Vibrant Lighting Effects Highlight New Smurfs’ Attraction
A new ride at a popular family theme park feels more immersive to guests thanks to the creative lighting design.
Visitors to the indoor Smurf-themed experience at Plopsaland Deutschland in Germany can credit some of their delight with the ride to Pharos Architectural Controls, which played a significant role in the visual aesthetic.
Part of the Plopsa Group portfolio, Plopsaland Deutschland is a major family theme park destination in Germany that combines children’s entertainment brands with large-scale attractions. Drawing families from across Germany, France, and the Benelux region, the park recently added The Smurfs’ Adventure ride, which takes guests on a journey through the fun and engaging world of the Smurfs.
To bring the new ride to life, Lux Lumen – renowned dynamic lighting specialists in the entertainment and leisure industry – were appointed to the project. Lux Lumen is a preferred supplier for Plopsa parks across Europe and is a Pharos partner.
For this project, Lux Lumen supplied and installed 400+ custom fixtures across 11 cabinets, each with individual control via an Art-Net network to allow precise, independent manipulation of multiple lighting fixtures and devices. A single four-universe Pharos Designer LPC controls all custom full-RDM light fixtures.
The LPC controls trigger all audio, video and projection systems, special effects, aroma scent machines and animatronics to create a fully immersive adventure. Beyond entertainment control, the LPC integrates with the Operator Console for ride operation and system monitoring, the KeySwitch system for secure mode selection and activation, and the EVAC interface to ensure coordinated emergency shutdown and evacuation responses when required.
The LPC was the first product developed by Pharos and it is still the company’s most popular controller. Originally designed for theme parks in the U.S., it brought together just the right amount of lighting control and show control in a compact, robust package — which is what made it an ideal choice for this project.
The LPC features individually controllable and independently running timelines and scenes, and offers the freedom of real-time manual overrides with the versatility of powerful show control and integration features. With its compact form and minimal power requirements, the LPC can be installed almost anywhere.
The integration of the system was the responsibility of Pieter Dewaegeneere at Plopsa. Since he had previously been trained by Lux Lumen on Pharos technology, this familiarity allowed him to easily integrate all the audio and video triggers. Lux Lumen also assisted with programming and delivered tech support for Pharos products at the theme park.
Noted Tom Mampaey, R&D Engineer at Lux Lumen, “The Smurfs’ Adventure is a fantastic example of how integrated technology can transform a themed attraction into a truly immersive experience. We needed a control solution that was reliable and easy to integrate across the entire ride environment. Pharos delivered exactly that. The flexibility and robustness of the Designer LPC allowed us to create precise synchronization between all show elements, helping bring the world of the Smurfs to life for every visitor.”
Added Ryan Sainsbury, Pharos Regional Sales Manager for the U.K., Ireland, Northern Europe and Benelux, “It was great to see Pharos solutions being used on The Smurfs’ Adventure ride; it’s a pleasure knowing that we are helping to create memorable experiences at Plopsaland Deutschland. The Designer LPC is an incredible piece of kit —remaining small in profile yet powerful, flexible and dynamic. It has delivered everything required for this immersive ride and demonstrates the suitability of the LPC for theme parks and similar tourist attractions across the globe.”
The introduction of the Pharos solutions to Plopsaland Deutschland adds to the growing portfolio of Pharos technologies operating in theme parks. Many of these are part of the Plopsa Group and were supplied and installed by Lux Lumen.
Project Credits
Client: Plopsaland Deutschland
Lighting Controls: Pharos Architectural Controls
Concept Design: Kurt Heerman
Project Manager Theming: Maarten Wilssens
Project Manager Technics & Programming: Pieter Dewaegeneere
Custom Fixtures, Cabinets, Full Light Installation & Pharos Tech Support: Lux Lumen
Décor, Scenic Design & Fabrication: Jora Vision
Animatronics: LF Studios
Light Design & Light Programming: PWL
Photography credits, Official Marketing Images: Plopsaland Deutschland, courtesy of Lux Lumen
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