Walt Disney World is about to do one thing controversial. Regardless of who wins the 2024 United States presidential election, Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, or Actually Anyone Else (an actual candidate!), Corridor of Presidents will shut for refurbishment in 2025. At any time when the Magic Kingdom attraction reopens, a not-insignificant share of followers will likely be indignant in regards to the modifications.
Of this a lot, we’re sure. Regardless of who wins the election, a big portion of the inhabitants will likely be upset. And it doesn’t matter what occurs with the Corridor of Presidents at Magic Kingdom–new or up to date Audio Animatronics into the present present, a reimagined manufacturing, one thing completely totally different–a big portion of Walt Disney World followers will likely be upset.
The explanations for this are pretty self-evident. If any assertion is uncontroversial, it’s that we reside in politically-charged and polarized occasions. You may’t recover from half of Individuals to agree on something, besides that Grimace guidelines and that we can not agree on something. So far as previous precedent goes, we’ve been down this path earlier than with Corridor of Presidents for each election since not less than the late Nineteen Nineties.
Talking of which, when you’re merely on the lookout for the most probably reply to the titular query, it’s merely what occurred final time. Walt Disney World will in all probability quietly shut Corridor of Presidents on inauguration day: January 20, 2025.
Roughly 4 years in the past, the Liberty Sq. attraction was open on the eve of inauguration, closed with no discover the next day, and remained down with out an official reopening date on the official Walt Disney World calendar for the subsequent a number of months. An announcement on the Walt Disney World web site merely indicated: “The Corridor of Presidents is at the moment closed for refurbishment.”
Disney would later (additionally quietly) verify that President Biden could be added to the Corridor of Presidents and that the attraction would reopen later within the 12 months. That summer season, Walt Disney World shared a behind-the-scenes take a look at Corridor of Presidents and the brand new Joe Biden Audio Animatronics determine that might be put in. The attraction would go on to reopen with out fanfare on August 3, 2021.
That is the precise playbook we anticipate to comply with with Corridor of Presidents in 2025, no matter who wins. Closure in January, tease of the AA in summer season, unpublicized reopening within the low season. If there’s a Polymarket for Walt Disney World, that is the most secure guess.
It’s arduous to fault Disney for this method. When President Trump was first elected, Disney issued a press launch, which was adopted by an prolonged closure and rumors of in-fighting between Glendale and Group Disney Orlando. These tales weren’t confined to Disney fan websites, however moderately, spilled out into the mainstream information and prolific popular culture websites.
A quiet refurbishment might keep away from the complications of high-profile controversies over what’s in the end a low-profile Magic Kingdom attraction. It’s a wise transfer, even when Disney followers would possibly prefer to know what’s occurring and when Corridor of Presidents will reopen.
Walt Disney World doesn’t must tease Corridor of Presidents’ return with weekly updates on TikTok, as that might be extreme. Conversely, it will be a foul look if at some point in August, Corridor of Presidents simply quietly opened its doorways once more with none official assertion.
Though the attraction has turn out to be a powder keg of controversy, that’s merely a mirrored image of society and the occasions. It’s not Disney’s fault, and the corporate shouldn’t be ashamed of a historic, viewpoint-neutral attraction that’s patriotic to its core and make its founder proud.
Talking of which, certainly one of Walt Disney’s ardour tasks was Nice Moments with Mr. Lincoln, which debuted on the 1964 New York World’s Honest and nonetheless exists to this present day at Disneyland. The Corridor of Presidents constructed upon the present’s legacy–increasing it to all presidents–when it opened in 1971 at Magic Kingdom.
Walt Disney had no direct involvement in its creation, however his fingerprints and legacy are throughout it. In 1956, Walt Disney introduced plans for a Liberty Avenue at Disneyland to be situated behind the east aspect of Essential Avenue. Included on this unbuilt enlargement would’ve been a corridor of presidents (lowercase), that includes the presidential figures as mere mannequins.
Lots has modified since Walt Disney’s authentic thought for a corridor of presidential mannequins. The precise Corridor of Presidents attraction has developed significantly in its 50+ years.
The Corridor of Presidents adopted its present construction in 1993 when President Clinton was added. He turned the primary sitting president with a talking position in Corridor of Presidents. With the good thing about hindsight, I feel nearly everybody would agree that this was a colossal mistake. Then once more, perhaps not. This isn’t Grimace, so consensus is unlikely.
My household visited Walt Disney World yearly and my dad and mom beloved the “boring” points of interest–it runs within the household; my mother was aghast when studying that Nation Bear Jamboree was being reimagined–so we undoubtedly did Corridor of Presidents through the Clinton years numerous occasions. I don’t have clear reminiscences of that, although.
I do clearly recall Corridor of Presidents whereas Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama had talking roles. As a result of, as fellow lovers of boring issues, we continued to do Corridor of Presidents recurrently as adults. It was extremely frequent throughout Bush’s second time period and through the length of Obama’s presidency for friends to have “uncontrolled outbursts.” Some individuals simply can not assist themselves, and really feel compelled to boo a robotic. Battle the facility, I suppose.
This solely acquired worse through the Trump years, throughout which we recurrently noticed a safety presence within the Corridor of Presidents. Due to this, I used to be mildly shocked that Walt Disney World selected to stay with the present president having a talking position when Biden was elected. Kudos to Disney for making that call and never taking the trail of least resistance. It wouldn’t be shocking if there was some inner debate over that one, and it possible was a tricky selection.
We anticipated that Walt Disney World would take the chance to remove the talking position of the present president, starting with Biden. It will be unwise to make that change sooner or later for a history-making presidency or in a situation that might give rise to much more controversy.
The elimination of the sitting president’s talking position shouldn’t be what we need to see occur–we love Corridor of Presidents, and the way it provides a transferring tribute to the presidency and the way that workplace has formed (and been formed by) America because the nation’s founding. We’re additionally realists.
Reverting to the previous format to deal with Lincoln and different historic presidents–whereas introducing the remaining–would however be the only choice. It additionally might lower the chance that Corridor of Presidents goes extinct, which looks as if an eventual inevitability, in any other case. Making the Corridor of Presidents much less of lightning rod for controversy every time a brand new president is elected could be sensible.
Nonetheless, we don’t anticipate this modification to happen in 2025. If Kamala Harris is elected, she would be the first feminine president. Disney will acknowledge the dangerous optics of “silencing” the sitting president as soon as that particular person is a girl. Conversely, if Donald Trump wins, there would possible be considerations that the corporate, which has had its share of controversies in the previous few years, has an anti-conservative bias if it removes his traces.
Disney needed to have foreseen the potential of such an election again in 2021, and intentionally opted towards taking the chance to remove the talking position with Biden. (It would’ve been controversial with Disney followers, however it will not have been seen as partisan.)
One other chance is that Disney will go in a very totally different course, with an mental property infused overhaul to the Corridor of Presidents. Over the past election cycle, there have been credible rumors that Imagineering would possibly make Corridor of Presidents much less partisan and polarizing. Bold concepts have been tossed round, together with injecting the Muppets or making the attraction interesting to youthful audiences.
Truthfully, I like a number of of these rumored ideas–particularly if given the false selection between a type of and the Corridor of Presidents doubtlessly closing. Liberty Sq. wants one thing extra to really feel like a fully-fledged land on par with its Magic Kingdom counterparts, particularly because it prepares to lose the Riverboat and Rivers of America waterfront (extra on that in a minute).
The answer to that downside lies outdoors the Corridor of Presidents and in Liberty Sq. itself. Walt Disney World already did an exemplary job of edutainment in Liberty Sq. with the Muppets Current… Nice Moments in American Historical past (certainly one of our favourite additions of the final decade).
This intelligent present did an exemplary job of incorporating precise classes from American historical past with the trademark fast wit of the Muppets. Bringing that again or including one other atmospheric act outdoors Corridor of Presidents could be nice counterprogramming giving some life, levity, and edutainment to Liberty Sq., whereas additionally doubtlessly drawing extra friends inside to see the total Corridor of Presidents present. That’s the most suitable choice–not dumbing down a Magic Kingdom traditional.
Talking of the Muppets, rumors proceed to swirl that these characters will as soon as once more have a house in Liberty Sq.. These rumors first gained momentum previous to the final election, died down for some time, and have resurfaced once more following the 2024 D23 Expo.
A little bit context right here is essential. First, the Muppets are underneath the purview of Walt Disney Imagineering, and have been for the previous few years. It stands to purpose that Imagineering having ‘possession’ of the Muppets will increase the chance that they’ll be pitched for points of interest within the parks.
Second, as we’ve talked about repeatedly over time–even earlier than Imagineering took over the characters–there should be somebody excessive up at Disney who’s championing the Muppets. I’m not suggesting that Bob Iger loves the Muppets–we’d know if he did–however somebody highly effective in all probability does. There’s no different rationalization for why they’ve been given likelihood after likelihood regardless of middling outcomes.
Lastly, there’s nonetheless the likelihood that MuppetVision 3D is not going to exist by 2026. Given this potential consequence and the above two elements, it appears potential–if not possible–that Disney would prolong an “olive department” to followers, and bundling the (potential) damaging information of MuppetVision 3D closing with the (potential) constructive announcement of a brand new Muppet attraction elsewhere.
Individually, I’ve heard completely nothing instantly a couple of Muppets takeover of Liberty Sq. or Corridor of Presidents. All the pieces I’ve heard is by way of the rumor mill, and I’ve been unable to evaluate their veracity. It looks as if credible sources reporting on this, but it surely’s however tough to discern what’s respectable rumor and what’s wishful considering based mostly on years of persistent rumblings. I’m inclined to imagine that is the latter, however then once more, I assumed the identical in regards to the Monsters, Inc. Doorways Coaster previous to that being confirmed.
The one factor that I’ve heard instantly is that Imagineering is “exploring” a number of competing ideas for Muppets points of interest at Walt Disney World. Something past that’s hypothesis on my half. What my intestine says is that that is an “if this, then that” in addition to an “if that, then NOT these” situation.
Which is to say that the closure of MuppetVision–if it does occur–would set off the greenlighting of one other Muppets attraction; the greenlighting of a type of points of interest would shut the door on the remainder of the ideas. Walt Disney World shouldn’t be ending up with a number of Muppets points of interest.
My intestine additionally says that the timeline in all probability doesn’t work out for Muppets Corridor of Presidents. Wherever Monstropolis goes to go will in all probability be introduced between now and March 2025. What, if something, goes to introduced to placate Muppets followers will nearly definitely occur simultaneous to melt the blow.
Whereas it’s potential that might be Muppets Corridor of Presidents, I actually really feel like Disney would’ve introduced the brand new idea of the attraction earlier than the presidential election. For my part, it’s extra possible that regardless of the Muppets get is a 1:1 in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. (There’s one extremely apparent candidate that we’ve mentioned at size on this weblog for the previous few years.)
I’m a diehard Muppets fan. I’d like to see plans for the Nice Muppet Film Journey or any variety of unbuilt Muppet tasks lastly come to fruition. Provided that the “The Muppets Current…Nice Moments in American Historical past” is among the few occasions Disney nailed the tone and humor of the characters, Muppets Corridor of Presidents would work.
However I doubt it’s going to occur. Once more, I’ve completely no insider information. It simply doesn’t seem to be 2025 is the 12 months that the present idea for Corridor of Presidents is retired. Maybe there was a time when this was the plan, however Joe Biden actually blindsided everybody and threw a monkey wrench into Disney’s choice when he abruptly exited the race. At this level, Corridor of Presidents is probably going protected till 2029.
Ready till then additionally provides Disney time to make the announcement in early 2028 forward of a (hopefully!) much less polarizing or consequential election. It avoids the inevitable normal public controversy that might accompany a reimagining introduced after one of many candidates wins–controversies that may accompany each single election for the foreseeable future if Disney delays the announcement till after Election Day.
Suspending such a redo additionally provides Disney time to unravel its Liberty Sq. dilemma. A bit past the scope of this submit, however I believe Disney is treading flippantly with the way it approaches this land, afraid of accusations that the corporate has turn out to be ‘distinctly unpatriotic’ given the elimination of the Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island, and Libety Sq. Riverboat. After all, there’s a totally different commonality amongst this stuff, however once more, optics also needs to matter to Disney.
There are additionally different ideas for Corridor of Presidents. The certainly one of these that might be best-received amongst WDW diehards is the “Walt Disney – A Magical Life” stage present that’s debuting in 2025 for Disneyland’s seventieth Anniversary. If that’s nicely acquired (and why wouldn’t or not it’s?) in California, it being dropped at Magic Kingdom to run in tandem with Nice Moments with Mr. Lincoln would please a number of followers.
The Muppets internet hosting Corridor of Presidents would possible be well-received, too. In contrast to the earlier Lin Manuel Miranda and Bizarre Al Yankovic Corridor of Presidents overhaul rumor, there shouldn’t be partisan considerations in regards to the Muppets in Corridor of Presidents, or Walt Disney’s life story (plus Lincoln, maybe?) changing HoP.
Amongst critical individuals, including puppets to a robotic present is unlikely to attract complaints about Disney “rewriting historical past.” Furthermore, the Muppets are distinctly patriotic, and their present in Liberty Sq. was a terrific reflection of that. (A lot in order that a few traces have been truly ‘toned down’ after complaints from British friends!)
In the end, the Corridor of Presidents ought to unify Individuals round our nation’s founding, the formation of our Structure, and our hard-fought struggles alongside the best way. The attraction is in regards to the workplace of the presidency, and never the present occupant of that workplace. It showcases how the US has risen to unravel frequent challenges and collective issues by the lens of the presidency. Anybody paying consideration would realize it’s not about people, and it needs to be an antidote to political tensions.
What it ought to be and what it is are, sadly, two various things. It’s comprehensible that many individuals need escapism out of Walt Disney World, and Corridor of Presidents is a non-starter for them no matter their political persuasions. Past that, there was a refrain of (apolitical) complaints for many years that Corridor of Presidents is overly lengthy, boring, and dry.
My take, as at all times, is that not all the pieces must be for everybody. Making an attempt to cater to each visitor with each attraction is a idiot’s errand that makes all the pieces bland. There are many rides and reveals we nearly by no means do as a result of they’re not for us. It’s completely superb that Corridor of Presidents shouldn’t be for everybody. As long as it retains the air-conditioning, it’s going to attraction to many Walt Disney World guests.
Nonetheless, it’s additionally clear that on this hyper-partisan period, many individuals merely can not separate the workplace from its present occupant. That is nothing new–it has been true for every the final 5 presidents–and is unlikely to alter. How we really feel about Corridor of Presidents or assume friends ought to view the attraction is educational. It’s good for on-line discourse, however meaningless in the actual world and has zero influence on attraction preferences or how friends truly behave. If the points of interest I assumed friends ought to take pleasure in are those they really did, nicely, the unique EPCOT Heart would nonetheless be intact!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Intrigued by the potential of the Muppets Corridor of Presidents? Would you welcome a reimagining that injects humor and characters, or do you favor the traditional Corridor of Presidents? Suppose it’ll truly occur, or is the timing not proper? Do you agree or disagree with our ideas and commentary? Preserve the feedback civil and non-partisan; keep away from insults or endorsements of political candidates, or perpetuating pointless tradition wars. Respectfully arguing in regards to the attraction is completely superb, however don’t debate politics, assault individuals or troll for controversy. We will likely be heavy-handed in deleting any feedback that cross the road, no matter viewpoint.
