Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril

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Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril
Location Disneyland Paris
Park section Adventureland
Type Steel
Status Operating
Opened 1993
Manufacturer Intamin AG
Designer Ingenieur Büro Stengel GmbH
Model TL-59
Length 1,968 ft (600 m)
Inversions 1
Height restriction 4 ft 6 in (140 cm)
Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril at RCDB
Pictures of Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril at RCDB

Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril (French for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril) is a roller coaster attraction at Disneyland Resort Paris. It opened on July 30, 1993. Based on the Indiana Jones films, guests are taken on an adventure riding in a mining train through a lost temple. The attraction is sponsored by Esso.

Contents

[edit] History

Years before Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril opened on July 30, 1993, an Indiana Jones themed attraction had been on the drawing boards, but due to the resort's ongoing financial difficullties, the attraction was retooled.[1]

Originally, guests would have been able to experience a full-scale Indiana Jones land-within-a-land, featuring a huge mine cart roller coaster based on the infamous sequence from "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom". The ride would have taken guests through wild jungles, around the lost temple and inside a large showbuilding for the mine chase scenes. Rumours often circulate of other attractions to have been included in the area, such as Disneyland's EMV (Enhanced Motion Vehicle) Indiana Jones Adventure and a new Jungle Exploration attraction based on the classic Jungle Cruise.[1]

Ultimately, the constrained budgets and requirement for a high-thrill attraction (at this point, Space Mountain was still 2-3 years away) brought the birth of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril, a custom-designed looping coaster produced by Intamin AG of Switzerland. Despite lacking an indoor showbuilding and the same scale as its "blue sky" predecessor, the final attraction stays true to the heavy themeing of the original plans, with enough landscaping, winding paths and lush vegetation to make even the most frequent Disneyland guests lose their way in the jungles of Indiana Jones.[1]

In summer 1993 (a few weeks after the opening) the emergency brakes locked on during a ride. Some people were hurt and the attraction was temporarily shut down for investigations.[2]

Originally there were torches illuminating the stairway at night but they were removed in 2000.[2]

The Temple of Peril was the first roller coaster in a Disney theme park with an inversion. It also has the highest height requirement of any Disney theme park attraction in the world, though it is no longer the most intense. [2]

[edit] À l'Envers! (Backwards!)

Seeking a new attraction to market for their 2000 season and wanting to bring more interest back to the attraction, the Imagineers of Disneyland Paris embarked on an ambitious project to create Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril: Backwards!.[1]

In addition to removing the bodies of each train from their chassis and reversing them, the team totally changed the dynamics of the ride by adding an extra two seats to each car, bringing the total for each two-car train from 8 to 12. Lighting and props had to be reversed throughout the ride to ensure guests didn't see any signs of "backstage", and the track of the roller coaster itself even had to be altered and reprofiled at some points. Since guests travelling backwards are unaware of upcoming curves and drops, their bodies are unable to prepare for the movement. This meant some of the sharper drops and curves had to be "softened" to make the attraction a comfier experience.[1]

The reconfigured attraction reopened on April 1, 2000. On November 27, 2004, the attraction was "reversed" once more to return the trains to their original forwards direction.[1]

[edit] The Experience

The attraction is designed around the theme of an expedition to the Temple of Peril which was lost. The queue wanders through an abandoned base camp, meandering toward the temple where guests climb a staircase to the temple entrance. Inside the temple, guests board a mine car.

"Temple of Peril is a traditional roller coaster attraction," Disney Imagineer Tony Baxter explains. "The roller coaster cars, which are supposed to be mine cars, are going up and down over the surface of the temple, clearing debris or putting back the artifacts and so forth. It's a very simple little premise. Then the car literally goes out of control and upside down during its trip around the various temple pieces."[3]

[edit] Attraction facts

  • Grand Opening: July 30, 1993
  • Reversal Opening: April 1, 2000
  • Forward Reopening: November 27, 2004
  • Track Lengh: 1,968 feet
  • Maximum Height: 52 Feet
  • Duration: 1 minute 30 seconds
  • Capacity: 12 guests per train
  • Height Requirement: 54 inches (1.4 m)

The track layout of the attraction is copied from the first looping roller coaster built by the Pinfari company. Pinfari called this a TL-59, the TL stands for "The Loop" and the 59 is for the ride's 59m width. This Intamin version copies the course, but uses a track style that is unique to Intamin. The style and basic design of this attraction was used as the inspiration and basis for the Tokyo DisneySea coaster Raging Spirits.[1]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril.
  2. ^ a b c Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril.
  3. ^ Behind the Indiana Jones Thrill Rides (May 25, 2004).

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 48°52′19″N, 2°46′19″E

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