People shocked as Walt Disney 'comes back from the dead' to celebrate Disney's 100th anniversary

Disney fans were left stunned after Walt Disney himself made an appearance to join in the company's 100th anniversary celebrations.

Considering he'd be about 122 years old by now, it's natural that people were caught by surprise over Walt's appearance - especially taking into account how good he looked for his age:

The animator and film producer was in his 20s when he founded Disney with his brother, Roy, all the way back in October 1923, but he passed away in 1966 at the age of 65.

Needless to say, his company continued to be pretty successful, and this year Disney is celebrating its 100th anniversary with events including a concert and some special merchandise.

As part of the celebrations, Disney has launched a museum exhibition which opens this week at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.

The exhibit will tour the world over the course of a few years, and opens with an appearance from one of Disney's most iconic characters, Mickey Mouse.

Max Herman / Alamy Stock Photo

A first look at the opening sequence was shared online ahead of the exhibit's launch, and showed Mickey casting off a spell to conjure up his old friend, Walt.

The Disney founder appears in an incredibly lifelike projection, brushing off his grey suit and smiling.

"There's a lot of satisfaction in developing ideas into reality. When we consider a new project, we really study it," Walt says in the video. "Not just the surface of idea but everything about it. And when we go into that new project, we do it all the way."

He adds: “There's really no secret about our approach. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors, doing new things, because we’re curious, and curiosity keeps us leading down new paths - we’re always exploring and experimenting."

Following his speech, Walt snaps his fingers and disappears into a cloud of stars.

@DisneyD23/Twitter

Internet users have been left stunned by the scene, with one fan saying it was 'amazing' while another commented: "So cool and such inspiring words from Walt!"

Some viewers made reference to Walt being brought back from the dead for the celebrations, with one joking that Disney should 'add him to the Haunted Mansion when the exhibit is over'.

The company used archival footage of Walt from the 1960s to create the projection, as well as utilising two separate audio recordings and a 'super-resolution A.I. upscaler' which converted the decades-old footage to high definition.