Indiana Jones Adventure to receive major overhaul in 2020

[SkippyXS]

Disneyland filed a building permit with the city of Anaheim for a major overhaul of Indiana Jones Adventure, according to city records.

Disneyland officials confirmed the Indiana Jones Adventure motion-base dark ride is scheduled for refurbishment in 2020.

I for one am hoping for some of the painted flats to be replaced by actual props. Hello blow dart room!

Source:
https://www.ocregister.com/2019/11/1...rhaul-in-2020/

[Dsaastad]

A flying pigeon told me theyre adding a scrim to project falling rocks into. It'll be put in right before the loop they're replacing the bridge with.

[Spongeocto4]

I for one am hoping for some of the painted flats to be replaced by actual props. Hello blow dart room!
]

In order for that to happen(and ridiculous as it sounds) the building would either have to be expanded, or the interior reworked. They built that area with literally no extra space.

I'm glad that Indy is scheduled for another revamp. Though, in true Indy fashion, there will likely be reports after the refurbishment, where X effect was not working properly.

[Quentin]

This is great news. Hopefully reliability issues can be addressed and some old effects can be brought back.

[WaltDisney'sAlec]

No offense to Brady Macdonald, but this does not strike me as a "major refurbishment," a term which is tossed around way too loosely. Star Tours 2.0 was a major refurbishment. Matterhorn going down for 6 months was a major refurbishment. This permit was to rebuild the bridge and add some rockwork. Confirmation from Disney that a refurbishment will take place is not the same as confirmation of a major refurbishment. I'll wait until the refurbishment calendar is updated.

This seems like a fix to the issue created when OSHA went fall-protection crazy some years ago. Remember when they required that ugly railing on the outdoor portion of Alice in Wonderland after more than 50 years of not a single Cast Member or guest falling? At that point Disney asked for recommendations and OSHA asked that railings be added to all areas where falls were possible.

The result was that the Indiana Jones bridge was widened by about a foot on each side and outfitted with hidden railings that would pop up in the event of an evacuation (or so it was reported on Micechat). This refurbishment has probably been on the to-do list for a while with the money finally earmarked, with a plan to make the bridge more stable and the fixes less ad hoc.

[IndianWarCanoe]

I hope they take the snakes out...

I really hate snakes.

[SkunkID]

It would be really nice if they were take the change to fix up the chamber of destiny room, or the perpetually open maintenance door in the blow dart room, or finally getting the rat on a tree branch effect to work right. But like others have already pointed out, I don't really have much hope.

Other projects that, at least in comparison, weren't as big as any of these literally took months longer than what's being estimated. So unless it turns out this refurb has been planned for years and will be carried out like clock work, I don't have much faith in it being anything more than OSHA upgrades and maybe new projectors and LED lighting.

[stovk]

RoTR in 2020, Avengers Campus opening in 2020, Snow White update 2020, rumors of Tomorrowland being upgraded, Now Indiana Jones. It's nice to hear so much being done, but as Darth would say, "The Emperor does not share your optimistic appraisal of the situation."

[Eagleman]

RoTR in 2020, Avengers Campus opening in 2020, Snow White update 2020, rumors of Tomorrowland being upgraded, Now Indiana Jones. It's nice to hear so much being done, but as Darth would say, "The Emperor does not share your optimistic appraisal of the situation."

I do not share

optimistic appraisal

........... but again Force is not with me ...........lol

[Starcade]

I am fine with any work being done to it as long as it helps the attraction get to the point where it doesn't have to close down every 2-3 hours. I do not know the math but my experience leads me to believe the ride is closed at least 30% of the time daily.

These are things I would like them to consider:

- Fix all the effects that are now down. We know they can work they have had years to figure out how to make them more reliable.
- Update the Indy animatronics so the mouths reliably move.
- Add additional ventilation to the queue tunnels, in real caverns it is not always dead air, often there are drafts so this would not be out of the ordinary. In the summer being in the queue is rough form those of us who are not excited about humidity. It would be a cool effect for the Queue tunnel to have a wave of air that wooshes through every 30 seconds giving a feeling you are walking into something that is happening down tunnel.
- Make the Jeep respond like a you are really going over some terrain that matches the ride trail. I have gone off-roading many times and Indy feels more like a wacky racer carnival ride or mechanical bull at a country western bar than a real off-roading experience. I always though a cool effect would be a rock that drops down as you go over it and the Jeep lurching up as if it is driving over it and then rising back up once your past. When I can see a clear smooth path in front of me but the Jeep acts and if I'm driving over boulders it takes me away from the realism.

[SkippyXS]

No offense to Brady Macdonald, but this does not strike me as a "major refurbishment," a term which is tossed around way too loosely. Star Tours 2.0 was a major refurbishment. Matterhorn going down for 6 months was a major refurbishment. This permit was to rebuild the bridge and add some rockwork. Confirmation from Disney that a refurbishment will take place is not the same as confirmation of a major refurbishment. .

Gotta agree with this analysis.

[SkippyXS]

I
Make the Jeep respond like a you are really going over some terrain that matches the ride trail. I have gone off-roading many times and Indy feels more like a wacky racer carnival ride or mechanical bull at a country western bar than a real off-roading experience.

Agreed - I was lucky enough to enjoy this attraction in its first year back in '95, and I have always believed that the motion base programing has been drastically "nerfed" through the years, that is to say, less jerky and more "wacky". In particular I remember a part where the motion base simulates driving over cobblestones that felt jerky and very realistic - this effect has since been toned down to the point that I don't even notice it. Anyone else who experienced this ride back in '95 care to chime in?

[Eagleman]

Indiana Jones Adventure

I would like the Attraction up to were ever things is working order ......
, and Guest Experience is also up to Enjoy .

[WaltDisney'sAlec]

I am fine with any work being done to it as long as it helps the attraction get to the point where it doesn't have to close down every 2-3 hours. I do not know the math but my experience leads me to believe the ride is closed at least 30% of the time daily.

These are things I would like them to consider:

- Fix all the effects that are now down. We know they can work they have had years to figure out how to make them more reliable.
- Update the Indy animatronics so the mouths reliably move.
- Add additional ventilation to the queue tunnels, in real caverns it is not always dead air, often there are drafts so this would not be out of the ordinary. In the summer being in the queue is rough form those of us who are not excited about humidity. It would be a cool effect for the Queue tunnel to have a wave of air that wooshes through every 30 seconds giving a feeling you are walking into something that is happening down tunnel.
- Make the Jeep respond like a you are really going over some terrain that matches the ride trail. I have gone off-roading many times and Indy feels more like a wacky racer carnival ride or mechanical bull at a country western bar than a real off-roading experience. I always though a cool effect would be a rock that drops down as you go over it and the Jeep lurching up as if it is driving over it and then rising back up once your past. When I can see a clear smooth path in front of me but the Jeep acts and if I'm driving over boulders it takes me away from the realism.

I like the idea of updating animatronics with moving mouths. That seems like such a small thing, but I wonder if Imagineering has engineered modular upgrades to animatronics. If you can just upgrade animatronics heads/faces instead of needing to upgrade an entire setup to the A1000 animatronic they have, that strikes me as much more efficient.

I also seemed to remember back in 2011 that WDI was shutting down all animatronic work after the Ursula animatronic, outsourcing it to Garner Holt. Of course, the contracts are under wraps so you don't hear anything about Garner Holt doing all of Disney's work for them, but I remember people on the forums saying goodbye to MaPo and things like that. Is that still the case? I'm all for specialization in a free-market economy, but if this is the case I don't suspect Garner Holt or other companies to support modular upgrades. I would love to see it though.

Agreed - I was lucky enough to enjoy this attraction in its first year back in '95, and I have always believed that the motion base programing has been drastically "nerfed" through the years, that is to say, less jerky and more "wacky". In particular I remember a part where the motion base simulates driving over cobblestones that felt jerky and very realistic - this effect has since been toned down to the point that I don't even notice it. Anyone else who experienced this ride back in '95 care to chime in?

I too would love to see more realistic Jeep movements. I didn't ride until 2000 at the earliest, but I always heard that the back row on the right side was the spot it felt the jerkiest. I wouldn't be surprised if they nerfed it in response to complaints from fragile adults or little kids, though.

[DarylF]

A proper fast pass queue would be a nice addition for a “major refurbishment “...

[NoreasterMike]

An online article mentioned that the refurbishment could happen before or after the March 2020 25th Anniversary. When would the public know for sure when it'll be closed, and for how long? If it's closed before March, assuming it'll be open for the 25th, does that mean it'll only be down during the first few months of 2020, which would mean a limited refurbishment to fix the few things the article mentioned? I'm trying to plan a trip to Disneyland in late April/Early May while in the area for business and have never been to the park, and have read it's a Top 3 ride. I would like to ride it, especially if it'll be my only visit to Disneyland. Thanks!

[BNSF1995]

I hope they fix the falling rubble effect.

[WaltDisney'sAlec]

An online article mentioned that the refurbishment could happen before or after the March 2020 25th Anniversary. When would the public know for sure when it'll be closed, and for how long? If it's closed before March, assuming it'll be open for the 25th, does that mean it'll only be down during the first few months of 2020, which would mean a limited refurbishment to fix the few things the article mentioned? I'm trying to plan a trip to Disneyland in late April/Early May while in the area for business and have never been to the park, and have read it's a Top 3 ride. I would like to ride it, especially if it'll be my only visit to Disneyland. Thanks!

That's a good question. I agree that it's definitely a Top 3 ride, but people who watch the refurbishment calendar might be able to let you know how far out the dates are observable. You can find that Micechat thread here.

[Quentin]

Agreed - I was lucky enough to enjoy this attraction in its first year back in '95, and I have always believed that the motion base programing has been drastically "nerfed" through the years, that is to say, less jerky and more "wacky". In particular I remember a part where the motion base simulates driving over cobblestones that felt jerky and very realistic - this effect has since been toned down to the point that I don't even notice it. Anyone else who experienced this ride back in '95 care to chime in?

It was dialed back 20% around 2000-2001 when a rider suffered a neck injury. It has 5 preset roughness settings, 1-5. It was changed from “4” to “3” if I recall correctly

[WaltDisney'sAlec]

It was dialed back 20% around 2000-2001 when a rider suffered a neck injury. It has 5 preset roughness settings, 1-5. It was changed from “4” to “3” if I recall correctly

Whoa! Didn't know that! I wonder if they can separate the two lanes based on vehicle and have two intensity options like they so for Mission: Space. If a rider was injured though, I'm guessing the lawyers won't let that happen anytime soon. I would love to try the 5 level roughness, just once.