Disney: Indiana Jones show back, still has bang

By DEWAYNE BEVIL

ORLANDO SENTINEL

JAN 13, 2022 AT 5:46 AM

Disney's Hollywood Studios visitors watch characters escape the final scene of 'Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular,' the live-action show that has returned after an absence of 22 months. (Dewayne Bevil / Orlando Sentinel)

“Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular” is back at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park after an absence of almost two years. The bulk of the stage show is the same as in the beforetimes, so my first re-viewing was part nostalgia, part “Wait, did that happen before?”

Yes, there are some tweaks and changes in the new edition. Here are five takeaways, aside from wondering if today’s kids are wondering who Indiana Jones is.

Having a ball

The opening scene may be most riveting of any Walt Disney World attraction. There’s drama in the near-miss surprising spears, John Williams music, startling sound effects, sets and visuals as Indy’s double maneuvers through dangerous territory to snatch the golden idol. The segment is topped by the giant boulder and its perilous roll toward our hero.

Kids of today were digging it.

“We want to audience to gasp with excitement,” show director Tom Vazzana said before the show reopened last month.

Then there’s comedy after the director yells cut and the big boulder is gently and easily rolled back uphill.

“We arranged the dialogue so that we could move more swiftly through the scenes and get to the stunts and show off our performers,” Vazzana said.

Putting on a show

The show, which debuted in 1989, fits into the behind-the-scenes vibe that was cultivated at what was then known as Disney-MGM Studios theme park. The stunt show continues to demonstrate how movies are made, but it also acts like it’s making an actual movie, and it gets kinda meta.

In the old days, there were attractions such as SuperStar Television, Monster Sound Show and Backstage Studio Tour, which also had “making of” messages. These days at Hollywood Studios, you’re more likely to pretend that you’re actually on the planet of Batuu, riding a runaway railway or shrunken down to the size of Andy’s toys.

The “Indiana Jones” set remains formidable, and it’s fun to watch it be dismantled, exposed as fake and rearranged to reveal even more scenes while other elements are explained. There could be more transparency about what’s real or how it’s done, in the way “Lights! Motors! Action!” show allowed sneak peeks. (I’m looking at you, fiery truck crash.)

“We refreshed every facade” during the downtime, Vazzana said. “The set is is quite amazing. I mean it has tons and tons of machinery moving and safely ... It’s almost a ballet back there with our tech team,” he said.

“We have revitalized every vehicle on the show. Every set piece has been repainted. The marketplace has been replaced, the painted the fabrics have been repainted and we replaced all of the lighting and soundboard,” he said.

Midway through the 25-minute show, I realized I could see straight up the off-to-side ramp that the big ball came down before. That peek made it retroactive scarier.

Make some noise

Audience participation has changed in the Epic reboot. In the past, volunteers, including a goofy red herring in a bright pink shirt, were chosen from the stands to portray villagers adjacent to the action in a market scene. That doesn’t happen anymore.

Instead, audience members are asked to make specific noises — screams, mostly — for an alleged soundtrack. It’s not as engaging as pink shirt shenanigans.

Temple of room

Speaking of crowds, the two times I went to see the show — on two different days — the seating area was packed. It was near capacity 15 minutes before showtime.

This prompted the cast member plea for folks to scoot themselves down to the end of the row, the dreaded “fill in all available space.”

Sure, it’s wrong to put yourself in a crowded theme park situation voluntarily then be unnerved by, you know, proximity to people. But, ewww. I had a mild flare of pandemic anxiety, mid-2020 style. It was the same as the walkways were congested after the show, but that was easy to stand away from and maintain personal space.

Disney World currently requires visitors to wear face coverings while inside buildings. That doesn’t include the revived stunt show, which is at a theater with a roof but no walls. I happily kept my mask on without judgment or side-eye as did several people in my immediate vicinity.

Fiery finale

Just like an actual good action movie, “Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular” ends with a bang. It still involves an escape, gunfire, onstage aircraft, explosions and a spreading fire. It unfolds just slowly enough to plant seeds of doubt and worry.

“We tried to make this a little more energetic,” Vazzana said. “We also integrated all the stunt performers coming into the scene and running away from it in a really eclectic way. That was never there before.”

Spoiler: Indy and Marion live happily ever after, over and over. There are multiple shows daily.