Holopresidents? No, Hall o' Presidents!

[Gn2Dlnd]

Barack Obama records his speech for some Florida thing.

[flippyshark]

I hear the informational plaques in the rotunda lobby at The Hall of Presidents are exceptional!

[innerSpaceman]

Kevin Yee (a man I despise, but i digress) reports the new show has a regretable liberal tilt. He thinks it's trying to make it look like the flow and purpose of history led to the historic election of Barack Obama.


The presidents highlighted are Washington, Jackson, Lincoln, Roosevelt (Teddy), Roosevelt (Franklin), Kennedy and Obama.

I doubt much of any deviation would be made in selecting the half dozen outstanding presidents to feature, if the criteria were outstanding American presidents. Gee, does it make you wonder why such a selection leads to a liberal and progressive bent?

Kevin Yee is worried conservatives will be offended. To them I say thems the breaks for your politics being unexceptional to the course of American History. Too bad.

[lashbear]

Originally Posted by flippyshark

I hear the informational plaques in the rotunda lobby at The Hall of Presidents are exceptional!

Those boring old things? Oh, I skipped right over them !!

[Cadaverous Pallor]

What was it like when W was pres? Or Reagan?

[flippyshark]

Originally Posted by Cadaverous Pallor

What was it like when W was pres? Or Reagan?

1971 through the Reagan years - the show was a somewhat stodgy march through American history, with a lot of emphasis on Lincoln - and Abe was the only president who spoke.

"We The People" - Bill Clinton was the first pres to lend his authentic voice to the attraction, at which point it was re-written with a greater emphasis on civil rights, narrated by Maya Angelou. This same version carried over through the Dubya years. (To some, Bush seemed a more awkward finale to this version than Clinton - they both drew audible laughs and derision depending on their respective foibles.)

"Celebrating Liberty's Leaders" - For the current version, the show places its emphasis on the office of the presidency itself, and takes a whirlwind tour of selected presidents, with an emphasis on how the president is "one of us, chosen by us." Morgan Freeman narrates. Lincoln, Washington and Obama speak as animatronic figures - FDR, Kennedy, LBJ, Reagan, Clinton and Dubya have "speaking parts" in the film via historic recordings or footage. Royal Dano is back as Lincoln (after some 16 years absence, I believe!) Washington is voiced by the fellow who played that president in the John Adams miniseries.

There's no way to prove or disprove intent, but I'm in a good position to tell you that the producers of this current version went to great lengths to keep the show non-partisan and impartial. It's up to the individual viewer to decide if they succeeded - but I suspect that some would find Yee's conclusion startling. (no, I don't know if they've read it. I do know that some Florida folks close to the project were surprised by it.)

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Originally Posted by Flippyshark

Lincoln, Washington and Obama speak as animatronic figures - FDR, Kennedy, LBJ, Reagan, Clinton and Dubya have "speaking parts" in the film via historic recordings or footage.

Sounds fair enough to me.

That said, I think the attitude of the current president makes us reflect on the presidents of the past. We look at Obama and think of Kennedy. It's only natural.

[innerSpaceman]

I am envious of not having had the pleasure myself, but I should caution after flippy's review that the choice of which presidents have speaking parts is not the same as which presidencies are given dramatic emphasis.

Though flippy didn't mention them speaking, I have no reason to doubt Yee's account that Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Andrew Jackson also are featured prominently. Kevin Yee made no mention of Regan, and commented that Clinton appeared briefly.


In any case, I'm giddy to hear Royal Dano returns as Abe Lincoln!!


But how did they manage that? Yee's review has it that the pastiche of speeches was retired in favor of the Gettysburg Address in its entirety? Did Royal Dano record that whole speech back in the 60's?

Did he record the entirety of all the speeches they excerpted for Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln? That would be a beyond awesome treasure trove of Americana Disneyana!!

[Gn2Dlnd]

wikipedia sez:

In "Mr. Lincoln", a five-part TV episode appearing in 1952-53 on Omnibus, Royal Dano very convincingly portrayed Lincoln.

and

In 1971, Dano's voice was also used for a revised Lincoln speech in the new "Hall Of Presidents" program at Walt Disney World in Florida, which ran to 1993.

So, there must be a ton of Dano Lincoln recordings.

I met Royal Dano once when I was working as an usher at the Beverly Center Cineplex Odious. I struck up a conversation with a patron, the conversation took a turn for the Disney (as it will), and he told me he'd done some work for Disney. "Cool, I was a sweeper at the park, what did you do?" "I did the voice of Mr. Lincoln." Needless to say, he won the conversation. I asked for and received his autograph, which resided for years in the sleeve of my "Official Album of Disneyland and Walt Disney World." Alas, that album and many others is gone forever, a victim of a hurried move from an apartment with just a touch too much crack use going on. Pete Renaday also covered Mr. Lincoln's voice, in a respectable impersonation of Royal Dano, for the Florida attraction. His autograph lived in my Haunted Mansion Story Record. Also lost in the great purge.

[Morrigoon]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

Kevin Yee (a man I despise, but i digress)

Um... iSm, you do realize that several people on this board call him a friend, right?