Rumor Disney 100: Great Moments with Uncle Walt to Replace Mr. Lincoln

[truecoat]

That's the Halloween re-skin.

Just the original skin if they thaw correctly.

 

[WaluigiTime]

I think they should replace the Fantasmic dragon with a giant Walt.

 

[mickEblu]

Disneyland gives Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln a $5 million makeover

The Anaheim theme park replaces show elements, lighting, audio and show systems on classic attraction from the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair.

www.ocregister.com

 

[Disney Irish]

Disneyland gives Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln a $5 million makeover

The Anaheim theme park replaces show elements, lighting, audio and show systems on classic attraction from the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair.

www.ocregister.com

So this confirms the closure with no end date is just a normal refurb (though extensive in nature to "plus" the show) and is not to remove Lincoln from Disneyland as a poster had feared. Lincoln is remaining for many years to come.

Edit to clarify.

 

[TheCoasterNerd]

Can anyone tell us what the article said for those without a subscription to OCRegister?

 

[mickEblu]

Can anyone tell us what the article said for those without a subscription to OCRegister?

I don’t subscribe. How did I see it?

Here it is…

“A classic Disneyland attraction starring an audio-animatronic figure of President Abraham Lincoln will undergo an extensive refurbishment…. WAIT, I believe you liked a post where Buddy called me a grump who hates everything that Disney does.

 

[Disgruntled Walt]

So just a normal refurb.

Then what's with the turntable?

 

[mickEblu]

So just a normal refurb.

Sounds like an extensive refurb to me. Also, the turntable news goes with that Yensid said about them building a new turntable and having Walt on one side and Lincoln on the other. They may just want to keep that part under wraps for now. Might be their “big” DL 70th anniversary offering.

 

[mickEblu]

40th Anniversary we got Indiana Jones Adventure
50th Anniversary we got Buzz Lightyear Astroblasters
60th Anniversary we got Paint the Night (for a little bit)
70th Anniversary we get a Walt AA

What’s going on here? Haha

 

[mickEblu]

Seriously though it’s nice to see them giving Lincoln this kind of love.

 

[DCBaker]

Can anyone tell us what the article said for those without a subscription to OCRegister?

Here's the full article:

A classic Disneyland attraction starring an audio-animatronic figure of President Abraham Lincoln will undergo an extensive refurbishment that will give the Great Emancipator a little TLC and improve the Main Street U.S.A. theater.

Disneyland filed building permits valued at $5 million with the city of Anaheim to replace show elements, lighting, audio and show systems on the Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln attraction in the Main Street Opera House, according to city records.

The city permit also indicates an existing platform will be replaced, a new turntable will be installed and mechanical, electrical and plumbing work will be performed on the attraction.

Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln closed April 16 for an extended refurbishment. A reopening date has not been set. The show will remain closed at least through June 19.

Disneyland is excited to be investing in Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln to keep the beloved experience looking great, according to Disneyland officials.

The Main Street Opera House theater is being improved and the President Lincoln audio-animatronic figure isn’t going anywhere, according to Disneyland officials.

Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln was inspired by a pavilion exhibit at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair that displayed wax figures of all the U.S. presidents with recorded voice tracks explaining their roles in American history.

Walt Disney thought he could bring the presidents to life with Walt Disney Imagineering’s burgeoning audio-animatronic technology in the 1960s.

Disney signed an agreement to create a Lincoln animatronic as the centerpiece attraction in the Illinois state pavilion at the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair.

The Lincoln animatronic proved wildly popular among fairgoers. Audience members were convinced the blinking, breathing and even perspiring Lincoln animatronic was an actor rather than a robotic machine.

After the New York World’s Fair, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln was brought back to the Opera House at Disneyland.

 

[Disney Irish]

Sounds like an extensive refurb to me. Also, the turntable news goes with that Yensid said about them building a new turntable and having Walt on one side and Lincoln on the other. They may just want to keep that part under wraps for now. Might be their “big” DL 70th anniversary offering.

Sorry, what I mean is this isn't some big movement within Disney to remove all traces Lincoln from Disneyland as some posters feared (a thread which the mods removed). Just more confirmation that Lincoln is staying for years to come.

As for the extensive nature of this refurb, if the rumors are true and Walt is getting a presence via an AA or some other means within the show, I'm all for it.

 

[mickEblu]

Walt’s Dad was 6 years old when Lincoln died. Mine was 6 years old when Walt died.

I’d actually say you are probably one of the few forum members who can properly claim to remember Walt from when he was alive.

I’d go so far as saying this is actually an important thing that he get better immortalized for future generations. In Disneyland at least. It’s time.

You know, I was on the fence about this (and they can still mess it up of course) but you made some good points and Im now in favor of Great Moments with Mr. Disney

 

[chadwpalm]

I think the question is, if a Walt animatronic is truly coming to the theater, will Walt be introducing the Lincoln show (Curtain opens and Walt introduces, then closes for the video presentation with the turntable switching them to reopen to Lincoln), or will they actually have two separate shows, one about Lincoln and one about Walt with the turntable switching them between the shows?

 

[mickEblu]

I think the question is, if a Walt animatronic is truly coming to the theater, will Walt be introducing the Lincoln show (Curtain opens and Walt introduces, then closes for the video presentation with the turntable switching them to reopen to Lincoln), or will they actually have two separate shows, one about Lincoln and one about Walt with the turntable switching them between the shows?

Sounds like two different shows. The rumor was eventually the Walt and Lincoln show would alternate but at first it will only be Walt.

 

[TheCoasterNerd]

How would 2 separate shows even work?
The sign says "Great Moments With Great Men" or "Great Moments With Whoever We Choose Right Now" or "Great Moments With (screen)"
Or the lobby sign says "Shows every 20 minutes, but not the same show"
Seems like a management nightmare honestly

 

[Disney Irish]

How would 2 separate shows even work?
The sign says "Great Moments With Great Men" or "Great Moments With Whoever We Choose Right Now" or "Great Moments With (screen)"
Or the lobby sign says "Shows every 20 minutes, but not the same show"
Seems like a management nightmare honestly

Agreed, I was thinking the same thing. It would make more sense to have Walt intro Lincoln.

 

[Nirya]

I think the easiest would be to have the Walt AA introduce the Lincoln segment. Start with a history of Walt, have him do the opening day speech, transition to Walt's love for Lincoln and into a smaller Lincoln video segment ending with the Lincoln AA.

 

[Misted Compass]

How would 2 separate shows even work?
The sign says "Great Moments With Great Men" or "Great Moments With Whoever We Choose Right Now" or "Great Moments With (screen)"
Or the lobby sign says "Shows every 20 minutes, but not the same show"
Seems like a management nightmare honestly

Maybe something like they did in the early 2000s?

If they really are going with two separate shows, it feels like it would make more sense to have shows at two different times of day like the France show at Epcot, or when our Philharmagic does movie previews.

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

So just a normal refurb.

For reference, the somewhat substantial transformation from Snow White's Scary Adventures to Snow White's Enchanted Wish cost merely several hundred thousand dollars.

You'd have to be embezzling to spend $5 Million on Lincoln and end up with something that passes for a normal refurb.