Yesterday, the Indiana Jone Epic Stunt Spectacular returned to Disney’s Hollywood Studios with some notable changes from the version of the show that played until the parks closed in March 2020. While we highlighted a few changes yesterday, we’re going to run through all of the changes that we noticed in the new version of the show.
First, here’s our video of the debut performance.
Ok, let’s do a rundown of the changes we noticed.
Audience Participation
Disney no longer “casts” guests out of the audience and onto the stage. Before the pandemic, a “Casting Director” would pick out audience members from the crowd and dress them up as extras to be used in the market scene.
Now, audience participation is limited to recording “background sounds”. The audience is asked to scream and laugh to create background noise for the “film shoot”.
Introduction to Cast
Whereas there used to be a lineup of audience members that were picked as extras, Disney changed this portion of the show to include a brief introduction to the stunt performers that we’ll see later in the show.
Modified Costumes for Bad Guys
The costumes have been modified for the bad guys in the show. While a traditional gangster costume remains, the other bad guys have dropped a few pieces from their costumes. Most notably, the bad guy costumes no longer include headgear and the face covering is no longer present.
No More Swords
In line with an overt focus on safety, the bad guys are no longer using swords. Instead, they use batons to take on Indiana Jones.
No Gun for Indiana Jones / Enhanced Safety
As we wrote yesterday, Indiana Jones no longer has his own gun. In the previous version of the show, he would utilize his pistol when a whip seemed cumbersome. Now, Indiana Jones has to steal a gun from a bad guy to shoot the getaway car.
Because he doesn’t have a gun, Indiana Jones has to kick open the plane door latch instead of shooting it off like he did in the previous version of the show.
As part of enhanced safety on set, there is a part of the show where the stunt coordinator comes over and demonstrates how compressed air is used to create the effect of ricocheting bullets. The script has also been modified to remove the word “dangerous” when talking about working with explosives. Now, the stunt coordinator uses the word “hot” or “loud” to describe working with explosives.
Another change we noticed that we assume is part of the enhanced safety efforts is that Indy and Marion no longer jump over a flame in their escape. There is no fire effect on the ground in the path of the performers anymore.
Female Pilot
In the finale of the show, a pilot parks a plane in view that is later used by Indiana Jones and Marion in a dramatic conclusion to the show. The Disney Parks TikTok highlighted the fact that there is a female pilot in the new version of the show. We noticed that a male pilot was also used for some of the showtimes yesterday.
No Fake Deaths
Performers no longer lie motionless on stage after being killed by Indiana Jones or Marion. Now, performers attempt to dodge gunfire as they run off stage. In the first performance of the show, the final bad guy was chased off stage, but in subsequent performances, he met his fate by way of plane propeller as in the previous iteration of the show. Perhaps him running off stage is a “b-mode” when the trap door isn’t working. While the moment is a dramatic demise, he does not lie on the stage, instead disappearing through a trap door.
Removal of Faux Nazi Symbol
Another change we noticed was the removal of the faux Nazi symbol from the plane. In the early days of the show, a swastika could be seen on the plane tail. It was, rather quickly, changed to a plus symbol.
Now, that plus symbol has been covered up, as you can see in the photo below.
As we said yesterday, while there are changes that were made to the show, the spirit of Indiana Jones and the live-stunt show remain in place. After 644 days, Walt Disney World has taken a massive step in the direction of normalcy. Live entertainment is the pulse of Disney Parks, and perhaps no show breathes as much life into the parks as the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news and photos from around the Disney Parks!
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