Nestled in the Alps in a pair of nondescript clapboard houses marked only with a set of Mickey Mouse ears, Disney researchers are up to no good. This is the home of Disney’s Zurich lab, one of six that the nearly 90-year-old company maintains around the world. They’re not making cartoons in these houses. They’re making people. Or rather, robots. It’s sort of hard to tell the difference.As part of its ever-innovating animatronics program, Disney’s figure out a way to make perfect silicone-skinned replicas of live humans that can perfectly mimic an endless array of expressions. They call it “physical face cloning.” The process begins by scanning a live human head and recording every imaginable face movement. This helps the researchers figure out the varying shape, density and composition of the synthetic, silicon-based skin they use to make the face as well as program the robotic skull to move appropriately. The scan is also capable of detecting single hairs, so that the final model can be built with or without facial hair. Beard notwithstanding, these things look creepy.Disney’s face cloning isn’t just for fun and games. In fact, the company hopes to use the technology to populate its theme parks with animatronic characters. So imagine going on the “It’s a Small World After All” ride and be surrounded by dozens of lifelike robotic children, singing that song. When they smile, it looks like a real smile. And when they frown, well, not even robots can frown at Disney World!