Disney has always sold itself as a company built on imagination, artistry, and the human (or mouse) touch. For generations, its parks have represented this as much as its films – which is why so many fans aren't exactly thrilled that AI is slowly becoming a go-to tool for the company.
To its credit, The Walt Disney Company hasn't exactly shied away from acknowledging its ambitions in AI. In September, the company filed a patent for integrating projection and AI systems into animatronics, promising more fluid and lifelike characters. In 2024, Disney invested in three AI startups, as well as creating a new AI business unit.
Recently, however, parkgoers have started noticing AI's fingerprints across Disney parks, with one resort seemingly using it more than others.
Disneyland Paris in the Spotlight for AI Use
Earlier this fall, parkgoers spotted a piece of artwork on Main Street, U.S.A. at Disneyland Paris that looked strikingly artificial.
One fan on X, formerly known as Twitter, wrote: “The hands…the disproportionate body…the anime-inspired style instead of the Victorian style of drawing…Either the creative director didn’t give an f or this is AI.”
The hands…the disproportionate body…the anime inspired style instead of the victorian style of drawing…Either the creative director didn’t give an f or this is AI🫤 https://t.co/VDCLL7FOuB pic.twitter.com/pNjCTvYUKQ
— Themountainking (@Themountainkin1) September 12, 2025
The criticism quickly spread, with others accusing the resort of cutting creative corners (an accusation with which Disneyland Paris has grappled for years, even before AI entered the picture).
Even more recently, Disney’s Newport Bay Club — one of the resort’s more upscale hotels — faced similar backlash when it unveiled a new photo backdrop. The seaside image, featuring a lighthouse against the ocean, was widely derided as AI-generated.
Although Disney later replaced it with an alternative design, fans remained unconvinced, describing the revision as only marginally less artificial.
At Disney Newport Bay Club, the recently installed photo location backdrop (which really looked like it was made with AI) has been changed for a less AI-looking design! Before and after:
At Disney Newport Bay Club, the recently installed photo location backdrop (which really looked like it was made with AI) has been changed for a less AI-looking design! Before and after: pic.twitter.com/DIvWdESKBM
— DLP Report (@DLPReport) October 13, 2025
Other examples have been flagged as well. Parkgoers have pointed to an email header showing families in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle and advertisements at Disney Village’s Rainforest Cafe as further evidence of generative AI’s growing footprint at the resort.
One user summed up the sentiment bluntly: “At this point, is Disneyland Paris the most AI Disney Park out of the bunch?”
The Debate Over Creativity at Disney Parks
The pushback in Paris isn’t happening in a vacuum.
Earlier this year in Anaheim, guests called out artwork at the Haunted Mansion’s new Madame Leota-themed store, claiming it was AI-generated and bought via Redbubble instead of being custom-created by Walt Disney Imagineering, as is the norm. The piece was quickly removed.
Fans have also accused Disney of relying on AI for merchandise designs and even new voiceovers on classic attractions like King Arthur Carrousel, where a spiel by Merlin struck many as artificial last December.
Perhaps the most notorious recent example came when Disney endorsed a YouTube video about conquering all its theme parks in record time. The official promotional post featured an AI-generated cover image of Mickey Mouse with human-like teeth — a visual so unsettling that it became a viral talking point in itself.
The Walt Disney Company’s foundation has always been artistry, from the early days of hand-drawn Mickey Mouse animations to the painstaking craftsmanship behind its theme park experiences. To see AI stepping in where illustrators, designers, and performers once thrived strikes fans as emblematic of a broader creative decline, something fans claim has come to define Bob Iger's final years as CEO.
In recent years, Disney has already faced criticism for what some see as an overreliance on sequels, live-action remakes, and cost-cutting measures. The introduction of AI into its parks — especially in Disneyland Paris, which has historically faced backlash for being less immersive and feeling slightly more, well, cheap than its American counterparts — feels like the latest example of the company prioritizing efficiency over artistry.
Have you noticed more AI creeping into Disney theme parks?
