The new Walt Disney Audio-Animatronic coming to Disneyland Resort next year will use archival recordings of Walt, Fortune revealed in an article about Disney Experiences’ D23 announcements.
Walt Disney Audio-Animatronic
Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro announced during the Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase that Walt will come to life as part of the show “Walt Disney – A Magical Life.” It will debut in the Main Street Opera House next year for the 70th anniversary of Disneyland.
Fortune saw a prototype of the life-size figure being constructed and tested in “a boxy, heavily secured warehouse building in Glendale, California, behind an unassuming black curtain.” The figure wears one of Walt’s favorite ties and his old shoes. It’s leaning on a desk in a replica of his old office, as seen in the concept above, and will stand to tell a story to guests. A special light is pointed at the figure’s face to create a twinkle in his eye. Every hair has been individually placed on his head.
Tom Fitzgerald, Senior Creative Executive at Walt Disney Imagineering, told Fortune, “This has been a labor of love. It’s a new world for us, new challenges. But as Walt would say, it’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”
Fitzgerald’s team is using new Audio-Animatronic technology to animate Walt’s hands and fingers, as well as to make his skin look maximally lifelike.
“This is a big deal for us,” D’Amaro said, adding that Imagineers “are best in class at bringing figures to life in a way that connects emotionally.”
Walt, who passed away in 1966, will tell his life story in his own words via archived audio recordings.
In a press release from The Walt Disney Company, Fitzgerald said they worked closely with the Walt Disney Archives to get the details correct and make this their most lifelike human figure ever.
“We scoured through his speeches and documents to find the words that would bring him to life in a way that would feel as if we dropped into his office for a chat,” he said. “Our hope is that the end result will give guests the best sense of Walt and his engaging and warm personality.”
“So much of Walt’s philosophy is timeless, and as valid today as it was in his lifetime,” he also said. “We wanted the show and story to appeal to all ages, and while some of our younger audience may not know as much about Walt Disney, we felt his story could be inspirational to them. Follow your dreams, turn setbacks into success, never give up, and give the world your very best.”
“Creating our first Walt figure is an idea that’s been whispered in the hallowed halls of Imagineering for years – decades, even,” said D’Amaro at D23. “We just had to wait for innovation to catch up with our dreams. And we’re finally ready.”
Fortune spoke to D’Amaro before D23 at his office in Burbank, where he has a sketch of Cinderella Castle on one wall and five black-and-white photos of Walt Disney on another.
“I look past my computer to those photographs every day,” D’Amaro told Fortune, “to remember the responsibility that I have.”
After its initial run, “Walt Disney – A Magical Life” will rotate with “Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln.” The latter show debuted at the 1964 New York World’s Fair and features an Audio-Animatronic of President Abraham Lincoln, one of the first created by Walt Disney and his Imagineers.
Although The Walt Disney Company is hyping up the new Audio-Animatronic and got approval from Walt’s great-nephew Roy P. Disney, Walt’s granddaughter Joanna Miller said she is “overwhelmed with disgust and anger” at the announcement.
“Mom would be ready to fight. I think it shows a lack of respect for Grampa,” said Miller, daughter of Diane Disney, in a statement on the Facebook page “It All Started With Walt Disney.” Miller said her mother previously tried to stop the company from creating a Walt Audio-Animatronic and they respected her wishes. Diane Disney Miller passed in 2013.
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