**** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****
Indiana Jones Adventure - The Temple of the Forbidden Eye
A Frequently Asked Questions and Answers List
Issue 0.85 -- February 21, 1995
Maintained and Copywritten by John Frost (frost@primenet.com)
***WARNING CONTAINS SPOILERS***
If you want to remain suprised read only part I.
Part II will contain many spoilers.
****
-= Contents =-
Part I
o- What is the IJA:TOTFE
o- When does IJA:TOTFE open
o- Will there be any Soft Openings for the IJA
o- What are the age and height restrictions for IJA
o- Important Dates
o- People Involved
o- George Lucas and his involvement with Disney
o- Strategies for Riding IJA
o- Mechandise Available
o- Urban Legends
o- What happened to Adventureland to make room for the IJA
o- How to find other Indiana Jones FAQs and material online
o- How to find other Disneyland FAQs and material online
Part II
o- The Plot
- From Disney PR
- As told to the author
- As experienced by the author himself
o- General Review
o- Physical Location of IJA
o- Is Harrison Ford's Voice and Likeness used in the IJA.
o- How the Queue Works (Is the Queue Handicap Accessible?)
o- How does loading work and what are the best seats?
o- How do the 3 different doors at the beginning of the ride work?
o- Some Interesting Facts about the IJA.
o- Inside Jokes & Hidden Mickeys
o- Verbatim Press Releases
-= Legal Stuff =-
This document, including but not limited to its format, layout and
text, is copyright 1995 John Frost (frost@primenet.com) except
where copyright is retained by the original author (ie, Press
Releases and guest writers). Indiana Jones is a trademark of Lucas
Films Limited. Disneyland, attraction names and other phrases are
trade or service marks of the Walt Disney Co. No infringement is
intended from their use in this document. Distribution of this
document is limited to standard USENET propagation. Wider
distribution or archival of this document must be cleared with the
copyright holder (frost@primenet.com) first. This is mainly to
ensure that I can list archive locations and access in the faq.
There is no way I can warrantee that all the information in
this FAQ is correct or complete. However, I have done my best to
pull this information together from a variety of reliable sources
and don't expect there to be too much wrong or missing.
-= IJA-FAQ Park I =-
o- What is this new attraction "Indiana Jones Adventure: The
Temple of the Forbidden Eye"?
The Indiana Jones Adventure: The Temple of the Forbidden Eye (IJA)
is a new runaway thrill ride in Disneyland's Adventureland. As the
story goes, Indiana Jones has discovered the temple of an Ancient
Indian God named Mara. To pay for the excavation, guests are
invited in to tour the site, in a 12 person transport, and recieve
a blessing from the Temple God. At somepoint things go wrong, they
always do, and you must race, with the help of Indy, to escape the
wrath of Mara.
The ride itself will be about 3 minutes long with a queue that holds
2400 people or an hours worth of loading and unloading at full
capacity. Lines for IJA are expected to reach 3 and 4 hours for the
first year or two, so read this and other Disneyland FAQs carefully
for hints to make your day more enjoyable, and still ride IJA.
A Disneyland Press Release has this to say: "Indiana Jones, the
intrepid explorer in the film trilogy produced by George Lucas, will
come to life in a new runaway thrill ride scheduled to open in early
1995. The Indiana Jones Adventure will feature a harrowing expedition
through the ancient ruins of the Temple of The Forbidden Eye in
Adventureland. Explorers will discover more surprises around every
bend in this subterranean world where, just like in the movies,
escape is only temporary as they traverse a shaking suspension bridge,
suffer an avalanche of creepy crawlies and face a gigantic rolling
ball which threatens to flatten them and their vehicle."
o- When does IJA:TOTFE open?
IJA opens for the general public on March 3rd.
o- Will there be any Soft Openings for IJA
You might have heard that IJA is opening earlier than March 3rd.
I've heard the same thing myself. These are called soft openings
and usually Disney attractions do have soft openings. That may not
happen this time however.
I know that IJA is capable of running, because I've ridden on it
myself (more in part II) and previous commitments the park has made.
For example this week is the Disneyana Convention and it was open
thursday night for them.
There are three nights of special preview parties being held at
the park. There are still tickets available for the night of the
21st. $20 at blockbuster and $12 at Disneyland Group sales if you're
a castmember or passholder. I suggest you call ticketmaster or
Disneyland Information (714) 999-4560 and ask.
After these parties there are three days of Press Openings, Feb
26-28 and March 2nd is the ceremonial opening of the attraction
and the day of the special 41st Disneyland trading card.
Soft openings, if they were to happen (and IÕm going out on a
limb here), would most likely occur on the 19th or 20th of Feb.
(because it's a holiday) or the 22-25th of feb. (because the
press previews are the following days).
However, the most likely days are the nights following the
Press Previews. After the press have gone home, the ride will
still be staffed and they will be looking for more guinea pigs
to try it out on.
Confusing... you bet.
o- What are the age and height restrictions for IJA
A minimum of 3 years of age and 48 inchs of height are required
for IJA. There is a statue of a snake in the front of the queue
with a sign reading "you must be as high as the fangs" to ride.
(I don't know any 48 inch 3 year olds... do you?)
If you think your 3 year old is mature enough or your older
child is just short for their age, I suggest making your child
wear hiking boots in the park. Useful for adding those extra
inches and playing around on Tom Sawyer's Island.
o- Important Dates in the creation of IJA:TOTFE
1987 - Herbert Ryman brought out of retirement to draw conceptual
sketches and themes for the IJA.
circa 1990 - Design is finalized in drawings by Chuck Balleu and
track and vehicles begin testing.
1993 - Work begins in the parking lot of Disneyland. The monorail
is rerouted about 40 feet closer to the center of the
parking lot and some 10 foot deep holes are dug in the
middle of a new fenced off ear. Rumors abound that a new
ride based on the Indiana Jones character is being built.
- When Monorail is up running again, pilots adlib spiel about
latest greatest attraction opening spring 1995.
1993 - Adventureland attraction The Jungle Cruise is shut down
for refurbishment. Sign announcing Indiana Jones Adventure
is put on guard wall. Work begins on IJA Queue area.
1994 - Jungle Cruise reopens, IJA outdoor queue area opens for
pretour exploration.
1995 - February is marked by multiple preview parties and the fine
tuning for the ride.
o- People Involved
George Lucas - Lucas has been quoted as saying he's wanted to do
an Indy ride at Disneyland since he got Star Tours up and
running. He just wanted to wait till the right technology
existed before commiting to the concept. It took the fast
and brilliant minds of the Walt Disney Imagineers to come
up with the original ride technology quick enough to have
it operational less than 7 years from conception.
Tony Baxter - I can't list all of Tony's credentials here, they
really need a separate FAQ. However, he's been very instru-
mental in much of Disney's development over the last 20
years. On Indy Tony was at the head of the creative team.
His dedication and ability to practice the art of the 'show'
with budget tightening and management breathing down his
neck saved this attraction from mediocrity. Rumor has it
that Tony's next project is a revision of Disneyland's
Tommorowland.
Susan Bonds - The attraction producer.
Chuck Balleu - Conceptual artist. His work is displayed prominently
in the Disney Gallery above Pirates. Balleu also created the
Mara font which is available from the Mouse House BBS.
Herbert Ryman - An Imagineer from the earliest days of Disneyland.
He was pulled out of retirement in 1987 to draw some conceptual
artwork for the Indy. The current attraction is amazingly
similar to the work Ryman did. Ryman recently died and a
tree was planted in his honor near the Snow White Grotto which
frames the castle he so beautifully designed.
AT&T - AT&T sponsorship. "Chose Wisely" and "Know the Code" seem
to ring true with an AT&T sponsorship... and two new signs,
one hanging below the IJA sign and one in the exit queue,
indicate AT&T's involvement.
o- George Lucas and his involvement with Disney
The Indiana Jones Adventure is the fifth theme park collaboration between
Lucas and Disney. The others are 'Indiana Jones et le Temple
du Peril' at Disneyland Paris, 'The Indiana Jones Epic Stunt
Spectacular' and 'Star Tours' at Disney-MGM Studios in Florida, and
both 'Star Tours' and 'Captain EO' at Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland
and Disneyland Paris.
o- Strategies for Riding IJA
This is most definately a rope drop ride. You and the 3000 other
guests who came early to the park will be competeing to ride IJA.
Here's a word of advice... don't run!!! Adventureland is the only
land in the park where the 'streets' are still wet after their
nightly cleaning... not only are they wet, they're slippery too.
I hope that Disneyland will start the IJA queue on Mainstreet
and walk the guests in... but who knows. This section assumes they
won't.
For the morning rope drop line up on the left side of the street,
near coke corner, bring a book, chat with the security people, set
up a game of blackjack... whatever... but when the rope drops be
ready to become a mob. Those 3000 people you see behind you all want
to head to the same place you do. So walk -- briskly if you must --,
don't run, to Adventureland.
Let about 100 people get inline infront of you... this way you'll
have a chance to see some of the queue and your party won't get
separated or hurt. IJA can load and unload 100 people in about 3
minutes. So you could even let 200 or so people get infront of
you and not have a wait at all.
Once you've exited the ride check and see how long the line is.
If it isn't past the outside area, the wait will be about 50 minutes.
This might be a good time to get back on.
Other times to hop in line will be 1) the first parade, 2)
the first Fantasmic/MSEP combo, 3) 10 minutes before closing.
Assuming you make the rope drop, then get back on again to see
the queue, then ride it once more during the day... you've ridden
IJA 3 times that day, which is more than 95% of the park goers
can say. Give yourself a pat on the back or buy an IJA shirt =)
o- Mechandise Available
Just before February 6th there was an explosion of merchandise
specific to the IJA available in the park. There are however,
only two shops in Adventureland devoted to all varieties of
Indiana Jones merchandise. One at the Bazaar and one in the
exit area of the Queue.
While there is not yet any merchandise with the Mara alphabet
on it. There is a wide selection of shirts, mugs and Indy apparal
to try out.
Among these are; a baseball cap with the "Temple of the Forbidden Eye"
logotype on it; T-shirts and Sweatshirts with a reproduction of
Herbert Ryman's conceptual drawing, the attraction name and a line
that reads "Opening Spring 1995"; and a Button of similar design.
The 'official' design appears to be a transport crossing the
bridge infront of the Mara God. There are buttons, mugs, shirts,
magnets, key chains and more sporting this design... there are
also some great designs of skeleton warriors, the spike room,
and the snake. Prices are no higher or lower than other mechandise
in the park.
I'm waiting for the Indiana Jones Shish Ka Bob to appear at the
Bengal Barbeque... gummy rats, snakes and skulls on a skewer. *yum*
o- Urban Legends
The attraction isn't even open yet and already there are some
Urban Legends about IJA. Two that I've heard are:
1) The ride takes place completely underground. This is false
the ride building is very easy to see from the parking lot.
In fact it is sitting on a section of what used to be the
parking lot. Even the queue is above ground. But Disney
Imagineers have worked hard to make it appear as if you are
actually descending into the bowels of the earth and I
think they've suceeded.
2) During the filming of a commercial in the ride a child was
thrown from the vehicle and crushed underneath its wheels.
This too is false. While IJA is perhaps the most violent
ride in the park, there are more than enough safety
mechanisms to ensure no one is thrown from the vehicle.
For instance, they have been testing the vehicles for
months with sandbags sitting unbuckled inside the cars instead
of people and they have been successful in keeping these
unrestrained weights in the car. A full size person will be
safe.
o- What happened to Adventureland to make room for the IJA
There have been three major changes to Adventureland to make
way for IJA. The most obvious is the new Jungle Cruise Queue. The
old Bamboo and Straw structure is gone forever and a new two level
tour boat depot has risen about 25 ft east of the old queue. In
place of the old queue is the new entrance for the Indiana Jones
Adventure. No changes to the Swiss Family Treehouse were needed to
make way for the IJA queue. Instead it winds along the western edge
of the Jungle Cruise (The rivers of India area). Guests can see
much of the outside queue area from the Jungle Cruise.
Additionally the Bazaar shops in Adventureland have been remodeled
to add floor space, including a shop devoted to things Indiana
Jones.
o- How to find other Indiana Jones FAQs and material online
Indiana Jones
Central
Young Indy Info
o- How to find other Disneyland FAQs and material online
Check out Tim Pickett's List of Lists from Rec.arts.disney and
available at --- ftp yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au:/pub/rec.arts.disney or
ftp.cco.caltech.edu:/pub/disney/
Passport Magazine is looking for a site to host their WWW page.
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Indiana Jones is a trademark of Lucas Films Limited. |
| Brought to you by Passport Magazine frost@primenet.com |
| Coming to a Web Page Near You.... (damn that's a lot of work) |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
Indiana Jones Adventure - The Temple of the Forbidden Eye
A Frequently Asked Questions and Answers List PART II
Issue 0.85 -- February 21, 1995
Maintained and Copywritten by John Frost (frost@primenet.com)
***WARNING CONTAINS SPOILERS***
If you want to remain suprised read only part I.
Part II will contain many spoilers.
****
[ disclaimer: I rode this during a 'preview'; so some show
elements may not have been finished or will be improved before
general opening.-ed.jf ]
-= IJA-FAQ Park II =-
o- The Plot
- From Disney PR
- As told to the author
- As the author experienced it himself
o- General Review
o- Physical Location of IJA
o- Is Harrison Ford's Voice and Likeness used in the IJA.
o- How the Queue Works (Is the Queue Handicap Accessible?)
o- How does loading work and what are the best seats?
o- How do the 3 different doors at the beginning of the ride work?
o- Some Interesting Facts about the IJA.
o- Inside Jokes & Hidden Mickeys
o- Verbatim Press Releases
o- The Plot
- From Disney PR
(from Cast Member Preview Kit)
ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDINGS
Research: Dr. Indiana Jones
Initial Findings: I have unearthed an ancient temple. Many a soul
has lost his life within the eerie corridors and caverns. Appears
to be a massive shrine to the mighty diety Mara. Hieroglyphics
along the temple corridor walls indicate that Mara can "look into
your very soul" and grant the "pure of heart" one of three magical
gifts - earthly riches, eternal youth, or future knowledge. Other
wall carvings and other unsavory findings also indicate that few have
escaped the temple with Mara's gifts. Warnings indicate that no one
must gaze upon the eyes of Mara.
Have witnessed fiery, bubbling lava pits; swarms of rodents, snakes
(I hate snakes!), and wretched insects; poisonous darts; and mummies.
Records indicate that those who have been tempted to look into the
eyes of Mara must deal with these and other terrible fates. Findings
even indicate that entire exploration parties have been eliminated
by powerful, explosive beams of light that shoot directly from the
eye of Mara. Have not witnessed such...yet.
Indy
- As told to the author
Please keep in mind that this is a retelling of the story as the
author remembers it. Some scenes are out of order or just completely
wrong, but why give everything away.
Hundreds of years ago a great flood came across India and buried
a temple devoted to the God Mara. Since then a dense jungle has
grown up in the area. Luckly the jungles of India are attached to
the Jungle Cruise, so we can go visit. From this jungle Indy has
excavated the Temple of the Forbidden Eye, but has run out of
funding. So his "friend" Salah, from the first and third movie,
turns it into a tourist attraction. The attraction being that you
will receive one of the three gifts of the Temple--eternal life,
unlimited wealth, or future knowledge.
The attraction begins at the queue between the tree and Pirates.
There will be a huge temple as you look yonder which will have a
huge line leading up to it. Part of that line will dip into the
Jungle Cruise where you will be able to walk through the jungle for
the first time. Along the way you'll see some of Indy's work--maps
on tables, etc. Some of the props will be from the Raiders of the
Lost Arc film. There will be Movie Reels with a promotional clip
for the tour. You are told that all your dreams will come true as
long as you obey the simple rule of the Temple--don't look into
the eyes of Mara. Once you enter the temple, you see booby traps
that Indy has disabled, some labelled "Don't touch." If you touch
them, something bad will happen.
Just before you get on your Troop Transport, you'll be able to see
a transport full of tourists go down a hall with three doors and
enter one of them. Finally you get on your own transport; don't
worry if it looks old it will make one more trip. The jeep will have
a speaker that voices the tour guide's blabbering. So you travel
down that same hall you saw a preview of from the line and figure
you'll go through the same door as the car you previously saw. But
no, Imagineering will make sure you go through a different door and
see a different scene! These three doors lead to one of the gifts.
It's kind of like seeing the pirate treasure in Pirates. But damn!
Somebody in the jeep looks in the eye of Mara and angrily Mara
declares, "You idiot, I will send you to your doom." His eyes
will radiate beams around the room. And he tries to send you
through the Gates of Eternal Doom.
So these huge gates begin to open and a glowing light emanates from
beyond them sucking everything in like a tractor beam, including your
transport. There will be smoke being sucked in; the effect should be
pretty neat. But wait, Indiana Jones is there to save you. He yells at
you to "Go that way" or something like that and tries to shut the
Gates. Then the ride gets nuts.
The next room you enter is the mummy room, very similiar to the
mummies in the first movie. You're scared, and your car is driving
scared -- skidding and tilting on turns until you get to this _huge_
room with no real floor and the sides of the room are connected by a
flimsy looking bridge. There's a huge statue of a Mara's head across
from the bridge. When you cross the bridge the head will come alive
and shoot lasers from his eyes. Lucky for you he's a bad shot and
rocks will be blowing up all around you. The bridge will be swaying
and falling apart, but of course you make it to the other side.
You'll enter a complete dark tunnel and could swear you hear creeping
and crawling things. The screeching of the tires, weird sound effects,
the motion of the jeep, and some well placed headlights will challenge
the strength of your bladder. When you come into the light, you're in
that huge room with the god's head again and you scream for the nearest
exit while dodging more lasers.
When you find an exit, there will be a huge statue of a snake that
will come alive and snap at different people in the jeep. The neat
thing about it is that it will snap at different seating positions
in different combinations each time you ride. You pass a cave of
rats that leap at your jeep. Then a section of bugs everywhere
which you will run over and cause your car to slip and slide, maybe
even get stuck. Then a booby trap of darts while fly at you from
the walls. Puffs of air and acoustic holography will make it feel
and sound like darts are flying by your head. Some darts will hit
your jeep and make pinging noises.
When you finally come to a dead end, a huge boulder comes rolling
straight towards you. Your jeep will start backing up. But Indy drops
down hanging on a rope from a hole at the top of the cave and tells
you to go straight for the boulder. "Trust me," he says. So you do
and the ground gives away and you fall through on to a much safer
pathway below. So you floor it to safety while you hear the boulder
rolling behind you until it comes to a distant crash. You're safe.
You pass a breathless Indy. He mutters to himself, "Tourist. Why did
it have to be tourists?" The End.
-- As the Author Experienced It himself (*with spoilers*)
Once seated and buckled into the troop transport look straight
ahead and you'll see some mirrors. You can watch the car ahead
of you enter the chamber of gifts (or whatever its called) and
recieve their hear's desire. The car you are in 'should' enter a
different door than the previous car did.
As you take off toward the door Salah, your guide, wishes you
luck and explains the deficiency of your car (no brakes, no
lights, flat tire... these are some of the things I've heard).
Then a godly voice tells you to make your choice and your
car is driven through the door. Once through the door you are
in the chamber of gifts. Mara has already read the transport's
collective mind and you will either see (and hear): lots of gold,
the chamber of earthly riches; an aquatic scene, the chamber of
youth; or an astrological night scene, knowledge of the future.
But don't look into the eyes of Mara... or certain doom awaits
Of course, The statue of Mara is so huge (and the transport is
angled right at the statue) that you can't avoid looking at
Mara's eyes. (Temple of the Fobidden Eye... get it.) Being a
god, Mara knows these things and says so in a loud booming voice
then sends you off flying thru the air to the gates of doom...
But wait! Who is there to save you but Indiana Jones! Our
previously lost hero.... Indy is holding the gates of doom
closed and tells the transport that the escape is through
the temple, that-a-way. (*points*)
That-a-way leads you into a steep decline that looks straight
into a huge statue of Mara. The statue shoots beams of light
that explode around the room causing your transport to react
violently. Beneath the statue is a lake of molten lava (kewl
effect) so you turn left to avoid that fate and end up in
the mummy chambers... remember the first film.. well it's
the same idea... only the mummy's are a good 10 feet away
and there aren't as many of them. There is a neat effect
with some rocks forming a skull in this room.
After you scream through the mummy room you encounter a dark
room with weird noises... once you get the headlights of the
transport turned on you'll see those noises are made by
thousands of spiders, scorpians, and other bugs moving around
rapidly, squishing under the tires and even dropping on the car.
Getting out of there quick is probably a good idea. But next
thing you know there is that huge statue of Mara again along
with the molten lava. The only way across is that creeky
wooden bridge infront of you... well hang on.. cause here you
go!!! Needless to say the bridge gives way and you plummet
toward your doom.... ummm maybe not... but the fear is there.
Once across you take a sharp right into a room that seems to
be devoted to some snake god or another... better get out
of there, but the exit is blocked by said 100ft snake god
and it must be hungry because it snaps at a passenger on
the right side of the car. (This is a good point to get rid
of relatives that might have been bugging you while you waited
in the queue. (-: .) Snake-phobic people are advised to sit
on the left.
Having escaped the jaws of that snake you speed off back into
the central chamber, but this time you go behind the Mara
statue into what could be called the 'skull' room. Mostly
for the hundreds of skulls you see everywhere around you
but also for the kewl special effect that threatens to
knock your own skull off your head. The imagineers have figured
out same way to project a holographic wall infront of you and
just when it looks like you can't duck down far enough you
pass right through it. IMHO, this is the best FX in the ride.
In this area you can also see other troop transports full of
guests wisked around various parts of the ride... there is a
significant portion of the ride that occurs right around here.
Past the skull room is another dark room, but wait your transport
has stalled.. ut-oh... cause those 'rats' you hear dropping onto
the car certainly sound hungry... I hope they work on this
room a little, the effect is spoiled by the fact that a
flat wall (not a cave wall, like the rest of the atttraction)
is directly to your left.
Just past the rats is a beautifully carved room of soldiers, wait
those aren't soldiers, they're skeletons looks like a trap...
so the transport starts off slowly, then picks up speed once
the trap has been triggered. The great thing about this room
is that you acutally do hear the darts strike the side of the
car and actually feel the darts is they narrowly miss you.
(of course, never having been narrowly missed by a dart, I can't
tell you if the effect is authentic... but suspend your
disbelief and it works.)
Still in one piece, you hope, the transport enters another
dark room. What's this, more bugs, rats or snakes.. I hate
snakes. Turning a light on you see that nope, its just Indy
hanging on a rope from a hole in the ceiling. He tells
you to back up and then you see why... a huge (and I mean
huge) ball is rolling down an incline toward you. The transport
slips into reverse, but it looks hopeless... Indy yells at you
to drive forward and you fall through the floor safe from the ball.
The effect in this room is wonderful. The transport actually isn't
going backwards at all. Rather, the whole room moves toward you
creating the desired effect. To see this work, if you're sitting
on the edge of the car look down to the sides and you'll see where
the walls don't meet the floor.
You drop down and turn sharply to find Indy standing infront of the
broken ball that would have made tourist pancakes out of the car.
Here he says something from a certain list of phrases he can use.
The one I remember is "tourists', why'd it have to be tourists."
Well, that's it... you can see the unloading area infront of you.
Salah's voice comes back on the speakers telling you not to leave
before the car comes to a complete stop at the dock and that's that.
The exit queue leads you out past the entrance queue, so please
feel free to give anyone you see cutting back into line a piece
of your mind.
Well, what did you think?
o- General Review
This ride is the first of its kind. The combination of scenery,
special effects and a motion simulator in 360 degrees is unique
in the amusement park world. Walt Disney Imagineering put their
collective brains, hearts and souls into this ride and it
really shows. What makes the Indiana Jones Adventure exciting
and thrilling is WDI's original vehicle design. The motion
technology is so good that most of the thematic aspects pale
in comparison.
That is to say, that the ride is so far beyond any other attraction
I've ridden it must be held up to new standards which I'm not sure
were met. A catch-22. So these critiques are really backhanded
compliments or constructive criticisms. WDI has done quite abit
under severe budgetary pressure from upper management.
Some of the special effects are cheesy and/or not complete. For
instance, I mentioned the 'earthly riches' room where the gold
is just painted on a scrim, instead of the 'real' gold that
is in the treasure room on Pirates. Another example: the vehicles
demand so much room to manuever that the details of the ride are
kept a huge distance away and you lose a certain amount of
intimacy that would make the ride that much more thrilling and scary.
Since this was a preview night I didn't expect the ride to be
up to full speed, but I guess there is a rule amongst magicians
that the more powerful magic you practice the more dramatic the
let down when the spell fails. The same can be said for WDI, where
they 'make the magic'. Exposed speakers, delays, and frequent
breakdowns were the rules, not the exceptions, during these
preview nights. For the general public, I know more things will
work... but it is some powerful magic going on in there and emense
letdowns when the spell is broken.
An important note to remember is that IJA is a fantasy ride, not
meant to be 'real', but rather 'realistic' or 'hyper-real'. In this
area there was great success. For the 3 minutes and 30 seconds the
ride lasts, even though you move so fast it all seems to happen in
around a minute, you are in the magical film world of George Lucas
and Indiana Jones. The colors and lighting in IJA is outstanding;
as much a 'show' as it is a ride. The Indiana Jones figures are
head and shoulders above the other audio-animatronic figures used
in theme parks.
It's nice to ride something where you know it won't be duplicated
in Las Vegas or in malls-across-america (tm). IJA is something
Disneyland and all the people who worked on it can be proud of.
And as guests we are privilidged to join the movie world where
stories of 150ft snakes, angry gods and famous explorers are
commonplace. Just sit back, let Salah be your guide, and then
hang on for the adventure of your life.
o- Physical Location of IJA
While the entrance for the queue is in Adventureland. The actual
ride building is outside the train tracks and easily visible from
the parking lot. It's that big green building with the observer
hut on it to the left of the main gate. The exact spot where the
queue passes under the train tracks is in the spike room... making
it more like the 'quake' room when a train passes overhead.
o- Is Harrison Ford's Voice and Likeness used in the IJA.
Harrison Ford had other engagements which prevented his
voice from being used at this time... but that doesn't mean
it can't be added later. I don't think you'll notice the
difference though... you'll be much too scared to care.
His likeness does appear three times in the ride... once
early on and twice right near the end.
o- How the Queue Works (Is the Queue Handicap Accessible?)
The permanent section of the queue is wheelchair accessible. There
is even an elevator near the loading area to help out. I don't know
what this means for the other 2 to 3 hours you'll be spending out
side the normal queue area ... but I'll tell you after March 3rd.
Before you enter the temple you wind through the excavation site
that Indy has set up. Besure to check out the buddha under the tarp
near the river edge. Some people have rumored it looks like our
Famous Uncle Walt. What do you think?
Inside the temple you begin a descent into the bowels of the earth,
without ever really getting below parking lot level, kewl huh?
Indy has left some signs in the queue to help you along. Interesting
stuff like -- "Don't disturb the bats", and if you look up into the
corners of the caves you can see the bats, or "Don't step on the
Diamond Stones", but Indy has fixed this room. The best example of
this is in the Spike room.
If you're in the spike room and a train passes overhead it sounds
just like (and I can verify this from experience) an earthquake
is rolling your way. The spike room is also the home of what could
be the most terrifying moment in the whole ride...
Now here is a little hint for the queue. As you know the queue is
almost completely wheelchair accessible. When you get almost to
the load area there area a set of stairs that lead up and across
a vehicle track. If you are in a wheelchair, this is where you
need to ask for assistance. They will take you up in a elevator,
across the track, and then down into the loading area, here you
will need to leave your wheelchair and enter the transport. Only
the right side of the loading dock has a wheelchair accessible lane,
so I can imagine there even being a little queue for wheelchairs
if things back up.
If you are able to climb stairs you will have a choice of righthand
or lefthand stairs. Choose the lefthand if you can. It is
significantly shorter and has the benefit of directly accessing
the exit queue. If you exit on the right side you must go up
and down a set of stairs to reach the exit queue.
o- How does loading work and what are the best seats?
Guests load from inbetween two lanes of vehicles. There are 3
rows of 4 guests in each transport and the back outside seats ([X])
experience the most motion variance, while the direct middle
of the car ([c]) is the calmest. (see diag.1)
r r r
o o o
w w w
1 2 3
()----------()--
| [ ] [ ] [X] |
< To the | [ ] [c] [ ] |
< temple | [ ] [c] [ ] |
| o[ ] [ ] [X] |
()----------()-- diag.1
I didn't try asking for any particular seat as I was tickled
pink to be riding the thing in the first place, but you could
give it a shot and see what happens. All the seats have great
vantage points since the ride occurs all around you and the
rear is somewhat elevated.
o- How do the 3 different doors at the beginning of the ride work?
Once seated and buckled into the troop transport look straight
ahead and you'll see some mirrors. You can watch the car ahead
of you enter the chamber of gifts (or whatever its called) and
recieve their heart's desire. The car you are in 'should' enter a
different door than the previous car did.
This is how that works:
There is one track for the whole ride... But there are _five_
doors in that area of the ride. (four fake, one real.) If you're
going through the middle door the two outermost doors are hidden,
if you're going through the left door, the two leftmost doors
are hidden... etc. (see diag.2)
2.a center door 2.b left door 2.c right door
/
___/_____ ___ _______ ___/______
/ / |-.
-|------ / ,----- \ `-----
__\______ __|-'_______ ____\_____
\ \
\ diag.2
There are 'fake' tracks leading to the four facade doors;
in reality you are going through the same door everytime.
As you take off toward the door Salah, your guide, wishes you
luck and explains the deficiency of your car (no brakes, no
lights, flat tire... these are some of the things I've heard).
Then a godly voice tells you to make your choice and your
car is driven through the door. Once through the door you are
in the chamber of gifts. Mara has already read the transport's
collective mind and you will either see (and hear): lots of gold,
the chamber of earthly riches; an aquatic scene, the chamber of
youth; or an astrological night scene, knowledge of the future.
But don't look into the eyes of Mara... or certain doom awaits
These three chambers are, once again, really just one room along
the same track. Changes are done with scrims, sound effects and
lighting. (Actually, I've only seen the Earthly riches room and
found the scrim effect to be pretty corny. We know Disney can
make good treasure rooms, they have one in Pirates, but a painted
scene is more like "Duck Tales: Treasure of the Lost Lamp" than
an attraction.)
o- Some Interesting Facts about the IJA.
(Sprinkled liberally with facts from Cast Member Preview Kit)
Beginning of dig: August 1993
Temple unveiled: March 3, 1995
Design: Walt Disney Imagineering
Location: Deep within the Adventureland jungles
Temple cubic footage: 2,200,000 cu. ft.
Temple Chambers:
Chamber of Destiny, Hall of Promise, Tunnel of Torment, Gates of
Doom, Cavern of Bubbling Death, Mummy Chamber, Bug Room, Snake
Temple, Rat Cave, Dart Corridor, Rolling Boulder finale
Track:
Ride track: 1,975 linear feet
Total track: 2,500 linear feet
Levels: Two levels of track, three attraction levels.
Vehicles:
Number of Vehicles: 15 cycling + 1 spare
Time between cars: at 15 cars the time is 18 seconds.
Weight: Approximately 12,800 pounds
Capacity: 12 guests per vehicle
Maximum velocity: 20 feet per second (13.6 mph)
Ride Technology:
Utilizes a state-of-the-art enhanced motion system developed and
patented by Walt Disney Imagineering
The vehicles were under testing for at least 3 years on sample tracks
before being moved to the ride building
Each on-board ride control system contains a myriad of programmed
cues. The adventure will never be the same twice, with nearly
160,000 possible combinations of show programming.
Ride Duration:
Trip time: 3 minutes, 20 seconds
Cycle time: 4 minutes, 30 seconds
Capacity:
Maximum theoretical hourly capacity: 2,400 guests
The queue: 50 minutes of permanent queue, 1,400 linear feet
Queue Area:
The Generator in the queue area really does power the lights in
the queue and the dimming is due to the generator's cycles.
Underneath a tarp in the outdoor queue area is a buddha-esque
statue but with a mustache... some people claim it looks like
Uncle Walt... I tend to believe them.
Additional Findings:
More than 168,000 square feet of hand-carved surfaces adorn the
caverns, with 55 hand-painted murals throughout.
More than 2,000 replicated human skulls found within the temple
chambers.
Wind speed inside the Mummy Chamber rush up to 60 mph.
The vehicle displayed in the base camp was the actual vehicle used
for the chase scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
More than 600 strobes are used to simulate lightning in the Tunnel
of Torment.
By the power of Mara's wrath, 60 pounds of rubble can fall inside the
temple every 18 seconds.
The exterior temple structure towers four stories above the
excavation site.
The temple contains 2,129 representations of snakes.
The Mara alphabet uses 26 characters and english grammer. No numbers
or puncuation yet. The alphabet was designed by Chuck Balleu.
o- Inside Jokes & Hidden Mickeys
-- There has already been one hidden mickey found. Look in the
cage to your right after the newsreel room. There is a LIFE
magazine from the 30's with Walt surrounded by a couple
Mickeys. Also look on the writing outside the cage and see
a reference to "club obi wan" which was the club in
the 2nd Indy movie.
-- A second hidden mickey has been discovered, this time inside
the ride itself. In the Mummy Chamber one of the mummies on
the left has Mouse Ears on.
-- George Lucas always uses the sequence THX 1138 in his work as
an homage to his first film. I found where the THX 1138 is on
the preview night passport, but haven't found it in the attraction.
Please send me email if you find any more.
o- Verbatim Press Releases
From: frost@netcom.com (John Frost)
Subject: parks/dl: Indiana Jones* Adventure @ Disneyland (Passport)
Organization: Home of the Cyberpoet's Guide to Virtual Culture
Date: Wed, 25 Jan 1995 16:08:59 GMT
Lines: 80
+--- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---+
| PASSPORT Magazine: Your Online Guide To Disney Magic |
| () () Presents: ()~() |
| (_) INDIANA JONES ADVENTURE (_) |
| TO PREMIERE AT DISNEYLAND |
+--- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---+
A Press Release from Disneyland Publicity -- January 25, 1995
Indiana Jones is a trademark of Lucas Films Limited.
INDIANA JONES ADVENTURE TO PREMIERE AT DISNEYLAND
Indiana Jones, the intrepid explorer in the film trilogy created by
George Lucas, is the inspiration for a new runaway thrill ride scheduled
to open at Disneyland on March 3, 1995.
The Indiana Jones Adventure will come to life in an expedition through
the fabled Temple of the Forbidden Eye, mysteriously hidden deep within
the dense jungles of India. There will be action and thrills around
every corner in this Adventureland attraction where guests, boarding
well worn WWII troop transports, will embark on what appears to be a
standard archaeological tour.
Built long ago in tribute to the powerful deity Mara, the temple was
rediscovered in 1935 by Dr. Jones and his expedition team. According to
temple lore, Mara could "look into your very soul," and then grant the
"pure of heart" one of three magical gifts: unlimited wealth, eternal
youth or future knowledge. However, the ancient legend also issues a
stern warning: "A terrible fate awaits those who gaze upon the eyes of
Mara!" Dr. Jones would only say, "Records indicate that many have
come... but few have returned."
With longtime friend Sallah, Indiana Jones set out to explore the
temple and uncover its many secrets. Accompanying Dr. Jones and Sallah
was a newsreel film crew, whose coverage caused a flood of fortune
seekers to flock to the mystical site. Visitors to the temple
excavation will witness Indy's latest archaeological find and test the
temple's powerful legend. When the temple opens this year, Park guests
will be allowed to enter, following the "safe" path marked by Jones'
initial expedition team. Warning signs along the way indicate that
there may still be some booby traps that have not yet been disarmed.
Reaching the ancient temple interior, guests will board a 12-passenger
troop transport vehicle for the remainder of their tour.
Prior to boarding, guests will, once again, be instructed by Sallah to
look away from Mara's eyes. He also asks them to keep an eye out for
his friend Indy, who entered the temple and has been missing from
the expedition.
For those who dare to look into the eye of Mara, their journey will
take an entirely different route. Their vehicles could encounter
clouds of smoke, fire, bubbling lava pits, ominous steam vents, a
crumbling ceiling, or even an "up close" confrontation with Mara.
Legend says that Mara vaporizes the "unworthy" with beams of fire
and other horrors such as screaming mummies, horrible bugs and
rodents, snakes and poisonous darts.
Explorers could discover even more surprises around every bend in
this subterranean world where, just like in the movies, escape is
only temporary as they traverse a shaking suspension bridge, suffer
an avalanche of creepy crawlies and face a gigantic rolling ball which
threatens to flatten them and their vehicle. The journey will be set
apart by the fact that the guests will never experience the same ride twice.
"George Lucas and Disney share the same vision of innovation and
excellence. Each time we have embarked on an adventure together, we
have been able to create a special experience for our guests," said
Michael D. Eisner, Disney's chairman and chief executive officer.
"The Indiana Jones Adventure is the next cliffhanging episode."
The Indiana Jones Adventure is the fifth theme park collaboration between
Lucas and Disney. The others are Indiana Jones et le Temple
du Peril at Euro Disneyland Paris, The Indiana Jones Epic Stunt
Spectacular and Star Tours at Disney-MGM Studios in Florida, and
both Star Tours and Captain EO at Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland and
Euro Disneyland Paris.
-= Legal Stuff =-
This document, including but not limited to its format, layout and
text, is copyright 1995 John Frost (frost@primenet.com) except
where copyright is retained by the original author (ie, Press
Releases and guest writers). Indiana Jones is a trademark of Lucas
Films Limited. Disneyland, attraction names and other phrases are
trade or service marks of the Walt Disney Co. No infringement is
intended from their use in this document. Distribution of this
document is limited to standard USENET propagation. Wider
distribution or archival of this document must be cleared with the
copyright holder (frost@primenet.com) first. This is mainly to
ensure that I can list archive locations and access in the faq.
There is no way I can warrantee that all the information in
this FAQ is correct or complete. Howeve, I have done my best to
pull this information together from a variety of reliable sources
and don't expect there to be too much wrong or missing.
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Indiana Jones is a trademark of Lucas Films Limited. |
| Brought to you by Passport Magazine frost@primenet.com |
| Coming to a Web Page Near You.... (damn that's a lot of work) |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+