Disney announced at D23 that the Yeti animatronic in Expedition Everest at Disney's Animal Kingdom is getting brought back to working condition. The reveal happened on stage with Chairman Thomas Mazloum interrupting Neil Patrick Harris to share the news, and yes, they got Gloria Gaynor to perform "I Will Survive" as a send-off to the beloved (but long-broken) figure.
For context, the Yeti's been sitting still in the attraction for years. The nearly 200-foot Forbidden Mountain that houses the ride has always been built around this creature's legend. When you're in the queue, you're walking through a trailside museum with evidence of yeti attacks, sketches from supposed sightings, and even a giant footprint mold. The actual ride takes you up the mountain on an old tea train, and there are a few spots where you see signs of the Yeti's presence: torn tracks, knocked-over structures, the general chaos a protective mountain guardian might cause.
The whole attraction draws inspiration from the northwest face of Mount Everest and geological features from Tibet and Nepal, so the Yeti fits perfectly as the mountain's mysterious resident. Getting this animatronic working again is a solid win for anyone who's ridden the coaster and wondered what the Yeti could do if it were actually moving.
