creating happy worlds
Terre en Colère - Vulcania, France
Reimagined and rethemed dark ride experience
Experiencing the forces of nature
Breathing new life into a classic comes with unique challenges. The creators of the attraction aimed to preserve the nostalgic spirit of the original ride, by integrating dynamic storytelling with new media and cutting-edge special effects. Almost every element of Terre en Colère has been redesigned to make sure the attraction is geared to today's visitor expectations.
With this new version visitors can now experience the forces of nature more dynamic and interactive than ever. The reimagined attraction offers a refreshing approach to today's environmental challenges, with immersive theming and updated content highlighting the impact of climate change.
Step inside Matt the Explorer's home
Guests now enter through a completely redesigned queue line that recreates the cozy, cluttered home of Matt the Explorer, one of Vulcania’s beloved mascots. To deepen immersion, railings were intentionally avoided, allowing guests to flow naturally through rooms filled with decorations, puzzles, and scientific clues.
One of the biggest creative challenges was managing guest flow — since the main show takes several minutes to complete, visitors naturally spend more time in the queue area. To transform this potential bottleneck into a storytelling opportunity, BoldMove's team designed an engaging and content-rich waiting experience for this queue line.
Guests are immersed in 10 minutes of original in-house media, including news bulletins, voice messages, and audio clips. These were voiced by popular French influencers, podcasters, and theme park fans, thus engaging them into the attraction. The space is brought to life with carefully curated props: photos, fictional news articles, fun objects tied to the storyline, and even a whiteboard covered in scientifically accurate notes - in keeping with the park’s scientific mission.
Throughout the queue and preshow, guests will notice clever Easter eggs and low-tech mini-games, such as “Where is Matt?”, hidden in wall posters and old newspapers. These references make the attraction fun to repeat and explore, while reinforcing the overall world-building.
Choose your disaster
Before entering the main theater, visitors take part in a colourful, interactive preshow with sets designed by BoldMove. With flashing lights and tactile buttons, guests vote between six dramatic natural phenomena: from windy storms to hot volcanic eruptions and more. The top three voted themes then become the focus of the main simulator show.
In the heart of the attraction, special effects such as air effects (hot and cold) and dynamic lighting bring the selected forces of nature to life. Thanks to an extensive pre-study some scenes even show all the different special effects at once. Combined with motion simulation and a cinematic storyline developed by Amak, the result is an experience that’s both thrilling and meaningful — placing guests at the center of Earth’s most powerful forces.
"The make-over of Terre en Colère is very impressive and results in a more engaging and immersive experience for our guests. The well-researched and story-driven theming of the new queue line and pre-show, along with the special effects in the main show created by the BoldMove team, contribute to a true revitalization of the attraction."
—Sophie Rognon, Park Director at Vulcania