Disney has revealed a next-generation robotic figure of Frozen’s Olaf that will literally walk, talk, and interact with guests around the World of Frozen lands at Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland in early 2026.
Disney shared the exciting details about this Olaf robotic figure alongside its announcement of the opening date of Disney Adventure World and World of Frozen at Disneyland Paris and in the latest episode of We Call It Imagineering.
To ensure Olaf was as authentic and “real” as possible, the team at Imagineering used a branch of artificial intelligence called reinforcement learning, which allows the robot to “learn” how to walk and perform “graceful motions” in a fraction of the time it would take a human to.
The team also noted that, since Olaf is made of “snow,” which is much softer than the harder shell of other robotic characters, they are able to allow him to “fully articulate his mouth, eyes, and removable carrot nose and arms.” Yes, guests will get to playfully remove Olaf’s nose and arms for a fun and memorable interaction. He will also be able to speak and engage in conversations, and his believability will be further heightened by his expressive eyes that fully move.
The rest of this latest episode of We Call It Imagineering touched upon a ton of other exciting projects currently underway at Imagineering, including Fantastic Four’s H.E.R.B.I.E., the BDX Droids from that galaxy far, far away, and even truly impressive aquatic robots that make us think of the possibilities for a space like the upcoming Avatar land at Disneyland.
We also got a few more details on the upcoming new mission for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run that is inspired by The Mandalorian and Grogu. This new experience will debut on May 22, 2026, at Walt Disney World and Disneyland, and will allow guests to visit Bespin, the wreckage of the second Death Star around Endor, and Coruscant.
In this new story, Hondo Ohnaka found out about a deal on Tatooine between ex-Imperial officers and a band of pirates and wants to capitalize on their large bounty. To ensure the mission’s success, Mando and Grogu will join the fun.
Bruce Vaughn, President and Chief Creative Officer, Walt Disney Imagineering, said this new mission will “actually be better quality. Real time. So, that the interactivity and agency of the guests can actually be greatly improved but include scenes, characters, places that will come out with this new movie.”
Lastly, we were given a glimpse at the future of Audio-Animatronics technology, and it combines real-time front projection with simplified mechanical heads to allow for more realistic faces than ever before. These faces can cry, blush, bleed, and even transform in real-time thanks to this technology, and even fewer mechanical parts are needed. This last part is important becasue that means less wear-and-tear and maintenance needs. Disney also teased this would allow for certain characters that are tough to bring to life, including Mike Wazowski, Lightning McQueen, or Hades. That last mention surely would make a visit to Magic Kingdom’s Villains Land pretty exciting, wouldn’t it?!
For more Disney, check out our preview of the Disney Destiny, what it’s really like inside Disney’s exclusive Cotino community in Palm Springs, and our look at the incredible tale of Toy Story for its 30th anniversary.
Adam Bankhurst is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst, Instagram, and TikTok, and listen to his show, Talking Disney Magic.
