As Disneyland Resort continues to celebrate its 70th anniversary, a groundbreaking new show and attraction is taking center stage at the Main Street Opera House: “Walt Disney — A Magical Life.”
This immersive experience honors the legacy of Walt Disney through a blend of storytelling, innovation, and heartfelt tribute — culminating in the debut of the first-ever Audio-Animatronics figure of Walt himself.
“The 70th anniversary of Disneyland gave us an incredible opportunity to create this show — ‘Walt Disney — A Magical Life’ — to remind the public about Walt Disney, his life, his career, his incredible journey,” Tom Fitzgerald, Senior Creative Executive, Walt Disney Imagineering, said.
Jeff Shaver-Moskowitz, Portfolio Executive Creative Producer, Walt Disney Imagineering, added, “This fitting tribute gives millions of our guests a moment of wish fulfillment to feel what it was like to be in Walt’s presence.”
The Imagineers worked very closely with the Walt Disney Archives and The Walt Disney Family Museum to ensure an accurate portrayal of the details of Walt and his office.
“But, most importantly,” Shaver-Moskowitz added, “we were passionate about creating an Audio-Animatronics portrayal that had all of his nuances, his facial expressions, his hand gestures, all those things that made this performance, this theatrical presentation, feel uniquely Walt.”
The show begins with a film adaptation of “One Man’s Dream,” largely narrated by Walt himself, tracing his journey from humble beginnings in Marceline, MO, to global icon. The finale reveals the Audio-Animatronics figure of Walt in a recreation of his Burbank office, where he shares stories and philosophies drawn from decades of archival recordings.
“Creating an Audio-Animatronics figure of Walt Disney is something that the team took very seriously, likely as seriously as Walt Disney did in creating the Audio-Animatronics figure of Abraham Lincoln decades ago,” Fitzgerald said.
Audio-Animatronics technology was pioneered in the 1960s by Walt Disney and his Imagineers and made a major impression at the 1964 World’s Fair with — among other figures — Abraham Lincoln in the show “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln,” which now shares a home with “Walt Disney — A Magical Life.” In the six decades since, the technology has only improved.
“For ‘Walt Disney — A Magical Life,’ the team at Walt Disney Imagineering has created the most lifelike figure we have ever created,” Fitzgerald said.
To achieve this, Imagineers developed what they call “moonshots” — leaps in technology for a humanoid figure that include soft eyelids, expressive eyebrows, and even the twinkle in Walt’s eye.
“All of these things bring the personality of Walt Disney to life in a way that could never have been done before,” Fitzgerald added.
The attraction is more than a technical marvel — it’s a message of perseverance and creativity.
“Walt Disney’s story is an amazing one. What a journey. Throughout his career, he had setbacks, but he never gave up. He kept moving forward and we thought that was a message that was an important one to share with our audience today. Follow your dreams. Never give up. Yes, you will have setbacks. Turn them into success and give the world your best,” Fitzgerald said.