“That’s A Yikes From Me Dawg.” — Disney Fans React to NEW Walt Disney Animatronic

Walt Disney has returned to Disneyland… in a manner of speaking.

Walt Disney himself has “returned” to Disneyland as an animatronic. Specifically, the Walt Disney – A Magical Life, which will debut inside Disneyland’s Main Street Opera House on July 17th, 2025. We were fortunate to get a preview of this new show, and Disney fans have had A LOT to say about the new Walt Disney animatronic.

The attraction, which will feature the animatronic Walt in a recreation of his studio office, will have its own run and will then play in rotation with Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, putting Walt in the same theater as the animatronic of his childhood idol.

Recently, Disney hosted previews for the new show, and we got a first look at this highly anticipated Walt Animatronic. However, Disney fans already have a lot to say about the animatronic and they definitely didn’t hold back.

There were a handful of comments that praised the animatronic and show, including: “Amazing! I can’t wait to see this in person!”, “10 seconds in and hearing his voice already got me teary”, and “Just wow!!!!! I’m actually crying!!! This in incredible.” But there were WAY more comments about how the Walt Disney animatronic looks. And most of the fans were not impressed.

Some comments included “Why does his face look like that?” and “I was really expecting him to look better.” There were also comments that said, “The story, history, and idea is great but his face.” and that it “Looks nothing like him.”

While people seem excited about the show, it seems that many people felt like Disney Imagineering missed the mark on the Walt Disney animatronic. “How could they miss the mark on the face and the voice?” and “Are you going to tell me that in 2025 this is the best that Imagineers can do?”

More comments included “That’s a yikes from me dawg,” and “there is genuinely no excuse for him to look like this.” There was a fairly large consensus that the animatronic was a “massive swing and a miss.” Someone even wrote that “you would improve this attraction by leaving all the lights off so people can’t see how terrible he looks.” People are confused and disappointed. “How is it possible that an animatronic of Abraham Lincoln looked more like Abraham Lincoln 50 years ago than a 2025 animatronic supposedly depicting Walt Disney?”

Fans definitely had high hopes for the Walt Disney animatronic and the first looks at the show have not been overly impressive for most. The show runs for 16 minutes total and 2 minutes and 30 seconds of that features the Walt Disney animatronic. We were impressed with the movements of the animatronic and how fluid and life-like it felt. The eyebrows were expressive, and you can even see the glint in his eye. The animatronic even goes from leaning to standing which is a new move for an animatronic.

While the animatronic may not be an exact replica of Walt Disney, we did think the show was a great tribute piece and Disney adults are likely going to love it. We love that his voice is actual recordings of Walt that were stitched together instead of an AI or voice actor. The set includes a restoration of Walt’s office with exact reproductions of his briefcase, Pinocchio maquette, books on urban development, and a photo of the Mr. Lincoln animatronic.

The show debuts for all guests on July 17th, 2025. Stay tuned to AllEars for further updates on “Walt Disney — A Magical Life.”

EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK: We Just Watched the NEW Walt Disney Animatronic Show at Disneyland

Are you excited for the new Walt Disney animatronic coming to Disneyland? Let us know in the comments below.

Disclosure: We were invited by Disneyland to attend the media preview of Walt Disney – A Magical Life . This did not affect our reporting of the event — our opinions are our own.

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