Category — Walt Disney World

The swearing in of new United States Citizens is always an emotional story. But when it happens at at Disney theme park, there is a little extra magic added to the ceremony. This year over 1000 new American citizens were welcomed to the country in a moving ceremony. Then they and their families were the first official audiences to see the newly revised Hall of Presidents at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom

Among those naturalized today were 25 employees of the Walt Disney World resort. Among them was Nicolas Graefe. His story is similar to so many of those who seek US citizenship, but as you might expect, with a Disney twist.

Nicolas (pictured above getting filmed by Disney) lived in Germany when he saw pictures of the 1976 Walt Disney World Parade in a comic book and fell in love with the Disney theme parks. In 1990 he worked at EPCOT as a cultural representative. Then he came back to work for Disney in 1998 when he met his future wife. Now he works for Disney in EPCOT food & beverage. This moment obviously meant quite a bit to Graefe, and he called it “one of his best Disney memories ever.”

After the families had a chance to see the revised Hall Of Presidents, I had a few minutes to speak with Kathy Rogers of Walt Disney Imagineering and Sr. Show Producer for this update. It was a roundtable style interview, so you’ll also hear Leigh Caldwell of Themeparkmom.com and Jeff Kober of MousePlanet.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

I will have more photos and thoughts on the day tomorrow, but now, I’ve gotta run off to the Magic Kingdom to see the Fireworks tonight.

Via the Whitehouse.gov blog we get this video of President Barack Obama as he records his speech for the Hall of Presidents attraction that officially reopens on the 4th of July.

I’m guessing President Obama has never been to Walt Disney World since he asks if these are wax figures. I hope he gets a chance to come down to Orlando with his family and see the attraction for himself. It’s pretty powerful, as I said in my review.

I’ll be at the Magic Kingdom tomorrow for a naturalization ceremony for 1000 new American Citizens who will all get a chance to see the new Hall of Presidents attraction. A perfect way to kick off their new lives as citizens of the United States of America.

Disney aficionado Lou Mongello is one of the few fans who have managed to turn their passion for the parks into enough income to support a family. It couldn’t have happened to a more deserving fellow if you ask me. Mongello is so affable that his name has become an informal greeting between Disney fans who encounter each other inside the parks.

Internet Celebrity Robert Scoble has just posted a video interview with Lou Mongello. They talk about Mongello’s love of the parks, how he turned that into his trivia books, wdw radio website and podcasts, and how he works to stay on The Walt Disney Company’s good side.

Congratulations to Mongello, this is a big moment for him to get recognized like the internet media rock star that he is. I can’t wait to see what’s next.

As the areas largest employer Walt Disney World should be expected to contribute back to the community. In many ways the company and its employees go beyond the call of duty and 2008 was no exception. From serving meals to the homeless to coaching Little League, Disney VoluntEARS dedicated a record 204,000 hours in 2008 toward improving the lives of Central Floridians.

This month, Walt Disney World Resort is celebrating and recognizing these efforts by donating nearly $950,000 to local non-profit organizations supported by Disney VoluntEARS.

“The dedication of our Disney VoluntEARS is absolutely inspiring and is truly making a difference,” said Meg Crofton, president of Walt Disney World Resort. “I’m extremely proud that our Cast Members make Central Florida a better place for everyone. Their contributions are helping our community during a time when it’s needed most.”

[Read more →]

Update: video of President Obama as he records his lines for the show.

“I [name] 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”

Click to view larger image. Photo courtesy Kevin Yee

When it came time to add one more Audio-Animatronic figure to the famous Hall Of Presidents attraction at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, the Imagineers could have chosen the easy path and just added one more AA figure with a new speech. Instead they spotted a weakness in the attraction with how it duplicated much of the same American history as the much more involved American Adventure attraction at EPCOT Center and then somewhat abruptly switched tracks to a Presidential roll-call.

So they set to work to refocus the attraction on the story of what it means to be an American President. Along the way they’ve changed the attraction’s message, given more time to the Audio-Animatronic Presidential figures, plussed the exterior with a marquee, and spruced up the lobby area as well. As I said in my previous post, the overall change is certainly a good one.

The lobby looks largely the same, but the addition of a new display case that features dresses, and more, from some of America’s First Ladies adds balance to the attraction. They had to ditch a couple Presidential portraits for that. But if they rotate the portraits like they plan to rotate the dresses, all should be good.

Inside the theater very little has changed. The show opens with the familiar ‘We The People’ silhouettes, and the group recitation of the Constitution’s pre-amble, but there is very little visual connection there. It seems like guests are expected to remember the symbology from the previous show?

Once the show gets going and the sonorous voice of Morgan Freeman kicks in as narrator, you know you’re in for a treat. We still get our American history lesson, but now it ties in much closer to the story behind the American Presidency starting with George Washington

Pay attention to the Presidents Disney selected to highlight in the script and you’ll see a trend. All the Presidents were very popular, either as they were elected, or grew in popularity during the course of their term.

The theme of populist politics is the thread that holds the Presidential tapestry together. It’s summed up in the frequently repeated line “One of Us” meaning that the President comes from the people and not at the tip of a sword or via a hereditary line, unlike any other nation on Earth at the time.

This switch to populism is the biggest shift of the attraction. Previously the political message was decidedly neutral. Neither left nor right. Populism is neither left nor right as well, but it can lead to fascism if not kept in check. So I’m personally left feeling just a bit uneasy by it. There is much more to the Presidency than them being potentially ‘one of us’.

The planning for this new attraction began long before the November election results were in. So were Disney’s Imagineers just lucky or are they savvy readers of politics and able to detect the popular groundswell that swept Barack Obama into office? I hope to ask them more about that this Friday.

(Aside: That’s a lot of political talk for The Disney Blog, I know. Please don’t read anything about my personal politics into it. I’m not sure Disney wants you to either, so come see for yourself and make up your own mind.)

There’s a great little bit of staging during the Civil War section. We knew that the Abraham Lincoln figure would give the Gettysburg Address, but I didn’t know that he would appear alone on the stage while doing so. A crafty bit of curtain design hides the other AA figures during this portion of the show and then the audience is returned to the screen portion of the attraction.

It’s a great break from what is basically a slide show, albeit a very well produced slide show, up to that point. The address doesn’t go over the top nor slow the show down. The Lincoln figure’s movements range from grand to intimate, the best AA performance I’ve ever seen, so far. I also want to ask the show producers if this is a little nod to Walt Disney, who was known for his ability to recite the Gettysburg Address in grade school.

From the Civil War we jump from national crisis to national tragedy. Very little time is spent celebrating what makes America strong, but then America’s Presidents are not remembered for the peaceful times, they’re cemented in our memories for how they deal with the difficult times we find ourselves in. It’s nice that Disney did not skip over these patches, but by the time we get to the real stars of the show, the AA figures, we’re definitely ready.

My chief complaint with the attraction is the distance the audience is set from the stage. Short of reconfiguring the raked seating (an expensive proposition) there hasn’t really been a way to resolve that. However, the new show only uses three of the five screens in the auditorium. Could the two end screens be used to show closer view of which ever audio-animatronic is performing? Yes, the flaws of the figures will be more apparent. But so will the technical wizardry of the performance.

Speaking of technical wizardry, I am really impressed with the way the George Washington and Barack Obama figures interact. At that moment it feels like two actors up on the stage. These are two more very impressive Audio-Animatronic figures. President Washington’s words provide a wonderful message that drives home the importance of the role of President. They also ties naturally into the quote I started this article with, the oath of office.

Barack Obama recites the oath and then is announced as President by the narrator. This moment received applause at all three shows I attended. It does feel a little bit like you’re there on the frozen tarmac of the Washington Mall waiting for the inauguration speech. A very nicely captured moment.

I’m a little sad to say that President Obama’s speech is not memorable. But perhaps that’s as it should be. The institution of the Presidency is showcased here, not one individual president. The much anticipated Robobama lives up to all its hype, even with the unfortunately prominent ears. Clearly a new level in audio-animatronic wizardry.

The show then hurries to a patriotic conclusion, and I do mean hurries. With the show running at almost exactly 20 minutes I would have liked to see a bit more care taken with this moment. Another 15-20 seconds to let it all sink in would be appreciated.

While the Hall of Presidents usually gets hardly a glance from the average theme park guest, they really do themselves a dis-service to walk by without experiencing this uniquely American story. Walt Disney’s Imagineers have done a spectacular job updating this attraction and it will continue to be a frequent stop on my families visits. I hope it is for yours as well.

The news that was spreading across the internet 10 days ago about LEGOland’s serious look at building in Central Florida has started to pick up steam with coverage by print and TV media.

I’m hearing two rumors about the potential new theme park and some news that I think could bad news.

The bit of potential bad news is that LEGOland actually looked at the old Splendid China site, but that the current owners wouldn’t give them a good enough deal for LEGOland to commit. If that’s true for other Central Florida theme park zoned real estate owners, then that is probably what’s driving LEGOland to look southward to Winter Haven and Cypress Gardens. A foolish move by those land owners who should be doing what they can to get creative with a deal that will work for all parties, instead of turning away a brilliant partnership.

One rumor I’m looking to confirm is that Blackstone, which owns LEGOland, has an agreement with Universal Studios that bars it from opening another theme park in Florida without approval from Universal. Somehow I don’t think that Universal is going to want its partner owning a competitor in its own backyard. Now, if Blackstone added some incentive for Universal…

The biggest rumor, and the most interesting, is that Walt Disney World’s rumored 5th gate will be LEGOland. Chatter about a possible fifth gate has been picking up recently and there is definitely a need to have more tot-friendly attractions inside Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. But I just don’t see Disney opening a plot of land to a competitor like that.

Perhaps LEGOland should be looking at a plot near Disney’s back door (the Western Way entrance that was to be developed as Flamingo Crossing). If the Blackstone rumor is true, I hope they’re able to work out that conflict.

Yesterday the Hall of Presidents at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom had previews for Cast Members, Annual Passholders and DVC members, and then opened to the regular guest as well. It was the debut of a new script, a new show, and a couple new Audio Animatronic including, of course, the much anticipated Robobama.

All in all, I was impressed with the new Hall of Presidents show. It is definitely a change in direction from the old version. The new audio-animatronics are impressive in their range of motion and the smoothness in which they transition from gesture to gesture. They’re still not quite approaching the ‘uncanny valley‘ (and that may be deliberate).

Click for larger version

The 11AM show for Annual Passholders and DVC Members filled the 600+ seat theater almost 3/4 of the way. When I came back later in the day, and every guest was allowed in, the theater almost filled up. Both shows had moments when the audience applauded moments from the show (such as after President Barack Obama is announced by the narrator).

I’ll come back tonight with a much longer post and my analysis of the show. But I wanted to get these photos up for those who couldn’t make it themselves.

The attraction is still undergoing some finetuning. So it may not be open between now and the fourth of July. But general expectations are that it will be except for July 3rd when it will be busy for an event most of the day.

This Sunday is the Annual Passholder/DVC preview of Hall of Presidents which will kick off a week long patriotic feeling across Orlando that will resolve in huge firework displays across the region. Almost all of the local theme parks have their own displays with some showing on Friday and Saturday, so choose wisely which shows you’ll want to see.

Walt Disney World Fourth of July Fireworks on the 3rd and the 4th

Guests celebrating the Fourth of July at Walt Disney World Resort will have a choice of fireworks shows as Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios present special pyrotechnics and Epcot adds a patriotic “tag” to its famous “IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth” spectacular. Here’s the latest schedule:

Magic Kingdom – “Celebrate America Fireworks” will fill the sky at 9 pm. July 4 (guests who’d like to begin the celebratory weekend a day early can enjoy the special fireworks on July 3 at 9 p.m.). After the fireworks, guests can enjoy a performance of Disney’s “SpectroMagic” parade of lights, music and magic at 10:30 p.m. on July 3-4. Park hours are 9 a.m.-11 p.m. on July 3-4. There are evening extra magic hours on July 3rd.

Also on the third Disney will host a citizenship ceremony where 1,000 immigrants will gather on Main Street, U.S.A. to be “sworn in” as American citizens.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Special fireworks will be presented at 10 p.m. on July 4, providing guests with a bonus nighttime entertainment extravaganza to complement “Fantasmic!” (which will be at 9 p.m. and 10:45 p.m.). Park hours on July 4 are 9 a.m.-10 p.m.

Epcot – “IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth,” which features dazzling special effects, colorful lasers, brilliant fireworks and fiery torches all choreographed to a musical score, becomes even more dynamic on July 4 as the normal show is supplemented with a patriotic finale. The performance begins at 10 p.m. Park hours on July 4 are 9 a.m.-10 p.m.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom – No fireworks here (they wouldn’t want to disturb the animals’ rest). Guests can enjoy all the regular attractions and shows on July 4 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

SeaWorld and Universal

SeaWorld Orlando - celebrate the Fourth of July with a “bang” on July 3 with a special tribute performance by the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne All-American Chorus and dazzling fireworks display. The celebration continues July 4 with a patriotic presentation of red, white and blue fireworks immediately following the all-new fountain and fireworks finale – “Reflections.”

Universal Orlando - Celebrate Independence Day with live music from the O’Jays and a special Universal 360 show finale.