RIDE STATISTICS

Name: Tintin et le Sceptre des Rois (Tintin and the Sceptre of Kings)

Ride Type: Dark Ride

Ticket Level: E-Ticket

Ride Duration: 10 Minutes (including pre-show)

ATTRACTION BACKGROUND

Tintin et le Sceptre des Rois (Tintin and the Sceptre of Kings) is a dark ride located at Disney’s MGM Studios Europe which acts as the main attraction of the park’s newest land themed to the iconic French comic series The Adventures of Tintin. The ride is a large and complex undertaking, representing the height of Walt Disney Imagineering’s ambitiousness at this stage in their career.

The ride represents a mixture of cutting edge techniques as well as loving homages to the style of old. Here you will find a complex ride system that will take guests through highly detailed and imaginative sets with cutting edge audio animatronics. You will also find the memorable, clever, creative storytelling and scenic elements that are commonplace among Disney’s classic Fantasyland dark rides. Though the ride itself screams new, it’s these old fashioned supporting elements that will also lend the ride a sort of classic timelessness that will appeal to all generations.

ATTRACTION PREMISE

It is St. Vladimir's Day and in a rare treat, King Muskar XII has opened the gates of his palace to Cosmos Pictures to film a special movie based on the event and the nation of Syldavia's folklore. Covering the film shoot is reporter Tintin, joined by the detectives Thomson & Thompson who have come for fear of something going wrong during the festivities.

Unbeknownst to the king, the devious Roberto Rastapopoulos, the owner of the studio, is on location in disguise as the film's director with the intention of stealing one of Syldavia's most precious artifacts: King Ottokar's Sceptre. If successful, the dastardly villain will be able to hold the whole country ransom. Realizing the truth of what is afoot, Tintin and Thomson & Thompson decide to try and catch Rastapopoulos and retrieve the sceptre.

Believing that there's a really good film locked inside even this most serious of events, the King encourages guests to follow the trio on specially designed camera dollies that the kingdom paid for to film the thrilling chase for use in a swashbuckling adventure film set in the kingdom.

VEHICLES & LAYOUT

Guests will board the specially built dollies that sit eight total guests with two rows of four that sit back to back to each other. There are two camera affixed to each vehicle, one on each side, that can be controlled by all four guests by using simple directional levers in front of them (the person to the furthest left can move the camera left, the next person can point it up, the next person can point it down, and the person to the furthest right can move the camera right). The cameras actually work; when the ride is going, the camera captures whatever the riders film and at the end of the ride, guests will have the opportunity to view their film.

The ride vehicles rotate throughout the ride so at any given time riders can be facing forward or backward, looking at completely populated show scenes. There are two tracks that guests can choose that will offer slightly different experiences. The left track, "Tintin", will have guests following along with Tintin primarily as he zooms through the castle and the surrounding grounds chasing after Rastapopoulos. The right track, "Thomson & Thompson", will have guests following the detective pair as they do the same. Each side will feature two scenes completely unique to their side, but the tracks weave together so that all other scenes are shared between the attractions. There are moments of interactivity between the two tracks as well.

ATTRACTION QUEUE

Guests will find the ride entrance located in front of the drawbridge of King Muskar XII’s castle. Posted at the entrance will be Cast Members dressed as members of Cosmos Pictures production members who will stop guests as they pass by to recruit them for the film shoot. Guests will enter under the attraction marquee at the drawbridge and immediately find themselves walking through a briefly covered, dark area as they make their way through the entrance way.

They will come out the other side into the castle courtyard. The queue itself is covered and meant to look like a winding pathway that makes its way through the courtyard in the shadow of the castle. Throughout the courtyard are various statues of the king and the royal family all designed in the Tintin art style. Occasionally, members of the Cosmos Pictures production staff will appear in the courtyard moving some film equipment.

As guests move through the queue, they will come closer and closer to entering a servant’s quarters on the castle grounds to the side of the castle. This building is where the attraction pre-show takes place.

ATTRACTION PRE-SHOW

Guests are ushered into the servants quarters which have been completely reshuffled to act as an on site production office for the film. A member of Cosmos Productions staff will welcome the new film crew recruits to the set and gather them around a large television in the room where they will be patching into the film’s director who will explain to them what they will be doing for the shoot that day.

On the screen, guests are shown an animated video in which we see Rastapopoulos in disguise as the director, explaining that the king has hired them to make the film mentioned above. However, once he finishes explaining what their jobs are, he doesn’t seem to notice that the live camera feed is still going. Rastapopoulos removes his disguise and we see him discussing with some of his lackeys his real plan: to steal King Ottokar's Sceptre and hold the country for ransom.

Rastapopoulos and his lackeys laugh maniacally and make their way away from the camera as the TV goes to static. At that moment, from behind a couple of bushes,  Tintin and Thomson & Thompson appear, having been listening into the conversation. The detectives tell Tintin that their hunch was right after all and that they’re glad they accompanied him to the film shoot. Tintin, who is holding his notepad, tells the detectives that they must stop Rastapopoulos before it’s too late.

The King appears, looking for the director, but Tintin shares with him what he’s written down on his notepad, explaining what is really going on. For a moment, King Muskar is dejected, but he quickly realizes the potential for this to make a great film about his kingdom. Realizing that the new film crew is still watching upon noticing a blinking red light on the camera, the king tells the film crew (the guests) to accompany Tintin and the detectives on their journey by hopping aboard one of the specially made dollies to film a new adventure film.

Tintin and Thomson & Thompson tell the guests to meet them by the dollies.

ATTRACTION LOADING

Upon the completion of the pre-show, guests are ushered out of the production offices and split up down either the left path or the right path. The left path leads them toward a blue production tent set up on the castle grounds while the right path leads them to a black one. The left path is the Tintin track whereas the right path is the Thomson & Thompson track. As guests go underneath the production tents, various production monitors will give a brief explanation of how to operate the cameras affixed to the dollies. Cast Members still dressed as production crew will load the guests into their dollies and the ride will begin.

ATTRACTION SUMMARY: TINTIN TRACK

Pulling out from underneath the production Tent, guests very briefly are in the open air as the dolly makes its way into the castle. Upon entering the castle, they are immediately taken into the kitchens where an animatronic Tintin is waiting for them. He tells them that the sceptre is housed in a room on the third floor of the castle and that they have to get there before Rastapopoulos does. Just then, some of Rastapopoulos' cronies come crashing into the kitchen to stop Tintin and the guests. Tintin yells “go! go! go!” and the dollies start moving.

The dollies crash out of the kitchen and into the grand dining room of the castle. There are various dignitaries sitting at the table eating who all react in shock and horror at the arrival of the guests. The ride vehicle spins about giving all riders a view of the room and the simple animatronics at the table. Some of the finer details of the room such as the fireplace and the chandelier are Fantasyland dark ride style cut outs just done in the Tintin art style. Also appearing as cut outs coming out of various doors are some of Rastapopoulos’ cronies who’re chasing the riders, but the dolly manages to evade them.

The riders exit the dining room and find themselves in the great entrance hall of the castle. From all over (behind closed doors, from in the chandeliers, from behind tapestries), more of Rastapopoulos’ men appear to try and stop the riders. The set itself is rich and detailed but once more the cronies are depicted in classic dark ride cut out form. To escape, the dollies head toward the grand staircase. They begin to move up it, tilting the riders at an angle as the vehicle rumbles beneath them to make it feel like they’re going upstairs. Guests will notice on the other side of the staircase, the guests who are following after Thomson & Thompson can be seen as well. The Tintin guests once at the top of the stairs go to the left side down the hallway.

They enter the king’s great library where Tintin can be seen evading some of the henchmen by knocking books off the shelves. The guests crash through one of the bookshelves and find themselves in a game room where members of the royal family are playing cards and board games. They react in shock as the vehicle spins around the room as the cronies (still flats) attempt to stop them. However, Tintin (as a fully realized animatronic), swings the door to the room open which hits the cronies and sends them falling to the ground.

Back in the hallway, the vehicles round a corner and enter the Jewel Room. They are joined in here by the other ride vehicle on the other track. We see Rastapopoulos in animatronic from breaking the glass that the sceptre is in and raising it above his head with a laugh. Tintin is on the left side with his riders and Thomson & Thompson are on the right with theirs. They react in shock as Rastapopoulos makes his escape (achieved via the animatronic being moved through a window behind him with lighting and sound effects making it look like he jumped out).

The Tintin riders hear Tintin exclaim that they must go after him and the dolly immediately makes a left and brings riders out of the room. They immediately make their way back down the stairs (again on an incline and bumping as they do), only this time they crash through a hole in the floor that leads them down into the castle dungeon. All about are various treasures and trinkets such as suits of armor, statues, masks, and more. There are some easter eggs of Tintin iconography present as well. Throughout the dungeon are more henchmen who appear to be trying to steal the goods, but as the dolly spins it “bumps” into them, knocking them away.

The dolly spins until it hits a wall and guests find themselves “outside” of the castle (we’re still inside the show building but the sets are made to appear as though they’re outside). The dollies travel through the courtyard past several castle staff members (also flats) who jump out of the way of the dollies. Rastapopoulos can be seen up ahead in the distance appearing to run through the castle gates.

The dolly follows and guests find themselves moving through a market in the city of Klow proper. Tintin appears in animatronic form driving a car here with his dog Snowy in the passenger seat. Tintin’s car takes a turn away from the riders as the dolly continues to spin through the market, bumping into various stalls as the city folk react to it.

The dolly crashes through a wall and guests briefly find themselves inside of a theater where an animatronic Bianca Castafiore is on stage singing. The dolly pauses for just a moment to listen to her but Rastapopoulos is seen running across the stage with the sceptre, interrupting her performance. The dolly then moves out of the theatre to chase after him. Guests find themselves heading into the woods on the outskirts of the city where they spin about the trees. They come upon a clearing at the edge of a steep cliff where Rastapopoulos has stopped, unable to find a way over it. Tintin appears in his car and appears to bump Rastapopoulos and we see the sceptre fall from his hand. The dolly moves toward them and a sound effect indicates that the sceptre is picked up. Guests quickly make their way through a turn back through the woods where they quickly make their way once more into the castle through a door that opens to the woods.

Guests come into the throne room where they are greeted by the other set of guests on the other track. Rastapopoulos can be seen in handcuffs with Snowy barking at him. Tintin and Thomson & Thompson are standing nearby, thanking the guests for their help. The king is sitting on his throne holding the sceptre. He looks at the guests and asks them if they got the movie finished? The dollies then make their way out of the throne room and back outside the show building where there appears to be a filming wrap party happening under a ten. A member of Cosmos Productions team helps guests exit their ride vehicle.

ATTRACTION SUMMARY; THOMSON & THOMPSON TRACK

The ride experiences are mostly the same on the two tracks save for two completely unique scenes on each track and some directional differences.

When pulling out from under the tent and entering the castle at the start of the ride, guests on Thomson & Thompson’s side enter the kitchen to find animatronics of the detectives instead of Tintin. The scene plays out the same with the cronies attacking and moving into the dining room (a separate one from the guests on the other side) and out into the main entrance room and up the stairs. At the top of the stairs where the Tintin track goes left, this track goes right leading to the first of two completely original show scenes.

Instead of going into the library, this track goes into the King’s bedchamber where they find Thomson & Thompson in animatronic form trying to fight of some of the cronies (in flat cutout form) by throwing some of the king’s gaudy furniture and knick knacks at them to make sure the guests get out of the room okay. They crash through a wall of the room and enter the bathroom where a member of the royal family peeks out from behind a shower curtain in shock and lets out a scream.

Then, instead of crashing into the game room, guests enter an art studio where members of the royal family are painting or drawing. They react in shock as the guests spin around the room trying to evade the chasing henchmen while Thomson & Thompson attempt to hold the bad guys off by squirting paint at the cronies. Guests will be able to see on some of the canvases a painting of the very scene before them as a young member of the family paints the chaos.

Guests come crashing out of the room and into a turn where they meet up with the other track for the stealing of the sceptre. The rest of the ride follows the same structure: going back downstairs, into the courtyard, into the city market, crashing into the theatre for Bianaca’s performance, into the woods where Rastapopoulos is caught, and then meeting up with the other track in the throne room for the end of the attraction.

POST-SHOW

Upon exiting their ride vehicles, guests can walk through the exit to the ride’s gift shop where they can purchase some merchandise as well as get the chance to view the footage that they filmed on the ride. For a small fee, guests are able to purchase their video and can make some custom artwork to act as a poster of sorts for their film, giving it a title and using some pre-loaded graphics to make the art.

THE END