Regarding Closing the Hall of Presidents

I want Joe Rohde back to script this.

Robert, saw the main page article and very good move closing comments for it.

Robert, your article calling for closing HOP is truly excellent. Thank you for posting it. I hope Disney takes your advice. (They should close it immediately.)

Robert, I respect that this is your website. Just to remind you, the punishment in the United States for treason is death. And that’s fine that you hate Trump and what he’s done and especially what happened yesterday, but I hope you don’t want that on him. Pretty funny how similar your statement is to Jimmy Kimmel’s. Both of you never miss an opportunity to criticize how terrible Trump and/or his supporters are. And I’ve never been a diehard Trump supporter by any means. What bothers me is the gleeful hypocritical hatred of him, whike ignoring or denying any flaws of. Biden, Hillary, etc. Walt was pretty conservative but he and his company was by no means a cheerleader for the Republican party. Too bad Disney is now a cheerleader for the Democrat party.

@RandyKeith: Key difference: Biden and Hillary never advocated an armed mob storming the Capitol while pushing a long-proven false "stolen election" narrative.

Don’t want to get too political here, but considering that Disney is putting trigger warnings on Dumbo for dated stereotypes and Trump has explicitly said worse in the current era, I think his animatronic must at least be preceded with that type of preamble.

I don't want a discussion about the news of the week to distract from the very noteworthy fact that TH just advocated for alcohol sales in the Magic Kingdom.

I don't know what reality I am living in anymore.

Hasn’t alcohol already been served for years at MK? An outdoor venue wouldn’t feel that much different from what is offered across the street at Liberty Tree Tavern.

While I understand the frustration, Hall of Presidents is a great attraction and just because we most recently had the worst president doesn't warrant removing the attraction IMO. The message of HOP is very different from what Trump has regularly said and done and once he is replaced with Biden I think this controversy will blow over. It would be sacrilege to replace it with something like Muppets or Hamilton.

That being said if Disney wants to promote diversity i'm all for re-doing Carousel of Progress with different races in different scenes. COP way outdated and in desperate need of a major upgrade whereas HOP is constantly updated and still relevant IMO.

HOP should remain, you keep wanting to get rid of history,flags certain rides,
WHY??? Because it doesn't suit the left and snowflakes, yes all this nonsense is political. Take away the magic Walt intended to be and all you gave us a typical theme park, nothing special, no magic, nothing for kids to dream or think about, just idiot adults who think everything should be politically correct. Sorry I'm tired of it. It also represents our history which so many are trying to change instead of learning and listening to it.

Personally, I think an update might be a better option.
The thugs and president that were responsible for this weeks events only proved that our Constitution withstood another assault from a radical misled group but the majority and the country prevailed.
The movie that accompanies the Hall of Presidents pretty much shows that with many different events including the Civil War.
We have had some bad presidents and Trump was one of them but The Hall of Presidents is a history lesson. Trump shouldn't succeed in closing it any more that he didn't succeed in overthrowing the government or the will of the people!
So redo the movie with an update of recent events and the common theme that the Republic will continue to stand united!

Robert, I think some of the very responses you are getting just proves your point. If HOP has become such a flashpoint for the political crazies, it's time to get rid of it. I go to WDW to escape the hatred that seems to permeate our lives every day. A show that truly celebrates our great history would be wonderful. Besides, who doesn't like the Muppets!

I just want an air conditioned place to take a nice nap. Maybe a Long Island Iced Tea too.

I could understand you preferring not to go to that attraction if you don't want to think about politics on your vacation. However, calling for it to be closed due to not liking one of the presidents who is featured, is silly. I don't agree the actions of, nor like some of the presidents, but they are part of our history none the less. The people who breached the capitol are responsible for their own actions.

Randy Keith said everything I was thinking when I read his article, including the support of accusing Trump as a traitor to this country means support for his execution.

@MikeW: You are correct. As a matter of fact, Hillary did quite the opposite: She did nothing to stop a mob from attacking the embassy in Benghazi that resulted in the death of Americans.

Getting rid of the Hall of Presidents doesn't make history go away. Magic Kingdom is a theme park. It's primary purpose is escapist entertainment. The fact that Disney needs a constant security presence in the attraction is reason enough for it to go.

Or as Walt said "The park means a lot to me in that it's something that will never be finished. Something that I can keep developing, keep plussing and adding to—it's alive. It will be a living, breathing thing that will need changes."

@TwoBits: You do realize the Secretary of State has no authority over military operations and there was no "Stand down" order, right?

Note the source of the synopsis of the Benghazi report is not a conservative paper or website, but a very liberal one:

https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/editorials/ct-benghazi-hillary-clinton-obama-rhodes-edit-0629-jm-20160628-story.html

I will post a reply that is counter to the popular view. I am against alcohol at Magic Kingdom. I have said this before here, but Walt’s reasons are so very true. MK is a place for families to be together, and when one family member is doing something that another cannot, it changes that. Go to EPCOT. What a wonderful place to imbibe. I like to drink. But everything about MK is about the inner child and family. There is no doubt that there are older people that go without families and solo visitors, but just look at the number of first time visitors under 10. Seeing your kid light up the first time is a once in a lifetime event, and I think that is something that WDW management may have slightly forgotten, and maybe extreme theme park fans. I don’t want there to be any chance that child sees a belligerent person on their first visit, and I have seen a few (and, boy, the park does a great job getting them out). There are many places to have a nice glass of wine at WDW, but I would like MK to stay dry.

As to the other point, I would hate to see a classic attraction go, but, at least right now, it is counter to all my points in the above paragraph.

Edit: I just remembered you CAN get alcohol at MK. I have not changed my mind on either point, however. I do recall once having a few across town at a castle and I recall a witch enchanting my chair making me fly and being attacked by a giant spider and a aggravated tree. So nothing good comes from it. I don’t like spiders. Kind of like trees.

I think we should take a page out of the Imagineers book and do a "Hall of Presidents Under New Management starring Deadpool". It will be a bloody good time and allow me to cut right through the divisiveness of day's politics. Don't forget your rain parka.

Muppets? Who are they? I know I'm new to this whole Disney-owned thing, but at least I have movies and contracts in place...MCU here I come!

I haven't been on Theme Park Insider for several months due to my course load in my masters courses, and the fact that many people who frequent this site can't seem to leave their political expressions out of their enjoyment of theme parks. Unfortunately this site was no longer a place for me to escape the hassles of the day and the divisiveness of our "politics as a bloodsport" society. And then today I pop in to take a look around, and in one of the Discussion Board threads I see that Robert Niles is calling for President Trump to be prosecuted for treason. I'm not going to debate the merits of that action but I do wonder if TPI is the place for that argument.

For the record, I agree with Robert on closing the attraction. The HOP should be closed simply because so many of us can't seem to separate our political opinions from our daily polite discourse. I was taught to never bring up politics, sex, and religion in polite company if I didn't want to offend anybody, but it seems that polite discourse isn't as valued as it once was. If too many knuckleheads ruin the experience of the HOP then it should be replaced with something that doesn't trigger the low intelligence theme park patrons of either political extreme.

With all of that said, I'd like to share an excerpt from an email from Vice Admiral (retired) Ann Rondeau the president of the Naval Postgraduate School that I found particularly insightful.

"An e-mail message to me by a concerned member of our community included a poignant quote from Theodore Roosevelt’s biography that serves us well, here, now, as a university and change agent: “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” Our decency as a nation depends on our decency to and for each other. How we relate together, approach problems, communicate,and support each other and our neighbors, provides an important steady hand steering sturdily through uncertainty, which helps to restore faith in our institutions and our shared future."

As we enter a new year on TPI, I hope that we all can find it a place where the most divisive issues we debate are whether or not alcohol should be sold in the Magic Kingdom (it should) and whether or not Disney Springs is a theme park (it isn't), and we treat each other as human beings despite our political leanings (which hopefully won't be front and center on this site).

So well put Tim. I think the politicization seeping into every corner of society has created a climate where we can no longer have civil discourse without it devolving into conversations that further divide us. We've gotten to the point where you can't do or say anything in public without someone trying to glean your political motivations, and simple presentations of historical facts for entertainment, education, and inspiration can no longer be viewed apolitically. It's a sad statement on society that only the extremists hold the keys to progress, while those of us in the middle (representing the clear majority), and willing to listen and hear both sides of an argument are left to be pulled to one extreme or the other.

Hillman: "... whether or not Disney Springs is a theme park (it isn't)".

Me: And you claim you're taking "masters courses"?

@ Tim and Russell -- THANK YOU both. I completely agree!

Sorry, TH. I have a limited supply of apostrophes in my computer.

And Disney Springs still isn't a theme park. (Hey, I found one!)

Or this one: eliminate Fast Pass+, or a least any requirement that allows you to reserve a spot in line until you are actually inside the park.

Let's not go there, JC. Some of us absolutely love FastPass+.

Just open the Horseshoe up with shows and alcohol. It would be a huge success