Walt's Magical Life **MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

[Tinkaboo]

On behalf of those of us who want the element of surprise when we get there, please post your comments, including spoilers if you wish...IN THIS THREAD.

I'm sure everyone will have lots of comments after July 17, and I guess it's already out of the bag but I don't need a bunch of IG and social media people telling me how I should feel about this show.

I WANT TO EXPERIENCE IT FIRSTHAND...and then perhaps I will share a thought in this thread later on.

I know most of the people on this board are respectful of things like this and I do appreciate that.

Now..have at it!

 

[evilmommie]

I was just going to post a Walt thread! So do we think the Walt animatronic looks like Walt??

Usually OC Register articles are behind paywalls but this one should work…if you want to check it out.

https://www.ocregister.com/2025/07/...-a-home-run-with-walt-disney-animatronic/amp/

 

[LKing]

I spoke to some people as they exited the attraction today. I asked about the Disneyland Forward info that can be viewed after the show. They said that it isn't anything that we haven't already seen. No new images, but they said it was displayed well

 

[brightlined]

Scott Gustin had an interesting take from the previews today:

https://scottgustin.substack.com/p/walt-disney-comes-to-life-in-new

 

[LKing]

Scott Gustin had an interesting take from the previews today:

https://scottgustin.substack.com/p/walt-disney-comes-to-life-in-new

Nice. Thanks for sharing.

Favorite line: Walt’s spirit remains at the heart of the park’s identity.

 

[ChrisFL]

So do we think the Walt animatronic looks like Walt??

No, not in the face. The rest is good but the face is way off sadly (going by several videos I've seen)

 

[dizneedoll]

It looks terrible. Not like Walt at all. This is the one AA they HAD to get right and they blew it. I'll go see the show eventually but now I'm in no rush and will wait till no more VQ.

 

[Diana ZP]

Nice. Thanks for sharing.

Favorite line: Walt’s spirit remains at the heart of the park’s identity.

That is a great line!!!! and so true, I believe!

 

[kay1864]

Walt was always thin (lifelong smoker), but based on the videos of the AA, he looks way more jowly and wide in the face, compared to how I remember him from YouTube videos.

 

[evilmommie]

Scott Gustin’s review was pretty tame.
If Disney can knock it out of the park with an uncanny likeness of Johnny Depp, you’d think they’d get it right with their iconic founder.

I haven’t seen the show in person yet. Maybe I’ll be impressed. As a former cast member and as someone who worked with many people that knew Walt Disney, I have high expectations.

 

[JerrodDragon89]

Scott Gustin’s review was pretty tame.
If Disney can knock it out of the park with an uncanny likeness of Johnny Depp, you’d think they’d get it right with their iconic founder.

I haven’t seen the show in person yet. Maybe I’ll be impressed. As a former cast member and as someone who worked with many people that knew Walt Disney, I have high expectations.

I will say that Captain Jack was kinda easier to do

He wears make up and eye liner and a hat, along with the rides he's on is pretty dark compared

Not saying they can't improve it but also its just different

 

[kay1864]

Scott Gustin’s review was pretty tame.
If Disney can knock it out of the park with an uncanny likeness of Johnny Depp, you’d think they’d get it right with their iconic founder.

I haven’t seen the show in person yet. Maybe I’ll be impressed. As a former cast member and as someone who worked with many people that knew Walt Disney, I have high expectations.

Agreed! He called it a "definite win for Disneyland, even if it has a few imperfections."

He focused on Walt's mannerisms, standing/leaning, and voice (wow, recordings! ). But anyone who has seen a video of the real Walt is going to focus on his face. Which is WAY off, now that I've seen closeups of the AA in action.

 

[fla4fun]

Walt was always thin (lifelong smoker), but based on the videos of the AA, he looks way more jowly and wide in the face, compared to how I remember him from YouTube videos.

They were depicting a Walt in his 60s, a time of life when many people get jowly. Also, the suits of the late 50s and early 60s were boxy and oversized, making people look heavier than they were a lot of the time. I do think the hairline is a little low. I always thought Walt had a fairly high forehead, regardless of his age at the time. After comparing photos online of Walt in his later years with photos of the animatronic, I think from the perspective the audience will be watching plus the animation it will be good.

 

[Mle8308]

They were depicting a Walt in his 60s, a time of life when many people get jowly. Also, the suits of the late 50s and early 60s were boxy and oversized, making people look heavier than they were a lot of the time. I do think the hairline is a little low. I always thought Walt had a fairly high forehead, regardless of his age at the time. After comparing photos online of Walt in his later years with photos of the animatronic, I think from the perspective the audience will be watching plus the animation it will be good.
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To me, the proportions of his head seem off. Like his eyes are too small, his eye brows too bushy, and I think his face needs to be longer??? It's interesting.

 

[kay1864]

Here’s Walt in 1963, and 1965, and the AA. His face simply is not that wide. He looks more like the My Pillow guy!

 

[Mle8308]

Here’s Walt in 1963, and 1965, and the AA. His face simply is not that wide. He looks more like the My Pillow guy!

OMG! That's it! I was trying to figure out who it reminded me of!

 

[cruisehopeful]

If I just saw the picture and didn't know who it was supposed to be, I wouldn't have thought it was Walt Disney. I'm wondering if we're expecting too much because Disney always does everything else so amazing. All the other animatronics are amazing. Perhaps making this on a time crunch had something to do with why it looks so different.

 

[brightlined]

Having seen a wider array of videos, I'm kinda liking it more than I was initially. His voice sounds more natural in a couple of the other clips I've seen - it might sound better in the room than it does in a direct feed. I'm a little bit more optimistic about it.

(Honestly, it wouldn't be the first time that Disney released a preview clip from a new attraction that didn't sell it in the strongest way.)

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

1. It's not Walt, it's an Animatronic of him. You can tell, yes, but we're not yet at the point where robots can really replicate humans (thankfully?).

2. Jack Sparrow has limited expressions. Walt has to speak or emote for about 3 minutes, the machinery inside the head must be so much more complex.

3. Ultimately, this is meant to be experienced in person, going through the exhibits and video, and ending with Walt's speech. I found it moving watching online, but if I hadn't I wouldn't be so harsh before experiencing the whole thing in person.

 

[upritbass]

The eyes are completely wrong. Ugh!