Posted by Mike and Chris Pettey on August 11, 2020
Category: Disney vs. Disney
Tags: Animal Kingdom Dinosaur Disney vs. Disney Disneyland Indiana Jones Tokyo DisneySea

Disney Enhanced Motion Vehicle (EMV) attractions are rides that takes guests on a journey through an indoor show building filled with animatronics and special effects. The EMV’s themselves are large vehicles with a base that travels via a dark ride slot track. The seating carriage can move independently of the base in hundreds of different ways, so as to simulate bumps, turns, speed, and even “emotion”, providing differing experiences depending on programming. The rides can be found at three of the six Disney Resorts across the globe. We’ve ridden every version in person.

Major Similarities & Differences

You can watch fantastic videos of all versions of the attraction online, so we won’t spend time re-hashing the details of each experience. Instead, we will just point out the major similarities and differences we feel are worth calling out:

The Tokyo attraction, while sharing a similar name to the 2008 Indiana Jones feature film, has nothing to do with that storyline, and uses a completely different “Crystal Skull”.
The Florida attraction was originally named “Countdown to Extinction”, and was darker and scarier in tone. It was re-themed as “Dinosaur” in 2000 to coincide with the release of the Disney animated feature film of the same name, and toned down considerably so as to appeal to the wide audience at which the film was targeted.

The California attraction was once envisioned as one of three attractions in an Indiana Jones mini-land, including separate walk through and mine cart roller coaster attractions, all contained within a single massive show building. The Disneyland Railroad and Jungle Cruise would have traveled through this show building as well.
The Florida and Tokyo versions were both opening day attractions at their respective parks.

The Rankings (from least favorite to favorite)

3. Dinosaur – Disney’s Animal Kingdom (Florida)

The movie Dinosaur was a letdown. The same goes for the ride. Like the film, it’s billed as a big-budget, cutting-edge, “do-not-miss” experience. And it’s a great concept: travel in a time machine back to the age of the dinosaurs when (of course) “something goes terribly wrong…”. How can this idea not work? To be fair, it mostly does. Where Dinosaur falls flat is with the constant narration and unnecessary Iguanodon plot that not only feels forced, but eventually grows tiresome and even annoying. Do we really need to bring back an endangered species of dinosaur? Do most guests even realize that is what is happening? It seems that silence could do wonders in creating a true sense of foreboding and suspense, but as it stands, the narration is there to ensure the plot is reinforced…and that’s never a sign of effective storytelling. The end result is that Dinosaur ends up feeling like its namesake film – a major missed opportunity. A fun ride, yes, but it could have been much more effective as a simple time travel adventure to the age of dinosaurs. Exiting the ride always ends up feeling just a bit “meh”, and it’s at the bottom of our list for that very reason.

2. Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye – Disneyland (California)

There’s a wide gap between Dinosaur and this attraction, and for good reason. The Indiana Jones Adventure does everything right and is worthy of the “e-ticket” label if any ride ever was. The queue is fantastic – many argue it is the best Disney has ever done – completely immersive, seemingly endless, and absolutely convincing. By the time the boarding area is reached, you truly believe you are deep underground in the remote jungle temple. The ride itself is entertaining, fun, thrilling, scary, and full of great special effects – many of which keep getting plussed as the years go by – when they work. Candidly, the attraction is infamous for broken effects, but when you can see it in its fullness, it is astounding. Our only real pet peeve is the loss of the opening door effect a few years ago. It was a fantastic trick that really did wonders in creating the illusions that this temple had three separate routes. We hold out hope that someday it will be restored. But even with that effect idle, the ride still delivers as one of the best in an already incredible park. It’s simply a crime that more Disney resorts do not have this attraction. And it is unquestionably our second favorite Disney EMV attraction in the world.

1. Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull – Tokyo DisneySea (Tokyo)

So you think Tokyo’s version is essentially a carbon copy of California’s? We have two words for you: fireball effect. That single moment is not only the highlight of the entire ride, but after comparing it to California’s version, where the same spot is simply a dark room with nothing happening, you’ll be fascinated that it hasn’t been added to the Disneyland attraction. This is an amazing piece of Imagineering that no video can properly capture. It will make you scream, flinch, and then laugh all the way out the exit. But Tokyo’s version goes even further than this. The inclusion of a tornado effect in the main chamber is another fantastic plus here – a wonder to behold, nearly stealing the attention from everything else going on. And Tokyo ups the fright level as well: the skeletons, demons, and statues are creepier and more realistic, and that counts for some big points in a ride that is supposed to be a scary, thrilling adventure. It doesn’t hurt that, like all Tokyo Disney attractions, the effects are always firing on all cylinders. Finally, there is the queue: a visual and thematic masterpiece of its own, unique to Tokyo, and also among the best Disney has ever done. So, while it can be argued that 90% of the ride is more or less the same as what is found in California, that remaining 10% is incredible, and pushes Tokyo to the top of the pack with the best Disney EMV attraction in the world.

Written by Mike and Chris Pettey

YOUR THOUGHTS?

Agree or disagree with our rankings? Have you experienced any of these attractions – either in person, or virtually via the internet? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

1 Comments

Ethan says:

June 30, 2024 at 6:20 am

Do you think that the tropical Americas indiana jones at animal kingdom would be better than the forbidden eye. I know we don’t know what the inside would be like but still

Disney Vs. Disney: Ranking Every Disney EMV Ride