Audio-Animatronics are robotic animatronics created by Walt Disney Imagineering, which they used for shows and attractions at Disney theme parks.
Some of the more popular animatronics at Disney are the dolls found at “It’s a small world” or the ghosts within Haunted Mansion. One animatronic, Sonny Eclipse, experienced some severe malfunctions recently, even emitting smoke and liquid in front of Guests — and it was caught on camera.
Sonny Eclipse Blows Smoke At Magic Kingdom
Around 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sonny Eclipse, the iconic animatronic at Cosmic Ray’s inside Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom, experienced a meltdown.
In a video shared by WDWNT, Sonny is seen blowing smoke, quickly traveling to the ceiling, and releasing liquid from his signature keyboard.
After a few minutes of emitting smoke, the animatronic eventually collapsed onto his keyboard, taking Guests by surprise. The full video can be seen here.
At this time, there is no word on if Sonny Eclipse is back to performing at Cosmic Ray’s
This is not the first time Sonny Eclipse has had some issues, as he disappeared back in January 2022 and was covered by curtains for months before returning to the quick-service location in September 2022.
Sonny Eclipse at Cosmic Ray’s
Sonny Eclipse can be found at Cosmic Ray’s, a quick-service location inside Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort.
Known for serving burgers and chicken tenders, Cosmic Ray’s offers Guests an out-of-this-world experience while listening to the musical entertainment from Sonny Eclipse.
Per Disney, “Explore a galaxy of enticing options from our out-of-this-world bacon cheeseburgers to chicken strips to plant-based burgers. Plus, enjoy the stellar musical entertainment of Sonny Eclipse!”
The lounge lizard first presented his musical spectacular in Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café in 1995 and has been an icon ever since.
Disney Parks Blog recently shared some fun facts about Sonny Eclipse:
- Sonny’s instrument is an Astro-Organ – The “out-of-this-world” instrument he uses for accompaniment is a glowing keyboard-like creation called an Astro-Organ.
- His hometown is Yew Nork City on Planet Zork – Sonny describes his hometown as a “topsy-turvy town where the subways are up, and the streets are down.
- Sonny’s repertoire features only original songs – Sonny’s set includes eight original songs, including “Planetary Boogie,” “Bright Little Star,” “Space Angels,” “Gravity Blues,” and more. The songs were co-created by Walt Disney Imagineering and composer George Wilkens, who had previously written and arranged music for the Food Rocks attraction at Epcot and the “Honey, I Shrunk the Audience” pre-show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
- Sonny loves jokes – Sonny incorporates many tricks into his act – the corner, the better! (“You know, I recently heard the universe was expanding. Guess it’s time to loosen the asteroid belt!”).
- Sonny has three backup singers – an invisible trio backs Sonny called the Space Angels.
Again, at this time, there is no word on if Sonny Eclipse is back to performing at Cosmic Ray’s in Tomorrowland, but to stay up-to-date on Disney Parks news, make sure to follow The Blast.
