It’s Election Day! Will we see Kamala Harris added or Trump refocused at Disney World’s Hall of Presidents?
It’s Election Day 2024! Will the iconic Hall of Presidents at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando feature Kamala Harris or Donald Trump?
A longtime staple of the Magic Kingdom at Disney World, the Hall of Presidents attraction is popular fodder — especially during a presidential election season. Questions inevitably arise online: Will there be an animatronic version of Democratic challenger Vice President Kamala Harris after Election Day 2024? Or will former president Donald Trump get an upgrade in the show as he tries for a third and final time for the White House?
Either way, Disney World — one of the country's top theme parks — is going to update its famous Hall of Presidents attraction following the Nov. 5 General Election. The change, however, won’t take effect right away. Here’s what we know about Disney’s Hall of Presidents.
What is Disney’s Hall of Presidents? Is Hall of Presidents a ride?
Among the thrill rides and meet-and-greets with fictional characters, Disney World's "Hall of Presidents" is a multimedia presentation and stage show that seeks to educate parkgoers on the formation of the U.S. and all 45 of its presidents.
The show features narrations from some of the presidents as “they” highlight various historical events and critical documents, including the signing of the Declaration of Independence and facts about the Civil War.
This is one of the attractions that reportedly came directly from Walt Disney, with Disney Wiki sharing that the plans for the new show were originally meant for Disneyland's theme park in Anaheim, California. Since technology had not advanced enough for his vision, he instead focused on bringing a single animatronic president to life — creating Abraham Lincoln for the New York World’s Fair in 1964.
As plans were coming together for the new Florida theme park, Imagineers found that they could incorporate Disney's vision for a show on the U.S. presidents. In October 1971, the attraction opened with the park with then-president Richard Nixon ending the roll call.
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What theme park has the Hall of Presidents? Where to find it at Disney World near Orlando, Florida
Disney’s Hall of Presidents is in the Magic Kingdom's Liberty Square section of the park, close to Cinderella's Castle in the center. It’s a 25-minute long show, according to Disney's website.
How many presidents have been added to Disney's Hall of Presidents since opening in October 1971?
Since its original opening, it has added nine new presidents to its lineup:
Gerald F. Ford
Jimmy Carter
Ronald Reagan
George Bush
Bill Clinton
George W. Bush
Barack Obama
Donald Trump
Joe Biden
Do the U.S. presidents record special speeches for Disney's Hall of Presidents?
The show has a section dedicated to the current president, having them give a short speech. Every sitting president since Bill Clinton has recorded their own remarks for the Hall of Presidents at the White House.
How long does it take for Disney World to add new president to the attraction?
While Disney World has not shared an exact answer, interviews with Imagineers and past reports give clues to its usual timeline.
According to Plan Disney, it takes roughly a year from the election to produce a new animatronic leader. For example, Trump was added in December 2017 and Biden was added in August 2021.
"There are many steps involved including several levels of models as well as an interview with the actual president. So the voice you hear in the attraction will be the president's real voice," Plan Disney writes.
Does Trump's animatronic look extra familiar? Conspiracy theory about the figure made by Disney
Since the former president was added to the lineup back in 2017, the appearance of his animatronic has caused some controversy.
A few parkgoers and social media users claimed the figure also resembled Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic nominee. This led to rumors that Disney, expecting Clinton to win in the 2016 election, had started building a robot with her likeness, only to repurpose it after Trump won.
According to Snopes, this rumor has never been confirmed or even addressed by Disney officials.
When is the General Election? Final months to see Biden as current president at Disney attraction
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. After the 2024 General Election, Disney World theme parkgoers will have one more year to see President Biden's animatronic in the spotlight.
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