NEED TO KNOW
Disneyland just released a sneak peak of its newest Audio-Animatronic, a lifelike reincarnation of Walt Disney
The robot makes its official debut in the “Walt Disney — A Magical Life” attraction at Disneyland on July 17
One of Walt’s granddaughter’s denounced the animatronic last month to the LA Times
Walt Disney has returned to Disneyland, but in a much different form.
On July 14, the Anaheim, Calif., park released a sneak peak at the upcoming “Walt Disney — A Magical Life” attraction. The new show, set to debut at the Main Street Opera House on July 17, will present a 15-minute film about Disney’s life before the curtain rises to reveal an Audio-Animatronic of the legendary filmmaker and theme park creator.
This is the first time Disney Imagineers have created the company’s founder in animatronic form. According to a press release, teams have put in more than seven years of work on the project, but the idea has been around for decades.
To share the news, Disney Parks shared clips of the attraction on Instagram. Some commenters praised the latest technology, while others had harsh words for the figure.
“[Ten] seconds in and hearing his voice already got me teary,” wrote one approving Instagram user.
“Faces are extremely hard to get on point!” wrote another. “I think they did a great job! Especially with moving parts!”
Others were less impressed.
“Walt is turning in his grave. He sought out the best Lincoln audio animatronic and this is how you portray him with all of the tech in the world?” one user questioned. “Redo it.”
Disney, who had a fascination with Abraham Lincoln, was destined to deliver a realistic portrayal of the president for Disneyland’s “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” attraction. Following its initial run, “Walt Disney — A Magical Life” will play in rotation with “Great Moments” at the Main Street Opera House.
“I hope this looks better in person because wow I am not a fan of that face. Considering how many videos of Walt Disney there are this seems like it should have been difficult to fumble,” wrote another.
“Very disappointed. You should have waited until you got it right,” added a third.
Another comment with more than 300 likes says simply, “Why does his face look like that?”
The Walt Disney Company
A new Walt Disney Audio-Animatronic figure at Disneyland
Some users are holding out judgement until they can see the animatronic for themselves at Disneyland.
Wrote one fan account, “This post took me on a roller coaster of emotions! The way I’ll be frantically tapping that app to try and snag a virtual queue spot soon…”
One of Walt’s own family members was also not a fan. Last month, Joanna Miller, one of his granddaughters, spoke out against the robot in the Los Angeles Times.
“I think I started crying,” she told the outlet of her first encounter with it. “It didn’t look like him, to me.”
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“I learned that Grampa told [Disney Imagineer] Sam McKim that he never wanted to be an animatronic (Thank you Matt McKim for first-hand proof),” Miller wrote in a November 2024 Facebook post.
“The idea of a Robotic Grampa to give the public a feeling of who the living man was just makes no sense. It would be an impostor, They are dehumanizing him,” Miller continued
The Walt Disney Company
The Main Street Opera House at Disneyland
The park promises this is the “most lifelike figure that Walt Disney Imagineering has ever created.” Some of the technological achievements include a “twinkle” in Disney’s eye, more realistic skin through new methods and being the first all-electric figure to go from a lean to stand position.
“Creating this figure is an enormous responsibility and one that the team has taken very seriously, likely as seriously as Walt Disney did in creating the Audio-Animatronic figure of Abraham Lincoln so many decades ago,” senior creative executive for Walt Disney Imagineering Tom Fitzgerald said in a press release.
He added: “We hope to honor Walt through the art form he pioneered, and that ‘Walt Disney — A Magical Life’ will be a permanent tribute here at Dinsyeland… the only Disney park Walt ever walked in.”
Read the original article on People
