SCOOP: Walt Disney World is already working on a Mitt Romney figure for its Hall of Presidents in anticipation of his winning the election
[ Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida already has a Mitt Romney animatronic being developed to replace the Barack Obama one in the Hall of Presidents attraction...which the Imagineers never start work on unless they are 100% certain that a candidate will become President; they do not waste time and money on this until they are certain they will need the figure. Above is video of the current version of the Hall of Presidents show that debuted an Obama animatronic in 2009 ]
This is an interesting scoop that landed in my lap today, via my boyfriend Justin’s contacts in the Disney Imagineering department: Walt Disney World (WDW) is indeed working on an update of the Hall of Presidents attraction to feature Mitt Romney as the 45th President of the United States beginning in 2013. Imagineers are that certain Romney will win the election and that his likeness will be needed to update the attraction in early 2013 so it will be ready in time for the park’s summer tourist season.
I have not seen the sketches and design elements, but Justin’s friend has and he’s a credible source inside Disney that gives Justin accurate details on all sorts of projects in the blue sky design phase or being prepped for fabrication in the near future. The Romney addition to the Hall of Presidents was just recently fast tracked and monies were shifted in the budget to accommodate this suddenly necessary change. Truth be told, WDW’s executives were almost hoping Obama would somehow win reelection because then they wouldn’t have needed to spend any money this quarter or next in replacing his animatronic with the new president’s.
For those who don’t follow the company, Disney is incredibly cheap and does not invest time or resources on anything that’s not definitely needed in the near and immediate future. The entity that oversees WDW is called “Team Disney Orlando” (TDO) and pinches pennies tighter than Scrooge McDuck. They actually allow attractions to rot to near-ruin before springing for necessary maintenance and replacements…and they don’t do things at WDW just because it would be fun to spend time and money on something “just in case”. Just to give you an idea of their cheapness most of the time, there’s a Little Mermaid dark ride that they built in Anaheim for their Disney’s California Adventure park where Team Disney Anaheim (TDA) cut costs by ordering multiple molds of the mermaid Ariel’s sea creature friends and then they just reused those multiple times in the ride, posing them a little differently, while hoping people wouldn’t notice those were the same fish and turtles they saw earlier. When WDW built a Little Mermaid ride in its recent expansion of Fantasyland there, they not only save money by building the exact same ride they created in California but they passed up on a reasonable opportunity to freshen up the fishes so they wouldn’t have to duplicate the same molds again multiple times in this Orlando version.
The House of Mouse is cheap, cheap, CHEAP.
But, it looks like about three weeks or so ago it was decided by TDO to start preparing for Mitt Romney’s inauguration and the replacement of the Barack Obama animatronic from the forefront of the “Hall of Presidents” show in the Liberty Square area that’s betwixt Fantasyland and Frontierland in the park. If you’re unfamiliar with WDW, it differs a lot from Disneyland in California (which was supervised by Walt Disney himself until his death and is maintained to something approximating his exacting standards of excellence to this day); by the time WDW was constructed Walt Disney was already dead and the Florida park was built on the cheap and is maintained that way to this day. The Liberty Square area was built in Orlando instead of the New Orleans Square that exists in Disneyland because executives thought Florida was too close to Louisiana for anyone to care about a New Orleans area in the park…and the American bicentennial celebrations that were upcoming at the time lent themselves nicely to a themed area of WDW…where a new attraction was created called “The Hall of Presidents” with animatronics of our past and current leader delivering a brief talk that includes many of their famous speeches (see video at top of this article). You have probably heard of “The Haunted Mansion” in the Disney parks, which is found in Liberty Square in Orlando but in New Orleans Square in Anaheim. There is no Hall of Presidents attraction in California; instead there is a “Great Moments with Abraham Lincoln” animatronic show near the entrance of Disneyland in a theater on Main Street.
The current president always takes center stage in the Hall of Presidents, with his role in the show being the biggest. That place of honor is currently held by the man who is increasingly called “Bathhouse Barry” here in Chicago, but has been known as “Soebarkah” or “Barry Soetoro” in the past. It’s always seemed almost appropriate that, whatever you want to call him, Obama’s had an animatronic version of himself in WDW considering how many times “Mickey Mouse” voted for him in Ohio and Florida via voter fraud during the 2008 election.
I was really torn on reporting on the Romney figure being designed and prepped for the park because it just lends itself to Saturday Night Live-style jokes that Romney’s a robot. In years past, I would have been cracking those jokes myself but I have truly come to respect and love Mitt in the last month or two of this campaign. He’s run an amazingly-well organized operation from Boston and his GOTV efforts are the best in American political history. He is going to trounce Bathhouse Barry and the Left in an epic blowout.
Team Disney Orlando, one of the most cost-averse and ridiculously cheap entities in the universe, clearly sees the writing on the wall and is getting ready for Romney’s arrival in the White House by prepping for his installation in Liberty Square. Obama’s animatronic will be shunted over to the side, next to those for George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Not every former president gets to speak during the show…though I believe Kennedy, Reagan, FDR, TR, Lincoln, Jefferson, and Washington all have speaking roles in the latest version (which I saw during Gay Days back in 2010). I doubt TDO will continue to have Obama standing on the stage saying “hope” and/or “change” a lot after the Romney figure is ready and the show remounted with him in the starring role.
Bathhouse Barry will be there forever, as long as WDW exists no doubt…but in due time TDO won’t even bother fixing the parts that break and he’ll ultimately be propped up next to the wall or sitting dustily at a table, alongside Buchanan and Harding and other former chief executives that far too many school children have a great deal of difficulty identifying. Personally, I’d display both Obama and Carter in a men’s room somewhere…so people could not only express exactly how they feel about the 44th president whenever they got the urge, but he’d also feel very much at home considering his lingering nostalgia for those Bathhouse Barry days.
It’s my personal hope that one day the Hall of Presidents will also add a Paul Ryan animatronic (in 2021), an Allen West figure (in 2029), and a Liz Cheney one too (2037). A lot can happen between now and even the most magical of futures, and the path’s less certain than that from Liberty Square to Tomorrowland, but I’d wager that if Romney/Ryan succeed the way I know they will that it’s going to be a long, long time before another Democrat is added to this attraction in Walt Disney World.
What do you think?
Do you interpret Disney’s spending the funds to already begin work on the Mitt Romney animatronic for the Hall of Presidents to be a good indicator that he’s sure to win?
What are YOU doing today to make sure Romney’s win is as big as possible in two weeks?
© 2012, Kevin DuJan. All rights reserved.
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That’s a fantastic political barometric scoop. I love reading stuff like this.
Yesterday on Fox with Chris Wallace, Lindsay Graham took Dick Durbin to the woodshed (yeah, that Lindsay Graham). IMO Dick had this look on his face that was priceless. The “I’m getting away with these lies” smirk he usually has plastered there after one of his long, talking-points lie-a-thons was replaced with one that looked closer to him feeling nauseated.
I think Obama is a big problem for the left, too. They have had to carry his water and lie for him all this time, with very little to show for it. It has to be tiresome.
Not that Durbin is worthy of any respect, but Neva I believe you are correct. Those who are Democrats and not leftists are embarrassed by Obama. People like Durbin, DWS, Pelosi, Reid, etc aren’t embarrassed because they believe as Obama does – this country needs to be destroyed at all costs.
I too was surprised that RINO Graham took Durbin to task but then again, a broken clock is right at least twice in a 24 hour period!
I have noticed that there have been many times when Lindsay Graham is not being shacked by the blackmail, he gives it to the other side.
It is good to see that he served it to Dick Durbin.
I saw that interview and it appeared to show a Dick Durban who was becoming unable to believe the outrageous lies of his own party. He reminded me of Obama in the first debate. The dems are in deep shit over Libya and their recklessly naive and cowardly foreign policy of surrender. As for all the useful idiots who voted for Barak Hussein Obama, you basically said to the Arab world, we are tired of fighting you, perhaps Shari-ah isn’t that bad after all, We Surrender!
The word peace in Islam is the same as submission. Leftists are week and submissive.
When exactly did Disney start prepping a George W. Bush figure? The 2000 election didn’t get decided until December, so I think that that might be a good comparison.
W would be a bad comparison as Clinton had served his eight years and there would be a new President no matter what. Very possible they had the basic body structure constructed (Gore had yet to find the buffet so he and Bush were not that dissimilar in builds for this) and may have started designing the heads as soon as each man locked up their nomination. From there they would have the period from the day after the election to right about inauguration day to complete the head, program any mannerisms if they decide they need them (if the new guy is a “hand talker”) and add a portion of a speech into the soundtrack of the attraction.
The Carter to Reagan or Bush 41 to Clinton transition would be closer transitions to compare with.
I’d assume that they’d work on contingency plans. So I’m wondering how much is contingency planning vs. Mittens winning. I guess perhaps comparing this to 2004.
I didn’t read your post past the title, because we are getting ready to GO to Disney World – Magic Kingdom today after being in Animal Kingdom yesterday. Ineresting news after last night’s debate with our daughter – who we took wih her son – for the week. It was quite a conversation as she is convinced that Obama stilll might make it because the polls are very close. She is a single mom (think bamboozled by a guy who has other children by other women when we lived in Baltimore) who has rnkk the “Romney doesn’t support women” and “gays aren’t allowed to marry” kool-aid. Now this girl does not live like a single mom. For one thing, she has a 3/5 time job in a profession she went to college for and no support from the State of Michigan because of that job… another thing is that we still give quite a bit of support to the two of them. When we had our points to make all she would say is that all news organizations lie, and she listens to her sources and we listen to ours. My husband, bless his heart gets pretty frustrated with her but never gets into emotional discussions because he is an executvie and that is not the way to get your point across. They are so alike that I can’t believe something doesn’t stick…..
I have (young) family members very upset with me because I am willing to be a honey badger, but I really don’t care if it helps to bring America back to what it should be. And deep in my heart I know our daughter is conservative because some the opinions that she shares that are not around this election are very right.
Yesterday I saw two Obama shirts and three Romney in a hoard of people.
My husband is at a national homecare convention here and Romney is speaking today. Obama was supposed to speak on Thursday but has cancelled. BTW, Thursday is the day it wraps up and everyone is pretty much headed home anyway. The step in person is someone that used to be very involved in the business of Disney and “would probably be a better source of information anyway.”
Great info as usual Kevin, really hope revealing these details doesn’t get Justin in hot water. Great suggestion for placement of Jimmah, and Barry!
Kevin, you are supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
And an American hero.
Bathhouse Barry is Outhouse Barry. Out of the White House. Out of our lives. Out of lies and out of time.
We need a system restore to erase his name and everything he has done. I applaud your idea of putting him and Carter in the men’s room.
I don’t think erasing BB’s past or even whitewashing it is a good idea. Somewhere down the road, some people are destined to forget.
So let us never forget the last four years and the horrors we’ve lived through!
I’ve noticed that Tamminator is reminding us of all the annoying stuff that has been endured. Mostly using videos. It’s like a walk down memory lane, not. But it’s very effective.
Love it! I’m glad you brought me up to speed on what’s wrong with WDW. Visited there in the summer of ’72, and the place was spotless(and of course much smaller) and the employees joyful.
Visited again in the late 80′s or early 90′s with my husband, and left with the same impression. Visited again in 2009, and could not believe how nasty the place was, and how surly the employees had become. I know the crowd size has increased, and we’ve become a very rude society, but it is no longer the ‘magic kingdom’ to me.
Had the same experience. Went in the 70′s: magical! Went in the early 90′s: very special! Went for old times sake as our daughter was entering her last year of college in 2010: the Magic was gone. The ONLY big plus was being upgraded to the Concierge level in the Yacht Club. That was wonderful and the people at that hotel were far above par [that trip we also stayed at the Contemporary for one night- YIKES!!!]
Love your hope for the future with Ryan, West, Cheney, etc representing us in the White House. It is inspiring to see and read how solid the Romney’s are; and how courageous they have been in facing Ann Romney’s MS. No one with perfect health can understand how your whole world gets shaky when a parent/mate is diagnosed with a progressive disease. The sacrifice the Romney’s are willing to make for our country is clear. The Obama’s and most Dems look for what they can get out of power/position in the U.S. government. Sacrifice is for the middle class, not the elites. And, yet many middle class vote for Dems because they can’t see the real (Romney’s) from the phoneys(Obamas, Clintons, Reids, Pelossi’s, etc) I hope Middle America wakes up and throws off the evil fog of Media’s messiah, and give us President Romney. Am praying for Romney tonite.
President Obama looks cross-eyed.
It might mean people will again go to see the attraction. Nobody goes there. Nobody. Most of the queue has been used as a farmers market kind of place to buy fresh fruit and water. Personally, I refused to go in there until O is gone! Oh, how I hope and pray this is right! I am doing my share to get the Romney vote out. Good job, everyone!
God forgive me but when hubby has had enough of the hot sun and the walking and the crowd and the lines we take him to see that movie and like clockwork he falls asleep in his seat, every single time. He then claims he watched the whole thing. All I can say is thank God he is not a snorer!
Awesome! I hope its eyes shoot laser beams that slash entitlements.
Hey Kevin, I don’t know about your tip but I sure hope you’re right! I can vouch for your description of how absolutely cheap Disney is here in Orlando.
I live in the Tampa area and know plenty of people who work or have worked for Disney and they are as cheap as you say. The people I know who have worked for them do not have a very high opinion of The Mouse. They treat their employees very poorly, so I can corroborate the cheap part of your story, and it would follow suit that they wouldn’t spend any coinage if they thought they didn’t have to.
BTW, I can tell you in the Tampa area, the all important I-4 corridor, it is Romney/Ryan signs galore!! I can’t drive anywhere without seeing huge signs in front of businesses on property and bumper stickers on cars, it’s incredible. VERY different from 4 years ago. I really believe Romney’s taking FL!!!!
I can attest to the fact that Disney is cheap. My daughter worked there for a few years and they pay minimum wage to a majority of their “cast members.” WDW wouldn’t run without these people; it shows how much they’re appreciated!
Off-topic: Thought I’d share some hysterical Progressive delusion with your readers. One of my Obama-zombie Facebook connections has been evoking a sort of “reverse Bradley effect” where the American people are forced to appear racist by peer pressure (by saying they support Romney) whereas out of the public eye they will pull the lever for Obama.
Oh, really‽
that really sounds very delusional in my humble opinion.
What a keen eye you have for indications of who will win this election!! Of course, it helps to have an inside track, too.
Glad you posted this. I will be passing along the information to my parents. They are tentatively hopeful and very committed voters (and probably will be helping at the polling places, too, as they’ve done in the past).
I told my mom about O’s post-presidential house in Hawaii. Her eyes lit up and she said, “Really?” in an excited voice. I think this will give her even more hope.
Semi-related as far as predictions go: about half an hour ago Glenn Beck mentioned he got a call from a friend in real estate saying “guess who just bought a house in Hawaii?”
Was not Kevin WAY ahead of Beck on this???
At least 10 days ago, I recall Kevin’s article on the whole Obama tribe gearing up for the move to the new house/estate in Hawaii.
Kevin,
In the year (2029) you hope for West to be president. He will be 68.
Wasn’t age a problem for you in dismissing Mike Pence from running
for president this time around. Pence is only 53.
Must have been the prematurely white hair.
I have been for Mitt since 2008.
I can’t wait until tonight and the progressives’ mouths drop when
Mitt wipes the floor with Obama’s bin laden kill.
Many wanted Mike Pence to run for Pres. He did contemplate it but felt he would be of better service as Governor this time around. He is an awesome man. He would make a good President someday! The other two men running against him right now are wasting their time and money. Oh, well.
Judy –
I am so sick of people using age against anyone. Shame on you. Stop that garbage RIGHT NOW.
The reason I disqualified Mike Pence is that he LOOKS JUST LIKE JOHN McCAIN. Pence looks like McCain’s little brother. Shock white hair. Pale skin. You just can’t run two candidates like that in a row.
Seriously though, shame on you again for going on about age. At least you’re doing this to a man and not a woman this time. Usually it’s just women that get hit with age hammers.
You know that Romney will be 68 in 2016 right?
Maybe you’ve heard that people are living longer and fuller lives than ever.
Holding someone’s age against her or him is like talking about their skin color. Stop doing this.
I want to send you a big hug every time you say that, Kevin. What’s most annoying is when women call other women “old hags” etc.
In our society, almost everyone accepts that it’s wrong to demean people because of skin color or other racial characteristics, or sexual orientation, or some obvious physical handicap. But if someone has a large nose or a weak chin or “collapsing” face or “turkey neck” or thick ankles or a variety of non-optimal physical attributes not of one’s own choosing, that person is widely considered fair game for ridicule.
Failing to be beautiful and/or young is treated like some kind of unforgivable sin for women (though men usually get a pass). How imperfect does a person have to be in order to get sympathy, at least, or admiration for living with a disadvantage, rather than being described as a blight upon the landscape?
Mike Pence made his own decision. He wants to be Governor first. In my humble opinion he is taking the right path.
Big news. And I can attest to Disney being cheap as a former (until this year) frequent visitor– with no more access to military discounts and our old non-expiring tickets used up, can’t afford tickets for five.
As for attractions running until they rot experienced this ourselves recently. We were stuck on Splash Mountain– at one of those MIckey’s Not So Scary Halloween Parties when the ride broke down. It was so bad that they turned on the lights, had two guys physically drag the log to a spot where we could get out, and had us walk off. Was down for the rest of the night, and apparently (according to one of the Disney boards I read but rarely post on because man, those people are MEAN) has been happening a lot. So yes, they must be beyond reasonably certain of a win if they’re even paying someone to think about a Pres Romney for HoP.
Not seeing any other barometers on any sites. Of course, not seeing many Obama stickers/signs here, either.
Eeyorish devil’s advocate for a moment: during the World Series or other sports events, T-shirt vendors print up two sets of shirts: one that will be sold the day after the win, the other that will be donated to a third world country (with the losing team proclaimed the winner). That way, “Tigers 2012 World Series Champions” or whatever is available immediately.
Disney COULD be doing the same thing, BUT… here’s where I go all Tigger… I fail to see why 15 days would really matter here. They could wait until 06 November and start designing then. It’s not a matter of Disney being cheap (which it may well be); it just doesn’t make sense to start designing for both candidates about three weeks before the election, since they’ll have two and a half months after to design and build.
Disney the company may be cheap, but the Imagineers want their attractions to be the highest quality they can be. That means getting the faces and mannerisms right. They could put something together in just over two months, but it would be “Six Flags” quality as opposed to what people expect from Disney. If development and design started early, they have a head start to get it right for a late January unveiling.
Maybe you didn’t read this correctly…they started making this about three weeks or a month ago.
That extra month makes a difference. Not “15 days” as you said.
It would really be 45 days jump start including the month this has already been in production plus those 15 days remaining in the campaign. That’s a lot of extra time.
Actually, it’s interesting that they’re starting so early. Last time around, the Obama-led version opened July 4, 2009. I wonder if they’re going to try to get Mitt up and going by/around/soon after January 20th. Maybe open it on Presidents’ Day. After which my 4 year boycott of the HoP will come to an end.
I really do not like the “likeness” of BHO in that photo. He looks like he is saying “How the h^*l did I get here and what is it I’m supposed to be doing…” Almost as weird as he is in person. I am sending out emails all day about the failures of BHO and have called all the Grands asking them to do a personal favor for me this election cycle which is to vote for Mitt Romney. Most of them wouldn’t vote if not reminded…and I learned that 3 of them voted for Dr. Utopia, believing his rhetoric. Each has vowed to me that they will vote and for Romney. Now I’m calling the neighbors and friends.
You know what’s weird is Barack Obama’s facebook page. It sits at 30,000,000 likes and has been around there since I last check two weeks ago.
Mitt Romney’s page, however, has gone to 10,000,000. I friended him two weeks ago and if memory serves correctly Mitt Romney was only at 3 to 4 million them. Did he really grow by that much on facebook in just a few days? That’s pretty phenomenal.
And Paul Ryan! Just a few days ago when I friended him he was under 2 million and now he sits at over 5 million. Wow.
While Joe Biden sits at *snicker* 400,000 likes. The traffic to his page is even worse. 90,000 while Paul Ryan basks in 1.5 mil. Not very liked are we Joe?
Romney campaign is so disciplined it knew to blast everything at the end, like a building crescendo to build a bandwagon effect.
Smart smart smart.
There are many calenders in the world…Jewish 5773; Christian/Gregorian 2012; Islamic 1433; Iranian Nuclear Enrichment Red Line Soon ???
The divine timetable will trump all others.
I repeat…There is an optimal, peaceful solution to the Iran/West imbroglio. Google scientists recently discovered that a Rubik’s Cube no matter how diabolical its configuration can always be solved in 20 moves if the right algorithm is in place. They call this the “G-d Algorithm”.
No joke…
Two more bits o’ WDW ground report (just got back – literally, just came from the airport):
1) in 2008/2009, a substantial number of the black folks you saw in the parks were proudly wearing shirts with giant Obama faces on them. Now, there are no such shirts to be seen, and, we noticed, fewer non-white folks there in general. Which makes sense, if you take into account that the Obama depression has hurt minorities more than anybody.
2) also in 2008-10, the gift shop in the American Adventure in Epcot was wall-to-wall Obama stuff. Shirts, hats, books, you name it. Now that’s all gone.
Nobody sees the writing on the wall quite like a cheap and profit obsessed company.
(Oh, and bonus #3 Kevin, the Hippos and Monkeys signs are gone from the cash register wagons in the new Storybook Circus section. I have pictures.)
In keeping with the #1 on your list, I have my own contribution. Two years ago, the Girl Wonder started Kindergarten at our local school. One of the parents at the bus stop was always wearing his fleece Obama jacket with the presidential seal embroidered on it. If it was too hot out for the jacket he had a rotating selection of Obama t-shirts he would wear. I don’t know if he loved Obama’s policies or just the fact that they had matching epidermal pigmentation and I tried to avoid discussing politics with him as he was a diehard Obamabot.
The Girl Wonder is in an excellent charter school now and we aren’t at the bus stop these days, but I saw this guy out for a walk this past weekend. No Obama shirt, no Obama jacket, just regular non-political attire. We had a nice talk about what the kids have been up to lately and nary a mention was made about the upcoming election.
If a guy like this has retired his Obama shirt, I can’t imagine how many others have done likewise and may just stay home on election day.
kk — can you send those to me? Use the HillBuzz@gmail address
What did they replace the hippos and monkeys with?
They’re blank at the moment. I’ll send them.
Just received an email from a friend that left a smile on my face. Don’t know where he got it, but I’d like to share. Bible study…origin of left and right…I have often wondered why it is that conservatives are called the “right” and liberals are called the “left.” By chance I stumbled upon this verse in the Bible: “The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left.” “Ecclesiastes 10:2 (NIV) Thus sayeth the Lord. Amen. Can’t get any simpler than that. And now for a spelling lesson…The last 4 letters in American….I can The last 4 letters in Republican….I can The last 4 letters in Democrats…rats End of lesson, test to follow November 6, 2012. Remember, November is to be set aside as rodent removal month.
HA! Thanks for the laugh, and I love that bible verse. Couldn’t be any truer.
Having been acquainted with Disney employees and contractors in Los Angeles and Burbank, I know very well how Disney operates. They feel that they can hire the best applicant based on the applicant’s dream of having Disney in their resume. However, once they get the job the joy is lost when they learn of the corporations silly cost-consciousness.
Go R/R!!
Kevin, this is great behind the scenes news! A special thank you to Justin for the scoop. Actually, I am very happy that Justin is working to be an Imagineer. What an exciting job. He must be very creative. I had dreamed of being an Imagineer when I was a boy, and was fascinated by the whole animatronic thing. Please keep us updated on Justin’s progress as he embarks on his quest of becoming an Imagineer, and bringing joy to millions of people. Way to go Justin!
*What are YOU doing today to make sure Romney’s win is as big as possible in two weeks?*
I voted for him against my better judgement what ELSE do you want me to do?
Voted for him vs. Roseanne. I was not going to vote for Obama.