The Hall of Presidents
The Hall of Presidents | ||
---|---|---|
Magic Kingdom | ||
Area | Liberty Square | |
Status | Operating | |
Opening date | October 1, 1971 | |
Ride statistics | ||
Attraction type | Multimedia and Audio-Animatronics Yes | |
Assistive listening available | ||
Closed captioning available |
The Hall of Presidents is an attraction located in
History
One Nation Under God
Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln
Disney and his Imagineers created an Audio-Animatronic figure of Abraham Lincoln, more advanced than the ones produced for the Illinois Pavilion at the
Liberty Square
After Disney's death on December 15, 1966, plans were moving ahead for the
The attraction
The show begins with a film presentation of the history of the
Original version (1971–1993)
With the help of paintings from the era, the
The film then segues to the time of Abraham Lincoln, when secession was a real threat; these paintings and vocal performances are similar, if not identical, to the same segment in Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. The American Civil War portion of the presentation is based on the Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln presentation, including a nearly identical script, although, to fit the much bigger screen of the theater, rather than the much smaller one at Disneyland, new paintings were required to fill the screen. The Constitution survived the conflict, making America a truly unified nation.
A huge era of progress occurred after the war. All the while, the Constitution remained the tent pole of the country. The film then turns toward the future, saying that the leaders of tomorrow have to be committed to the Constitution and its principles, if the country is to survive. A Saturn V rocket takes off, and the screens then lift up, and the U.S. presidents take center stage. After the curtain lifts, all presidents are called, in chronological order.[b]
Each one responds to their name with a nod, wave, or other sign of acknowledgment. During the presentation, the presidents fidget, talk to each other, and look around; all the while making the illusion seem quite real. Abraham Lincoln then stands and takes center stage. His speech is remarkably similar to the speech he gave in Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. After his speech, the show concludes with a rendition of "
Clinton administration (1993–2001)
The original show remained virtually unchanged from 1971 until October 1993. Additional Audio-Animatronic figures of
The show closed in early September 1993 and was then completely renovated and re-opened in October 1993, after
While the format of the show remained in the sense of the photos, films, and other features used in the film and elsewhere in the presentation, the speed at which the films played, and what was shown on them was redone to fit the changed script. A new music score was also introduced.
Also, prominent members of The Walt Disney Company would no longer narrate parts of the film. Instead,
Bush administration (2001–2009)
For the 2001 update to the show, adding President George W. Bush and his speech, actor J. D. Hall replaced Angelou as the narrator, but he read from the same script as the 1993 version. The Audio-Animatronic figure created for President Bill Clinton in 1993 was recycled and used for President George W. Bush; Clinton became lesser of an Audio-Animatronic figure.
Obama administration (2009–2017)
The Hall of Presidents closed October 31, 2008, prior to the
Trump administration (2017–2021)
The attraction closed on January 17, 2017 for refurbishment and the addition of President Donald Trump as a new audio-animatronic figure; it reopened on December 19, 2017 after many delays. The film presented is titled The Idea of a President, depicting a historical account of several American presidencies, notably George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy. After the roll call of all past presidents, Washington gives a short speech, followed by Trump reciting the oath of office and a short speech.[4]
Biden administration (2021–present)
On January 19, 2021, it was announced that the Hall of Presidents closed for refurbishment, with many media outlets pointing to the addition of President Joe Biden to the attraction.[5][6] On July 19, 2021, Disney announced that President Joe Biden would be added to the Hall of Presidents, which reopened on August 3, 2021. The film The Idea of a President, which precedes the roll call of the presidents, was kept for the Biden incarnation. Biden provides his own voice to recite the oath of office following George Washington's speech; however, unlike past versions, Biden delivers no follow-up remarks.[7]
Production
Cast
Role | 1971–1993 | 1993–2001 | 2001–2008 | 2009–2017 | 2017–2021 | 2021–present |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Narrator | Lawrence Dobkin | Maya Angelou | J. D. Hall | Morgan Freeman | Joy Vandervort-Cobb | |
George Washington | Paul Frees | — | David Morse
| |||
John Adams | Lawrence Dobkin | — | ||||
Thomas Jefferson | Paul Frees | — | ||||
Andrew Jackson | Dallas McKennon | — | ||||
Martin Van Buren | Paul Frees | — | ||||
Abraham Lincoln | Royal Dano[8] | Peter Renaday | Royal Dano[d][8] | J. V. Martin[9] | ||
President of the United States | - | Bill Clinton[2] | George W. Bush[2] | Barack Obama[2] | Donald Trump[10] | Joe Biden[11][12][13] |
Transcripts
With the exception of Joe Biden, every sitting president since Bill Clinton has recorded their own remarks for The Hall of Presidents.
In television
The Hall of Presidents is briefly parodied in the segment "FLOTUS, FLOTUS, What Do You Know About Us?" of Season 1 Episode 13 of the
The attraction is also one of various featured in the Disney+ docu-series Behind the Attraction, produced by Dwayne Johnson. The episode dedicated to the attraction was released on August 25, 2021.
Notes
- The film used in the show was shot in 70mm format using a special process created by Disney Legend Ub Iwerks. This was Iwerks' last project for Disney, before his death in July 1971.
- Through George W. Bush, all the presidents were sculpted by Disney Legend Blaine Gibson; Barack Obama's audio-animatronic version was sculpted by his apprentice, Valerie Edwards.[2]
- Abraham Lincoln and George Washington are A-100 model Audio-Animatronic figures, a line of the most advanced, lifelike, and expressive human figures that Walt Disney Imagineering has ever built.
- ^ As of 2022[update]. While there have been 46 presidencies, only 45 individuals have served as president. Grover Cleveland served two non-consecutive terms and is numbered as both the 22nd and 24th U.S. president.
- ^ At the time the attraction opened in 1971, the roll call ended with Richard Nixon. Over time, each newly elected president would have an Audio-Animatronic version of himself added to the show in their likeness.
- ^ Presented as George Bush in the roll call portion of the show, as he was generally known before his son, George W. Bush, took office.
- ^ Archival recording.
See also
References
General references
- Birnbaum's Walt Disney World, 2006 Edition, Disney Editions
Inline citations
- ^ Storey, Ken (July 6, 2020). "Disney World fans want to replace ruined Hall of Presidents with 'Hamilton'". Orlando Weekly. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Blitz, Matt (November 4, 2016). "The Robot Presidents Who Rule Disney World". Popular Mechanics. Archived from the original on November 8, 2016. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
- ^ a b Scott Powers (October 31, 2008). "Renovations to bring Disney World's Hall of Presidents into 21st century". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on November 3, 2008. Retrieved October 31, 2008.
- ^ Barnes, Brooks (December 18, 2017). "President Trump, the Animatronic Version, Comes to Disney World". The New York Times. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
- ^ Bevil, Dewayne (January 20, 2021). "Disney: Hall of Presidents closed for refurbishment; Biden figure to be added". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
- ^ Macdonald, Brady (January 20, 2021). "Disney World to add Joe Biden animatronic to controversial Hall of Presidents". The Orange County Register. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
- ^ "The Hall of Presidents with Joe Biden Debuts at the Magic Kingdom". WDW News Today. August 3, 2021. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
- ^ a b Gavin, Michael (February 20, 2017). "Behind the Magic of the Hall of Presidents". Inside the Magic. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
- ^ @JeffreyUmberger (December 19, 2017). "I am proud to announce that our very own voice talent @JVMartinVO is now the voice of America's former President, Abraham Lincoln at Disney World's HALL OF PRESIDENTS! Congratulations J.V! Many thanks to Producer Donna and CD Brian! #UmbergerAgency" (Tweet). Retrieved January 21, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ Nolfi, Joey (June 28, 2017). "Donald Trump will record his voice for Disney World's Hall of Presidents attraction". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 2, 2017. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
- ^ Smith, Thomas (July 19, 2021). "The Hall of Presidents: Sharing the Story of Liberty's Leaders for 50 Years". Disney Parks Blog. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
- ^ "Disney shows 1st look at Hall of Presidents' Joe Biden". Bay News 9. July 19, 2021. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
- ^ Storks, Lydia (July 19, 2021). "FIRST LOOK: The Hall of Presidents Gets a Reopening Timeline in Disney World". Disney Food Blog. Retrieved July 19, 2021.