The most unexpected announcement at this year’s D23 Experiences Showcase was relatively small. It had nothing to do with a new ride, new cruise ship, or new land. One of the night’s biggest roars came when Disney Experiences Chairman Thomas Mazloum said Walt Disney World is fixing a single animatronic, the broken yeti on Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain. And while repairing one animatronic might sound like a minor issue, what it represents couldn’t be bigger for Disney’s most dedicated fans.
For nearly 20 years, Animal Kingdom’s beloved Expedition Everest roller coaster has had a huge problem: its gigantic yeti doesn’t work. Before this year’s D23 there was no reason to think it would anytime soon. Most fans never got to see the infamous beast sweep at them as they passed. The enormous, highly-advanced yeti stopped working in 2027 just six months after the ride opened. But that hasn’t stopped guests from loving the highly-rated attraction. There’s no reason to think it has stopped anyone from visiting the park, either. Expedition Everest has always been great even without its great audio-animatronic. That would have continued to be true. And that’s why this news goes well beyond a single animatronic or ride.
“We’re talking about 1.5 seconds.” That’s what a lead Imagineer told me about the yeti the morning after the Experiences Showcase. In another context, that would be a reasonable justification for why Disney still wasn’t planning to fix it anytime soon. The fantastic ride is nearly three thrilling minutes long, and even in its broken state, the stationary animatronic has always been part of the attraction. For nearly two decades, it has run in “B mode,” which simulates movement via flashing lights. That has earned it a very funny moniker Mazloum referenced on stage: “the Disco Yeti.”
The Disco Yeti was obviously good enough. But the original working version…my goodness. Even two decades later, it looks as good as any animatronic made today. Here’s behind-the-scenes footage of the 25-foot (yes, 25-foot!) beast in action.
Why hasn’t Disney fixed it before? Rumors have long said that would require a lengthy closure of the ride. Some said the Mouse House would need to take part of the mountain apart. Would it be worth it to close Expedition Everest for a year or longer for something that you barely see on a roller coaster everyone loves anyway? Especially when Animal Kingdom has the fewest thrill rides of the four Walt Disney World parks?
There’s no reason to think that was even an option. (And not just because Disney fan theories are notoriously wrong in spectacular fashion.) It might not have been feasible until now. The Imagineer I spoke with has been with the company for a long time, but he said even he wasn’t sure exactly what efforts had been made previously. All he knew was that they now had a way to fix it* and they would. Not in spite of the effect only lasting 1.5 seconds, but because of it. He made clear Disney and Imagineers know it’s time to get this right because even those small brief moment of magic matter. They’re fixing it because they can and they should, even if (left unsaid) it might not make sense financially. This is a case where story, imagineering, and the guest experience is trumpeting budget.
In the words of Mickey Mouse, “Hot dog!”
*Obviously, if even possible, fixing the yeti would have been quite the undertaking before. Something has changed with what they can do and how. So I asked the Imagineer if the new approach they’ve come up with means it will now be a quick fix. He said, “If it were easy it would already be done.” FAIR. What that means for the actual amount of time/ride closure they’ll need to mend the animatronic is unclear. I also don’t expect that work to begin until after Animal Kingdom’s Tropical Americas opens (hopefully) some time next year.
Mazloum ended the Experiences Showcase by saying Dreamfinder—a long abandoned character most Disney World visitors don’t know or remember—is coming back, as Disney is fixing its dated Figment ride. And the company said it is doing so for the best reason. Mazloum told the Honda Center crowd, “We’ve heard you, and this is one more way we’re putting you in the center of everything we do.” Without action that might sound like empty lip service, and it’s not only easy but smart to generally treat conglomerate announcements about loving their fans with some healthy skepticism. But Disney seems intent on proving they really are listening to fans. And if you care about the parks you should feel good about what you heard. Those in attendance certainly did.
That Figment announcement was the only one that garnered the same kind of reaction as the yeti news. A room full of the most dedicated, knowledgeable, obsessive park fans—on a night when Disney announced new lands, new attractions, and whole new experiences—went the most wild for about a single animatronic and a single character return. And they did because those announcements aren’t just great unto themselves, they symbolize something much bigger to be excited about
The people who most care about Everest’s broken yeti and EPCOT’s Figment were going back to the parks even without those being address. Disney didn’t really need to fix either attraction to keep those fans from spending their money in the parks. If you know about the Disco Yeti or have long missed Dreamfinder you’re already sold on the Disney experience. Now you can feel good knowing Disney isn’t taking you or your love for its parks for granted. Because while something like Piston Peak, Villains Land, or an expanded Avengers Campus will always help draw new fans/new money, old fans clearly matter to the Mouse House, too.
Soon the yeti will roar again on Expedition Everest. When he does a great ride will get even better, and for the best reason. Not because Disney needs to say goodbye to Disco to draw customers, but because Disney thinks Disney’s most loyal fans deserve to see him in action for 1.5 wonderful seconds.
The post Why Disney Fixing Broken Yeti Animatronic Is the Best News appeared first on Nerdist.
This articles is written by : Nermeen Nabil Khear Abdelmalak
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