A First Meeting with Olaf: Imagineering’s Newest AI-Powered Walk Around Animatronic
Walt Disney Imagineering is always working to bring guests into their favorite stories in ways they could never dream of. As World of Frozen at Disneyland Paris heads towards opening, Laughing Place had the chance to check out the revolutionary new Olaf animatronic that will begin meeting guests at the upcoming land.
Disney Adventure World, the newly reimagined Walt Disney Studios Park at Disneyland Paris, opens in just a few weeks. Headlining the reopening is World of Frozen, a massive and immersive land inspired by Arendelle and its iconic inhabitants. Guests from around the world will travel to France just to experience the magic of Frozen with immersive offerings like Frozen Ever After, dining and retail experiences, entertainment, and opportunities to meet characters like Elsa, Anna, and Olaf.
Late last year, the resort hosted a media event, sharing information about what fans could expect during the massive expansion of the park. One of the amazing reveals was a brand new Olaf animatronic capable of walking around and meeting guests.
Since the inception of the Disney Parks, costume characters have been an integral part of the magical offerings now found throughout the globe. While human characters are generally played by actors, non-human cartoon characters are generally represented by giant costumes, meaning meeting Olaf usually meant standing next to a towering 6 foot costume with a human inside. Minus a brief talking Mickey meet and greet at Magic Kingdom, guests also are unable to speak with these characters.
Imagineering’s new Olaf animatronic changes all of that. Laughing Place was invited out to Walt Disney Imagineering’s Research & Development department for an early chance to interact with one of the new Olafs set to debut at World of Frozen in both Paris and Hong Kong.
Before I get into the incredible work that went behind this new figure and how it will operate, I just need to gush about how adorable he is. As he walked around the corner and into our small group, it truly felt like Olaf had jumped out of Frozen just to meet us. As he navigated around the room, Olaf interjected in conversations, asked his own questions, and responded in a way that felt so unbelievably real. Even taking a picture with Olaf almost looks like a Disney PhotoPass Magic Shot with how perfectly he emotes and represents the summer-loving snowman.
Unlike many animatronics found in attractions, which are animated frame by frame like a movie, Olaf has to be prepared to walk on a multitude of different surfaces. Imagineering took an almost human approach on developing this new animatronic. Using an AI model called Reinforcement Learning, Olaf learned how to walk like we did: through trial and error. Through this program, the actual hardware was able to be replicated virtually where the model would run simulations with real world physics and the team was able to reward Olaf as he learned. Through initial tests with the actual robot, the team shared that Olaf initially stomped pretty loudly, almost like when a child is learning how to walk.
With AI, they were able to go back into the simulation and allow it to continue to learn. Initially those tests and simulations looked like “try to stand up” or “ try to walk,” but as the model continued to evolve, the team was able to give the model more information about the character, teaching it to walk, move, and explore like Olaf. Through 10s of millions of iterations, this process allows Imagineering to bring this character to life in weeks instead of years.
As Olaf virtually learned how to operate in different environments, like walking on uneven surfaces or moving vehicles, Olaf’s knowledge allows him to participate in both meet and greet opportunities and entertainment offerings. This includes the A Celebration in Arendelle show where Olaf will perform on a boat alongside Kristoff, Anna, and Elsa as they bring Arendelle traditions to life.
For those, like me, who have major concerns about AI taking over the entertainment space, Olaf is a perfect example of what AI should be used for. Imagineering worked closely with Disney animators who worked on Frozen to help teach Olaf how to move and walk like the character, and integrated creative teams across several areas of the company to accomplish the feat. In terms of guest interactions, Olaf will not be a free-roaming robot making his own decisions. Working closely with Josh Gad, Olaf has a wide range of pre-recorded lines that guests will be able to hear, not an AI replication of his voice. Olaf also has two modes, one pre-programmed for the A Celebration in Arendelle show and a controlled mode that will allow a cast member to operate Olaf as he interacts with guests.
Towards the end of our conversation, we were invited to meet Olaf. Standing in front of an Arendelle-themed backdrop, Olaf walked backwards next to me and looked up at me asking “Why are we just standing here,” to which I replied a simple “we are gonna take a picture.” Immediately, Olaf was camera ready, throwing out some incredible poses before telling me “we looked really good.”
It was surreal meeting this popular character in such a life-like way. As a fan of Frozen, I had a tough time reminding myself that Olaf wasn’t actually in front of me. His ability to make eye contact and physically react to conversation really is like nothing we’ve experienced before at a theme park. And for children, I cannot even imagine how real this will feel for them.
Now, I’m sure many people are wondering, how will Olaf handle surprise interactions from guests both big and small, and Imagineering is still working on that! Just like with Olaf’s development, the team will continue to throw new problems at Olaf in Reinforcement Learning to help him function the way they want him to.
I was already excited about meeting Olaf when the first videos of him walking around World of Frozen dropped, but getting to meet Olaf in person opened up my mind to all the possibilities this tech can be used for. Beyond Olaf, Imagineering is always looking at ways to bring characters to life at Disney theme parks, stage shows, premieres, and it is very likely we will see characters come to life in ways just like Olaf. I mean, think about the first trackless dark ride! No one could’ve imagined 30 years ago that we would be traveling through a Star Destroyer without track or guide wires, but here we are!
For major Disney fans, meeting Olaf is worth a trip to Disneyland Paris alone, and this is just the beginning of what is sure to be a huge step into the future of Disney Parks and entertainment around the globe.
Thank you so much to Imagineering for having us out to meet Olaf.
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