Difference between revisions of "Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!"

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Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular is a show in [[Disney's Hollywood Studios]], giving a behind-the-scenes look at some of the stunts from '''Raiders of the Lost Ark'''.  
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Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular is a show in [[Disney's Hollywood Studios]], giving a behind-the-scenes look at some of the stunts performed in the film '''Raiders of the Lost Ark'''.  
  
 
==Attraction History==
 
==Attraction History==

Revision as of 23:52, 3 July 2012

Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! FastpassIcon.jpg
IndianaJonessign.jpg
The entrance sign for the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular.
Disney's Hollywood Studios
Attraction type Live Show
Theme Indiana Jones
Opening date August 25, 1989
Ride duration 30:00 minutes
Theater Capacity 2000 guests
Fastpass Available Yes

Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular is a show in Disney's Hollywood Studios, giving a behind-the-scenes look at some of the stunts performed in the film Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Attraction History

The Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular was a collaboration between Walt Disney Company and George Lucas, creator of the Indiana Jones franchise. Lucas had worked with Disney as early as 1985, creating the Star Tours and Captain EO attractions which opened in 1986. The attraction officially premiered on August 25, 1989, less that two months after the opening of Disney-MGM Studios. The attraction has remained essentially the same since it opened, but was closed for six months in 2000. This hiatus allowed Disney to refurbish the sets, and the addition of Disney's Fastpass to the attraction. The attraction reopened on June 10, 2000.

Tragically, Anislav Varbanov died on August 17, 2009 due to an injury from a rehearsal of the show. Varbanov – a relatively new member of the show – landed awkwardly on his neck doing a relatively routine tumble roll, and was rushed to Florida Hospital Celebration Health, where he was pronounced dead. All shows the next day were canceled in Varbanov's memory. OSHA cleared Disney of any safety violations relating to the accident.

Attraction Plot

Start of the Show

The show begins with the casting director, who in a real shoot would cast the actors for the film, inviting three volunteers, who must be at least 18 years old, to come on stage. The casting director asks them to do their first scene, as the stand on a trap door and scream as if the door had just opened. After inviting the first three volunteers to go to wardrobe, she invited three more. The three introduce themselves and say where they're from, and asks them to give three different laughs. The first gives a hearty laugh, the second – a woman – gives a “sweet little giggle,” and the third gives an “evil, menacing, sinister laugh.” The crowd applauds for them, and they go to wardrobe. The director asks for three more volunteers, and one of the extras chosen is really an actor, at one time played by Chris Lanam. Because we know he has been the actor, we will use his name. Each of these three gets a pose: Chris struggles to stand on one leg, another extra stands like a tough guy and the third stands like a boulder is about to fall on them. The director asks the crowd if the extras should have to stand like that for awhile, like real extras sometimes do, but luckily she sends them to wardrobe anyway. That's all the extras to be called up, but luckily the rest of the audience is included in the fun. Before the first scene with Indiana Jones, the middle-left of the audience practices their ahhs and the middle-right practices their oohs. Then it's time for the first scene!

First Scene

This is when we meet, “Indiana Jones's stunt double,” as he performs a classic Indy-style scene. The double lowers himself to the ground, relying on a torch to watch for booby traps. Seeing pressure traps on the ground, he steps carefully around him, until suddenly he loses his footing! Spikes shoot into the air, with Indiana just a step ahead of all of them. He has a few close calls, but makes it across the traps, and only then does he notice a body impaled on the spikes. “Forestal,” he mutters as he walks through roots hanging from the ceiling. Suddenly, Indy drops into a pit! He catches himself on the roots, and is able to swing himself to the other side, only to come face to face with an 8 ft. statue holding an axe above its head. There are three of these statues in the line, and Indy is trying to be careful. He tests the first and second statues by waving his arm out, to make sure they won't drop their axes on them. But as he walks past the second statue, it drops its axe! Indy runs, just barely passing the third statue before it drops its axe.

Indy is only three feet away from the idol. He carefully steps up to the pedestal and studies it for traps. He pulls a bag of sand, to trick any traps into thinking he didn't take the idol. He switches the idol and bag, but the pedestal begins to sink into the floor! Fire shoots up behind Indy, and he backs up towards the fire, just as a large stone door breaks open and a boulder rolls down the hill! Indy runs away but falls under the boulder!

First Intermission

The stunt double gets out of the hole in the ground he dived into instead of being crushed by the boulder. The director runs out onto the set, worried that the stunt double was hurt, because he came so close to the border. The double's okay thought – he was most worried about losing his hat! The assistant director comes out and introduces himself, then asks the stunt double to talk about the stunt. The stunt double claims it's a real, very heavy boulder that “takes half the crew to put back into place.” But just then two crew members push the boulder by themselves! The stunt double was kidding, but the assistant director explains that the boulder really is over four hundred pounds of rubber, and could hurt someone if something went wrong. Then it's time to bring back the extras!

The extras come out dressed as people from Cairo, and the assistant director gives them some emotions to warm up their acting. He also has them stretch out, trying to confuse them by moving left and saying right. He asks one of the extras to volunteer for a scene, only to reveal that it's the extras death scene. Dan tells the extra to make it a “slow, agonizing, academy award winning death.” Dan uses a prop gun to shoot the extra, who gives just the death the director asked for. Now we're just about to get to the second scene, introducing Marion's double, who joins Indy's for the scene. The assistant director introduces the set director and stunt coordinator, then talks about the camera work with director of photography after introducing him as well. The assistant director talks about the dangers of bullwhips with Indy's double, and makes sure everything is in place. It's time for the next scene!

Second Scene

The second scene starts with the people of Cairo, played by the extras, talking and shopping in the marketplace. A German military truck arrives and the driver gets out, pushing his way through the crowd. A group of Nazis disguised as street performers move into the crowd and start their routine. They do a few stunts, then force Indy and Marion into the middle. When they pass swords to each other, Indy knows they're in trouble.! “Marion,” he says, “I've got a bad feeling about this.” The Nazis attack Indy and Marian, and Indy fights back with his whip, even grabbing some of the swords! Marion fights as well, as Indy switches to hand-to-hand fighting. Indy tries to help Marion, but he surprises her and she tries to punch him! Indy and Marion jump onto a pulley system to some scaffolding, and the Nazis follow. Indy hits them with the pulleys stopper, and they go up to the second level. But the Nazis get up as well and Indy and Marion are trapped! They fight back, and Indy throws one of the Nazis, causes him to fall through a ceiling below. Indy, Marion and the Nazis all climb to the third level, and now Indy and Marion really have no where to go! Marion finds a rope and they swing across the roof, only to be met by more Nazis! Indy spots a pole to get them to the next roof. At this point there are two versions of the fight:

  1. The two keep fighting Nazis as they climb a ladder, and a Nazi falls off the ladder to the ground! Without the ladder, Indy and Marion must jump about 30 ft. down to a store room, then run off.
  2. Two Nazis climb the ladder with Indy and Marion. Indy fights them, but accidentially sends Marion sliding down a rope in the chaos. Undeterred, Indy punches one over the edge of the building. After some chaos with a clothes rack, a swordsman appears to challenge Indy. Indy grabs his whip and prepares to fight the swordsman. But suddenly Marion is captured by the Nazis! Seeing them drive away in a truck, Indy shoots the swordsman. Indy isn't safe yet, because a gunner on a rooftop begins shooting at him. He hits the gunner in two shots, and the gunner falls of the building. Indy grabs the gunners machine gun and chases the truck. Indy fires, and the truck explodes!

Second Intermission

The director comes out, and makes sure Marion's stunt double is okay. Once we know she is, he talks to the audience about the dangers of explosive stunts. He introduces the demolitions supervisor, asking him the dangers of using explosives. The director responds, “Ok. Uh folks when you work with explosives... it's dangerous... thank you.” The director explains that more stunt men and women are injured in simple fights than when working with explosives. When asked to demonstrate, they choose Chris. Chris tries to run from the tough guy they choose to punch him, so Marion's double demonstrates the punch instead. Kristen isn't able to time her fake punches properly with 'untrained extra' Chris, and instead seems to be really punching him. Of course, Chris is really one of the stuntmen on the show, and those 'mistakes' were the demonstration after all.

Now it's time to get ready for the next scene. The director introduces a new stunt actor, who will be playing a mechanic. The mechanic explains that he's a stunt actor, so he plays his role throughout the scene. This is different from the stunt men on the show who are doing the stunts for a different actors role. The director talks to Marion's double about the changes made for the third scene, and then the cameras start rolling!

Third Scene

Indy and Marion hide behind some gasoline barrels so they can plan an escape. Mechanics run around the set, dropping off ammo at the ammo dump and moving ammo and gasoline barrels to storage. Meanwhile, a gunner sits on a rooftop, watching the scene. A motorcycle shoots into the scene, then stops as if waiting. Suddenly, a German Flying Wing roars into the scene, rolling up as it's guided by the head mechanic, played by the stunt actor. The mechanic puts wheel stoppers on the plane as the pilot comes down and starts to argue with the head mechanic. The pilot leaves on the motorcycle, and the mechanic returns to supervising the ammo dump. Indy and Marion run for the plane, and Marion gets in while Indy goes for the stoppers. The gunner gets the mechanics attention, and Marion can't warn him in time! The mechanic grabs Indy and tells Marion to get out in German, but she doesn't understand him. The mechanic silently challenges Indy to a fight, but Indy's punches don't bother him at all! Indy makes a run for it and the gunner fires for him. Marion gets in the cockpit, but accidentally shuts and locks the door. The mechanic tells the gunner to stop shoot and starts punching Indy, knocking him down. Marion accidentally hits the controls, and the plane starts moving out of control!

The wing clips a gasoline tanker, and oil begins pouring onto the ground. Marion takes the plane's machine gun and shoots at the gunner, killing him but igniting the stored gas! Indy gets away from the mechanic and rushes into the plane to help Marion. But the mechanic is back, and throws him onto the wing. Marion starts using the machine gun as the plane keeps spinning, and causes a truck's engine to explode. She hits a few of the soldiers, as Indy falls to the ground. The mechanic pushes Indy towards one of the propellers, but Indy manages to break free, only for the mechanic to catch up to him again. Indy still can't hurt the mechanic with his fists, and the mechanic knocks him to the ground again. But the mechanic is too busy taunting Indy to see the plane is circling around again, and the propeller hits him! With the mechanic dead, Indy tells Marion how to stop the plane, and as he tries to open the door more explosions go off. The storage area and gasoline truck are on fire! The fire races to the tanker, which is right next to Indy and Marion's plane! Indy shoots the lock, pulls her out of the plane and they jump off. They run and jump over the flames as it gets closer and closer to the tanker. The fire hits the tanker, the tanker explodes and the plane and storage explode as well, but Indy and Marion get away just in time.

Fun Facts and Trivia

  • The show has Indy steal a golden idol that is an exact replica of the one used in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
  • The boulder used in the show is 12 feet in diameter and 440 pounds!
  • Outside the show is a well with a sign saying, “Warning: Do Not Pull Rope”, with the word 'not' struck out. Pull the rope and listen for a fun surprise!
  • Near the exits of the show are the Indiana Jones Adventure Outpost and an outdoor booth that appears to be a truck – both sell Indiana Jones merchandise.

Resources

http://www.wdwmagic.com/Attractions/Indiana-Jones-Epic-Stunt-Spectacular/News/10Jun2000-Indiana-Jones-set-to-reopen-today-after-lengthy-refurbishement.htm

http://allears.net/tp/mgm/m_indiana.htm

http://www.studioscentral.com/indiana-jones-epic-stunt-spectacular-script

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2009-08-18/news/disney_1_epic-stunt-spectacular-indiana-jones-cast-member

http://www2.tbo.com/news/news/2009/aug/17/disney-stunt-performer-dies-rehearsal-ar-84810/

http://www.dapsmagic.com/disneynewsarticle.php?id=11000