Credit: DisneyFor the past 60-plus years, Disney has been on the cutting edge of audio animatronics. Going all the way back to the introduction of Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, Disney has found itself as the industry leader in animatronic technology.
But that was over 60 years ago, and times have changed. While Universal was breaking new ground with its Epic Universe animatronics, Disney struggled to keep its Tiana Bayou Adventure animatronics from constantly breaking down.
However, Disney Imagineering was tested with the impossible: recreating Walt Disney. The Imagineers were able to recreate Walt for Disneyland’s 70th Anniversary, and now, they have to repeat the process for a second Walt animatronic at Magic Kingdom’s Carousel of Progress. But this time, they’ll have some help.
Disney recently filed a new patent application for a “game-changing” audio-animatronic system that will combine projection systems and sensors to help make the animatronics more realistic and responsive.
The new patent allows faces to be projected onto a “mechanically animated” surface. Think of the projections on Frozen Ever After, only on the next level.
Unlike in Frozen Ever After, the projections would update in real time and change as the animatronic moved. The new technology would sync movement with facial expressions to create the most realistic animatronic ever.
These new animatronics could react to what’s happening around them, potentially allowing them to interact with guests in real time. This new technology could reinvent the theme park experience.
Disney filed the patent in March 2024, but it was just published earlier this month, giving fans a glimpse into what Disney’s future could look like.
Combining this new technology with what Disney Imagineering has already done with updated movements could forever change how guests interact with and view animatronics across Disney Parks. The company was right to say this could be a “game changer” for the theme park industry.
What animatronic would you like Disney to see updated with this new technology? Let us know in the comments.