Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All France Saint-Cannat Le Village des Automates

Le Village des Automates

An often-shuddersome journey into a low-tech, robotic themepark.

Saint-Cannat, France

Added By
Alicia
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Village-des...
  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Village-des...
  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Village-des...
  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Village-des...
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

American kids are lucky that they only have to deal with Chuck E. Cheese. After visiting Les Village des Automates near Aix-en-Provence, French kids will no longer understand plots in classic literature (there is no Doc-constructed airplane in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, right?) nor will they be able to sleep with thoughts of electronic smiles dancing through their heads.

The automaton park, which looks like it hasn't been updated since the 1980s, automates Gulliver's Travels, Pinocchio and Sleeping Beauty, amongst 500 other spooky motorized creatures. The slowly-mechanized, bulky-plastered, spray-painted robots are guaranteed to give the whole family nightmares for weeks!

The park itself is made up of many different themed lands. The Gulliver section consists of a gigantic, plaster Gulliver reclining in a Lilliputian world populated by creatures that look an awful lot like Happy and Dopey. Pinocchio's story is told within the belly of a huge whale structure that houses robotic pirates and a terrifying clown-faced Pinnochio. A strange Snow White world features the dwarfs surrounded by smiling honeybees with one of the dwarfs blasting off in what appears to be a homemade airplane.

The park gets stranger still as it veers away from Disney-told tales into the random. Children are welcomed into the Court Circus by a leering blonde clown in a green top hat. There's a exhibition simply called "Mexico" to which visitors are greeted by a grinning cactus in a sombrero. You'll come across Santa, as well as a bigger-than-life-size tree with a tepid smile and a purple hat. There's also a live petting zoo so you can further confuse your kids' perceptions of reality.

Related Tags

Amazing Automata Wondrous Performances Robots Amusement Parks Automata Literature

Know Before You Go

10.5 miles northwest of Aix-en-Provence

Community Contributors

Added By

Alicia Bones

Edited By

Martin

  • Martin

Published

July 18, 2012

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.marseille-provence.info/family-friendly-children-kids/aix-en-provence-family-friendly/348-the-village-des-automates.html
  • http://www.guide2cotedazur.com/information/49/Village-des-AutomatesSaint-CannatBouches-du-Rhone
Le Village des Automates
Le Village des Automates
Chemin de la Diligence, RN 7, 13760
Saint-Cannat, 13760
France
43.606419, 5.336889
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Camp des Milles

Aix-en-Provence, France

miles away

Phallic Balconies of Place d'Albertas

Aix-en-Provence, France

miles away

Bibliotheque Mejanes

Aix-en-Provence, France

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of France

France

Europe

Places 692
Stories 73

Nearby Places

Camp des Milles

Aix-en-Provence, France

miles away

Phallic Balconies of Place d'Albertas

Aix-en-Provence, France

miles away

Bibliotheque Mejanes

Aix-en-Provence, France

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of France

France

Europe

Places 692
Stories 73

Related Stories and Lists

The Astounding World of Automata

List

By Jonathan Carey

Related Places

  • The Jaquet-Droz Automata

    Neuchâtel, Switzerland

    Jaquet-Droz Automata

    These magnificent 240-year-old machines are considered distant ancestors of the computer.

  • The new, improved Gakutensoku at the Osaka Science Museum.

    Osaka, Japan

    Gakutensoku

    Japan's first automaton went missing, only to be revived by the Osaka Science Museum.

  • San Francisco, California

    Musée Mécanique

    A collection of 20th-century automata, penny arcade games, and musical contraptions.

  • Rock-afire Explosion at Billy Bob’s Wonderland

    Barboursville, West Virginia

    Billy Bob’s Wonderland

    This arcade is one of the last places to catch a public performance by the now-defunct ShowBiz Pizza's house band of animatronic animals.

  • Ethereal Dancers

    Limoux, France

    Musée des Automates

    A centuries-old quest to create artificial life is alive and well in the French town of Limoux.

  • Basic layout of Kafka kinetic mirrored bust.

    Prague, Czechia

    Hlava Franze Kafky (Franz Kafka's Head)

    A bust of Franz Kafka spins in pieces, reflecting the writer's inner torment.

  • The “Green Gables” at Canadian World.

    Ashibetsu, Japan

    Canadian World

    A semi-abandoned replica of Prince Edward Island's Avonlea—in Japan.

  • Ali and Nino

    Batumi, Georgia

    Ali and Nino

    A literally moving statue of stacked metal giants just continually trying (and failing) to find love.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.