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The Guardian
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Death is not the end! From the new robot Walt Disney to Mountainhead, movies are fuelled by immortality
For years, the world's most perfect urban myth was this: Walt Disney's body was cryogenically frozen at the moment of death, waiting for technology to advance enough to bring him back to life. Started by a National Spotlite reporter who claimed to have sneaked into a hospital in 1967, only to be confronted by the sight of Disney suspended in a cryogenic cylinder, the myth prevailed because it was such a good fit. Disney – and therefore Walt Disney himself – was the smiling face of rigidly controlled joy, radiating a message of mandatory fun that is magical when you are a child and increasingly sinister as you age. This policy (essentially 'enjoy yourself or else') suits the idea of cryogenic preservation. After all, if you have the ego to successfully enforce a blanket emotion as a company mission statement, you definitely have the ego to transcend human mortality. However, not only has the cryogenic Disney myth been put to bed – he was cremated weeks before the National Spotlite hack claimed to find his body – but his family has issued a strongly worded rebuttal of the very idea of a post-human Walt Disney. The catalyst is the recently announced Disneyland show Walt Disney – A Magical Life, which will feature as its star attraction an animatronic recreation of Walt Disney. This, according to Josh D'Amaro, Disney experiences chair, will give visitors a sense of 'what it would have been like to be in Walt's presence'. However, Disney's granddaughter Joanna Miller is convinced that this is not what Disney the man would have wanted. In a Facebook post that was stinging enough to earn her an audience with the Disney CEO, Bob Iger, Miller said Disney was 'dehumanising' her grandfather. 'The idea of a robotic Grampa to give the public a feeling of who the living man was just makes no sense,' she wrote. 'It would be an impostor, people are not replaceable. You could never get the casualness of his talking, interacting with the camera, [or] his excitement to show and tell people about what is new at the park. You cannot add life to one empty of a soul or essence of the man.' As recently as a decade ago, this would have been the stuff of bad science fiction – a woman worried that a multinational corporation is bringing a dead relative back to life against his wishes, like a warped nonconsensual Westworld – but no more. As an entertainment concept, post-humanism feels worryingly current. After all, the subject forms the backbone of Jesse Armstrong's new film Mountainhead. Set in a world of bro-y tech billionaires that is only half a degree removed from our own – one in which AI-created misinformation has already caused society to start to erode – the inciting force of all the dark chaos that unfolds is Steve Carell's character, who finds himself with a pressing need and an increasingly tight deadline to become transhuman. In other words, his body is failing and only technology can help him ward off the inevitability of death. And this is no flight of fancy. As recently as this year, scholars have been sounding alarms about Neuralink, Elon Musk's brain implant company. In a Politico article illuminating the growing tension between the religious right and Musk's views on extending human life beyond normal mortality, Alexander Thomas, of the University of East London, pointed out that transhumanism ultimately means that 'the 8 billion people alive today simply don't matter – genocide and wars are mere ripples, as long as some survive, and Musk is the one that needs to survive'. For those of us with certain genre interests, this is all starting to feel alarmingly eerie. Transhumanism may be the word of the moment, but it is a subject that has fascinated cinema for almost as long as the form has existed. Close to a century ago, Fritz Lang's Metropolis revolved around the idea of the Maschinenmensch, a robot expressly designed to carry a scientist's dead lover past the point of her death. Decades later, Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey was obsessed with what comes after humanity, either in the form of emotionless artificial intelligence or all-seeing Star Children. The theme has been played in countless different ways. In The Matrix, transhumanism is a punishment, our beating hearts and warm bodies reduced to a power source for the robot uprising. In RoboCop – and especially in its less nuanced sequels – it is a weapon, upgrading fragile humans into unstoppable fighting machines designed to uphold justice at any cost. Neill Blomkamp's Elysium used it as a metaphor for class, with the monied haves using technology to perpetually augment their lives while the have-nots are doomed to a finite lifetime of toil. Meanwhile Spike Jonze's Her took a warmer approach, concerning itself with the confusing entanglements that occur when the human and transhuman collide. And Ridley Scott's Blade Runner found outright sympathy for its transhuman replicants, who are vilified, hunted and searching for meaning beyond their programmed purpose. Obviously there have been duds along the way. Wally Pfister's Transcendence featured an attempt to upload a scientist's mind to the cloud so that he could fiddle around tediously with nanoparticles. The Lawnmower Man remains unwatchable, as does Johnny Mnemonic, and the less said about Bicentennial Man the better. But all these films are science fiction. In Mountainhead, however, Carell's urge to achieve transhumanity is not presented as mad science or wild ambition, but as a mundane tech-bro imperative. It hardly even seems speculative. He is a man who is afraid of death, and just needs to wait for five years so that one of his peers can iron out the kinks in the procedure. The notion is brought up with less ridicule than Jason Schwartzman's character's fondness for line-caught turbot. It is because science fiction has finally caught up with us. We live in an age where swathes of industries are about to be decimated by AI that is increasingly indistinguishable from human creation (although God knows how much more terrifying 2001's HAL would have been overlaid with ChatGPT's chummy 'yay you!' sycophancy). In retrospect, Elysium's depiction of a transhuman ultraclass feels like it was torn directly from Elon Musk's dream journal. Plus, transhumanism already exists, in a form. If you need proof, listen to the Virtually Parkinson podcast, in which a series of celebrities react with varying levels of dread to a series of questions barked at them by the reanimated AI voice of Michael Parkinson. Perhaps this is to be expected. After all, the future depicted in movie sci-fi of old is already long past us. Blade Runner was set in 2019, Soylent Green in 2022. Robocop was supposed to happen a decade ago and 2001: A Space Odyssey was set in, well, you get the idea. While we haven't quite uploaded human consciousness or handed society over to emotionless lawbots, the scaffolding is all around us: facial recognition, neural implants, uncanny AI assistants that apologise like eager interns. That said, there hasn't yet been a movie about the creator of a multinational entertainment corporation who dies of natural causes, only to be brought back to life against his will 60 years later as the result of a marketing department brainstorming exercise. And why should there be? After all, it isn't science fiction. At this point in time, it's barely even fiction at all.
Fox News
5 days ago
- Business
- Fox News
Disney's grandchildren divided over new animatronic of Walt as one calls it 'dehumanizing'
Disney's Imagineers are working on a new animatronic of iconic American visionary Walt Disney, but some members of his family have opposing views about whether it celebrates his legacy or dehumanizes him. Disney's Main Street Opera House plans to unveil a new theme park attraction called Walt Disney – A Magical Life, featuring an audio-animatronic of the company's founder. But Joanna Miller, one of Disney's grandchildren, slammed the idea of an animatronic as "dehumanizing" in a viral Facebook post. Among her claims, she suggested that her grandfather had told early Imagineer Sam McKim he never wanted to be commemorated with an animatronic. She went on to speak to the Los Angeles Times about why she believes it goes against her grandfather's wishes. Shortly after she wrote her post, she met with Disney CEO Bob Iger and Disney Imagineers to see the animatronic in production, crediting the current company head as being "very kind" and noting he listened to what she had to say. The robot itself, however, left her cold. "I think I started crying," Miller told the L.A. Times. "It didn't look like him, to me." She wrote in a separate letter to Iger, "I strongly feel the last two minutes with the robot will do much more harm than good to Grampa's legacy," and worried people "will remember the robot, and not the man." As for claims that Disney would not have wanted to be commemorated as an animatronic, Imagineer Jeff Shaver-Moskowitz said, "In all our research, we never found any documentation of Walt saying that. We know that it's anecdotal and we can't speak to what was told to people in private." After Miller's comments were published, The Walt Disney Family Museum shared a statement with Fox News Digital indicating other family members feel far more positively about the animatronic of the Disney family patriarch and were included in the process of its production. "Walt Disney Imagineering invited museum Board members—five of Walt Disney's grandchildren and three of his great-grandchildren—to view the progress of the attraction's development, which included a preview of the new Audio-Animatronics figure of Walt in its animated form," the statement said. "As part of their meticulous eVorts to produce a historically accurate likeness, Walt Disney Imagineering also reached out to the team at The Walt Disney Family Museum for guidance in identifying items that Walt Disney regularly wore," it added. Chris Miller, Disney's eldest grandson and a member of the museum's Board of Directors, said in the release, "I watched the show with my sisters Tammy and Jenny and the Imagineering team welcomed our feedback." He added further, "The level of innovation and technological advancement has exceeded anything that has been seen before in Audio-Animatronics. While our family has our own memories of Walt as our grampa, we left the presentation feeling confident that he will be depicted in the show as the public remembers him from his introductions on the "Disneyland and Wonderful World of Color TV" series." Tamara Miller, Disney's granddaughter and vice president of the museum's Board of Directors, offered similar praise. "It was an honor to be welcomed by Imagineering to preview the 'Walt Disney – A Magical Life' attraction. Having this representation at the park that grampa built is the right place for this, to educate people about who he was and introduce him to new audiences," she said in the release. "This attraction is a great opportunity for an audience to get a good representation of him. We believe that our grandfather would have been enthusiastic about the project. I look forward to having my children and grandchildren see this representation of my grandfather." Fox News Digital reached out to The Walt Disney Company for comment.
The Sun
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
New Disneyland attraction SLAMMED by Walt Disney's granddaughter who calls mechanical tribute to him a ‘robotic grampa'
WALT Disney's granddaughter has slammed the entertainment giant for turning its late founder into a 'robotic grampa'. Disney is unveiling an animatronic Walt Disney for Disneyland's 70th anniversary celebration this July - despite repeated protests from his granddaughter Joanna Miller. 4 4 4 Joanna Miller told the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday that her beloved grandfather would have hated being turned into a talking mechanical replica. 'I think I started crying,' she said, recalling the moment she first saw the figure. 'It didn't look like him to me.' Miller said she voiced her concerns early on, sending a letter to Disney CEO Bob Iger when the idea was first proposed. She said she later met with Iger and the team responsible for creating the attraction, telling him: 'I strongly feel the last two minutes with the robot will do much more harm than good to Grampa's legacy. "They will remember the robot - and not the man.' Despite Iger being 'very kind" and despite his promises to protect her grandfather's legacy, she said her request that they scrap the animatronic was ultimately ignored. Miller told the LA Times she wasn't speaking on behalf of any family members except her grandfather and mother. She added that it 'pains' her to call out the very company he created. In a Facebook post in November, Miller wrote that the company's "idea of a robotic grampa" made her feel "so so sad and disappointed". She explained: "The idea of a Robotic Grampa to give the public a feeling of who the living man was just makes no sense. "It would be an imposter. They are dehumanizing him. People are not replaceable." Disney announces brand new theme park She also argued that her late grandfather had "told Sam McKim that he never wanted to be an animatronic", claiming that she has been provided with first-hand proof to back this up. The figure will appear in a new attraction called Walt Disney - A Magical Life, located in the park's Main Street Opera House. The proposal to show 'what it would be like to stop by Walt's office' was announced by Disney last year. The company said it would be "a fitting tribute" to the man who made "significant advances with Audio-Animatronics". Walt Disney co-founded The Walt Disney Company (originally called Disney Brothers Studio) in 1923, with his brother Roy O. Disney. Walt is regarded as a pioneer of Audio-Animatronics, famously bringing Abraham Lincoln to life at the 1964 New York World's Fair. Josh D'Amaro, chair of Disney Experiences, told people at D23, the company's annual fan event: 'Creating our first Walt figure is an idea that's been whispered in the hallowed halls of imagineering for years, decades, even.' He added: 'We just had to wait for innovation to catch up with our dreams. And we're finally ready.' Disneyland California, which opened on July 17, 1955, will celebrate its 70th anniversary this July. 4
The Irish Sun
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
New Disneyland attraction SLAMMED by Walt Disney's granddaughter who calls mechanical tribute to him a ‘robotic grampa'
WALT Disney's granddaughter has slammed the entertainment giant for turning its late founder into a 'robotic grampa'. Disney is unveiling an animatronic Walt Disney for Disneyland's 70th anniversary celebration this July - despite repeated protests from his granddaughter Joanna Miller. 4 Joanna Miller, the granddaughter of Walt Disney, is against the company's plan to create an animatronic of their founder Credit: Getty 4 Miller says her grandpa would have hated being digitally revived - as pictured in an illustration of Walt Disney presenting a Disneyland model Credit: Disney 4 Pictured is an illustration of an animatronic Abraham Lincoln on a stage Credit: Disney Joanna Miller 'I think I started crying,' she said, recalling the moment she first saw the figure. 'It didn't look like him to me.' Miller said she voiced her concerns early on, sending a letter to Disney CEO Bob Iger when the idea was first proposed. She said she later met with Iger and the team responsible for creating the attraction, telling him: 'I strongly feel the last two minutes with the robot will do much more harm than good to Grampa's legacy. "They will remember the robot - and not the man.' Despite Iger being 'very kind" and despite his promises to protect her grandfather's legacy, she said her request that they scrap the animatronic was ultimately ignored. Miller told the LA Times she wasn't speaking on behalf of any family members except her grandfather and mother. She added that it 'pains' her to call out the very company he created. Most read in The US Sun She explained: "The idea of a Robotic Grampa to give the public a feeling of who the living man was just makes no sense. "It would be an imposter. They are dehumanizing him. People are not replaceable." Disney announces brand new theme park She also argued that her late grandfather had "told Sam McKim that he never wanted to be an animatronic", claiming that she has been provided with first-hand proof to back this up. The figure will appear in a new attraction called Walt Disney - A Magical Life, located in the park's Main Street Opera House. The proposal to show 'what it would be like to stop by Walt's office' was The company said it would be "a fitting tribute" to the man who made "significant advances with Audio-Animatronics". Walt Disney co-founded The Walt Disney Company (originally called Disney Brothers Studio) in 1923, with his brother Roy O. Disney. Walt is regarded as a pioneer of Audio-Animatronics, famously bringing Abraham Lincoln to life at the 1964 New York World's Fair. Josh D'Amaro, chair of Disney Experiences, told people at D23, the company's annual fan event: 'Creating our first Walt figure is an idea that's been whispered in the hallowed halls of imagineering for years, decades, even.' Read more on the Irish Sun He added: 'We just had to wait for innovation to catch up with our dreams. And we're finally ready.' Disneyland California, which opened on July 17, 1955, will celebrate its 70th anniversary this July. 4 Disneyland California will celebrate its 70th anniversary this July Credit: Getty
The Guardian
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Walt Disney's granddaughter denounces animatronic portrayal of animation legend
Walt Disney's granddaughter has condemned the entertainment giant he founded for re-creating the late entrepreneur as a soulless 'robotic grampa' for the 70th anniversary celebration of California's Disneyland theme park in July. Disney, who died in 1966, will appear as an animatronic figure in a new attraction called Walt Disney – A Magical Life in the park's Main Street Opera House that commemorates the resort's 17 July 1955 opening. When the project to show 'what it would be like to stop by Walt's office' was announced last year, company officials said it would be 'a fitting tribute' to one of the pioneers of modern entertainment. But in an interview with the Los Angeles Times published on Tuesday, Joanna Miller said her grandfather would have hated his regeneration into a talking mechanical replica – and accused the company of ruining the legacy of her beloved 'Grampa'. 'I think I started crying,' Miller said of the moment she first saw the figure. 'It didn't look like him to me.' She said she laid out her fears in a letter to Disney's chief executive, Bob Iger, when the venture was first proposed and later met him and members of the team creating the attraction. 'He was very kind. He let me do my spiel,' Miller recalled, but she said her plea to drop the animatronic fell on deaf ears. She also spoke out in a Facebook post in November, in which she said Disney was 'dehumanizing' her grandfather, who loved to meet crowds at the park in person and would spend hours chatting with them. 'The idea of a robotic Grampa to give the public a feeling of who the living man was just makes no sense,' she wrote. 'It would be an imposter, people are not replaceable. 'You could never get the casualness of his talking, interacting with the camera, [or] his excitement to show and tell people about what is new at the park. You cannot add life to one empty of a soul or essence of the man.' On a personal level, she said she remembered magical childhood days with her siblings when their grandfather would take them to his studios and let them play with whatever he had been working on. 'He's ours,' she said. 'We're his family.' As for the public's experience of watching the animatronic and hearing Disney's computerized voice, Miller told Iger: 'I strongly feel the last two minutes with the robot will do much more harm than good to Grampa's legacy. They will remember the robot – and not the man.' Miller told the Times she was not speaking on behalf of her five siblings or other descendants of her grandfather. 'I do speak for my grandfather and my mother,' she said, adding that it 'pains' her to be speaking out about the company he created. 'When you get older, you just start to get pissed off. And you get tired of being quiet. So I spoke up on Facebook. Like that was going to do anything,' she said. 'The fact that it got back to the company is pretty funny.' A spokesperson for the Walt Disney Company on Tuesday directed the Guardian back to a press release about the attraction issued in August 2024. Josh D'Amaro, chair of Disney Experiences, told attendees of D23, the company's annual fan event, that the company would strive to create an authentic version of Walt Disney using animatronic technology more advanced than 60 years ago, when he introduced a figure of Abraham Lincoln at the 1964 New York World's Fair. 'Creating our first Walt figure is an idea that's been whispered in the hallowed halls of imagineering for years, decades, even,' D'Amaro said. 'We just had to wait for innovation to catch up with our dreams. And we're finally ready.'
