Disneyland Imagineers Defend New Show Recreating Walt Disney as a Robot (yahoo.com) 16
"When Disneyland turns 70 this July, Main Street's Opera House will play host to the return of Walt Disney, who will sit down with audiences to tell his story in robot form," writes Gizmodo.
But they point out Walt's granddaughter Johanna Miller wrote a Facebook post opposing the idea in November. ("They are Dehumanizing him. People are not replaceable...") The idea of a Robotic Grampa to give the public a feeling of who the living man was just makes no sense. It would be an imposter... You could never get the casual ness of his talking interacting with the camera his excitement to show and tell people about what is new at the park.
You can not add life to one. Empty of a soul or essence of the man. Knowing that he did not want this. Having your predecessors tell you that this was out of bounds.... So so Sad and disappointed.
The Facebook post claims that the son of a Disney engineer even remembers Walt saying that he never wanted to be an animatronic himself. And "Members of the Walt Disney family are said to be divided," reports the Los Angeles Times, "with many supporting the animatronic and some others against it, say those in the know who have declined to speak on the record for fear of ruining their relationships."
So that Facebook post "raised anew ethical questions that often surround any project attempting to capture the dead via technology," their article adds, "be it holographic representations of performers or digitally re-created cinematic animations. And then some media outlets got a partial preview Wednesday, the Los Angeles Times reports: An early sculpt of what would become the animatronic was revealed, one complete with age spots on Disney's hands and weariness around his eyes — Imagineers stressed their intent is faithful accuracy — but much of the attraction remains secretive. The animatronic wasn't shown, nor did Imagineering provide any images of the figure, which it promises will be one of its most technically advanced. Instead, Imagineering sought to show the care in which it was bringing Disney back to life while also attempting to assuage any fears regarding what has become a much-debated project among the Disney community...
Longtime Imagineer Tom Fitzgerald, known for his work on beloved Disney projects such as Star Tours and the Guardians of the Galaxy coaster in Florida, said Wednesday that "A Magical Life" has been in the works for about seven years. Asked directly about ethical concerns in representing the deceased via a robotic figurine, Fitzgerald noted the importance of the Walt Disney story, not only to the company but to culture at large... "What could we do at Disneyland for our audience that would be part of our tool kit vernacular but that would bring Walt to life in a way that you could only experience at the park? We felt the technology had gotten there. We felt there was a need to tell that story in a fresh way...."
"Walt Disney — A Magical Life" will walk a fine line when it opens, attempting to inspire a new generation to look into Disney's life while also portraying him as more than just a character in the park's arsenal. "Why are we doing this now?" Fitzgerald says. "For two reasons. One is Disneyland's 70th anniversary is an ideal time we thought to create a permanent tribute to Walt Disney in the Opera House. The other: I grew up watching Walt Disney on television. I guess I'm the old man. He came into our living room every week and chatted and it was very casual and you felt like you knew the man. But a lot of people today don't know Walt Disney was an individual. They think Walt Disney is a company."
And now nearly 60 years after his death, Disney will once again grace Main Street, whether or not audiences — or even some members of his family — are ready to greet him.
But they point out Walt's granddaughter Johanna Miller wrote a Facebook post opposing the idea in November. ("They are Dehumanizing him. People are not replaceable...") The idea of a Robotic Grampa to give the public a feeling of who the living man was just makes no sense. It would be an imposter... You could never get the casual ness of his talking interacting with the camera his excitement to show and tell people about what is new at the park.
You can not add life to one. Empty of a soul or essence of the man. Knowing that he did not want this. Having your predecessors tell you that this was out of bounds.... So so Sad and disappointed.
The Facebook post claims that the son of a Disney engineer even remembers Walt saying that he never wanted to be an animatronic himself. And "Members of the Walt Disney family are said to be divided," reports the Los Angeles Times, "with many supporting the animatronic and some others against it, say those in the know who have declined to speak on the record for fear of ruining their relationships."
So that Facebook post "raised anew ethical questions that often surround any project attempting to capture the dead via technology," their article adds, "be it holographic representations of performers or digitally re-created cinematic animations. And then some media outlets got a partial preview Wednesday, the Los Angeles Times reports: An early sculpt of what would become the animatronic was revealed, one complete with age spots on Disney's hands and weariness around his eyes — Imagineers stressed their intent is faithful accuracy — but much of the attraction remains secretive. The animatronic wasn't shown, nor did Imagineering provide any images of the figure, which it promises will be one of its most technically advanced. Instead, Imagineering sought to show the care in which it was bringing Disney back to life while also attempting to assuage any fears regarding what has become a much-debated project among the Disney community...
Longtime Imagineer Tom Fitzgerald, known for his work on beloved Disney projects such as Star Tours and the Guardians of the Galaxy coaster in Florida, said Wednesday that "A Magical Life" has been in the works for about seven years. Asked directly about ethical concerns in representing the deceased via a robotic figurine, Fitzgerald noted the importance of the Walt Disney story, not only to the company but to culture at large... "What could we do at Disneyland for our audience that would be part of our tool kit vernacular but that would bring Walt to life in a way that you could only experience at the park? We felt the technology had gotten there. We felt there was a need to tell that story in a fresh way...."
"Walt Disney — A Magical Life" will walk a fine line when it opens, attempting to inspire a new generation to look into Disney's life while also portraying him as more than just a character in the park's arsenal. "Why are we doing this now?" Fitzgerald says. "For two reasons. One is Disneyland's 70th anniversary is an ideal time we thought to create a permanent tribute to Walt Disney in the Opera House. The other: I grew up watching Walt Disney on television. I guess I'm the old man. He came into our living room every week and chatted and it was very casual and you felt like you knew the man. But a lot of people today don't know Walt Disney was an individual. They think Walt Disney is a company."
And now nearly 60 years after his death, Disney will once again grace Main Street, whether or not audiences — or even some members of his family — are ready to greet him.
Not a Disney fan but (Score:3)
They are Dehumanizing him. People are not replaceable...
Sounds like she's making an argument against wax museums, animated depictions of historical figures, and maybe even actors depicting them in movies. This seems like the same thing, only in a different medium.
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Sounds like she's making an argument against wax museums, animated depictions of historical figures, and maybe even actors depicting them in movies. This seems like the same thing, only in a different medium.
Not to mention the Hall of Presidents [go.com].
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They are Dehumanizing him. People are not replaceable...
Sounds like she's making an argument against wax museums, animated depictions of historical figures, and maybe even actors depicting them in movies. This seems like the same thing, only in a different medium.
I remember seeing the Hall of Presidents Animatronic Exhibit at WDW in Kissimee, Florida in 1982 or '83. As a 22 year old who was decidedly DISinterested in History, I was prepared to sneer my way through a thoroughly sappy "performance".
I was floored. All the "body language", the silly minutiae, was so accurately captured and reproduced that after just a few minutes, it was all too easy to lose yourself back into that hot, dusty room where the Founding Fathers argued over details that still shape our Gover
Lincoln has been there since Disneyland opened (Score:3)
Robotic Lincoln has been on stage for decades.So I guess it's OK for Lincoln, but not OK for Walt?
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It's a short, slippery slope from Animatronic Lincoln to Evil Lincoln [fandom.com].
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Exactly, doesn't his granddaughter even know this? There has to be some other (financial?) reason she is opposed to it.
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That's... wonderful! (Score:2)
Isn't it? [youtu.be]
Well... some of it anyway. (Score:2)
Guessing they'll be leaving out these bits... From Walt Disney: 7 Things You Didn't Know About the Man and the Magic [biography.com]
Nobody, including Walt Disney, is perfect
While Disney was an innovative and successful man, he was also the subject of many controversies, most of which involved rumors that he was anti-Semitic and racist. These rumors were, and still are, hard to dispel. In the 1930s, Disney attended meetings of a pro-Nazi organization, the German American Bund. He also hosted a known Nazi propagandist and filmmaker, Leni Riefenstahl, and gave her a tour of Disney Studios. To make matters worse, Disney was also accused of perpetuating black stereotypes in his films. But, for all of his critics, Disney also had scores of supporters who claimed he was far from being either anti-Semitic or racist. The debate on Disney’s alleged discrimination and racism continues to this day.
On a (hopefully) lighter subject, there's this from that article:
The final words ever written by Disney were “Kurt Russell”
In 1966, as Disney was suffering from lung cancer and nearing the end of his life, he scrawled the name “Kurt Russell” on a piece of paper and died soon after. At the time, Russell was a child actor for the studio and had just signed a lengthy contract. To this day, no one knows what Disney meant or intended, including Russell himself.
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Paul Mooney has some great thoughts on Disney. https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
Why not (Score:2)
They are right to complain (Score:2)
Will he smoke, too? (Score:2)
Will he smoke Marlboros, too?