But as the upgrades to Spaceship Earth, the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean were completed; Disney not only retained the original feel of the attractions, but stuck to Walt's credo of "Plussing" his offerings with major additions and enhancements for each. The Hall of Presidents is no exception. This attraction is a must-see for all Americans and Foreigners, for its story is universal, about a people's struggle for independence and freedom against insurmountable odds.

So before we talk about the new show, let's see how this favorite came to being. Soon after Disneyland was established, Walt had wanted an attraction called "One Nation under God", similar to the Hall of Presidents. He was going to extend Main St. U.S.A. and construct new themed land called "Liberty Street at Edison Square". In this land there would be a central icon, a "Liberty Tree" and beyond it Liberty Hall. Inside would be scenes from the Revolutionary War; and two productions "The Hall of the Declaration of Independence" and "The Hall of the Presidents of the United States". It was originally planned to have wax figures of the Presidents, but Walt wanted animated figures, but the technology was not available at the time for it to become feasible.

In the ensuing years, Walt and his Imagineers finally developed a working audio-animatronic of Abraham Lincoln, Walt's personal hero just in time for the '64-65 New York World's Fair. In the attraction; "One Nation under God", theater guests saw Lincoln rise out of his chair, stand and give a five to seven minute recital of some of his most famous speeches. Disney sculptor Blaine Gibson created Lincoln's head with help from a life cast of his head made by Chicago sculptor Leonard Volk in 1860. Lincoln was voiced by Royal Dano; the presentation was so life-like that one newspaper erroneously reported that Lincoln rose and walked on the stage. On July 18th, 1965 the attraction opened at Disneyland in the Opera House on Main St. and closed on February 20th, 2005. It is expected to return in December of 2009.

When Walt Disney World was being planned, the Imagineers decided that a New Orleans Square would be redundant since New Orleans was so close to Florida, so they created the land "Liberty Square". With modern technology, Walt's dream of all the presidents in one attraction could be realized. The original show remained unchanged since opening day, October 1st, 1971 to 1993 when it was completely re-done, most notably the first time that a sitting President would have a speaking role. Our 42nd President, Bill Clinton was the first leader with that honor. After the taping, he remarked to an assistant…"Have you seen the Hall of Presidents?" "This is a great show!"

The next and current make-over was for the addition of our 44th President, Barak Obama. But plans for the re-hab began early in 2006, when it was decided to enhance the show, broaden the appeal for all ages and show more of a connection between the people and its leaders. Walt Disney Imagineering show writer Pam Fisher enlisted the help of Doris Kearns Goodwin, a presidential historian and Pulitzer Prize winner for assistance. With her help, the story focused more on the bonds of the Presidents and the people and how this helped during our nation's most trying times. Another addition is that George Washington speaks for the first time and Abraham Lincoln speaks part of his Gettysburg Address, voiced by Royal Dano.

Of course the biggest addition is the Audio-animatronic of Barak Obama, our 44th president. Imagineers traveled to the White House in March to record the President's new speech for the attraction and the session was filmed, so to get Mr. Obama's movements and inflections to program the Animatronic figure to move naturally. Pam explains that it also gave Imagineers a chance to freshen up the wigs, costumes, beards and generally spruce everything up. The new film, narrated by Morgan Freeman is all digitalized, with video projection, new lighting system and show control system. The film is crystal clear and the audio is just fantastic.

Imagineers also went over the costumes, pieces of jewelry, wigs, glasses and even cuff-links, re-checking original paintings and pictures and changing or adding items for the most historically accurate show yet. Disney is known for its attention to detail and even the braces worn by Franklin D. Roosevelt are identical to the originals. Pam states…"It just adds that dimension of authenticity-the realism". The show now concludes with the song "America the Beautiful" a most fitting ending.

For myself, no other show on property can quite amp up the "Wow" factor as when the curtain raises and you see all 44 Presidents standing or sitting in period-perfect wardrobe, moving their heads, hands and appearing to be whispering to each other. It's as if by magic all the Presidents were time-warped and brought together for this one show; but this is Disney after all, and magic is what it's all about! Make this Hall of Presidents a must-see on your next trip to the World; you'll be glad you did.