Overview

• The Walt Disney Company is developing 'Walt Disney – A Magical Life', an immersive Main Street Opera House attraction set to open on July 17, 2025, for Disneyland’s 70th anniversary.
• The centerpiece animatronic will feature a two-minute lifelike portrayal of Walt Disney delivering speeches sourced from archival recordings.
• Joanna Miller, Walt Disney’s granddaughter, has publicly condemned the project as dehumanizing and met with CEO Bob Iger without receiving assurances that satisfied her.
• Several former Disney Imagineers have privately backed Miller’s concerns, stressing the fragility of preserving Disney’s personal legacy through robotics.
• The Disney family’s limited control over Walt’s likeness stems from a 1981 sale of image rights, which prevents them from vetoing the company’s portrayal.