by The Disney company turns 100 this year, and its late founder, Walt Disney, is joining the celebrations.
The studio recently teased a video of a lifelike projection of what it calls “an authentic recreation of Walt Disney,” who died in 1966. The projection will greet visitors to its Disney 100: The Exhibition, which opens this week at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, before embarking on an international tour.
In the video, Mickey Mouse can be seen firing a sparkling spell to summon Disney, who suddenly appears smiling and dusting off his gray suit before delivering a speech on the “satisfaction” of “developing ideas into reality.” .
“We keep moving, opening new doors, doing new things because we’re curious, and curiosity pushes us in new directions — we’re always exploring and experimenting,” says the Disney projection, before snapping your fingers and disappearing in one nebula of stars.
To create the human-like avatar, the company, which recently laid off 7,000 employees, used archival footage from the 1960s, two separate audio recordings, and a “super-resolution AI upscaler” to convert the old footage to high definition, according to the Franklin institute.
Disney fans are already talking about the projection, with some celebrating its success and others finding it unsettling.
“This is amazing,” wrote the attorney and Disney podcaster Sean Nyberg on Twitter. “Is it easy *off*? Of course, it’s a tribute presented through engineering and art, just like the Lincoln animatronic. Impossible to be a perfect replica, but definitely a perfect tribute that Walt Disney himself would have found stunning.”
Some commented how the hair of the projection And mouth movements felt from, or what his spirited mannerisms revealed the real footage from Disney. Others found the projection a bit too lifelike.
“I don’t think you can get a more sinister valley than this one.” said one user.
“I was uncomfortable” said another.
One user joked about its haunting presence, Call Disney to “add him to the Haunted Mansion after the exhibition ends”.
According to the New York Times, the exhibition will tour the world through 2028. It will be on view in Philadelphia through August, with additional exhibitions opening in Chicago later this year; Kansas City, Mo.; Munich, Germany; and London.
The 15,000-square-foot exhibit features original artwork and artifacts, costumes, props and other memorabilia from Disney’s storied vault.
