A few days ago, Disneyland’s Big Thunder Mountain Railroad had a surprise reopening after a two-month-long refurbishment. During its reopening day, there was a notable change to the ride that caused a pretty strong reaction from fans when we shared it on social media. Now, this effect has been restored to the ride.
Keep reading for all of the details, plus one other change you may have missed! At Mickey Visit, we cover the latest Disneyland ride refurbishments and keep an eye on all changes, big and small.
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Disneyland Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Effect Restored
Earlier this week, when Disneyland’s Big Thunder Mountain Railroad reopened, there were two misters on either side of the ceiling replacing the waterfall effect that is usually here. At the time, we wondered if this was a change to replace this with a more reliable effect, given that the waterfall wasn’t always there.
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When we shared this change on Instagram, some chimed in with their disappointment. Instagram user andreanna.vargas commented, “oh no!!!! that was the best part” and commenter vicsin_1981 said “Putting my hand out to touch the water was part of the ride for me!” Many others posted disappointed or disapproving reaction gifs in the comments.
Fortunately, it seems like the change was just temporary, and the waterfall has now been restored! It is now back to how it was before. We’re hoping that the work done during the refurbishment means that this effect will now be more consistent. The smoke effect in the finale scene, which was missing on the first day of the ride’s reopening, has now been restored as well.
Here is a video of the change on our Instagram:
View this post on Instagram
There was also another notable change during the closure that you may have completely missed! And yes, it’s about the goat that’s part of the iconic Disneyland goat trick. The old goat had black markings around his eyes and straighter horns. Billy the goat has now been “recast” as a slightly silkier-looking goat with less black markings on his face, more curved horns, and a longer beard.
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Comparing the current November 2025 goat to the June 2023 goat from a couple of years ago, you can see just how many glow-ups our dynamite-wielding friend has experienced! We love him all the same.
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