The Expensive Attraction Disney World Just Totally Abandoned

We all want new things to experience at Disney World.

But as we say hello to new rides and experiences, we also say good bye to things Disney World is discontinuing. Sometimes, things run their course and just aren’t popular anymore, sometimes things are closed to make way for new experiences, and sometimes, things are just a fail. Today, we’re taking a look at one reportedly expensive attraction that DisneyWorld just totally abandoned.

Now you may be expecting that this post will be about the Galactic Starcruiser — Disney World’s experimental Star Wars hotel that famously closed less than two years after it opened.

But no, today we’re headed to Animal Kingdom to talk about an expensive project that just … quietly disappeared. Behold, the Pandora Conservation Utility Suit.

This giant mechanical suit was built by Lightstorm Entertainment for Disney Parks. A performer perched 10 feet in the air could move around the Pandora section of Animal Kingdom in it, educating us about conservation efforts in the land. And it weighed 4.2 TONS.

This suit debuted in Animal Kingdom on April 22nd, 2019. Within the Avatar universe, these suits were used by Pandora Conservation Initiative members to protect themselves while they were conducting environmental research. If, while visiting Pandora, you encountered one of these Pandora Conservation Initiative workers, they would tell you about life in Pandora and their conservation efforts. But, you won’t see these guys anymore in Animal Kingdom.

Why did Disney discontinue the use of the Avatar Ute Suit after spending a ton of money on an expensive build? Well, we don’t know for sure. What we do know is that this attraction was considered “streetmosphere,” along with performers like the Dapper Dans in Magic Kingdom, streetmosphere involves wandering performers who set the scene in particular lands at Disney World and provide a little entertainment and color.

And unfortunately, since the park’s re-opened after the pandemic-related closures in 2020, a lot of streetmosphere has not returned to Disney World. Remember the Citizens of Hollywood in Hollywood Studios?

Unfortunately, they are one of the Streetsmosphere troups that just has not made a return — other than spotting them along the course at a couple of runDisney events. And the Avatar Ute Suit performers seem to have gone the way of the Citizens of Hollywood, at least for now.

Disney is planning a Pandora expansion at Disneyland, and perhaps we’ll see a return of the Ute suits there, if they don’t come back to Disney World. We’ll be looking for them, so keep following AllEars for the latest updates! 

Did you get a chance to see the Pandora Ute Suit? Tell us in the comments!