25 Facts and Secrets of Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland Resort

On March 3, 2020, Disneyland Park celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the treasured Indiana Jones Adventure attraction. The ancient temple located in the jungle of Adventureland is filled with exotic chambers, hidden gems, and suspense around every corner. Guests are invited to follow in Indiana Jones’ footsteps as they climb aboard jungle transports for an unforgettable adventure. As guests look into the eyes of Mara, they are suddenly taken on a high-speed journey across a rickety bridge, pools of flaming lava, and a tumbling boulder as they work to escape the wrath of the vengeful deity. Walt Disney Imagineers and George Lucas created the attraction. This is a fantastic attraction, one that we wish would make its way to Walt Disney World! To celebrate 25 years of this beloved attraction, here are 25 thrilling facts about Indiana Jones Adventure at the Disneyland Resort.

1. More than 1,300 props are used along the queue of the attraction to enhance the story.
2. While guests explore the Temple of the Forbidden Eye, they learn about the story of the ancient temple through more than 168,000 square feet of hand-carved surfaces.
3. Throughout the temple, guests will find Mara-glyphics, a pictograph-style alphabet that provides warning messages to guests before they embark on their journey.
4. When the attraction first opened, guests were given a decoder card to translate the Mara-glyphic messages hidden throughout the attraction. Today, guests can use the Play Disney Parks app to decode the messages and more.
5. In the Cavern of Bubbling Death, guests are suspended on a rickety bridge that reaches 50 feet high and they come face to face with a 45-foot-tall decaying skull of Mara.
6. Inside the Snake Temple, guests encounter the head of a 100-foot long King Cobra, one of the 2,129 snakes living inside the Temple of the Forbidden Eye.
7. The attraction contains more than 2,000 replicated human skulls and 55 murals that provide further clues into the myth of the deity Mara.
8. Special effects including light and wind are utilized throughout the attraction to enhance the sense of adventure.
9. The Rolling Boulder that guests narrowly escape in the final scene of the attraction is 16 feet in diameter.

10. Every ride experience will have a new combination of thrills as the jungle troop transports each have their own ride control system, providing nearly 160,000 possible show programming combinations.
11. The original score from the Indiana Jones films was adapted, arranged and recorded by a 90-piece orchestra for Indiana Jones Adventure.
12. The music for the attraction was designed to add to the excitement and sense of adventure felt throughout the attraction by accentuating dramatic turns, explosions and off-road escapades.
13. Each troop transport is equipped with a proprietary audio system that includes synchronized speakers and provides each guest with full “stereo sound.” For example, in the Poison Dart Room, guests experience the sounds of darts traveling from off-vehicle speakers across, into or through the speakers onboard and then back off the vehicle, creating a realistic effect of darts passing very close to the guest.
14. Beginning in 2013, guests saw Mara in a whole new way when they gazed into the eyes of the ancient deity, who was enhanced with projection mapping technology.

15. While traversing along the queue area, guests journey through the eerie dampness of bat-filled caves within the temple and pass through the “Spike Chamber.” On the left, guests may notice a bamboo pole bent under the weight of the ceiling with a sign next to it that reads “Caution Do Not Touch Pole.” Guests can tug on the pole at their own risk to unleash a surprise.
16. One of the skeletons hidden within the temple can be found showing his Disney magic. He’s wearing a Mouseketeer cap with the name “Bones” embroidered on it.
17. A copy of “Life” magazine from the 1930s featuring Mickey Mouse on the cover can be found in Indiana Jones’ office along the queue area.
18. One of the crates on the wall of Indiana Jones’ office in the queue area is labeled, “Deliver to: Club Obi Wan.”— a reference to the opening scene of “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and a tribute to the Obi Wan Kenobi character in George Lucas’ Star War.

Movie Magic

22. Indiana Jones Adventure is set in 1935, after Indiana Jones discovered the Temple of the Forbidden Eye, a mystic place built to honor an ancient deity named Mara.
23. Inspirations for the Temple of the Forbidden Eye include the Hindu temples at Banteay Srei and Angkor Wat in Cambodia and the Mahamallapuram, Virupaksha and Elura temples of India.
24. The screenwriters who wrote “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, also consulted on the script for Indiana Jones Adventure.
25. Several celebrities attended the opening ceremony for Indiana Jones Adventure including George Lucas, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dan Aykroyd, Wayne Gretzky and Dennis Miller.