6/30: Hail to the Chiefs

[jp-disney]

Originally Posted by sediment

Good one!
I'm waiting for the AA update where he swats a fly dead.

I love it!
An animatronic fly of course. We don't want to get PETA riled up.

[The Shadoe]

Originally Posted by Pete's Dragon

the allure of beefing up an attraction riding the wave of Obama's popularity is a smart business move.

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiight....

[BRodgers]

I'm surprised no one has posted this. Here is the video of the new show.

Disney's Hall of Presidents attraction at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World has been updated to include speeches from advanced audio-animatronic versions of US Presidents Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Barack Obama.

This video shows the full speeches delivered by these robot versions of Washington and Obama at the end of the show. Be sure to visit the Magic Kingdom to view the entire newly-enhanced show. The animatronics look even more lifelike in person.

YouTube - Disney Hall of Presidents update with...

[HMF]

Originally Posted by indyIluvu

When was Spaceship earth painted red???

Typo fixed.

[mkcoastie]

Well first off, thank you Mr. Yee for another great article. I am what you might call ummmm....."Opinionated" when it comes to politics, and I am usually as involved as my profession allows me to be. I am very happy that while pointing out what he believes to be the politicizing of HOP, Mr. Yee still managed to remain fairly politically neutral himself, thereby avoiding an official political stance from the Miceage writing staff. I must admit that I was fairly wary about clicking that discussion link as my Disney parks obsession is usually my way of relaxing and getting away from the frustrations of politics. Having seen many political discussion that where less than..."civil"...I was very frightened that my oasis of happiness may have just collided with the rough and tumble world of politics. after reading the discussions (at least thus far) am very relieved to see something very unlike the usual screaming-fests that such topics can sometimes produce. (Not to say that my fellow Mice-Chatters are not opinionated as usual....aint nothing wrong with that). so with that said (and my apologies for my long-windedness). Despite my political views, I believe that the Presidents (all of them) of our great country should be respected. This may or may not be partisanship in HOP, but I believe that it is appropriate....and a good show. I only hope that Disney shows the same respect and inclusion when our next commander in chief is sworn in.....no matter what his politics.



(Oh, and I'm actually rather shocked that a lot more Mice-Chaters seem to share my political views than I had previously thought)

[Eagleman]

Mr. Yee I think you did a good job! THANK YOU!

[ryno1986]

Kevin, you have it completely wrong once again. Disney didn't rewrite the show simply to pay tribute to Obama. The reason it works so well is because Obama fits into history. McCain didn't win the election because he wasn't one of us, or at least that's what the American public decided. Heaven forbid there be parallels between the Civil War, JFK, and Obama. Disney isn't making it up. It's all real.

[Kiba]

We are talking about the intersection of politics and corporate pop culture here. I think we'll always get a big update for any first that changes the make-up of the HoP. (I'm kinda curious how successful impeachment proceedings would be dealt with). New religions probably won't be highlighted. Co-ed for sure. If Bobby Jindal became President, I'm not sure. First gay Prez? First non-human Prez? Yeah, I would think so.

[BC_DisneyGeek]

In theory, once the election is over, the winner is everyone's President. In theory.

Maybe in that regard the Hall of Presidents is not political or partisan, but just feels that way because politics is very much partisan (and often divisive) at the moment.

[KevinYee]

As I noted in the article itself, this was a very tough essay to write, because it's hard to know exactly how to position myself. I agonized about whether or not to mention how I voted personally in the election. In the end, I decided not to, because I feared it would make half the audience like the article for the wrong reason, and the other half to hate the article (also for the wrong reason).

In retrospect, this was a mistake. I get the impression from some of the impassioned posts here that many of you think I voted Republican. I did not. I voted for Obama in the election (yes, I voted for "change"). My hope in this article was to point out that despite my personal opinions, the show would likely still leave some visitors with an uneasy feeling.

Maybe it's me, but I do not think the cherry-picking of *these particular* presidents lends itself to just any old commander in chief. A future president Jindal or Palin would feel disjointed coming after this particular slideshow. And I have to mention that I've already seen people exit the show, presumably Republican, a bit grumpy.

That said, I agree that the move to recite the oath of office was a very smart one, and that Obama's speech is patriotic without being partisan. It's mostly the slideshow that gives me the impression that there was an unstated (perhaps even unconscious) bias to "explain" the Obama victory... and that explanation may not sit well with every single visitor. Did it sit well with me? Sure it did. The guy I voted for won. But I was trying to think outside my own box here.

[The Shadoe]

I appreciate your candor, Kevin.

What's a bit jarring is having someone like George Washington introduce Barrack Obama. To some of us who have studied American History rather in-depth, Constitutional Law, and have a firm grasp on what the Founding Fathers wanted for our country, it's a bit of a slap-in-the-face because Obama doesn't "fit in" with the ideals these visionaries saw for our country, and over time we've drifted from what they intenioned our society to be. Dont get me wrong -- we're still the #1 beacon for freedom and liberty in the world. But it's been greatly obscured. These men tried to prevent a lot of what we are seeing now from happening. So if people walk out grumpy, it's not about their man winning or not winning, it's about how jarring the story Disney tells us between that of what this nation was founded upon.

Read the works of Toqueville, and you'll understand what I'm talking about.

[Mr Wiggins]

Originally Posted by KevinYee

My hope in this article was to point out that despite my personal opinions, the show would likely still leave some visitors with an uneasy feeling.

My opinion of your article is that you did an excellent job of covering the issue while keeping your personal feelings out of it; until your post I couldn't tell which way you'd voted.

My opinion of the Hall of Presidents is that it jumped the shark with the decision to include living presidents. Seeing and hearing AA's of live guys changes the pageantry of history into a creepy wax museum.

And if Bush and Obama as robots doesn't break immersion and take you "out of the show," the mishmash of stage-sense surely will. Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt and Kennedy are history of the ages. Bush and Obama are current events on cable news. Stick 'em all together in an AA show and you have HOP -- a headon collision of the History Channel and CNN.

[Swice]

Just from a business standpoint, I don't know why Disney would even consider putting itself into a position of ticking off paying guests.

What are they going to do if the economy still stinks in a year and his polls drop because of his policies? Of course we don't know what will happen... Obama could end up being the best or worst... remember Jimmy Carter was elected with great fanfare and his ratings dropped through the cellar rather quickly.

Of course Obama should be included and even include the "historic" nature of his election... but it seems to me that a business would hedge its bets and be careful with the implications just in case.

I vote for letting history decide how he (and future presidents) should be treated.

[flynnibus]

Originally Posted by Swice

Just from a business standpoint, I don't know why Disney would even consider putting itself into a position of ticking off paying guests.

What are they going to do if the economy still stinks in a year and his polls drop because of his policies?

But following your logic we shouldn't have Carter in there either... or any other 'unpopular' president. Selectively excluding people based on a popularity contest is way more damning then including one an individual may not agree with.

The reason these people are included is not because of their statements, or policies... but because they are the Presidents of the USA.

The alternative is to only include dead people - which also makes the attraction seem dated.

[vfire]

Originally Posted by flynnibus

I didn't realize seeing all 43 presidents together was 'real world' or seeing people speak who have been dead for over a hundred years.

If they kept it to presidents long dead it wouldn't be a problem. The problem is the attraction highlights the present, which takes people into current reality and out of the Magic Kingdom.

Originally Posted by flynnibus

Liberty Square is about HISTORY - not modern day. It's about the patriotic remembrance of our country's founding and ideals.

No, it's a hybrid that doesn't work. If it simply concentrated on history from olde yesteryear then it would be fine like Main St. The problem is it features the present with a speech by the current president. Keep the real world out of the park please.

Originally Posted by flynnibus

It's no more crashing of your fantasy then Frontierland is or Main Street.

You didn't read my post but instead jumped to preconceived conclusions, no surprise there.
I enjoy the carefully constructed simulacra of Main St. and Frontierland for they are depictions of long-gone yesteryears. I do not want current politics and political figures in the park. They are a distraction from the rest of the ye olde theme.

Originally Posted by flynnibus

And remember.. Walt put Mr Lincoln in with prominence by constructing the Opera House for it. So the premise is pretty much solidified by Walt himself in DL.

If you had my short post then you'd realize what you wrote above is a straw man. The key to what you fail to see is the difference between focusing on a century or more ago, and today.