Ricky sez, "Walt Disney Imagineers have used the latest Audio-Animatronics technology to bring the Hatbox Ghost to life at the 2013 D23 Expo. His hatbox effect isn't there, but his fluid movements make up for it in this impressively creepy technology demo."
Imagineers felt there would be no better character to bring to "life" at the D23 Expo this year, using a modern A100 figure (like the auctioneer in Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean and Abraham Lincoln in Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln) to achieve the most fluid movements this character has ever had.
…But will the Hatbox Ghost ever return, whether in an advanced form like this or a more traditional (but working) version of the original? When asked about the possibility, Imagineers working the exhibit dodged the question, seeming to insinuate that it's bound to happen some day.
(Thanks, Ricky!)
