One of the many aspects that make the Disney theme parks stand out from other offerings are the details and technology that go into creating their Audio-Animatronics. Of course, from time to time, these figures don’t function as they should or might not reach the level of skill as others. Take for example the infamous “Disco Yeti” that resides in Expedition Everest or the recent uproar about President Trump’s Hall of Presidents figure. As bad as those were (and only arguably so in Trump’s case), they don’t compare the nightmare few days Disney AAs endured this past weekend.
The trouble started on Friday when Ellen Degeneres was gifted with what claimed to be her Audio-Animatronic from the now-defunct Ellens’ Energy Adventure. In reality, it would seem that it wasn’t actually the full robot but, at best, the mold and clothing for the figure. When this mold was placed over a different body, the results were… awkward.
For the record, Disney says it did not send Ellen the figure and that this was just a gag by the staff, so it’s unclear how fair this portrayal really is. In any case, it seemed to set off a bad omen worldwide as two figures managed to lose their heads this past weekend. The victims of this apparent curse include the auctioneer in Disneyland Paris’ Pirates of the Caribbean and the sea witch herself, Ursula, in Disney California Adventure’s The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure. Both broken displays were disconcerting,Ā to say the least:
Naturally, these embarrassingĀ incidents made great fodder for memes ā including a couple that managed to combine the three events:
https://twitter.com/wesisrad/status/957765999649988608
In any case, hopefully Disney’s famed AAs have some better days going forward than they did this past week.