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Not since Disneyland opened 40 years ago has the theme park industry been so completely revolutionized as it was with the March 3, 1995 grand opening of the Indiana Jones(tm) Adventure. This harrowing adventure, based on the George Lucas film trilogy, allows thrill-seekers everywhere the opportunity to be closer to the action than ever before and to experience new adventures on repeat visits.

It's an action adventure movie "come to life," as explorers riding aboard vehicles, themed as military troop transports, journey through the excavated ruins of an ancient temple. "I think people will find it one of the most thrilling rides in the Park," said Indiana Jones(tm) 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 simulated movie. It's a unique experience."

Using a state-of-the-art ride system, the Indiana Jones(tm) Adventure takes Disneyland guests through the fabled Temple of the Forbidden Eye on a mysterious tour of discovery and danger. Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI), the creative development, design and engineering subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company, in addition to creating the entire Indiana Jones(tm) Adventure, also developed and patented a never-before-seen ride system especially for this daring adventure.

The Enhanced Motion Vehicles (EMV) used on the Indiana Jones(tm) Adventure allow guests to experience a random, multiple programmed show while moving through a physical space. "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."

Each of the themed troop transports has its own on-board ride control and audio systems that contain a myriad of programmed cues and the capability of providing nearly 160,000 possible ride/show programming combinations. "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."

Building on this variable programming and the random selection of possible "show" experiences, the troop transports can trigger attraction effects, from the launching of fireballs and the split-second strike of an enormous Audio-Animatronics® 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."

The technical systems involved in the Indiana Jones(tm) Adventure required a major leap of technology and faith as the attraction presented the unique ability to program an experience that could be both realistic beyond belief and terrifying beyond all imagination. "The thing that makes this adventure bigger and better than anything that's been done before is the ride technology," commented WDI show producer Susan Bonds. "Guests will be blown away by everything that's happening to them...all around them...they'll never have exactly the same adventure twice."

With the opening of the Indiana Jones™(tm) Adventure, excitement at Disneyland has a brand new name and the Magic Kingdom will never be the same again.