Disneyland Paris has a number of attractions unique to the park, and
one of the most exciting rides in this French park falls that into this
category is Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril, which opened here
in 1993. Since the day the ride opened it, has always been a very popular
attraction, even with the strict height and age restriction that limits
the number of people able to ride. Riders must be over eight years old
and taller than 1.4 meters (roughly 4 1/2 feet tall).
The ride was closed for a major upgrade in the winter of 1999, and
although no changes where made to the track layout or themeing, the
ride reopened in April 2000 with a brand new twist. A major redesign
of the passenger vehicles had increased ride capacity from eight guests
per train to 12, and an extra train had been added. The rehab also allowed
for the trains to run backwards on the track. Hence the name change
to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril - Backwards. In French the
attraction is known as "Indiana Jones Et Le Temple Du Peril - a
l'envers"
Concealed in the jungle of Adventureland, explorers have uncovered
the remains of a decaying building. This old temple was once a grand
monument, but the passage of time has caused its once-sculpted features
to become weathered and aged.
As guests draw nearer to the temple, they see the scaffolding that
had been erected around the structure to aid in the inspection of its
walls. Weaving through the scaffolding are mine cars that run to carry
discoveries and explorers around the site.
As you approach the ride in Adventureland, you notice how remote it
feels from the rest of the park.
The original plans for the park never included this ride, as it was
built as a quick fix to help boost poor attendance levels and add a
much-needed roller coaster. Because of this lack of original planning,
the ride feels misplaced and at odds with its surroundings. In fact
one of my issues with the ride is its placement, which does not give
non-riding visitors a really good view of the attraction. This of course
could be intentional, but it would have been nice to have seen the loop
without riding it. Basically the ride is placed "end on" into
the park, so visitors can only see one of the four sides of the attraction.
