Cast Member Shares Close Up, Backstage Look at Terrifying Animatronic

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Mike standing inside Matterhorn, showing off the furry abominable snowman animatronic with glowing red eyes.

Credit: @DisneyParks on TikTok

The Matterhorn is one of many iconic Disney Mountains. The first-of-its-kind coaster takes Guests on a chilling journey through the Alps, bobsledding away from the Abominable Snowman!

Related: Fan-Favorite Attraction RETURNING to Disney California Adventure

This week, the official Disney Parks TikTok shared a behind-the-scenes look at Matterhorn Bobsleds, starring a Disney Cast Member named Mike, who works on the steel coaster’s awe-inspiring audio-animatronics:

@disneyparks

How many can say they work with an Abominable Snowman? 😄❄️ #Disney #Disneyland #DisneyCastLife

♬ original sound – Disney Parks

“We go through the attraction, show check all the animation, make sure everything’s running and working,” Mike explains. “Working with the Snowman is very unique because he’s quite large. To see him move, see the wind blowing his fur, and just see him in the cavern there really creates an atmosphere of fear.”

Maybe Mike has tossed a ball in the makeshift basketball court inside Matterhorn Bobsleds!

More on Matterhorn Bobsleds

matterhorn bobsleds disneyland
Credit: Disney

Matterhorn Bobsleds is unique to Fantasyland in Disneyland Park – no other Disney Park around the world can claim a Matterhorn Mountain! From Disneyland Resort:

Hurtle through a snow-capped mountain on a speeding alpine sled while avoiding the clutches of the Abominable Snowman.

Conquer the Mountain – and a Mythic Monster

Climb into a 6-person bobsled and brace yourself against howling winds as you ascend 80 feet up into an icy cave. Take in the sweeping views at the summit and prepare for a thrilling, high-speed ride. 

Swoop in and out of shadowy caves and along jagged rocky ledges. Throttle through snowy chutes and around frozen precipices. Fly across bridges and under waterfalls before splashing down into an alpine lake. 

The real peril is not snow or sleet! Stories abound of a growling creature known as the Abominable Snowman—who will do anything and everything to protect his home. 

Do you have what it takes to find out if the legends are true?

disneyland at night matterhorn
Credit: Disney

2 Different Routes

There are 2 bobsled tracks: 1 on the Fantasyland side of the mountain and the other on the Tomorrowland side. During slower periods, only a single track may be in operation.

More Than Meets the Eye

Matterhorn mountain certainly looks like its counterpart in the Swiss Alps— partially thanks to the excellent use of forced perspective. However, the peak is just a bit lower than the original—it’s exactly 100 times shorter than the 14,700-foot-tall real thing.

More than 800 gallons of paint were used to create heavier snowfall on the north-facing—just like the real Matterhorn. Glass beads on the façade glitter like actual snow!

Making the Mountain

Walt Disney fell in love with the real Matterhorn while filming the 1959 live-action film Third Man on the Mountain. 

Back at Disneyland Park, Walt decided to cover a forested 20-foot-high mound named Holiday Hill with artificial snow, add a toboggan run and rename it Snow Hill. However, Walt always dreamed big, and the “hill” soon grew into a 147-foot-tall mountain. The attraction opened on June 14, 1959. 

Totally Tubular 

Matterhorn Bobsleds was the first roller-coaster-style attraction at Disneyland Park—and the very first tubular steel coaster in the world. The iconic attraction is also one-of-a-kind—no other Disney park can claim a Matterhorn mountain.

Have you ever been on Matterhorn Bobsleds? 

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