Disney Teases Over 2,000 Bats in Revamped Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

The updated Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Magic Kingdom will have over 2,000 (fake) bats in the Rainbow Caverns scene at the start of the ride.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Bats

Disney Teases Over 2,000 Bats in Revamped Big Thunder Mountain Railroad — Screenshot

Walt Disney Imagineering shared a behind-the-scenes look at the new bats. The scene previously just had airline bats that hung from the ceiling. After receiving a scan of the mountain, Imagineers were able to plan where to put more bats. Now they’ve enhanced the story with individual rockwork bats, rockwork bat clusters, and over 200 show set bats for a total over 2,000.

The special effects team also worked on rat eyes and fans that make the show set bats move. The paint team added eyes in the back of the cave to make the bats and rats look like they go on forever.

The Rainbow Caverns opening scene will debut a new transformation effect when Big Thunder Mountain Railroad reopens on May 3. The ride track and vehicles were replaced. There will also be refreshed Audio-Animatronics, new gold props, and restored effects.

With the brand-new track and vehicles, Disney was able to lower the ride’s height requirement.

Watch our 4K multi-cam POV video of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad before its closure below.