New details: Magic Kingdom's Hall of Presidents

The Hall of Presidents attraction at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World is set to open July 4th and some new details have been released. The Orlando Sentinel was granted a sneak-peek at the Hall of Presidents renovation-in-process with the senior vice president at Walt Disney Imagineering, Eric Jacobson, and had some interesting information to share.

Some tidbits are more interesting than others, so we'll share the good stuff here:

• According to Jacobson, the Obama animatronic is a giant leap ahead, technologically speaking, from models of old. "He has more facial expression than we've ever done before. He's our most advanced figure we've done, but he's not a completely new generation with everything starting over," he told the Orlando Sentinel. "The challenge is that everyone see him every day on television. Everyone's an expert on Obama."

• The attraction's film, narrated by Morgan Freeman, is now shorter than it was in the past, making room for a longer stint with the attraction's animatronic figures. Said Jacobson: "That's what they [park guests] come to see."

• Obama's oath of office and accompanying speech – prepared by Disney – were both recorded in the Map Room of the White House.

• For the first time ever, George Washington stands and speaks to the audience. David Morse recorded the dialogue for Washington and also, not coincidentally, played the part of Washington in the HBO series John Adams. The dialogue is a factual quote from Washington as he spoke on how he felt about being sworn in to office.

• The attraction now highlights the presidents of the past as real people, as opposed characters in a history lesson. This move is, perhaps, an effort to help Hall of Presidents stand apart from the American Adventure attraction at Epcot.

Click through to the Orlando Sentinel article for more information.