Credit: DisneyThe Seas at EPCOT has undergone numerous major changes in the last year, with the removal of its dolphin residents and the switch from long-term to short-term manatee care. This week, though, an unplanned surprise appeared on The Seas With Nemo and Friends attraction…
Formerly known as The Living Seas, The Seas Pavilion at EPCOT opened in 1986. At the time, it housed the world’s largest saltwater aquarium, at 5.7 gallons, though the Georgia Aquarium eventually surpassed that record in 2005. The exhibit is home to sea turtles, sharks, rehabilitated manatees, and more species of ocean life.
Following the Pixar film’s success in 2003, Walt Disney Imagineers began adding Finding Nemo (2003) touches to The Living Seas. In November 2004, the Turtle Talk With Crush Attraction opened.
Over two years later, in January 2007, EPCOT rededicated the then-Future World (now World Nature) Pavilion as The Seas With Nemo and Friends. It included the new dark ride of the same name, featuring characters like Nemo, Marlin, Dory, Crush, and Squirt.
Last month, Walt Disney World Resort quietly repaired an animatronic shark (named Chum) on The Seas With Nemo and Friends ride after it had been broken for months. However, just weeks after that fix, two more of the ride’s moving fish figures have gone motionless.
On Tuesday, WDWNT reported that the ride’s anglerfish and Marlin (Nemo’s dad) figures weren’t functioning. Set in a dark underwater scene, the characters are on long mechanical arms concealed in the darkness. The anglerfish typically chases Marlin around as riders watch in terror. Dory, who appears on a screen nearby, is still moving.
According to the latest report, the scene’s normal audio and music still play, even as the fish lay motionless. Whether Walt Disney World Resort has plans to repair this scene is unclear.
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