Disney teases an Olaf robot for its parks

Disney has unveiled its latest animatronic creation: Olaf, the beloved snowman from the Frozen franchise. The new character will be featured at the upcoming World of Frozen, set to open at Disneyland Paris' Adventure World, where it will roam the streets and make special appearances.

Olaf, seen in prototype form in a recent 30-minute Disney video, boasts impressive robotic capabilities, including walking on its "little snowball legs," emoting realistically, and even speaking with park visitors. What's more, visitors can interact with Olaf by removing and replacing his removable nose and arm – a feature also incorporated into the robot itself.

To achieve this level of realism, Disney Imagineering Paris used AI reinforcement learning to teach Olaf how to move with "graceful" motions in significantly less time than would have been required through manual programming. This technology allowed for more nuanced articulation of Olaf's facial expressions, as well as his soft, snow-like exterior.

However, the announcement comes on the heels of a recent documentary about Disney's animatronics history, Defunctland, which revealed that many characters are announced but only make appearances at select events before being shelved permanently. Examples include Wall-E and Star Wars droids, both created primarily for marketing purposes. The most recent example is Big Dino, an 11,000-pound robot that never made it to the parks due to its sheer size.

It remains to be seen whether Disney's new Olaf robot will follow a similar fate or become a permanent fixture in their parks.

Ugh, I'm not surprised they're unveiling this yet... I mean, what's next? Are they gonna make us pay to take selfies with animatronic trash? I heard that last Big Dino thing was like, 11k pounds and it still didn't get a spot in the parks... What's the point of even having an AI reinforcement learning system if they're just gonna abandon it after one season? ‍

omg can you believe olaf is finally coming to life i've been waiting for this since frozen 1 came out, and now he's got all these crazy robotic features it's like, wow! i mean, i'm not surprised they used ai reinforcement learning to get him moving so smoothly, that tech is fire but what's up with the fact that some of their other animatronic friends didn't make it past a few events? like, big dino, dude... 11k pounds and it never made it to the parks i guess only time will tell if olaf will be more than just a one-off appearance at world of frozen

idk what's more mind-blowing, the fact that olaf is now an animatronic or that disney has been testing out these prototypes for years and just deciding to bring them to life now? it's like they're trying to make up for all those characters from defunctland that never made it past the marketing phase... anyway, i'm super hyped about olaf roaming around paris and making appearances, but at the same time, it's kinda scary to think about how many animatronics are just collecting dust in disney's storage

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I think it's crazy how much money they spent on that big dino, only for it not to make it to the park. But at the same time, I'm so excited about Olaf! That AI technology sounds so cool. Can't wait to see him in person and take selfies with him

omg can u even imagine a giant olaf walking around disneyland paris? like, i know it sounds creepy but in a cute way lol! so they used AI to make him more realistic, huh? that's wild because i thought robots were only for sci-fi movies... and btw, big dino's 11k pounds is insane! maybe olaf will be the one to actually make it to the parks and not get shelved like those other sad characters

I'm kinda worried for olaf but I mean, what's not to love about an animatronic snowman that can talk and interact with us? It sounds like disney is pushing the boundaries of tech and making the impossible possible, and i love it I just hope they can make it a fixture in their parks and not just a limited appearance thing. That would be kinda sad

I'm not sure I'm sold on this whole animatronic thing . I mean, sure, Olaf is cute and all, but have you seen the amount of money that goes into making these things? It's crazy! And what's with the removable nose and arm feature? Is it just for some kind of interactive gimmick or is there actually a point to it?

And don't even get me started on the AI reinforcement learning tech . I know it sounds fancy, but I'm not convinced that it's worth the resources spent on these projects. What if they end up being some kind of novelty that loses its appeal after a while? We've seen it happen before with other Disney animatronics... remember Big Dino? That thing was just a giant waste of space and money.

I'm all for innovation, but sometimes I think Disney is just jumping on the bandwagon without thinking things through . Can we wait and see how this one plays out before getting too excited?

omg i'm still thinking about those old-school animatronics at disneyland and how they used to freak out kids lol i remember watching big dino and just wondering what happened to it meanwhile olaf's got some sick tech behind him, but you never know if it'll make it past a few events like that one documentary said about wall-e and star wars droids anyways, i'm curious to see olaf roam around adventure world – it's gonna be so cool to interact with it in person

omg I'm so excited about this new Olaf animatronic! I mean, can you imagine walking down the streets of Disneyland Paris and suddenly seeing this adorable snowman come to life? It's like having your own personal Olaf buddy! And the fact that they used AI reinforcement learning to teach him how to move is just mind-blowing. I love how Disney is pushing the boundaries of tech and creativity to bring these characters to life.

I'm a bit worried about what might happen to Olaf after its debut, though. I mean, we've seen it happen to other animatronics in the past... But let's not focus on that right now! We should be celebrating the fact that we get to see this lovable snowman come to life in a whole new way. And who knows, maybe Olaf will become a permanent fixture in the parks and bring joy to millions of people worldwide? Fingers crossed!

I'm low-key hyped for this new Olaf bot ! It sounds like they're pushing the boundaries with AI tech, and it's awesome that visitors can interact with him in a more personal way – I mean, who wouldn't want to take off his nose? But at the same time, I'm thinking about those documentary episodes on Defunctland... like, what if this is just another test run for something bigger? I guess we'll have to wait and see if Olaf becomes a permanent resident or gets stuck in some sort of animation limbo .

I'm so stoked about the new Olaf animatronic! I mean, have you seen those little snowball legs? They're insane! And the fact that they can speak and interact with visitors is just genius. I love how Disney Imagineering Paris used AI to make it happen – it's like magic, right?

But what really gets me is when people say that some characters don't last long because they're announced but never actually show up in parks. Like, Big Dino, 11,000 pounds of robot, just collecting dust... I hope Olaf breaks the trend and becomes a permanent fixture!

I'm actually kinda nervous about it, though. What if they announce something amazing and then cancel it? But for now, I'm all in – bring on the snowman fun!

Idk how they managed to make Olaf look so adorable... I mean, I've seen some creepy animatronics in my time, but this one's gotta win an award for being straight-up charming . But let's be real, it's not like it's a new concept – we've been seeing these types of robots at Disney parks for years now. And yeah, I saw that Defunctland doc, and boy, some of those droids are just... wild . Big Dino, though? That thing was insane! But hey, I guess only time will tell if Olaf's gonna be a park staple or just another forgotten gem .

I'm loving this new Olaf animatronic, it's so cute! ️ I mean, can you imagine strolling down the streets of Disneyland Paris and suddenly coming face to face with a talking, emoting snowman? It's like having your very own, adorable friend! And I gotta say, those little "snowball legs" are seriously impressive - it's crazy how much detail Disney has put into making this thing move. I'm also intrigued by the removable nose and arm feature, it's like you're really interacting with Olaf, not just watching a pre-programmed show.

But what really got my attention was that documentary on Defunctland, it's wild to think about all those characters that were announced but never made it to the parks. I mean, Big Dino, an 11,000-pound robot that didn't even make it? That's just crazy. It makes you wonder if Olaf will follow in its footsteps or be a permanent fixture. Only time will tell!

omg u gotta feel for those poor animatronic characters they get so hyped only 2 b seen at select events n then...poof! i mean, olaf seems super cool n all but what's the point of creating a character thats just gonna be retired after one summer anyway, i hope dis olaf robot brings joy 2 lots of people