Over the past several years, fans of the Disney parks have been searching for a robotic moving figure, known as an animatronic, of a character named Buzzy from the defunct EPCOT attraction “Cranium Command.” The animatronic mysteriously went missing in 2019, and the whereabouts of the figure have yet to be confirmed.
EPCOT at Walt Disney World has a rich a deep history, dating back to Walt Disney himself. However, when the park opened in 1982 a decision made by the company proved to be a major problem over the next decades. You see, Disney built many attractions at EPCOT with the help of sponsors, companies that would partially fund the costs in exchange for promotion and some benefits. This model worked quite well, Disney didn’t have to pay for the expensive park all by themselves, and companies could showcase their products and ideals to the general public, and all was grand. However, what happens when a company decides to end their deal with Disney?
Enter The Wonders of Life Pavilion and MetLife. You see, when MetLife ended their sponsorship in 2001, Disney was not willing to pay for the upkeep and upgrading of the pavilion. Wonders of Life was a large building that housed two attractions, “Body Wars” and “Cranium Command.” The former was a “Star Tours” style ride that took riders through a simulation of the human body, and proved unpopular after the actual “Star Tours” opened at Disney MGM studios a few months after it opened. However, “Cranium Command” was a show that gave audiences a look at how our brain operates, with the various sections being represented by characters in a cartoon military troop. The show worked similarly to “Inside Out” (and the director of the film actually worked on the show) and was hosted by and animatronic named Buzzy.
Wonders of Life was kept alive for a few more years, but was fully closed by 2007. The weird thing is, that while the building was locked and attractions were walled off, everything was still there. Online, you can see tons of photos and videos from the closed attractions, and there they stayed for nearly a decade. Until one day in late 2018, where it was revealed that Buzzy has been unceremoniously removed from his chair. A Twitter account named Backdoor Disney was the first to announce the theft (according to themeparktourist.com) and was considered to be the top suspect. Theme Park Tourist then goes on to describe a photo the account had taken of Buzzy’s removed faceplate, and the man behind the account was also arrested specifically for the theft of his outfit, but not the whole animatronic.
Some have doubted that Buzzy was stolen, instead presenting the idea that Buzzy was moved into storage to prevent any vandals from further messing with the animatronic. Supporters of this theory pointed towards the strength and strategy required to steal a 100+ lb animatronic outside of the park, however the photos of his face plate and the seemingly rushed nature of his removal have brought doubt to this idea. Since early 2019, there have been no updates to Buzzy’s whereabouts, and it is unsure if the animatronic will ever be found.
Alex Cutler
Executive Editor/Intern