Some of Walt Disney World’s most beloved attractions have origin stories that would surprise even longtime fans, and Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom is a perfect example. The towering, snow covered coaster that guests have raced through since 2006 nearly took a completely different creative direction before Imagineers ever settled on the Himalayas. According to an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly, former Disney Imagineer Joe Rohde revealed that the ride’s earliest concept wasn’t inspired by a Yeti at all, but by Bigfoot, and the story of how that idea transformed into one of Animal Kingdom’s signature attractions is genuinely fascinating.Credit: D23From Bigfoot to the HimalayasCredit: Trey Ratcliff, FlickrSpeaking with Entertainment Weekly at this year’s D23 convention, Rohde detailed the creative journey behind Expedition Everest, a topic also touched on briefly in his upcoming book Floating Mountains, out September 8. Rohde led Disney’s internal design team responsible for creating Animal Kingdom ahead of its 1998 opening, and he explained that the pressure to build a thrill ride came directly from company executives during the park’s early development.“In the cascade of ideas, we have to put in a roller coaster,” Rohde told EW, describing the concept phase Disney tasked his team with. From there, the challenge became finding actual physical space for something that large. “Coasters are land-hungry because speed equals real estate,” Rohde explained. “If you’re going to go fast, you’re going to cover ground, if you’re going to cover ground, you need a lot of ground to put in this thing. Whatever this thing is, it’s going to be big. Where even in this park is anywhere we can put something big, right?”Searching for Land in Camp Minnie-MickeyAccording to Rohde’s account to Entertainment Weekly, the team initially looked at Camp Minnie-Mickey, an area that opened alongside Animal Kingdom as a temporary placeholder for the long delayed Beastly Kingdom expansion, which was meant to be themed around mythical creatures but ultimately never opened. Camp Minnie-Mickey featured a woodsy, distinctly non-jungle aesthetic centered around classic Disney characters camping, home to live shows like Festival of the Lion King, which later relocated to the park’s Africa section, along with Pocahontas and Her Forest Friends.Given how much open land existed in that area compared to the rest of the jungle themed park, Rohde felt it could realistically support a large scale coaster. But there was an obvious problem tying the concept together thematically. “There’s no money for a land. Right now we have Camp Minnie-Mickey down there. What in the world would even remotely connect to a little Adirondack summer camp thing? Maybe we could do this Bigfoot thing,” Rohde recalled telling his team. “It never goes further: A name, an idea, and a place, but that’s not going to fly. We’d have to do so much additional creation. Forget it, right?”How Bigfoot Led the Team to the YetiCredit: DisneyEven though the Bigfoot concept never advanced beyond that early conversation, it planted the seed for what eventually became Expedition Everest. As Rohde put it, “Bigfoot puts into your mind the Yeti,” which pushed his team toward exploring other fantastical, lore based creatures that could fit Animal Kingdom’s broader thematic mission of showcasing animals of the past, present, and imagination. Until earlier this year, the park even had a dedicated dinosaur themed area reflecting that same storytelling framework.Rohde also revealed to Entertainment Weekly that his team had actually floated the idea of a Himalayan snow leopard inspired attraction as far back as 1991 or 1992, long before Animal Kingdom even opened. That early interest in the Himalayas eventually connected with the Yeti concept, and the team landed on the same plot of land within the park’s Asia section that would ultimately become home to Expedition Everest when it opened in 2006.Reflecting on the overall design process, Rohde told EW, “There’s a logical underlying process before you get to the question of, okay, if that’s what we’re going to do, how are we going to tell this story in a rich, interesting, surprising way?” That process, starting with Bigfoot and ending with the Yeti, ultimately shaped one of Disney’s most technically ambitious attractions.The Yeti’s Long Struggle and Its Upcoming ComebackDespite the years of creative development behind it, Expedition Everest’s signature Yeti audio-animatronic figure has had a rocky history since the ride’s 2006 debut. Shortly after opening, the elaborate figure that confronts guests near the end of the ride’s track stopped functioning properly and has remained broken ever since. Rather than removing it, Disney installed flashing strobe lights to simulate motion as ride vehicles zoom past, an improvised fix that fans affectionately nicknamed “Disco Yeti.”That long standing joke among Disney fans may finally be coming to an end. At this year’s D23 convention, Disney announced plans to bring the Yeti “back to life” inside Expedition Everest, though the company has not yet released specific details about what that restoration will actually involve or when guests can expect to see it completed.Why This Backstory Matters for Your Next Animal Kingdom VisitFor guests planning an upcoming trip to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, this bit of behind the scenes history adds real context to what’s currently one of the park’s most popular attractions. Knowing that Expedition Everest almost became an entirely different ride, tied to Bigfoot rather than the Yeti, makes the finished product feel even more deliberate once you’re actually riding through the mock Himalayas. It’s also worth keeping an eye on future updates regarding the Yeti restoration, since a fully functioning animatronic could meaningfully change the ride experience for anyone who’s only ever seen “Disco Yeti” in action.If you’re already planning a Walt Disney World trip and Expedition Everest is on your must-ride list, it might be worth checking for updates on the Yeti restoration timeline before you go, since Disney could reveal more concrete details as the project progresses.Did you know Expedition Everest almost started out as a Bigfoot ride, or are you more interested in finally seeing the Yeti working again? Let us know in the comments what you’re hoping to see once Disney shares more about the restoration.Credit to Entertainment Weekly for the original exclusive interview with Joe Rohde that made this story possible.The post Disney Cancelled Bigfoot Coaster, Scrapping Plans for New Theme Park Attraction appeared first on Inside the Magic.