Indiana Jones' Temple of the Forbidden Eye

Leonard Pickel

The Adventureland area of Disneyland in Anaheim, California has not had a new attraction since the Enchanted Tiki Room, which opened in 1963. The creative forces of George Lucas and the Disney Imagineers have now made up for that neglect in a big way, with the opening of the parks latest and most elaborate attraction to date. Not since Disneyland opened 40 years ago has the themed dark ride industry been so completely revolutionized as it was with the March 3, 1995 grand opening of Indiana Jones' Temple of the Forbidden Eye.

The entire Adventureland area has been redressed to support the India circa 1935 time frame of this new attraction. The Jungle Cruise has a new '30s Hollywood style façade and an altered route to accommodate its new neighbor. The Temple queue line itself has become part of the Jungle Cruise ride with guides tossing out good-natured wisecracks as the boats float by.

But this ride is no Tiki Room; it is more like a cross between Star Tours and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride! Behind the four-story tall temple facade, is a highly themed, highly detailed, first-class experience, as only Disney seems willing to provide. Huge technological advancements in both the ride system and computer control of the attraction have once again raised the level of expectations of the amusement patron. The non-stop action of this ride speeds guests through a seemingly out of control adventure, that is different every time. Never before has the "Movie come to life," description fit an attraction so well.

The light green show building that houses the Indiana Jones® Adventure, is over two million cubic-feet in volume. It physically stands in the parking lot at the southern border of park, which posed an interesting problem to the Walt Disney Imagineering design team: How to get the patrons from Adventureland, to the distant show building and back? The answer came in the form of an elaborate queue that stretches over a mile in length. The Imagineers used what they had learned about themed queues from Pirates of the Caribbean, and Tower of Terror, to create a queue that is an attraction unto itself.

The outdoor queue begins in the jungles of India, at an archaeological campsite in the shadow of the fictional "Temple of the Forbidden Eye." Stone artifacts are everywhere, some crated and some about to be. A scratchy record player sets the mood, whining out popular tunes of the 1930s, interrupted only by the pulse of an arrhythmic generator. Crew tents, and equipment of WWII vintage completes the themeing and sets the time frame. More than 1,300 props are used along the queue to tell the story, including the actual troop transport (used for the chase scene) and the truck (that Indy was drug under) in "Raiders of the Lost Ark."

The queue is narrow as it winds its way to the temple entrance, forcing a single file line. This was a deliberate choice, says show producer Susan Bonds, to enhance a feeling of exploration, of "walking on the heels of Indiana Jones." It also gives everyone an opportunity to appreciate up close, the set detail and the wonderful sight gags, which have become the Disney signature.

Once inside the temple, more than 168,000 square feet of hand-carved surfaces tell the story of the deadly temple. Among them are more than 2,129 sculpted carved, painted, or living snakes. Fifty-five murals painted by show designer Chuck Ballew provide further clues into the myth of the deity Mara. Ballew also developed the 'Mara-glyphics,' a pictograph/alphabet, which is seen throughout the temple. A decoder card is handed out as patrons enter the queue to help in the translation of the wall carvings.

Deep into the temple, patrons walk into a chamber containing the "Obelisk of Doom." The four sides of the obelisk warn of the dangers that lie ahead. In another area, the path breaks through into a cave where the sound of bats are heard and the "Hall of Spikes" lies just beyond. On the left, about two thirds of the way down the hallway is a bamboo pole bent under the weight of the ceiling it appears to be holding up. A sign next to it reads "Caution Do Not Touch Pole." A tug on the pole triggers the booby trap that makes the ceiling of spikes drop about eight or ten inches, along with a sound effect that sends chills to the bone. The next hallway is posted with the warning "Do Not Step On Diamond Shaped Stones." This is the "Hall of Descending Blocks." Some of the blocks have already been tripped, others are held in place with timbers, and still others await someone who steps on the wrong stone.

The queue then opens up into a large Rotunda Room, in the center of which lies the Calendar Sarcophagus. On the far side of the calendar is a tied off rope that goes down into a well, with a sign cautioning not to pull on it. If you choose to ignore the warning, the archaeologist below will complain using one of several phrases such as: "I say, quit mucking about up there." or "Oh blast, not again…." which is followed by the sound of the poor fellow falling down the well. Leaving the Rotunda, patrons get a brief look into Indy's locked office. Many of the props inside were also used in the film trilogy, such as the cooling fan, the hand pump, the calendar, and the maps.

The storyline is further reinforced with the ride safety videos in the "Film Room." Produced to resemble old newsreels, they describe the discovery of the Temple and seem to come from an old movie projector precariously rigged overhead. The real equipment is of course, a state-of-the-art laser disc and video projector hidden within the scaffolding and props. Your guide for the safety slide show that follows is Indy's friend Sallah, portrayed by John Rhys-Davies, who played the role in both "Raiders" and "Crusade". It seems Sallah has figured out how to capitalize on Indy's new archeological discovery, and is selling tours through the temple in troop transports.

What makes this dark ride so incredible, are the Enhanced Motion Vehicles (EMV), in which the patrons ride through the attraction. Similar to the Universe of Energy ride at EPCOT, there is no apparent track for the transports to follow, only a groove in the smooth concrete surface. During the ride, it seems that the troop transport could go any direction and the rider is never sure which to prepare for. At one point, it even seems to go in reverse. Themed as troop transports, each EMV has high beams & low beams, travels on rubber tires, and front wheel drive.

The concept for the EMV, which is a combination ride vehicle and ride simulator, went into development at Imagineering in 1988 as a general technology, not specifically linked to any attraction. It wasn't until the Indy story and the developing ride vehicle were linked together, that the possibilities were realized. "We like to say that we had to wait for technology to catch up to our imagination to build this attraction," commented WDI art director Skip Lange. "This adventure is on the cutting edge, and everything else will now be measured to it. It's a big leap forward in the entertainment industry." This patented system allows guests to experience a random, multiple-programmed show while moving through a physical space. The real forward velocity combined with hydraulic rolls, bumps and pitches creates a ride that is unequaled.

The Indiana Jones ride is like living through the fast cut editing of a movie trailer. The inside of the ride seems vast, with caverns and corridors heading off in various directions. The sets are dramatic and highly detailed. The effects come fast and furious as the EMV narrowly dodges danger, bounces over boulders and swings around corners. Just like in the movies, escape is only temporary.

The first stop after boarding the transport, is the "Chamber of Destiny," where Mara will determine the gift the explorers truly desire. Through the "chosen" doorway is the "Hall of Promise." Depending upon which of Mara's gifts are received, the chamber is different. Future Knowledge has the "Observatory of the Future," Eternal Youth shows the passage to the Fountain of Youth. The "Chamber of Earthly Riches" shows a store room filled with treasures. At the end of each hall, explorers are drawn toward a bright light. Only as they pass by carved columns of snake guardians will they realize that this light is coming directly from the eyes of a two-story idol of Mara.

Having broken the one temple rule to: "Look not into the eyes of Mara", guests face the wrath of Mara and are banished into the "Tunnel of Torment," where bolts of lightning reveal decaying walls that crumble all around. The troop transport strains against the evil force pulling towards the "Gates of Doom," an eerie green glow fills the chamber, and Indiana Jones® appears exclaiming, "You had to look, didn't you?" Indy desperately attempts to hold the gates closed long enough for the explorers to pass and motions towards a possible way out.

Not as easy as it sounds, the way out sends the transport bumping down a set of temple stairs, into the "Cavern of Bubbling Death." Swirling lava, fireballs and falling debris, surrounds a 45-foot-tall decaying skull of Mara. From here, other transports are seen tempting disaster as they traverse a suspension bridge over a lava pit, while dodging destructive beams from Mara's eye. Turning quickly from this precipice, explorers attempt an alternate route through a side chamber.

Cadaverous corpses await the guests in the "Mummy Chamber". Illuminated by the transport's headlights are the remains of past explorers, which fall toward the transport as it careens through the chamber, and a 60-mile per hour wind threatens to blow the expedition from its path. Steering clear, the transport swerves onto another cliff inside the "Cavern of Bubbling Death," and with a quick turn, speeds back into a darkened antechamber.

An unsettling "crunching" sound beneath the tires, hints as to what will follow. The transport's headlights trace across the stone walls of the "Bug Room," teeming with huge creepy crawlies trapped in the temple for two thousand years. As the vehicle speeds to exit, bugs begin to drop into the vehicle.

In the next chamber the floors, walls, and ceiling seem to be moving. "Snakes, why did it have to be snakes?" Exclaims the voice of Indy. The "Snake Temple" is filled with a deafening hiss, as the reptiles dangle from enormous carved snake guardians. As the vehicle passes the tail, mid-section and finally the head of a 100-foot-long King Cobra, the massive protector lunges towards the transport as it swerves just out of reach.

Then the transport enters into the darkened "Rat Cave," where ravenous rodents can be heard. For just a moment, the transport stalls and the scraping of the rat's claws on the metal transport quickens. With a sudden start the transport speeds forward, traveling under a rat-filled branch that is much too low for comfort. Slowing at the entrance to a vine-enshrouded passageway lined with stone carved skeleton warriors, the familiar "clicking" of a booby-trap is heard. The transport speeds forward through the "Dart Corridor," as explorers duck poisonous darts and deadly spears that shoot out across the vehicle.

As the transport finally turns the last corner into a long, narrow cavern, Indy appears, hanging by a rope from an opening in the ceiling. Suddenly the final booby-trap is sprung, releasing a 16' diameter rolling boulder which threatens to flatten the explorers and their vehicle. The transport backs up, in an attempt to flee, but there is no escape. The boulder gains speed and is only a few feet away when floor gives way, sending the transport crashing to the pitch black chamber below.

Indy is there too and comments, "You were good in there, you were very good!"

The ride vehicle is also equipped with a proprietary audio system, which was crucial to the guest experience. The fully synchronized 24 speaker, onboard sound system gives each rider full "stereo sound" Each seat has on-board speakers that provide a personal cinematic experience for every rider, with crescendos and accents in the soundtrack to punctuate the visual and motion effects. In the Poison Dart Room, for example, the audio travels from off-vehicle speakers across, into or through the speakers onboard and then back off the transport. This creates a very realistic effect of darts passing very close to the rider.

Soon after boarding, the EMV heads toward three different doors. Depending on the gift selected by Mara, each vehicle will appear to take a different door. Sometimes the vehicle will take the left door, sometimes the right, and sometimes the center. In reality, the transport always takes the same door. This illusion is accomplished by moving the walls of the pre-door corridor. There are actually five doors and by moving the walls, you change the relative position of the actual working door to make it appear to be the left, right or center.

The door the vehicle chooses also changes the first chamber. However, these pathways only look different, due to changes in the lighting. In one path, there are fiber-optic stars in the ceiling, and in the other two the stars are off. On each side of the hallway, between the pillars is theatrical scrim, with one set of figures painted on it, and another set painted on the wall behind it. By varying the lighting on the scrim, or the wall, the hallway is made to look like different parts of the temple.

In the middle of the ride is a huge open Cavern set (100 x 140 x 50 feet) that the vehicle enters several different times during the attraction. This "Cavern of Bubbling Death," is filled with fiery effects, lasers and lighting. Projections are used in several anti-chambers, including on the walls of the "Bug Room" and on a fog curtain in the "Rat Cave," which the transport drives right through.

In the Movie Ride at MGM Studios, in Orlando, the Disney creative team toyed with the idea of having different things happen to patrons on the same ride. In that attraction, your tour guide is kidnapped by either a western outlaw or a gangster. Taking this concept a giant step forward, the Indiana Jones® Adventure has an estimated 160,000 possible variations of the ride.

The main aspects of the ride are always the same, but within that basic plot, there are almost unlimited variations. The guests may not even notice some of the individual differences, but the effect is cumulative. "You will feel you've had a different experience each time," explains show designer and producer Dave Durham, "Even if you can't quite put your finger on everything that was different." In addition to the numerous subtle variations throughout the ride, there are eleven key scenes that have at least three variations.

These multiple variations are made possible by a proprietary show control system that sorts through the hundreds of thousands of cues during the ride. The biggest challenge being the synchronization and split-second timing of the dialogue, music, movement, and effects. The show control system is literally editing a movie in real time, as it is happening to the patrons. "I think the key word for the attraction is variability," explains Tony Baxter, senior vice president of creative development for WDI. "We've created a ride system that can provide a different and unpredictable experience every eighteen seconds."

In conjunction with the overall show controller, each ride vehicle has an onboard ride control system containing a myriad of programmed cues as well as an "individual personality" for each transport. With each of these controllers running different programs at the same time, it is easy to see why the adventure will never be exactly the same twice. Building on the variable programming and random selection of possible "show" experiences, the vehicles trigger programmed show responses, from the launching of fireballs and the split-second strike of the King Cobra, to the falling of cadaverous mummies and cascading creepy crawlies. "For this adventure, it was really important for us to take our effects technology to a new level of reality," adds Baxter. "From the minute you leave the station, the whole attraction experience is being centered around your vehicle."

With the opening of the Indiana Jones® Adventure, excitement at Disneyland has a brand new name and Adventureland will never be the same again. The creative team at Walt Disney Imagineering has once again exploded the boundaries of what a dark ride can be. "I think people will find it one of the most thrilling rides in the Park," said Indiana Jones® creator, George Lucas. "For those ride aficionados who have been going to parks across the country, it will be different from anything they've ever experienced. It is not a roller coaster and it's not a simulator. It's a unique experience."

Quick Facts

Opening - March 3,1995

Groundbreaking - August 1993

Estimated Price - $100 million and 7 years to design & build

Designer – Walt Disney Imagineering

Capacity - 2400 per hour; 1 vehicle per 18 seconds

Ride Type - Enhanced Motion Vehicle

# Of Vehicles – 16 total (15 operating at any one time)

Passengers Per Vehicle -12 over 46" tall

Weight Per Vehicle – 7 tons (without guests)

Speed - 3.5 mph (avg.); 13.63 mph (max.)

Ride Length - 2,500 feet

Ride Time - 3 minutes 20 seconds (varies)

Operational Staff - 14 Disneyland Cast Members

Replicated Human Skulls - over 2,000

Simulate Lightning - 600 strobes (in the Tunnel of Torment alone)

Building on the Indiana Jones® character created in the film trilogy by George Lucas, the adventure begins somewhere in the Lost Delta of India (circa 1935) at the archaeological base camp of Dr. Jones' current expedition into the Temple of the Forbidden Eye. Rediscovered in 1935, it was constructed as a lasting tribute to the powerful deity, Mara. It was said that Mara could "look into your very soul," and offer to the "pure of heart" one of three magical gifts: unlimited wealth, eternal youth or future knowledge. Good fortune indeed, for those who survive.

Temple walls adorned with Mara-glyphics lead would-be explorers into subterranean caves, past booby traps, and through dangerous passageways. This unique language, as translated by Dr. Jones, warns that: "A terrible fate awaits those who gaze upon the eyes of Mara!" Indy would only say, "Records indicate that many have come...but few have returned."

Indiana Jones® set out to explore the temple and uncover its many secrets. Accompanying Dr. Jones was long time friend Sallah, and a newsreel film crew, whose coverage caused a flood of fortune seekers to flock to the mystical site. Following the "safe" path marked by Jones' initial expedition team, visitors to the temple excavation witness his latest archaeological find and test the temple's powerful legend. Warning signs along the way indicate that there may still be some booby traps that have not yet been disarmed. Reaching the main temple interior, guests will board a 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 who has been missing from the expedition.