Disney opened the doors to one of its most secretive creative spaces for a behind-the-scenes experience for a lifelong Disney fan as part of Disney’s “Week of Wishes”.

Disney has had a long-standing partnership with Make-A-Wish, a nonprofit that grants wishes for children with critical illnesses.

Eli, a 12-year-old Make-A-Wish kid, had a wish to look behind the curtain at how Disney parks and attractions are operated and built, with a fascination for how engineers bring characters to life through animatronics and storytelling.

Eli is a member of his middle school robotics team and has a deep curiosity for how things work.

In an interview with Techradar, Leslie Evans, Executive R&D Imagineer at Disney, said:

“We knew Eli was interested in robotics and Audio-Animatronics so we really pulled back the curtain,” Leslie Evans, Executive R&D Imagineer, told TechRadar. “We showed a bit of the legacy of how our first audio-animatronic figures were designed and animated and then brought him into the actual spaces where Imagineers are designing and building the next generation of figures.”

“This includes everything from the technology powering our characters, to the character sculpts and physical foundation, and finally the textures, finishes, skins and final touches that bring these characters from the screen into real life.”

Meeting the BDX droids was one of the biggest highlights for Eli. The BDX droids are some of Disney’s most advanced robotic characters. He was even given the chance to control one himself.

“We start with a North Star of the experience we want to bring to life and then use technology to make it possible,” she said. “Diving into both the creative process and iterative development really gave Eli a peek at what goes into bringing these stories and characters to guests in our parks.”

The BDX droids debuted at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland in October 2023 with a playtest. They later made limited-time daily appearances for Season of the Force 2024. They sailed on the Disney Wish, then visited Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris before spending the summer at Walt Disney World.

Watch a video of the BDX droids in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland below.

What do you think of Disney’s partnership with Make-A-Wish and the experiences they are able to grant for kids like Eli? Let us know on social media.