Walt Disney’s Granddaughter Doubles Down on Animatronic Criticism
At last year’s D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro announced that the first-ever Walt Disney audio-animatronic would be coming to Disneyland as part of the resort’s 70th anniversary.
The new show, Walt Disney—A Magical Life, will debut inside Disneyland’s Main Street Opera House on July 17. There, guests will be invited to meet Walt in his office.
Bringing Walt back to life through audio-animatronic technology was a risky proposition for Disney. It was also a responsibility that they took seriously.
Walt Disney Animatronic
“Creating an Audio-Animatronics figure of Walt Disney is an enormous responsibility and one that we take incredibly seriously,” a Disneyland spokesperson told the OC Register last year.
Photo: Parade
“We are bringing the same care, research and respect to Walt Disney as Walt himself did when he advanced the technology he pioneered by creating the Abraham Lincoln figure for the 1964 New York World’s Fair and ultimately ‘Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln’ at Disneyland Resort. We continue to push the artform and technology in every way possible to ensure that this tribute is done right.”
A Divisive Decision
Following the announcement that a Walt audio-animatronic was in development, fans quickly fell into two camps. One group is thrilled at the prospect and can’t wait for the new show.
The other group, however, was leery of the decision, afraid that Walt is being transformed from a man to a mascot.
Photo: D23
Like the Disney fanbase, Walt Disney’s grandchildren were also divided on the new animatronic.
A Split in the Disney Family
The Walt Disney Family Museum board of directors, which includes five of Walt’s grandchildren and three of his great-grandchildren, has publicly supported the creation of the new animatronic.
Photo: Los Angeles Times
“We are enthusiastic about, and grateful for, the company’s efforts to create this exciting new attraction that will allow people to experience Walt Disney, the man behind the magic,” Walt Disney Family Museum executive director Kirsten Komoroske said to the OC Register.
Joanna Miller’s Opposition
Walt’s granddaughter Joanna Miller, however, quickly made objections known.
Photo: Attractions magazine
“The idea of a Robotic Grampa to give the public a feeling of who the living man was just makes no sense,” Joanna Miller wrote on Facebook. “It would be an imposter. They are dehumanizing him. People are not replaceable.”
According to Miller, Walt made it clear he did not want his likeness used to create an animatronic.
Photo: OC Register
“Most importantly, I learned that Grampa told Sam McKim that he never wanted to be an animatronic,” Joanna Miller continued.
“Knowing that he did not want this. Having your predecessors tell you that this was out of bounds….So so Sad and disappointed.”
Miller Continues to Object
With just two weeks to go until Walt Disney – A Magical Life opens, Joanna Miller isn’t backing down.
Photo: IMDB
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Miller stood by her Facebook post.
“When you get older,” Miller says, “sometimes when things go wrong in life, you just start to get pissed off. And you get tired of being quiet. So I spoke up on Facebook. Like that was going to do anything? The fact that it got back to the company is pretty funny.”
According to Joanna, her mother, Diane Disney Miller, would agree.
Photo: Disney
“When we started the museum, someone said, ‘Hey, let’s do Walt as an animatronic,’” Miller recalls. “And my mom: ‘No. No. No. No.’ Grampa deserves new technology for this museum, but not to be a robot himself.”
Writing Bob Iger
In addition to her Facebook post, Miller also wrote a letter to Disney CEO Bob Iger sharing her opposition. In the letter, she made it clear that she did not speak for her five siblings.
“I do speak for my grandfather and my mother,” she wrote.
Shortly after publicly objecting to the Walt animatronic, Miller was invited to see the figure in person and meet with Iger and Walt Disney Imagineering.
Reflecting on the meeting, she noted that Iger was cordial.
“He was very kind,” Miller says of Iger. “He let me do my spiel.”
Bob Iger
Still, when Miller saw the animatronic, she could not hold back her emotions.
“I think I started crying,” Miller says. “It didn’t look like him, to me.”
“They Will Remember the Robot, and Not the Man”
While Miller is sympathetic to Disney’s view that the new Walt show will carry forth his legacy, she believes it may have the opposite effect.
“I strongly feel the last two minutes with the robot will do much more harm than good to Grampa’s legacy,” Miller wrote in her letter to Iger. “They will remember the robot, and not the man.”
Photo: Disney
Walt Disney – A Magical Life will open June 17 at Disneyland.
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