Harrison Ford has spent more than four decades playing the movies’ most famous archaeologist, and now his own face is being fitted onto a robot version of the role in Florida.
Ford, 84, told Disney fans in a pre-recorded video message at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, that he is the actual model for the Indiana Jones Audio-Animatronic in “Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent,” a new attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Ford did not appear in person. Imagineers Michael Hundgen and Chris Beatty presented the ride alongside his message, in which he said he is also coming to Walt Disney World soon. Lucasfilm said it will be the first time his face appears on a Disney attraction anywhere in the world.
What Waits Beyond the Cenote
The ride tells an original story rather than one lifted from a film. Dr. Jones explores an ancient Maya temple near a cenote, a cave once filled with water, which local legend in the ride’s story says leads to the Maya Underworld. A serpentine creature called Tsukán guards the place.
Riders get pulled through a portal into that realm, where they face giant bats, oversized scorpions, fire and snakes. Tsukán confronts them throughout, including in a final showdown, and Disney said the hand-sculpted figure towers over the team building it.
Imagineers worked with archaeologists, anthropologists and Maya experts, according to Disney, and researched at the Copán site in Honduras, one of the best-preserved ancient Maya cities.
Crews Stack a 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. Disney has not said which phase of construction it covers.
Aerial photos published Oct. 11 show crews assembling the Maya temple from prefabricated pieces, with work underway simultaneously on the base, the middle tiers and the roofline.
A 2027 Window, No Date
Disney has announced no specific opening date for the attraction or for Tropical Americas, the new area replacing DinoLand U.S.A. A press kit released Oct. 1 for Walt Disney World’s 55th anniversary described 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, though the site said its understanding was that the land still planned to open in 2027. The area will also include the fictional village of Pueblo Esperanza, a wood-carved carousel called El Carrusel de los Animalitos and a new playground, alongside Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto and the Indiana Jones ride.
Walt Disney Animation Studios creative executive Yvett Merino, asked by The Direct’s Russ Milheim about the probability of an “Encanto” sequel while promoting “Hexed,” said no discussions have taken place. “What I’m really excited for now is the casita that’s opening up in Florida in the parks. They’re building a whole casita and an attraction there. I’m excited for that,” she added in the interview published Oct. 22.
From “Raiders” to the Stardust Ball
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 2023’s “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” the fifth film, which underperformed at the box office.
Ford received the SAG-AFTRA Life Achievement Award at the Actor Awards on Sunday, March 1. “I’m still a working actor,” he told the audience.
He stars in Apple TV’s “Shrinking,” renewed for a fourth season in January. Ford and his wife, Calista Flockhart, will receive the Hollywood Icon Award, their first joint honor, at the Women’s Guild Cedars-Sinai Stardust Ball on Nov. 18, organizers announced Oct. 21, in celebration of their “extraordinary careers and longstanding commitment to philanthropy.”