Kali River Rapids

I swear that I'm not picking on Animal Kingdom. This park simply happens to have the most B-Mode issues. Some of them, like Expedition Everest, were difficult to envision. Others like Kali River Rapids feel preventable, at least in hindsight.

This attraction doubles as an environmental message about the importance of conservation. To drive home the point, Imagineers employ several special effects to demonstrate humanity’s connection to nature. Sadly, several of them perennially break.

During a trip down the Chakranadi River, you never know what you may discover. Sometimes, you’ll notice the pollution of smoke from (theoretical) burning. When you’re lucky, it’s accompanied by thematic chainsaw sounds. Disney’s thrown in some mist and fog that you may or may not see.

I can’t be specific here because the situation’s always fluid. Each year, cast members spend a part of the winter refurbishing the attraction. Now, that’s not a big deal on its own. The same thing happens at the water parks, and Splash Mountain regularly follows the practice, too.

However, Kali River Rapids experiences so many issues that it’s frequently in B-Mode. It’s entirely possible that you rode it at some point over the past 10 years when NONE of those features was working. Disney’s decided that they’re all insignificant enough that the ride is acceptable in B-Mode. 

Na’Vi River Journey

I mentioned earlier that Disney perceives some attractions as having a primary attraction element. You can guess which one qualifies on Na’Vi River Journey.

Disney famously constructed the most complex AA ever for this attraction. At the time of her introduction, the Shaman of Songs was capable of more independent movements than any robotic in Disney history.

The remarkable lifelike Pandoran is so believable that guests buy into the illusion that she’s real. There are several problems with this, as she’s eight feet tall, blue, and alien. Also, she’s a robot. Still, the Imagineering is so good that people willingly suspend disbelief.

Unfortunately, an AA with such detail is prone to breakdowns. It’s the nature of the beast. When something can do more, it can also tear up more, an issue we’ll discuss again in a moment. Imagineers knew this going in, and so they built an organic solution into the set design.

When the AA isn’t operating, a projection monitor displays the same scene, only without the robot in place. It’s a previously filmed clip of the Shaman of Songs performing her ritual. So, it feels like a camera phone video of the end of Na’Vi River Journey rather than the ride itself.

Splash Mountain

B-Mode for Splash Mountain is actually kind of creepy. As you float down the river, you expect certain elements during this beloved attraction. Your AA animal friends keep you company, dancing, singing, playing, and getting into entertaining hijinks. What happens when they’re frozen in place?

Yes, this happens. In A-Mode, all of the AAs work correctly. In B-Mode, you'll notice some that are glitched. Disney's cut the power and simply shut down some of the robotics. When it happens to one or two creatures, it's alarming.

In some rare instances, the situation is more dramatic. On extremely rare occasions, park officials have operated Splash Mountain with an entire scene in B-Mode. That final boat where everyone happily sings Zip-a-dee-doo-dah plays out like a horror show when nothing’s working.

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance

When cast members constructed Rise of the Resistance, they swung for the fences. Some of its experiences are so unprecedented that I describe a specific sequence as two rides in one. They stuck one element on top of another one! During The Imagineering Story’s final episode, file footage shows the trick.

Alas, with so many difficult ride elements in play, management must accept that everything won’t work right. It’s the explanation for why Disney delayed the attraction for so long. Imagineers built a B-Mode option in a couple of places.

Rise of the Resistance will still run even when the IT-S is offline. In such scenarios, guests miss a part of the ride experience but still experience the main storyline. However, one version of B-Mode here really changes the ride.

Sometimes, the Kylo Ren AA doesn’t function correctly. When it’s unavailable, the digital monitor in the room becomes the focus. Disney walls off the broken part and places the Sith overlord in a spaceship instead. From Ren’s perspective, he doesn’t get blown into the vacuum of space this way. For theme park tourists, it’s just not the same, though.

This instance of B-Mode exemplifies the difficulty in running a theme park. Is it better to operate an attraction at less than full strength? Would you prefer that the ride close entirely while you’re there? Neither answer is great, but B-Mode provides a temporary solution.