Turns out one of Disney World’s biggest coasters almost went a completely different direction before anyone ever thought of a Yeti. Former Disney Imagineer Joe Rohde just spilled the details to Entertainment Weekly, revealing that Expedition Everest’s very first concept wasn’t about the Himalayas at all. It started with Bigfoot. Here’s the wild origin story behind one of Animal Kingdom’s most popular rides.
It All Started With Bigfoot, Seriously
Rohde broke the whole thing down for Entertainment Weekly at this year’s D23 convention, expanding on something he briefly touches on in his upcoming book, Floating Mountains, dropping September 8. As the guy who led Disney’s internal team building Animal Kingdom before it opened in 1998, Rohde explained execs basically told his team they needed a thrill ride, no ifs ands or buts.
“In the cascade of ideas, we have to put in a roller coaster,” Rohde said. Simple enough request, except then came the real problem, finding actual space for something that big. “Coasters are land-hungry because speed equals real estate,” he explained. “If you’re going to go fast, you’re going to cover ground, if you’re going to cover ground, you need a lot of ground to put in this thing. Whatever this thing is, it’s going to be big. Where even in this park is anywhere we can put something big, right?”
They Almost Built It in Camp Minnie-Mickey
According to what Rohde told EW, the team first eyed Camp Minnie-Mickey, an area that opened with Animal Kingdom as basically a placeholder for the long-delayed Beastly Kingdom expansion, which was supposed to be all about mythical creatures but never actually happened. Camp Minnie-Mickey had this woodsy, totally non-jungle vibe built around Disney characters camping, home to shows like Festival of the Lion King, which later moved to Africa, plus Pocahontas and Her Forest Friends.
Since there was way more open land there than anywhere else in the jungle-themed park, Rohde figured it could actually work for a big coaster. Problem was, nothing about it connected thematically. “There’s no money for a land. Right now we have Camp Minnie-Mickey down there. What in the world would even remotely connect to a little Adirondack summer camp thing? Maybe we could do this Bigfoot thing,” Rohde remembered telling his team. “It never goes further: A name, an idea, and a place, but that’s not going to fly. We’d have to do so much additional creation. Forget it, right?”
Bigfoot Led Straight to the Yeti
Even though the Bigfoot idea got shot down fast, it planted the seed for everything that came next. Rohde put it simply: “Bigfoot puts into your mind the Yeti.” That connection got his team thinking about other legendary creatures that could fit Animal Kingdom’s whole vibe of celebrating animals from the past, present, and pure imagination, the same idea that gave the park its now-closed dinosaur area for years.
Rohde also told EW his team had actually floated a Himalayan snow leopard concept way back in 1991 or 1992, before Animal Kingdom even existed. That old idea eventually merged with the Yeti concept, and they landed on the exact plot of land in the park’s Asia section that became Expedition Everest when it finally opened in 2006.
Looking back on it all, Rohde told EW, “There’s a logical underlying process before you get to the question of, okay, if that’s what we’re going to do, how are we going to tell this story in a rich, interesting, surprising way?” That whole journey, Bigfoot to Yeti, ended up creating one of Disney’s most technically insane attractions.
Meet Disco Yeti, The Broken Legend
Here’s the twist though. Despite all that creative genius, Expedition Everest’s actual Yeti animatronic has been broken basically since the ride opened in 2006. Not long after debut, the huge figure that’s supposed to confront riders near the end of the track just stopped working right and never got properly fixed. Instead of pulling it out entirely, Disney just threw in some strobe lights to fake motion as trains fly past, and fans affectionately started calling it “Disco Yeti.”
Good news for anyone who’s been waiting on this for almost two decades. At this year’s D23, Disney confirmed they’re finally bringing the Yeti “back to life” inside Expedition Everest. No word yet on exactly what that fix looks like or when it’s actually happening, but it’s coming.
Why This Story Actually Matters for Your Next Ride
If Animal Kingdom’s on your Walt Disney World itinerary, this backstory genuinely makes the ride hit different once you know it. Knowing Expedition Everest could’ve been a whole Bigfoot situation instead of the Yeti makes the actual finished ride feel way more deliberate every time you’re flying through those fake Himalayas. Definitely worth keeping an eye on updates about the Yeti fix too, because an actually working animatronic is going to change the whole ride for anyone who’s only ever seen Disco Yeti in action.
Already planning your Disney World trip and Expedition Everest’s on the list? Check for updates on that Yeti restoration before you go, since Disney will probably drop more details as things move along.
Did you know Expedition Everest almost started as a Bigfoot ride, or are you more hyped about finally seeing a working Yeti? Tell us in the comments what you’re hoping to see once Disney actually shares more.
Credit to Entertainment Weekly for the original exclusive interview with Joe Rohde behind this story.
