First look at the Tsukán — Disney shares model of the Indiana Jones serpent on display at D23

Walt Disney Imagineering has shared images of a detailed scale model of the Tsukán — the giant serpentine creature at the heart of Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent — on display at D23 in Anaheim this weekend.

Model of the Jade Serpent

The Tsukán is displayed alongside a human-scale figure, and the size difference is impressive. The serpent's head alone dwarfs the figure standing beneath it.

Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent – Tsuka´n Concept Art

As revealed by Imagineers Michael Hundgen and Chris Beatty at D23, the Tsukán appears throughout Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent, building to a final confrontation at the end of the attraction. The creature is described as a serpentine guardian of the cenote — the underground cave near the ancient Maya temple — with local legend holding that it protects the passage to the Maya Underworld.

The Audio-Animatronics figure being built for the attraction is described as massive, completely towering over the Imagineers working on it, and is being sculpted by hand. If the scale model on display at D23 is any indication of the final product, the full-size version is going to be something else entirely.

Model of the Jade Serpent

Imagineer Chris Beatty suggested at the showcase that the final confrontation with the Tsukán would permanently solidify a fear of snakes for most guests.

Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent opens as part of Tropical Americas at Disney's Animal Kingdom in 2027.

Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent