"The bolted-to-the-floor animatronics weren't uncanny enough, so Disney created a free-roaming robot that moves "with creative intent." Sounds an awful lot like "a mind of its own." Disney Imagineering unveiled its real-life walk-around Olaf the snowman on November 25 in a series of promotional videos in which he's super-cute in a "I think my Furby is plotting my demise" kind of way."
"In one video, the ungodly creature waddles around the Frozen section of Disneyland Paris while a be-scarved Frenchman hails the "self-walking" snow-bot as "a symbiosis between the latest in technology and storytelling." He then plucks Olaf's carrot nose clean off his face and snaps it back on. Olaf responds by raising his eyebrows in shock. While I don't think it's the wisest idea to introduce a "self-walking" robot to the concept of facial mutilation, it is nonetheless impressive, like a cartoon come to life."
Disney Imagineering unveiled a free-roaming Olaf walk-around figure that moves "with creative intent" and appears more autonomous than traditional bolted animatronics. Promotional videos show the robot waddling through the Frozen area of Disneyland Paris, reacting when a visitor removes and replaces its carrot nose, and interacting while Princesses Anna and Elsa speak in French. The robot retains Josh Gad's English voice. A lab video shows a prototype emitting an ominous laugh. Observers describe the figure as cute yet uncanny, raising questions about autonomy, safety, guest interactions, and how storytelling integrates with mobile robotic characters.
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