By Mallory Mattingly
Walt Disney returns to his beloved Disneyland theme park through the “Walt Disney – a Magical Life” attraction as an audio-animatronic figure.
“Creating our first Walt figure is an idea that’s been whispered in the hallowed halls of Imagineering for years – decades, even,” Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro said in a press release. “We just had to wait for innovation to catch up with our dreams. And we’re finally ready.”
The attraction will see the Opera House theater transform into Walt’s studio office and will chronicle the past, present and future of Disney.
Imagineers brought Disney back because “so much of Walt’s philosophy is timeless, and as valid today as it was in his lifetime,” Tom Fitzgerald, Senior Creative Executive, Walt Disney Imagineering, explained.
“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,” he added. “Follow your dreams, turn setbacks into success, never give up, and give the world your very best.”
Though some Disney fans and even his family members expressed disapproval over the project, Fitzgerald assured that his team took great care and pride when creating the attraction.
“We’ve created so many Audio-Animatronics figures over the years from pirates to presidents, but to create a figure of Walt Disney is an honor and a challenge,” he said. “How can we create a lifelike impression of Walt Disney, with the nuances that made him unique in person. The twinkle in the eye, his expressive face — those eyebrows — and the way he used his hands to punctuate his thoughts and ideas?”
“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 added. “Our hope is that the end result will give guests the best sense of Walt and his engaging and warm personality.”
Disney’s R&D team explained that the attraction’s goal is to immerse viewers so that they can experience who Disney was.
“Most importantly, we were passionate about creating an Audio-Animatronics figure designed specifically for this attraction, delivering a portrayal that has his nuances, hand gestures, facial expressions, and more- all of the attributes that make this figure’s performance feel uniquely Walt and not simply creating a figure to look like Walt,” Jeff Shaver-Moskowitz, a Portfolio Executive Creative Producer at Walt Disney Imagineering, told Tech Radar.
“Walt Disney – A Magical Life” opens today, July 17, after Imagineers worked hard to ensure that the attraction honored the man behind the magic.
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