One of the attractions in Walt Disney World that you can guarantee will get a refurbishment every 4 to 8 years is Magic Kingdom’s Hall of Presidents. With the election of each new U.S. president, a new audio-animatronic is added to the Hall of Presidents’ stage and, more often than not, this is the time when Disney takes the opportunity to make periodic updates, technological improvements, and even changes to the narration and the film that plays during the show. Recently, you may have heard that the United States elected a new president. With the addition of the Donald J. Trump audio-animatronic, Disney also made some very positive and impressive changes to the show, narration, film, and audio/visual system. Naturally, I had to make a special effort to get over there and check out the new version of the Hall of Presidents. What struck me right away, before I even made it into the theater to see the show, was the show before the show.

If you’ve never spent any time looking around the lobby of the Hall of Presidents, you’re missing out on an attraction within an attraction. The lobby is filled with authentic pieces owned and used by several United States presidents and First Ladies going all the way back to George Washington and Dolly Madison. Additionally, just like the theater portion of the Hall of Presidents, the lobby is periodically updated with new pieces, many of which are on loan from various museums and Presidential Libraries. So, I wanted to share with our readers some of the fantastic items that are on display currently at the Hall of Presidents in Walt Disney World.

The Great Seal of the United States, not to be confused with the Presidential Seal, is probably the first thing you notice in the middle of the lobby surrounded by a circular gate. The seal, which is incororated in the carpet, is surrounded by this gate, because it is the only place outside of the White House where you can see it displayed. In fact, it took an act of Congress for Disney to be able to display it in the Hall of Presidents!

The presidential portraits that are featured in the rotunda of the Hall of Presidents are replicas of the presidential portraits that are found in the White House. They are copyrighted by the White House Historical Association and reproduced with assistance from the National Geographic Society.

Another exhibit on display in the lobby of The Hall of Presidents gives some insight into the process of bringing the presidents on stage in the attraction to life.

Each president has a sculpted bust made in their likeness that is then used as the model for the artists creating and designing the audio-animatronic that will be featured in the show.

Every president from George Washington through George W. Bush that is featured in the show has had their original bust sculpted by legendary Disney Imagineer Blaine Gibson.

The bust for our 44th president, Barack Obama, was sculpted by Gibson’s protege Valerie Edwards, since Blaine was retired and 90 years old at the time.

This bust of Walt Disney was sculpted by Blaine Gibson in 1990 and is also featured in the lobby of The Hall of Presidents.

The audio-animatronics of the presidents on stage in the attraction are not just created in physical likeness of the individual, but they are also accessorized with authentic time-period pieces right down to the most minor detail. The audio animatronic for our 14th president Franklin Pierce had a hand-stitched suit coat, vest, and pants that were tailored specifically to fit his figure.

The rotunda exhibits display examples of some of the items that have been used to add believability to the presidential figures. Some of the items you will find on display are belt buckles, rings, lapel pins, shoes, and even a bouquet of flowers that was used as a stage prop next to President Obama. The floral arrangement of Violets and Hibiscus pictured below represent his ties to both the states of Illinois and Hawaii.

My favorite feature of all of the exhibits on display in the lobby of The Hall of Presidents is the fact that you can find items that have a personal connection to the presidents. It’s not every day that you come face-to-face with physical items owned by the leaders of the free world with nothing between you and the items but a pane of glass. Here inside The Hall of Presidents, many personally owned items are on display from Jimmy Carter’s collection of arrowheads to George W. Bush’s collection of autographed baseball cards.

Also on display are a set of ski boots, pole, and hat worn by Gerald Ford. President Ford was a very athletic man. In addition to being named an All-American on the University of Michigan football team, he was also an avid skier. During his presidency, he took many ski trips to Vail, CO. The secret service men who accompanied him on these skiing expeditions were chosen specifically for their superior skiing skills.

The First Ladies are just as much a part of the lobby of The Hall of Presidents as their husbands. Here, you’ll find many stylish and elegant items personally owned and worn by various First Ladies of the United States such as: an evening gown and neck scarf worn by Betty Ford, a suitcase embroidered by Grace Coolidge, the Collar of Saint Arsene given to Mrs. Ford as a state gift from Egypt, and a recreation of a turban that Dolley Madison wore at the White House on New Year’s Day.

Next time you’re in Walt Disney World, I highly encourage you to stop by The Hall of Presidents. You should absolutely see the show, especially if you haven’t seen it since its recent update. You should also, however, take the time to really absorb everything on display in the rotunda that serves as the waiting area to queue up guests as they’re waiting for the next show to start. If you get there right around the time the show starts, stay behind and wait for the next show. There are repeating shows taking place every 25 minutes. There are many more items on displayed than I could fit in this blog post and the items are updated and replaced with new items routinely.

So, while the 45 audio-animatronic presidents on the stage inside The Hall of Presidents might be the main attraction, the lobby serves as an exceptional pre-show that will keep you more than entertained while you’re waiting for the theater doors to open.