Motomania

In an age where bonus features on DVDs and Blu-rays run longer than the film they are attached to what makes stunt productions like Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show worthy of guests’ extremely limited time? In a word, experience.

Lights, Motors, Action! is set up near the Streets of America in a massive amphitheater that was, once upon a time, known as Residential Street. Inside the auditorium, the stage is established as a provincial town square in France. The action that whirls through the streets of this plaza involves cars, motorcycles, and jet skis in a symphony of fire, smoking tires, gunplay, and a ballet of horsepower. The story and stunts themselves feel like a blend between James Bond and Jason Bourne sequences, which is no coincidence considering world renowned stunt coordinator Rémy Julienne worked with Imagineers to design the original French stunt spectacular that was later cloned for Walt Disney World.In between the live action segments, the stunts are broken down into layman’s terms for the audience to understand the level of skill, precision timing, and planning that is required for a single stunt to be successful. The instruments of the presentation, that is the cars, bikes, and other vehicles, are also showcased through discussion and diagrams, revealing their secrets and engineering feats to the spectators. Just in case the presentation becomes too mechanical heavy, as is the Disney way, a bit of humor is interjected into the show from time to time.That brings us back to the original question, with bonus features and cable network specials abound in today’s home entertainment, what makes Lights, Motors, Action! a valuable addition to a guest’s day. As I said above, it is the experience itself. Watching a stuntperson slide through fire in a retardant suit on a television set is very different from feeling the warmth of the flames on your face as the same action unfolds in front of you. The raw power of the engines that roar in your ears, the smell of the tires burning as they spin, and the concussive boom of cars and canisters exploding on cue are just a few of the sensations that are lost when not viewed in person.Everyone loves to view car crashes and spectacular stunts on the silver screen, but no one ever wants to live through such an ordeal in their personal, day-to-day lives. Lights, Motors, Actions! Extreme Stunt Show allows guests to witness the marvels of engineering and dangers associated with such a scene firsthand in a safe, controlled environment. The same information could be obtained through special features on a DVD or Blu-ray, but the experience of being up close and personal with the mayhem, that is a feeling that can’t be transferred.