This Hollywood Studios attraction is a wonderful reminder of a bygone theme park mainstay

Choosing Indiana Jones

While Michael Eisner has his detractors, it can’t be denied how his becoming CEO of Disney in 1984 changed the company for the better. Eisner had great Hollywood connections thanks to his tenure at Paramount Pictures. Among the many films he oversaw was Raiders of the Lost Ark and forged a friendship with George Lucas.

Eisner reached out to Lucas to help create some hit attractions like Captain EO and Star Tours. Indiana Jones was an obvious choice and the idea of a stunt show based on Raiders was perfect. It was helped by the fact that just at the same time the Studios opened, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was hitting theaters for perfect synergy. 

Of course, Disney couldn’t do just any stunt show, instead using then-cutting-edge computer technology to pull off the complex effects. It can be overlooked just how dangerous the show really is, as just one mistimed command or step could lead to injury. That line on how audience volunteers have to sign a waiver? That’s not a joke, I can personally attest to it. Indeed, every sequence has contingencies in case something goes wrong. 

It’s surprising to many that the show hasn’t changed the theme, still replicating Raiders scenes. There have been minor alterations to remove the Nazi symbols and tone down the “deaths” of soldiers. Obviously, the COVID-19 pandemic silenced the show and eliminated the audience volunteers when it returned. Instead, it shifted the focus to the stunt performers which was a good showcase for them. One would think Disney would have altered it for the later Indy movies, but somehow, the original take still remains a favorite. 

The show’s success was bigger than expected and, as they so often did, Disney helped inspire a wave of copycats.