Later this year, Disneyland is set to unveil a new show called “Walt Disney — A Magical Life,” which will feature an all-new animatronic of Walt Disney.

©Disney

Disney has stood by the fact that this new animatronic will be one of their most technologically advanced and impressive creations in the animatronic world. While much of this new attraction is still being kept under wraps, a recent preview of the show included an early sculpt of the animatronic. As it turns out, its realism may pose an ethical question some don’t agree with.

According to the LA Times, Imagineering previewed the new show for a select group of media, and an early sculpt of the animatronic was revealed. It had “age spots on Disney’s hands and weariness around his eyes,” and Imagineers stressed that their intention in including such details and others like it is a true, faithful portrayal of Walt Disney.

©New York Times

The animatronic itself wasn’t shown, but Imagineering showed the sculpt in an effort to show the care they’re taking in bringing Disney “back to life” in such a way. When the show idea was debuted last summer, Josh D’Amaro confirmed that this project was being done with the support of Disney’s family, including Disney’s grandnephew, Roy P. Disney, who was sitting in the audience.

©The Walt Disney Family Museum

Despite this, the project is still heavily debated in the Disney community, with many feeling that any project bringing back someone deceased using technology (whether it be animatronic, holographic imaging, and/or digitally re-created cinematic animations could be seen as exploitative and dehumanizing. One of the most vocal about her opposition to the project was none other than Walt Disney’s granddaughter, Joanna Miller, in a Facebook post.

Photos of Walt Disney in One Man’s Dream

Longtime Imagineer Tom Fitzgerald confirmed that this Walt Disney animatronic aims to represent Disney in 1963, just three years before his death in 1966. He went on to talk about details they’ve paid close attention to when creating this animatronic, such as the ability to speak with its hands, as Walt so frequently did, showcase his expressive eyebrows, and recreate how Disney often didn’t blink when he spoke, so Imagineers were careful to line up the animatronic’s “blink profile” with filmed footage. Imagineer Jeff Shaver-Moskowit also confirmed that all the dialogue will be taken from Walt Disney’s speeches — no false words or phrases will be included.

©Disney

Multiple members of Disney’s descendants sit on various boards that the Walt Disney Family Museum is associated with, and they have pledged their support of the project, feeling that Walt’s fascination with art and technology, specifically how the two combined, means he would likely have really liked the project.

©Disney

We’ll be sure to keep you updated on all the latest Disney news regarding this project and beyond, so stay tuned to DFB.

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How do you feel about this project? Tell us in the comments.