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How a Lightning Strike and Windows 98 Destroyed This Abandoned Disney World Attraction


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There are a lot of abandoned attractions and buildings across Disney World, and some are hidden in plain sight.

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The Wonders of Life Pavilion

EPCOT is home to the abandoned Wonders of Life Pavilion, and now behind Hollywood Studios lies the abandoned Star Wars hotel, The Galactic Starcruiser. And who can forget about the abandoned NBA Experience sitting in Disney Springs. We recently were curious about an abandoned attraction that Disney tried to hide with a different kind of version of Go-Away-Green over at Animal Kingdom. 

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Did you know that Magic Kingdom is not the only park that is home to a train? There is actually a train hidden in the Africa section of Animal Kingdom that will take you on a one way trip to Rafiki’s Planet Watch and Conservation Station. 

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Take the Train!

This train is better known as the Wildlife Express and will drop you off at Rafiki’s Planet Watch wear you can get up close and personal with animals in the Affection Section which is a petting zoo. 

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Conservation Station

The Conservation Station is also home to the Animation Experience at Conservation Station. Here you can participate in a 20-minute experience where you can animate some of your favorite animal Disney characters. You can also get an inside look at what animal caretakers are working on as there is viewing glass around Conservation Station.

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Animation Experience

While all of these attractions are still available for you to visit and enjoy, there is one attraction that is hidden in plain sight. Remember when we mentioned Go-Away-Green? Well, this version of Go-Away-Green is ferns.

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What is behind those ferns?

Behind those ferns lies an abandoned attraction. Grandmother Willow used to narrate the Song of the Rainforest. This show was a Binaural Sound Show located in the sound booths located at the Conservation Station. If you were wondering who Grandmother Willow is, she is from the 1995 film Pocahontas.

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Sound booth

It is no secret that Central Florida is home to a lot of rainstorms and sometime in 2011, lightning actually struck Conservation Station. This ended up frying the computer system that was used to run the show. So what about backup? Well, there was not any. The show was run on Windows 98, so it was never backed up. Which meant the show could no longer run.

Tips and Tricks for Surviving the Rainiest of Days at Disney World

Due to this, the sound booths now sit abandoned in the Conservation Station. Last year we saw some Grandmother Willow representation in the parks when Disney released this pin for World Wildlife Day in 2023.

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Grandmother Willow World Nature Day Pin

While there is no word on whether Disney will use these booths to create another experience, we wonder why they have kept them for the past 13 or so years. Regardless, it is still cool that there is a piece of Disney history hidden in plain sight.

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Conservation Station

As always, keep following the Disney Food Blog for more fun Disney secrets like this one!

Hold Up. We Need To Talk About Disney’s Weird Abandoned Catfish Situation

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Did you ever get to visit this abandoned attraction? Let us know in the comments!

The post How a Lightning Strike and Windows 98 Destroyed This Abandoned Disney World Attraction first appeared on the disney food blog.

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