Walt Disney will return to the theme park he created in Southern California later this week thanks to Audio-Animatronics technology and the debut of the new attraction "Walt Disney -- A Magical Life."
The attraction will open on July 17, the 70th anniversary of Disneyland, at the Main Street Opera House in Disneyland Park. It culminates in a visit with an Audio-Animatronics figure of the patriarch himself in his office, sharing stories and words of wisdom with guests.
An exhibit about the history of Audio-Animatronics technology in the Main Street Opera House. Photo Credit: Christian Thompson/Disneyland Resort
"Creating this figure is an enormous responsibility and one that the team has taken very seriously, likely as seriously as Walt Disney did in creating the Audio-Animatronics figure of Abraham Lincoln so many decades ago," Tom Fitzgerald, senior creative executive of Walt Disney Imagineering, said in a release. "We hope to honor Walt through the art form that he pioneered, and that 'Walt Disney -- A Magical Life' will be a permanent tribute here at Disneyland ... the only Disney park Walt ever walked in."
While Disney said its teams of Imagineers have considered creating an animatronic of Walt for decades, this particular project has been in the works for seven years.
The experience will begin in the lobby of the Opera House with the "Evolution of a Dream" exhibit, featuring art and artifacts related to Disneyland and its history.
More than 30 artifacts featured are on loan from the Walt Disney Family Museum. That includes furniture from Walt's private apartment, which was located above the Town Square Fire Station, and has never been on display at Disneyland before.
The lobby also features an exhibit detailing the history of Audio-Animatronics technology with figures from Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room, It's a Small World and Pirates of the Caribbean attractions.
The “Evolution of a Dream” exhibit in the Main Street Opera House. Photo Credit: Christian Thompson/Disneyland Resort
From there, guests will move into the theater for the film "One Man's Dream," then a "meeting" with Walt himself.
Most advanced animatronic
According to Disney, the Walt animatronic is the most lifelike Imagineering has ever created. It includes several firsts: a "twinkle in the eye," a "lean to stand" motion for an all-electric fin and realistic skin created with new methods. They studied Walt's mannerisms and movements to create the animatronic.
To create his performance, they used dialogue actually spoken by Walt. His suit, shoes, tie and rings were meticulously researched, and he appears as he would have around 1963. The office was inspired by his office in Burbank, Calif.
Jeff Shaver-Moskowitz, portfolio executive creative producer with Walt Disney Imagineering, said Imagineering worked closely with the Walt Disney Archives and the Walt Disney Family Museum on the details of both Walt and his office.
"Most importantly, we were passionate about creating an Audio-Animatronics figure designed specifically for this attraction, delivering a portrayal that has 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," Shaver-Moskowitz added.
As guests leave the theater, they'll encounter another exhibit showing Disney's cast members at work over the years. A new mural celebrates Disneyland history and nods of what's to come.
When it opens, "Walt Disney — A Magical Life" will employ a virtual queue.
After the attraction's initial run, it will share the Opera House with the other attraction that it calls home, "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln." Imagineering redesigned the theater's stage with a rotating turntable, enabling both shows to play in the same location.
Disney created the first Audio-Animatronics version of Abraham Lincoln in 1964. It debuted at the New York World's Fair before the show moved to Disneyland in 1965.