12 of the Weirdest Disney World Moments from 2021

All right, folks, it’s time to get a little weird.

It was hard to see Cinderella Castle on a weird foggy day!

Disney World is a magical place but sometimes things can get, well, weird! Whether it was that eerie foggy day or a bizarre animatronic choice, 2021 was full of weird strange moments, so let’s go over the weirdest moments of 2021!

Plant Donald

2021 started off really weird when the animatronic Donald Duck from Gran Fiesta Tour was replaced by…a plant wearing a sombrero?? Instead of the usual sight of the Three Caballeros in EPCOT’s Mexico pavilion, guests saw Jose, Panchito, and…a plant.

Donald Duck was replaced by…a Plant?!

It’s pretty normal for ride animatronics to be removed temporarily for refurbishment from time to time, but this was perhaps one of the most bizarre temporary placeholders we’ve ever seen in Disney World!

Donald remained in plant form for far longer than we expected, but he (and the rest of the Caballeros) eventually returned to the stage!

Check out more photos of Plant Donald here!

PeopleMover

The PeopleMover went through a strange saga in 2021 when the Disney World refurbishment schedule kept delaying its reopening after the March 2021 closure again…and again…and again…and AGAIN. At one point, we wondered if the PeopleMover was doomed.

The PeopleMover was closed for a LONG time!

After being closed for THIRTEEN months, the PeopleMover finally reopened and we were at peace once again. If you ever need a break in Magic Kingdom, the PeopleMover is one of the best ways to rest your feet AND get a unique view of the park.

Read more about the tale of the PeopleMover reopening here!

KiteTails

Disney KiteTails is a new daytime Animal Kingdom show that debuted in October with Disney World’s 50th anniversary. During this show, Cast Members on jet-skis pull large three-dimensional kites featuring favorite Disney characters from films like The Jungle Book or The Lion King. This show is an…experience.

Simba in Disney KiteTails

While KiteTails really is a fun show, we’ve also witnessed some fails, and guests were at first confused when the giant kites crashed into the bleachers in order to land. It’s supposed to happen, but it does look really weird!

And what about that time King Louie was ready for a nap a bit too early?

Still, there’s a lot of fun to be had with KiteTails!

@disneyfoodblog

First look at the new #KiteTails 🪁 show coming to #AnimalKingdom on Oct 1st! #disney #disneyparks #disneyworld #disneyworld #kite #kiteflying

♬ Breaking Free – From “High School Musical”/Soundtrack Version – Troy & Gabriella

You can catch the show most days at 11:15AM, 12:15PM, 1:15PM, 3:15PM, 4:15PM, and 5:15PM in Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Read more about Disney KiteTails fun and mishaps here!

50th Anniversary Lines

October 1st kicked off the 18-month long Disney World 50th anniversary celebration, and we were surprised to find that the longest lines that day were for…food and merchandise? Surprisingly, even with the huge crowds, Disney World ride wait times were not bad at all that day.

Casey’s Corner

But when it came to Mobile Order wait times, at one point we waited 100 minutes for our food after we hit the “prepare my order” button! And we saw HUGE lines for merchandise items, with some store virtual queues already full by 7AM. It just goes to show you that you never know what you might experience in Disney World!

The longest lines we waited in on October 1st were NOT for Disney World rides!

Mr. Toad Burger

In a cute-weird moment, Disney World gave us the Mr. Toad Burger in honor of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, which was an opening day Fantasyland dark ride that eventually closed in 1998. And yes, this burger is looking at you.

Toad Burger

This brat burger was released for the 50th anniversary, and it can be found at The Friar’s Nook in Magic Kingdom.

It comes with lettuce, tomato, pickle, American Cheese, olive “eyes,” and tater tots for $12.99.

Read our review of the Mr. Toad Burger here!

Pineapple Wreaths

Pineapples took a starring role in the 2021 Magic Kingdom holiday decor, which we thought was a bit of an odd choice. We did a deep dive into pineapples and Christmas and uncovered some interesting history, like how pineapples can be a symbol of hospitality in the Southern United States.

Yep…those are pineapples

And while Disney World holiday decor has featured fruits in the past, they haven’t always been so prominent, so we’re left wondering whether Disney World is referencing Southern hospitality, or maybe the Polynesian Village Resort just had some extra pineapple decorations leftover.

WHY are there so many Christmas pineapples in Disney World?

Spaceship Earth Animatronics

While missing animatronics can and does happen in Disney World (ahem…plant Donald), sometimes they don’t bother to replace them with anything at all, which led to this Roman scholar speaking to no one in ancient Rome. In place of the Roman soldier who’s usually in this scene, he was just gone.

Where’s the Roman solider?

Around the same time, a caveman disappeared from another scene, although eventually, everyone returned to normal. Still, it might be weird to get on your fave Disney World ride and find missing parts!

Read more about missing animatronics from Spaceship Earth here!

Chance the Rapper

Famous musician Chance the Rapper randomly appeared in EPCOT in November to perform “Who’s To Say” from his 2016 Christmas album “Merry Christmas Lil’ Mama.” His nighttime performance later made it into The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration Christmas special.

Chance the Rapper Performing

Check out our video of part of his performance!

Earlier that day, country singer Bret Eldredge also performed, and a few days later we found Kristin Chenoweth singing in Magic Kingdom! It’s not totally unusual to find celebrities performing for Disney specials in the parks, but it can be weird to stumble upon.

ANOTHER famous musician showed up at EPCOT today!

Everything Bagel Donut

Everglazed Donuts & Cold Brew made a CHOICE in Disney Springs recently with the Everything Donut, a donut made up of a classic glazed donut topped with Boursin buttercream, everything bagel seasoning, and freshly chopped chives for $6.50. 

Everything Donut

So what happens when a donut decides to be a bagel? Well…it was a mixture of sweet and savory that didn’t totally work for us, but we can also see how fans of everything bagels might be into it!

Check out our review of the Everything Donut here!

Foggy Day

We’ve seen some unusually foggy days in 2021, and one of those days was so foggy that the Magic Kingdom Ferryboats were unable to operate safely due to low visibility. The Ferryboats typically transfer guests from Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) to Magic Kingdom, and vice versa.

Fog!

As a result, the Monorail line grew quite long until the fog cleared up. Remember that you can also take a bus from TTC to Magic Kingdom in case you visit on a weirdly foggy day!

How a foggy day makes it harder to get to Magic Kingdom!

Castle Fire

In one of the most unexpected events of 2021, a fire was reported near Cinderella Castle, leading to an evacuation of Cinderella’s Royal Table and emergency response vehicles making their way down Main Street, U.S.A..

No one was hurt and the fire was quickly extinguished. Jon Shirey, president of the Reedy Creek Firefighters Association, said that the fire was reported as an “electrical fire on a junction box outside the castle.”

Emergency vehicles in Magic Kingdom

No one was hurt and the fire was quickly extinguished, but this was maybe the most surreal moment for many Disney World guests in 2021!

Disney reportedly issues statement regarding the fire in Magic Kingdom.

Sea Urchins

And last but not least, SEA URCHINS. If you haven’t heard, we’re basically a sea urchin fan blog now after keepers in the Seas in EPCOT put tiny Mickey-shaped “hat” rocks in the sea urchin’s tank to celebrate Disney World’s 50th anniversary. Because sea urchins naturally investigate their environments and frequently pick up rocks and objects for camouflage, the sea urchins have been wearing Mickey hats.

SO CUTE

And not only have we spotted sea urchins don their Mickey hats, we’ve also seen a sea urchin wearing two hats at once, and even a SHARK in a Mickey hat!

We promise this Disney World post is sure to make you smile.

And those are the WEIRDEST moments from Disney World in 2021! Who knows what 2022 will bring? Keep reading DFB for more Disney World updates, news, and weirdness!

5 times Disney World made guests MAD in 2021!

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

Don’t Miss Out on Any Disney Fun!

Preorder Your Copy of the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today!

With more than 750 pages, the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We’ve done the research for you, so you’ll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family’s needs!

With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you’ll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet.

Click here to preorder your copy of the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2022 to save 25% off the cover price today!

Use code WDW2022 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today!

ready-to-shop-button
Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. 🙂

What were the weirdest Disney World moments for you in 2021? Tell us in the comments!

The post 12 of the Weirdest Disney World Moments from 2021 first appeared on the disney food blog.