For Disneyland’s 70th anniversary, Disney is bringing Walt back to life as an Audio-Animatronic for a new show that will take guests through his life and give them a chance to hear from him as if they just dropped in for a visit to his office. Ahead of its debut on July 17, 2025, Disney invited us to Walt Disney Imagineering to learn more, and here are the newest things you need to know.
Walt Disney – A Magical Life will take place at the Main Street Opera House at Disneyland and will run for approximately 17 minutes. The first 15 minutes will feature a new take on the “One Man’s Dream” short film that goes through Walt’s life and is currently playing at Hollywood Studios, and the final two minutes will feature the first-ever Walt Disney Audio-Animatronic.
The screen will rise and guests will see him standing in his office, which is a combination of his actual one from Burbank and the set developed for his many TV appearances. He will then tell “heartfelt stories, anecdotes, and words of wisdom” using his own voice. Yes, they aren’t using AI or a new voice to put words in his mouth as they want to make this very authentically Walt Disney.
You can read all about how Disney is bringing Walt back to life as an Audio-Animatronic right here, but the attention to detail here looks to be the key to this show and figure being a success. Everything from his suit to his shoes to his Smoke Tree Ranch tie has been painstakingly recreated from the actual clothing and accessories he wore.
While we didn’t get to see the Audio-Animatronic itself, Disney did show us the very impressive life-size model of Walt they built to reference when making the figure that will be in the show, and it was shocking how real it looked. His skin had blemishes, his nails were manicured but not perfectly, every piece of hair was punched into his head and they used the same type of hair product to give it the same sheen, his eyes were a bit weary, he had wrinkles, and he even had nose hairs and little hairs on his hand to heighten the believability.
He also had this “glimmer” in his eye that was created because the Imagineers told us many people would say Walt had this shimmer in his eyes when you talked to him, and they wanted to preserve that as well.
This version of Walt was inspired by the one that appeared in his well-known Fletcher Markle Canadian Broadcasting interview from 1963, meaning it was an older Walt who “was at his pinnacle.”
“He’s got the New York World’s Fair shows in development, he’s got Mary Poppins, he’s got the Secret Florida project, and Disneyland’s doing great,” Tom Fitzgerald, senior creative executive of Walt Disney Imagineering, said. “He’s got all these motion pictures and things, and he just has so much going on, he’s so alive, and he’s so excited to share all of this with us.”
Also, for those worried about Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, which is currently playing at the Opera House and was one of Walt’s big projects during his life, can rest easy knowing it will return after the initial run of this new show. The stage is actually a rotating one and it will eventually switch between the two shows, showcasing the early stages of Audio-Animatronic tech that Walt helped pioneer and the latest with the new show.
Evolution of a Dream and a Celebration of Disney Cast Members
There will be so much more to look forward to at the Main Street Opera House alongside Walt Disney – A Magical Life, including an all-new gallery experience called ‘Evolution of a Dream’ that will feature returning and never-before-seen images, artifacts, and art of Disneyland during and after Walt’s life, and even a small recreation of his apartment.
Some of the most exciting pieces will be pencil drawings and other concept work of the first and secondary preliminary plans for Disneyland that haven’t ever been seen in the public like this before. Additionally, some of the earliest memorabilia and merch from the early days of Disneyland will be on display to show what guests of the 1950s and beyond went home with after visiting the park.
The Walt Disney Family Museum was instrumental in helping put this exhibit together, as they donated more than 30 artifacts to be displayed, including original items from Walt’s private apartment and some of his most cherished awards.
There will also be a section all about the history of Audio-Animatronics that will tell the story of how Walt helped bring it to life and how it evolved towards Walt Disney – A Magical Life. To help tell the story, there will be original and replica figures from Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room, it’s a small world, Pirates of the Caribbean, and more.
That’s not all, as guests will be greeted to another exhibit as they leave Walt Disney – A Magical Life that will be a celebration and history lesson all about Disney Cast Members a.k.a. Disney employees. Guests will get to see first hand the impact these cast members have had on Disney Parks and beyond, and mural on display there will pay tribute to Disneyland history plus “what’s to come.”
Walt Disney – A Magical Life and the rest of these exhibits are only one way Disneyland is celebrating its 70th Anniversary, which actually begins on May 16, 2025, despite this new show and the actual anniversary happening on July 17.
For more, check out our story of how a century of Disney magic began for Disney 100th anniversary and our rankings of the top 25 Disney animated films of all time.
Adam Bankhurst is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst, Instagram, and TikTok, and listen to his show, Talking Disney Magic.
