Overview
- Disney announced at D23 on August 16, 2026 that it is “bringing the Yeti back to life” and celebrated the reveal onstage during the Horizons presentation.
- Company statements and follow-up reporting confirm Walt Disney Imagineering plans to repair the current animatronic in its existing scene rather than install a new figure.
- Imagineering says modern engineering solutions — including new composite components, advanced servomotors, and localized structural dampers — make the in-place repair feasible.
- Disney has not provided a closure date or timetable for the work, and outlets caution that completing the repair will almost certainly require an extended shutdown of Expedition Everest.
- Analysts note Animal Kingdom’s Tropical Americas expansion affects timing and several outlets project the earliest realistic window for a substantial closure could be 2028, though that remains unconfirmed.