Moteurs... Action! Stunt Show Spectacular or Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show 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 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 car-based action, pyrotechnics, jet ski chases, and physical stuntwork. The cars are followed by video and film cameras, both shot during the show and pre-recorded, are shown to the audience on a giant 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.[2] The show closed at Disney's Hollywood Studios on April 2, 2016 for the construction of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge and Toy Story Land.[1] The large building that housed the show was demolished in the summer and fall of 2016.
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 backward, 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 powered by 1400 cc 150 hp motorcycle engines mounted directly behind the driver's seat. The cars have four forward and four reverse gears, allowing them to be driven backward 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 backward. The emergency brake automatically releases when the driver lets go. The show cars are lightweight, at 1322 kg, 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 that maneuver around the cars.
The show[]
The show starts off with the "Ballet Chase," featuring a red "hero car" being chased by four black "pursuit cars". This scene ends with the hero car jumping backward off of a ramp, and a specially designed pursuit car being blown in half. While the next scene is being set up, they introduce the hero car driver explains how a second hero car, designed so that the driver faces out the back, was used for the backward jump.
The next scene, the "Blockade", 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 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", begins with the "hero" on a motorcycle, being chased by motorcycles and in cars. The "hero" later switches to a jet ski, 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 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.
The show was one of the performances when an episode of the popular German TV show was broadcast in Disneyland Paris on July 6, 2002.
Kyle Petty, a NASCAR driver and son of Richard Petty, visited this attraction when it was brought to Hollywood Studios for the first time. Kyle Petty's visit to the attraction was one of the features in the 2005 Disney Parks Christmas Parade, where it showed the features of the show such as the stunts, though its revealed that Kyle can't perform a stunt because he isn't a professional stunt driver. Fittingly, Kyle would voice Cal Weathers in Cars 3.
The stunt car sequences and chases are somewhat similar to action packed car chases in movies such as The Italian Job or later Fast and the Furious movies.
Backlot (Armageddon - Les Effets Speciaux • Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Avec Aerosmith • Magic Over Disney • Moteurs... Action! Stunt Show Spectacular) • Disney's Stars 'n' Cars • Disney Studio 1 • Doctor Strange: Mystery of the Mystics • Production Courtyard (CinéMagique • Disney Junior - Live on Stage! • Disney Junior Dream Factory • Minnie's Musical Moment • Star Wars: Une galaxy Lointanie, Très LontaineStar Wars: A Galactic Celebration • Studio Tram Tour: Behind the Magic) • Disney Cinema Parade • Toon Studio (Animagique • Art of Disney Animation)
Sunset Showcase (Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After) • Theater of the Stars (Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage) • Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets (Opening in 2026) • The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Seasonal:Unleash the Villains • Rockin' Fourth of July Celebration • Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!
Former Attractions and Entertainment
The Great Movie Ride • Sorcery in the Sky • Aladdin's Royal Caravan • The Sorcerer's Hat • Mulan Parade • Star Wars: A Galaxy Far, Far Away • Here Come the Muppets • Disney Junior - Live on Stage! • The American Idol Experience • Star Tours • The Making of the Haunted Mansion Movie • Journey into Narnia: Creating the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe • Journey into Narnia: Prince Caspian • The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow • Star Wars: Path of the Jedi • Monster Sound Show • ABC Sound Studio • Sounds Dangerous! • Jedi Training Sign Up • Muppets Courtyard • Grand Avenue (Muppet*Vision 3D) • Streets of America (Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: Movie Set Adventure • Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show • Studio Backlot Tour • Earffel Tower) • Disney Junior Dance Party! • Hercules "Zero to Hero" Victory Parade • SuperStar Television • Disney's Doug Live • Voyage of the Little Mermaid • Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple • Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular • Sunset Showcase (Club Villain • Lightning McQueen's Racing Academy) • Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
Mater's Tall Tales:Rescue Squad Mater • Mater the Greater • El Materdor • Tokyo Mater • Unidentified Flying Mater • Monster Truck Mater • Heavy Metal Mater • Moon Mater • Mater Private Eye • Air Mater • Time Travel Mater Tales From Radiator Springs:Hiccups • Bugged • Spinning • The Radiator Springs 500½ Cars on the Road:Dino Park • Lights Out • Salt Fever • The Legend • Show Time • Trucks • B-Movie • Road Rumblers • Gettin' Hitched Canceled Episodes:To Protect and Serve
Cars 2:You Might Think • Polyrhythm • Mon Cœur Fait Vroum (My Heart Goes Vroom) • Collision of Worlds • Nobody's Fool Cars 3:Run That Race • King's Highway • Glory Days • Ride Cars on the Road:Cars on the Road • TRUCKS Others:Free Ride • Welcome to Radiator Springs • Radiator Rock • Mambo Italiano • Stop in the Name of Love • Riding in My Car (Car Car Song) • Low Rider (Espanol Fantasma Mix) • Junkyard Jamboree • Big Bulldozer • Tow Mater (The One You Want to Call) • Mater's Square Dance • Let's Go Driving • This is Tokyo • Tokyo
Radiator Springs • Luigi's Casa Della Tires • Ramone's House of Body Art • Cozy Cone Motel • Fillmore's Taste-In • Flo's V8 Café • Radiator Springs Curios • Radiator Springs Drive-In Theatre • Wheel Well Motel • London, England • Paris, France • Porto Corsa • Tokyo • California • Los Angeles International Speedway • Motor Speedway of the South • Ornament Valley • Big Ben • Top Down Truckstop • Big Bentley • Hollywood • U.S. Route 66
