Obama debuts at Disney's Hall of Presidents

Walt Disney World annual-pass holders got a special preview of the not-quite-finished Hall of Presidents. The attraction officially reopens to the public this coming Saturday, July 4 and Imagineers will continue to tweak the attraction throughout this week. The Orlando Sentinel reports on the event and some of the details of the revamped Hall of Presidents.

So what's changed? As was previously reported on Lifthill, the new Hall of Presidents focuses its attention on portraying the presidents of the past as real people. The message is that anyone can become the leader of the United States if they can dream it.

As for the Obama animatronic, many who attended the opening event thought the new technology performed quite well. "I thought technically his movements were really good," Jason Bluming of New Jersey told The Orlando Sentinel. "It seems like they put a lot of time in on him."

The Sentinel comments that many of the people in attendance for the opening were avid President Obama fans, wearing Obama campaign t-shirts and applauding after the pre-recorded oath of office was recited.

Another notable difference between the Hall of Presidents new and old is a video—narrated by Morgan Freeman—showing presidents of the past speaking during tumultuous times. The lineup includes appearances by Lyndon Johnson after the assassination of J.F.K., Bill Clinton following the Oklahoma City bombing and George W. Bush speaking to the citizens of New York after 9-11.

You can watch a video of President Washington's speech that leads into President Obama's oath of office and pre-recorded speech. Tell us what you think of the President Obama animatronic and the rest of the renovated Hall of Presidents down in the comments!

[From Orlando Attractions Magazine]