Let’s go back to Disneyland’s Adventureland in the warm days of July 1994 when groundbreaking began on the banks of the Jungle Cruise for one of the most unique and exciting attractions in the park. Nine months later, on March 3, 1995, the large ornate doors on the Temple of the Forbidden Eye discovered by the famous Dr. Indiana Jones opened to the public.
How did the Temple of the Forbidden Eye get discovered in Adventureland? Well, the story begins in a galaxy far, far away. The CEO of Walt Disney Productions, Ron Miller and Diane Disney-Miller, hosted a meeting at their Silverado Winery for George Lucas and some of his staff to discuss Disney entering into an exclusive agreement for Lucasfilm to create attractions for the Disney theme parks. This would result in Captain EO and Star Tours being added to Tomorrowland.
In 1981, Imagineers Skip Lange and Tony Baxter took time off from work to see a preview of Raiders of the Lost Ark. They went in knowing nothing about the film. After the film ended, they began brainstorming ideas for attractions based on Indiana Jones despite it being a property of Lucasfilm and Paramount Studio with no connection to the Walt Disney Studio.
In 1984, Frank Wells and Michael Eisner took over as President and CEO of Walt Disney Productions, replacing Ron Miller. Eisner believed that films were the key to reviving the Disney theme parks, whose growth had been stagnating over the years. During his first trip to Imagineering, Eisner brought along his 14-year-old son, Breck, to get his opinion on the projects Imagineers would pitch to ensure teenagers would find them exciting. This is how Splash Mountain was greenlit.
Eisner also believed guests should be able to see the hottest stars and step into the top-rated films of the time at the Disney parks. The only problem was that The Walt Disney Studio was not making films the public cared about seeing, much less riding.
Eisner had come from Paramount Studio, and he was the one who greenlit Raiders of the Lost Ark. George Lucas was already a Disney fan and owed Michael Eisner a favor. Disneyland guests would “Ride the Movies” but they wouldn’t be Disney movies. At first, this was very controversial with Disney fans. The controversy died down after the popularity of Captain EO and Star Tours in the park.
Early concepts for an Indiana Jones attraction were as varied as the films. One concept was to theme the area near Big Thunder Mountain to Indiana Jones’ childhood home in Utah, as depicted in the opening of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Titled “Young Indiana Jones and the Spirit of the West” guests would enter a traveling wild west show of Indiana’s youth in which a mysterious wizard would show the boy visions of his future, which would be scenes from the various films acted out by live stunt men. At the end, Indiana would take the first step in growing from a skeptical boy to a man of action. Although this show was never built at Disneyland, it did inspire the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World.
Another concept that came close to happening was a collection of three different experiences in one attraction located where the Temple of the Forbidden Eye is today. Called “Indiana Jones Expeditions”, guests would enter the queue in the jungle leading to the base camp. From there, they could choose to ride a vehicle tour of the ruins crumbling in a ravine, a mine tour of the underground digs, or a walking tour of a labyrinth. There would be views from the Jungle Cruise and the base camp could be seen from the Disneyland Railroad. Some parts of this concept were included in the Temple of the Forbidden Eye, like the queue wandering through the base camp. The mine car roller coaster portion would be built in Disneyland Paris as Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril.
In March 1992, the ore cart was dropped as a vehicle for the attraction and a truck or transport vehicle became the focus. The walking labyrinth was somewhat transformed into the queue. What became the focus and most important to the success of the attraction was the development of the truck or troop transport.
The Indiana Jones transport vehicles were a revolutionary and dynamic invention. The troop transport vehicles each have one Programmable Logic Control (PLC) computer on board, which is constantly monitoring where the vehicle is within the attraction, where it is in relation to the other vehicles, and whether or not it is operating properly. The tires are riding freely on the ground, with a busbar connection to the ground, that only carries AC power to the troop transport vehicle and exchanges information with the attraction building’s PLC. With 15 vehicles on line that have 15 separate PLCs, plus the one for the attraction building, it’s the equivalent of computing power for 16 separate attractions.
The solid-tired transport base hydraulically supports the top passenger compartment with independent controls in each corner to tilt up and down. This enables the troop transport to drive on a flat surface but have the top passenger compartment bounce up and down as if it’s on a rock-covered, uneven road or tilt dangerously as if it is going to careen over the edge, even though the ride vehicle is level. All the movements of the troop transport are part of the attraction’s storytelling experience.
There were some other challenges when designing the attraction. One was its planned location. Adventureland was the smallest of all the lands in the park making it difficult to construct the largest attraction ever planned for the park. There was only 50 feet of frontage available between the Jungle Cruise and the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse and the space was being used as an overflow line for the Jungle Cruise. Then there was 1/8 of a mile between that frontage and the area outside the berm in the Disneyland Eeyore parking lot where the show building could be constructed.
The Imagineers themed this 1/8 mile walk to introduce guests to the story of the attraction and make it a part of the experience. This included placing the archeological base camp outside the temple and having long and winding passages and rooms that takes guests out of Disneyland and immerses them into the world of Indiana Jones of 1936. The plan was that by the time a first-time rider reaches the troop transport loading area, they’ve experienced so many interactive and fascinating sites along the way, they have no idea how far they’ve walked from Adventureland and into the Temple of the Forbidden Eye.
As we walk towards the temple, we go through the archeological base camp and staging area where Indiana Jones and his team evaluate and catalog artifacts from the temple and prepare them for shipment back to the states for further study. Nearby is a troop transport vehicle with the logo Lost Delta Expeditions. This is the actual truck used in the final chase scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark, which had been found in a prop warehouse in England. Look closely and you’ll see the hood ornament is still missing as it was broken off in that final chase scene.
Another part of the storytelling is the sputtering, wheezing, decrepit electric generator that appears to be on the brink of failure. This was obtained by Pat Burke, who scoured the world looking for machinery like this for all the Big Thunder Mountain Railroads in the Disney parks. At night, all of the strings of lights flicker and dim with the sputtering of the generator, which indicates the jury-rigged nature of the dig. During preview nights, guests didn’t realize this was part of the storytelling and expressed their shock over Disney opening an attraction with such a sketchy electrical system.
Looking up over the entrance to the temple, we see the first Maraglyphics, which is a created language designed to give guests something to do whilst waiting in line. When the attraction first opened, decoder cards were distributed to guests before they entered the queue and was also published as a supplement in the Sunday Los Angeles Times. Today, you can find it using an online search. The Maraglyphs are very similar to their English letter counterparts, with the exception that the letter I is not a vertical slash but is shaped like an eye to keep with the theme of the temple.
AT&T Corporation sponsored the construction of the attraction at a cost of $100 million and sponsored it for the first seven years of operation, from 1995 to 2002. One of three styles of “Marabic” decoder cards was distributed to each guest, advertising their promotional campaign on the back. “It’s great to have AT&T as presenting sponsor,” said then-Disneyland President Paul Pressler. “With Disneyland celebrating its 40th Anniversary and preparing to open its most exciting attraction, we welcome the opportunities this relationship is sure to create.” The attraction currently has no sponsor.
Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye opened at Disneyland on March 3, 1995 a few months before the park’s 40th birthday. The opening dedication ceremony included a red carpet, star-studded gala attended by Michael Eisner and George Lucas, as well as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Keenan Ivory Wayans, Carrie Fisher, Tony Danza, Dan Aykroyd, and other 1990s stars.
With the opening of Disney’s Animal Kingdom in 1998, two lands were part of that park’s original concept – Beastly Kingdom and Dinoland. After the financial overruns of EuroDisneyland, Michael Eisner decided that only one of these lands could be built. The team responsible for Dinoland reportedly stated they could save money by combining the thrilling, pulse-pounding roller coaster with the time-traveling dark ride, meaning their Dinoland needed only one attraction. They could save even more money by using the track layout and ride vehicles from Disneyland’s Indiana Jones Adventure. The attraction was named Countdown to Extinction and later renamed Dinosaur to connect the attraction to the 2000 film of the same name.
At the 2024 D23 Expo, it was officially announced that Indiana Jones Adventure would replace Dinosaur as part of the Tropical Americas section, replacing Dinoland. It is said it will be different from the versions in California and Tokyo. In this new adventure, Indiana Jones has recently discovered a perfectly preserved Mayan temple. He’s heard rumors about a mythical creature deep within the temple — and he’s got to see it for himself. And Dr. Jones is inviting us to explore it with him.
Even though the Indiana Jones Adventure attraction is not directly based on films from the Walt Disney Studio, it does have a connection. George Lucas has stated that some of Indiana Jones’ adventures were inspired by Uncle Scrooge’s globe-trotting adventures in the Walt Disney comic books. There is one more special thing just outside of the Indiana Jones queue you don’t want to miss that has a connection to Walt. I have spoken several times about the story of “The Little Man of Disneyland.” It’s a 1955 children’s Golden Book about the creation of Disneyland and the little leprechaun who lives there, Patrick Begorra. This leprechaun’s house is at the base of a tree to the right of the Indiana Jones Adventure queue entrance.
So, even Indiana Jones Adventure has a connection with Walt. And the attraction has the storytelling and imagination Walt infused in everything he touched.
If you enjoyed this story about the history of Disneyland’s Indiana Jones Adventure and would like to hear more behind-the-scenes stories including the attraction construction and operation, a detailed description of the attraction’s ride experience, and how it has changed through the years, listen to these episodes of the Connecting with Walt podcast:
Connecting with Walt: The History of Disneyland’s Indiana Jones Adventure – Part 1
Connecting with Walt: The History of Disneyland’s Indiana Jones Adventure – Part 2
