Disney is bringing back one of its most iconic theme park characters — the animatronic yeti at Walt Disney World’s Expedition Everest — as the company doubles down on fan-focused investments across its parks and resorts.
The announcement was met with loud cheers from about 12,000 Disney fans at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, California, where Thomas Mazloum, chairman of Disney Experiences, unveiled plans to restore the attraction’s long-dormant yeti.
“We are bringing the yeti back to life,” Mazloum told the audience during Disney Experiences’ showcase on Saturday.
The yeti has been largely stationary since Expedition Everest opened at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in 2006. At the time, the figure was the largest and most complex audio-animatronic Walt Disney Imagineering had built.
However, the animatronic broke down only months after the attraction opened. Because of its difficult location inside the completed ride, repairing it proved challenging.
Disney subsequently placed the figure in what is known as “B-mode”, using a strobe-light effect to create the illusion of movement. The malfunctioning yeti became affectionately known among fans as “Disco Yeti”.
Nearly two decades later, Disney plans to give the attraction a second life.
Mazloum, who took over as head of Disney Experiences after Josh D’Amaro was appointed Disney chief executive officer, also announced the return of fan favourites Dreamfinder and Figment to Epcot in Florida, alongside plans to overhaul Tomorrowland at Disneyland in California.
The announcements underscore the direction of Disney’s theme parks, cruise lines and consumer products business, which remains a major focus of the company’s long-term growth strategy.
Disney has committed about $60 billion to its Experiences division over a decade, with the investment covering new attractions, lands, cruise ships and other developments.
Mazloum said the strategy would require Disney to balance large-scale expansions designed to attract occasional and international visitors with smaller improvements aimed at loyal guests and annual passholders.
“Our job is to listen carefully and then find the way to harmonize the different needs and wants,” he said.
“The simplest way to frame it is: I’m really focused on making sure we put our fans and the consumer and the guests into the centre of our decision-making,” Mazloum added.
He pointed to Disney Experiences’ recent financial performance as evidence that the strategy was working. The division generated nearly $10 billion in revenue in the company’s fiscal third quarter, representing a 10% increase from the same period a year earlier and a quarterly record.
“I believe the results are at the end of doing something right at the beginning, and that is really putting the fans in the centre of our attention,” Mazloum said.
Disney reported that attendance at its domestic parks increased by 3%, while guest spending rose by 4%.
The company attributed part of the strong performance to its Cool Kids Summer promotion, which includes character meet-and-greets, dance parties, air-conditioned spaces and free water park admission on check-in day for guests staying at Disney resorts.
Disney has also recently refreshed attractions including Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and the Muppets-themed Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster.
Disney is continuing to use its extensive library of intellectual property to create new reasons for visitors to return to its parks.
Among the upcoming projects are the refurbishment of the Carousel of Progress, expected to be completed in late spring 2027, and the opening of the Monsters, Inc.-themed Monstropolis land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, also scheduled for 2027.
The company is also developing an expansion of Avengers Campus, a new Villains Land, a Cars-themed retheming of Frontierland and the Tropical Americas land.
These major projects are expected to appeal particularly to visitors who travel less frequently to Disney resorts, including out-of-state and international tourists.
Disney has previously highlighted the power of its intellectual property to drive international attendance.
“The percentage of people that go to Shanghai Disneyland just to go to Zootopia Land is very, very high,” former CEO Bob Iger said during the company’s fiscal first-quarter earnings report in February.
Rewarding Loyal Fans
While major new attractions are designed to draw new visitors, Disney is also focusing on the guests who return to its parks annually or several times a year.
Those visitors often have strong emotional connections to Disney’s characters, attractions, seasonal events, parades, live entertainment and nighttime spectaculars.
At the D23 event, Disney announced the return of two popular nighttime shows — “Remember Dreams Come True” at Disneyland and the original “World of Color” at Disney California Adventure.
The “Magic Happens” parade will also return to Disneyland.
Gavin Doyle, founder of MickeyVisit.com, said the announcements demonstrated that Disney was responding to its most loyal fans.
“This new set of announcements demonstrates that Disney is listening to what fans want,” Doyle said.
“The reaction in the room was cheering and thunderous applause. People feel like Disney hears what they have been asking for.”
For Disney, the return of the yeti, Figment, Dreamfinder and other familiar attractions represents more than nostalgia. The company is betting that smaller, emotionally meaningful changes can strengthen loyalty while its multibillion-dollar expansion programme creates the next generation of headline attractions.
Boluwatife Enome
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