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Will the Yeti be ready for his big 5th Birthday Bash?
- Thread starter peterpanic74
- Start date
Timekeeper
Well-Known Member
Yes, I have. There's no question that the yeti is impressive; it is. I just think that it ought to be showcased at least for a few more seconds. I don't think that guest motivation to repeat a ride should be based on a "Oops, I missed it because I blinked" philosophy. Even the wicked witch AA in The Great Movie Ride (Wizard of Oz scene) steals the show with a long monologue, and it still the most realistic AA that I've seen on property. :shrug:
MKCP 1985
Well-Known Member
I see your point and I agree with you about the Witch. She is the highlight of the Great Movie Ride, to me. Another realistic AA on property is Stitch in Stitch's Great Escape, but seeing plenty of Stitch actually makes him less believable as a living creature (especially his spitting).
In my mind, the original plan for the use of the huge animatronic yeti was genius because a person riding through with their eyes wide open had a pretty amazing experience with that figure. In the way he was presented, you really thought he was about to grab you right out of that steam donkey train. Yes, the encounter was short and didn't leave you time to fully soak in all of the character's features, but that encounter made me want to immediately go ride again. Also, I imagine that type of encounter to be akin to someone's experience with a Bigfoot or a Yeti or a Loch Ness Monster - you know you saw it, but you'd have a hard time describing what you saw to a police sketch artist.
disneypearl
Well-Known Member
I love EE and look forward to it on every trip.
I was lucky enough to be at the passholder preview for EE. I absolutely remember being blown away by the incredible yeti. He looked so real and moved his arm at you with such force. It was amazing! I was able to see him in A mode a few more trips before he bacame B mode. He still is beautiful but it is so sad to see him the way he is now. I just want him to be back to how he was.
It still is an awesome ride but I do miss the yeti's arm going at me. Wish they would fix him.
I was lucky enough to be at the passholder preview for EE. I absolutely remember being blown away by the incredible yeti. He looked so real and moved his arm at you with such force. It was amazing! I was able to see him in A mode a few more trips before he bacame B mode. He still is beautiful but it is so sad to see him the way he is now. I just want him to be back to how he was.
It still is an awesome ride but I do miss the yeti's arm going at me. Wish they would fix him.
WI DISNEY FAN
Member
When the Yeti worked it was great!!! I truly miss the working Yeti and I make sure to stop by guest relations every time I am at AK and very politely let them know I wish they would get it fixed.
I also keep my eyes on the lookout for Joe when at AK. If i ever see him I will express the same to him.
I also keep my eyes on the lookout for Joe when at AK. If i ever see him I will express the same to him.
BigThunderMatt
Well-Known Member
The yeti is a problem that has gone far beyond TDO at this point. Well above TDO. I'm sure there's not a soul at the corporate level that has anything to do with the parks that isn't aware of it. The problem is that no one can decide what to do about it.
There's been talk on this board that no one wants to take responsibility or money from their own budget to handle it and tries to point fingers at other people. And apparently before the problem got as bad as it did, people knew it was coming and could have taken steps to avoid it, but did not. No one was fired over it, either.
IMO, everyone who has ever had anything to do with the yeti in direct response to its current state and the inability to fix it should be fired. This is supposed to be a point of pride for the company, an AA to end all AA's. The current state it is in is a complete disgrace and Disney should be ashamed that they let it get this bad.
One thing is for sure: WDI is not to blame here. I'm sure many of them are fuming over this and have great ideas to fix the problem and bring it back up to A-Mode quality but no one with the ability to do so wants to fork over the money.
AEfx
Well-Known Member
That's always been my problem as well.
It was just a poor design to begin with.
Even if it worked fully, you are going past it so fast that many people wouldn't have even really seen it anyway. I knew when to look and still all I really saw was a blur.
It's easily the biggest waste of money Disney has ever spent - they put more time and attention into the queue than anything else.
darthspielberg
Well-Known Member
As someone who has never seen the Yeti work (Before my last trip, I had never been to AK as it hadn't opened on my first full vacation, and my second trip was just to MK for a day) and I can see why so many people bemoan it's B-Mode state, but I have to agree with the sentiment that the animatronic could have been better utilized in the show stop before the train goes forward again.
Think about it. You are there for a good twenty seconds, and are a captive audience. It would be a great moment of "peril" for the guests as he swings down and tries to claw at you, only to have the train burst out of the mountain just in the nick of time. You could have a lesser AA at the end where he is now, doing pretty much what he's doing now, and if the previous scene had been that impressive, it wouldn't matter. It'd be one last look at the monster of Everest.
I still loved Everest and rode it three times in one day, which was kind of a miracle considering it was Spring Break crowds.
Think about it. You are there for a good twenty seconds, and are a captive audience. It would be a great moment of "peril" for the guests as he swings down and tries to claw at you, only to have the train burst out of the mountain just in the nick of time. You could have a lesser AA at the end where he is now, doing pretty much what he's doing now, and if the previous scene had been that impressive, it wouldn't matter. It'd be one last look at the monster of Everest.
I still loved Everest and rode it three times in one day, which was kind of a miracle considering it was Spring Break crowds.
trr1
Well-Known Member
or holding a feather
Castle Cake Apologist
Well-Known Member
I have to completely disagree. I always thought that the Yeti encounter(when it functioned) was the most thrilling moment of the ride. Most people I know feel the same way.
The quickness of the encounter is part of the appeal, I guess some just don't see that.
If Stitch taught us anything, it's that amazing animatronics can be ruined by too much exposure time.
docandsix
Active Member
Ding, ding, ding. Give that man a cigar.
For my money, Expedition Everest with the yeti in A-mode buries Revenge of the Mummy with its obviously mechanical mummies that get far too much "exposure" and end up seeming hokey and fake as a result. There's something thematically appropriate about avoiding intimate encounters with mythical, mysterious, and possibly even unreal creatures.
When I look at the amazing Jack Sparrow for 20-plus seconds at the end of Pirates of the Caribbean my response is something like, "Wow, that's a pretty impressive robot." Similarly, on Stitch's Great Escape, sitting and staring at Stitch elicits more an appreciation of the engineering and mechanics being displayed than any emotional engagement. I never felt that way on Expedition Everest. Instead, I felt raw excitement and even a bit of terror.
Besides, how would it be now if we had to see an immobile disco yeti for an extended 15-second scene?
EpcotFanForever
Active Member
Rumor has it that the mountain is getting new sponsorship, but the Yeti will be changed somewhat.
yoyoflamingo
Well-Known Member
Posted a comment as well. Let's see if it goes through:
Can we please get the Yeti in Expedition Everest to work like that again? It really was very impressive!
I, too, was fortunate enough to ride EE back in 2006 when the yeti was fully functional (we go to the World every year). And it was truly amazing to see such a large AA appear so lifelike even if it was only for a few seconds. Which, for me, added to it's appeal. If such a creature existed, would you really want to be around it for more than a few seconds any way? So, for me, the briefness of the encounter added to it's mystique.
It really is a shame that this issue has been allowed to go on for so long. I understand that WDW is a year around event. And to schedule downtime to fix him will be tricky to say the least. But I have to believe that fixing him would be for the best in the long run. In the short run, yes, you'll have some months of downtime. But to spend so much money on their largest, most expensive, AA only to see him break down and become a glorified statue has to not sit well with a bunch of the Disney higher ups. It surely doesn't sit well with me.
I feel like we're all wasting our breath. But hopefully one day they will fix the yeti along with all the other non-functioning affects on EE and return it to its former glory.
It really is a shame that this issue has been allowed to go on for so long. I understand that WDW is a year around event. And to schedule downtime to fix him will be tricky to say the least. But I have to believe that fixing him would be for the best in the long run. In the short run, yes, you'll have some months of downtime. But to spend so much money on their largest, most expensive, AA only to see him break down and become a glorified statue has to not sit well with a bunch of the Disney higher ups. It surely doesn't sit well with me.
I feel like we're all wasting our breath. But hopefully one day they will fix the yeti along with all the other non-functioning affects on EE and return it to its former glory.
fbp
Well-Known Member
Wow, that looks amazing. I've never ridden it while the Yeti is in A mode. Hopefully someday... I was also sorely disappointed the first time I rode. I completely missed the Yeti.
Can't they do something though? Hire a person to hold a rope connected to the Yeti's arm. Every time a train car rolls by she or he lowers the rope. Much better than a strobe light. Problem solved.
RSoxNo1
Well-Known Member
Again, there are ways they can refurb Expedition Everest, but their refusal is due to obvious negligence around the park. A series of band-aid solutions has finally caught up to them.
The park opened with two attractions (Dinosaur and Kali) and two modes of transportation (Discovery River Boats and Wildlife Express Train). They quickly opened Asia a year later with a shortened version of what was meant to be a longer Rapids ride, as well as a strong walk through. The theming for the Anandapur expansion was done very well, Kali just needed to be longer.
At this point also, it was realized that the original intent of the Discovery River Boats was meant to be more than a mode of transportation. Rather than improve the attraction with an actual budget, they closed the attraction. Then the issues of capacity came out and the band aid solution of Dinorama came to be.
Expedition Everest was a major step in the right direction, and continued the theming that the park should be known for, but because it has been the only substantial addition to an under built park's 12 year existence, they have to rely on it so much.
In short, I love this park - but there isn't enough there for most people. I can spend 3 hours just on the live animal based attractions, but I know I'm in the minority there.
This next step for this park is a New Fantasyland level expansion on the Camp Minnie Mickey land. This budget will include moving the Festival of the Lion King to Africa.
Once this happens they'll have the flexibility to do several other things like add a nighttime show, close Everest to fix the Yeti, replace Dinorama with something more fitting and other things that haven't been widely discussed yet.
The park opened with two attractions (Dinosaur and Kali) and two modes of transportation (Discovery River Boats and Wildlife Express Train). They quickly opened Asia a year later with a shortened version of what was meant to be a longer Rapids ride, as well as a strong walk through. The theming for the Anandapur expansion was done very well, Kali just needed to be longer.
At this point also, it was realized that the original intent of the Discovery River Boats was meant to be more than a mode of transportation. Rather than improve the attraction with an actual budget, they closed the attraction. Then the issues of capacity came out and the band aid solution of Dinorama came to be.
Expedition Everest was a major step in the right direction, and continued the theming that the park should be known for, but because it has been the only substantial addition to an under built park's 12 year existence, they have to rely on it so much.
In short, I love this park - but there isn't enough there for most people. I can spend 3 hours just on the live animal based attractions, but I know I'm in the minority there.
This next step for this park is a New Fantasyland level expansion on the Camp Minnie Mickey land. This budget will include moving the Festival of the Lion King to Africa.
Once this happens they'll have the flexibility to do several other things like add a nighttime show, close Everest to fix the Yeti, replace Dinorama with something more fitting and other things that haven't been widely discussed yet.
