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RARE PHOTOS: Imagineering - The Real Truth

Exclusive: I watched Disney’s next-gen audio-animatronic transform from a pirate to a skeleton — and the ‘deeply impressive’ tech debuts at Disneyland today

TechRadar got an exclusive look inside Walt Disney Imagineering’s R&D lab at a next-generation Audio-Animatronic transforming a pirate into a skeleton in real time using projection-powered animation, ahead of its debut in Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean ride.

TechRadar

I went behind the construction walls at Disney World's future Monsters, Inc. land, and Monstropolis is already taking shape

Disney World has shared new details about Monstropolis, and we also went behind the scenes at the active construction site, revealing how the future Monsters, Inc. land aims to immerse guests in the city itself through storytelling, technology, and ambitious new attractions.

TechRadar

'More like a traditional video game' — Unreal Engine 5 and The Mandalorian and Grogu have transformed Disney World's Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run attraction inside Galaxy's Edge

We went hands-on with Disney World's overhauled Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run — now featuring The Mandalorian and Grogu and powered by a custom multi-GPU build of Unreal Engine 5 — and spoke with Disney Imagineering about the tech that makes it the most replayable attraction in Galaxy's Edge.

TechRadar

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Disney pulled back the curtain on Imagineering’s robotics lab during its Week of Wishes for a young fan — and showed how its next-gen characters come to life

Disney recently celebrated its 'Week of Wishes' with Make-A-Wish, including a rare behind-the-scenes visit to Imagineering for Eli, a 12-year-old robotics fan who explored how Imagineers use robotics, animatronics, reinforcement learning, and immersive systems for storytelling.

TechRadar

“We tried to keep the soul of the original attraction, but level it up” — Disney World transforms Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin into a real-time ride system powered by Unreal Engine

Ahead of Toy Story 5, we spoke with Walt Disney Imagineering software lead Evan Klein about the massive tech overhaul powering the newly upgraded Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin — from Unreal Engine-powered ride vehicles to dynamic gameplay systems and networked targets.

TechRadar

Wall-E and Eve are back at Disneyland for a limited time — and I can’t stop thinking about what character robots we might see next

Wall-E and Eve are appearing at Disneyland’s Pixar Place Hotel for a limited time in April 2026, as Disney brings back a rare character robot duo and hints at Imagineering’s next wave of interactive experiences.

TechRadar

'Four months' worth of work' — Disney Imagineering built a walking Olaf robot and imagines 'an entire world populated with characters you know and love'

TechRadar spoke with Kyle Laughlin, SVP of R&D, Technology and Engineering at Walt Disney Imagineering, about how Disney built a walking Olaf robot in just four months — and why it could lead to parks filled with roaming characters.

TechRadar

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'It’s as if they hopped off the screen' — Disney World’s Frozen Ever After reopens with more immersive Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff animatronics that ‘gave chills’

When Frozen Ever After reopens at Walt Disney World’s Epcot on February 12, 2026, it will feature next-generation animatronics – and TechRadar spoke with Disney Imagineering to unpack the technology behind the upgrade and why it matters for riders.

TechRadar

Disney’s new CEO comes from parks — and it could change how you experience the magic

With a parks-first CEO taking over, Disney appears poised to lean harder into immersive experiences that connect Disney+, theme parks, and fandom in new ways.

TechRadar

Exclusive: Disney+ just added We Call It Imagineering — and more episodes are coming soon

We Call It Imagineering brings its behind-the-scenes look at Disney Imagineering to a bigger audience, with new episodes on Disney+.

TechRadar

Disney's new Olaf robot is so real, it'll give you chills

Disney Imagineering has already created a trove of animatronics and robots, maybe none more lovable than the Star Wars BDX Droids, but this next one is so real that it’s ice cool. Olaf, the walking, talking, and wisecracking snowman we all know from Frozen, is now a reality in the…

TechRadar

“It’s incredible to revisit this after almost a decade” – step inside Zootopia 2 early with Disney’s new 4D attraction

TechRadar got an early look at the show and caught up with Zootopia stars Ginnifer Goodwin and Nate Torrence, and Jared Bush, chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios, to talk about both the attraction and the upcoming sequel.

TechRadar

Disney World’s new Zootopia experience is fun, fast, and full of fur – literally, thanks to one incredible animatronic

TechRadar had the chance to preview the new 4D show ahead of its opening, experiencing the production – created by the same animation team behind Zootopia 2 – and getting an up-close look at an all-new animatronic from Walt Disney Imagineering.

TechRadar

Disney Imagineers brought Walt Disney back to ‘life’ and I still can’t figure out exactly how they did it

I got watch 'Walt Disney - A Magical Life' at Disneyland ahead of it's debut, and Imagineering's latest audio-animatronic is the most immersive yet

TechRadar

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TechRadar

'There’s nothing like this in any land-based themed park that’s out there' – a Disney Imagineer on how the Treasure cruise ship's Haunted Mansion Parlor came to be

TechRadar spoke with Daniel Joseph, Executive Illusions & Effects for Walt Disney Imagineering, to unpack how the Disney Treasure's Haunted Mansion Parlor came to be.

Fortune

Inside Disney's $60 billion plan for theme parks and cruise upgrades

Josh D'Amaro, Disney's 'experiences' chief, is beefing up the attractions that provide the bulk of the company's profits.

Cinemablend

The Epcot Attraction That Walt Disney Imagineer Lanny Smoot Misses The Most Is One I Had Completely Forgotten About

The newest member of the Inventors Hall of Fame reveals what closed Epcot attraction he misses the most.

Cinemablend

Disney May Already Have Plans To Bring Parts Of The Haunted Mansion Movie Into The Ride

Could the movie based on the Disneyland ride transform the ride so it's based on the movie?

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Los Angeles Times

Disneyland sets Splash Mountain closing date, releases new concept art for Tiana's Bayou Adventure

LOS ANGELES — Disneyland's Splash Mountain — the famed log flume ride whose imagery is rooted in the dated and racist 1946 film "Song of the South" — has an end date. Guests will have their final chance to plunge a five-story drop through a briar patch on May 30,…

The Orange County Register

‘Mandalorian’ creator Jon Favreau pitches Star Wars ride for Disneyland

SANTA ANA, Calif. — “Mandalorian” series creator Jon Favreau wants Walt Disney Imagineering to build an immersive theme park ride based on the Razor Crest spaceship in the Disney+ show for the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge lands in Disneyland and Disney World.

Los Angeles Times

Rolly Crump, Disney designer who helped define the look of Disneyland, dies at 93

Animator-turned-theme park designer Rolly Crump, who was instrumental in the design of early Disneyland, died Sunday in his Carlsbad home, where he had been in hospice care, said his son Christopher. Crump was 93.

Los Angeles Times

Kareem Daniel and the rise and fall of the Disney executive who helped define the Bob Chapek era

For more than a decade, Kareem Daniel faithfully followed the Walt Disney Co. script for success.

The Orange County Register

How Disneyland keeps Boba Fett from bumping into Kylo Ren in Galaxy’s Edge — and why it matters

The introduction of the Mandalorian, Baby Yoda and other new Star Wars characters in Galaxy’s Edge means for the first time Disneyland will be telling more than one story in Black Spire Outpost along the vast timeline of the epic science fiction saga.

The Orange County Register

‘Finding Nemo’ octopus swims into Disneyland submarine lagoon

A seven-armed octopus from “Finding Dory” with camouflaging capabilities who just wants some peace and quiet is about to become visible to thousands of Disneyland visitors and a flock of squawking seagulls after hiding beneath a tarp in the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage lagoon.

Orlando Sentinel

Disney delays moving 2,000 jobs to Orlando amid ‘don’t say gay’ clash with DeSantis

Amid the feud with Gov. Ron DeSantis over the so-called “don’t say gay” law, the Walt Disney Co. has delayed for more than three years plans to move about 2,000 high-paying jobs to Orlando, Florida, from California.

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