New experiences debut during Disneyland’s 70th Anniversary to preserve the heritage and legacy behind the company’s founder. The biggest of these is “Walt Disney – A Magical Life,” which is a labor of love aimed at introducing the man behind the magic to a new generation of guests via Imagineering’s most lifelike Audio Animatronics figure ever.
Upon entering Disneyland, the first attraction guests pass is the Main Street Opera House, home to “Walt Disney – A Magical Life.” While the attraction and its lobby are the new attraction aimed at introducing Walt to a new generation and honoring one of the most patriotic and consequential Americans in our nation’s history, the entirety of Main Street is like a living tribute to Walt Disney. Inspired by his hometown of Marceline, Missouri, Main Street recreates the unique charm and quaintness of small-town America at the turn of the 20th century, filled with hope and optimism.
During “Walt Disney – A Magical Life,” guests will first experience a cinematic journey through a unique adaptation of the film, “One Man’s Dream” that also shows at Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World. Following that, the attraction will culminate in a visit with Walt in his office, made possible through the magic of Audio-Animatronics storytelling. “Walt Disney – A Magical Life” will debut on the 70th anniversary of Disneyland’s opening day, July 17, 2025.
When the curtain rises on Walt’s office, guests will hear heartfelt stories, anecdotes and words of wisdom shared by Walt using historical recordings. They will encounter him like never before, through a medium he helped pioneer with his team when they created the Audio-Animatronics figure of Abraham Lincoln. The total run time of “Walt Disney – A Magical Life” will be approximately 17 minutes.
After its initial run, the Main Street Opera House will welcome back “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln,” which will play in rotation with “Walt Disney – A Magical Life.” Walt Disney Imagineering redesigned the stage inside the theater to accommodate a rotating turntable allowing for both “Walt Disney – A Magical Life” and “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” to play in rotation.
Imagineering has confirmed that there are no show, story, or script changes to “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.” Aside from a modified set to fit on the rotating turntable back-to-back with “Walt Disney – A Magical Life,” the Lincoln presentation remains unchanged. However, there will be changes to the lobby, pre- and post-shows.
One such change is that the Main Street Opera House will feature a new marquee with two titles for the first time ever. The sign will display “Opera House now featuring two dramatic theater presentations!” in the center, with A Magical Life above Walt Disney’s name on the left, and to the right, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.
Earlier this week, I had the chance to visit the Imagineering campus in Glendale, California and hear from a few of the creative leads on “Walt Disney – A Magical Life.” Senior Creative Executive Tom Fitzgerald shared how Walt Disney Imagineering has spent more than 7 years working on the ‘Magical Life’ project. The goal of creating a Walt figure dates back far longer; it has been an idea within Imagineering for decades.
Along with Fitzgerald, Executive Producer Jeff Shaver-Moskowitz and Manager of Creative Development David Caranci explained how the team at Imagineering had put great care into ensuring the authenticity and accuracy of the Walt Disney Audio Animatronics figure, and the show as a whole. They dug through old interviews, finding historical footage and audio recordings of Walt Disney in his own words.
The creative team chose the approximate time period of 1963 when determining Walt’s appearance and for the ‘timeframe’ of the show. Imagineers explained this was done because it showed Walt at the pinnacle of his career–after several successful films, the opening of Disneyland and first big park expansion, as early work began on securing land for the Florida Project, and on the precipice of the 1964 World’s Fair. During the show, we see Walt Disney at the height of his success, already an exemplar of the American Dream.
Painstaking detail was put into every aspect of the production, and Imagineers collaborated with the Walt Disney Family Museum to ensure accuracy in everything they did. Several historical sources featuring dialogue of Walt are blended seamlessly to create the inspiring performance of the Audio-Animatronics figure.
Imagineers reiterated once again that it was important that they not put words into Walt’s mouth–there’s no voice actor or AI used. It’s all original audio of Walt Disney, with the only adjustments made being sound restoration and rebalancing so that the interviews from different original sources flow seamlessly together.
Walt’s attire was carefully researched including his suit, shoes, tie and rings. Imagineers revealed that they had difficult in finding the exact hair product that Walt used to obtain the precise sheen/shine, so they had to “settle” for one that approximated Walt’s style and he was likely to have used as a man in the 1960s. Otherwise, everything about his attire and grooming is 100% accurate to life.
Imagineers are pushing the artform and technology of Audio-Animatronics storytelling in every way possible to capture Walt’s likeness and mannerisms. The Walt Disney Audio-Animatronics is incredibly fluid and lifelike–Imagineers shared that it was important to capture and convey the way Walt spoke with his hands, how he furrowed his brow, and the sparkle in his eye.
Fitzgerald called the Walt Disney Audio Animatronics a “moonshot” in describing the never-done-before things that the Imagineering project team tackled. Some of the innovations were driven by necessity–there were certain movements Walt had to be able to accomplish to appear appropriately lifelike. Some just came about naturally in terms of pushing the bounds of the Audio Animatronics medium.
The actual Walt Disney Audio Animatronics is already being prepared for installation in ‘A Magical Life’ at Disneyland, but I had the chance to see the full-sized sculpt of Walt Disney used for the Audio Animatronics. Seeing him for the first time, standing only a few feet away from the figure, I had goosebumps. As expected, it’s a dead ringer for Walt Disney.
More surprising to me was just how lifelike the figure looked. This was Walt Disney, right down to his hair (even without the precise product, they nailed it) and that glisten in the eye. The skin is what really got me, though. His skin has the look of a man in his 60s, with the spots, wrinkles, and other characteristics you’d expect.
As a photographer, I’ve “seen” a lot of Audio Animatronics up close and personal. The newer A-1000 Audio Animatronics generation looks fantastic and fluid, from Princess Tiana to Queen Elsa to Beast and Belle. Ditto the Na’vi Shaman. But the difference is that those are animated characters, not humans.
Representations of real people don’t always hold up to closer scrutiny. Obviously, this is to be expected with older AAs like those in Spaceship Earth or Carousel of Progress. However, even the two newest Oval Office occupants in Hall of Presidents look only okay–arguably worse since we know what both of those men look like in real life thanks to breathless media coverage. The problem with human Audio Animatronics up-close has long been the plastic-y appearance of their skin. It was mostly good enough for viewing at a distance, but not so much when viewed closer.
The Imagineers explained that part of the reason they’ve made the Walt Disney Audio Animatronics figure so lifelike, beyond just the natural evolution of the form and innovations made over the last decade, is because now everyone has a telephoto lens in their pocket. It’s not just photographers now–anyone with a phone is able to see the AA up close and in detail. This has raised the bar for the accuracy of the appearance.
One thing that really stuck out to me in hearing from the Imagineers on the project is just how much they care and want “Walt Disney – A Magical Life” to get it right. This is not just another assignment to them–it’s a passion project that’s being treated with great reverence. While a lot of new details were shared about the show, this is what mattered most to me.
There’s been a lot of controversy lately in the decisions being made by the company, with some fans making the accusation that current leadership wants to strip Walt Disney or Americana from the parks thanks to decisions like the removal of the Rivers of America. Personally, I think this is a short-sighted decision and a mistake that fundamentally misunderstands the value of this area of the Magic Kingdom. I’ve covered this in Truly Terrible Decisions Made by Walt Disney World and at length in the commentary to our original post about Cars Land Replacing Rivers of America, among other posts.
Even with my vehement disagreement over that decision, I also think that it’s baseless to claim that Disney is doing this as part of a concerted scheme to systematically remove Walt’s essence from the parks. My view is that the Rivers of America replacement decision is misguided despite making sense on a spreadsheet to an accountant, not that this is some nefarious anti-Walt or America plot. You can believe something is stupid without playing the “communism” card.
That’s just unmoored and doesn’t comport with the reality of what else the company is doing, like investing untold tens of millions of dollars on production of “Walt Disney – A Magical Life,” the Audio Animatronics, or structural improvements and modernizations to the Opera House. (Even things like preserving the Country Bears or other little things suggest a company with one foot in the past and another in the present.)
It also doesn’t pass the smell test if you simply talk to pretty much any Imagineer or even leadership within the company. These are not people who bristle at Walt Disney’s legacy. Quite the opposite. So many of the people who work at the company do so precisely because of its history, legacy, and ethos. That includes many of those in Burbank and most in Glendale.
They’re fallible humans making business decisions; sometimes those are hollow, creatively bankrupt or misaligned with the interests of diehard fans, sure. No doubt about it. However, the notion that they are anti-Walt is so patently absurd that I shouldn’t have even entertained the idea for this many paragraphs. But it keeps coming up, so here we are.
That ‘conversation’ is happening in some circles and is the backdrop against which “Walt Disney – A Magical Life” is coming to fruition. I’m not sure whether the Imagineers on the project team are sensitive to this, but I’d imagine they’re at least aware of it.
One thing they are sensitive to is the Disney family’s perception of and reaction to ‘A Magical Life’ and the Walt Disney Audio Animatronics figure. This has already been discussed elsewhere, at length, and I suppose this is also a controversy to some people. For those who are unfamiliar with this saga, most of the grandkids (and others) have given their seal of approval to this project, but one has not.
This might sound callous, but I don’t really view the opinions of the descendents–whether in favor or against–as all that important. They don’t color my opinion on this project one way or the other. That’s for the exact same reasons I don’t consider this when it comes to Hall of Presidents, American Adventure, Spaceship Earth, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, and other attractions that use the actual likenesses of historical figures.
Walt Disney himself created an Audio Animatronics figure of Abraham Lincoln to give a feel of who the living man was and pay tribute to someone important to American history. In the years since, Disney has brought to life countless other presidents (literally all of them!) and other historical figures. To my knowledge, there has not been much fanfare or controversy from their families, just as there isn’t about biopics or books about history.
For me, the biggest ‘issue’ is what Walt will say. This cannot be self-serving for the company. If they cherry pick Walt quotes to further a narrative about the parks needing to change or whatever, it won’t be well-received. This has got to be a love letter to Walt Disney and his life, with no ulterior motives.
More and more, it feels like Walt Disney is a corporate mascot to give ‘cover’ to various, potentially controversial changes. It’s an easy and mostly superficial way to score points with fans. I’ve repeated similar sentiment many, many times over the years. Not because I am anti-Walt Disney. Instead, because I hold the man in the utmost respect and reverence. Walt Disney was, without question, one of the greatest and most influential Americans of all-time.
He was someone who changed the course of history for the better, without whom my life–all of our lives–would be very different. A genius, patriot, and so much more. We highly recommend all fans read the best (and most accurate) Walt Disney biography for more about his life story.
This is why I’m so “protective” of Walt Disney–and also why I can appreciate the scrutiny other fans are giving to this stage show. Walt should not be treated in a superficial manner as a mascot or shield from criticism for lazy and unambitious projects. The company should stop using him to “Walt-Wash” projects that are, frankly, bad. Walt should only be attached to things that truly honor and are worthy of his legacy.
Given everything I heard from the Imagineers on the project team, I’m now at ease about this. Obviously, the jury is still out until the show opens and we hear what Walt Disney has to say, but the “One Man’s Dream” film is excellent, and the interviews Imagineers shared that they pulled the dialogue from are all good ones that share Walt’s story.
It’s very clear to me that this is a labor of love. There are no ulterior motives–Walt isn’t going to tell you that his biggest dream was the creation of Freakier Friday, coming soon to a theater near you. It’s a passion project, and with both substance and a healthy budget. I’m honestly impressed that Imagineering managed to not only get this funded (as opposed to yet another statue), but also got the green light for the expensive structural changes that’ll allow “Walt Disney – A Magical Life” to play in rotation alongside “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.”
Ultimately, I can think of no more fitting honor than Walt Disney standing back-to-back with Abraham Lincoln. Two great Americans for, obviously, very different reasons. It’s also a full circle moment, as bringing Lincoln to life was one of Walt’s biggest passion projects, and now this is that for present-day Imagineers. As kids, those creatives watched Walt Disney come into their living rooms on Sunday night television, similarly to how Walt learned of Lincoln as a child.
Today’s younger generations are not learning about Walt Disney. Or worse yet, they’re consuming anti-Walt propaganda and learning about who he actually was not. Walt no longer comes into our living rooms on Sunday nights, but slander about him is ubiquitous on our phones. This worries me for the reasons stated above–that I view Walt Disney as one of the greatest people of all-time; a shining example of American ingenuity and spirit who should be studied as a role model.
Whatever other arguments for or against a Walt Disney Audio Animatronics that might’ve existed at one time, this is the one that wins out for me in 2025, nearly 60 years after Walt Disney’s passing. Keeping his story and legacy alive for future generations is of paramount importance.
Accordingly, I am on board with pretty much anything the Walt Disney Company does to combat this–because its founder needs some degree of safeguarding against morons and misinformation. “Walt Disney – A Magical Life” should be a lovely and meaningful tribute to Walt Disney, the man, and it couldn’t be coming at a more needed time. This is precisely why I view it as the most important attraction coming to either coast in the next 5 years.
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Your Thoughts
What do you think of the “Walt Disney – A Magical Life” announcement? Excited to finally see Walt Disney honored with a show and first-ever Audio Animatronics figure? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
