page_title: The Hall of Presidents
section_title: 1971–1993
hierarchical_section_title: The Hall of Presidents / The attraction / 1971–1993
caption_attribution_description: English: The Hall of Presidents attraction at Disney's Magic Kingdom Taken April 2007
context_page_description: The Hall of Presidents is an attraction located in Liberty Square at the Magic Kingdom in the Walt Disney World Resort. The attraction is a multi-media presentation and stage show featuring Audio-Animatronic figures of all 44 individual United States Presidents. It opened on October 1, 1971, along with the rest of the Magic Kingdom and resort.
  Housed in a building resembling Philadelphia's Independence Hall, the current attraction features a short film depicting a historical account of several American presidencies, notably George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy. The film is followed by a stage presentation of all the presidents in Audio-Animatronic form and features speeches by Lincoln, Washington, the incumbent President and others.
context_section_description: With the help of paintings from the era, the Philadelphia Convention is reenacted. George Washington (voiced by Disney veteran Paul Frees) and Benjamin Franklin (Lawrence Dobkin, who also narrated the original 1971 show) are heard making speeches to the Convention. They assured all that this government was going to be different. After the formation of the Constitution, the first test of the new republic was the Whiskey Rebellion, which proved that the government would use force to "ensure domestic tranquility." Years later, President Andrew Jackson (Dallas McKennon) was the first to deal with secession by the Southern states. Luckily, the talk was quelled and Jackson escaped the threat.
  The film then segues to the time of Abraham Lincoln (Royal Dano), when secession was a real threat. These paintings and vocal performances are similar, if not identical, to the same segment in the "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln" presentation. 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 (then) 36 presidents are called, in chronological order. (At the time the attraction opened in 1971, the roll call ended with Richard M. Nixon. Over time, each newly elected President would have an Audio-Animatronic version of himself added to the show in their likeness.)
  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 "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," (the same rendition used in "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln"). However, in 2009, the Battle Hymn of the Republic was replaced with America the Beautiful, but it reverted to "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" in 2011.
caption: The 2001–09 version of the show, featuring a speech by George W. Bush
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