Walt Disney’s granddaughter has said that plans to bring the visionary artist back as a robot “just makes no sense.”
Joanna Miller let rip on Facebook over the plans, calling the robot “an imposter” and warning Disney executives were “dehumanizing” her grandpa. “People are not replaceable... you cannot add life to [a robot] empty of a soul or essence of the man.”
Walt Disney Co. announced plans to build an animatronic Walt Disney experience in Disneyland in Anaheim, California, to allow visitors to experience “what it would have been like to be in Walt’s presence” at the fan convention D23 last summer, the Los Angeles Times reported.
But Miller says Walt Disney was explicit that he never wanted to be made into a robot.
“Knowing that he did not want this. Having your predecessors tell you that this was out of bounds... so so sad and disappointed,” Miller wrote.
The Facebook post was meant to be innocuous, a place for Miller to vent her frustration at the decision by Disney executives, but her words went viral, bringing them to the attention of Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger.
Iger and Miller met and discussed the plans with the Disney CEO agreeing to protect Walt’s legacy through a set of guidelines, according to the Los Angeles Times.
But Miller told the outlet that she doesn’t believe Iger has made steps to pull back on plans for a Walt Disney animatronic and that the company’s current leadership is too focussed on the financial side of the business, not the art.
Miller and her family sold the rights to Walt’s portrait and name to Walt Disney Co. in 1981 for $46.2 million in stock—something Miller says was a big mistake. It means the family have little power to stop the project besides garnering attention from the press and public.
Disneyland already boasts an animatronic attraction of President Abraham Lincoln that features highlights from his speeches delivered with realistic movements.
The Walt Disney version, titled “A Magical Life”, will open on July 17 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Disneyland. The show will feature stories, footage, and audio from the life of Walt Disney.
