Walt Disney’s Grandkids Approve of New Animatronic for Disneyland’s 70th Anniversary Show

Walt Disney’s Grandkids Approve of New Animatronic for Disneyland’s 70th Anniversary Show

Walt Disney’s grandchildren have expressed their approval of the “stellar” and “accurate” audio-animatronic recreation of their grandfather, which will be the star attraction of a new show coming to Disneyland in 2025.

Related – Official Guide to Disneyland 70th Anniversary and More for 2025

“Walt Disney – A Magical Life” will debut at the Main Street Opera House theater at Disneyland park on May 16, 2025. The attraction will feature a cinematic presentation of Walt Disney’s journey, culminating in a visit with Walt in his office, brought to life for the first time ever through the magic of Audio-Animatronics storytelling.

”Creating an Audio-Animatronics figure of Walt Disney is an enormous responsibility and one that we take incredibly seriously,” according to a Disneyland spokesperson. “We are bringing the same care, research and respect to Walt Disney as Walt himself did when he advanced the technology he pioneered by creating the Abraham Lincoln figure for the 1964 New York World’s Fair and ultimately ‘Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln’ at Disneyland Resort. We continue to push the artform and technology in every way possible to ensure that this tribute is done right.”

The board of directors of the Walt Disney Family Museum, which includes five of Walt Disney’s grandchildren and three of his great-grandchildren, has expressed their support for the creation of the new audio-animatronic figure for the “Walt Disney — A Magical Life” show coming to Disneyland.

“We are enthusiastic about, and grateful for, the company’s efforts to create this exciting new attraction that will allow people to experience Walt Disney, the man behind the magic,” Walt Disney Family Museum executive director Kirsten Komoroske said in a statement.

In July 2023, Disneyland and Walt Disney Imagineering invited the board of directors of the Walt Disney Family Museum to witness the progress on the Walt Disney audio-animatronic project. Chris Miller, one of Walt’s grandsons, expressed his admiration for the team’s dedication to accuracy in a statement released by the museum. He stated, “Their work to that point was stellar and they were very eager to be as accurate as possible in creating this. We came away confident that this is the right group to take on this important project.”

Tamara Miller, one of Walt Disney’s granddaughters, expressed confidence that her grandfather would have approved of the audio-animatronic recreation created by Imagineering. In a statement released by the Walt Disney Family Museum, she said, “We believe that our grandfather would have been enthusiastic about the project and fascinated by the advancements of the audio-animatronics technology that was first developed during his days at WED (now Imagineering) — a technology that he was always passionate about.”

While some members of the Walt Disney family have expressed enthusiasm for the audio-animatronic project, others have voiced concerns. Joanna Miller, one of Walt’s granddaughters, has taken a strong stance against the project, launching a letter-writing campaign to persuade Imagineering to abandon their plans. In a Facebook post, she argued that creating an animatronic likeness of Walt Disney would be disrespectful and dehumanizing. She also cited conversations with retired Imagineers, who shared that Walt himself had expressed a desire not to be immortalized in such a way.

What do you think about an animatronic of Walt Disney?

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