Walt Disney Imagineering Debuts Next-Generation Robotic Character, Olaf 

Disneyland Paris saw a groundbreaking moment today, where Bruce Vaughn, President and Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Imagineering, and Natacha Rafalski, Présidente of Disneyland Paris, introduced a next-generation robotic character representing Olaf, the beloved snowman from Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Frozen.

This debut marks a new chapter in Disney character innovation, one where technology, storytelling, and collaboration come together to bring screen to reality. 

From the way he moves to the way he looks, every gesture and detail is crafted to reflect the Olaf audiences have seen in the film — alive, curious, and unmistakably himself. As for his snow-like shimmer that catches the light just like fresh snow, this was enhanced by iridescent fibers. These details make Olaf one of the most expressive and true-to-life characters built, and he’s soon making his debut at Disney parks. 

Our roots are in animation with Walt Disney pioneering early hand-drawn films and today, Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios continue that tradition. We collaborated closely with the film’s original animators at Walt Disney Animation Studios to ensure every gesture felt true to the character. This isn’t just about replicating the animation, it’s about emulating the creators’ intent.  

Home to some of the best storytellers in the world, we’re continuously pushing the boundaries of innovation and technology — in fact it is in our DNA. 

Like everything at Disney, we always start with the story, and our number one priority is to build storytelling technology that empowers our Disney Imagineers to breathe life into our characters.  

While the BDX droids — the Star Wars free roaming robotic characters that mimic movements in a simulation — have been interacting with guests for a while now, Olaf presents a far greater challenge: an animated character with non-physical movements. To make Olaf as authentic as possible, the team used a branch of artificial intelligence called reinforcement learning, pushing the limits of hardware to achieve the creative intent of the artists.

It takes humans years to master walking and even longer to perform graceful motions. Deep reinforcement learning helps him acquire these skills in a fraction of the time.  

Olaf’s “snow” also moves differently than the hard shells of other robotic characters, and he can fully articulate his mouth, eyes, and removable carrot nose and arms. Most importantly, Olaf can speak and engage in conversations, creating a truly one-of-a-kind experience. 

Innovation takes many forms across our parks, experiences, and products – all focused on improving the guest experience and bringing joy to fans around the world. And what’s most exciting is that we’re just getting started!  

The BDX Droids, self-balancing H.E.R.B.I.E., and now Olaf represent increasing levels of performance and innovation in bringing Disney characters to life. The speed at which we can create new characters and introduce them to guests is unprecedented. We’re scaling bigger than ever, working to bring more emotive, expressive, and surprising characters to our experiences around the world.

Olaf will soon venture out into the unknown, eager to see guests at:

Looking for a warm hug now? You can discover how Olaf, along with other exciting breakthroughs from Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development, came to life at in the latest episode of We Call It Imagineering.