Does anyone have word on when the Yeti might be repaired and stop operating in "disco" mode?
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Does anyone have word on when the Yeti might be repaired and stop operating in "disco" mode?
There isn't a lot of solid information as to what they are trying to do, but recently he has been hidden by a tarp so there MAY be some work going on.
Best info I've generally heard is that the base is severely damaged and cannot be easily repaired without a major refurb. There have been attempts to try an "A-mode lite" that would allow for movement but without as much force as normal, but that apparently didn't work out. So he's been kept in B-mode (a.k.a. "disco"), or from some reports, "C-mode" - i.e. no lights at all.
I spoke to a CM (Hi, Roberto!) in December, who works on the animatronics in AK. Apparently the problem with the current Yeti is the starting and stopping motion puts too much strain on the entire mechanism. He said that the funding has been approved to build a continual-motion sort of Yeti. It won't be as realistic as the old one...no reach and grab motion...but it will move, and will be the same size. He says it should be up and running in "2011 sometime".
What a sad situation. Disney bragged incessantly about how this AA was such a technological marvel and all it's done is serve to embarrass them and show how far the company has slipped.
Couldn't have said it better myself.
It also further underlines the unfinished nature of Animal Kingdom.
and Disney's lack of interest in rectifying this situation further proves that they dont follow through on projects... if it doesnt work correctly fix it before it becomes a major issue... alla disco Yeti...
In fairness, I wouldn't be so quick to say it was a case of laziness.
That certainly is true elsewhere in other maintainance areas, but provided the "fan orthodoxy" is true (which, of course, is touch-and-go), it would appear to be more of a bad-planning issue - a design flaw coupled with the fact that the park would empty with Everest closed for any period of time - rather than a laziness one.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3175/...b5f5b58cc1.jpg
"Yes it's true; more planning went into the engineering of my giant distended earring than Everest's Yeti."
http://disney.go.com/vault/legends/i...DS_YGracey.jpg
"Lose that abomination hangin' from your gourd and fix that bigfoot, son!"
You just made my night.
Maybe they could have had more money for R&D if they hadn't gone on their jolly to Nepal. Marc Davis and Claude Coats built Pirates without having to visit the Caribbean.
The original imagineers did more with craft store supplies a flashlight and baling wire than these current ones can do with all their fancy computers, lasers, and college degrees. It's pathetic.
It is amazing to see that the original AA's seem to hold up a lot better then the newer ones. One would think that with technology advancements being what they are, that wouldn't be the case.
i didnt necessarily mean they were lazy... more that i think they never really finish what they start... not because of laziness... more because of to broad of horizons... like they try to start another project before the first one is completely finished... i think that is the issue here... not long after the attraction opened they knew the Yeti was already an issue... and rather than reprogram it to be less "herky jerky" they were onto new important business... and the Yeti was a backburner project...Quote:
Originally Posted by 20K
Fair enough, but then that's an even more ****ing indictment of the culture and scope. Compare and contrast with WED working on every single Magic Kingdom attraction at the same time forty years ago...
Still, we need to keep this all in perspective. As fans (albeit cynical ones), we forget the rest of the visitors. You know. The ones who walk around with their park maps or guide books. To those people, there is no "yeti in b-mode". Everest isn't the ride where you encounter the yeti. It's the roller coaster where you go backwards.