A major Disney World accident is still reshaping one of the resort’s oldest attractions.
Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular has operated at Disney’s Hollywood Studios since 1989. The attraction recreates sequences from Raiders of the Lost Ark using live stunt performers, pyrotechnics, moving vehicles, and practical effects.
The show remains one of the few opening-era productions still running at Walt Disney World.
In recent years, fans have repeatedly questioned whether Disney could eventually retire the attraction as the park continues expanding franchises like Star Wars and Toy Story. Speculation intensified again earlier this year after construction activity appeared near the theater.
Disney later began work tied to an internal project reportedly known as “Project Fedora.”
Rather than signaling a closure, many fans viewed the work as a sign Disney was continuing to invest in the area surrounding the long-running stunt show. Disney has not publicly detailed the project.
Those conversations followed a Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular late last year.
Indiana Jones Stunt Show Performer Returns
Back in December 2025, a performer was injured during Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular after a prop boulder malfunctioned during the attraction’s temple sequence.
Video shared online appeared to show the 400-pound prop veering off course before a cast member stepped in to stop it from rolling toward the audience. The performer was hospitalized and later revealed to have suffered vertebral fractures.
Disney temporarily modified the boulder sequence following the accident, although this has yet to be reversed.
Now, there has been a positive development surrounding the incident.
According to WFTV Channel 9, veteran performer Robert Herrick has returned to work at Disney’s Hollywood Studios months after the malfunction. Herrick had reportedly worked on the stunt show for more than 30 years before the accident occurred.
Photos shared following his return showed Herrick holding a banner reading “Welcome back, Robert” and “The boulder didn’t stop you.”
Herrick later discussed the incident publicly during an interview with Fox 35.
He said his “30 years of experience” on the show allowed him to react immediately when the malfunction happened. According to Herrick, his only thought at the time was: “It cannot make it to the audience.”
“If I could be a speed bump for that boulder,” he said, “so that it didn’t make it to the audience, I was going to do that.”
Herrick also recalled worrying about children witnessing the aftermath of the accident.
“I don’t want the kids to see me bleeding,” he said.
The Attraction Has Faced Serious Incidents Before
The recent malfunction is not the first major incident connected to Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular.
In 2009, stunt performer Anislav Varbanov died during a rehearsal after suffering a head injury while performing a tumbling roll. Disney canceled performances following the accident.
OSHA has also previously fined Disney over injuries tied to the attraction.
Past reports surrounding the stunt show have included accidents involving failed restraining cables, collapsing stage props, and malfunctioning trap doors during rehearsals.
Despite that history, the attraction continues operating daily at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular remains one of the park’s most recognizable live productions, particularly as Disney continues balancing legacy attractions with newer franchise expansions across Walt Disney World Resort.
