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After the success of Star Tours and Captain EO, Disney and Lucasfilm gear up to bring the world of Indiana Jones to life in the parks.
After Captain EO and Star Tours
After Captain EO and Star Tours
With the triumphant debuts and overwhelming popularity of Disney and George Lucas' first collaborations — Captain EO in 1986 and Star Tours in 1987 — Disney was keen to work again with the acclaimed filmmaker for new projects that will continue bringing in the new fresh faces that then-CEO Michael Eisner and then-president Frank Wells wanted in the parks: teenagers. As such, Disney began looking into Lucas' other intellectual property at the time, the fairly new Indiana Jones franchise, to see if it could replicate the original winning formula between Disney and Lucas.
Premiering with Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981, the Indiana Jones franchise exploded into the mainstream public with its swashbuckling take on archaeology, daring stories, exotic locales, and of course, Han Solo himself, Harrison Ford playing the title role. The first film as well as its prequel, 1984's Temple of Doom, were both critical and box office successes. With those facts in mind, Disney saw the films' potential to be brought to life within the Disney theme parks and once again, approached Lucas and asked him to collaborate once again with Walt Disney Imagineering to work on an Indiana Jones-themed expansion for Disneyland.
The Lost Expedition
The Lost Expedition
Originally planned as an expansion to Adventureland in Disneyland, Indiana Jones and the Lost Expedition was the original blue sky idea that Walt Disney Imagineering developed with George Lucas to bring the world of Indiana Jones to life. Set within a river temple on the banks of the Jungle Cruise, the expansion featured two brand new experiences: an ore car attraction in the vein of the mine cart chase from Temple of Doom, and a jeep attraction. Adding to the experience, the Jungle Cruise and the Disneyland Railroad would have traversed through this new complex, giving its passengers a peek into the temple interior and its attractions. With its intertwining attractions and immersive environment, The Lost Expedition would have replicated the original winning Disney-Lucas formula and perhaps, multiply it tenfold.
However, an internal battle was raging within Walt Disney Imagineering as another idea being developed was gaining steam: Splash Mountain, a dark water ride themed after Disney's 1946 film Song of the South. With its less-than-exorbitant cost and its winning proposal to reuse the animatronics from the nearby Tomorrowland attraction America Sings, Eisner greenlit Splash Mountain for further development, while The Lost Expedition was shelved.
A themed stunt show featuring scenes from Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!, premiered at Disney-MGM Studios Park (now Disney's Hollywood Studios) in 1989, making it the first Indiana Jones-themed attraction within the Disney theme parks. That stunt show was developed rather quickly due to Eisner's strong desire to open up the park before Universal Studios in Orlando. The stunt show remains in the park to this day, although it is currently closed due to Covid restrictions for the actors.
Bonjour, Professeur Jones
Bonjour, Professeur Jones
When Disney's first European theme park, Euro Disney (now Disneyland Paris), was being planned, plans were set in motion to finally realize a new version of The Lost Expedition in the park's Adventureland. However, due to the disastrous debut of the park and its ongoing financial difficulties, the idea was then shelved.
Intending to increase the park's hourly capacity and to address guest requirements, the "Additional Capacity Program" was put in place. As part of this program, various A, B, and C-ticket attractions were added to the floundering park. Included in the newly-added attractions — which included Le Passage Enchante d'Aladdin (Aladdin's Enchanted Passage), Le Pays de Contes de Fees (Storybook Land Canal Boats), and Space Mountain: De la Terre à la Lune (Space Mountain: From the Earth to the Moon; more like an E-ticket) — is Disney's first attraction themed to the Indiana Jones franchise: Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril).
A more restrained version of the ore cart attraction from The Lost Expedition, Temple of Peril was built in 9 months, making it one of the fastest-built Disney attractions. This was largely due to the adoption of an off-the-shelf coaster design and layout, the Pinfari TL-59. Originally, the coaster was going to be more elaborate and was supposed to feature Audio-Animatronics, immersive theming, onboard audio, and the like. However, due to Disney executives at the time wanting to open a thrill ride by next summer season, this first version was reduced to what is present today in the attraction: a basic, barely-themed, narrative-lacking coaster, unbefitting of an action-packed and thrill-seeking franchise.
But that is about to change...
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