Futuroscope opens European first with The Extraordinary Journey
Futuroscope opened The Extraordinary Journey as a European first: a flying theater that sends guests on a four-minute world tour with their feet dangling. The 12-million-euro attraction uses moving gondolas facing a 600-square-metre dome screen.
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In December 2016, Futuroscope reinforced its role as a multimedia and film-focused park with the opening of L'Extraordinaire Voyage, internationally known as The Extraordinary Journey. Looopings described it as a European first: a panoramic flying simulator in which guests travel around the world in four minutes while their feet hang freely in the air. The installation uses moving gondolas facing a huge 600-square-metre dome screen. Dynamic Attractions supplied the system, and Futuroscope invested 12 million euros. The experience starts with an interactive preshow inspired by Jules Verne before the Skyloop sends guests flying over mountains, skyscrapers and deserts. For fans, the opening mattered because it brought a Soarin'-style flying-theater concept to continental Europe before similar projects in Amsterdam and Europa-Park. The attraction fits Futuroscope’s identity neatly: using futuristic audiovisual technology to turn travel, science and imagination into an accessible shared experience.