Futuroscope, or Parc du Futuroscope (), formerly known as Planète Futuroscope, is a French

theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

based upon

multimedia Multimedia is a form of communication that uses a combination of different content forms such as text, audio, images, animations, or video into a single interactive presentation, in contrast to tradit ...

, cinematographic futuroscope and audio-visual techniques. It has several 3D cinemas and a few 4D cinemas along with other attractions and shows, some of which are the only examples in the world. It is located in the department of

Vienne Vienne (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Viéne'') is a landlocked department in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It takes its name from the river Vienne. It had a population of 438,435 in 2019.Nouvelle-Aquitaine Nouvelle-Aquitaine (; oc, Nòva Aquitània or ; eu, Akitania Berria; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Novéle-Aguiéne'') is the largest administrative region in France, spanning the west and southwest of the mainland. The region was created by ...

, north of Poitiers, in the

communes An intentional community is a voluntary residential community which is designed to have a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork from the start. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, relig ...

of Chasseneuil-du-Poitou and

Jaunay-Clan Jaunay-Clan () is a former Communes of France, commune in the Vienne Departments of France, department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Regions of France, region in western France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new commune Jaunay-Marigny.

. The park had 1.83 million visitors in 2015. In total, 50 million visitors have been to the park since it opened in 1987.

History

* 1984 : 11 December, first stone placed by

René Monory René Monory (6 June 1923 – 11 April 2009) was a French centre-right Gaullist politician. Biography René Monory was born in Loudun and began his career as the owner of a garage. He was the founder of the Poitiers Futuroscope. Monory firs ...

, president of the general council of

Vienne Vienne (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Viéne'') is a landlocked department in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It takes its name from the river Vienne. It had a population of 438,435 in 2019.Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

. * 1991 : inauguration of ''Cinéautomate'' in spring. The park receives its one-millionth visitor. * 1992 : the ''Tapis Magique'' (Magic Carpet) and the ''Paysages d’

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

'' (Landscapes of Europe, a tow boat ride) open. * 1993 : inauguration of ''Solido''. * 1994 : opening of ''Pavillon de la Vienne'', a second ''Dynamique Cinéma'' and the ''Aquascope''. * 1995 : celebrating the centenary of

cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking ...

, inauguration of the ''Images Studio''. * 1996 : the IMAX 3D opens and presents '' Guillaumet, les Ailes du Courage'' (the Wings of Courage), a fiction in 3D by Jean-Jacques Annaud. The ''Showscan'' becomes the ''Cinéma Haute Résolution'' (High Resolution Cinema). * 1997 : Futuroscope celebrates its 10th anniversary with a new evening spectacle, ''Le Lac aux Images'' (the Lake with Images). The ''Cinéautomate'' becomes ''Ciné-Jeu'' (Cinema Game) and ''Cyber Avenue'' opens up the Cyberworld to its visitors,. The ''Pavillon de la Communication'' presents a film produced by Futuroscope called ''Les Autoroutes de l’Information'' (The Motorways of Information). * 1998: ''Cyber Avenue'' expands with ''Cybermédia'' offering 1600 m² (17,000 sq ft) of

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

and

video games Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedbac ...

. ''Imagic'' opens, mixing image with illusion. The ''Dynamique Cinéma 2'' becomes ''Astratour'' with a film discovering satellites, produced by Futuroscope. * 1999: opening of ''Images du Goût'' (Images of Taste) and ''The Workshop of Taste'' in the ''Pavillon du Futuroscope''. * 2000: opening of the IMAX 3D simulator: ''Le Défi d’Atlantis'' (Race for Atlantis). In June, the ''Gare

TGV The TGV (french: Train à Grande Vitesse, "high-speed train"; previously french: TurboTrain à Grande Vitesse, label=none) is France's intercity high-speed rail service, operated by SNCF. SNCF worked on a high-speed rail network from 1966 to 19 ...

-Futuroscope'' (Futuroscope's

Station) opened with a walkway allowing visitors to reach the heart of the park directly from the station (80 mins from

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

Montparnasse Montparnasse () is an area in the south of Paris, France, on the left bank of the river Seine, centred at the crossroads of the Boulevard du Montparnasse and the Rue de Rennes, between the Rue de Rennes and boulevard Raspail. Montparnasse has bee ...

* 2001: the inauguration of the new attractions: ''CyberWorld, ''OceanOasis'', ''Superstition'' et ''Métropole Défi'' (Metropolis Challenge). On 18 April, Futuroscope welcomed its 25-millionth visitor. * 2002: opening of ''Destination Cosmos'', a new evening spectacle conceived by

Yves Pépin Yves Pépin is a creator of multimedia shows and large-scale events including the multi-awarded Eiffel Tower Millennium Show. In the course of his career, Pépin's projects have beehonored with many awards an outstanding personal honor was receive ...

: ''Le Miroir d’Uranie'' (the Mirror of Uranie) and two new films: ''Sur les traces du Panda'' ( China: The Panda Adventure) and ''Plongeurs sans Limite'' (Divers Without Limits). * 2003: opening of the attraction ''La Cité du Numérique'' (the Digital City); 2 IMAX films: '' Space Station 3D'' and ''Percussions du Monde'' ( Pulse: A Stomp Odyssey); 2 dynamique films: ''Les mélodies Aquatiques'' (Aquatic Melodies); and 2 new spectacles: ''Les Grandes Illusions'' (The Great Illusions), the ''Pavillon de la Créativité'' and an open air photograph exhibition. * 2004: the season begins with a festival of the best Imax films.

Jacques Perrin Jacques Perrin (born Jacques André Simonet; 13 July 1941 – 21 April 2022) was a French actor and film producer. He was occasionally credited as Jacques Simonet. Early life Jacques André Simonet was born on the Boulevard Port-Royal in P ...

produces an exclusive new film for ''Tapis Magique'', ''Voyageurs du Ciel et de la Mer'' (Travellers by Air and by Sea). ''Le Rêve d’Icare'' ( Adrenaline Rush) produces new sensations in the Imax cinema. * 2005: the arrival of many new attractions: ''Star du Futur !'' (Star of the Future!); ''La Légende de l'Étalon Noir'' ( The Young Black Stallion) in the ''Kinémax''; the dynamique film ''Péril sur Akryls'' (Danger on Akryls) in ''Dynamique 1'' and ''Les Yeux Grands Fermés'' (Journey into the Dark). On 27 April, the park welcomed its 30-millionth visitor, making it the second most visited theme park in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

and the fifth in

. * 2006: a new 3D film opens in '' Imax 3D'', ''le Seigneur du Ring'' (Adventures in Animation 3D). This year, the Park is themed as the Year of the Robots, by opening on 5 April with ''Dances with Robots'' in the new ''House of the Robots''. A new evening spectacle entitled the ''Forest of the Dreams'' also forms part of the theme. * 2007: two new IMAX films, ''Expédition Nil Bleu'' (

Mystery of the Nile ''Mystery of the Nile'' is a 2005 IMAX film documenting the first successful expedition to navigate the entire length of the Blue Nile and Nile from its source in Ethiopia to the Mediterranean Sea. The expedition was led by geologist A geolo ...

), ''Sous les Mers du Monde 3D'' ( Deep Sea 3D), and a new version of the dynamic film ''La Vienne Dynamique''. * 2008: a new attraction based around the BBC's programme ''

The Future is Wild ''The Future Is Wild'' (also referred to by the acronym ''FIW'') is a 2002 speculative evolution docufiction miniseries and an accompanying multimedia entertainment franchise. ''The Future Is Wild'' explores the ecosystems and wildlife of thre ...

'', a new Omnimax film (''Dinosaurs''), a new dynamic film (''Laponie Express''). On 10 July, the park welcomed its 35-millionth visitor. * 2015:

Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; "Circus of the Sun" or "Sun Circus") is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Ju ...

announced a partnership with Futuroscope and will produce a new show called 'La Forge aux étoiles' to replace the 'Lady O' evening show. The show will premier on 6 February 2016 and perform 250-300 shows a year. Futuroscope currently employs 600 people, including 400 temporary staff. Stages of the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

cycle race have begun and ended at the park several times since its opening.

Architecture

The pavilions of Futuroscope are mainly constructed of metal and glass, and their design was led by architect Denis Laming. * 1987 : Le Pavillon du Futuroscope, Le Kinémax * 1988 : Le Cinéma Dynamique 1, Le Pavillon de la Communication * 1989 : Le 360°, le Cinéma en Relief (the latter removed in 2004) * 1990 : L’Omnimax, la Gyrotour * 1991 : Le Cinéautomate * 1992 : Le Tapis Magique * 1993 : Le Solido ''(removed in 2017)'' * 1994 : Le Pavillon de la Vienne, le Cinéma Dynamique 2, l’Aquascope * 1995 : Images Studio * 1996 : L’Imax 3D * 2000 : L’Imax 3D Dynamique, TGV- Futuroscope station * 2002 : Destination Cosmos ''(formerly Aquascope)'' * 2006 : Le Pavillon des Robots ''(Dances with Robots)'' * 2008 : Les Animaux du Futur ''(today : La Machine à Voyager dans le Temps)'' * 2020 : Objectif Mars

Attractions

Restaurants and shops

The park has eight full-service restaurants and ten '' restaurations rapides'' (''Illico Resto''). There are eight shops, most of which are located at the entrance.

References

External links

{{commons category, Futuroscope
Official website
Buildings and structures in Vienne Amusement parks in France Compagnie des Alpes Tourist attractions in Vienne 1987 establishments in France Amusement parks opened in 1987