Over the last few years, The Walt Disney Company has pledged to remove many aspects of the Disney Parks that are deemed “problematic.” This has meant removing rides and attractions based on harmful source material and fixing some out-of-date stereotypes that used to be found throughout the parks. Disney has also been mindful to remove anything that glamorizes gun violence.
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These changes are part of Disney’s pledge to promote a more diverse, inclusive, and politically correct park experience. Many guests love the changes and comment on Disney for doing their part. Others don’t notice the changes and choose to stay out of political discussions. However, some fans dislike the changes so much that they believe they are ruining the parks.
This discussion was reignited after a guest called out Disney for changing and “sanitizing” an iconic Walt Disney World attraction.
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Guests Upset After Another Disney Attraction Gets Major Edits
One of the most beloved attractions at Walt Disney World Resort is the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular.
This show, located at Echo Lake in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, gives guests a behind-the-scenes look into how the stunts in the Indiana Jones film franchise are performed. After being brought back to the park post-pandemic, some major changes were made to the script.
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A Disney fan on Reddit has made a list of all the things they believe were changed for the worse on this attraction. The post reignited an important question: is Disney going too far in the name of political correctness?
Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular Debate
The post reads:
Does it bother anyone else how much they’ve sanitized the Indy Stunt Spectacular?
So the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular has always been my favorite show on property. I’ve seen it three times since it was brought back. And don’t get me wrong, it’s still fun. But something has been off.
The most immediately noticeable thing is that the “audience volunteers” section is gone, replaced by some dumb bit where they record the whole audience cheering for “post production.”
Unfortunately, this also means the gag where it looks like Marion is beating up an extra is ruined. Not only is he introduced as a stunt performer, they high five and congratulate each other after every punch, to telegraph it being fake as clearly as possible.
Now as disappointing as it is, i could kinda understand getting rid of the volunteers. Theres always gijng to be a higher level of risk with untrained tourists running around while stunts are happening. Times change, safety protocols get increased, whatever.
But yesterday something clicked with me. It’s not just that. They’ve sanitized and censored the show as much as physically possible. I made a mental note of some of the more egregious differences I noticed.
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Indy doesn’t use guns anymore. In the original marketplace scene, he used to grab a gun from one of the bad guys and shoot at them. Now he points it at them and they run away.
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The iconic gag where the one bad guy gets all fancy with the sword play and Indy just shoots him is completely gone.
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In the final scene, Indy opens the plane cockpit by kicking it instead of shooting it.
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Marion doesn’t shoot anyone anymore. She still shoots the oil drums and sets them on fire. But now instead of shooting the nazis getting out of the truck, she shoots the ground ten feet in front of them and they run away. The gunner on top of the hill just leaves. He doesn’t die anymore.”
–The German mechanic’s death is played as an accident. Now maybe this is just the performer I saw yesterday not doing it right. But in the movie, when the big nazi mechanic knocks Indy to the ground, Indy sees the propeller coming and intentionally stalls so that he gets chopped up. And that’s how it’s always been in the show. When I saw it yesterday, Indy got knocked unconscious and just laid there motionless until after the plane was passed. A minor difference, but one that removes Indy’s agency in letting this dude die.
–The bad guys don’t use weapons. This one really stood out. In the marketplace scene, instead of chasing Indy and Marion with swords, now all the bad guys just have these big foam sticks. They don’t even look like clubs or anything. They straight up look like pool noodles.
I hate to sound like another jaded Disney adult whining about “back in my day”, but it really is kind of a bummer that they took any semblance of edge out of one of the coolest shows they have.
Does it bother anyone else how much they've sanitized the Indy Stunt Spectacular?
byu/pjtheman inWaltDisneyWorld
Discussion Divides a Fanbase
Some fans criticize the post in the comment section. One user pokes fun, saying,
“Where is the gun violence Disney! We want gun violence this is America!!!!”
Another commenter mentions that the changes could have likely been made for safety reasons. Overall, the consensus is that Disney fans are really missing the interactive audience element of the show. Now that COVID-19 restrictions are nearly all gone within the parks, it is a possibility that this element could be brought back soon.
Have you noticed the changes in Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular? Let us know in the comments.