Magic Kingdom is changing quickly, but not every change involves a massive construction project or a brand-new attraction.
Sometimes, it's something much smaller that catches the attention of longtime Walt Disney World fans.
One of the vintage Penny Arcade machines displayed inside the Walt Disney World Railroad station on Main Street, U.S.A. has been removed. The missing Mutoscope featured Fritz Lang's Metropolis (1927), leaving the station with three of the machines for the time being.
Disney hasn't confirmed that the removal is permanent, but the disappearance means another piece connected to the history of Main Street is currently missing from Magic Kingdom.
The Machines Have Been at the Station for Decades
These machines have a history at Magic Kingdom that predates their current home.
Main Street once had its own Penny Arcade. When that location closed in 1995, several of its machines were relocated to the nearby Walt Disney World Railroad station rather than being completely removed.
That allowed a small piece of the former Penny Arcade to survive for another generation of Disney guests.
Mutoscopes work somewhat like mechanical flip books, allowing guests to watch old moving images through a series of rapidly displayed pictures. They're easy to overlook when rushing toward Space Mountain or Cinderella Castle, but they're exactly the type of small detail that gives Main Street, U.S.A. its distinctive atmosphere.
Until recently, four could be found inside the station.
The Metropolis (1927) machine is now gone, leaving Car Train Bag, Way Down East, and The Cats in the Bag.
Could Disney Bring It Back?
There's an important reason not to declare the Metropolis (1927) Mutoscope gone forever.
Similar machines have disappeared temporarily in the past.
Disney has previously removed Mutoscopes for maintenance work such as cleaning and repainting before returning them to the station. That means the latest removal could simply be another refurbishment.
However, Cast Members reportedly did not know when the Metropolis (1927) machine was removed, and Disney hasn't announced a return date.
For now, guests will find one fewer vintage machine when visiting the station.
The change comes during a period when Magic Kingdom is undergoing enormous transformations elsewhere. Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island have already been removed as Disney moves forward with Piston Peak National Park, while an entirely new Villains-themed land is also planned.
Compared to those projects, removing one Mutoscope is obviously a tiny change.
But Magic Kingdom's identity isn't created only by its major attractions. It's also found in the little details guests have encountered for decades.
Hopefully, this particular piece of Main Street history is simply getting some attention behind the scenes and will eventually find its way home.
