When the Opera House at Disneyland closed unceremoniously recently, many wondered and feared if Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln might be getting an update or possibly even replaced…. now we know courtesy of the D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event that an all new attraction will be coming called Walt Disney – A Magical Life and it will NOT be replacing the 16th president.
Here’s everything we learned about Walt Disney — A Magical Life at the Disney Experiences Showcase at the 2024 D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.
The showcase for Disney Experiences at the Honda Center was hosted Josh D’Amaro, Chairman of Disney Experiences (AKA head of Parks and Resorts). Adding an attraction that features an animatronic figure of the company’s founder is certainly a heady and unique task.
Walt Disney – A Magical Life
Opening in 2025, Walt Disney – A Magical Life promises a touching tribute that will see Walt himself courtesy of the magic of Audio-Animatronics technology that his company helped pioneer.
Josh mentioned that guests will feel like they have stopped by Walt’s office but only time will tell what lies in that great big beautiful tomorrow!
Touching on being respectful and careful with bringing this vision to life, Josh noted “Creating our first Walt figure is a huge responsibility, and we’ve brought members of the Disney family along with us for every step of the journey. His great-nephew, Roy P. Disney, visited the Imagineering campus recently to see our progress. And he’s here tonight. Thank you, Roy, for helping us fulfill this dream.”
The Return of Mr. Lincoln
Without sharing specifics, Disney advised that after the initial debut of Walt Disney – A Magical Life inside the Main Street Opera House that the attraction will play in rotation with “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.” If you look closely at the concept art, you can see the two epic figures in American history are sitting on a rotating turntable that will likely be used to alternate between shows.
The idea of a show with a turntable also evokes memories of other Disney classic attractions such as America Sings and Carousel of Progress which utilized rotating sets with animatronics to create surprising and engaging storytelling experiences.
See it for Yourself
D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event takes place in Anaheim from August 9 – 11, 2024. Tickets are officially sold out.
MORE INFO: Check out all of our coverage for D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event at MouseInfo.com/D23
But Wait, There’s More!
Don’t miss out on any of our coverage across the MouseInfo TikTok, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Threads accounts for the latest from the event!
