition to the popular IPs the Plopsa group has. We’re excited to see the Smurfs come to life in Holiday Park.”
Plopsa and Holiday Park devised a fresh tale for the attraction featuring the Smurfs’ woodland village and their archenemy, the grumpy Smurf-hating wizard Gargamel.
Attendees at IAAPA Expo Europe saw four of the ride’s nine scenes in a brief video. The intro scene features Gargamel’s lair, where a spell book shows the terrifying “Flora Monstera” that threatens to destroy the Smurfs’ home. The next scene shows Gargamel summoning one of the plants, and then a woodland scene is dominated by giant orange Flora Monstera plants with vine-like tendrils that trap everything.
Meanwhile, Papa Smurf is working in his lab to create an antidote, and a new scene shows a heroic Smurf spraying purple goo over a plant in an attempt to defeat the monster.
Choosing the right team
Plopsa and Holiday Park chose the Dutch design and build firm Jora Vision to create the themed environment for this new adventure, based on the firm’s 35 years of experience creating immersive dark rides. With a ride spanning 160 metres and two floors, there is a lot of custom theming to be produced. Additionally, as the ride is based on the latest 3D movies of the Smurfs, Holiday Park and Plopsa are looking for a specific style in the environment.
“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.”
The best dark rides have animatronics, and this ride will be a Smurfapalooza with over 40 moving Smurfs. Plopsa and Holiday Park hired LF Studios to bring the Smurfs to life across the dark ride. The American company brings to life around 40 Smurfs, Gargamels, Azreals (his cat), and many Smurfs-themed flora, including the huge “Flora Monstera” plants. Along with the figures, LF is creating several show pieces. Lastly, most characters will have integrated LED screens for their eyes, elevating their realism.
The company’s expertise was shown in a Papa Smurf animatronic on the Jora Vision booth during the expo.
“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 maintaining IP integrity, has been a fun challenge”, says Jay Rottinghaus, executive vice president at LF Studios.
He adds: “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.”
A fresh experience
Renovating rides is a sustainable way of giving visitors fresh, engaging experiences. The attraction uses the vintage Mack Rides endless chain omnimover mechanism for continuous movement. In addition to LF Studios’ show elements, Belgian firm Painting with Light (PWL) will deploy approximately 350 lighting fixtures, ten projectors and video panels, and a few cleverly camouflaged additional effects.
The Smurfs dark ride at Holiday Park will open in spring 2025.
Jora Vision made several announcements at IAAPA Expo Europe 2024. In one press conference, it shared details of the Bommelwereld theme park in Groenlo, Netherlands. This brand-new, highly-themed indoor theme park is slated to open in 2025. A collaboration between Jora Vision and Marveld Recreatie, it will span approximately 9,000 square meters and is expected to welcome 100,000 visitors per year.
Jora Vision revealed further details of the groundbreaking dark ride, ‘The Enchanted Greenhouse’, with Six Flags Qiddiya City, ETF Ride Systems and Alterface.
