Disneyland is getting cute with their future parking plans — and we’re not talking about those Soarin’ prices.
The House of Mouse has unveiled wild new plans to unleash AI-powered parking assistants in the pricey lots — and fans may recognize the robots from some of their favorite movies.
The adorable technology was teased at the Disney Accelerator Demo Day event this week at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank. A clip from the event shows prototypes of a fleet of cartoon car corralers — designed to resemble characters from “Cars” and “Wall-E.”
Disney is working with Irvine-based robotics company Field AI to develop the robots.
“Imagine if characters from ‘Cars’ or robots from ‘Wall-E’ direct you where to park when you arrive,” Gary Daniels, SVP of products and experiences at Disney Experiences Technology & Digital, said in the clip.
“The work we are doing now is a great way to see how the robots function, and as important, how people respond.”
At the annual event, Disney unveiled in-progress projects with five AI companies: Promise, OpenArt, FieldAI, Physical Intelligence, and Simile.
“We’re building a future where humans lead and robots follow, and we’re expanding the capacity of every single human being as we are entering this new era of robotics,” Ali Agha, founder and CEO of FieldAI said in the chip.
Disney did not reveal when — or if — the robots will be rolled out.
In recent years, the entertainment giant has been incorporating robotic technology in a very visible way — including a free-roaming Olaf robot at Disneyland Paris and droids from Star Wars at Disneyland in Anaheim.
The company also recently filed patents for AI-powered characters at the park who can interact with and form bonds with park guests.
Plans for the bots sparked fears among fans that they could eventually replace the many actors that roam the parks — an integral part of the experience for many visitors.
The new tech comes as Disneyland plans to massively expand its parking footprint.
A new parking structure for the park will add 6,000 new parking spaces, as well as shuttle and rideshare areas, and dedicated traffic access from Disney Way.
Construction on the new structure is expected to continue into 2029.
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