When I walked into the Main Street Opera House at Disneyland Park, I knew I was in for a special treat. After all, I was getting a special preview of the brand new attraction moving into the iconic building, Walt Disney – A Magical Life. This new show features the first Audio-Animatronics figure of Walt Disney and retells the story of his life, from his childhood growing up in Marceline, Missouri, to building Disneyland and the inception of his “Florida Project,” which would eventually become Walt Disney World.
What I didn’t realize when I entered the Opera House was how much I would learn about Walt’s life, legacy, and the dreams he has left behind for the next generations to carry into a great big beautiful tomorrow.
The Gallery inside the Walt Disney – A Magical Life attraction
Upon entering the Main Street Opera House, there’s a beautiful portrait of Walt Disney walking through the archways of Sleeping Beauty Castle. This is one of my favorite photos of Walt, and it’s almost a beacon to step further into the gallery to explore before seeing the show.
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The main gallery features two main spaces. The first is more of an art exhibit, featuring prints and photos of concept art and artists’ renderings of Disneyland’s original lands. I loved looking at these and thinking about what it must have been like to be building a theme park from scratch with Walt Disney and his team of Imagineers.
There’s also a small display case of Mickey ear hats and headbands from decades past. As someone who dons Mickey ears on every trip to a Disney theme park, there’s something special about seeing how this simple headpiece has evolved with the times, now turning into fashion pieces that can match any Disney-bound or park outfit with ease.
Walt’s apartment
Further into the gallery is a unique window that gives guests a peek into a recreation of Walt Disney’s apartment above the Main Street Firehouse. I’ve been lucky enough to tour the apartment on a guided tour, but it was a real treat to see this recreation.
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Behind the glass, you’ll see two small red couches that are representative of the couches in the Main Street apartment, which Walt and his wife, Lillian Disney, would use and convert into beds on nights they were spending the night at the park. There are also two fully restored chairs, one with silk and one with velvet. These are actual chairs Walt and Lillian used in the apartment. I also love the small lit magenta lamp on the center table. This is to remind guests, just as the lamp in the window above the fire department does, that Walt’s spirit continues to live on at his park.
The evolution of Audio-Animatronics
The second “room” of the gallery features a large display case of awards and accolades Walt Disney earned over the years. My favorite is a statue depicting Snow White and the seven dwarfs, which was once displayed inside Walt’s office in Burbank, California.
The center of the second room features a display of the evolution of Audio-Animatronics figures. The front of the display, which faces the first room, has figures from Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room, which, at the time it opened, was a modern marvel. (It’s still one of my favorite attractions at Disneyland since it’s filled with so much history and nostalgia, plus it’s a great spot to get off your feet and enjoy a Dole Whip.)
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Around the backside of the Audio-Animatronics display are more advanced animatronics, at least for the time they were built. There’s a working doll from “it’s a small world,” and some dastardly pirates from the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction.
Walt Disney – A Magical Life, the show
When the doors to the theater opened, the refreshed space felt warm and inviting, the perfect tone for the story of Walt Disney. As the show started, the anticipation of seeing the new Audio-Animatronics figure of Walt was high. The presentation begins with a video montage of Walt’s life, partially narrated by the current CEO of The Walt Disney Company, Bob Iger, and partially narrated by Walt through archival video and audio. I particularly loved the portion of the video of Walt talking about his family as old home videos played.
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Then the curtain opens to reveal Walt, well, an Audio-Animatronics figure of him, in his office at the Burbank studio. I had never seen Walt Disney in 3-D form, and only ever seen him in videos on my phone or TV. It was almost surreal seeing Walt in a new way. Then he started speaking.
What I love most about the new Walt Disney – A Magical Life show is that the team at Walt Disney Imagineering created the audio for Walt from clips of him talking in archival video and audio recordings. All of these clips were pieced together, so the narration during this part of the show is completely Walt’s own words, and not made with AI or a human voice actor pretending to be Walt.
Take a look at the small details
The details mixed into the set and the Audio-Animatronics figure are astounding. During a question-and-answer panel with Walt Disney Imagineering and The Walt Disney Family Museum, it was revealed that even the Audio-Animatronics hands were Walt’s hands. This was done in partnership with The Walt Disney Family Museum, which has a bronze cast of Walt’s hands in its collection. When the cast was made, Walt was wearing the two rings he always wore. Imagineering used the bronze cast to create the mold for the Audio-Animatronics figure, and the figure has both of Walt’s rings on both ring fingers.
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Another thing to look at during the “office visit” portion of the show is the large poster board and adjoining shelves on the left of the stage. Here, you’ll see little details like a picture of Abraham Lincoln, a nod to Walt’s love of the former President, and the first show to grace the stage at the Main Street Opera House. There’s also a map of Disneyland with pins and string pointing to what’s coming next to the park.
The portion of the show where guests get to “visit” Walt’s office is much shorter than I was expecting, at just around three minutes, but those few moments were the highlight of my recent trip to Disneyland.
How to see Walt Disney – A Magical Life
The new show at the Main Street Opera House officially debuts on July 17, 2025, which coincides with the official date of Disneyland’s 70th anniversary. To see the show during its initial run, you’ll need a virtual queue, which is free and can be secured on the Disneyland app. Virtual queue drops happen at 7:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m., and you must have an eligible park ticket. If you’re going to try for the morning drop, you will need a Disneyland Park reservation. The noon drop is open to anyone at Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure as long as you have a park hopper ticket.
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Once the show’s initial run is over, it will play in rotation with Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln. No start date for the return of Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln has been announced yet.
Overall Impressions of Walt Disney – A Magical Life
Walt Disney – A Magical Life brings new life to the Main Street Opera House and will continue to delight guests for years. Everything from the posters on the outside of the building to the exit gallery told the story of Walt Disney uniquely. The galleries feature pieces that most Disney fans likely haven’t seen before, and the Audio-Animatronics display is a fun peek into the world of Imagineering.
The show itself is a delight, though I do wish the portion with the Audio-Animatronics figure of Walt was longer. Another thing I noticed was how, at some points, the figure of Walt looked and moved just like him, but other times, my brain reminded me that I was indeed watching a robot. Suspending disbelief, even for just a few seconds, really made this show come to life.
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Upon watching it a second time from a different part of the theater, I realized that where you sit matters. The first time I watched the show, I was right in the middle of the second row, close to the stage. It truly felt like Walt was talking right to me. The second time I watched the show, I moved towards the middle of the theater to a seat on the edge. The audio from the Audio-Animatronics figure of Walt seemed a little more distorted and hard to follow since it didn’t fill the room like a regular show would have. So when you go to watch, keep this in mind.
