Mirapolis opens to the public on 20 May 1987 in Courdimanche, in Val-d'Oise. The park has a very French ambition: turning tales, fables, legends and popular figures into a large theme park able to stand beside international models.
Gargantua immediately becomes the park's visual landmark. The statue contains an indoor ride, but the opening takes place before every operational detail is fully settled, creating an early tension between monumental ambition and operating reality.
The first season gives Mirapolis national visibility, but it does not erase the costs, delays and attendance difficulties that will weigh on the rest of the park's history.
