Jump to content

If You’ve Ever Seen Disney’s B-Team in Action, We’re Sorry.


Recommended Posts

Disney World is the most magical place on earth. But, even magic has mishaps sometimes (ask almost every Disney character that has made a wish in their movie).

2024-wdw-Magic-Kingdom-cinderella-castle

Magic Kingdom

Nonetheless, the show must go on, and if there’s one thing Disney does best, it’s making sure they do whatever they can to do so. But how do they keep the curtains from closing? Well my little friend, let me introduce you to a little something called ‘B-Mode’.

Click here to subscribe

A great way of understanding B-mode is thinking of it like an understudy. An understudy steps in when the main actor of a show steps down for whatever reason, and this is exactly what B-mode does when the main A-mode element has an off day (because even animatronics or special effects need their days off too).  If you’re not sure if you’ve ever spotted B-mode in action, we got you covered with a few of the most iconic and common ones you can spot. 

Rise of the Resistance in Hollywood Studios

Rise of the Resistance is no stranger to “technical difficulties.” This popular ride has had issues since its opening in 2019 due to its highly complex system, making downtimes very common. Because of this, however, Disney has created an alternative element in case one of their “stars” has some difficulties working correctly (Pfft, diva much?).

2022-wdw-dhs-hollywood-studios-rise-of-t

Rise of the Resistance

During one scene of the attraction, Kylo Ren (in awesome animatronic form ) appears and threatens to use the Force against riders when an explosion opens a hole in the hull, stopping him from doing so. Unfortunately, it is common for this animatronic to have issues, so Disney Imagineers have created an alternative ending to the story, taking riders over to the windows of the ship where they will view Kylo Ren inside of his TIE Fighter instead. This eliminates the use of the animatronic in general, making the scene entirely powered by a projection screen. This change isn’t entirely too bad and can still be pretty cool, but we do miss getting to see the Kylo Ren animatronic in action whenever B-mode is in use.

2024-wdw-atmo-dhs-galaxys-edge-star-wars

Rise of the Resistance

Na’vi River Journey in Animal Kingdom

The Na’vi Shaman is one of the most impressive animatronics Disney Imagineering has ever created and has reportedly cost Disney $23 million to make. It’s definitely a huge draw for those wanting to ride Na’vi River Journey, but sadly, you might not even get to see it if B-mode is in place.

2021-wdw-disney-world-animal-kingdom-nav

Na’vi River Journey

When the Na’vi Shaman is malfunctioning, a screen is put in place to project a CGI version of the Shaman, making it feel a little anti-climactic.  This version of the attraction is truly the one that breaks our hearts the most since that animatronic is so incredible in person and is the star of the attraction. But, with advanced technology comes advanced technological problems, and the show must go on one way or another.

Expedition Everest in Animal Kingdom

Now, this one is very different than the rest of the B-Modes we mentioned because Expedition Everest is ALWAYS in B-Mode. Yup, it’s pretty permanent folks.

2023-WDW-Animal-Kingdom-Expedition-Evere

Expedition Everest

The shining star of this attraction is none other than the Yeti, who the story strongly revolves around. When entering Mount Everest, riders encounter a MASSIVE Yeti animatronic that would swipe at the vehicle, scaring and impressing riders all at once. And, by massive, I mean this Animatronic cost about $100 million to make (the gasp I just gusped when I found that out). It’s beautiful and intricate, and HUGE…and that’s just the issue.

yeti-expedition-everest--700x534.png

The Yeti!

Unfortunately, Disney realized that the animatronic was causing damage to the structure of the mountain, so it has been placed in perpetual B-Mode for a few years now. This B-Mode consists of the Yeti staying fixed in place, with the illusion of it moving towards the vehicle thanks to the use of strobe lighting. Because of this, fans of Expedition Everest have named this version of the attraction ‘Disco Yet’, which we think is very fitting and fun. This is a version of the attraction that some of us are only familiar with, so the loss isn’t huge, but we definitely wish we could have seen the Yeti in full action.

B-Mode can be a bit disappointing when you’re headed to an attraction you’re really excited about, but it allows everyone to ride attractions that would otherwise be down for days without these creative alternatives.

Stay tuned as we bring you all the latest in Disney news, tips, and updates!

CONFIRMED: These Attractions Are Missing From the New Lightning Lane System in Disney World 

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

WE KNOW DISNEY.
YOU CAN, TOO.


DFBGuide-ShortCode-Image-1.png

Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.

Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!

Do you have a story about viewing an attraction in B-Mode? We’d love to read about it in the comments!

The post If You’ve Ever Seen Disney’s B-Team in Action, We’re Sorry. first appeared on the disney food blog.

View the full article

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...