Long-Broken Sebastian Animatronic Eyes Repaired in Little Mermaid Ride at Magic Kingdom

Brit Tuttle

A red lobster resembling Sebastian sits in a dark setting on the left; a smiling mermaid statue with projection eyes, wearing a purple top and red hair, is on the right in a colorful outdoor environment.

Long-Broken Sebastian Animatronic Eyes Repaired in Little Mermaid Ride at Magic Kingdom

Sebastian in Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid has gotten some TLC — his screen eyes effect has been fixed in the finale scene of the Magic Kingdom dark ride.

Sebastian’s Screen Eyes Return to Journey of the Little Mermaid Finale

This vibrant, aquatic-themed animatronic scene at Magic Kingdom enchants with its under-the-sea magic. Characters come alive through the clever use of Projection Eyes Effect, set amidst a stunning array of coral and sea life elements on stage.

We spotted the update on Friday, January 3, 2025. Up until now, Sebastian’s eyes in this scene have been static.

A red cartoon crab with large eyes stands on a rock in a dim setting, reminiscent of the enchanting world from "The Little Mermaid" under the sea.

Though our camera adjusts to the light coming from Sebastian’s eyes, you can see in the photo above that he now sports his bright, screen-based eyes once again.

Sebastian still has his static eyes for his two other appearances in the ride. However, with the finale scene finally restored, it’s possible (and we hope) that we could see Sebastian’s screen eyes fixed in these scenes at some point in the future.

This effect had been broken for some time, at least since October 2024, when we got footage of Sebastian’s static eyes in the finale scene during our Lightning Lane Premier Pass vlog (seen at 17:08). We also have maintenance reports documenting the issue going as far back as 2018.

Are you glad to see this effect working once again aboard Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid? Have you seen it in action for yourself? Let us know in the comments and on social media.

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