Les Mysteres du Nautilus is a walk-through attraction, a visit into Captain Nemo's Nautilus submarine from Jules Verne's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." You won't find much animation here, or any overt storytelling. With little wait anymore, even on busy summer days, you could breeze through this attraction in moments and wonder why the heck I'd ever write about it.
But that's not how to get the most from a walk-through. Consider this the setting for a story where you play the starring role. Most adults bring too much self-consciousness to allow them to treat a theme park attraction as a narrative playground. But if you can imagine yourself as part of the crew of the Nautilus, this walk through becomes as engaging and enjoyable an experience as anything else in the park.
For that to work, however, designers must create a physical space with enough detail to make you think you're part of the experience. Tokyo Disney's Fortress Explorations, Universal Orlando's Jurassic Park Discovery Center, and - my favorite - Disney's Tom Sawyer Island (especially the well-maintained one in Tokyo) all immerse you in "another" place, where you can set your imagination free to play.
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I would have liked to see a few more interactive play opportunities on Paris' Nautilus. But there's enough visual detail here that I found myself lingering for far longer than than I'd planned. I don't expect Disney to ever build another 20K ride here in the United States. But how hard would it be to give us an immersive walk-through like Les Mysteres du Nautilus to enjoy?
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