Hall of Presidents rehab details

by Leah Zanolla
Jun 24, 2009

The Hall of Presidents is officially set to reopen on July 4th. A few details have emerged about the renovations that have taken place since the attraction closed November 1st. The sign out front of the theater has been replaced by a marqee and new wording has been added to an interior wall. It now reads "Welcome to the Hall of Presidents, a Celebration of Liberty's Leaders."

A new display area has been added to the front room, showcasing dresses from three first ladies: Elizabeth Monroe, Edith Roosevelt, and Nancy Reagan. The dresses of Monroe and Roosevelt are reproductions, but Reagan personally chose six dresses of her own for Disney to display. Her dresses will rotate every six months.

Changes have been made to the show itself as well. The film has been made shorter and is now narrated by Morgan Freeman. The story of the attraction has been changed to reflect more about the history of the presidency and the presidents themselves, rather than the history of the United States. The Animatronic section has been lengthened and President Obama has been added. He will recite the oath of office and an additional speech. Eric Jacobson(senior vice president at Walt Disney Imagineering) says of the new figure, "He has more facial expression than we've ever done before. He's our most advanced figure we've done, but he's not a completely new generation with everything starting over. The challenge is that everyone sees him every day on television. Everyone's an expert on Obama." Obama isn't the only president with a speaking role- George Washington now stands and speaks for the first time, with a quote on how he felt when he was sworn in.

The Hall of Presidents will open to the public on the 4th of July, but annual passholders will be able to get a sneak peek on Sunday June 28th from 11 am-9 pm.

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• Last Updated: Oct 12, 2011 - 10:50:48 AM