Hopper missing from It's Tough to be a Bug.

[Atomicmickey]

Just got back last night, have lots of reports and comments, but let's
start with this one.

One year ago--I was at Animal Kingdom, and Hopper did not appear
during It's Tough to be a Bug.

Was there on Friday and, again, he was a no-show.

Asked a CM, and he said "he's broken, it is going to be several weeks before he is fixed".

Should we start a "Hopper watch"?

Anyone have any info on this? When I commented on this a year ago, I was told that Hopper not working should trigger an attraction closure.

Do we have a Disco Hopper in our future? Or merely inviso-Hopper?

 

[menamechris]

Just got back last night, have lots of reports and comments, but let's
start with this one.

One year ago--I was at Animal Kingdom, and Hopper did not appear
during It's Tough to be a Bug.

Was there on Friday and, again, he was a no-show.

Asked a CM, and he said "he's broken, it is going to be several weeks before he is fixed".

Should we start a "Hopper watch"?

Anyone have any info on this? When I commented on this a year ago, I was told that Hopper not working should trigger an attraction closure.

Do we have a Disco Hopper in our future? Or merely inviso-Hopper?

This is so weird! I was there yesterday afternoon and Hopper seemed to be working fine. Mind you, I am not a huge fan of Tough to Be a Bug, so maybe he didn't do everything he was supposed to do? But he seemed to be working just fine to me...

 

[jt04]

This is so weird! I was there yesterday afternoon and Hopper seemed to be working fine. Mind you, I am not a huge fan of Tough to Be a Bug, so maybe he didn't do everything he was supposed to do? But he seemed to be working just fine to me...

Perhaps they were doing some tests on the new Stitch animatronic at night and didn't get hopper back on-line in time.

"It's Tough To Be a Stitch" is going to be a mega hit. And to think it will all be contained in the "Tree of Stitch" structure at Stitch Kingdom. Amazing.

The Stitch plush will be flying out the door.

 

[MoonMouse1]

We saw this show a few days ago and Hopper's mouth was not moving...everything else seemed to move fine. Maybe this is the problem? It did look strange to hear him speaking but not see his mouth move...

 

[WDWFREAK53]

Perhaps they were doing some tests on the new Stitch animatronic at night and didn't get hopper back on-line in time.

"It's Tough To Be a Stitch" is going to be a mega hit. And to think it will all be contained in the "Tree of Stitch" structure at Stitch Kingdom. Amazing.

The Stitch plush will be flying out the door.

Huh? I just don't get it this...

Stitch hasn't "invaded" anything lately...it seems that they are past that.
Nor has he shown up in AK (aside from a Meet and Greet)...

Is this post just to shoot a jab at Disney just to shoot a jab at them?

 

[MKCP 1985]

If a jab should be shot, shoot it at Disney Animal Kingdom Park management. If there is a weak link in the Disney Parks chain, this park is it.

At least the live animals seem to be doing well, and the live shows are a big hit. Those are the positives. The ride attractions need some help.

 

[MaxsDad]

He didnt appear in September when I was there either.

 

[jt04]

Huh? I just don't get it this...

Stitch hasn't "invaded" anything lately...it seems that they are past that.
Nor has he shown up in AK (aside from a Meet and Greet)...

Is this post just to shoot a jab at Disney just to shoot a jab at them?

It is a jab at the overuse of Stitch everywhere. Putting anything Stitch in DAK is heresy. :lol:

 

[WDWFREAK53]

It is a jab at the overuse of Stitch everywhere. Putting anything Stitch in DAK is heresy. :lol:

Right...I understood that...I just didn't get the application in this sense.

Stitch took over AE...and then he was mentioned on the monorail...and he TP'd the castle for a day (which I actually liked because it was something different for an attraction kick-off)...and his show in Tomorrowland. If it was MK I'd get it...I just didn't get it being used in the Animal Kingdom context...that's all

 

[Neverland]

Hopper is pretty advanced compared to other WDW animatronics, right? I swear I remember seeing somewhere that they used to test him all the time to make sure he was working properly.

How did the show go without him? The voiceover still played and the animatronic just didn't appear?

Also, a CM straight up told you he was broken? Baaaaad show. :dazzle:

 

[Atomicmickey]

How did the show go without him? The voiceover still played and the animatronic just didn't appear?

Also, a CM straight up told you he was broken? Baaaaad show. :dazzle:

The show worked well without him--you just see the spotlight from the right on Flik. That's not by way of apology, it's more of a comment that if you didn't know he was supposed to be there, you didn't know what you were missing.

Actually, I appreciated the CM's candor. And now I know he was wrong, lol. Funny.

What should he have said?

 

[Random Vids Inc]

The show worked well without him--you just see the spotlight from the right on Flik. That's not by way of apology, it's more of a comment that if you didn't know he was supposed to be there, you didn't know what you were missing.

Actually, I appreciated the CM's candor. And now I know he was wrong, lol. Funny.

What should he have said?

Last trip the CM with Flik told everyone Flik would be back in 5 minutes cause he had to go make sure the tree was okay.

Some CMs don't really have that imagination factor...

 

[plaz10]

maybe they are using him for parts to fix the yeti. :lol:

just kidding! hate to see another problem w/a DAK attraction, that park needs all the working attractions it can get!

 

[Slipknot]

He showed up on Thursday. His mouth did seem to be broken, though. It barely moved.

 

[David Roberts]

Perhaps they were doing some tests on the new Stitch animatronic at night and didn't get hopper back on-line in time.

"It's Tough To Be a Stitch" is going to be a mega hit. And to think it will all be contained in the "Tree of Stitch" structure at Stitch Kingdom. Amazing.

The Stitch plush will be flying out the door.

This is amusing even if it is a jab at Disney:lol:

 

[cheezbat]

Even though both of my last visits were a year ago or so, both of the times I last visited DAK Hopper was broken and not being used in the show. I was very disappointed.
It's just another problem they have in DAK...I remember when they had him broken, the big Carnotaur in Dinosaur was down, and the good 'ol Yeti in Everest. Talk about a bad time to visit Animal Kingdom!:brick:

This just proved to me that there was alot that needed to be fixed there, and that new attractions are a must asap.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Hopper is pretty advanced compared to other WDW animatronics, right? I swear I remember seeing somewhere that they used to test him all the time to make sure he was working properly.

How did the show go without him? The voiceover still played and the animatronic just didn't appear?

Also, a CM straight up told you he was broken? Baaaaad show. :dazzle:

When we were there in November Hopper was a total no-show. His voice continued but there was no indication he was there. I felt like it did impact the show. I've seen the show plenty of times but to hear the voice and see nothing there was a definite disconnect. If I had never seen the show I know I would've felt a moment of --> :veryconfu . I realize Hopper is a very sophisticated AA. He seems to have disappeared randomly for quite some time now which is sorta odd. I read he was missing in some TRs earlier in 2010 and now up thru present. :shrug: It'd be wonderful if the show were designed with a B-mode so if Hopper's AA isn't working he somehow makes it onto the screen so you still have the visual in the show to keep you connected. Same thing for Flik's AA. If he can't make his AA appearance there should be another version of the film that incorporates him. How weird would it be to see the entire show without Flik's AA???

 

[Neverland]

Last trip the CM with Flik told everyone Flik would be back in 5 minutes cause he had to go make sure the tree was okay.

Some CMs don't really have that imagination factor...

That's one of my favorite parts of the job. And some guests really take your creative answer seriously. It can be hilarious. :lol: My friend once had some foreign guests offer to help her find Tigger because he had 'bounced out of the Pooh ride and CMs were looking for him'. They were legitimately worried about him.

 

[H2Opolo15]

hm... although we already have 17 posts about "It was working" and "When I was there a few years ago..." I figured I would throw my own input in. I was there in late December and Hopper was working quite fine... :shrug:

 

[thelookingglass]

Last trip the CM with Flik told everyone Flik would be back in 5 minutes cause he had to go make sure the tree was okay.

Some CMs don't really have that imagination factor...

Or they're smart enough to realize that an adult without kids probably doesn't want to hear a cutesy answer.

Or maybe they too are irritated with Disney's lack of maintenance and upkeep. I mean honestly, whats worse, a CM being honest and real with a guest? Or Disney constantly allowing its attractions to run with major effects and show pieces broken for extended periods of time?