6/30: Hail to the Chiefs

[Al Lutz]

Disney World has made significant changes to the Hall of Presidents show, discuss them here...

DIRECT ARTICLE LINK: MiceAge.com - A different look at Disney...

[la2kw]

HOP has been political for some time. The past few years, people have been clapping for Lincoln, Clinton, and Bush, and have been booing for both Clinton and Bush. I stopped watching this show immediately after I saw the Bush addition 8 years ago and haven't been back since. I'm looking forward to the new show, Obama, and the technical upgrades. It's about time WDW updates this attraction, and if it comes with a political message, so be it. It's kind of hard to have an attraction about presidents without some politics attached.

[Athlonacon]

It is so cool to see all the presidents together like that, even though it's not them it definitely has a certain mystique about it. Our president is our nation's leader and I don't care WHO it is, you respect the office even if you don't like the person in it. Booing and cheering for specific presidents is a disgrace on Americans... any president, no matter who it is, must be treated with respect.

[kcnole]

I would much prefer that they remove the focus of this attraction from being the current president, to being about past Presidents. As I understand it, that was actually the plan until Obama won. Can you imagine the outcry if they decided to do that now. They'd be branded as racist.

I do hope that the next refurb takes us that direction. I don't like the political clapping and booing that has taken place as of late. Lets try to make this a more historical attraction and less political, but I understand why they did it this way this time.

[flynnibus]

Contrary to Kevin's disection.. I think the current show provides a platform that can easily be swapped and makes sense for future presidents.

The GW Oath tie-in gives each President a softball speaking role and leaves an open slot afterwards for them to add/subtract as desired for a speech portion.

By keeping the lead-in generic, changes can be more isolated.

[HMF]

I find it ironic that the show endorses intellectuilism when the Show Writers previous assignment was Spaceship Earth's redo.(Remember how easy it was to learn your ABC's? Thank the Phonecians.)

[JiminyCricketFan]

Great article! It sounds like a real improvement. I loved your understanding out retoric. While I agree that the show would have been different if McCain had won, But the show needed changing. I think that the show should be inpiring. That looks like it now achieves goal.

[spawnof65]

I don't know why I continue to read Kevin Yee's columns. Perhaps its the numbing effect they induce.

[Pete's Dragon]

I am going to have to disagree with Kevin's column. As a conservative, I see no problem in building the show's consensus around the theme of Obama's historic election. This is Disney we are talking about, and the allure of beefing up an attraction riding the wave of Obama's popularity is a smart business move.

Reading the reviews of the show the interpretation I got was that the country's history guided us to this historic moment-when an African-American would take the oath of office. I don't think this in any way was an affirmation of Obama's politics over McCain's politics, on the contrary I think all would agree that Disney would have done the exact same show had Colin Powell been our first African-American President.

By all indications the show is not an affirmation of a particular ideology, but of the country's progression towards a melting pot of equal individuals which I don't think is the ideological domain of one party over the other. As a conservative I have no problems with the show I have seen on Youtube. Sure, I wish they acknowledged the presidencey of Reagan more, but that small complaint doesn't change the fact that the show shouldn't be offensive to conservatives or for that matter individuals who voted for McCain.

[Bob Cutlass]

This was useful reading for me. I'll be going to Walt Disney World in August and taking my parents and sisters for the first time. My mom and my sisters I'm sure will want to see this, but my dad isn't exactly a huge fan of the current president and can get a bit grumpy when something praises him. Maybe I'll try to distract him and take him elsewhere. He's patriotic and loves history though, so that may prove difficult.

As to the article itself, I liked it. Well written, neutral, and descriptive. Thanks!

[mark]

I kind of assumed this would happen to the attraction. President Obama is my president, and I am glad African Americans can be represented by our top leadership- but the move to a more politically biased or slanted attraction is a mistake.

[vfire]

HoP doesn't belong at the Magic Kingdom in the first place; it's always been political due to its subject matter which leads to present day politics. Disney should make a separate "America" theme park and rip out Liberty Square into it. Keep the Magic Kingdom about fantasy and ye olde yesteryear before we were all born. Don't have attractions that take me out of that fantasy and into the real world; I go to the park to escape all that crap for a few hours. HoP is just another reason why DL is better than MK.

[Pete's Dragon]

Originally Posted by vfire

HoP doesn't belong at the Magic Kingdom in the first place; it's always been political due to its subject matter which leads to present day politics. Disney should make a separate "America" theme park and rip out Liberty Square into it. Keep the Magic Kingdom about fantasy and ye olde yesteryear before we were all born. Don't have attractions that take me out of that fantasy and into the real world; I go to the park to escape all that crap for a few hours. HoP is just another reason why DL is better than MK.

See this is where I will have to disagree with you, I think HOP is a valued part of the Magic Kingdom. Walt was always a huge proponent of remembering and honoring our past. The Liberty Tree, and important aspect of the movie Johny Tremain sits right beside the HOP. It's symbol is that of our struggle for independence. The HOP honors the leaders we have chosen to guard and defend that right.
Sure it's naturally political, but is it partisan? And has the increase in the partisanship related to HOP indicative of where we are as a society?

I would say that if any individual is so bothered as to not go to the attraction or wants it out of the park is missing the whole point of the show.

[TheBigDave]

A couple months ago Jim Hill wrote that the Hall Of Presidents upgrade would try to avoid current politics and feature the new President in a mostly non-speaking role. I thought that was a great idea.

Unfortunately, it looks like WDI has jumped on the HOPENCHANGE bandwagon fad. I'm very disappointed.

I visit WDW to get away from annoying stuff like politics. I'm tired of Obama being shoved down my throat.

[flynnibus]

Originally Posted by vfire

HoP doesn't belong at the Magic Kingdom in the first place; it's always been political due to its subject matter which leads to present day politics. Disney should make a separate "America" theme park and rip out Liberty Square into it. Keep the Magic Kingdom about fantasy and ye olde yesteryear before we were all born. Don't have attractions that take me out of that fantasy and into the real world; I go to the park to escape all that crap for a few hours. HoP is just another reason why DL is better than MK.

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

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

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.