Walt Disney - A Magical Life Impressions: A Remarkable Experience that Honors Walt's Legacy in a Powerful Way

Disneyland is turning 70 connected July 17, and 1 of the biggest ways the parkland is celebrating is by bringing Walt Disney backmost to beingness arsenic an Audio-Animatronic for a caller show. Disney invited america to spot this attraction, titled Walt Disney - A Magical Life, and it's a singular acquisition that honors Walt's bequest successful a almighty way.

Walt Disney - A Magical Life volition unrecorded astatine the Main Street Opera House successful Disneyland alongside Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, and it's a astir 17-minute amusement that begins with an updated mentation of the fantastic 'One Man's Dream' film, but present with Disney household location videos and narration by Disney CEO Bob Iger thrown in.

The movie lasts for astir 15 minutes and tells the communicative of Walt Disney from his earliest days to his readying of his concealed Florida task that would go Walt Disney World. It sets the signifier successful specified a large way, particularly with Walt talking astir his failures and however they helped him go who helium became, and it each culminates astatine the extremity erstwhile the surface and curtains rise, and we driblet successful connected him successful his bureau arsenic helium would person appeared circa 1963.

Disney invited america to Imagineering backmost successful May to spot the exemplary that was built for notation erstwhile creating the Audio-Animatronic, but we didn't get to really spot the fig until now. While determination is undoubtedly a spot of uncanny vale successful the existent Audio-Animatronic's face, that interest rapidly fades erstwhile the tech connected show starts to radiance successful performance with the meaning down it.

You astir hide an Audio-Animatronic is successful the room, and you consciousness arsenic though you are really with Walt Disney for but a moment. We archetypal spot him leaning against his desk, arsenic helium was known to do, and his motions are conscionable truthful fluid and smooth. In what is possibly my favourite moment, Walt really does a 'lean to stand' question from his table - the archetypal for an all-electric fig - and it's a stunning infinitesimal I won't soon forget.

I spoke astir this successful my preview of the Audio-Animatronic, but this is each accentuated by the probe and attraction from the squad to recreate Walt arsenic helium was each those years ago, down to his mannerisms, however helium would speech with his hands and adjacent spot them connected his back, and more. The authenticity besides extends to his suit, shoes, tie, rings, and adjacent that undeniable glint successful his oculus that countless radical who knew him spoke of.

Speaking connected that glint for a moment, Tom Fitzgerald, Senior Creative Executive astatine Walt Disney Imagineering, shared that the glint was really caused by a corneal bulge helium had, and the squad down the Audio-Animatronic replicated it to mimic its quality successful existent life.

And the words helium speaks are arsenic applicable arsenic ever, but much importantly, they are his words, ums and stammers included. There are nary AI recreations oregon dependable imitators, these are Walt's existent words gathered from humanities footage and audio recordings that were blended unneurotic to marque this caller speech.

"We support moving forward," Walt says. "Opening up caller doors, doing caller things due to the fact that we're curious, and curiosity keeps starring america down caller paths. We're ever exploring and experimenting. We're funny successful doing things that are amusive successful bringing pleasance and particularly laughter to people, but I lone anticipation that we ne'er suffer show of 1 thing, that this was each started by a mouse."

The Most Imporant Part of Bringing Walt Disney Back to LIfe arsenic an Audio-Animatronic

Walt's quality connected signifier whitethorn beryllium short, but I really deliberation that's not a atrocious thing. The existent constituent of this attraction is to support Walt's communicative live for the incoming generations that ne'er grew up with seeing him connected TV oregon whitethorn lone deliberation of him arsenic a brand, and the 'One Man's Dream' movie does that successful a large mode - with the origins of Mickey Mouse, Oswald, Snow White, Disneyland, and much included - and the Audio-Animatronic is the proverbial Mickey waffle connected apical that brings it each unneurotic successful spectacular fashion.

Perhaps astir importantly, however, is however progressive Walt's household and the Walt Disney Family Museum person been since the start. We had the accidental to perceive from the museum's director, Kirsten Komoroske, and she shared a fewer stories that truly meant everything.

"Yesterday, 3 generations of Walt Disney's household were present and viewed the show," Komoroske said. "And they were truthful moved and truthful touched by it. They besides truly appreciated the movie due to the fact that that tells the communicative of Walt the antheral and that he's much than a marque anchored present successful the parkland that helium created.

"And besides the youngest generation... the small ones... we couldn't person them that it wasn't a existent person. The household besides thought that Walt would truly person liked this... that intersection betwixt creation and technology... and that helium would've been precise honored."

There's going to beryllium a batch of speech arsenic to whether this looks precisely similar Walt oregon not, but this task is truthful overmuch much meaningful and layered than that discussion. Furthermore, overmuch similar Disney World's Hall of Presidents, it tin beryllium improved implicit time. This is an unthinkable feat of technological marvel - made up of breakthroughs the squad calls 'moonshots' - that was brought to beingness by world-class Imagineers who worked arsenic a squad for implicit 7 years to grant the antheral who made the satellite judge successful magic and stock his story.

I deliberation Fitzgerald puts it perfectly, and I'll extremity our communicative there, but this is truthful overmuch much than conscionable an attraction, this is meant to grant the bequest of a antheral who changed amusement everlastingly and amusement that dreams bash travel existent to those who are brave capable to instrumentality that archetypal measurement and judge successful themselves.

"His communicative is inactive truthful relevant," Fitzgerald said. "I deliberation erstwhile you spot the movie earlier you spot the figure, you'll spot the beingness lessons helium learned were truly astonishing and important - travel your dreams, ne'er springiness up, crook setbacks into success, and springiness the satellite your precise best. Those are messages that are arsenic valid contiguous arsenic successful Walt's time, and his communicative is an inspiration. We wanted his communicative to beryllium capable to animate our Disneyland guests, particularly our younger guests, and promote them to travel their dreams arsenic well."

Walt Disney - A Magical Life Debuts connected July 17 Alongside 'Evolution of a Dream'

As we antecedently mentioned, Walt Disney - A Magical Life volition debut astatine Disneyland connected its 70th anniversary, July 17. Guests who privation to spot the amusement volition beryllium capable to articulation a virtual queue, erstwhile per day, connected the Disneyland app that volition unfastened astatine 7am PT and 12pm PT.

As for Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, it volition instrumentality aft this 'initial run', and it's really present down Walt Disney - A Magical Life arsenic Imagineers built a caller turntable signifier to let some shows to beryllium seen astatine antithetic times.

Alongside the shows, the lobby of the Main Street Opera location is location to 'Evolution of a Dream,' which features much than 30 artifacts from the Walt Disney Family Museum, including archetypal items from Walt's backstage flat that person ne'er been seen publically astatine the parkland before.

Original Furniture from Walt Disney's Apartment astatine Disneyland from the Walt Disney Family Museum

It besides features galore of the awards Walt was fixed successful his life, including my idiosyncratic favourite - his plaque from the Racing Pigeon Association that honored him for “The Greatest Contribution Ever Made to the Sport of Racing Pigeons” acknowledgment to the 1958 movie ‘The Pigeon that Worked a Miracle.’

You'll besides beryllium capable to find countless pieces of conception creation of the making of Disneyland and a peculiar grounds astir the communicative and past of Audio-Animatronics from specified attractions arsenic Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room, it's a tiny world, Pirates of the Caribbean, and more. The second grounds adjacent has a replica of the iconic mechanical singing vertebrate Walt owned that helped animate him to statesman making Audio-Animatronics.

And erstwhile you permission the theater, you volition beryllium capable to spot a tribute to Disneyland formed members who person genuinely made Disney magic travel to beingness for 70 years alongside a mural and images that observe the past, present, and aboriginal of Disneyland.

For much connected Walt's story, cheque retired our look astatine however a period of Disney magic began from Disney’s 100th anniversary.

Adam Bankhurst is simply a writer for IGN. You tin travel him connected X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst, Instagram, and TikTok, and perceive to his show, Talking Disney Magic.