Thor’s Hammer dark ride set to debut at Norway’s Tusenfryd

A new motion simulator-based dark ride that tells the story of Norse gods and mythical monsters with 3-D scenes and special effects is set to debut at a Norwegian theme park this summer.

Photos: Thor’s Hammer dark ride at Norway’s Tusenfryd

Drawing on Nordic mythology, the $8.5-million Thor’s Hammer dark ride will open in May at Tusenfryd, a Parques Reunidos theme park located in Oslo, Norway.

Code-named Prosjekt Mjolner, the new four-minute dark ride will feature interactive elements, fire and wind special effects and 3-D computer-generated imagery projected on 10 movie screens.

Set at the time of the Norse gods, Thor’s hammer (known as Mjolner) has been stolen by the evil god Loki. Riders are sent on a mission to catch Loki and recover the hammer. Traveling through a forest, river, cave, castle and the battle of Ragnarok, riders will encounter scenes of Loki as a wolf, a sea serpent and a dragon.

Dutch design firm P&P; Projects describes Thor’s Hammer as an “action movie brought to life,” comparing the ride experience to the Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man at Universal’s Islands of Adventure theme park in Orlando, Fla.

Thor’s Hammer is expected to feature the newest dark ride vehicle from ETF Ride Systems, a rolling, pitching and rotating trackless motion simulator presented at the 2012 International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Expo in Orlando.

Designed for teens and young adults, the “thrilling and scary” Thor’s Hammer will reuse the cave-like Toktet dark ride building that has stood idle for several years.

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