The Paris-Story multimedia museum started with two people who wanted to share their love of the French capital city with the rest of the world.

Charles Ruty, (originally trained as a chemical engineer who also holds an American MBA in marketing), first came up with the idea of creating the film in 1986. He envisioned a multimedia show which would allow people to discover the fascinating history of the city and its many monuments in an easy to understand and chronological way.

Four years later, in collaboration with his father Michel Ruty, “Paristoric” was born. A privately owned ‘cultural enterprise’ with no government funding, This was only the beginning. The two went on to choose the people who would be responsible for putting the film together. Charles and Michel Ruty chose a team headed by Jean Michel Mahenc –recognised as one of the best within a small circle of directors who specialise in cultural audiovisual shows.

Producing this film was no easy task. How to condense 2000 years of rich and complex history into a show lasting just under an hour? How to make the show entertaining whilst still retaining its educational value? Could a film about the history and heritage of Paris really captivate an audience for such a long period of time? With these questions and difficulties in mind, it’s hardly surprising that critics and specialists were a little skeptical. However, this concept of ‘culture and leisure’ turned out to be immensely successful and a brilliant basis for using modern techniques like widescreen projection and surround sound.

After initially setting up in the des Batignolles quarter, the Paris-Story team relocated in 1995 to the 9th arrondissement just opposite the famous National Opera. At this new location the Paris-Story theater seats up to 175 people and over the years the film has come to be available in 14 different languages. By the 10th anniversary of the Paris-Story film, the number of visitors had tripled from 30,000 to over 100,000 visitors a year. At this moment amidst the success Charles and Michel Ruty decided to make some changes to the show – with yet again resounding success. The show, which you can see at Paris-Story today, is a real and absolute triumph of widescreen animation.