Moment Factory, a multidisciplinary entertainment studio specialising in the creation and production of immersive environments with over 20 years of expertise in themed entertainment, has recently expanded into the indoor water park sector with award-winning projects at Futuroscope’s new Aquascope water park in France and Wilderness at the Smokies’ Wild WaterDome, the largest indoor water park in Tennessee.
“Water is an exceptional ally in creating immersive environments, offering limitless possibilities that we are only beginning to explore,” says Lyes Belhocine, general manager and producer, theme parks at Moment Factory. “Its unique qualities, blended with advanced technology, create an ideal setting for light and sound exploration. We are curious to see where this combination will take us in the future.”
Moment Factory’s creative approach spans diverse projects and scales, from attractions to entire themed zones, transforming the indoor water park visitor experience. The studio was recently honoured with two Leading Edge Awards from the World Waterpark Association for its innovative work on extending the Wild WaterDome with the Kaleidoscope Kavern Lazy River project and creating Les Abysses de Lumière, Aquascope’s new immersive zone that officially launched in September 2024.
See also: Moment Factory: ‘We do it in public’
Imagining a unique water park attraction
In 2023, Wilderness at the Smokies tasked Moment Factory to design a trend-setting immersive multimedia attraction for its Wild WaterDome’s 40,000-square-foot expansion. The result, Kaleidoscope Kavern Lazy River, is a unique tunnel that envelops guests in dynamic lighting, spatialised sound, and video projections as they float through a kaleidoscope of nature’s sights. The project rapidly became a highlight of the new expansion, attracting new and returning guests.
With its 360-degree approach, the studio manages projects from conception to integration. Their multidisciplinary team finds solutions using tools like prototyping and VR to stay closely connected to the environment’s realities. In the case of Kaleidoscope Kavern, the team built a 1:10-scale model of the tunnel, which facilitated extensive exploration of creative possibilities.
Moment Factory delivers evolving solutions that enable regular content updates, ensuring guests enjoy fresh experiences over time. This project showcases how multimedia enhances adaptability, with new content capsules and soundscapes already delivered for the Wild WaterDome.
Creating an immersive, ever-shifting thematic world
Having expanded its offer with Aquascope, a next-generation 7,000-square-metre indoor water park, Futuroscope commissioned Moment Factory to design an experiential and thematic space dedicated to immersion, resulting in an ever-shifting world called Les Abysses de Lumière.
The studio designed and developed the zone’s multimedia scenography, and its team also created original characters for use throughout the park. This innovative project combines state-of-the-art multimedia technologies, including video mapping, immersive lighting, spatialised sound, and interactivity.
“From our first creative meetings with the Moment Factory teams, we saw the incredible potential of this innovative merging of the aquatic and the digital,” says Olivier Heral, creative director at Futuroscope. “With Les Abysses de Lumière, we’ve imagined a universe of playful and dreamlike expression that offers visitors a totally unique immersive experience.”
Moment Factory values collaboration with local stakeholders and partners to ensure that every project integrates seamlessly. This new space results from a close partnership, merging the expert skill sets of teams from Futuroscope and its FMD subsidiary, Groupe Crystal, and Universal Rocks.
Growing expertise in themed entertainment
Having established a strong presence in indoor water parks, Moment Factory is set to enter the world of scary attractions in spring 2025, further expanding its portfolio in themed entertainment. The studio is excited to lend its multimedia creativity to Dells Boat Tours in Wisconsin to take the renowned Ghost Boat experience to new heights of fear.
Earlier this year, Moment Factory created a new night-time multimedia experience for Village Québécois d’Antan, a living museum in Quebec, Canada. Village Parrallèle encourages visitors to explore the cultural site in the evening with a playful twist.
