Indiana Jones Summer of Hidden Mysteries
Encyclopedia
The "Indiana Jones Summer of Hidden Mysteries" was an event held at Disneyland by Walt Disney Creative Entertainment
during the summer months of 2008. This was a promotional tie-in with the release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Similar to the reactions to the fourth film entry, the "Indiana Jones Summer of Hidden Mysteries" was met with mixed reviews as well.
films. The Life Preserver from the CORONADO, the Ark Crate, Henry's Umbrella, Mola Ram's Headdress, and a carving of the Crystal Skull were all "lost" in the jungle for explorers to relocate, except the Life Preserver which still remains to this day on the "Danger" dock.
The popular Aladdin's Oasis storytelling show was also given an Indiana Jones
overlay, becoming the Secret of the Stone Tiger stage show. This updated show featured very little redecoration, and the Cave of Wonders was covered in a handful of vines. The show featured a female archaeologist named Rachel Flannery, who was hot on the trail of a Golden Idol in the shape of a tigers head. This idol was said to give its owner unlimited power. In the search for the idol, Rachel follows several clues that have been left behind in Indiana Jones
' journal. In her quest, she calls for several young volunteers to assist her. Children from the audience then come onto the stage and assist in the discovery of clues. After the final clue is revealed, the Stone Tiger (aka the Cave of Wonders) begins to roar and Dr. Jones emerges from its mouth. Indy quickly hands the Golden Idol to Rachel as he begins to tell a tale to the children. However, Rachel fits the Golden Idol onto a staff and is overcome with its power. After a series of punches, kicks, and whip cracks, Rachel falls into the Stone Tiger's mouth and dies. Indy quickly gathers his belongings and rushes off to locate an old map, supposedly leading him to the nearby Temple of Mara.
Shortly after the Secret of the Stone Tiger show, Indy would emerge into the crowded streets of Adventureland, first on the rooftop of The Jungle Cruise. Indy would then encounter a Desert Hawk where shortly thereafter a fight would ensue. Once Indy knocks the villain out, he would often look into the crowd say, "When he wakes up, tell him Indy won!" Indy would then run through the streets of Adventureland, in search for the mysterious temple. Needing to get "higher up," Indy would then run up the stairs and end up on the roof of the Adventureland Bazaar. The Desert Hawk would soon be on his trail, and another fight would follow. Apparently, somewhere in that second fight, the Desert Hawk would get the map. In the third and final battle, now taking place on Tarzan's Treehouse
, Indy would chase the Desert Hawk, trying to get the map back. The two would have their showdown on the suspension bridge that hung over the Adventureland/New Orleans Square
path, similar to the climatic confrontation between Indy and Mola Ram
in Temple of Doom
. Indy would then use his whip to get the map from the Desert Hawk's hand. Finally, Indy would take off running through Adventureland once again.
Due to an agreement with Lucasfilm
, Indiana Jones was not allowed to meet park guests in a typical meet-and-greet format. This was very disappointing to many guests who were hoping to get a photo or autograph from their favorite archaeologist. This doesn't apply to Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, as the actor portraying Indy will often come to the audience and sign autographs.
. Fans on message boards like Mouseinfo.com were quoted to have said "Disneyland has reached a level of WWF Male on Female Wrestling. The character of Indiana Jones
had been portrayed to children simply as a guy who shows up, beats the hell out of a woman, and goes on with his day." Parents were not pleased, guests were upset, and after an article complaining about the male-on-female violence currently seen at Disneyland in the Orange County Register, the show was quickly "altered." Indy would no longer throw any direct punches at the woman, he would simply dodge. Too little, too late. The show was left looking awkward and very choppy.
was located. Apparently, when Indy was running through Adventureland, he had yet to discover the temple. Which allowed for many opportunities for Indy to look stupid, especially when a park guest would say "Sure, it's right over there" and Indy would still run the other way. Perhaps the most disappointing element of the Indiana Jones Summer of Hidden Mysteries was that Indiana Jones was shown as a very violent man, rather than an academic scholar and using that opportunity to teach children in the park about elements found in Adventureland such as animals and archaeology.
The Indiana Jones
Summer of Hidden Mysteries was directed by Senior Show Director Glenn Kelman, director behind the equally disappointing Jack Sparrow's Swashbuckling Adventure on Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island
. The Jack Sparrow show also followed a very similar format. It included a woman, looking for a map, the hero showed up and fought for a very short time, and was gone. The Jack Sparrow show, which was intended to be a strong element for the new Pirate's Lair, was soon done away with.
Walt Disney Creative Entertainment
Walt Disney Creative Entertainment is the theatrical and technical live entertainment production division of Walt Disney Imagineering, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company.-Background:...
during the summer months of 2008. This was a promotional tie-in with the release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Similar to the reactions to the fourth film entry, the "Indiana Jones Summer of Hidden Mysteries" was met with mixed reviews as well.
The Jungle Cruise
The famous Disneyland attraction The Jungle Cruise was given an Indiana Jones overlay, featuring 5 artifacts from the Indiana JonesIndiana Jones
Colonel Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., Ph.D. is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Indiana Jones franchise. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg created the character in homage to the action heroes of 1930s film serials...
films. The Life Preserver from the CORONADO, the Ark Crate, Henry's Umbrella, Mola Ram's Headdress, and a carving of the Crystal Skull were all "lost" in the jungle for explorers to relocate, except the Life Preserver which still remains to this day on the "Danger" dock.
Secret of the Stone Tiger
Indiana Jones
Colonel Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., Ph.D. is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Indiana Jones franchise. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg created the character in homage to the action heroes of 1930s film serials...
overlay, becoming the Secret of the Stone Tiger stage show. This updated show featured very little redecoration, and the Cave of Wonders was covered in a handful of vines. The show featured a female archaeologist named Rachel Flannery, who was hot on the trail of a Golden Idol in the shape of a tigers head. This idol was said to give its owner unlimited power. In the search for the idol, Rachel follows several clues that have been left behind in Indiana Jones
Indiana Jones
Colonel Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., Ph.D. is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Indiana Jones franchise. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg created the character in homage to the action heroes of 1930s film serials...
' journal. In her quest, she calls for several young volunteers to assist her. Children from the audience then come onto the stage and assist in the discovery of clues. After the final clue is revealed, the Stone Tiger (aka the Cave of Wonders) begins to roar and Dr. Jones emerges from its mouth. Indy quickly hands the Golden Idol to Rachel as he begins to tell a tale to the children. However, Rachel fits the Golden Idol onto a staff and is overcome with its power. After a series of punches, kicks, and whip cracks, Rachel falls into the Stone Tiger's mouth and dies. Indy quickly gathers his belongings and rushes off to locate an old map, supposedly leading him to the nearby Temple of Mara.
Random Acts of Indy
Tarzan's Treehouse
Tarzan's Treehouse is a walk through attraction at Disneyland and Hong Kong Disneyland. It is styled after the 1999 film Tarzan.-Disneyland version:...
, Indy would chase the Desert Hawk, trying to get the map back. The two would have their showdown on the suspension bridge that hung over the Adventureland/New Orleans Square
New Orleans Square
New Orleans Square is a themed land found exclusively at Disneyland, though a similarly themed area can be found within Tokyo Disneyland's Adventureland. Based on 19th-century New Orleans, it was the first new land to be added to Disneyland after the park's opening. The land was opened to the...
path, similar to the climatic confrontation between Indy and Mola Ram
Mola Ram
Mola Ram was an Indian painter, who originated the Garhwal branch of the Kangra school of painting. He was born in Srinagar , and worked for the Garhwal Kingdom from 1777 until its annexation in 1803. He was also a poet, historian and diplomat...
in Temple of Doom
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a 1984 American adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. It is the second film in the Indiana Jones franchise and prequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark . After arriving in India, Indiana Jones is asked by a desperate village to find a mystical stone...
. Indy would then use his whip to get the map from the Desert Hawk's hand. Finally, Indy would take off running through Adventureland once again.
Due to an agreement with Lucasfilm
Lucasfilm
Lucasfilm Limited is an American film production company founded by George Lucas in 1971, based in San Francisco, California. Lucas is the company's current chairman and CEO, and Micheline Chau is the president and COO....
, Indiana Jones was not allowed to meet park guests in a typical meet-and-greet format. This was very disappointing to many guests who were hoping to get a photo or autograph from their favorite archaeologist. This doesn't apply to Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, as the actor portraying Indy will often come to the audience and sign autographs.
Reactions
The show was not well received by park guests and fans of Indiana JonesIndiana Jones
Colonel Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., Ph.D. is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Indiana Jones franchise. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg created the character in homage to the action heroes of 1930s film serials...
. Fans on message boards like Mouseinfo.com were quoted to have said "Disneyland has reached a level of WWF Male on Female Wrestling. The character of Indiana Jones
Indiana Jones
Colonel Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., Ph.D. is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Indiana Jones franchise. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg created the character in homage to the action heroes of 1930s film serials...
had been portrayed to children simply as a guy who shows up, beats the hell out of a woman, and goes on with his day." Parents were not pleased, guests were upset, and after an article complaining about the male-on-female violence currently seen at Disneyland in the Orange County Register, the show was quickly "altered." Indy would no longer throw any direct punches at the woman, he would simply dodge. Too little, too late. The show was left looking awkward and very choppy.
Inaccuracies
There were a number of inaccuracies with the summer promotion as well. In the film series, Indiana Jones wears pants that are a tanish/green color. On opening day of the Summer of Hidden Mysteries, Indy arrived wearing Black pants. The pants were later changed to a more accurate color, though still wrong. Indy's bag, a WWII MkVII gas mask bag, was accurate to the untrained eye, but fans will note that Indy's real bag has one metal gusset on the side of the bag facing backwards in real life while this Indy's bag has two gussets one on each side. Many park guests were confused as to why Indy did not know where the mysterious Temple of the Forbidden EyeIndiana Jones Adventure
Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye is a dark ride motion simulator attraction based on the Indiana Jones films. Guests accompany intrepid archeologist Dr. Indiana Jones on a quest for the Jewel of Power through a dangerous lost temple, then board military troop transport vehicles...
was located. Apparently, when Indy was running through Adventureland, he had yet to discover the temple. Which allowed for many opportunities for Indy to look stupid, especially when a park guest would say "Sure, it's right over there" and Indy would still run the other way. Perhaps the most disappointing element of the Indiana Jones Summer of Hidden Mysteries was that Indiana Jones was shown as a very violent man, rather than an academic scholar and using that opportunity to teach children in the park about elements found in Adventureland such as animals and archaeology.
The Indiana Jones
Indiana Jones
Colonel Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., Ph.D. is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Indiana Jones franchise. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg created the character in homage to the action heroes of 1930s film serials...
Summer of Hidden Mysteries was directed by Senior Show Director Glenn Kelman, director behind the equally disappointing Jack Sparrow's Swashbuckling Adventure on Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island
Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island
Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island is an artificial island surrounded by the Rivers of America at Disneyland. It contains caves with references to Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean film trilogy, Mark Twain characters from the novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and provides interactive, climbing,...
. The Jack Sparrow show also followed a very similar format. It included a woman, looking for a map, the hero showed up and fought for a very short time, and was gone. The Jack Sparrow show, which was intended to be a strong element for the new Pirate's Lair, was soon done away with.