Hall of Presidents Under Renovation at Magic Kingdom

Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom has temporarily closed down the Hall of Presidents exhibit for an extensive refurbishment, which includes making room for the 44th president Barack Obama. President-elect Obama will be invited to record a message for the attraction’s visitors, just as current President George W. Bush did at the beginning of his presidency.

The Hall of Presidents opened on October 1. 1971 as part of Walt Disney World’s grand opening, and the attraction has always included animatronic versions of every president. The Lincoln figure has always had a recorded speech, and in the 1990s Disney began the tradition of inviting the current president to record a speech for his display, starting with President Bill Clinton.

The show will stay shuttered for more than eight months so Disney can update the hall's aging light, sound, mechanical, projection and show systems, and reopen on July 4, 2009 with digital-video projection systems replacing the 70 mm film projectors.