Walt Disney World today shared a first look at the new Audio Animatronic figure of Joe Biden that will be on stage when the Magic Kingdom's Hall of Presidents reopens next month.
Winning the Presidential election sends you to the White House, but it also means that your mechanical doppelgänger is going to Disney World. At first glance, it appears that Walt Disney Imagineering has done a better job with its version of President Biden than it did with the two most recent occupants of the Oval Office.
Hall of Presidents is one of the Disney attractions featured in the 10-episode first season of the new "Behind the Attraction" series on Disney Plus, which debuts Wednesday. (The Hall of Presidents episode is not one of the first five that will be available for streaming on this week, however. Fans will have to wait to watch that one.) I have seen the episode, however, and can say that it's more about Roy O. Disney and his effort to get the Walt Disney World Resort built after Walt's death than it is the HOP itself.
If you are looking for some insider knowledge about the Hall of Presidents that the new Disney Plus series skips, you will find a great story about the technology behind the show's finale in Don Iwerks' Walt Disney's Ultimate Inventor: The Genius of Ub Iwerks, which I reviewed last year.
Disney closes HOP at each change in administration to prepare the show for its new President, who is featured in a short speech that typically is recorded in Washington shortly after they take office. Imagineers also decorated the table next to the Biden animatronic with a pair of his signature aviator sunglasses and some Amtrak tickets, in a nod to Biden's practice of taking the train between Washington and his Delaware home when he served in the US Senate.
Hall of Presidents will reopen in August, though Disney has not yet provided a specific date.
* * *
We wanted you to read this article before we make our newsletter pitch, unlike so many other websites. If you appreciate that - and our approach to covering theme park, travel, and entertainment news - please sign up for our free, three-times-a-week email newsletter. Thank you.
Robert, may as well close the comments now.
@TwoBits Pass the popcorn!
If his audio breaks down or becomes incoherent, no one will even notice it. Lol
Congratulations to Disney for holding onto a truly inspiring attraction like The Hall of Presidents. All of our US Presidents deserve to be represented, despite the opinions of individuals that do not agree. BTW, 45 did not try to overthrow the government and he won the 2020 election. Freedom of speech!
Yeesh, did they have to choose such a goofy face for the AA to make for that promo pic?
I heard they’ve really beefed up William Henry Harrison’s role in this latest iteration, because synergy and stuff
Former presidents move to the peanut gallery in HOP, as they have been for decades.
FWIW, I have toured the room in WDI where they keep the presidents' face sculptures and they appear way more accurate than what you see in still photos of the animatronics from HOP. Something definitely gets lost in the transition there.
Still holding out hope for the All-Presidents Rap Battle in the new script. And if it happens, I will put down a Hamilton on Jimmy Carter winning the whole thing. Just because it would be the most deliciously chaotic thing imaginable.
Did they have to make his fingers like that? They somehow made him creepier.
haha these comments are hilarious.
but in all seriousness, @Keith brings up a good point. With the ever-growing mindset of the Disney executives being "E-tickets everywhere", I'm really glad that some people in Disney still care for these smaller attractions. It's what sets Disney parks apart from the competition. Lines are too long and it's hot out? There are about 10 different smaller attractions inside that have short waits. Political stances aside, I hope they keep HOP going and continue to provide a prospective of history to audiences everyday.
Man, having an animatronic version of myself at Disney World is the only reason why I would run for president.
"BTW, 45 did not try to overthrow the government and he won the 2020 election.."
Sure, and Charle Manson is a prophet and Jim Jones is god. Brainwashed much, sad fool?
thecolonel, there are at least two sides to every story, unfortunately you cannot seem to overthrow your own prejudice or stupidity.
I'll give props, it looks better than some past AA Presidents.
Keith...you get Trump lost, right? Dominating fashion too? He lost, it's over.
Agreed, no one can "overthrow" the brainwashing that's caused angry White Americans to falsely believe the repeatedly disproven fantasy that Trump was re-elected. Never in my four decades on this Earth have I ever been more embarrassed by Americans, otherwise normal people hanging onto such a ridiculous lie (told by the world's most ridiculous liar) because it advances their racist agenda.
It's beyond pathetic, and in the future this will be viewed as one of the most shameful, stupidest periods in American history. Millions of angry White people willingly brainwashed by facially silly far-right propaganda being served to them by a wealthy foreign national, Rupert Murdoch. It's just gross.
thecolonel, you don’t like White Americans, huh?...racism...
As for keeping Trump in, well, it still has Nixon and Buchanan so guess he can fit as a reminder of how low the country sunk electing him.
@keith I am a White american, but no, I definitely do not like the horde of racist, ignorant and frankly pathetic angry White Americans who make up the MAGA nation. Selfish racists who push facially stupid positions--like opposing the vaccine that will save their children's lives, or insisting that the loser won the election--they are traitors to their country and an embarrassment to the world. I would pity them for their fear and ignorance if they weren't so hateful.
They should at least hang as asterix over robot Trump's head.
This is a bit of a sidebar, but what say we go all in and build a Hall of Congress attraction? The roll call alone would take long enough for a solid two-hour nap, which would be a great way to get out of the heat and see AA’s of some REALLY fringe characters…
Speaking of "history" it's a TPI thread where everyone is pissed off and I had nothing to do with it.
@thecolonel go outside. Seriously. That’s the first thing you thought of when you read this article? It doesn’t even matter my political views, you’re insufferable when you do stuff like this. It’s just petty and beneficial to no one
As a Canadian I couldn't care less about this attraction and in my opinion should be bulldozed for something fun that anyone can enjoy. However I enjoy history in general and respect Disney for sticking to their guns and continuing the tradition so for Americans I'm happy for you guys that its still there I guess.
@thecolonel...Thanks for being a sane American but you just can't argue with crazy... lol :) Oh and BTW for the MAGA people I don't think your crazy for sharing Trumps political views but rather believing the obvious lie that he won the election! Facts are facts no matter how much you want to live in a make believe world.
@TH Creative, you win the best - and most accurate - comment of the day award :) This thread needs to be preserved, for all time!
This one looks a lot more accurate than the Trump one. I’m still convinced that one was a Hillary animatronic they changed halfway through
Congrats to good ol TH for not causing an argument.
I mean, if we are going to start talking about past president's behaviors, we are likely just going to have Jimmy Carter up there. The point of this attraction is that these are great men, but they are not perfect men. They are men for their times and temporary men who know that their time as ruler is short.
I use "men" here because they have been all, well, men. I hope to see a woman up there soon because that would be quite the visual statement.
I never get why people get so bent out of shape about this attraction. Its been the same theme forever and the current president gives the same speech as the last one: "America is a great place because we can choose our leaders" .
I’m just glad Biden’s animatronic didn’t experience the delays that Trump’s did.
You're fine with a traitor to our country being in the Hall of Presidents, great for you, you're an idiot. I'll object every chance I get.
If you think Jimmy Carter's actions are in any way comparable to someone who incited a mob of insurrectionists to storm the Capitol, kill cops and try to hang the Vice President for certifying a valid election, you're also foolish.
TH, I have a sneaking suspicion that thecolonel is in fact you setup with another TPI account. Is this true, TH? Come on, just admitted it. You really had me going, TH. I like the alter ego, though, all one-sided anger. It’s very convincing.
TH should be crowned All-Time Champion of the Theme Park Insider discussion boards!
Jimmy Carter: Rap Master. The Book of William Henry Harrison. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. (Disney owns that now, right?) So many good ideas for Presidential-themed attractions that could replace the current Roll Call of the Rogues.
If you want more comprehensive (and honest) American history, head over to Epcot for American Adventure, which I prefer over HOP 100-to-1.
I do love American Adventure (even if they need to update the "Golden Dreams" movie a bit more often).
Yes, I am fine with an American president being in the hall of presidents attraction. Seeing as he was in fact president, even though I don’t agree with most of his politics, I believe a president should be included in an attraction that includes all presidents.
@Francis 24 how does wanting thecolonel to take his “Orange man bad” rant somewhere else make me a trump supporter? It’s annoying whether or not you like the man
The predidents are IN, and will stay IN, all... not from whatever political viewpoint, but as blunt matter of fact "that they existed as president".
As Non American, I actually like very much the neutrality of this attraction, which became rather a completely timeless monument, loose from the strict moneymaking goals of the company. Most interesting ! :-)
Not thecolonel and more of a jester than a champion.
*Crunch, Crunch* Darn this popcorn is good!
Keep it up guys! You're all doing great! (Except for Herwig and TH, they're being rather agreeable on this thread for some strange reason.)
Just my observation - the Hall of Presidents is a rather pleasant attraction no matter which man or woman (someday) sits in the Oval Office. I could say that it is sad that politics keeps some people from enjoying the celebration of our far from perfect but great republic that is presented in the HOP, but that's always been the case so it's no big deal.
Keep in mind that we all have a bias, and we all tend to find information sources that keep us comfortable in our echo chambers, so try a little harder to understand someone on the other side of an issue instead of just slapping a label on them so you don't have to objectively consider their opinions.
Now, back at it boys! I've run out of episodes of Ozark to watch and this is somewhat filling in the void of fictional murder and mayhem that I've grown fond of.
thecolonel, “ I definitely do not like...racist, ignorant and frankly pathetic angry White Americans.” You look in the mirror much? You know that’s a hypocritical statement you’re making, right? Not that it’s surprising. Magic mirror on the wall, who definitely is not the fairest of them all?
Francis 24, “As a Canadian I couldn't care less about this attraction and in my opinion should be bulldozed for something fun that anyone can enjoy.” HOP isn’t going anywhere. America First!
Like most, I come to this site to read about the latest happenings in the world of Theme Parks - a wonderful escape from reality. Comments from “thecolonel” are petulant and boring. Keith was pretty neutral and didn’t deserve the invective hurled at him. Unfortunately, “thecolonel” encapsulates the Left’s push to “other-ize” half the population by falsely calling them racist, xenophobic, and ignorant.
This article has been archived and is no longer accepting comments.
Did they leave the Trump figure on the stage? Maybe they have him over to one side, plotting a coup?
It's insane to think the Hall of Presidents now includes someone who tried to overthrow the US government.