- Disney will bring a self-driving Olaf to two parks in early 2026
- Looks even cooler than the BDX droids from Star Wars
- Olaf was built by Disney Imagineering
Disney Imagineering has already created a treasure trove of animatronics and robots, perhaps none more adorable than the BDX Droids from Star Wars, but this next one is so real it’s cool. Olaf, the walking, talking and joking snowman that we all know Frozenis now a reality in the form of an incredibly animated, realistic, and perhaps even life-sized robot.
And this isn’t a proof of concept: Olaf is coming to the Frozen worlds at Hong Kong Disneyland and Disneyland Paris in early 2026. He won’t be on a track either, and as detailed in Disney’s latest episode. We call it imagination which just appeared on YouTube, is a next-generation robotic character that can offer full interactions with the audience.
While this robot from Disney Imagineering looks a little different from previous generations of the same group, and even the BDX Droids, Olaf is really the next step up here. It was built, prototyped and designed by the same group (Disney Research) in Zurich, Switzerland.
At the center, beyond the actuators and other physical components, is reinforcement learning, a form of AI that allows the robot to practice thousands of movements within a computer simulation. Instead of engineers manually programming each step, Olaf “learns” to walk, balance, and gesture through trial and error until his movements seem natural.
It is also important to note that while AI is used to train the robot’s movements, this is No an AI character. Olaf will still be controlled or operated by a Disney cast member. It’s a similar approach to what Disney uses with the BDX Droids: autonomy can help with movement, training, or certain pre-recorded actions, but at the end of the day, Olaf is still a character, like when you meet Mickey.
Like the Olaf animation work done by Walt Disney Animation Studios, Imagineering develops Olaf’s walking and other movements on a much faster timeline so the robot can perform them. This is what Olaf looks like, as if he’s stepped off the screen from Arendelle into the world of Frozen in a Disney park, gliding effortlessly down the sidewalk and subtly shaking his head as he takes in the world around him.
With Olaf, as with other Disney animatronics, it’s about taking these characters from the screen and stories and presenting them in real life in a way that allows park guests to interact with them. Olaf had three principles in mind: “alive, curious, and unmistakably himself.”
Considering Nvidia CEO and founder Jensen Huang’s comments about the robot, I think Disney hit the nail on the head: “How could Disney have made all this technology and reduced it to a little snowman, just to make me happy? The magic is so incredible.”
It also means what Disney Imagineers have consistently told TechRadar and me in our conversations: It’s not just technology for technology’s sake; It’s for immersion and storytelling.
Unlike the roaming BDX Droids, the Walt Disney A-1000 Animatronic, or even an audio-animatronic housed in an attraction, you will be able to chat with Olaf, or you can even find him walking towards you at Hong Kong Disneyland and Disneyland Paris. It’s not yet clear whether these interactions will be canned, pre-recorded, or even autonomous, but it’s ambitious either way.
We saw a similar interaction over the summer at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, when HERBIE from The fantastic four He would arrive at the parks to meet and greet, and the robot would respond. It’s also important to note that HERBIE was created for the parks at the request of Matt Shakman, the film’s director, and that Imagineering pulled it off in just a few months.
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Still, I’m more optimistic than ever about how Disney’s artistry with robotics and technology will continue to show up in increasingly immersive experiences as we move forward. And from a material perspective, Olaf’s eyes and mouth are fully articulated, and his carrot nose, as well as his two twig arms, can be removed and reattached effortlessly. Although I can’t imagine Disney would allow guests to walk up and remove one.
What is clear, however, is that unlike the 1X Neo Beta or other humanoid robots that have generated mixed responses from the general population, Disney’s forms of robotics and animatronics are entertaining, friendly, and ones we actually want to see more of and have meaningful interactions with.
It’s clear that Imagineering is working on more, and I, for one, can’t wait to see when they arrive, and I also need to figure out how I can meet Olaf at Hong Kong Disneyland and Disneyland Paris.
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