“One Nation Under God”. That was the original idea for what would become Walt Disney World’s Hall of Presidents. The original concept would have been an addition to Disneyland’s Main Street USA. Library Street would have featured Edison Square and The Hall of Presidents, as seen on 1958 Disneyland park maps. The original concept was wax figures of all the US Presidents, which lead to the idea of animating the models. Those thoughts and beliefs lead to the first Audio-Animatronic figure in human form: Abraham Lincoln.
That figure was the most advanced ever produced and featured in the Illinois Pavilion at the 1964 world’s fair. The attraction relocated to Disneyland as Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, and guests can still experience an updated version of that original.
With Walt Disney World’s construction in 1971, technology had advanced enough to complete Walt’s Original vision of the “Hall of Presidents.” The plans from Disneylands Liberty Street and Edison Square were revised and reworked to become The Magic Kingdoms Liberty Square. The original Hall of presidents featured all US Presidents through Richard Nixon, the sitting President when Walt Disney World Opened in 1971.
The show remained unchanged, focused on the early history of the United States for 22 years. In 1993 the show was completely updated and focused on more current issues. In addition, Bill Clinton, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George Bush were addicted to the Presidential lineup, bringing us up to date. Since then, the Hall of Presidents has been updated for each new administration. In 2001 George W Bush was added, and in 2009 Barack Obama lent his voice to the attraction recording a short speech and reciting the Oath of office of the Presiden to the United States. The 2009 version also included an extensive update to the lighting and projection systems, the original Abraham Lincoln speech was restored, and George Washington became the third speaking President. In 2017 Donald Trump was added, reciting the Oath of Office and a short speech.
This edition of SamsDisneyDiary features the 2017-2021 version of the attraction. Presented for Historical reference, if history serves correctly, the Hall of presidents should see a scheduled refurbishment sometime in late January 2021 and reopen in time for the 4th of July 2021 with a new President. But, the Covid-19 Pandemic has us living in uncertain times; either way, look for The Hall of Presidents to be on the refurbishment list at Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom soon. The refurb is a standard procedure and nothing out of the ordinary, though I’m sure we will see some attention-grabbing headlines “Hall of Presidents Closes.” Be sure to subscribe to SamsDisneyDiary and we will have the latest updates as soon as possible.
