Well, this is awkward.
After years of standing there looking dramatically underwhelming, the Yeti is apparently getting his moment again.
Disney has announced that the legendary Yeti Audio-Animatronic inside Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom will return to operation.
And honestly, it’s about time.
Yes, The Yeti Is Coming Back
For years, guests riding Expedition Everest have experienced the attraction without seeing the legendary Yeti in the way Imagineers originally intended.
The famous Audio-Animatronic stopped functioning in its original movement configuration years ago, leaving guests with a static version of the creature instead.
That has become one of the most infamous pieces of Disney Parks trivia.
The ride is called Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain.
The entire attraction builds toward an encounter with the legendary creature.
And then the Yeti basically says, “I’m going to stand right here.”
That’s Apparently Changing
Disney announced at D23 that the Yeti Audio-Animatronic will once again be operational.
That means the creature guests encounter inside the mountain will return to a more dynamic version of the experience Imagineering originally created.
For anyone who has never experienced the original version of Expedition Everest, this is a pretty big deal.
The Yeti wasn’t supposed to simply be something you looked at.
He was supposed to feel like a living, breathing creature trying to stop your expedition.
Why People Still Care About This Ride
Expedition Everest opened at Animal Kingdom in 2006 and quickly became one of the park’s signature attractions.
The combination of massive mountain scenery, elaborate theming, backward coaster track and the Yeti encounter made it unlike anything else at Walt Disney World.
Even after the Yeti’s original movement was disabled, the attraction remained one of Disney World’s best thrill rides.
But everyone knew what was missing.
The Yeti.
The Legend Is Back
Disney hasn’t provided every detail about exactly how the restored Yeti will operate.
That means we’re going to have to wait for more information about the technical changes being made to the attraction.
And that’s probably a good thing.
Because the less we know about how Imagineering is making this happen, the more fun it’s going to be when we finally see the result.
And yes, Disney fans are absolutely going to analyze the heck out of it.
Animal Kingdom Is Having a Big Moment
The Yeti announcement comes at a pretty interesting time for Animal Kingdom.
The park is undergoing a massive transformation.
Tropical Americas is replacing DinoLand U.S.A., bringing new attractions based on Indiana Jones and Encanto.
And now one of Animal Kingdom’s most iconic existing attractions is getting its legendary creature back.
It’s almost as if somebody at Disney remembered that Animal Kingdom already has some pretty great attractions and decided to give them some love too.
Don’t Call It a Comeback
Okay, technically, it’s a comeback.
But the Yeti has been sitting inside that mountain for years, waiting for this moment.
And now the legend is apparently getting another chance to scare the daylights out of unsuspecting Expedition Everest riders.
We’re here for it.
Because sometimes you don’t need a new attraction.
Sometimes you just need to fix the giant monster you already have.
Welcome back, Yeti.
We’ve missed you.
