Harrison Ford has agreed to let a Disney World Audio-Animatronic wear his face, and the temple that figure will live in is already rising at Animal Kingdom.
Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro posted construction photographs on Instagram on Oct. 20, showing the Maya temple going up for “Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent,” the Walt Disney World attraction that will carry the 84-year-old actor’s likeness.
The photos show reddish stonework, turquoise accents and painted sections of the structure, with scaffolding still surrounding parts of it. The same post included work at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Lakeshore Lodge.
A Video Message, Not an Appearance
Ford revealed his involvement on Saturday, Aug. 15, in a pre-recorded video message played at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. He was not there in person. Imagineers Michael Hundgen and Chris Beatty presented the ride alongside his message.
Ford said he served as the actual model for the ride’s Indiana Jones Audio-Animatronic, and that the attraction is coming to Walt Disney World soon. Lucasfilm said it marks the first time his face has appeared on a Disney attraction anywhere in the world.
A Portal to the Maya Underworld
The ride tells an original story. Dr. Jones is exploring an ancient Maya temple near a cenote, a cave once filled with water, which local legend says leads to the Maya Underworld. Riders get pulled through a portal into that realm, where they face giant bats, oversized scorpions, fire and snakes, and where Tsukán — the serpentine creature that guards the realm — confronts them throughout, including in a final showdown.
Disney says its Imagineers worked with archaeologists, anthropologists and Maya experts, and researched the Copán site in Honduras, one of the best-preserved ancient Maya cities. The hand-sculpted Tsukán figure towers over the team building it.
Crews Build the Temple in Pieces
Disney filed a construction notice on Sept. 11 naming Buena Vista Construction Company, its in-house construction arm, for labor, material and electrical work at the attraction’s site. The filing expires one year after its date, and Disney has given no word on which phase of construction it covers.
New aerial photos published Oct. 11 show crews assembling the Maya temple from prefabricated pieces, with work on the base, the middle tiers and the roofline happening at the same time.
Pueblo Esperanza and a 2027 Target
The attraction sits in Tropical Americas, the new Animal Kingdom land replacing DinoLand U.S.A. DINOSAUR, the ride the Indiana Jones attraction replaces, closed permanently in February 2026 after operating since Animal Kingdom opened in 1998. The land is themed to a fictional village called Pueblo Esperanza, which will also hold Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto and a carousel, El Carrusel de los Animalitos, with animals inspired by Disney and Pixar stories.
Disney has announced no specific opening date for the attraction or for Tropical Americas. A press kit released Oct. 1 for Walt Disney World’s 55th anniversary lists Tropical Americas, featuring the Indiana Jones and Encanto attractions, as “opening in 2027.” BlogMickey reported in September that Disney had removed a 2027 timeframe from one of its webpages, adding that its understanding is the land is still planned to open in 2027.
Ford originated the role in Steven Spielberg’s 1981 film “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Spielberg directed him again in 1984’s “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” 1989’s “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” and 2008’s “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” James Mangold directed the fifth film, 2023’s “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” which underperformed at the box office.
Ford took the SAG-AFTRA Life Achievement Award at the Actor Awards on Sunday, March 1, where he told the audience, “I’m still a working actor.” He stars in Apple TV’s “Shrinking,” renewed for a fourth season in January.
