In an interview with Fast Company, Kyle Laughlin, SVP of Walt Disney Imagineering R&D says that there are plans to get Olaf a passport and allow him to venture outside of just Paris. Laughlin also teased that Imagineering really wants to be able to allow guests to enjoy a warm hug with Olaf, but all in due time. Here’s the latest.
Robotic Olaf Coming to Walt Disney World & Disneyland…Eventually
Officially, Disney has announced that Olaf will be present in the Arendelle Bay Show in World of Frozen at Disney Adventure World, and that he will soon make “Limited-time special appearances at World of Frozen at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort”. That said, Imagineers have so much more planned for the adventurous, lovable snowman.
In the recent Fast Company interview, Laughlin said that Disney is easing Olaf into the daily operations at Disney Adventure World, but that there are plans to allow Olaf to roam more freely in the park in the future.
He’s so popular that we have to ensure, both from a security perspective as well as an operational one, that we can ease him into the park. You’ll absolutely see him roaming the park in the future.
It won’t stop with just roaming, though. Ultimately, Imagineering wants to get to a point where guests can have a proper meet and greet with Olaf, wam hugs included. Laughlin described the tangible moment as a “North Star goal” for Imagineering.
Can’t get to Disneyland Paris or Hong Kong Disneyland? Olaf will come to you…eventually. Just like there will be “warm hugs for everyone!”, Laughlin said that there will be robotic Olaf’s for everyone too. There are plans to bring Olaf to the domestic Disney theme parks – Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
He’s one of our most popular characters, so domestically you’ll also see him as well. That’s really kind of the important point: We really are building these now for operations, and to ensure that they’re everywhere.
As for timing, that’s anyone’s guess. Laughlin didn’t commit to a timeframe, and Disney hasn’t announced any Olaf appearances beyond Paris and Hong Kong.
Beyond the theme parks, Laughlin also mentioned that Olaf could make appearances on the high seas with Disney Cruise Line in the future. Again, no timeframe was announced.
Turning to a bit of commentary: roaming characters are awesome. Walt Disney World briefly enjoyed the company of the BDX Droids in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge last Summer. The droids were a hit, and it seems like operations was able to work them into the park with little to minimal impact. In fact, from the outside looking in, the overwhelmingly positive guest experience seemed to far outweigh any negative impact on operations. Hopefully, that’s a good sign for roaming characters in the future.
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!