How Expedition Everest Forever Changed Disney’s Animal Kingdom
On April 7, 2006, the constitution of Disney’s Animal Kingdom changed forever when Expedition Everest opened.
As strange as it seems now when guests were first introduced to Disney’s Animal Kingdom in 1998, neither Expedition Everest nor the expanded section of Asia was present.
Instead, Animal Kingdom was a sleepy park that focused on the intersection of the natural world and Disney storytelling. At the time, the most thrilling attraction in the park was Countdown to Extinction.
When Expedition Everest opened, then, it changed everything.
Disney’s Original Plans For Animal Kingdom
To understand the story of Expedition Everest, we have to travel back to the mid-1990s when Joe Rhode and his Imagineers were developing Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Initially, Disney intended for Animal Kingdom to focus on three distinct groups of animals. Obviously, the park would showcase real, modern animals and give guests a unique opportunity to learn about the natural world.
Photo: Disney
Additionally, however, Disney planned to dedicate sections of the park to dinosaurs and mythical animals.
To this end, plans for Disney’s Animal Kingdom originally called for a Beastly Kingdom, where guests would encounter dragons, unicorns, and other mythical animals.
Beastly Kingdom concept art. Photo: Disney
As the development of Disney’s Animal Kingdom continued, however, it became evident that Imagineers had neither the time nor resources to complete both Beastly Kingdom and DinoLand, U.S.A., in time for the park’s opening day.
Eventually, they decided to open a slimmed-down version of DinoLand and push Beastly Kingdom back to the park’s Phase II. Additionally, a temporary land called Camp Minnie-Mickey was hastily created as a placeholder for Beastly Kingdom.
Photo: Pinterest
Due to a myriad of reasons, Beastly Kingdom would never come to fruition. Without the land, however, Animal Kingdom clearly needed a E-Ticket attraction.
The solution would be Expedition Everest.
Expedition Everest Is Born
On April 22, 2003 (Animal Kingdom’s 5th anniversary) Disney announced that Expedition Everest, a new roller coaster, was coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Photo: Disney
Drawing inspiration from Disneyland’s iconic Matterhorn, Imagineers decided to set their new roller coaster deep in the Himalayan Mountains of Asia.
Much like the abominable snowman who lurks within the Matterhorn, this new adventure would feature the legendary Yeti, who for centuries has been rumored to roam the mountain range.
Photo: Disney
Since Mount Everest is the most well-known mountain in the region (and the tallest in the world), the Imagineers wanted the famous locale to play a central role in their new attraction.
However, because Everest itself lacks a distinct silhouette, Imagineer Joe Rohde opted to design an entire fictional mountain range with Everest looming in the distance. The actual ride, then, would unfold on the dramatic slopes of the ominously named Forbidden Mountain.
Research and Construction
To ensure that Expedition Everest oozed authenticity, Disney Imagineers flew to Nepal, Tibet, and China to better understand the region’s culture and architecture.
Photo: Disney
Additionally, the team invested an immense amount of time into researing the Yeti. Wanting their creature to look plausible, Imagineers studied various primates and combined their attributes to create the Yeti’s movements.
Once their research was complete, Imagineers set out to create the attraction itself. Before settling on the final design, the team explored twenty-four different concepts.
Photo: Disney
Next, they built a six-foot scale model, which was digitally scanned into a computer. This allowed the team to fine-tune the track layout before construction began.
Interestingly, the attraction is supported by three separate structural systems, one for the roller coaster track, one for the mountain, and one for the Yeti animatronic.
Photo: Disney
During the track’s construction, Disney used around 25,000 pieces of steel, totaling an incredible 1,800 tons. They poured 18.7 million pounds of concrete to bring the mountain to life and used over 2,000 gallons of paint.
Expedition Everest Opens
Finally, on April 7, 2006, Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain officially opened to guests. Not only did the attraction give Animal Kingdom the E-Ticket attraction that it sorely needed, but it also fulfilled Disney’s original promise that the park would showcase mythical animals.
Photo: Extinct Disney
Since the attraction opened, Expedition Everest has undergone a relatively small number of changes and is now widely considered a classic Disney attraction.
Still perhaps the most popular ride in Animal Kingdom, Expedition Everest has stood the test of time. Hopefully, the attraction’s story is just beginning, and guests will continue to adventure into the Forbidden Mountain for years to come.
Now, if we could just fix the Yeti.
