Joe Rohde says the Yeti figure inside Expedition Everest will be replaced rather than repaired.
Rohde, the retired Imagineer who led the creation of Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Expedition Everest, discussed what he had learned during a Welcome Home Podcast interview published October 5.
He said the news reached him after his new book had gone to print. Rohde explained that the existing figure would have been repaired already if that were a workable solution.
Rohde Does Not Know How the New Yeti Will Move
Rohde said he does not know what the replacement figure will do. His understanding is that the current team believes it has found a solution.
For Rohde, the Yeti’s movement serves a specific story purpose: it convinces riders that the creature is alive. He also described the practical challenge of removing the existing figure and installing a new one inside a popular operating coaster.
Disney Has Not Announced a Replacement Schedule
Disney announced in August that it would bring the Yeti “back to life,” but it did not explain whether the figure would be repaired or replaced. It has not announced a construction schedule or described the new figure’s motion.
Rohde retired from Walt Disney Imagineering in 2021. His comments describe what he has learned about the project, not a new engineering announcement from Disney.
Sources: Welcome Home Podcast’s complete Joe Rohde interview and Disney Parks Blog’s August Yeti announcement.