The Lights, Motors, Action!: Extreme Stunt Show (or sometimes referred to as Moteurs... Action!: Stunt Show Spectacular), was a stunt show performed at Walt Disney Studios Park in Disneyland Paris and at Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The show was designed to be and look like a movie set, and the show is dedicated to show the process of how action movies are created. The Moteurs... Action! show originally premiered with the Walt Disney Studios Park when it opened in March 2002. The Lights, Motors, Action! version of the show debuted three years later at Disney's Hollywood Studios as part of the Happiest Celebration on Earth festival, in which each of the four Walt Disney World theme parks opened a new attraction that been copied from another Disney resort.
Revolving around a series of energetic stunts featuring automobiles, the show runs for just under 40 minutes, and includes scenes of car-based action, pyrotechnics, jet ski chases, and physical stuntwork. The cars are followed by cameras, and film, both shot during the show and pre-recorded, is shown to the audience on a billboard television screen. Herbie, the Volkswagen from The Love Bug, previously made an appearance in an intermission in the middle of the show, but was later replaced by Lightning McQueen from Cars. The show arena has scenery inspired by Villefranche-sur-Mer; a Mediterranean village in the south of France. The arena's construction at Disney's Hollywood Studios forced the Studio Backlot Tour at the theme park to be almost halved in length, as the arena was built inside locations used by the backlot tour.
The show was previously sponsored at Walt Disney Studios Park by General Motors through its Opel division and at Disney's Hollywood Studios by Koch Industries through its Brawny division.[3][4] The show closed at Disney's Hollywood Studios on April 2, 2016 for the construction of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. [5] The Paris version of the show closed on March 13, 2020; nearly 18 years after it initially opened; the closure was expected as part of the Walt Disney Studios park expansion but the closure date was brought forward owing to the COVID-19 pandemic in France.
Vehicles
A motorcycle performing a jump.Stunt man falling.
The show has more than 40 vehicles in the show and backstage in the maintenance garage. The primary "hero" car, which the action revolves around, is a custom-built design for the show, while the pursuit cars are Opel Corsas. The hero cars are all painted red while the pursuit cars are painted black, to easily allow guests to tell the difference between them.
The show also includes specially-designed cars that look identical to the others used in the show, two of which are red "hero" cars. One substitute hero car has the bodyshell oriented backwards, to allow the driver to appear to be driving in reverse; the other has a seat and steering wheel bolted onto the side of the car away from the audience, so that the car appears to be driving without anyone inside the vehicle. One of the substitute black "pursuit" cars is cut in half behind the front doors, so that it can appear to explode during a scene in the show.
All the cars, while they appear simple, are reinforced with rally car roll cages for driver safety and are powered by Suzuki Hayabusa 1300 cc 175 horsepower (130kW) motorcycle engines mounted directly behind the driver's seat. The cars transmissions have four sequential forward and four sequential reverse gears, allowing them to be driven backwards at high speed.
The cars have a bump shift for easier gear shifting: the driver bumps the shifter forward to go up a gear, and back to go back a gear. In order to reverse, the driver twists the top of the shifter and bumps it forwards or backwards. The emergency brake automatically releases when the driver lets go. The show cars are lightweight, at 1,322 pounds (600kg), and are rear-wheel drive to allow the cars to drift. The drivers wear heavy protective suits; to keep the drivers cool, a cooling system in the rear of the car pumps water through the suits. The show also features jet skis on the small canal at the front of the theater, and motorcycles which maneuver around the cars.
The queue
When the show isn't running and when the audience is exiting or entering the stadium, queue music is played, while the billboard television screen shows trivia questions about films and movies with car chases and destruction in them.
The show
The show's finale
The pre-show features clips of action scenes involving car chases from various action thriller films including The Rock (1996), Con Air (1997), Enemy of the State (1998), Gone in 60 Seconds (2000), Speed (1994), and Ronin (1998). The version that played at Disney's Hollywood Studios omits the clips from the latter two films.
The main show starts off with the "Ballet Chase," (Sequence 7A) featuring a red "hero car" (Hero 1) being chased by five black "pursuit cars." This scene ends with the hero car jumping backwards off of a ramp, and the fifth (a specially designed pursuit) car being blown in half.
While the next scene is being set up, they observe the film and how they film with a low camera angle. They also explain how "Video Assist" works, and they introduce the hero car driver explain how a second hero car, (Hero 2) designed so that the driver faces out the back, was used for the backwards jump.
The next scene, the "Blockade Chase," (Sequence 8) is set in a marketplace, with the car chase taking place around obstacles such as trucks and farm stands. The scene ends with the hero car driving up the back of a truck bed, over a second truck, and landing on an airbag.
As the third scene is being set up, a driverless hero car (Hero 3) is shown, and an audience volunteer is brought down to drive it via "remote control." After the volunteer appears to lose control of the vehicle, it is revealed that the car actually does have a driver, who is hidden on the far side of the vehicle out of sight of the audience.
The fourth sequence, the "Motorcycle Chase," (Sequence 3) begins with the "hero" going into a motorcycle shop and commandeering a blue one, (Hero 4) being chased by two black pursuit motorcycles and three cars. The "hero" later switches to a red jet ski (which was then turned black due to the first version breaking down), and eventually faces his pursuers on foot. This scene features a stuntman falling thirty feet from a building into an airbag, as well as the rider of one of the pursuit motorcycles catching on fire.
As the final scene is set up, they explain the specially treated clothing that allowed the final rider to be safely set on fire.
The final scene (Sequence 10) begins with footage being shown on the large video screen of the previous stunt sequences edited into a finished film. As the film on the screen reaches its climax, fire erupts in the canal area at the front of the stage. The hero car appears on stage, being chased by a black pursuit car, and heads behind one of the buildings. A few seconds later, the hero car reenters from the second story of the building, down the bed of a truck parked in front of the building, and jumps a ramp across the canal directly towards the audience. Fireworks and explosions are set off as the car exits through a tunnel under the grandstands.
Afterward, a curtain call of all of the vehicles used in the movie shoot is shown, with the black pursuit cars and motorcycles, and all of the faces of the hero in the film (the three red hero cars and the blue motorcycle). The stunt coordinator then explains that all of the vehicles that were shown during the show were specifically designed for all the stunts in the movie shoot and that all of the drivers and stunt people were highly trained and skilled at what they do, and that to not try any of the stunts at home. The crew then tells the audience to enjoy the rest of the day at Disney Hollywood Studios (or some other variation in France) and to drive safely.
The vehicles then exit the visible part of the stage to the audience, but the red hero car (Hero 1) is the last car to leave. The red hero car does three drifting turns, waves at the audience at the same time, and exits the stage. The ending music then plays, and the television screen returns to its original picture. Queue music then starts back up again as crew members start to clean up the area to set up for the next show.
After the show, an announcement is played, saying, "Ladies and gentlemen, we hoped you enjoyed 'Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show!'! Remember these vehicles are all specially designed for these stunts, and that our stunt performers were all highly trained and skilled at what they do. Don't try any of this on your own. Have a great day at 'Disney's Hollywood Studios!', and drive safely!" (or some other variation in France).
Sequences in the "Movie"
Sequence 1: The Hero receives a top-secret envelope.
Sequence 2: The Villain Vehicles and Personnel search for the hero.
Sequence 3: Motorcycle Chase
Sequence 4: The Hero calls for his red car using his watch.
Sequence 5: The Hero's car (Hero 3) drives to pick up the Hero.
Sequence 6: The Hero gets into his car.
Sequence 7 (7A): Ballet Chase
Sequence 8: Blockade Chase
Sequence 9: The Hero car locates an escape.
Sequence 10: The Hero makes his escape from the town; the finale.
The Stunt Crew, Vehicles, and Personnel
Executive Crew
The Director
Assistant Director
Stunt Coordinator, who later acts as Villain 9.
Editing Booth / Mixing Desk crew
The Hero Vehicles and Variants
Hero 1, a custom-designed Opel Car with a red paint job. This car has a prop feature that makes it look like it can shoot gunshots.
Hero 2, a variant of Hero 1 that has a bodyshell that faces out the back. This car has a prop feature that makes it look like it can shoot rockets.
Hero 3, a variant of Hero 1 that has the driver bolted on the left side of the car.
Hero 4, a motocross stunt person who commandeers a blue motorcycle and a red (then black) jetski for his escape.
The Villain / Pursuit Vehicles and Personnel
Villain (V) 1, a stunt-designed Opel Corsa C car.
Villain 2, a stunt-designed Opel Corsa C car. Villain 2 is showcased after the Motorcycle Chase (Sequence 3) to show what the pursuit cars are like in the movie set.
Villain 3, a stunt-designed Opel Corsa C car.
Villain 4, a stunt-designed Opel Corsa C car.
Villain 5, a stunt-designed Opel Corsa C car that has been cut in half with a designed feature to look like it was "blown in half" by the hero car's rocket launcher prop.
Villain 6, a black pursuit motorcycle.
Villain 7, a black pursuit motorcycle.
Villain 8, a black pursuit motorcycle that gets "shot" by the hero and gets "burned" through a wall of flame.
Villain 9, a sniper rifleman that gets "shot" by the hero from a 30-foot building and falls down to a cube "airbag".
Villain 10, one of the villain criminals who pursuits the hero by another jetski during the jetski scene.
Other Crew Members
Civilian, a vegetable/produce van that (collaterally) helps the hero escape when he blocks the two motorcycles that pursue the hero.
Cleanup / Setup Crew and Vehicles
Forklift, in case of accidents when a car or vehicle needs to be carried.
Fish Truck, a truck that acts as a ramp for the Hero
Vegetable and Produce Truck, a truck that the Hero Car jumps onto and off during the "Blockade Chase" sequence.
Air Bag filler, a person that helps fill up an airbag that during the "Blockade Chase" sequence, cushions the Hero Car when it falls off of the Vegetable and Produce Truck to keep the driver in control.
Flammable Liquid / Pavement Lubricant personnel, the crew that helps spray and hose the liquid that makes the wall of fire and slide down Villain 8 during the "Motorcycle Chase" sequence.
Market Cart Lugger
Prop Glass Carrier Crew, personnel that appear during the beginning of the "Motorcycle Chase" sequence that clean up the "broken glass".
Cube "Airbag" Lugger Crew, personnel that appear during the beginning of the "Motorcycle Chase" sequence that haul away the cube "airbag".
Fire / Pyrotechnic Crew, personnel that appear during the end of the "Motorcycle Chase" when Villain 8 is appearing to be "burning".
Firefighter 1
Firefighter 2
Firefighter 3
Motorcycle Carrier
Camera Crew
Camera Truck, a truck that films the action during the sequences that is for the director to be in to observe the action.
Camera Truck Cameraman
Stunt Show Cameraman
Sequence Cameraman
Stadium Stunt Show Cameraman Crew
Cameras
Camera 1: The Camera from the Camera Truck
Camera 2: A camera that specifically films Ballet Chase (Sequence 7A) footage from between the two ramps.
Camera 3: A camera that films inside the left side of the stadium.
Camera 4: A camera that films inside the right side of the stadium.
Camera 5: A camera that films inside the Hero Car.
Camera 6: The Camera that shows the behind the scenes footage from above for the Ballet Chase (Sequence 7A)
Escorters / Supervisors / Security, personnel that escort the audience to the stadium safely.
Related Research Articles
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Wheelchair accessible
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