Harrison Ford puts the hat back on as Indiana Jones — yes, a new project

Here we go again with Harrison Ford donning the hat and whip—this time, not for a new film, but to quite literally become part of a theme park ride. If you thought Indiana Jones had retired after trekking through the Dial of Destiny, think again. Disney are giving Ford a bit of digital immortality, and it’s happening in a way that’s almost as weird as the Crystal Skull plotline.

Indiana Jones Gets (Animatronic) Immortality

Right, bit of background: at last week’s big D23 Expo, Ford, who is now 84, turned up via video to make a fairly wild announcement. For the first time ever, his actual face will grace a Disney attraction. If you’re a fan and have queued for any of the other Indy rides before, you’ll know this has never happened—usually it’s more "generic bloke in a fedora" than convincing Hollywood likeness. But now, Ford himself will be the model for the new animatronic at Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom.

It’ll be the first Disney park attraction anywhere in the world to feature Harrison Ford’s real likeness as Indiana Jones.

The new ride is set to be called Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent. The whole thing is themed around Mayan ruins, lost temples, and Ford’s Dr. Jones wandering about investigating all sorts of peril inside a suspiciously realistic ancient building. Disney have shown off some concept art, and yes—from what’s been released, it does look a heck of a lot more like Harrison Ford than the previous, eyebrow-raising attempts.

The Last Crusade – And Beyond

Ford was last seen in the iconic fedora in 2023’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which was officially the fifth movie in the series. Raiders of the Lost Ark kicked things off in 1981, but the latest one, under James Mangold’s direction, didn’t exactly set the box office alight. The budget? An eye-watering $300 million. Final tally at the international box office? Just scraping over $380 million. For a franchise with Indiana Jones’ reputation, that’s a bit of damp squib if we’re honest.

Saying that, it wasn’t all doom and gloom on the reviews front. Dial of Destiny managed a decent hit with critics and fans. Rotten Tomatoes has it at 71% with critics and a much cheerier 87% from audiences. Not a disaster—just maybe not what Disney hoped for with that sort of investment.

Jones Beyond the Movies

But Ford’s connection with Indy doesn’t stop at films and theme parks, oddly enough. In 2024, his younger digital self cropped up in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, an action-adventure game from MachineGames and Bethesda. For this one, they used Ford’s actual likeness to bring a digital Jones to life—presumably with fewer back injuries involved than the live-action stunts.

• Ford’s face is now the basis for an animatronic Indiana Jones at Animal Kingdom in Disney World
• The new ride, Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent, has gone public with concept art featuring Ford’s likeness
• 2023’s Dial of Destiny barely made its money back at the box office, but audiences liked it more than the critics did
• Ford’s digital image appears in the 2024 video game The Great Circle