Will Hall of Presidents ever open???

[Lumpy1106]

I think the problem with HoP is that people aren't paying attention to the actual show. Looking for the Biden transcript, but here is Obama's;

I, Barack Hussein Obama, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, so help me God.

That's the oath of office - I think that is all the current president says now. It's the same oath every president has taken. No controversy there...right?
Here's the rest of what Obama said - I think this has been taken out of the latest show though;

The American dream is as old as our founding, but as timeless as our hopes. It is reborn every day, in the heart of every child who wakes up in a land of limitless possibilities, in a country where “we the people” means all the people. We may come from different places and believe in different things, but what makes us American is a shared spirit—a spirit of courage and determination; of kindness and generosity. It is a spirit grounded in the wisdom of the generations that have gone before us, but open to the unimagined discoveries and possibilities on the horizon that lies ahead. Let us enjoy it, cherish it, defend it, and pass it on to our children as the bright and beautiful blessing it is—this enduring American dream.

If you paid attention to the rest of the show prior to the reveal this is the message of the entire show - just in the president's voice and words. No controversy there. No reason to clap or jeer. Honestly I think it would be a terrible message to send if they take it out.

 

[ellbell]

I think the problem with HoP is that people aren't paying attention to the actual show. Looking for the Biden transcript, but here is Obama's;


That's the oath of office - I think that is all the current president says now. It's the same oath every president has taken. No controversy there...right?
Here's the rest of what Obama said - I think this has been taken out of the latest show though;


If you paid attention to the rest of the show prior to the reveal this is the message of the entire show - just in the president's voice and words. No controversy there. No reason to clap or jeer. Honestly I think it would be a terrible message to send if they take it out.

You're right there is no reason for it but the people who are doing it aren't listening to their words. They are doing it to show support for their chosen president. Which is asinine.

 

[Figment Mom]

The Hall of Presidents was Walt's vision. He wanted his parks to be about entertaining and educating.

Having human animatronics was ground-breaking.

It's not out of place in a place called Liberty Square.

Yes, things change and get replaced but with the fact that MK can expand without removing attractions, I'd rather they maintain this piece of history.

I hate the current political climate and the complete lack of respect and maturity so many people have. It's a shame that people who can't refrain from jeering in a theme park attraction could get the whole thing shut down.

 

[goofyernmost]

More people might want to watch it in Epcot while touring all the countries.

Maybe, but thinking that Disney would even consider moving that show to anyplace is as difficult as thinking that todays human can have any class at all.

 

[BrianL]

The Hall of Presidents was Walt's vision. He wanted his parks to be about entertaining and educating.

Having human animatronics was ground-breaking.

It's not out of place in a place called Liberty Square.

Yes, things change and get replaced but with the fact that MK can expand without removing attractions, I'd rather they maintain this piece of history.

I hate the current political climate and the complete lack of respect and maturity so many people have. It's a shame that people who can't refrain from jeering in a theme park attraction could get the whole thing shut down.

I can agree that keeping it would be good, but they need to change the show. In the original, the current president never spoke anyway - that only started with Clinton I think. In todays climate, they just need to go back to doing it that way. They can have everyone on the stage of course, but just get rid of the speech, and maybe the roll-call.

Personally, I'd like to see it go with a completely new version of it, but still be the Hall of Presidents. However, if they did decide to rip it out completely, I wouldn't be losing any sleep over that either.

 

[TheDailyMoo]

How about we go back to when we didn't let politicians become our heroes or allow them to be akin to the star athlete on our favorite team. Even with civil discourse like this thread you can see the thinly veiled anger and combativeness boiling underneath the "trying to remain polite but man do I want to get my point across" posts. For both sides. A majority are guilty of it. The politicians are the ones who have bred this (on purpose in my opinion) but it's up to us the public to maybe chill out a bit? Maybe not let them succeed in dividing us farther? Maybe that'll help going forward? Just a suggestion.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Eventually yes, because they don’t want to become a political hot point. Is there a rush? Nah. Barely anyone even visits it unless they’re fleeing the rain/desperate for A/C - or don’t know what they just stumbled into…

 

[gottalovepluto]

I read somewhere that there’s a rumor that it’s not reopening and they’re gonna do something new with muppets and I don’t want that to be true. I love hall of presidents.

I dream.

But I don’t believe it for a second. In order to make such a change they need to announce it mid-term to not offend half the country.

 

[BrianL]

I dream.

But I don’t believe it for a second. In order to make such a change they need to announce it mid-term to not offend half the country.

Yeah, if they do change it, they will have to be very careful about messaging. It's a shame that they have to walk on eggshells, but it is what it is. The number reason to radically change it - nobody goes to it!

 

[Minnesota!]

Muppets...Presidents...same difference

Yep, both are puppets....someone else's hand guiding them.

 

[BrianL]

Yep, both are puppets....someone else's hand guiding them.

Too bad it's not the hand of Jim Henson.

 

[parasail_of_congress]

How about we go back to when we didn't let politicians become our heroes or allow them to be akin to the star athlete on our favorite team.

Are you suggesting that George Washington shouldn't be thought of as a hero?

 

[BrianL]

Are you suggesting that George Washington shouldn't be thought of as a hero?

Well, I think it's more the current mentality of rooting for a political party like it's a sports team. That is common these days. Certainly some of our past presidents have been both politicians and heroes - though maybe not that many.

 

[dreamer17555]

Are you suggesting that George Washington shouldn't be thought of as a hero?

Let's keep the politics off this thread as much as we can because the answer to questions like that are often complicated. Real life people are not Disney characters and are complex and flawed and someone's hero is easily someone else's villain.

 

[GatorChris]

THis got a lot more traction than I thought.

I guess my thing is MK has Big Thunder down, mid-summer will see the Riverboat and TS Island going down. They really need another attraction to open back up.

And unlike a lot of other folks, I like the attraction. I'm a uber-historian and I love American history, which tends to center around the presidents of the time. To see the AA of Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt, Grant...it's just cool. And it shouldn't take more than 90 days to make the switch. It should be open by now.

Again, ESPECIALLY with the FL heat. This Californian ain't built for that kind of pain. We need HoP and we need it NOW!

 

[BrianL]

THis got a lot more traction than I thought.

I guess my thing is MK has Big Thunder down, mid-summer will see the Riverboat and TS Island going down. They really need another attraction to open back up.

And unlike a lot of other folks, I like the attraction. I'm a uber-historian and I love American history, which tends to center around the presidents of the time. To see the AA of Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt, Grant...it's just cool. And it shouldn't take more than 90 days to make the switch. It should be open by now.

Again, ESPECIALLY with the FL heat. This Californian ain't built for that kind of pain. We need HoP and we need it NOW!

They probably take the opportunity to do a lot of other maintenance while it is down, so it's not just a matter of moving one animatronic out and another (back) into place. It's an old attraction - there's probably always something!

 

[Lumpy1106]

I disagree that "nobody goes to see it". We see it at least once every trip. It has a huge capacity so it's never full, but people most definitely make it part of their trips.
One other positive about HoP; it gets updated regularly. Can you imagine how much better CoP would be if they updated it every 4 years?

 

[BrianL]

I disagree that "nobody goes to see it". We see it at least once every trip. It has a huge capacity so it's never full, but people most definitely make it part of their trips.
One other positive about HoP; it gets updated regularly. Can you imagine how much better CoP would be if they updated it every 4 years?

Well, okay, it's not that literally nobody goes to see it, but it isn't all that popular and is an underutilized space. My point is that Disney needs to make it absolutely clear that if/when they do change it, they are doing so because of that and not because of content concerns. That always gets them into trouble with somebody!

 

[Lumpy1106]

Well, okay, it's not that literally nobody goes to see it, but it isn't all that popular and is an underutilized space. My point is that Disney needs to make it absolutely clear that if/when they do change it, they are doing so because of that and not because of content concerns. That always gets them into trouble with somebody!

Like the Alien Encounter/Stitch attraction?
Like the Captain Eo/HISTA 4D theater?
Like the Body pavilion?
Like Imagination 3.0?
Even like (gasp) CoP?
Just saying WDW has bigger problems if that's how you are defining problems.

 

[BrianL]

Like the Alien Encounter/Stitch attraction?
Like the Captain Eo/HISTA 4D theater?
Like the Body pavilion?
Like Imagination 3.0?
Even like (gasp) CoP?
Just saying WDW has bigger problems if that's how you are defining problems.

Well, all of those things need to be addressed too - the operative word being too. HOP wouldn't be my personal highest priority either, but it is what we are discussing here.