On May 16th, Walt Disney will once again stand and speak in Disneyland – this time, as an Audio-Animatronic. Walt Disney – A Magical Life will be a significant project for Walt Disney Imagineering as they take on the toughest Audio-Animatronic yet when trying to replicate Walt Disney himself. Imagineering has not offered a look at the Audio-Animatronic yet, and it’s unclear if they will or not, but the project has been ongoing for at least a year and a half so far.
According to a new report from the OC Register, the project has received the seal of approval from most of Walt Disney’s direct descendants, but not everyone is on board.
Walt’s Grandchildren Approve of New Audio-Animatronic
The Walt Disney Audio-Animatronic show was announced a few months ago at the D23 Expo in Anaheim. At the Expo, Disney Chairman Josh D’Amaro said that the new show will “bring together the past, the present, and the future of Disney storytelling.”
D’Amaro said that creating the first-ever Walt Disney Audio-Animatronic has been whispered in the hallways of Imagineering for years, and perhaps decades, but now was the right time to do it. D’Amaro said that Imagineering had to “wait for innovation to catch up to ours dreams”. D’Amaro said that the new show would be a powerful experience, and a chance for guests to imagine what it would be like to be in Walt’s presence.
D’Amaro said that he took Walt Disney’s great-nephew, Roy P. Disney, to Walt Disney Imagineering to show off the progress that the team was making on the project.
In the new report from the OC Register, a Disney spokesperson offered the following statement about the project:
Creating an Audio-Animatronics figure of Walt Disney is an enormous responsibility and one that we take incredibly seriously. We are bringing the same care, research and respect to Walt Disney as Walt himself did when he advanced the technology he pioneered by creating the Abraham Lincoln figure for the 1964 New York World’s Fair and ultimately ‘Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln’ at Disneyland Resort. We continue to push the artform and technology in every way possible to ensure that this tribute is done right.
Walt Disney will (sort of) share the stage with Mr. Lincoln has the Walt Disney show plays in rotation with Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.
Furthermore, The Walt Disney Family Museum, which includes five of Walt’s grandchildren and three of his great-grandchildren, offered the following statement:
We are enthusiastic about, and grateful for, the company’s efforts to create this exciting new attraction that will allow people to experience Walt Disney, the man behind the magic.
Walt Disney Imagineering invited the WDFM Board out to view the project’s progress back in July 2023, and Walt’s grandson Chris Miller was impressed:
Their work to that point was stellar and they were very eager to be as accurate as possible in creating this.
We came away confident that this is the right group to take on this important project.
Walt Disney pioneered the use of Audio-Animatronics in his theme parks and beyond. His granddaughter thinks that Walt would’ve been fascinated by how far the technology has come and would’ve been enthusiastic about the project.
We believe that our grandfather would have been enthusiastic about the project and fascinated by the advancements of the audio-animatronics technology that was first developed during his days at WED (now Imagineering) — a technology that he was always passionate about.
That said, not all of Walt’s descendants are happy with the decision to create an Audio-Animatronic of him. Joanna Miller, Walt’s granddaughter, said that she thinks that the Audio-Animatronic is an imposter and that Imagineering is dehumanizing Walt.
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 imposter. They are dehumanizing him. People are not replaceable.
Walt Disney himself reportedly didn’t want to be turned into an Audio-Animatronic. According to Joanna Miller, Matt McKim, a retired Imagineer and son of legendary Imagineer Sam McKim, said that Walt told Sam that he didn’t want to be turned into an Audio-Animatronic. Other former Imagineers reportedly echoed the sentiment.
That said, Audio-Animatronic technology was vastly different during Walt’s time than it is today. On May 16th, 2025, we’ll finally be able to see if Imagineering has created something that honors the legacy of Walt Disney or not.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!