Even though it’s still only in passholder previews, the highly publicized self-walking Olaf animatronic in the new World of Frozen at Disneyland Paris has already been replaced with a puppet.
Olaf Animatronic Replaced with Puppet
The Olaf animatronic is supposed to appear during the Celebration in Arendelle show, a boat show which takes place in Adventure Bay. Much has been made recently of Imagineering’s use of deep reinforcement learning simulations that helped the Frozen snowman “earn his sea legs” in a matter of hours.
However, it looks like Olaf may have yet to conquer seasickness, as two different Instagram accounts captured footage of Olaf’s understudy, a puppet, performing in the show on March 20.
Instagram user cave_0f_wonders posted the initial reel of the Olaf puppet in action. The puppet is controlled by a visible puppeteer dressed in a teal and blue outfit. The armature controls Olaf’s eyes, mouth, and arms, allowing him to make a variety of expressions. The show is otherwise unchanged, with the same music and dialogue.
Here is the full reel:
Another account, dlp_parks_characters, shared a video of the end of the show as the boats sail backstage. Olaf waves and sings along, and even does a little jump for joy before the boat sails out of sight.
Watch our video of the Celebration in Arendelle show with the Olaf animatronic:
Disney Adventure World Pass Previews
Disney Adventure World preview days for Disneyland Pass members are currently happening in the revamped park in Disneyland Paris. World of Frozen opens on March 29, 2026, and Walt Disney Studios Park will officially be renamed Disney Adventure World that same day. World of Frozen will include an Anna and Elsa meet and greet inside Arendelle Castle, the Frozen Ever After attraction, a boat show, shopping, and dining.
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