By Cassandra Pinkney
For the past 30 years, Disneyland Park’s Indiana Jones Adventure attraction has been letting guests test out their adventuring skills as they find themselves journeying deep into the Temple of the Forbidden Eye. At D23’s recent Spotlight Series event, chronicling Walt Disney Imagineering’s creation of the iconic attraction, current and former Imagineers Susan Bonds, Daniel Jue, and Charita Carter delighted fans with behind-the-scenes stories about how Indiana Jones Adventure came to be.
To celebrate this attraction’s 30th anniversary, here’s Indiana Jones Adventure by the numbers:
5 Stories
Of the many iconic moments within the Indiana Jones Adventure attraction, the “Cavern of Death” scene is an expansive, treacherous part of every adventurer’s journey through the Temple of the Forbidden Eye. Measuring five stories high, this iconic moment of the ride is stocked with numerous special effects, including real fire and the Eye of Mara looking for you as you try to escape her wrath.
8 Months
Imagineers worked diligently on Indiana Jones Adventure to ensure the attraction was as thrilling and immersive an experience as possible. An especially impressive component of the attraction are the Enhanced Motion Vehicles (EMVs) that guests ride in. These vehicles were developed by Walt Disney Imagineering Ride Engineering and Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development. After development, it took eight months to program them to move correctly and give guests the exciting experience this attraction is now known for. For Imagineer Ed Fritz, that meant riding the bumpy EMVs for eight months straight to make the attraction perfect.
14 Types of Stamped Concrete
No stone was left unturned when it came to the development of the queue for Indiana Jones Adventure. Fourteen different types of stamped concrete were used throughout the queue, with many bearing messages of doom that guests can decode. Amidst these harrowing messages about the fate that awaits adventurers inside the Temple of the Forbidden Eye are also homages to Imagineers and others who worked on the attraction. For instance, initials of prominent members of the Indiana Jones Adventure team can be seen stamped into the concrete in the “Obelisk of Doom” area of the queue.
16 Feet
When Imagineers were building Indiana Jones Adventure, they only had the space between Pirates of the Caribbean and Jungle Cruise to work with… so they “bought” themselves room for the attraction’s impressive temple and winding jungle queue by rerouting Jungle Cruise and using part of a Disneyland parking lot to create the ride! Even today, guests can feel the tight quarters that Imagineers had to work with when they find themselves in the parts of the queue with a mere 16-foot space between the Pirates and Jungle Cruise attractions.
18 Seconds
Approximately every 18 seconds, a new group of travelers dares to gaze into the eyes of Mara when their ride vehicle is deployed. These adventurers have the choice of three treasures when they enter the Temple of the Forbidden Eye: earthly riches, eternal youth, or visions of the future. For those who drink too much from the Fountain of Youth, strollers are available when they escape from the temple… (Just kidding!)
27 Trees
Imagineers wanted a mature forest for the attraction’s queue, making guests feel as though they were exploring an ancient temple in India. Disneyland’s original landscaper and Disney Legend Bill Evans consulted with the Indiana Jones Adventure team and explained the origin of many Jungle Cruise trees, and how they could be relocated and used within the new attraction’s queue. In total, 27 trees were replanted—preserving Disneyland’s original foliage and adding to Indiana Jones Adventure’s ancient mystique.
90-Piece Orchestra
John Williams’ Indiana Jones scores feature some of the most iconic music in Disney’s catalog. To incorporate Williams’ score into the experience, a 90-piece orchestra recorded a version that was perfectly timed to the attraction. An on-board sound system plays this score—one of the many ways innovations featured in this attraction—in addition to a number of sound effects, keeping guests fully immersed in the story of the attraction and setting the standard for technological sophistication on future attractions.
400 Imagineers
Over the past 30 years, Indiana Jones Adventure has cemented itself as a truly iconic attraction. This was no easy feat. It required the work of about 400 Imagineers to bring it to life!
1,300 Props
The Indiana Jones Adventure queue is just as immersive and captivating as the attraction itself. To make guests feel like they were embarking on their own adventure, over 1,300 props were used throughout the queue. Some were used in the first three Indiana Jones films—such as the German troop vehicle seen in the outside portion of the queue. The vehicle has a bar attached to its front bumper, which is left over from when filmmakers rigged it for one of Indiana Jones’ impressive stunts.
1935
Indiana Jones Adventure is set in the year 1935. The story of the attraction takes place between the events of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), also set in 1935, and Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), set the next year. Guests can find many references to this period throughout the attraction—including a real magazine from the 1930s featuring Mickey Mouse on the cover, seen when you pass by Indiana Jones’ office.
2,000 Skulls
It is said that many enter the Temple of the Forbidden Eye… but few exit. Those who gaze into the eyes of Mara in the pursuit of earthly treasures may encounter a different, more eternal fate. To represent the many souls lost in the temple, Imagineers furnished the attraction with over 2,000 replica human skulls. One of these unlucky adventurers can be seen in the “Hall of Skeletons” portion of the attraction wearing a Mouseketeer cap that says “Bones.”
Special thanks to Walt Disney Imagineering for sharing their knowledge about the Indiana Jones Adventure attraction.