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Big-Budget Film Stunts Shine as 'Lights, Motors, Action!' Revs Up Its Engines for May 2005 Debut

 

Stunt Car Show Artist RenderingDisney-MGM Studios Home for Action-Filled Show

 

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- High-octane energy explodes on one of the largest stages at Walt Disney World Resort beginning in May 2005 as the Disneyland Resort Paris-inspired "Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show" blazes into Disney-MGM Studios.

 

Featuring high-flying, gravity-defying automobile, motorcycle and high-speed watercraft stunts, the turbo-powered stage show will immerse park guests in the thrill-a-minute world of big-budget movie stunts.

 

When it opens, a cast of more than 50 will thrill audiences with pulse-pounding chases featuring automobiles, motorcycles and watercraft. Customized and modified, these vehicles will be piloted by a group of trained drivers throughout the show.

 

The arena for "Lights, Motors, Action!" -- a 177,000-square-foot facility featuring a Mediterranean village set -- is one of the Florida Vacation Kingdom's largest "stages," allowing stunt drivers to pack more edge-of-your-seat action into the show including high-speed spins, two-wheeled driving, jumps, pyrotechnic explosions, high falls and plenty of surprises created just as they are performed for the silver screen. The 5,000-seat stadium allows guests to see every inch of the non-stop action.

 

The premise of "Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show" centers around the filming of a spy thriller, with production crew members, stunt managers and a director and assistant director on the "live" set. Using a Tinseltown trick known as shooting "out-of-sequence," the director sets up the different stunts for the audience. After each scene is "filmed," the director then combines the shots to create the completed scene that is played on a giant video wall for the audience.

 

Other highlights and fast facts of "Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show":

 

* Construction on the stunt arena began in February 2003. It features a Mediterranean village façade, stunt ramps, pyrotechnic equipment and a man-made canal.

 

* Audiences will enter through the garage -- or atelier -- as mechanics and technicians finely tune the show vehicles. Six giant windows offer guests behind-the-scenes views. The show will feature more than 40 vehicles on stage and inside the garage area.

 

* Each vehicle is highly modified to perform the many extreme stunts.

 

* Vehicles featured include high-performance automobiles, motorcycles and stunt watercraft. Also, "surprise vehicles," including one designed to drive backwards and another designed to split in half.

 

* Vehicles are designated by color so the audience will always know which is the "hero" vehicle and which is the "chase" vehicle.

 

* Meticulous planning, practice and timing are dedicated to each stunt. Because of the choreography involved, crew members liken it to a "ballet on wheels."

 

"Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show" is just one part of "The Happiest Celebration on Earth," an 18-month gala that pays tribute to the 1955 opening of Disney's flagship park, Disneyland.

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Uploaded on July 24, 2006
Taken on January 1, 2004