What happened at Disney World’s Indiana Jones stunt show? 180-kg fake boulder runaway leaves one injured

Disneyland Reopening - Source: Getty
Socially-distanced riders also have plastic divider between them on the Indiana Jones Adventure ride at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, April 30, 2021. The resort"u2019s parks have been closed for 412 days due to the COVID-19 outbreak. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)

Disney World's Indiana Jones stunt show at Disney's Hollywood Studios recently suffered an accident.

A 180kg fake boulder dislodged from its track. The video of the incident shows that the fake boulder was headed straight towards the audience, forcing cast members to respond to the situation. One cast member attempting to stop the fake boulder is knocked over from the impact of the prop, but manages to knock it back a bit before another cast member comes forward and stops the boulder.

Disney has since then refused to reveal the current condition of its employees. However, Disney representatives have stated to Variety that they're focusing on supporting their cast members' recovery:

"We’re focused on supporting our cast member, who is recovering. Safety is at the heart of what we do, and that element of the show will be modified as our safety team completes a review of what happened."

The accident is the latest instance of such an event occurring in a theme park owned by the company. There has been a rash of accidents and deaths in properties recently owned by the company in recent years, and 2025 was no different. In October, five people died in various Disney-owned properties, including one death at the Saratoga Springs Resort.

One woman in her early 60s died after riding the Haunted Manor attraction at Disneyland in Anaheim. There have been similar deaths in several other attractions by the company and in areas near these attractions.


More on the Disney World Indiana Jones show that suffered an accident

The Indiana Jones show that suffered the accident is called the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! and is a 30-minute show that recreates scenes from the Indiana Jones film Raiders of the Lost Ark. The show, alongside featuring the fake boulder, also features bullwhips and stunts of falling from tall buildings, among other scenes.

The Disney Parks Blog states that the show has several backups for all its scenes. The fake boulder in question is reportedly made from rubber. In the blog, Lighting chief Clifton Baxter states that the first scene alone has more than 12 backups:

"We have a contingency in most shows we do, but most of the time they’re not noticeable to the audience."

Raiders of the Lost Ark is considered to be one of the more beloved entries of the franchise. The film, released in 1981 and directed by Steven Spielberg, is considered to be an ideal matinee action flick. More critically, the film has been received by later critics as a theme of Jewish Fantasy revenge on Nazism, a theme that went on to be evoked in media such as the game Wolfenstein.

The film went on to become an icon of pop culture, going on to influence directors such as Joe Johnston, Steven Soderbergh, Michael Bay, and more. The film inspired several spin-offs offs such as Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, as well as adaptations into other media, including novels, video games, and live enactments inspired by it, such as the one mentioned above.

The studio recently released the Indiana Jones film Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. The 2023 film wraps up the film series and is the fifth film in the series. It was also the first film that was not directed by Steven Spielberg. The film was directed by James Mangold.

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Edited by Nimisha