One of the most impressive audio-animatronics that Walt Disney Imagineering has ever built is the Yeti in the Expedition Everest ride. That is, when it was working. As many fans know, the Yeti has been in a B-Mode for decades, with Disney implementing a strobe light to attempt to simulate a fraction of the impressive motion that the figure once had. This strobe light led many to call it the Disco Yeti, a name that even Imagineering has (possibly?) referenced in the theme parks.
Over the weekend, Joe Rohde, Portfolio Creative Executive with Walt Disney Imagineering, took to twitter to answer some fan questions. Rohde often answers questions and provides invaluable insight to fans about theme park design via social media. When asked about the Yeti and its current inoperable state, Rodhe responded that “It’s not an issue of maintenance access, they were part of the design team and set the standard. In fact, it was seen as a model collaborative process.”
Of course, many fans are hopeful to see the Yeti fixed, leading fans to inevitably speculate about the imminent fix of the figure every so often without any evidence from Disney. Rohde essentially put any speculation about a near-term fix to rest saying, “It’s an unexpected and unforeseen set of issues, very complex, with no easy or timely solutions as of yet.”
Back in 2016, Rohde said that he was “still on it” after a fan praised him for a statement he made saying that he would fix the Yeti.
Rohde went on to say that no particular group did anything wrong to lead to the current state of the audio-animatronic, “Not “messed up.” These guys did not ignore something or botch it. Innovation is like physical exploration of unknown spaces. There is stuff out there that you didn’t know, and you only encounter it by exploration. But then….there it is.”
Back in 2017, Disney added a flood light to the yeti in addition to the strobe effect. Here’s our rough video of what that looked like.
So there you have it, straight from the Imagineering executive most associated with Disney’s Animal Kingdom – it doesn’t look like there will be a fix for the “Disco Yeti” for some time, unfortunately.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com for the latest Disney Parks news and photos. We’ll continue to bring you news and photos, where possible, through the Disney Parks closure due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) and will resume our normal coverage once the parks reopen to guests on July 11th!