He's terrible. Isn't it time to do away with these types of shows in the US castle parks? To me they no longer fit.
I would agree that the Hall of Presidents needs to be changed but I would like to see President Trump to be the last. I think a tribute to the history of our American Presidents should stay the main theme.
Because few people go to a magic kingdom park specifically to see these types of presentations anymore Jim, and the gimmick of AA US presidents standing on a stage as headline entertainment in a theme park is worn out, not to mention being wide open to controversy.
I would like to see something like this too - at the Smithsonian or someplace where it can be excuted properly. You can be sure that any historical presentation Disney does on US Presidents will not be about Jefferson and Sally Hemmings, Andrew Jackson's removal of Native Americans, or Nixon and Watergate.
I don't think the Smithsonian would tackle issues like that in a similar setting either. They have an exhibit on the presidency, full of various artifacts and memorabilia (right next to the famous exhibit on the First Ladies, featuring their various dresses and china plates), and I'm pretty sure it doesn't delve into any of that. It has fun things like Teddy Roosevelt's animals in the White House and the antics of the Kennedy kids, but I don't remember seeing anything that could be considered "controversial" during my last trip through the exhibit over the summer The definition of "Disney"-style attractions has clearly changed a lot in the last 30-or-so years. Although I realize that the current TWDC would never build something along the lines of the Hall of Presidents, I'm glad that it's there to anchor them and hold them to a different standard. I'm also glad that Disney isn't taking the easy route and skipping updates (the American Adventure in Epcot could use some updates to the montage, most notably removing some disgraced athletes and adding anything from the last 10+ years), but rather doing thorough and thoughtful revisions on a somewhat-regular basis. Although it certainly isn't everybody's cup of tea, attractions like HOP do a lot to diversify the lineup at MK, which is already arguably the most toddler-centric park in the Disney empire. Losing it would be a big blow to the park's roster
It would be cool if HOP could be more like American Adventures except all Presidents. I wonder if the HOP show building would be big enough for something like that ?
A smaller version maybe but the theater would have to radically change to include the different sets.
I agree that it could probably be done, but I doubt it would be worth the expense. Most of the set storage space for the American Adventure is beneath the audience; building a similar pit would essentially require gutting the entire HOP building. The utilidor doesn't run under the building, so it could be done, but given how rarely AA shows of any kind play to a full house, I can't imagine Disney justifying the expense The American Adventure is one of my favorite attractions (sadly, one of the few I missed on this trip) because it's so complicated on a technical level, yet seems so simple to the audience. It's really a remnant from another era when Disney was willing to make bold moves to present compelling attractions, and I hope that it stays around; I can't see them ever building something like it again
Ferret wrote <. It's really a remnant from another era when Disney was willing to make bold moves to present compelling attractions, and I hope that it stays around; I can't see them ever building something like it again> Like so much of the original EPCOT Center. Bold, daring and super cool.
Exactly. To me, it epitomized what it meant to be a "Disney" experience. Sure it didn't have many traditional characters, but it had a bunch of really cool stuff using incredible technology, executed in a way that nobody else could match That's why I have such mixed feels about Bob Chapek's announcement that they're going to put significant effort into the park, making it more "Disney" in the process. How can it be more "Disney" than the original concept? Plopping characters where they kinda sorta fit isn't a Disney move; it's what Six Flags does. EDIT: To further back up the claim that Epcot is inherently "Disney", just look at the company's stock certificate (revised in 2014 to focus on Iger's IPs). What is the largest image on there? Spaceship Earth.
Unfortunately most of our Disney Park experiences for well over a decade(maybe closer to two) are like our relationship with our own government: modern Disney park policy mirrors guest(people) preferences. In other words guests at large tend to be non critical thinkers who choose and/or fully accept packaging over substance.
Just stamp a Mater, Elsa or Buzz on it and incorporate some CGI into it and we're good to go. "Grab em by the Percy(from Pocahontas)"
YO! My visit to WDW, this past Fall, included HoP, CoP, LFloor, Philharmagic, and CBJ on my MK must-do list (with CoP, and maybe HoP, "must do more than once"). Epcot's must-do list included AA, Ellen, Imagination, Frozen, The Land, the manatees at The Seas, and (purely to see if it was any improvement over El Desperdicio del Tiempo) Gran Fiesta Tour (it was, by quite a margin, but then my recent colonoscopy was at least a little more entertaining than El Desperdicio), with Ellen (and I think AA) as "Must do more than once." My Studios must-do list consisted entirely of seeing both scenarios of GMR. And my AK must-do list consisted of Kilimanjaro and Conservation Station (and EE, purely for novelty's sake, and Dinosaur, if it had been open; I was actually annoyed when FP assignment control plugged a TriceraTopSpin in when my Dinosaur reservation became moot). I can do PotC, HM, Space, Splash, BTMR, Mania, Soarin', &c. back home. I still miss Adventurers (especially Samantha's Cabaret). And the Comedy Warehouse. But nothing else from PI.
