Episode Details

Jim Hill and Len Testa explore the history of Disney’s Hall of Presidents, from Walt Disney’s fascination with Abraham Lincoln to the attraction’s 1971 debut at Walt Disney World. They trace the show’s roots through Disneyland’s unrealized Liberty Street, the 1964 New York World’s Fair, and the development of Disney Audio-Animatronics. The conversation also covers malfunctioning Lincoln figures, presidential updates, abandoned replacement concepts, and the challenge of keeping a patriotic attraction relevant as technology and audiences change.

Original Air Date: February 19, 2013
Original Title: Walt Dressed Up Like Lincoln? Please Say It Was Abe, Not Mary: The Hall of Presidents with Jim Hill (Feb. 2013)

HIGHLIGHTS

• How Walt Disney’s childhood fascination with Abraham Lincoln inspired decades of attraction development
• The unrealized Liberty Street and colonial America concepts originally planned for Disneyland
• Why Disney experimented with a Confucius Audio-Animatronic before building Abraham Lincoln
• How Robert Moses helped bring Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln to the 1964 New York World’s Fair
• The electrical problems, mechanical mishaps, and flying furniture behind Disney’s early Lincoln figure
• Why Roy O. Disney pushed forward with Hall of Presidents after Walt Disney’s death
• How Disney updated the attraction for new presidents, including Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama
• The abandoned plan to replace Hall of Presidents with a Bruce Willis-narrated flight through American history

HOSTS

• Jim Hill - X/Twitter: @JimHillMedia | Instagram: @JimHillMedia | jimhillmedia.com
• Len Testa - Bluesky: @lentesta.bsky.social | Instagram: @len.testa | touringplans.com

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