First look: Refinished Fab 50 character statues at Disney's Animal Kingdom

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Refreshed Fab 50 character statues at Disney's Animal Kingdom

Posted: Wednesday September 20, 2023 9:33am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

The Fab 50 character statues at Disney's Animal Kingdom no longer feature the 50th-anniversary medallion as they are refinished to remain the park beyond Walt Disney World's 50th celebration.

Refreshed Fab 50 character statues at Disney's Animal Kingdom

The base of the statues has been repainted in gold, replacing the EARidescent paint that provided the background to the 50th medallion.

Refreshed Fab 50 character statues at Disney's Animal Kingdom

As a reminder, this is what the statue looked like previously.

Timon and Pumba - Fab 50 Character Statue

Disney says that over the next few months, Imagineers will be "sprinkling a touch of timeless pixie dust" to refresh the Disney Fab 50 Character Collection across all four Walt Disney World theme parks. The MagicBand+ interactive elements will continue as before.

Refreshed Fab 50 character statues at Disney's Animal Kingdom

Fifty golden statues were installed at all four Walt Disney World theme parks and were updated to enable interactive sounds which respond to MagicBand+ proximity.

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CreathirDec 10, 2023

I thought they were a fun addition to the parks. Personally I’d have made the replacement medallions the same bronze/gold color, but that’s just me.

nickysDec 10, 2023

Why? When I go back, whether that’s in a year, 2 years or further out, I’d love to be able to use my MB+ to activate them again. They were fun last year, why not let guests who didn’t get to see them at the time have a chance? You’re free to ignore them if you’re not interested.

Vegas Disney FanDec 10, 2023

The Tinkerbell one looks fantastic, the rest don’t match and look horrible. I wonder why they chose to use silver on bronze statues?

MagicHappens1971Dec 10, 2023

Gotta sell those MagicBand+ somehow

BrianDec 09, 2023

I just wish they'd take them out at this point. The hidden ones, like Tinkerbell and Abu are fun, but the ones out in the open seem out of place. I gave it a pass (to avoid my personal scorn) during the anniversary celebration, but that's far in the rear view mirror at this point.

DisoneDec 09, 2023

Agree! Took the post right off my fingertips.

drizgirlDec 09, 2023

Some of those are fine. Some of them are just perplexing.

DCBakerDec 09, 2023

The 50th medallions on a number of golden statues at Magic Kingdom that didn't have them removed yet have been recently covered or replaced. 758241

BrianNov 18, 2023

This special was produced by Fox 35, the Orlando Fox affiliate, for the 50th anniversary, and was recently posted to YouTube. I wanted to share since it has an inside look at the costuming 'vault' where costumes from past and present (and even in some cases, future) are stored, how the land for WDW was acquired and an interview with the daughter of one of the landowners, and an interview with three opening day cast members.

LittleBufordOct 01, 2023

I loved it! Watched it three times during my trip this summer.

ToTBellHopOct 01, 2023

Way to end your celebration with class and optimism toward the future.

Sir_CliffSep 30, 2023

Definitely had the same impression. I'm kind of curious to understand what made Dream and Shine Brighter hit just the right spot. I'm normally not a big fan of the castle shows featuring the characters, but this one just felt like pure joy. I suppose a lot of credit needs to go to the performers, who were fantastic.