Although Disneyland has been celebrating its 70th Anniversary since mid-May and will continue to do so until well into 2026, the park’s official 70th “birthday” is today, July 17th. It’s sure to be a big day for Disneyland Park, which could potentially play host to some surprises for guests that make the trek to Anaheim later this week. However, one planned experience that will debut on July 17th is the Walt Disney – A Magical Life attraction, a celebration of the man behind one of the world’s most iconic brands.
The Best War Games attended an early media preview of the show and attraction, as well as a panel discussion on its creation, to learn what a monumental undertaking it is to capture the spirit of Walt Disney in a 20-minute experience.
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Stationed in the Royal Opera House Theater, the Walt Disney – A Magical Life attraction has three key components. There is a pre-show lobby exhibit, a biographical video recapping Walt Disney's life, and the showstopper: a Walt Disney animatronic that is arguably the most technologically advanced feat of imagineering in any Disney park.
Disneyland has filled the Royal Opera House lobby with so much Walt Disney and park memorabilia that you could easily spend an hour walking around and studying everything. There are concept art stations dedicated to all the major lands of Disneyland, like Adventureland and Toontown; closer looks at timeless Disneyland merch like old styles of Mickey Ears; some of Walt Disney’s many awards he and the studio have earned over the years; and my personal favorite were a few animatronics from classic Disneyland attractions like It’s a Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Enchanted Tiki Room.
A Magical Life Exhibit Gives You A Peek Into Walt Disney’s Incredible History
This exhibit, if you will, is a chance to explore the history of Disneyland, which has always been one of my favorite things to do at the park. Oftentimes, you can find older pieces that showcase early concepts for classic attractions or old merchandise from the park’s 70-year history. Before learning about Walt Disney’s history from the man himself, you can see all the various projects he had a hand in, as well as many that were inspired by his lead.
From there, you step into the Royal Opera House Theater, which also hosts the Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln attraction. Eventually, Lincoln will return and rotate showtimes with Disney, but for now, Walt gets the spotlight. And Disneyland expects demand to be high at first, with the attraction using a virtual queue system to book attendance.
The lights dim, and the curtain pulls back, and Walt Disney – A Magical Life begins in earnest. Over the course of a roughly 15-minute video presentation, guests will get quick snapshots of key moments in Walt’s life. Some brief narration by current Disney CEO Bob Iger helps set the stage for the presentation, but a lot of those moments are detailed using archival audio from Walt Disney himself. You learn about Disney’s tendency to take chances and beat on himself, his expansion from cartoons into feature-length live-action films, and the inspiration behind Disneyland. As in most biographies of Disney, the presentation concludes with Walt’s ambitious ideas of Disney World, a project that he sadly never got to see come to fruition.
While most people around the world are likely familiar with Disney the brand, a lesser number are familiar with Disney the man. Being able to chart his journey from Marceline, Missouri to Southern California is going to be engrossing for a lot of people. It will also hopefully encourage guests to seek out more information about and learn about the specifics of those highlights featured in the film presentation. There’s a lot more to Walt than Mickey and theme parks, and it’s a fascinating journey to follow.
The Walt Disney Animatronic Is The Best Part About A Magical Life
As the video presentation concludes, the big wow moment of Walt Disney – A Magical Life is when the Walt Disney animatronic appears. In his signature, leaning-against-the-desk pose, Disney talks about his life experience and goals. It’s a really wonderful speech and one that will have most returning to the attraction for a second viewing, because you will be so focused on the animatronic for the first viewing you won't appreciate all the details in the set or truly soak in Walt's words. I don't think pictures (or even video) do the animatronic justice, and I think the reveal is so surprising that it's not worth spoiling the full presentation.
From a technical perspective, the Walt Disney animatronic is simply stunning. Its lifelike movements – including a jaw-dropping lean-to-stand moment – are the new standard when it comes to animatronics. Younger guests are likely to believe they are seeing a real person on stage, with the way that Walt moves and emotes. The subtle movements of his eyebrows, the way his hands gesture as he’s talking, and this extremely specific glint in his eye all give a lifelike quality to the animatronic. This is a crowning achievement for imagineering, and even though it’s a 2-minute segment in the attraction, it is what makes the experience memorable.
Walt Disney – A Magical Life is a stunning addition to the Park, as it celebrates the man behind the Disney brand.
There will be discussions about the animatronic’s representation of Walt Disney, but one has to imagine that getting those lifelike details and movements requires a lot of moving parts just under the skin. Therefore, it had to have been a challenge to nail the likeness. Still, I think that what the Imagineers have done is worth applauding, and I can’t wait to see how this technology is incorporated into future attractions. Seeing Thanos really snap his fingers in the upcoming Avengers attraction, for example.
Following the attraction viewing, we were treated to a panel discussing the work that went into creating Walt Disney – A Magical Life. It’s been a roughly 7-year journey for the Imagineers to get to this point, and a lot of care and thought went into making sure that the experience feels memorable. Researching how to perfect Walt’s mannerisms and that signature glint (made possible by recreating something called the Corneal Bulge) were just a few of the considerations you might not think about when seeing the attraction, but that the Imagineers agonized over.
Much like Lincoln was Walt Disney’s hero, and he wanted to do the 16th President justice, the Imagineers all revere Walt and wanted to ensure they did him justice. I think that Walt Disney – A Magical Life feels like a great welcoming beat for Disneyland, one of the first things that you should experience when you walk into the park. It showcases the human behind the Disney brand and highlights the why of it all. The animatronic is the talking point, but Walt’s story is just as important and relevant. For younger guests, especially, this is an opportunity to give context to their visit, so that while they explore the rest of the park, they are thinking about the man who helped inspire everything they are experiencing.
Walt Disney - A Magical Life opens July 17th and will be the main attraction in the Royal Opera House Theater for the foreseeable future. It will eventually rotate with Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.
Disney is a conglomerate and media company that owns a variety of television stations like ABC, Disney Channel, and Disney XD. They are also owners of the Marvel and Star Wars franchises and own the ever-popular Disney theme parks found all around the world.
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