After nearly two decades of waiting, Walt Disney World fans may finally see the legendary Yeti inside Expedition Everest move again. However, according to the Imagineer responsible for creating the attraction, Disney’s solution isn’t to repair the original animatronic. It’s to replace it entirely.
Former Walt Disney Imagineer and Disney Legend Joe Rohde recently revealed that Disney intends to install a replacement Yeti inside the popular Animal Kingdom roller coaster, potentially ending one of the longest-running technical problems in Disney theme park history.
Rohde discussed the situation during an appearance on the Welcome Home Podcast, where he was promoting his new book, Floating Mountains: The Art of Imagining the Impossible.
“They’re going to replace the Yeti,” Rohde said. “Because the reason is, if they could fix the Yeti, they would have fixed the Yeti.”
The revelation provides an important clarification following Disney’s announcement at the 2026 D23 event that the iconic creature would finally return to life.
Twenty Years of the Disco Yeti
When Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain opened at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in April 2006, its massive Yeti animatronic was among the most technologically ambitious figures Disney had ever constructed.
Standing approximately 25 feet tall, the creature was originally designed to make a dramatic swiping motion toward passing roller coaster trains, creating the terrifying illusion that riders were narrowly escaping its enormous claws.
Expedition Everest in Disney’s Animal Kingdom – Benjamin D. Esham / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Unfortunately, the figure’s full-motion operation was discontinued relatively early in the attraction’s history amid reported structural problems.
Disney subsequently implemented what became known as “B-mode,” using flashing strobe lights to create the illusion that the otherwise stationary creature was moving.
The workaround earned the figure its now-famous nickname: the “Disco Yeti.”
Despite the malfunction, Expedition Everest has remained one of Animal Kingdom’s most popular attractions, leaving Disney with the difficult task of addressing the problem without unnecessarily disrupting operations.
Joe Rohde Explains Why Replacement Makes Sense
During his podcast appearance, Rohde explained that the challenge extends well beyond simply repairing broken machinery.
Disney must consider engineering limitations, construction costs, available refurbishment windows, and the complicated process of removing an enormous animatronic from inside an existing roller coaster attraction.
Rohde also emphasized that the Yeti’s precise movements are less important than its ability to convincingly appear alive.
Joe Rohde speaking in an interview – YouTube, Poseidon Entertainment
“The purpose of the Yeti within the context of that story is to establish that it is alive,” Rohde explained. “In order to do that, it needs to move. That’s really the core story point of it. What it does is immaterial to me.”
Interestingly, Rohde acknowledged that he does not know exactly how the replacement figure will operate.
“I don’t actually know what it’s gonna do. I only know that they believe they have found a solution,” he said.
That leaves considerable uncertainty surrounding what Disney ultimately intends to install.
Disney Has Yet to Announce a Timeline
Disney Experiences Chairman Thomas Mazloum officially announced the Yeti’s return during D23 in August, declaring that Disney would bring the creature back to life.
However, the company has not publicly confirmed Rohde’s replacement claim or announced a construction schedule, attraction closure dates, or an anticipated debut for the new figure.
Rohde retired from Walt Disney Imagineering in 2021 and is not currently identified as part of the replacement project.
Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom – YouTube, Attractions 360°
Nevertheless, his comments offer encouraging news for guests who have spent nearly 20 years hoping to experience Expedition Everest as originally envisioned.
Whether Disney can recreate the original Yeti’s dramatic movements or introduce something entirely different remains to be seen.
For now, the possibility that Animal Kingdom’s most infamous broken animatronic could finally move again is welcome news for longtime Walt Disney World fans.
Do you want to see the Yeti move again at Expedition Everest? Sound off and let us know!
UP NEXT: Joe Rogan Signs New Multiyear Deal With Spotify Worth $250 Million
