Mack Rides has teamed up with acclaimed film director Luc Besson to develop Eurosat Coastiality, a brand new VR dark coaster experience at Europa-Park.

Expected to open this summer, Eurosat Coastiality is based on Besson’s 2017 blockbuster, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, and will take riders on an epic space-themed adventure.

It will be located inside the Eurosat sphere in the newly-renovated France-themed area of the park, and will share its home with the Moulin Rouge-themed Eurosat-CanCan Coaster. It will be the first attraction of its kind to host two rides, which use the same track, within the same space, and will feature a second station with a shift track and separate trains in order to accommodate the experience.

“Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets on Eurosat Coastiality will be both exceptional and exclusive,” explains Besson, chair of French motion picture company EuropaCorp.

“I cannot imagine a better partner for the Eurosat Coastiality project,” says managing partner of MackMedia, Michael Mack.

“The combination of Luc Besson and Valerian’s sensational space story is a perfect fit for us. I am happy to pick up on the popular space theme and offer it once again to our visitors,” Mack adds.

Mack Rides will work with VR Coaster to create and install the technical elements of the ride, while Mack’s media development arm, MackMedia, will create the 360-degree content for the rollercoaster, which riders will view on a VR headset.

attractions-kit keyword: MACK

The Penn Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology has unveiled a brand new exhibit that takes visitors on a journey through 10,000 years of human history.

The Middle East Galleries, a suite of galleries themed Journey to the City, explore the impact that ancient Mesopotamian societies had on modern life, particularly how the earliest settlements in these societies gave rise to the modern city.

The galleries, which opened at the end of April, form the first phase of a major refurbishment project at the museum.

UK-based design consultancy Haley Sharpe Design (hsd) was responsible for the overall design of the exhibition, which features three themed galleries: Towards Cities; Ur: The Great City; and The World of Cities.

Almost 1,200 objects from the museum’s extensive collection, including the crown jewels of a Mesopotamian queen and one of the world’s oldest wine vessels, are displayed throughout the galleries, alongside large-scale video projections, scale models, interactive stations and touchable reproductions of artefacts.

“The Middle East Galleries were designed to appeal to a broad spectrum of visitors”, says hsd designer and director Alisdair Hinshelwood. “Our design optimises visitor flow and routing, stylistically acknowledging the historic character of the spaces, whilst offering an attractive and inviting gallery environment.”

attractions-kit keyword: HALEY SHARPE

Austrian media-based attraction developer Attraktion has created a brand new multimedia experience for Yas Waterworld in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Combining an immersive 4D theatre attraction with a traditional waterpark experience, Cinesplash 5D, which opens in June, submerges guests in 50cm of water as they experience the immersive film Legend of the Lost Pearl.

Based on the region’s rich pearl diving heritage, Legend of the Lost Pearl takes visitors on a thrilling quest with scrappy young protagonist Dana, heroine of Yas Waterworld, as she journeys across Abu Dhabi to find the Mother Pearl.

As the action unfolds on screen the cinema floods, immersing guests in water, and water effects, including rain, waterfalls, water explosions, sprays, fountains, water guns and neck blasts, are deployed. Additional effects, including RGB lighted bubbles in the walls and ceiling, as well as wind effects, ground fog, seat vibrations and leg ticklers, are used throughout.

“The development of Cinesplash for Yas Waterworld took several years. Besides building the full attraction, our studio also produced the custom movie for the waterpark, bringing their original characters to life and telling the story of the park,” says Attraktion CEO Markus Beyr.

Yas Waterworld’s general manager Bianca Sammut says: “Cinesplash 5D is one of the most exciting new additions to our lineup of experiences and we are proud to be the first waterpark to introduce it.”

attractions-kit keyword: ATTRAKTION