Idea for a retheme of the Great Movie Ride to Indiana Jones Adventure: Tomb of the First Emperor!

[Corey]

If the Great Movie Ride is in fact leaving Disney's Hollywood Studios, would it not make sense to retheme the complex into something that is in keeping with the rest of the park. I suppose they could keep some of the Chinese Theater facade but theme it to a building in Xian, China. The ride building could be gutted and a new Indiana Jones Adventure attraction could be built like the one at Disneyland in California and at Tokyo DisneySea. However, this one could be Tomb of the First Emperor (i.e. the first emperor of China (Emperor Qin Shi Huang back in 300 B.C.) who's kingdom gave rise to the name China). You could have a similar ride with large jeep based vehicles as found at Disneyland, Tokyo DisneySea, and Dinosaur at Animal Kingdom. The tomb could be booby trapped like the other Indiana Jones Adventure attractions with darts etc. and a bridge that the jeep crosses that nearly collapses into a river of mercury. In this way, they could utilize the central location of the former Mann's Chinese theatre as a focal point for the theme park and thereby have a smooth transition into Disney's Lucasfilm holdings (Indiana Jones and Star Wars). Adjacent to the Indiana Jones Adventure: Tomb of the First Emperor could be a restaurtant/bar Club Obi Wan as depicted in Temple of Doom. That way you could have a small Indiana Jones Land if you add in the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular in Hollywood Studios. Just a thought.

 

[Corey]

I was thinking that the ride building could be rethemed into the mound that sits behind where the terracotta warriors were excavated in Xian, China. However, the mound could be partially exposed revealing something like a flattened pyramid as is theorized by Chinese archaeologists who have been studying the tomb site of the first emperor. Here are some depictions of the tomb on Youtube:

 

[Pixie VaVoom]

Corey, I don't really care what they use for it...or where they put it... BUT I WANT that ride NOW!! That is just brilliant !!

I know folks did not like that 3rd Mummy movie - But i did !! I hated the characters, they really sucked !! but the subject matter was sublime. Kudos and great job !! that is a terrific Idea !

 

[Corey]

Corey, I don't really care what they use for it...or where they put it... BUT I WANT that ride NOW!! That is just brilliant !!

I know folks did not like that 3rd Mummy movie - But i did !! I hated the characters, they really sucked !! but the subject matter was sublime. Kudos and great job !! that is a terrific Idea !

Hi Pixie VaVoom, thanks for the kind words. I think the ride building for the Great Movie Ride is roughly similar in size to Disneyland's 50,000 square foot ride building for the Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye. You know, I had nearly forgotten about the third Mummy film, and it really wasn't on my mind when the idea of using the First Emperor's tomb for an Indiana Jones Attraction came to me. However, just as there was some really good storytelling in the Mummy, I think an Indiana Jones Adventure: Tomb of the First Emperor could be rather elaborate, since after all he had all of those terracotta warriors made up to supposedly protect his tomb. Thanks again Pixie VaVoom, it is always nice to hear positive feedback.

~Corey

 

[Corey]

Here are some maps all to the same scale of the two Indiana Jones Adventure attractions in Anaheim and Tokyo respectively, as well as a map of Disney's Hollywood Studios in Orlando to show that The Great Movie Ride show building should be large enough to house a new Indiana Jones Adventure: Tomb of the First Emperor. The buildings are outlined and the area enclosed is shaded so you can see for yourselves.

 

[Corey]

I hope WDWMAGIC doesn't mind me using one of their images of the Chinese Theater at Hollywood Studios, but the building itself could remain the queue area for the Indiana Jones Adventure: Tomb of the First Emperor. In this way, the park's de facto park icon since it opened as MGM Studios could be retained and made a critical element in the lead-up to the Indiana Jones ride in what would be a conversion of the ride building. I think the ride building is large enough. The theater could be converted into a palace of one China's later rulers that was built in nearby Xian and who has a map of where the First Emperor's tomb is believed to be located. Indiana Jones (and the attraction riders) could set out in the jeeps to enter an excavation of the tomb site. The jeep then goes through some harrowing maneuvers as darts are shot at the riders and the bridge nearly collapses into one of the two mercury rivers depicting the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers. Ultimately, Indiana may discover an important artifact from the emperor's tomb that leads to the conclusion of the ride. This would definitely add an extra E-ticket attraction to a park that would otherwise have about four lands after Star Wars Land and Toy Story Land are completed. You could therefore squeeze in a mini Indiana Jones Land in by adding this attraction and the Club Obi Wan I mentioned in an earlier post.

 

[BenJacobs]

If the Great Movie Ride is in fact leaving Disney's Hollywood Studios, would it not make sense to retheme the complex into something that is in keeping with the rest of the park. I suppose they could keep some of the Chinese Theater facade but theme it to a building in Xian, China. The ride building could be gutted and a new Indiana Jones Adventure attraction could be built like the one at Disneyland in California and at Tokyo DisneySea. However, this one could be Tomb of the First Emperor (i.e. the first emperor of China (Emperor Qin Shi Huang back in 300 B.C.) who's kingdom gave rise to the name China). You could have a similar ride with large jeep based vehicles as found at Disneyland, Tokyo DisneySea, and Dinosaur at Animal Kingdom. The tomb could be booby trapped like the other Indiana Jones Adventure attractions with darts etc. and a bridge that the jeep crosses that nearly collapses into a river of mercury. In this way, they could utilize the central location of the former Mann's Chinese theatre as a focal point for the theme park and thereby have a smooth transition into Disney's Lucasfilm holdings (Indiana Jones and Star Wars). Adjacent to the Indiana Jones Adventure: Tomb of the First Emperor could be a restaurtant/bar Club Obi Wan as depicted in Temple of Doom. That way you could have a small Indiana Jones Land if you add in the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular in Hollywood Studios. Just a thought.

This is supposed to be the centrepiece for Hollywood Studios, an IP themed ride wouldn't work here.

The attraction takes up a lot of space, I would create a ride similar to Philarmagic but for all sort of films that Disney owns. It would have a ride system similar to Spiderman at Universal, where the car itself can move on hydraulics, and you and everyone else are engulfed with what 3D video is on the screen in front of you, the transitions between films would be seemless and you wouldn't be able to see inner workings, there would be both 3D screens and physical sets with amazing animatrons(as seen in Avatar Land). You would be engulfed in classic animated films and pixar ones, as well as Star Wars and Marvel films, they could have a physical fight scene between a superhero and villain with holographic light sabres, laser blaster shots, and whatever Iron Man shoots.