Seven years in the making, Walt Disney himself comes to life in a new, groundbreaking attraction at Disneyland. As an animatronic, the founder moves and speaks to the audience, all with a special twinkle in his eye.

Anaheim

Disney has revealed a new animatronic figure of Walt Disney at Disneyland, which the company describes as its most lifelike and fluid creation so far. The project, developed over seven years, features advanced electric technology and meticulous attention to detail, including a realistic twinkle in the figure's eye and accurate representations of Disney's hands, clothing, and hair.

While some members of the Disney family expressed discomfort with the idea of Walt Disney appearing in robotic form, others were consulted throughout the process and responded positively to the final result. The attraction aims to give visitors the experience of meeting Walt Disney in person, with creators focusing on capturing both technological innovation and artistic authenticity.

Disney says its new animatronic is its most lifelike yet

But there's really no secret about our approach. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors, doing new things, because we're curious. The path of new technology is what made this possible. You're looking at Walt Disney reborn as an audio animatronic, a project seven years in the making. The company says it's the most lifelike and fluid figure they've ever made. The technology had advanced to the point where we said, all right, we've got the tools and techniques that I know Walt and the original Imagineers wish they had had when they created Pirates of the Caribbean and the Tiki Room. Disney's original creations were pneumatic or hydraulic, but his figure is all electric. Creators had to use new methods to create an actual twinkle in his eye. They also got super detailed using an old bronze cast of Disney's hands, looked at the type of suit fabric he would have worn, the kind of shine his hair products would have given. There's a lot of things that technology can do, but in a theatrical presentation, it's just as much about the art. To have the public appreciate and accept what I've done all these years, that is a great reward. One of Walt Disney's grandchildren told the Los Angeles Times that she's upset by this project. She feels her grandfather never wanted to appear in robotic form. But there are other Disney grandchildren and great-grandchildren who were consulted by the company from the very beginning, and they were shown the result and were told they were deeply moved and pleased with it. We're always exploring and experimenting. We're interested in doing things that are fun and bringing pleasure and especially laughter to people. The creators wanted this feeling like we, the audience, were just stepping into Walt's office for a casual chat. I was really taken with the fluidity of the arm movements, the facial expressions, and the way that technology was able to have him casually just lean against a desk and then stand up to talk to us. You know, I was stumped one day when the little boy asked, do you draw Mickey Mouse? And I had to admit, I do not draw anymore. Does it look exactly like the man? Maybe not, but I think we get the feeling that we were in the room with Walt.

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