Indiana Jones Attraction at Animal Kingdom Gets a Name and a Story

Disney used the "Horizons: A Carousel of Progress" showcase at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event to unpack a substantial batch of details on the Indiana Jones attraction heading to Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park. Imagineers Michael Hundgen and Chris Beatty led the presentation.

The ride will sit inside the new land Tropical Americas and combines an original storyline with what Disney describes as revolutionary Audio-Animatronics figures, taking guests into the world of the ancient Maya alongside Indy.

Harrison Ford is the animatronic's model

Proceedings opened with a message from Disney Legend Harrison Ford. After thanking fans for following the character across so many adventures, Ford confirmed that he himself served as the model for the new Indiana Jones animatronic — the first time his face will appear on a Disney attraction anywhere in the world. Hundgen and Beatty later displayed the digital model being used to build the figure.

The title

Announced publicly for the first time: the attraction is called Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent.

Into the Maya Underworld

Guests join Dr. Jones as he explores a mysterious temple beside a cenote, an underground cave that once held water. Local legend holds that the passage leads straight into the Maya Underworld, guarded by a serpentine creature known as the Tsukán.

The adventure kicks off when riders are pulled unwittingly through a portal into the Underworld and have to escape a series of hazards — monstrous bats, oversized scorpions, fire and, inevitably, snakes. The Tsukán appears repeatedly across the ride, building to a final confrontation. Attendees also saw a first look at the enormous animatronic, which dwarfs the Imagineers working on it and is being sculpted by hand.

Tropical Americas: the facts

The attraction forms part of the largest slate of expansion projects in Walt Disney World's history.
Tropical Americas was first announced at D23 in 2024 by then Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D'Amaro, covering roughly 11 acres.
The land will feature two headline attractions — one built around Indiana Jones, one inspired by Disney's Encanto — plus shopping and dining.

El Carrusel de los Animalitos is a new carousel with 22 hand-carved animals drawn from Disney and Pixar stories, including Scuttle, Squirt, Pua, Pascal, Simba, Eeyore, Kuzco and Heimlich.
A Maya-inspired play area will let younger guests dig up artifacts and explore rainforest nature through hands-on play.
The project team is working with archaeologists, anthropologists and Maya experts, with research trips to locations such as Honduras and design cues taken from the Copán site.
Construction on the temple entrance is already underway, and the showcase included a behind-the-scenes look at the facade previously seen only in renderings.