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The Walt Disney Company recently marked its “Week of Wishes” — not a promotion for a new film, the unveiling of an attraction, or a product launch, but rather a celebration of its long-standing partnership with Make-A-Wish, the nonprofit focused on granting wishes for children with critical illnesses.
The initiative stretched across Disney Parks, Broadway productions, and special events, but one of the most distinctive experiences happened at Walt Disney Imagineering.
For Eli, a 12-year-old Make-A-Wish kid, his wish was to look behind the curtain at how Disney parks and attractions are built and operated — with a particular fascination for how engineers and designers bring characters to life through animatronics and immersive storytelling.
As a member of his middle school robotics team and with a deep curiosity for how things work, Eli has also spent time learning about Imagineers, animatronics, and the history behind Disney Parks’ most iconic attractions. Through Wishes Assemble, though, his curiosity was met in full.
“We knew Eli was interested in robotics and Audio-Animatronics so we really pulled back the curtain,” Leslie Evans, Executive R&D Imagineer, told TechRadar. “We showed a bit of the legacy of how our first audio-animatronic figures were designed and animated and then brought him into the actual spaces where Imagineers are designing and building the next generation of figures.
“This includes everything from the technology powering our characters, to the character sculpts and physical foundation, and finally the textures, finishes, skins and final touches that bring these characters from the screen into real life.”
One of the biggest highlights came when Eli met the BDX Droids — some of Disney’s most advanced robotic characters — and even had the chance to control one himself.
The expressive Star Wars-inspired robots combine custom hardware, animation systems, sound design, and reinforcement learning models, allowing them to balance, walk, react, dance, and move with distinct personalities. While the droids themselves have various systems, Disney also pairs them with performers using handheld controllers similar in size and layout to a Steam Deck or Nintendo Switch 2.
Eli guided one of the BDX Droids as it walked, jumped, swiveled its head, made sounds, and moved through pre-programmed actions. The robotics here are only part of the larger goal, though.
“When we prototype new characters at R&D, we're always thinking about the story first, the feeling of the moment we want to create, and what makes a character really come alive for our guests,” Evans explained.
Evans says that philosophy — using advanced technology in service of emotional storytelling — is central to Imagineering's approach to innovation.
“We start with a North Star of the experience we want to bring to life and then use technology to make it possible,” she said. “Diving into both the creative process and iterative development really gave Eli a peek at what goes into bringing these stories and characters to guests in our parks.”
That combination of engineering and creativity was a major reason Eli connected so deeply with Imagineering in the first place.
“Eli chose this wish because being an Imagineer encompasses all of his passions,” his mom, Amber Stortz, said. “He has also always had an inquisitive mind as far as engineering goes but still loves the creative and artistic aspects of engineering that only Disney offers.”
Steve Cotroneo, a Dimension Design Principal at Imagineering, says that for some guests, understanding how the technology and artistry come together can become its own kind of magic.
“For some, the ‘behind the scenes’ process can be just as magical, if not even more so, especially for creative individuals who have a passion for art and technology — and Eli is absolutely someone who has a passion for both,” Cotroneo said.
The timing makes this wish especially meaningful. After a rare six-week break from treatment, Eli recently learned his cancer has returned. While his treatment plan remains unchanged, his family sees this wish as a moment of joy and renewed strength before he heads back into what they call “fight mode.”
At Wishes Assemble, Eli’s experience reflected the week’s broader goal: turning wishes into real-world moments that bring joy, connection, and strength to kids and families who need it most.
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