President George W. Bush Takes Center Stage in Updated Hall of Presidents at Magic Kingdom
President George W. Bush Takes Center Stage in Updated Hall of Presidents at Magic Kingdom
Speaking inspirational words about freedom, equality and democracy in the United States of America, George W. Bush has joined The Hall of Presidents, the Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom's popular, patriotic tribute to the office of the presidency and democracy in America.
"Again and again we return to the same simple principles," says President Bush during his 90-second speech. "Freedom, equality -- the freedom to create, to prosper, to dream ... equality before the law, in the workplace, in the chance for a better life -- and each time, in the process, America grows stronger, the beacon of democracy grows brighter, the world looks in new astonishment at what free people can do."
President Bush, who personally recorded the short speech written especially for this new version of The Hall of Presidents, has become a part of the attraction in the form of a Disney Audio-Animatronics(r) figure sculpted by Disney Legend Blaine Gibson. Gibson has been primarily responsible for creating the 42-member presidential cast, even coming out of retirement to sculpt presidents Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Bill Clinton and, now, George W. Bush. (Although George W. Bush is the 43rd president, only 42 individuals have served in the office, Grover Cleveland having served as president during two separate terms.)
To make the figure as accurate and authentic as possible, Disney Imagineers conducted extensive and detailed research, consulting with White House staff on the president's hairstyle and clothing, and poring over videos of his speeches and public appearances to study his mannerisms and speaking style.
"We gave a whole list of questions to the White House before the recording," says Van Romans, Walt Disney Imagineering executive director of Cultural Alliances/Exhibit Development. "Does he wear a wedding band? Does he wear a class ring? What kind of a watch does he have? Who makes his shoes? Two days later, the White House Communications staff came back with all that information, including his height, suit size, all that."
Imagineers used the information to create an Audio-Animatronics figure of President Bush that is accurate right down to the watch he wears.
"It's a Timex Indiglo with 'George W. Bush President January 20, 2001' inscribed on it," says Walt Disney Imagineering Senior Show Producer Alec Scribner. "We duplicated it to a T. We bought the same type of watch, placed his name on the face, put the crystal back on and that watch is on the figure's wrist."
The suit the Audio-Animatronics figure wears is also based on President Bush's preferences -- dark blue with a white shirt -- and had to be specially made.
"We had to do it that way so it would fit the figure," says Scribner. "Although the figure is the same height as the real President Bush, we had to slightly alter some of the other dimensions to accommodate the internal workings of the Audio-Animatronics technology."
The red tie, however, is authentic, made by the same designer who provides most of the Chief Executive's ties.
President Bush recorded his speech for The Hall of Presidents in an early May recording session in the White House library.
"He was very congenial," says Walt Disney Imagineering Senior Show Writer Pam Fisher, who supervised the recording session. "It took, like, six minutes total."
Located in Liberty Square in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, The Hall of Presidents is a one-of-a-kind Disney classic originally envisioned by Walt Disney himself. In the moving and patriotic show, which features a film in which specially produced paintings are projected onto a huge screen, guests learn about the origins of the Constitution and the presidency, and the challenges both have faced since the founding of the Republic.
Then, in the most dramatic moment of the show, the screen parts to reveal America's 42 presidents, brought to life by the magic of Disney's Audio- Animatronics technology, which electronically combines and synchronizes voices, music, sound effects, animation and other show elements to give life- like movement to three-dimensional figures. A patriotic and emotion-stirring finale finds the figure of our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, rising from his chair to deliver words that still resonate with modern audiences, almost 140 years after they were first spoken.
The addition of a figure of President Bush is not the only recent change to The Hall of Presidents. The revised show also features a new narrator, actor J.D. Hall. Hall's voice is not new to Disney parks. He can also be heard as the voice of Frederick Douglass in the new "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln" show at Disneyland Park in California.
--posted February 14, 2002
Source: Walt Disney World Press Release
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