True nerDs scoff at such as they are walking by
Quick History: If you don't know who Indiana Jones is, get in your car, find your local movie merchant (are any of those even still around?!), and rent Raiders of the Lost Ark (it will always be just "Raiders" to us), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. You may also choose to watch the latest installment, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, should you so desire and so that you have a complete set, but consider yourself warned ahead of time. Let's move on! Indiana Jones (Indy to his friends, or Junior to his dad) was played by Han Solo in all four films; I mean Harrison Ford, of course! However, in the intro to the third film, which gave a little background information on the character of Indiana Jones (we see him using his famous bullwhip and receiving the fedora which is arguably his most signature piece of apparel for the first time), the late River Phoenix (probably Chad's favorite) played Indy as a teenager. Not content to be imprisoned in the movies, Indy at one point even made the jump to television! In The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones, actor Sean Patrick Flanery had the pleasure of playing the role of this young legend, meeting up and interacting on his adventures with many historical figures such as Pancho Villa.
Most importantly, Indiana Jones was such a huge success with us NerDs that Disney thought it best to bring the great professor over to Disneyland Park, and we've been thanking them ever since.
How Chester Copperpot made it all the way from Astoria, Oregon to Anaheim, California we have no idea
Raiders of the Lost Park: Located in Adventureland, Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye (I know it has been changed to Indiana Jones Adventure, but I've always liked the original name better and refuse to change for no man!) is an extremely well-placed attraction; in my opinion the atmosphere is absolutely flawless. If there was an award for best design of an attraction, Indy would win the prize! It may surprise many of you to know that this is actually an attraction that I love to stand in line for (shocking, isn't it?!). The primary reason for this insanity is that there is just so much to look at! From the many statues peppering the queue to the Mercedes truck at the entrance (reminiscent of almost every truck every used in the films), your eyes will keep locking on to objects non-stop during the entire shuffle.
Yup! It's a Mercedes alright! Used in the film, too, from what we hear!
As for the ride itself, it's simply amazing. With awesome action special effects and very life-like animatronics (always the case with a Disney attraction), so much is happening that it will take more than a few rides to soak it all in. And who doesn't love a giant snake nicknamed "Fluffy" (where's the sword of Gryffindor when you need it?)?
Do not look into the eyes of the idol! Or so we've heard...
The Temple of Zoom: Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye (hereafter referred to as "TOTFE") is known to be fast, and shaky! All the more reason for teens and adults to love this ride! When some people think Disneyland, they tend to think of it as a place full of children's rides with nothing for the adults to do. That's why I love this ride! It surprises many people when they hear that its in The Park. TOTFE is one ride you'll have your teens (if you're crazy enough to have teens) begging to ride. Why you might ask? I'm glad you did, and it's really quite simple. When they find out it's a fast car (a jeep in this instance) driving through a cursed temple, and they have the chance to drive (sort of, since the wheel doesn't actually spin, and this drives Chad absolutely crazy; seriously, how hard would it be to make that wheel spin?!), they'll thank you and make sure it's one attraction that they don't want to miss.
Someone told us that AT&T may know what this says...
The Walking Crusade: Like in every Indiana Jones film, I think it's appropriate to give fair warning when it comes to riding TOTFE: "Only those bold (and crazy) enough to walk a thousand steps may enter." We have no proof of this, but we believe this may well be the longest attraction queue in the entire world, and you must be willing to walk a great distance to even get onto the ride. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes, drink lots of fluids, and have someone willing to carry you on your back if you in shifts.
Sing with us now! "The long, and winding, road..."
Indiana Jones for Kids: When it comes to the films, I believe its up to the parents to choose when it's okay to watch. Although "Raiders of the Lost Ark" was originally a PG film, nowadays it would most assuredly procure a PG-13 rating, as did every other film in the series. As for the attraction itself, make sure they are at least 46" tall and have a penchant for thrill rides to begin with. Note that there are dark scenes in the attraction, it can be very loud, is fast and shaky, with more than its fair share of scenes of peril (killer snakes and giant boulders, anyone?). As always, you know your children best and what they can and cannot take in terms of riding attractions.
And as always, I would love to hear from the readers! If you've ridden Indiana Jones Adventure before, what were your thoughts of this attraction? Do you love it, like it, or just stay away? Let us know and we'll be sure to respond!
Thanks for reading, my nerDs! Keep tuning in for more nerDom from all around The Magic Kingdom! Until next time!
Sign reads: "Caution Do not pull rope!" - anyone care to guess what our response was?
10 comments:
By far our favorite attraction. We hit this one first when we get to the park!
I agree with everything you say about ". I love the ride, but sometimes orry that it will mess up my back. And there was one time I rode it and ended up with "blood on my hands", not sue how it happened but I had a small cut on one and when I got off, maybe it was one of those poison dart that just nicked me. But it is a great ride.
Mya there as a time where I would avoid it because of the lines, but all of a sudden found myself riding it every chance I got :)
Disneyland Obsession, it does shake a lot. Its like riding a bull at the rodeo lol. Sorry to hear you came off bleeding, but at least you protected yourself from the poison darts :)
So that's where Chester Copperpot ended up ;) Goonies is my second favorite movie right after the Indidan Jones movies! Great post !
Awesome post! I agree that this has one of the coolest queues at Disneyland. Sadly, because of Fastpass you rarely get to experience the entire queue and appreciate all that the Imagineers installed.
Lori I'm glad someone got the joke. We were hoping at least one person would. Thank you :)
P.T. gonna have to agree with you on Fastpasses. They're great for getting to the ride faster, but you must be willing to skip some of the details of the queue.
My son was 5 when we first took him to DL - He could not wait to ride this line and was so disappointed everytime he would be told he was still too short. He would be inconsolable. Finally, when he was ALMOST tall enough, I bought him some 'heely' shoes to give him just enough added height to be able to make it on the ride - and sure enough he was tall enough! Well, wouldn't you know it - as soon as he heard the legend of the 'Forbidden Eye' he refused to open his eyes for the entire ride!!! All that waiting and special shoes and he still hasn't seen the actual ride!! He is 8 now and we are going to DL this weekend for the first time in 2 years. He has told me he promises he will keep his eyes open this time!! :)
I actually changed the dates of my upcoming vacation when I found out this ride was going to be closed.
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