The Real Walt Disney Officially Returns in "New" Show on Disney+

Walt Disney is back, and no, he is not a ghost!

If you are a fan of Disney, even just a small one, you certainly know who Walt Disney. Some may look at him as the man who created Disneyland, Mickey Mouse, or, the creative mind who shaped animation and storytelling for decades to come. Without Walt, there certainly would not be any of the Disney parks, or the fandom that people like myself, and you, the Disney fan reading an article about Disney, would be able to participate in.

Now, there have been rumors of Walt being frozen so that he can one day be thawed out and brought back to life, but sadly, that is not the case.

Walt Disney passed away on December 15, 1966, at the age of 65. The cause of his death was lung cancer. Disney had been a heavy smoker for many years, so much so that many of the photos of Walt in Disneyland had to have a cigarette edited out of the shot. After being diagnosed with lung cancer, he underwent surgery to remove the tumor, but the disease had already progressed, and he succumbed to complications from the illness.

In the Disney+ series The Imagineering Story, many of the original Imagineers that Walt worked with spoke about his death, including legends like the now-passed Rolly Crump, and explained how everyone at the company was devastated and unsure how to take that next step forward without their fearless leader.

While the memory of Walt certainly lives on through the Disney parks (his light is still illuminated in his firehouse apartment until this day at Disneyland) as well as The Walt Disney Company’s entertainment, now, we can see a Christmas special that is all-new to Disney+ that actually features Walt.

Recently, The Walt Disney Family Museum (@WDFMuseum) noted that, “For the first time ever, Christmas with Walt Disney is available to stream exclusively on Disney+.

In an original production for The Walt Disney Family Museum directed by Don Hahn, view Disney family home movies and holiday segments from Walt’s shorts and feature films.”

For the first time ever, Christmas with Walt Disney is available to stream exclusively on Disney+.

In an original production for The Walt Disney Family Museum directed by Don Hahn, view Disney family home movies and holiday segments from Walt’s shorts and feature films. pic.twitter.com/xj5WhYHtue

— The Walt Disney Family Museum (@WDFMuseum) November 24, 2023

Seeing Walt Disney back on our screen certainly reminds us of the days of Disney’s Wonderful World of Color, where Walt would host the show, and bring fans into the world of Disney by sharing the magic that already existed, as well as what they plan on working on next.

Considering The Walt Disney Company turned 100 years old this year, it seems like the perfect time to bring this “new” Christmas special to Disney+. Also, with Disney+ raising their prices and cracking down on password sharing, this may be a good way to hold guests into the streaming platform over the holidays as they await a new Marvel or Star Wars series.

This is the second time that Disney has brought back the leader of the Mouse House this year.

At the Disney 100: The Exhibition, at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, we saw a lifelike hologram of Walt created.

As the L.A. Times noted, “Mickey Mouse is seen shooting a sparkling spell to conjure Disney, who suddenly appears, smiling and dusting off his gray suit, before launching into a speech about the “satisfaction” of “developing ideas into reality.” “We keep moving forward, opening up new doors, doing new things, because we’re curious, and curiosity keeps us leading down new paths — we’re always exploring and experimenting,” the projection of Disney says before snapping his fingers and vanishing in a mist of stars.”

Some were fascinated by the technology and realism it possesed, while others were a little creeped out by how good it was. Overall, it seems that a Christmas special that was filmed during his time alive will likely have less complaints, as many have stated that it is more wholesome and nostalgic.

The Walt Disney Family Museum has already received positive responses to the holiday special, with comments like, “Saw it with the family yesterday! It was truly amazing!!”, and “This has to be one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen. Simply stunning. I have never cried so much it’s so nice to see Walt and the family videos. Thank you!”.

One comment stated, “It’s good to see more Walt content on Disney+. Unfortunately, there isn’t much.”, proving that there is a clear desire from fans who subscribe to the platform to see more nostalgic and history-based content, like the Behind the Attraction series that Disney recently debuted a few years ago. 

Inside the Magic has reached out to The Walt Disney Family Museum for comment on the release of the special but has not heard back at the time of this article’s publication.

Will you be watching Christmas with Walt Disney on Disney+?