''Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!'' is a live amusement show at Disney's Hollywood Studios at

Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort is an destination resort, entertainment resort complex located about southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of the Wa ...

in Orlando,

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. Based on the popular and successful ''

Indiana Jones ''Indiana Jones'' is an American media franchise consisting of five films and a prequel television series, along with games, comics, and tie-in novels, that depicts the adventures of Indiana Jones (character), Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, ...

'' film franchise, it includes various

stunt A stunt is an unusual, difficult, dramatic physical feat that may require a special skill, performed for artistic purposes usually for a public audience, as on television or in theaters or cinema. Stunts are a feature of many action films. Befo ...

s and live reenacted scenes from the series's first film, ''

Raiders of the Lost Ark ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'' is a 1981 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Lawrence Kasdan, based on a story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman. Set in 1936, the film stars Harrison Ford as Indiana ...

''. It is executive produced by

George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker and philanthropist. He created the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founded Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairman ...

and directed by Jerry Rees, with stunt coordination by Glenn Randall.

History

The show opened on August 25, 1989, in the Stunt Theater, as the first ''Indiana Jones'' attraction at a Disney park, and was put on a six-month hiatus in 2000 for refurbishing. In 2004, the Nazi swastikas on German trucks, aircraft, and actor uniforms were removed and replaced by a ''

Balkenkreuz The ''Balkenkreuz'' () is a straight-armed cross that was first introduced in 1916–1918 and later became the emblem of the ''Wehrmacht'' (German Armed Forces) and its branches from 1935 until the end of World War II. It was used by the '' Wehr ...

''. This is the first theme park attraction to use a computer-based

show control Show control is the use of automation technology to link together and operate multiple entertainment control systems in a coordinated manner. It is distinguished from an entertainment control system, which is specific to a single theatrical depar ...

system in conjunction with a custom made

programmable logic controller A programmable logic controller (PLC) or programmable controller is an industrial computer that has been ruggedized and adapted for the control of manufacturing processes, such as assembly lines, machines, robotic devices, or any activity that ...

system to trigger, control and sequence complex live events in real time, controlled by the actors in many cases. All other effects are triggered by a cast member at the booth. The original control system was based on the

Amiga Amiga is a family of personal computers produced by Commodore International, Commodore from 1985 until the company's bankruptcy in 1994, with production by others afterward. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16-b ...

computer with software by Richmond Sound Design Ltd. The show is consistently upgrading its electronics and computer elements to keep it up to date. This began a trend in live stunt shows with both Walt Disney World and

Universal Studios Universal Studios may refer to: * Universal Studios, Inc., an American media and entertainment conglomerate ** Universal Pictures, an American film studio ** Universal Studios Lot, a film and television studio complex * Various theme parks operat ...

opening many more similar attractions over the next eight years. ''Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!'' incorporated audience participation as part of the show's entertainment, until 2020; this part was dropped when the show returned to the theme park after the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Volunteers were chosen from the crowd to perform as townspeople in the Cairo street scene, though they did not perform any stunts themselves and were always placed a safe distance away from the real stunt work and special effects. Among the actual audience volunteers was a stunt performer plant who surprised the audience and other volunteers by gradually revealing their skills during a supposed tutorial session between scenes.

Show experience

''Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!'' is based on many of the popular stunt scenes from ''

''. The show uses various pyrotechnic devices which are incorporated into several of the stunts. The action starts with Indy braving dangers in a recreation of the Peruvian temple scene from the beginning of the movie. Dangerous spikes, false floors and ancient booby traps test the archaeologist's skills before he attempts to make a getaway with the golden idol. The stunt show then moves on to the busy and audience-participant filled streets of

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

. Indy and Marion watch street

acrobats Acrobatics () is the performance of human feats of balance, agility, and motor coordination. Acrobatic skills are used in performing arts, sporting events, and martial arts. Extensive use of acrobatic skills are most often performed in acro d ...

before events take a turn for the worse and a massive fight scene breaks out. The Cairo street scene concludes with Indy shooting at a Jeep loaded with explosives, producing a fiery conclusion. The final scene of the stunt show recreates the action-packed sequence in which Indy and Marion try to stop the

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

from flying the Ark to

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. The reenactment is complete with a scaled-down version of a German

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

aircraft with ''

'' (swastikas were used in the show up until the 2000s). Indy fights a large German mechanic while Marion operates the aircraft's machine gun, blowing away enemies in sight. Indy and Marion are able to make a narrow escape as the airfield is engulfed in flames.

Incidents

* In , OSHA fined the park $1,000 after three performers were injured in three separate incidents. ** In one incident, a performer fell 30 feet (9.14 m) when a restraining cable failed. ** In another incident, a performer fell 25 feet (7.62 m) when a prop ladder unexpectedly collapsed. ** A third performer was pinned by a malfunctioning trap door. OSHA cited Disney for failing to provide adequate fall protection, including padding and other equipment. ** Later, while rehearsing a new, safer routine, another performer fell 25 feet (7.62 m) onto concrete. * In a rehearsal on August 17, 2009, a 30-year-old performer named Anislav Varbanov died after injuring his head while performing a tumbling roll. The next day's performances were canceled out of respect for him.

2020 labor dispute

When Walt Disney World reopened in July 2020 following the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

shutdown, all stage shows such as '' Finding Nemo – The Musical'', ''Beauty and the Beast'': Live on Stage, '' Festival of the Lion King'', and the ''Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!'' had remained closed due to a dispute between the

Actors' Equity Association The Actors' Equity Association (AEA), commonly called Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American trade union, labor union representing those who work in Theatre, live theatrical performance. Performers appearing in live stage productions w ...

and Walt Disney World over allowing performers to wear face masks and providing regular testing.

References

External links

Walt Disney World Resort - Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!
{{coord, 28, 21, 23, N, 81, 33, 29, W , type:landmark, display=title Disney's Hollywood Studios Epic Stunt Spectacular! Walt Disney Parks and Resorts entertainment Echo Lake (Disney) 1989 establishments in Florida