REPORT: Bob Iger One Month Away From Making Huge “Dehumanizing” Mistake With Walt Disney’s Legacy

On July 17, 2025, Disneyland Park will mark its 70th anniversary with an ambitious new attraction on Main Street, U.S.A.: Walt Disney – A Magical Life. Described by Disney as a “deeply immersive tribute,” the show culminates in something the park has never attempted before — an Audio-Animatronic figure of Walt Disney himself.

Guests will see the company’s founder not just through archival footage, but in the form of a lifelike robot, programmed to speak in Walt’s own words.

The idea is, undoubtedly, a technical marvel. But not everyone is enchanted.

Walt Disney’s Granddaughter Speaks Out

Joanna Miller, the granddaughter of Walt Disney, has condemned the project as misguided and deeply personal. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, she revealed that she had even spoken directly to Disney CEO Bob Iger in hopes of stopping the animatronic’s debut.

“I strongly feel the last two minutes with the robot will do much more harm than good to Grampa’s legacy,” Miller told the paper, referencing a letter she wrote to Iger. “They will remember the robot, and not the man.”

Despite meeting with Iger and Imagineers, and being shown the animatronic — an experience that reportedly brought her to tears — Miller remained unconvinced. “He’s a businessman, Grampa was an artist,” she said of Iger.

While Imagineering insists it collaborated with the Walt Disney Family Museum and worked with descendants involved in its operation, Miller doesn’t believe that extends to preserving the man behind the myth. Her opposition traces back decades, to conversations with her late mother, Diane Disney Miller, who reportedly shut down a similar concept years ago.

“When we started the museum, someone suggested, ‘Let’s do Walt as an animatronic,’” Miller recalled. “My mom said, ‘No. No. No. No.’”

A Divided Legacy

Miller, who still serves on the board of the San Francisco-based museum, sees the decision as both disrespectful and reductive. She’s called the animatronic “dehumanizing” in a Facebook post, arguing, “People are not replaceable. You could never get the casualness of his talking.”

She says the company is replacing her grandfather’s complexity with a sanitized version of the man — a clean-shaven historical figure, forever reciting familiar lines. In her view, it’s more wax figure than tribute.

Imagineer Jeff Shaver-Moskowitz responded to claims that Walt wouldn’t have wanted to be turned into a robot, stating, “It’s anecdotal, and we can’t confirm private conversations.” But with nearly every close confidant of Walt — including Marty Sklar — now gone, Miller says she’s the only one left to speak up.

And she’s not alone in her concerns. According to Miller, former Imagineers have privately voiced their support. Though none would go on the record — most still have ties to Disney — one anonymous source told the Los Angeles Times that the founder’s legacy is “precious yet vulnerable,” and praised Miller for standing her ground.

She doesn’t oppose Imagineering itself. In fact, Miller has publicly celebrated its accomplishments, calling Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge “an incredible achievement.” Her issue lies with how Walt is being portrayed — not as an innovator, but as an artifact.

“He’s ours,” she said. “He’s our family.”

The company maintains that Walt’s likeness is being used with care. But Miller believes the true mistake happened long ago, when the rights to his name and image were sold in 1981. Since then, the family has had little legal authority over how Walt Disney is represented — a reality Miller now regrets.

What’s perhaps most telling is how Miller frames the emotional cost of speaking out. She fears that criticizing the company may come with consequences, including the possible loss of lifelong perks like Disneyland access. Her father, Ron W. Miller, was CEO of Disney until 1984 — a title that once came with a golden ticket. Still, Miller insists, staying quiet is no longer an option.

“When you get older,” she said, “you just start to get pissed off. And you get tired of being quiet.”

As the countdown to July 17 continues, the animatronic attraction is already stirring debate not just inside fan circles but within the Disney bloodline itself. Whether it’s a visionary salute or a robotic misstep remains to be seen — but the man behind the Mouse has never felt more lifelike, or more contested.

How do you feel about the Walt Disney animatronic heading to Disneyland?