Walt Disney is back — sort of
For Disneyland’s 70th anniversary, an animatronic version of Walt Disney is making its debut — lifelike, speaking and moving.For many fans, it feels like an emotional tribute, but for others, it is just plain unsettling.
A Celebration That Leaves Some People Uneasy
For Disneyland’s 70th birthday, Disney is launching a project that blends nostalgic magic with modern technology, creating a strange mix of wonder and discomfort.
The new show Walt Disney – A Magical Life premieres on July 17, 2025, and features the first animatronic Walt Disney ever created. But not everyone thinks it is magical.
Here’s How the Show Unfolds
The experience begins with a short film about Walt Disney’s life, adapted from One Man’s Dream.
Then things get real. Visitors come face to face with a lifelike animatronic version of Walt, sitting in the recreated setting of his 1963 office — the era of Mary Poppins and the New York World’s Fair.
The robot is designed with such realism that even tiny skin details like age spots and facial expressions are clearly visible.And that is exactly what gives many people chills.
Somewhere Between Admiration And An Uneasy Feeling
From a technical standpoint, it is a masterpiece, but emotionally, the project walks a fine line.On social media, people are already calling it “uncanny” or “creepy.”It raises the question, just because you can do something, does that mean you should?
The Ethical Debate Around Digital Immortality
The core question is this: is it okay to recreate a deceased person so realistically without their explicit consent?
Disney Imagineer Tom Fitzgerald sees it differently. In an interview, he explained that many young people today do not even know Walt Disney was a real person. The figure is not meant to glorify him, but to create a personal connection, a kind of visual history lesson.Still, critics argue that the portrayal only shows an idealized version of Walt, leaving out complexity, controversy and nuance.Some are even joking, asking why the animatronic is needed at all, since people already believe Walt was frozen and might come back one day anyway.
but he's alive and frozen tho
— Marcos Gutierrez Lobos (@MKMikaso) May 2, 2025
Criticism From Within The Family
Walt Disney’s granddaughter Joanna Miller has also spoken out publicly against the project.
In a Facebook statement, she wrote that she was “overwhelmed with disgust and anger.”To her, the animatronic version of Walt is a sign of disrespect toward his legacy, an attempt to make him speak and act however the company sees fit.On top of that, Miller says she, as a direct descendant, was never involved in the decision. Instead, it was Roy P. Disney, a great-nephew, who supported the project.For Miller, real archival footage would have been more than enough.
Conclusion
Disney’s animatronic Walt is impressive, no doubt about that. But it also raises difficult questions, like how we should handle the memory of real people.
Who gets to decide how history is told, and how far should nostalgia go in an age of AI and animated immortality?Do you think the project is cool, or does it feel more like something straight out of Black Mirror?