First Look: Walt Disney Animatronic Revealed Ahead of Disneyland 70th Anniversary Show

29 days ago in "Disneyland Resort"

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Walt Disney - A Magical Life

Posted: Monday July 14, 2025 2:25pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Disney has released the first image and video of the new Walt Disney Audio-Animatronic figure, set to debut this Thursday, July 17, 2025, in the new Main Street Opera House attraction Walt Disney – A Magical Life. This will mark the first time Walt himself has been portrayed through Audio-Animatronics, a technology he helped pioneer.

The new experience is part of Disneyland’s 70th anniversary celebration and has been in development for more than seven years at Walt Disney Imagineering. Though the idea of a Walt figure has circulated within Imagineering for decades, the team has now brought that concept to life through a blend of historical research, storytelling, and technical innovation.

A New Theatrical Experience

The show begins with a specially adapted version of One Man’s Dream, a cinematic biography of Walt’s life—from his early years to the founding of Disneyland and beyond. The film uses restored footage and audio recordings of Walt, many of which have been carefully edited and combined to create a seamless narrative in Walt’s own voice.

The final scene lifts the curtain on a re-creation of Walt’s Burbank office, where guests come face-to-face with the Audio-Animatronic figure of Walt Disney. Wearing a faithfully researched 1963-era suit, tie, shoes, and rings, the figure appears seated before rising and delivering remarks drawn entirely from archival recordings.

Walt Disney - A Magical Life

Technical and Artistic Innovations

According to Disney, the figure is the most lifelike human Audio-Animatronic ever created. Imagineers studied Walt’s facial expressions, hand gestures, and posture in extreme detail. Specific breakthroughs include:

A newly developed skin material for more realistic texture and movement
The first-ever “lean-to-stand” motion for an all-electric figure
Subtle facial mechanics to replicate Walt’s natural speech patterns, including how his mouth relaxed between phrases
A visible “twinkle in the eye,” designed to reflect his trademark expressiveness

Internally, these ambitious developments were dubbed “moonshots” by the team that created them.

Walt Disney - A Magical Life

A Redesigned Stage and Theater

To support the alternating performances of Walt Disney – A Magical Life and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, Imagineers completely redesigned the theater stage. A new rotating turntable allows both shows to operate in rotation.

Before entering the theater, guests will explore newly installed exhibits in the lobby of the Opera House. These include:

A timeline of Disneyland’s development and design evolution
Honors and awards presented to Walt, including his 1955 Emmy and 1964 Presidential Medal of Freedom
A new short film titled Memories of Walt, featuring stories from colleagues and collaborators

Walt Disney – A Magical Life will open to all guests beginning July 17 and will rotate performances with Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln in the same theater.

Walt Disney - A Magical Life

Discuss on the Forums

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mickEblu19 hours ago

Saw this show on Sunday. It helped that I got to see the AA and hear his voice beforehand on videos. My expectations were in check and the AA’s likeness or lack thereof wasn’t as jarring. I sat front row dead center. Last show of the night. Luckily I looked at my phone while we were shopping at the Emporium at 7:50pm. So the One Man’s Dream portion was fine. I think I expected it to be a little better. Seemed a little lackluster and a bit dated but it does the job. Bob Iger’s narration is terrible and his voice has no business being on this show. Thankfully, you don’t hear him very often. Walt is much more present. I will admit when the curtains moved and I saw the Walt AA for the first time I did get emotional for a couple seconds. The AA moves really well. I think they ve worked on his face a little bit so that helps too. Between the supposed tweaks to his face and that I have gotten used to the fact that what we got is what an AA representation of Walt looks like (for now) helped. Same thing went for his voice. Didn’t particularly sound like him but it wasn’t so bad that it became a distraction. The AA portion is very short. Between all the clips I heard it felt like I had seen most of, if not the whole animatronic portion of the show. All said I left the show satisfied. Not amazed but satisfied. I think, even with its flaws, it accomplished what it set out to do emotionally. It’s a nice tribute to Walt Disney at his park. It belongs there. Hopefully they fine tune it a bit. Get rid of Bob Iger, work on his face and work on the audio. I won’t be running back to see it anytime soon especially with my usual party that includes two children. Not that my 9 year old son didn't enjoy it but I doubt he’d be up for another viewing anytime soon. Almost forgot… I think having the CM give the disclaimer about the audio is tacky and unnecessary.

Misted Compass2 days ago

Honestly feel like this might be it. Modern Disney loves pretending to be a tech company.

Cmdr_Crimson3 days ago

Probably him for his final bow before he leaves? 🤷‍♂️. The only thing we see of anything Eisner related are just photos or plaques with his name around the resort..At least he had fun during his role trying to be a Walt-esque host when he would open the Magical world of Disney or when they had him In the park tour... Who else can make Chernabog stop him in his tracks.. I'm sure Iger would just be very stoic and everyone would have to be quiet behind him going into the theater..

mickEblu3 days ago

I’m going with Bob Iger. Haha

Figments Friend3 days ago

True, and I had forgotten about Michael’s original narration. Julie’s is just so stellar the previous version has already been erased from my mind…and Eisner did it just fine as well. Valid points. -

Animaniac93-983 days ago

Eisner was the original narrator of One Man's Dream. Julie Andrews became his replacement after he left the company. Perhaps the idea was to replicate that with one head of the company talking about its founder? Or maybe Iger wanted to be associated with what may have been perceived as a prestige, technically complex project?

Figments Friend3 days ago

I would really like to know why Julie Andrews’ original narration was not used for this at Disneyland. Just use the film as is, why change the narration…? Julie brings an elegance and a class to the presentation, and also she is justified in doing so since she actually knew and worked with Walt. Seems to me a perfect fit for a presentation such as this themed to Uncle Walt. Makes perfect sense to have her narration remain. So why change it…? I would really like to know who made the decision to record a new narration, and use Bob Iger. -

Too Many Hats3 days ago

Is there evidence (or credible rumors) they're working on the attraction? Not trying to be cynical but I'd just assume the latter. I wonder what kind of post-8pm attendance they're projecting. I saw the show twice yesterday; it was pretty packed at 4pm and very dead by 7pm.

PiratesMansion3 days ago

Do you think they're actually working on the attraction after 8 PM when the attraction closes or just taking advantage of the cost savings from not running it?

Too Many Hats3 days ago

Yeah, I was vaguely aware of this. I must have seen it at “MGM” back in 2005. But I’m assessing Walt Disney - A Magical Life as most guests will: as a new experience at Disneyland.

Cmdr_Crimson3 days ago

You know what's ironic...Without the Walt AA added...The movie your watching that was redubbed with Iger instead of Julie Andrew's Is something you may have seen at DHS already..

Too Many Hats3 days ago

First impression: The attraction is underwhelming. If the objective is to inform the uninitiated about Walt's life and achievements, the film does a decent enough job, but curiously forgoes spelling out milestones such as "first cartoon with synchronized sound" or "first feature-length animated film" in favor of insipid, unenlightening repetitions that "Walt never gave up." Okay. The AA doesn't really look like Walt. The face is bloated and cartoon-like. This alone calls into question the attraction's raison d'être. The AA is probably impressive, but its shortcomings in appearance and audio distract from any groundbreaking qualities it may have. The general public's mileage may vary. Beyond the AA itself, the Walt AA scene as a whole feels like a missed opportunity. There is almost no transition from the film to the scene; the curtain simply raises and Walt appears (contrast this with Lincoln's dramatic introduction in Great Moments). The scene itself is pretty brief. The set is smaller than I expected and not particularly impressive or interesting. The dialogue chosen for Walt is not exactly the most profound thing he ever said (will guests appreciate Walt's sentiments about his mailman brother or find it condescending?). And then the scene just kind of ends. The lobby exhibit is delightful and will introduce casual guests to the idea of concept art, audio-animatronics, and the evolution of Disneyland. The exit hallway mural is a gaudy downgrade. In light of Walt's alleged instruction to Blaine Gibson regarding building an AA in his likeness, this attraction doesn't exactly justify violating the founder's wishes. I don't particularly care for it but I hope other guests enjoy the attraction and find it informative.