Missing: Buzzy the Audio Animatronic. Last seen wearing a bomber jacket, green cap, and glasses. If you see him, please report to #FindBuzzy.
Social media is buzzing right now about Buzzy, the audio-animatronic that was stolen right from Epcot recently. Cranium Command is an old attraction that was part of the Wonders of Life Pavilion. The attraction starred Buzzy, an audio-animatronic member of the Cranium Command, as he helps navigate the daily struggles of a young boy from inside his head. It’s hard to believe, but Buzzy was stolen from the attraction and removed from Epcot without anyone noticing. And he’s still missing.
This is Buzzy. He used to be a part of Cranium Command at EPCOT before the attraction closed. He was to be saved as a part of Disney parks history.
He has been stolen. If you recognize him or know of his whereabouts or see listings on merchant sites contact OCPD! pic.twitter.com/0VLKarhbtH
— Marissa 🦀 (@MarissaTheMoth) December 22, 2018
Cranium Command has sat dormant in the Wonders of Life Pavilion at Epcot since January 2007. The space between attractions in the pavilion has been used several times as a Festival Center since then. While Body Wars has been mostly destroyed, Cranium Command was pretty much left to rot. The theater is actually set to be condemned soon for some structural issues according to WDWNT sources, and Disney chose this route over demolition. Chances are that the perpetrator knew this. So how could our beloved audio-animatronic Buzzy go missing? And why?
https://twitter.com/BDDWillNeverDie/status/1076465108174491648
Stealing an audio animatronic requires two things: technical knowledge of how to disconnect it and a team of people to carry it, as they are quite heavy. How a company as large as the Walt Disney Company could be unaware of a team of people trespassing into a building and doing this is mind-boggling. Someone would need to have some experience to cut a pressurized hydraulic line. According to sources, there was hydraulic oil spilled everywhere when he was removed by the culprits.
After disconnecting Buzzy, it would also take more than one person to carry him out. How does something like this happen without Disney security noticing? This also raises safety concerns for guests, as if someone without authorization drove a truck into a backstage area in a park to do something like this, what would stop someone with more serious intentions?
WDWNT will keep you up to date on the situation as we find out more.
Why would Hydraulic Lines be “pressurized” on an attraction which has been sitting closed for a decade?
Some hydraulic systems are always under some pressure. Systems that only employ the fluid in the lines between 2 relatively close spaces actuators are like this. Even without either actuator applying pressure there would still be some pressure inherent to the fluid it self. It is stored under partial pressure in the line to prevent lag when the actuators apply force. Push pull hydraulics that do not use separate fluid reservoirs to distribute the fluid are commonly used on smaller articulated mechanicals like an AA figure.
Because, unless you were about to dismantle the parts, the lines would remain under whatever pressure existed when it was last used. There might be a slight loss in pressure over time, but some pressure would still exist. Pressurized does not necessarily mean high pressure.
it’s the same concept of a water line having water it in without it being drained…
I’d imagine they’d keep it full to preserve the integrity of the innards. As long as it’s full, you don’t have to worry about rust or corrosion inside. I’m sure they’d have to change out the fluid before firing it back up, but it doesn’t take anything to just leave it in.
That being said, it could also 100% just be laziness lol…
If they never depressurized them, they might still be pressurized – nice seals on everything, obviously.
Just like air in a tire. As long as it didn’t leak down, it will still be under pressure.
Because it’s easier to leave the liquid in there than to remove it. If pneumatic lines were still pressurized, then I’d be impressed.
This isn’t really new. The news of Buzzy missing have been online among park blogs and fans since pre-2015 and before. We’ve known from various people who’ve ‘explored’ the now closed attraction during seasonal events. A few videos have surfaced online showing some of the damage, along with reports of both Buzzy missing and hydraulic fluid being all over theater.
As for why they were still pressurized- It’s a closed-seal system. It will stay sealed until broken or drained properly.
Body Wars was gutted long before Buzzy went missing, it was scavenged for parts that went to Star Tours as early as 2008.
Actually a video from Matt Sonswa on YouTube showed he was still there a year ago.
Because disney literally left it there to rot on its own. Look on yt there are videos of people back there showing off the entire place as it was when it closed
Not knowing the exact configuration of the Buzzy Audio Animatronic (AA), “pressurized” might be a slight misnomer.
Each hydraulic actuator would typically have a input connection, and an output connection. If you pump fluid into the input connection, it moves in one direction (and fluid exits the output). To move it in the other direction, you switch the input and output lines with a valve, and pump fluid into the output connection (and fluid exits the input).
It is unlikely that the pumps were still turned on, but depending on the resting position of Buzzy, and because of the mass and weight of the AA and the effects of gravity, fluid in the lines would still be under pressure from the last time the system was powered and Buzzy was placed in the last position he was in.
Different AA’s use either hydraulic (liquid) or pneumatic (air) actuators (and some use electronic motor driven actuators).
It is possible the thieves made the assumption these were pneumatic lines when they cut them, and probably got a surprise when they cut them, explaining the mess of hydraulic fluid. If it was done by people more familiar with the technology, it would possibly have been removed differently to avoid the mess as much as possible, because hydraulic fluid (depending on type) can be dangerous (skin and eye exposure, flammability, etc.), aside from the mess it makes with fluid going everywhere.
dont forget, disney uses servo-hydraulic valves, they will stay in the last position they were in forever.
According to a few reliable sources on the wdwmagic message boards, imagineers we’re doing testing with buzzy as recently as this past summer to see if the animatronic could be used again for a future attraction.
That is incorrect.
Can you elaborate on the source of this info? It seems like it’s originating from a tweet?
Has WDWNT confirmed with either Disney or the OCPD that Buzzy is reported as stolen?
Just seems like we’re missing some info.
There is a police report and sources have confirmed this happened a few weeks ago.
Maybe if they actually locked doors… just saying. Look at how many urban exploration videos happen just because they don’t even try to lock doors to off-limits areas. Multi billion dollar company and they cant even put locks on doors or cameras. Good job Disney.
I suspect construction crews , unfortunately for Buzzy they have access, knowledge, tools, and unchecked large transport vehicles, tarps, and dollies all within a few hundred yards at Guardians of the Galaxy.
I’d venture that it was most likely a contractor working on something in that pavilion or possibly on the new Guardians ride directly next door. This would give them access to the general area with equipment to both remove the audio animatronic from the theatre and also smuggle it off property. I’d venture that Disney and the authorities are already looking in to this possibility.
Simple answer: Construction workers or people posing as them. With all of the construction right next to that building, they would have all of the necessary means to remove it. Given that that space is not in use either, they’d have plenty of opportunity as well.
Inside job. (Employee)
Bob Chapek needed Buzzy for spare parts
I couldn’t see it weigh more than a hundred pounds you could definitely throw that in oversized baby carriage throw blanket over it nobody knew would know the difference.
Inside job, of course. Either a group of team members or, more likely, construction workers from nearby projects, like GotG rollercoaster.
“This also raises safety concerns for guests, as if someone without authorization drove a truck into a backstage area in a park to do something like this, what would stop someone with more serious intentions?” What’s with the assumption and fear mongering? I’ve also noticed a lot of weird assumptions in a number of articles on this site over the years.
I think while it’s worth mentioning that as a possibility, I also think that as someone at least somewhat educated in how good Disney is at security that it’s more likely that someone who was trusted and allowed back there did this. Maybe a food delivery crew, with a now empty truck, who looked completely natural being there managed to pop it on their truck? Wouldn’t that make a LOT MORE SENSE than some random unknown group of burglars somehow just bursting into the backstage without ANYONE noticing?
Even a current group of cast members would make more sense than the assumption you made.
Nah, you just assume everyone backstage is a complete useless idiot instead, throw is some fear mongering in there too to get some clicks. “What’s next???? What could others do with such poor security????” Right. Sure thing.
Titles generate clicks, you can’t preemptively know that sentence is in this article. If you’d like pieces that only tell you that the Walt Disney Company does an amazing job, you have hundreds of choices. Enjoy.
This is what happens when you forget your history, after all the future is in the past
Security concerns?! Ha! If your readers were only aware of the lack of comunication between departments and management. More likely scenario is one dept under manager A didnt tell manager B or manager B didnt care to read the email regarding it’s removal from dept C.
Except that’s easy to clear up and they wouldn’t have brought the police in on this if that was the case.
“Hey I bought this large item, can you please have it delivered to my room.”
“Sure! Wow this just looks like the real thing. How much did it cost?”
“Got a steal of a deal. Last one!”
If memory serves, this is not the first time someone has stolen an animatronic from a Disney park. How does this keep happening?
Inside job.
MR. CORLESS YOUR CRACK TEAM OF SLUETHS WILL HAVE THIS MYSTERY CRACKED BY THE 1ST OF THE YEAR. FASTPASSES FOR RIVER OF LIGHT TO THE 1ST OF YOUR TEAM TO SOLVE THIS HENIOUS CRIME.
First, who cares?!?!? This attraction has been closed almost as long as it was open. My guess is it’s a publicity stunt by Disney to gage public interest and awareness. Otherwise, probably an inside job. Disgruntled, underpaid employee(s) find someone, a collector maybe, who wants to buy the creepy robo-doll, so they slip in, no one pays attention, they work in the park, they don’t really know what they’re doing, so they cut the lines and made off with it.
As for the mystery of how they managed to get one over on Disney security, I don’t know… how does one usually sneak past overweight, middle-aged men in white polos and hats?
Um so is he still missing or what?
It could have been some sort of engineer tech or even a janitor that worked at Disney? He could have easily cut it, his the animatronic in some sort of bin or trash can to hide it a wheeled it away with no problem. Done you doesn’t pay there employees much. It’s possible that the staff member decided to just take matters into his own hands. (This idea came from the youtuber Offhand Disney
The question I have though is why there is no camera evidenc if the power was still on in the attraction.