Walt Disney is back at Disneyland. But should he be?
To celebrate its 70th anniversary this week, Disneyland is opening “Walt Disney — A Magical Life,” a new production in its Main Street Opera House. The show features the company’s first-ever Audio-Animatronic figure of the park’s founder, Walter Elias Disney.
It’s an impressive technical and creative work. Walt takes the stage after a showing of the “One Man’s Dream” movie that has been playing for more than 20 years at Walt Disney World’s Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park. It’s filler for dedicated Disneyland fans, who by now know Walt’s life story by heart. But for the millions of Disney visitors for whom “Walt Disney” is a brand’s name and not a person’s, the film provides context needed to appreciate the encounter that follows.
It’s for those fans that Disney has commissioned and installed this show. Sure, “Walt Disney — A Magical Life” is a love letter from Disney’s Imagineers to the founder who continues to inspire their work. But it’s also a much-needed brand value deposit for The Walt Disney Company.
The Walt Disney Company is the only major Hollywood studio named for a person that the general public remembers. No one beyond industry insiders and historians knows who founded Universal or Paramount. Few others can name a Warner brother. In an era where algorithms and formula drive entertainment investments more than individual decision makers, most studio output feels pretty interchangeable.
Only Disney has managed to maintain a differentiated brand among today’s major studios. Walt’s legacy helps distinguish that Disney brand — but only for so long as the public remembers who Walt was.
“A Magical Life” provides that magical reminder. Disney’s Imagineers curated audio recordings of Walt over the years to craft the speech that the animatronic delivers. It’s not long — just about three minutes — but it leaves viewers to feel like they have just walked into Walt’s office for a private meet and greet.
The lifelike figure struck me with its animated friendliness. Having covered Disney the company for years now, I was surprised by my reaction to this show. I had expected The Great Walt Disney to be far more intimidating than he is depicted here. Disney’s Imagineers have upped their game with this figure, crafting a believable Walt with an arched eyebrow, drumming fingers and a twinkle in his eye. No wonder so many people loved this guy.
Magic only really happens the moment when someone believes in it. Walt’s life was magical because he found ways to convince millions of people to believe in his and his studio’s countless illusions. More than that, he made people want to believe in all that magic.
That is the enduring power of Disney — the man and the brand. By bringing Walt back to the park that he founded and that represents the heart of his legacy, Disney has found a new way to help keep Walt Disney’s magic alive. It’s an appropriate gift for Disneyland’s birthday — to the company and its many fans.