Renovating Around The World In 80 Days

Around the World in 80 Days was an attraction in the Talbot Street (now Cloud Cuckoo land) area of Alton Towers theme park in Staffordshire, England. The attraction opened in 1981, one year after the park first opened. It was the first dark ride at Alton Towers and one of the largest in the UK at the time.

Sally’s contribution to Alton Towers’ dark ride Around The World In 80 Days debuted June 1986. Eight employees from Sally went to England to install new characters, special effects equipment, props, new audio. Sally's team was also responsible for refurbing the existing characters and some additional scenic work.

It was a 4-minute boat ride which followed the adventures of Phileas Fogg and was loosely based on Jules Verne's 1873 novel Around the World In Eighty Days. Riders floated through various scenes that depicted different countries and their respective culture. Each country had its own music and animated characters. You could travel through London, Siam, Egypt, New York City, Venice, and Greenland just to name a few. The ride station was themed to the London Docks and featured an animated Phileas Fogg in a hot air balloon. The ride system held 10 boats total, each seating up to 9 guests for a capacity of 1,000 guests an hour.

The ride was popular in its time, but was closed in 1993. It was replaced by Toyland Tours in 1994, then Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The Ride in 2006.