Audio Animatronics are the core of many of Disney’s classic attractions. However, these beautys are incredibly complex, which makes them incredibly costly to produce. Since Disney never wants old tech to go to waste, Audio-Animatronics often find new homes after their old homes have entered the realms of yesterland. Read on for 7 Audio Animatronics who find new life after their attractions left the parks.
1. The Three Caballeros
Donald Duck, Jose, and Panchito have delighted audiences since their debut in 1944. Their musical popularity took them soaring straight into the Mickey Mouse Revue, an animatronic extravaganza in Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland. An opening day attraction, the Mickey Mouse Revue delighted guests from 1971-1980. The three animatronic birds then shipped their show over to Tokyo Disneyland with the rest of the Revue. Tokyo Disneyland guests enjoyed the Caballeros until 2009. After their run in Japan, the Caballeros shipped out once again all the way back to their home in Orlando. Instead of landing in Fantasyland, these birds headed to the Grand Fiesta Tour starring the Three Caballeros in the Mexico Pavilion of Epcot’s World Showcase. In their current home, Donald, Jose, and Panchito perform their Three Caballeros world tour after finishing their real-life world tour.
2. The Animals of Splash Mountain
Splash Mountain Finale
Image: Haydn Blackey, Flickr (license)
Tony Baxter filled a room with models of his newest proposed attractions. Side by side with models and artwork for Discovery Bay (read about it in POSSIBILITYLAND: Discovery Bay) were models for an attraction named after the 1984 live action mermaid film Splash. It’s biggest selling point: it could be made cheap, EXTREMELY cheap. In the wake of the EuroDisney fiasco, cheap was the only option. Baxter was able to design such a cheap attraction by taking almost all the ride’s animatronics from the departing America Sings. The animatronics were wheeled around the back of the park, reprogrammed to sing How Do Ya Do, Everybody’s Got a Laughin’ Place, or Zip-a-dee-do-da, and plopped directly into Splash Mountain where they stay to this day.
3. Star Tours Droids
Star Tours Droid
Image: Loren Javier, Flickr (license)
America Sings was a gold mine for animatronics in the 80s. Long before the animals headed over to Critter Country, two geese disappeared from the show. Later, imagineers admitted to removing the two for a new ride featuring a well-known space odyssey. These two geese had their feathers plucked and all their outside dressings removed. A couple of plastic pieces and a reprogramming later, these geese were official Star Tours agents qualified to screen passengers and (attempt) to fix droids.
4. The Faces of the Carribean
Pirates of the Carribean Auction Scene
Image: Chris Murray, Flickr (license)
Back before Disney exported animatronic production to a third party, all the many faces of favorite characters were produced by a limited number of artists. As such, sometimes animatronics had the same face only with different hair or body shapes. This was EXTREMELY common in Pirates of the Carribean. In the Well scene, Mayor Carlos and the second tied up man from the left share a face. In the Auction scene, the drunkard on the bridge shares a face with one of the catcallers on the steps. The man of many hats in the burning city shares a face with one singing pirates by the donkey.
5. Br’er Fox and Br’er Rabbit
Br’er Fox
Image: Haydn Blackey, Flickr (license)
While most of the animals from America Sings were generic enough to be directly imported to Splash Mountain, some of the most recognizable like Sam Eagle needed a bit of a cosmetic work first. Luckily, the tall frame of Sam Eagle was a perfect fit to become conniving Br’er Fox. Sam’s shorter partner, Ollie Owl, was a perfect fit to become the spry Br’er Rabbit. Ollie and Sam were stripped down and redressed with brand new animal skins on their way to Splash Mountain.
6. Honeypot Swing
Pooh’s Honey Swing
Image: Loren Javier, Flickr (license)
Winnie the Pooh was a superstar of the 90s. Under the Eisner regime, this required a presence in the park. As such, everyone’s favorite bear immediately replaced a classic bear troupe that regularly performed across from Splash Mountain: Country Bear Jamboree (read about the original in this LOST LEGEND: Country Bear Jamboree). Even Teddi Berra didn’t survive the change, but her famous swing did. In the Heffalumps and Woosles scene, Pooh descends in a hot air balloon chowing down on honey. The mechanism that brings Pooh’s balloon up and down is the same mechanism that Teddi used to swing in on!
7. Child Detection Agents: Actually Humans?
CDA Agent
Image: Loren Javier, Flickr (license)
Monsters, Inc. Mike and Sulley to the Rescue replaced the daft Superstar Limo (which you can read more about in this DISASTER FILE: Superstar Limo). Monsters, Inc. Mike and Sulley to the Rescue has very few, mostly limited animatronics, but a few used to be the overly caricature Hollywood residents of Superstar Limos. Tim Allen, Jackie Chan, and even Whoopi Goldberg donned yellow jump suits and became Agents of the CDA. The old movie stars can be identified as they still hold the exact same poses as they did during Superstar Limo and even move in the same ways.
