We have established many times that it’s a small world continues to be one of the most popular and well known attractions at all of the Disney parks around the world. We did just report here that Disney will be making it’s a small world a walkthrough attraction. That was a disappointment to many. However, Disney has decided to take the popularity of the dolls from it’s a small world and bring them to another attraction.
Na’vi River Journey is one of the newest attractions at Animal Kingdom, opening in 2017 with the opening of Pandora – The World of Avatar. It is a breathtaking attraction where you journey through the world of the Na’vi and see the beautiful bioluminescent rainforest. It ends with one of the most sophisticated and impressive animatronics Disney has ever made.
At the end of Na’vi River Journey, guests are greeted by the Na’vi Shaman which is a towering 10 feet tall. The Shaman has extremely realistic movements and is very fluid. It looks extremely lifelike and almost human. However, Disney has had many issues with this animatronic working recently. When the giant Shaman isn’t working, Disney actually replaces it with a screen to play a projection, which isn’t nearly as exciting or impressive.
Recently, many guests have been complaining about the Shaman not functioning and only seeing the screen. Disney has decided to replace it with an it’s a small world doll dressed like the Shaman. Disney is doing this for a few reasons. First off, everyone loves the it’s a small world dolls. In fact, Disney will be opening an it’s a small world meet and greet, which you can read about here.
The other reason is to solve the malfunctioning issues. It’s a small world dolls are some of the most reliable animatronics on Disney property. It’s extremely rare for one to be out of commission. Disney is relying on that consistency so they can have a working Shaman at the end of the attraction instead of projecting on a screen. This is such a shame as the Shaman animatronic cost $10,000,000 to create.
This begs the question, will Disney use it’s a small world dolls on more attractions in the future? It is unclear, however, the reasoning to use them is sound. Let us know what you think of this change in the comments below.
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