Disneyland
kicked off its year-long 70th Anniversary Celebration back in May ¡ª but today,
on July 17, 2025, the park¡¯s actual 70th birthday, it unveils two of its most
significant and emotional tributes yet. Walt
Disney ¨C A Magical Life, a groundbreaking new show featuring the most
lifelike Audio-Animatronics figure Disney has ever created, and So Much That We Share: A Tribute to the
Sherman Brothers, a heartwarming homage to the musical siblings responsible
for some of the most iconic songs heard in the park ¡ª including a newly
revealed final verse of ¡°it¡¯s a small
world,¡± now added to the attraction¡¯s finale ¡ª all debuted this morning at
Disneyland Park.
Together, the experiences remind guests to reflect not just on
70 years of Disneyland¡¯s history as a theme park, but on the man and the music
that brought it to life. Here¡¯s a closer look at the newest experiences, other
70th anniversary highlights, and special offers for guests planning a visit
during the celebration.
Walt Disney ¨C A
Magical Life: A New Chapter in Disneyland
Storytelling
Seventy
years after Walt Disney first welcomed guests to Disneyland, he will once again
greet them ¡ª this time as the park¡¯s most advanced Audio-Animatronics human
figure to date.
The
new 17-minute experience at the Main Street Opera House combines archival film,
storytelling, and advanced Audio-Animatronics technology to provide guests with
a surprisingly lifelike encounter with Walt himself.
Housed
in the same theater that has long featured ¡°Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln,¡±
the new attraction begins with an updated version of the film "One Man's Dream," introduced
and narrated in part by Disney CEO Bob Iger, who provides historical context
around Walt's own narration. Blending clips from television specials, home
movies, and archival interviews, the film follows Walt's early life, creative
setbacks and breakthroughs, through to the creation of Disneyland and the
Florida Project.
As
the film concludes, the curtain rises on the show's centerpiece: the first-ever
Audio-Animatronics figure of Walt Disney, standing in Walt's office ¡ªa
recreation of his working office at the Burbank studio, based on extensive
research and input from the Walt Disney Archives and The Walt Disney Family
Museum. The lifesize figure addresses the audience, leaning, gesturing, and
speaking with striking realism.
Imagineering Walt
Creating
a figure of Walt Disney was a challenge that Imagineers approached with the
same reverence Walt himself showed when he debuted the first Lincoln figure at
the 1964 New York World¡¯s Fair.
"This
was our moonshot," said Jeff Shaver-Moskowitz, Portfolio Executive
Creative Producer for Walt Disney Imagineering. "We knew this had to be
the most fluid, lifelike Audio-Animatronics figure we've ever done."
The
team studied numerous hours of archival footage from Walt's interviews and
appearances, focusing on a period of peak creativity in the early 1960s, during
which he oversaw Disneyland, the New York World's Fair, and the production of Mary Poppins. The footage informed the
posture, facial expressions, hand gestures, and speech patterns ¡ª ¡°all of the
attributes that make this figure¡¯s performance feel uniquely Walt,¡±
Shaver-Moskowitz said.?
It's a Small World animatronic. (Photo Credit: Brooke McDonald)
One
of the most impressive moments is a lean-to-stand motion, allowing the figure
to shift positions naturally as he speaks. Engineers studied Walt¡¯s muscle
structure and expressions, developing new finger mechanics, eyebrow motion, and
mouth articulation to mirror the way Walt used his hands and face while
talking.
And
then there¡¯s that twinkle in his eye.
"We
have to have the glint in the eye," Tom Fitzgerald, Walt Disney
Imagineering Senior Creative Executive, said during the panel. "Everyone
who met Walt Disney talked about seeing that glint in his eye." To achieve
it, Imagineers studied the anatomy of the human eye and discovered that the
effect comes from a corneal bulge ¡ª a subtle curve that had never been
replicated in an Audio-Animatronics figure before. By sculpting that detail
into the figure's eyes, the team was able to capture one of Walt's most recognizable
features.
¡°We
were trying to give back what Walt gave to us,¡± said Tom Fitzgerald. ¡°We have a
deep love for Walt Disney and what he gave to us, and so we're trying to give
that back.¡±
A Tribute Rooted in Family and Legacy
The
emotional weight of that mission wasn¡¯t lost on the Walt Disney Family Museum,
which partnered closely with Imagineering throughout the project. ¡°The
expertise and care that Walt Disney Imagineering has devoted to this project is
nothing short of remarkable,¡± said museum Executive Director Kirsten Komoroske in a blog post. ¡°Diane Disney Miller was
driven to create The Walt Disney Family Museum to not only honor her father,
but to also expose the public to the extraordinary ¡ª and real ¡ª man behind the
globally impactful brand. I think that Walt would be thrilled with the blend of
cutting-edge technology and artistry. And I think that he would be touched by
the tribute.¡±
Walt
Disney Family Museum staff also contributed critical research, including access
to a bronze casting of Walt¡¯s hands, which Imagineers used to replicate his
gestures and even the rings on his fingers.
The
figure of Walt offers a performance that feels, for many, uncannily personal.
¡°The moment that always gets me,¡± said Shaver-Moskowitz, ¡°is when he settles
back on the desk and he just kind of shifts his weight and settles in ¡ª kind of
takes stock of the people that he's doing all this for.¡±
For
a new generation of guests, the experience offers the chance to meet the man
behind the magic.
¡°For
me, it's always gone back to that moment of wish fulfillment,¡± said
Shaver-Moskowitz. ¡°There are only a handful of people alive today who ever had
the experience of being in Walt¡¯s presence, and this gives millions of our
guests that moment.¡±
From Spark of Inspiration to
Award-Winning Innovation
Before
guests experience "Walt Disney ¨C A Magical Life," the story begins in
the Main Street Opera House lobby with "Evolution of a Dream" ¡ª a new
exhibit chronicling Walt Disney¡¯s journey and enduring legacy, from early
inspiration to groundbreaking innovation, culminating in the Audio-Animatronic
figure of Walt featured on stage.?
The
exhibit showcases more than 30 artifacts on loan from The Walt Disney Family
Museum, including original furniture from Walt and Lillian Disney's private
apartment above Disneyland's Fire Station on Main Street, which is now on
public display for the first time at Disneyland. Also on display are awards
like Walt's 1955 Emmy for "Walt Disney's Disneyland," his 1964
Presidential Medal of Freedom, and a commemorative medal presented to Lillian
Disney by President Nixon in 1969.
The
exhibit follows the progression from early concept art for Disneyland to
vintage merchandise, including watches and Mickey ears, to Walt's numerous
awards and accolades, and finally to the birth of Audio-Animatronics. Both
original and reproduction animatronic figures and components are on display,
spanning decades of innovation and technological advancements. Highlights
include a small dancing figure that helped inspire the technology, a mechanism
from Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room that once lowered the bird mobile, and a
Barker Bird that drew such crowds it had to be removed to avoid congestion.
The
display also features an original "It's a Small World" figure from
the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair, as well as a retired pirate sculpture from
Pirates of the Caribbean, used to train new Cast Members who will work on
current and future AA figures.?
Know Before You Go
"Walt
Disney ¡ª A Magical Life" is accessible by complimentary Virtual Queue
only. Guests will have two opportunities each day to join the Virtual Queue via
the Disneyland app ¡ª 7:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. PT. Guests are allowed to enter
only once per day.?
Enchanted Tiki Room animatronics. (Photo Credit: Brooke McDonald)
More Anniversary Magic Debuting Today
Alongside
Walt Disney ¨C A Magical Life,
Disneyland Park also unveiled ¡°So Much
That We Share: A Tribute to the Sherman Brothers¡± inside the Main Street
Cinema. The short film "The Last
Verse" celebrates the legacy of songwriting duo Richard and Robert
Sherman, and features a newly revealed final verse to "It's a Small
World," written by Richard M. Sherman in his final Disney project. That
new verse is now part of the Fantasyland ride's finale scene. In May, new figures, Miguel and Dante from Coco,
were added to the attraction's Mexico scene.?
In Case You Missed It: A Year-Long
Celebration Continues
While
today marks the debut of some of the celebration's most meaningful experiences,
Disneyland's 70th Anniversary festivities officially began on May 16, 2025, and
will continue through summer 2026.
The
celebration spans both Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park, as
well as the Downtown Disney District, with new decor, character costumes, food,
merchandise, and entertainment.
Highlights
include the return of Paint the Night
Parade and Wondrous Journeys, the
debut of World of Color ¨C Happiness!,
and whimsical new mini shows like Tapestry
of Happiness and the Celebrate Happy
Cavalcade, which features the rare park appearance of Duffy the Disney Bear
and Disneyland debut of ShellieMay. A new celebration anthem ¡ª ¡°Celebrate
Happy¡± by the Jonas Brothers ¡ª ties the offerings together both in the parks
and on streaming playlists.
Guests
planning a visit during Disneyland¡¯s 70th Anniversary Celebration can take
advantage of multiple limited-time
offers.
The Disneyland Anniversary Ticket Offer allows guests to visit for as low as
$100 per day with a special 4-day ticket ¡ª a total of $400 ¡ª valid through
August 14, 2025. Two hotel offers are also available: save up to 20% on select
stays at Disneyland Resort Hotels, Sunday through Thursday nights, through
August 14 (book by July 31), or save up to 20% on stays of three or more nights
between August 17 and December 19, 2025 (book by December 16). Additional
offers may be available for Magic Key holders, Disney+ subscribers, and other
eligible groups
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