danyoung56
Well-Known Member
The bird is an eagle that rises during the hold at the top while the track is switching over for your backward run. It's really more of a time wasting thing, as the effect itself is pretty lame.
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Expedition Everest effects status watch
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
MKCP 1985
Well-Known Member
Okay, answering my own question - the bird is a type of vulture and its inclusion on the attraction has meaning. Read about it in this link:
www.tibettravel.org
Joe Rohde spoke about it probably back in 2006 shortly after the ride opened, to the effect of seeing the bird symbolized something that was likely to happen. I still can't recall the details.
Unfortunately, the effect failed to impress and was called "bird on a stick." It was discontinued for a long time but apparently has returned. Improved?
Vulture, the Sacred Bird of Tibet
Vulture is traditionally regarded as sacred bird in Tibet and fed with corpse in traditional sky burial in Tibet. In this article a detailed demonstration has been provided on the Tibetan reverence for their sacred bird, the vulture.
www.tibettravel.org
Unfortunately, the effect failed to impress and was called "bird on a stick." It was discontinued for a long time but apparently has returned. Improved?
Pepper's Ghost
Well-Known Member
So, lots of sincere questions based on your explanation...
Can they really stop Universal from using a similar way to fix Universal owned props? I can see stopping a company from monetizing their patented process, but to fix/update their own stuff? How would they ever know? Suppose Universal fixes a prop using this process. Would Disney file a lawsuit to get them to change back their animatronic? Again, sincere questions on this.
Btw, good point about other applications. I didn't really think outside the box on that... not even a little. Robots that build cars and all other sorts of stuff could use this technology I suppose, but still... not sure I understand Disney trying to stop other companies from fixing or building their own stuff if they aren't monetizing the process, as in, they aren't making money going to other companies and fixing it the patented Disney way.
It just seems kinda murky to me. It's like trying to stop someone from suping up their own sports car using a processes patented by someone else. But as soon as that person opens a shop and starts charging to do it for others, that's where legal problems begin. I can't think a court of law would force a company to change something back. I could be absolutely wrong about that tho. I'm just thinking practically.
Btw, I'm not claiming to understand the intricacies of patent laws. I'm just saying I bet there is a lot of gray area where a patent of something like this becomes hard to enforce, or perhaps not worth it.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
A company could try using a patented process in secret but that opens them up to liability. You’d have to keep that illegal behavior secret. That means you have to get everyone on board so it’s going to be easier done by a smaller organization than a massive one like a theme park that is also working with a lot of third party contractors and vendors. Other companies also have their own patents they want protected. There’s actually a somewhat famous story of a guy who offered to sell Pepsi Coke’s trade secrets and Pepsi called the FBI because they weren’t going to get caught up in corporate espionage.
A court would not necessarily force a company to undo work that used the patented process but they could force the company to pay licensing fees and damages.
Patents are also about specific processes and not ideas. The development of the sewing machine is actually really interesting in this regard as it’s a lot of very specific, often singular, improvements to established patents. That specificity is also why Disney has a patented flying theater ride system (Soarin’) but the manufacturer of that ride (Dynamic Attractions) also sells a flying theater to anyone who wants one. The way the Disney flying theater and the off-the-shelf flying theater work is different.
DoleWhipDrea
Well-Known Member
I didn't get to hear Joe talk about the vulture, but when I think of vultures, I think of them as a symbol of death...when they circle around, they are zeroing in on a carcass to feed on. The ripped up track could indicate that just a bit ahead, others that tried to make the journey through the Forbidden Mountains lost their lives to the yeti, and the vulture could be feasting on the remains. Or the vulture is circling because they believe that soon, you as the rider will be left as a carcass for the vulture to feed on...Okay, answering my own question - the bird is a type of vulture and its inclusion on the attraction has meaning. Read about it in this link:
Joe Rohde spoke about it probably back in 2006 shortly after the ride opened, to the effect of seeing the bird symbolized something that was likely to happen. I still can't recall the details.Vulture, the Sacred Bird of Tibet
Vulture is traditionally regarded as sacred bird in Tibet and fed with corpse in traditional sky burial in Tibet. In this article a detailed demonstration has been provided on the Tibetan reverence for their sacred bird, the vulture.
Unfortunately, the effect failed to impress and was called "bird on a stick." It was discontinued for a long time but apparently has returned. Improved?
999th Happy Haunt
Well-Known Member
Wow Animal Kingdom has some really dark elements here and there
cjkeating
Well-Known Member
Oh I love it when DAK goes dark.
networkpro
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
So, they want to patent a way to keep a robot from shaking? First, I'd be surprised if this would be approved. How can you stop people/companies from using a specific way to fix something that doesn't work. Perhaps they're trying to stop companies from monetizing a similar fix, but that makes no sense to me. How big is the demand for this that a company would steal their idea and start selling it. As far as I know, Disney is the only company with this ridiculous problem. Maybe they're afraid someone will steal their idea, and try to sell it back to them to fix the effing Yeti.
There's a bird on EE?? Talk about subtle details. Been YEARS since I've been back to WDW, but don't recall ever seeing or missing a bird.
Bird on a stick. To the left of the ripped up track at the summit.
DoleWhipDrea
Well-Known Member
Life and death were a major part of the conversation when Animal Kingdom was being created. The park had to be realistic, and in that way, it would have to acknowledge the non-fairytale aspects of life and our world, and would therefore have to be a lot different from the other parks.
Not that it's always gone over well with visitors...
By comparison, the ripped up track and flying vulture are pretty tame.
Looking at the image above, going a bit further in reading the symbolism of the scene, it's interesting that the track is ripped up just after the flags, which are hung up as a form of protection. They literally mark the end of where it is "safe."
Beacon Joe
Well-Known Member
Okay, answering my own question - the bird is a type of vulture and its inclusion on the attraction has meaning. Read about it in this link:
Joe Rohde spoke about it probably back in 2006 shortly after the ride opened, to the effect of seeing the bird symbolized something that was likely to happen. I still can't recall the details.Vulture, the Sacred Bird of Tibet
Vulture is traditionally regarded as sacred bird in Tibet and fed with corpse in traditional sky burial in Tibet. In this article a detailed demonstration has been provided on the Tibetan reverence for their sacred bird, the vulture.
Unfortunately, the effect failed to impress and was called "bird on a stick." It was discontinued for a long time but apparently has returned. Improved?
Thanks for posting that since the post previous to yours made my head hurt.
And yes, seeing a vulture up there was actually meaningful. Is there any element that bears Rohde's touch that doesn't have a purpose either to reinforce the set / location or to pay respects or at a minimum make a nod to some ethnological point?
Based on what I can sort of infer about Rohde, I expect he personally wanted it as a ride element for a few reasons I can think of off the top of my head:
1) Habitat - these are high altitude birds. If you see one, especially that close, you're way up in the Himalayas. Disney and Rohde do stuff like this to reinforce setting.
2) Local Factor / Paying Respect - Obviously, I don't know this for sure, but given that I've seen Rodhe's cultural and artistic interests tend to overlap some of mine, I would bet he's not only well-read on and fascinated by sky burials that these vultures are central to, but also bet that he had watched some of the same documentaries I have on the subject. So on the face of it, if he had this cultural practice in mind, on its face, there's a "creep factor" (that also translates to the West), but really there's a much deeper cultural meaning here. Again, just my conjecture, but I would bet that he wanted to pay homage to these birds' revered status as something he learned about in his travels.
3) What's the whole ride's theme again? What's the context regarding deforestation that is established for the riders? What's the yeti upset about? You know what else in the natural world in this biome would be upset, since locally it's traditionally looked upon as protector and cleaner of the land? Yup, you guessed it, gyps himalayensis.
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Model3 McQueen
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
I hate to say it but bird on a stick is more meaningful than baby jack-jacks on a stick.
Disney World's Expedition Everest closing for lengthy refurbishment in 2022
The popular rollercoaster at Disney's Animal Kingdom will be closed for multiple months.
www.wdwmagic.com
"Unfortunately the closure will not see any improvements to the show, or a repair of the Yeti animatronic figure"Disney World's Expedition Everest closing for lengthy refurbishment in 2022
The popular rollercoaster at Disney's Animal Kingdom will be closed for multiple months.
Cesar R M
Well-Known Member
Somehow fits.."Unfortunately the closure will not see any improvements to the show, or a repair of the Yeti animatronic figure"Disney World's Expedition Everest closing for lengthy refurbishment in 2022
The popular rollercoaster at Disney's Animal Kingdom will be closed for multiple months.
Model3 McQueen
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
Sorry all, this is Chapek and D'Amaro we're talking about. Iger nor Chapek care. Rohde might have unless Rohde just outright lied to everyone when he kept saying they'll fix the yeti.
SMH.
SMH.
Cesar R M
Well-Known Member
Maybe this is why they made Rodhe leave.
Aka he made an ultimatum to let the yeti go, and that it would never get fixed because of "costs" and executive pay.
Thus they said no.. and thus he left.
Diamond Dot
Well-Known Member
Joe Rohde is now working for Virgin Galactic.
Diamond Dot
Well-Known Member
I've spotted it a few times. It's best if you sit at the front.
loucards15
Member
Rode this ride a few times over the last week and swear the track switching backward effect has a loud crashing/snapping sound effect that goes along with it as you start to travel backwards. I don’t recall this in the past or at least recall it being as loud as it was. Is this new or an update to onboard audio quality?