Call Me Walt: a play about the private life of the founder of Disney at the Apollo Theater Paris - our review

Forget fireworks and parades: from October 15, 2025 to January 8, 2026, theApollo Théâtre(Paris 11th) takes you behind the scenes of legendary man Walt Disney with Appelez-Moi Walt, a play written and directed by Julien Baptist. Here, we put away Mickey's ears to better discover the man, not the empire builder: the son, the brother, the husband, the father... the man who built a kingdom but whose intimacy remains little-known.

Synopsis: You know his name? You know his work? But who was Walt Disney? Who was the genius creator of that universe where our childhood would be forever protected. Enter into the intimacy of the Disney family, for whom Walt was a son, a brother, a husband and a father, confronted with those he inspired and sometimes also upset. Between heritage and creation, memory and illusion, it's time to take stock. To realize your dreams, what do you have to give up? Embark on this all-new show that reveals the invisible side of the man we called Walt!

Behind the scenes, Julien Baptist knows the Disney universe like the back of his hand: former artistic director of events and commercial products at Disneyland Paris, he orchestrated the park's Halloween parties. He also directed L'Éveil du Printemps (2011), Les Triplettes de Belleville : Go Ouest (2014), De Dieux et de Monstres (2016) and Kinky Boots (2018). For this project, he is joined by Christopher Lopez(Kinky Boots, Trophées de la Comédie Musicale), with casting by Patrick Mazet.

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The cast includes Julien Baptist as Walt Disney, Emmanuelle Boidron as Lilian Disney, Walt's wife, Sébastien Chartier as Ub Iwerks, Walt's favorite designer, Bruno Hausler and Aubert Fenoy as Roy Disney, Walt's brother, Léana Montana as Diane Disney, Walt's daughter, and Richard Darbois as the iconic French voice of Harrison Ford and Richard Gere in a mysterious role.

Appelez-Moi Walt promises to focus more on the man than on his successes. A 1h30 Divertee production to lift the veil on the man behind the magic.

Our opinion:

Finally! After years of waiting and a few twists and turns, Julien Baptist and his actors take on the crazy challenge of bringing Walt Disney back to life, the man behind the myth, the man who built an empire on swampland... and crazy ideas! The result? Funny, moving, informative, and deeply human.

The minimalist but evocative set design leaves all the spotlight on the actors. And what actors! Each one plays their role with astonishing accuracy, imbued with a generous energy that blurs the line between reality and fiction. We become almost voyeurs of this family, witnessing marital and professional disputes, moments of doubt, moments of tenderness and success... it all rings true.

Julien Baptist, masterful as Walt, reveals all the nuances of this complex character: visionary, endearing, sometimes authoritarian but always driven by a consuming passion. Around him, a close-knit and loving family makes every scene with his daughter Diane touching. The play also makes us smile, from the deliciously scathing satire of Snow White to the flashback to Mickey's birth, an anthological moment that brings a smile to the whole audience.

We savor this generosity and sincerity in the acting and staging. And behind the magic, one question remains unanswered: to fulfill your dreams, do you have to pay the price?

As we leave, we are left with a sweet taste of dreams and truth mixed together. Call Me Walt takes us behind the scenes of creation, where fairy dust meets the sweat of genius. It is a hymn to passion, dreams, and self-belief.