Five Things to Know About the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular

Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular gives you a unique behind-the-scenes look at how action sequences are created and performed. Professional stunt men and women demonstrate their craft by recreating famous situations from Raiders of the Lost Ark, thrilling you all the while. If you want to learn more, read on, otherwise to race on down to the nuts and bolts, here’s your shortcut.

1. The good news: no snakes!

The stage presentation recreates various scenes and stunts from Raiders of the Lost Ark, including the classic rolling boulder scene, the chase through the streets of Cairo, and finally Indy’s fight around the German plane. Along the way, the director and stunt people reveal how they safely throw and take punches, fall off buildings and how they’ve practiced performing with Indy’s iconic whip. The performance lasts approximately 30 minutes – and is an engaging experience from start to finish.

2. It’s not just Indy who knows his history.

The Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular was supposed to open at the same time as the Disney-MGM Studios (now Disney’s Hollywood Studios) on May 1, 1989. But both George Lucas and Michael Eisner (then CEO of Disney) didn’t believe the attraction was ready to debut then. Guests were allowed to watch “dress rehearsals” of the show until it officially opened on August 25. As such, it’s the oldest attraction at DHS that’s still operating. In 2000 it received a six-month refurb to refresh the sets and other technical features.

It’s worth noting that this was the first attraction to use a computer-based control system, sequencing the complex live-action events and pyrotechnics in real-time. But some are controlled by the actors; the punji sticks that shoot up out of the ground in the first scene are controlled by sensors triggered by Indy depending on where he steps.

3. The show has changed over the years.

When the show premiered, Indy carried a pistol, as he does in the movies; now he carries only his whip. The bazaar scene stunt team had large swords which have been replaced by sticks. In 2004, the Nazi swastikas on German trucks, aircraft, and actor uniforms were removed and replaced by a Balkenkreuz. The action originally featured “deaths” for some of the actors; these have been eliminated.

Perhaps the biggest change was this: for years, guests were selected from the audience to participate as townspeople in the Cairo street scene. (They didn’t participate in stunts and were always a safe distance from the action.) When the show reopened after the COVID-19 pandemic, this was no longer included.

4. Five bonus behind the “behind the scenes” facts.

• This show has more moving parts than any other live show at Walt Disney World and the sets for each scene weigh around 100 tons.
• The giant rolling ball Indy dodges is 12 feet in diameter, weighing over 400 pounds, and is made of rubber.

• The performer playing Indiana Jones changes into a new costume after every show because of the wear and tear.
• There are contingencies for times when events don’t go as planned. The crew has said there are twelve possible contingencies for the first scene alone, so the performers have a backup plan for just about every possible scenario.
• Outside the show area is a well with a sign reading, “Warning: Do Not Pull Rope.” If you pull the rope, you’ll hear from a man stuck in the bottom of the well. He says several different things if you pull repeatedly.

5. The Nuts and Bolts.

The Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular is located in the Echo Lake area of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The show’s theater holds 2,000 people, and every seat offers a great view of the stage. Since the theater is open-air but well-covered, guests are somewhat protected from the elements, but not from the heat or humidity. And since some of the action takes place on the open air portion of the stage, the show is subject to cancellation due to inclement weather.

Seats are long metal benches with a metal back, and guests may remain in their wheelchair, motorized scooter, or ECV.

There are no height requirements, or health or safety advisories for the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. However, there are fire effects and loud noises that could startle some guests and littles. To ensure that as many as possible can enjoy this show, Handheld Captioning, Assistive Listening, Audio Description and Sign Language are offered.

The Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular does offer Lightning Lane access via Genie+, but we don’t recommend it as a great use of a reservation. While it’s not unusual for a show to reach capacity, there are multiple showings per day, and arriving at the theater ahead of time almost always guarantees a seat. The first performance is always the easiest to see. If the first show is at 10 a.m. or earlier, you can usually walk in, even if you arrive 5 minutes late. For later performances arrive at least 15 minutes ahead of time; 30 if the parks are very crowded. If you plan to tour during the late afternoon and evening, attend the last performance of the day. To beat the crowd out of the stadium, sit on the far right (as you face the staging area) and near the top.

The Bottom Line.

We rate the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular as worth your while if your schedule has the time. The first time we enjoyed it, we were surprised at how fun it was, so we now try to include it in every visit. While not air-conditioned, it’s shaded and a great way to sit and rest for a while in the middle of a long touring day.

Have you seen the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular? What did you think? Let us know in the comments.