Theme Park Scope

Some construction updates are a little yawn-inducing, and I say that with love. This is not one of those.

The latest aerial photos of the temple for Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent at Disney’s Animal Kingdom show a big, noticeable change, and I have been scrolling through them way longer than I’d like to admit.

The photos come from aerial photographer Bioreconstruct, and the headline is simple. The temple has a new middle tier. In the earlier photos from early September, bare steel framing separated the upper crown from the lower entrance section. Now, a carved section fills that space. It features a large central face and curled turquoise scrollwork, with carved figures sitting at the corners. The top looks the same as before, so everything that’s new is beneath it, and the three sections now stack into one tall facade.

Remember, this is the temple being built at the former DINOSAUR attraction, in the new Tropical Americas area. If you want a refresher, Disney announced the ride’s name and story at the 2026 D23 Expo on Aug. 15. Early September brought photos of themed rockwork pieces being placed atop the structure, and now we’ve got a lot more to look at.

The color palette is what I keep coming back to. Turquoise, red, and tan details run across all three tiers, so the new section blends in with the pieces that were already there. That’s not as easy as it sounds, because newly installed sections can sometimes look like they belong to a different building. This one doesn’t.

There’s also the fanged-looking opening at the base. It appears to match the Witz, the monster figure Maya archaeologist Dr. Ivan Batun pointed to at D23 Expo as an entrance to the underworld. I find that detail really cool, because it suggests the temple’s design is tied to real Maya symbolism and the ride’s story, and it isn’t just decoration. (I’m basing that on what was shared at D23, so I’d call it an informed read of the photos, not a confirmed one.)

Now for what’s still unfinished. On the back, exposed steel framing is visible beneath the tan rock crown. The sides of the temple are themed and look close to their final appearance. Scaffolding rises along the front, and mesh rockwork forms wrap the lower tiers, which tells us there’s still plenty of work waiting to be covered and carved.

What about the crew? The big mobile crane that was around in September is gone from view. Now, workers in hard hats and bright vests are on scaffolding at multiple levels, with a few more up on the rooftop beside the crown, and two green boom lifts sit on the sandy ground out front. Work appears to be happening at the base, the middle tiers, and the roofline at the same time. There’s also a paved area off to the side with stacked scaffolding frames and planks, plus a mesh rock form near the tree line, which suggests crews are staging and adjusting pieces on site. That much material sitting around points to more installation ahead.

As for the ride itself, here’s what Disney has shared. Guests will meet Dr. Jones as he explores a temple beside a cenote, an underground cave that was once water-filled. Local legend says the passage leads to the Maya Underworld, guarded by the serpentine Tsukán, and riders are pulled through a portal where they’ll face bats, scorpions, fire, and snakes. Disney has also described the serpent as a gigantic Audio-Animatronic figure that will tower over riders, and Harrison Ford is the model for the Indiana Jones figure, the first time his likeness in the role appears in a Disney Parks attraction. The story is new, not a copy of the Disneyland version.

On timing, Disney hasn’t announced an opening date for the attraction or for Tropical Americas. As far as I understand, the plan is still to open the land in 2027, though Disney reportedly removed the 2027 timeframe from one of its webpages, and I wouldn’t read too much into that. Still, I’d treat any date as unconfirmed until Disney says otherwise.

I’m genuinely excited. A big carved face and turquoise scrollwork make this temple feel less like a construction project and more like a place. Seeing a building go from steel to something with personality is my favorite part of watching a project like this, and this update is a big step in that direction.

My one nitpick, and it’s a tiny one, is that I’m already impatient. The back is still bare steel, and the lower tiers still need their rockwork, so I’d say we’re a good distance from the finish line. That’s fine. I’d rather they take the time to get these details right than rush it. I’ll be keeping a close eye on the back and the lower levels in the next round of photos.

So tell me, what’s your favorite detail so far? Is it the face, the turquoise swirls, or the whole idea of walking into that mouth? Let me know, and keep checking back with Theme Park Scope, because I’ll be sharing every update on this temple as it grows.