Police Academy Stunt Show
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Police Academy Stunt Show or Loca Academia de Policía is a
slapstick comedy Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such a ...
stunt show located at
Parque Warner Madrid Parque Warner Madrid is a theme park located southeast of Madrid, Spain, in the municipality of San Martín de la Vega. The park opened as Warner Bros. Movie World Madrid/Warner Bros. Park Madrid on 6 April 2002 and was owned by numerous Spani ...
. Formerly, the show was also at Warner Bros. Movie World (1991–2008),
Six Flags Magic Mountain Six Flags Magic Mountain, formerly known and colloquially referred to as simply Magic Mountain, is a amusement park located in Valencia, California, northwest of downtown Los Angeles. It opened on May 29, 1971, as a development of the Newh ...
(1994), and
Warner Bros. Movie World Germany Warner can refer to: People * Warner (writer) * Warner (given name) * Warner (surname) Fictional characters * Yakko, Wakko, and Dot Warner, stars of the animated television series ''Animaniacs'' * Aaron Warner, a character in ''Shatter Me se ...
(1996–2004). The stunt show is based loosely on the ''
Police Academy A police academy, also known as a law enforcement training center, police college, or police university, is a training school for police cadets, designed to prepare them for the law enforcement agency they will be joining upon graduation, or othe ...
'' films released by
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
, with only a passing mention made of the main characters in the line: "I remember the days of Mahoney, Hightower and Tackleberry! We need recruits of that caliber...", suggesting that the show takes place after the events of the film series.


Locations


Australia

Starting in 1991, it was the most popular show in the theme park, up until its closure in 2008. The show was also one of the longest-running stunt shows in the world, with over 18,000 shows performed. A pre-show entertainer, known as Mad Mike, would perform interactive
pranks A practical joke, or prank, is a mischievous trick played on someone, generally causing the victim to experience embarrassment, perplexity, confusion, or discomfort.Marsh, Moira. 2015. ''Practically Joking''. Logan: Utah State University Press. ...
and even balloon sculpturing works upon the crowd before the performance. Warner Bros. Movie World marketed the show as ''insane, crazy and catastrophic'' and ''an all-action, all-live stunt expose featuring awesome highfalls, huge explosions and sensational car chases ... and crashes!!''


Germany


Spain


Plot

''Since the show is live and each one is different, some points of the plot may or may not apply. The show described below is the Australian version.'' The show begins with the elusive silk stocking gang, a criminal duo, escaping from prison and stealing a police motorcycle and side car. Following that, the Proctor (a role that can be performed by a male or female, as with some of the characters in the show) emerges and gives a short monologue about the stunts in the performance, as well as a safety warning. The strict Captain Harris (typically male) appears to recruit audience members as part of the show, typically recruiting one middle-aged male (usually a father, to facilitate the jokes), one pre-teen boy (to which the Captain sneers "you remind me of my little brother! I hate my little brother..."), a female (jokingly introduced as "six foot six, muscle-bound...") and one company stuntman, a character named "Rodney", typically dressed in a garish ocean-print shirt and hat. Following the recruitment, four green cadets and the commissioner emerge for the morning ceremony and flag raising. This is preceded by a series of car stunts, with the cadets driving a police car, souped-up hot rod and a golf buggy. A few slapstick stunts (falling on the floor etc.) follow. Cadet Verbinski wishes to pass an urgent letter to the commissioner, but he/she is accidentally pulled up the flag pole wrapped in the flag, then falls on top of the commissioner. The commissioner reads the letter, informing him about the silk stocking gang's intentions. The "recruits" from the audience are then called upon and are positioned around the set. The silk stocking gang then suddenly appears on top of the roof, and a wild gunfight sequence ensues. Rodney is accidentally "shot", and falls from his second floor post onto a disguised cushion. The cadet responsible is then reprimanded for the action. Two other cadets then climb up the scaffolding to reach the silk stocking gang who have successfully robbed the nearby payroll building. A slapstick confrontation follows, ending in one cadet being kicked off the top of the second floor. He/she lands in a disguised cushioned dumping container, and emerges unscathed later. In the meantime, the commissioner uses a portable toilet, but it is accidentally lifted into the air by a crane and the door falls out, nearly dropping him out with it. The two culprits return to the motorcycle and a wild car chase follows, with Rodney being roughed up quite a bit. The sidecar detaches, but the remaining criminal wields explosives that scare the cadets. He first puts a bomb into an armoured vehicle, which explodes and flips over. He then passes a bomb to one cadet, who almost throws it into the audience but puts the bomb into a trash can in the end. The commissioner orders the cadets to transport Rodney to a safe place, and they choose the tool shed. The last bomb goes into there, and the explosion blasts open the side panels of the shed and seemingly catapults Rodney (most likely a safety dummy) up onto the roof. One member of the duo will shout to the other to "get the chopper!" setting the scene for the climatic finale. A helicopter with rotors spinning and machine guns firing (though with nobody in the cockpit) emerges from the roof. The cadets, as well as an "injured" Rodney, rush to man the cannons. The first shot is unsuccessful, but the second "hits" the helicopter which spews smoke and descends into the roof slowly. The aftermath is the show's biggest explosion, a huge rooftop blaze where the audience is actually able to feel the radiating heat. The "pilot" then rushes out of the door, vest blazing. He is extinguished and apprehended by the policemen, and the show ends.


Gallery

File:Stunt Golf Cart parking.jpg, A performer parking the buggy. File:Police Academy Stunt Show - flag pole.jpg, A police officer is hoisted up a flag pole. File:Police Academy Stunt Show - explosion and car flip.jpg, A police car being flipped after an explosion. File:Catapulted Stuntman.jpg, Rodney seemingly catapulted into the air. File:Stunt Show Helicopter.jpg, The working helicopter model before its "destruction". File:Police Academy Stunt Show explosion.jpg, The climactic ending explosion.


References

{{Police Academy Police Academy (franchise) Amusement park attractions introduced in 1991 Amusement park attractions introduced in 1996 Amusement park attractions introduced in 2002 Amusement park attractions that closed in 2004 Amusement park attractions that closed in 2008 Stunts 1991 establishments in Australia 2008 disestablishments in Australia 1994 in California 1996 establishments in Germany 2004 disestablishments in Germany 2002 establishments in Spain Warner Bros. Global Brands and Experiences entertainment it:Mirabilandia#Spettacoli di Mirabilandia