Saturday, August 18, 2012

Indiana Jones: An Opened and Closed Adventure



Disney has not made a huge effort to make this known yet but apparently it is official that the massively popular Indiana Jones Adventure ride in Disneyland will close next month for a much needed refurbishment. The dates of the closure are Sept. 4 through Dec. 7 - down 3 months give or take a few days. Of course, those who have booked trips range from the mildly disappointed to the very upset about this news. For many, IJA is tops on their list of favorite attractions including Mrs. DisneylandTraveler. But it is needed. You wouldn't know it by me but there are several elements within the attraction that either aren't working or aren't working they way they used to. Regular riders know this, occasional riders may not see the difference from one ride to the next. The ride is also subject to frequent temporary breakdowns. Supposedly, during this refurbishment, not only will the ride get fixed up but a new thrill element may be added (a loop? no, just kidding about that).

So no Indiana Jones in Disneyland beginning in early September. But not to worry Indy fans. For one week only George Lucas plans to bring his thrill seeking archaeologist back to the big screen - the really big screen - as for the first time ever, Raiders of the Lost Ark will be shown in 70mm IMAX. This limited release is just ahead of planned re-release of the classic film in a blu-ray edition. It's a great, great movie, though made in 1981, stands up to the test of time. Director Steven Spielberg has said it is one of the few films in his large body of impressive work he can sit down and enjoy without thinking about all the things he might have done differently if he had the chance. My closest IMAX will be showing the film. I'm there.



How popular is Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (now the official title of the film)? I was watching a rerun of the TV show The Big Bang Theory (which is on about 50 times a week) where the gang of geeks is huddled around their TV watching a Raiders tape. At the end of the movie they head down to their local movie theater to get in line for a special Raiders big screen showing that has 21 seconds of added footage (only to find out that the line was longer than the number of theater seats). 

For those refusing to believe in the closing of the Indiana Jones Adventure ride - here it is - right from Disneyland's attraction web page - IJA Link

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