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Disney’s Most Expensive Animatronic to Date Reportedly Missing From Attraction

A bioluminescent figure with blue skin, pointed ears, and long, dark braided hair, wearing intricate, colorful clothing reminiscent of the Na'vi River Journey, reaches forward. The background is dark, with glowing purple and blue plant-like forms surrounding the figure.
Credit: Jeremy Thompson, Flickr

Few areas in Walt Disney World are as impressive as Animal Kingdom’s Pandora The World of Avatar.

Animal Kingdom’s Pandora area is truly a marvel of Walt Disney Imagineering’s prowess. Not only is the theme park land mind-bogglingly real, but the attractions are also incredibly impressive.

On one hand, there’s Avatar Flight of Passage, a truly revolutionary ride that takes Guests into the world of James Cameron’s Avatar.

On the other hand, there’s also the Na’vi River Journey, which is a more…divisive attraction.

Na'vi River Journey

Credit: Disney

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The Na’vi River Journey is a slow-moving boat ride akin to “it’s a small world,” and just as divisive. While the attraction is calming and serene, many Guests find the ride boring and not worth the wait.

But there is one thing Guests can agree on, whether they enjoy the attraction or not: the grand finale is one of Walt Disney Imagineering’s most impressive animatronics to date.

na'vi river journey shaman

Credit: Jeremy Thompson, Flickr

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The audio-animatronic at the end of the Na’vi River Journey is said to have cost anywhere from $10 million to $23 million dollars, depending on the source.

However, it’s currently nowhere to be found…

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In this video, we can see that the iconic animatronic is missing, and a huge screen has been pulled down in its place.

Although it’s a disappointing sight, especially for an attraction already relying heavily on screens, there is a silver lining. The logical explanation is that the Na’vi River Journey is currently in ‘B Mode,’ as the audio-animatronic is experiencing technical difficulties.

Pandora World of Avatar

Credit: Disney

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Once the technical difficulties have been fixed, the Na’vi shaman animatronic will be returned to her usual spot, and the boat ride will resume normally, with no screen version of the grand finale.

About Isabella Reimer

Isabella Reimer grew up visiting Walt Disney World and relocated to Central Florida to be even closer to The Most Magical Place on Earth. She earned her Bachelor’s from Florida State University, where she studied Creative Writing and Women’s Studies. Her biggest hobby is bonding with the ikran at Avatar Flight of Passage, and her retirement plan includes becoming the 1,000 Happy Haunt of the Haunted Mansion.