Visitors walking past Echo Lake at Disney’s Hollywood Studios noticed a major issue if they were looking at the backside of a giant green dinosaur. Gertie the Dinosaur, the giant green Apatosaurus that serves ice cream, not that the dinosaur serves Ice Cream, more like you can purchase Ice Cream out of her hollowed out stomach, (Okay, that may sound worse), has suffered a break at the rear of her body. While her long tail section is still standing in the water, a large piece of her backside has broken off and now sits at the bottom of the lake.
Gertie has stood in the park since 1989. While she is a tribute to early animation history, her fiberglass frame has struggled with the Florida weather for years. Recent reports show that the structure was no longer stable enough to hold together.
New photos of the area show a strange sight for longtime fans. In the wide shots of the lake, the usual curved shape of the dinosaur is cut short. Instead of a smooth connection to her tail, there is a jagged opening at the back of the main body. This opening shows that the statue is hollow inside.
Looking into the water, the broken section is clearly visible resting on the lake floor. The separate tail tip remains in its usual spot further back, but the middle part of her body is now missing. This leaves a noticeable gap in the scenery where the fiberglass gave way and fell into the lake.
This is not the first time the statue has needed work. The thin material used to build her often gets cracks or faded paint from the sun and rain. The current damage seems to be a result of these ongoing issues getting worse over time.
Disney has not yet said when they will retrieve the broken piece or start repairs. For now, the ice cream stand inside the dinosaur stays open for guests. Many people hope to see the full statue fixed soon so Echo Lake can return to its classic look. Expect Disney to have a patch in place quickly; they are always quick.
This is not the only issue going on at Hollywood Studios. Recently, we watched the nighttime showings at the Chinese Theatre, Disney’s Growing Projection Problem at Hollywood Studios.
