Imagine Olaf, the lovable snowman, strolling and chatting his way into a Disney park near you. Following the debut of an animatronic version in Paris, it could soon be happening.
The free-roaming version of the beloved Frozen character was introduced last month at World of Frozen — a new themed land — at Disney Adventure World at Disneyland Paris.
Olaf walks, talks, and interacts with guests — and a viral video from March 30 shows him making his way through the park before taking a tumble and losing his iconic carrot nose.
Footage of the freeze-up quickly exploded on social media — racking up millions of views in less than 24 hours.
Disney’s favorite snowman will appear at Disney parks worldwide and on Disney cruise ships, according to Kyle Laughlin, Walt Disney Imagineering’s senior vice president for research and development.
“He’s one of our most popular characters, so domestically you’ll also see him as well,” Laughlin told Fast Company. “That’s really kind of the important point: We really are building these now for operations, and to ensure that they’re everywhere.”
Walt Disney Imagineering used the magic of reinforcement learning, a form of artificial intelligence, to bring Olaf to life in a whole new way.
Disney hasn’t announced any official timeline for when guests can expect to see the character, but excitement is building.
In 2023, Walt Disney Company’s CEO Josh D’Amaro gave hope at a Florida investor summit by discussing the possibility of this magical land coming to Disneyland and possibly Walt Disney World.
