Hall of Presidents in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World is now closed for refurbishment and has been for the last several months. This discusses why it’s taking so long, how the attraction could change, why a reimagining is not the most likely outcome, plus our commentary about the future of the Liberty Square show in 2029 and beyond. (Updated June 2, 2025.)
Let’s start with the details of the closure, which Walt Disney World announced prior to the closure. Hall of Presidents is now down for refurbishment, and has been since Inauguration Day. Here’s the statement on DisneyWorld.com: “The Hall of Presidents will temporarily close for refurbishment on January 20, 2025, and is expected to reopen later in 2025.”
There is no specific end date to the closure, which is typical for this type of project and consistent with HoP closures in the past. Nothing about this raises any red flags–it’s exactly what we’ve been expecting, and precisely what we predicted. With that said, there are a couple of minor developments to share…
First, we’ve received a few reader inquiries since the start of summer as to why the Hall of Presidents hasn’t reopened. Walt Disney World just held its big seasonal kickoff around Memorial Day, called “Cool Kid Summer.” The push includes Disney Villains Unfairly Ever After and the Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure, both stage shows in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, along with GoofyCore Hall, expanded character meet & greets, and more. I guess the thinking among fans wondering why Hall of Presidents wasn’t present in that kickoff is that there are few things kids love more than 25-minute roll calls featuring past presidents. The logic is sound, I suppose.
The ongoing Hall of Presidents closure even as summer heats up coupled with other “clues” (air quotes) has rekindled rumors that the Hall of Presidents is being replaced. That there are actually no intentions of reopening the attraction in its prior format, which explains why the closure is lasting longer. From what I’ve heard, these “rumors” have no basis in reality, and are a purely speculative attempt at connecting dots that are not there mixed with a bit of partisan cynicism or wishful thinking, as the case may be.
Such speculation would’ve been reasonable at some point given tensions between Disney CEO Bob Iger and President Trump, but the two have seemingly resolved their differences. Within the last couple of weeks, Trump held a press conference in Abu Dhabi where he revealed that Iger paid a visit to the White House when discussing $1.4 trillion of UAE investments in the United States.
Here’s what Trump had to say about the meeting with Iger: “We have American companies [like] Disney [investing in the Middle East]. The new [Disneyland Abu Dhabi] theme park is going to be incredible. Bob Iger was in my office the other day and he was showing it to me. It’s going to be incredible.” Iger meeting with Trump is the most notable example, but it’s only one instance of many suggesting that the two have repaired their previously-strained relationship.
While obviously not conclusive of Disney having no plans to abandon the current Hall of Presidents concept, it’s certainly strongly suggestive of it. Iger is no dummy and wouldn’t want to rock the boat and undo progress or inroads made with the administration. Abruptly closing the Hall of Presidents could do precisely that. It has the potential to inflict far more damage to the company’s business in the bigger picture than whatever the inconsequential costs are of updating and operating the attraction. Not only that but, again, we’ve specifically heard that Hall of Presidents is not receiving an overhaul, just a routine update.
Even before the attraction closed, we speculated that the refurbishment may last a while even if not technically necessary. There are few things Walt Disney World loves more than saving on operating expenses, and they likely “count on” a 6-8 month closure of this attraction every 4 years.
That might be a boring explanation, but it’s probably the most accurate one. It’s also possible that Imagineering is collaborating with the administration to get new audio or personal belongings from the president, and is awaiting those. Regardless of the real explanation, it’s probably pretty unexciting.
For whatever it’s worth, it’s perfectly normal for Walt Disney World to not have much to say about the Hall of Presidents closure. Last go-round, the Liberty Square attraction was open on the eve of inauguration, closed with no notice the following day, and remained down without an official reopening date on the official Walt Disney World calendar for the next several months. A statement on the Walt Disney World website simply indicated: “The Hall of Presidents is currently closed for refurbishment.” (Just like the current sign!)
Disney would later (also quietly) confirm that President Biden would be added to the Hall of Presidents and that the attraction would reopen later in the year. That summer, Walt Disney World shared a behind-the-scenes look at Hall of Presidents and the new Joe Biden Audio Animatronics figure that would be installed. The attraction would go on to reopen without fanfare on August 3, 2021.
This is pretty much the playbook we expect to follow with Hall of Presidents in 2025. If there’s a Polymarket for Walt Disney World, this is the safest bet. I would caution against anyone trying to read the tea leaves for clues about changes–those “clues” are more likely to be coincidences.
What follows is our previous commentary about the Hall of Presidents closure from when it was first announced…
The biggest difference here could be that everything occurs on a much more accelerated timeline since Disney already has an Audio Animatronics figure of Donald Trump from ~8 years ago. He also recorded dialogue for Hall of Presidents then.
Trump is only the second president in U.S. history to be elected for two non-consecutive terms. More significantly for the purposes of this post, he’s the first to do so since the Hall of Presidents opened at Walt Disney World. Given that, it’s unclear whether Imagineering will reuse his prior recording and Audio Animatronics figure, or make additional updates to the figure or attraction as a whole.
Our expectation is that Imagineering takes the easiest option, reusing both the existing Trump figure and dialogue. This would essentially mean ‘restoring’ the show to its pre-2020 status (well, plus Joe Biden, who will obviously be moved from center-stage). Walt Disney World could theoretically do a quick refurbishment, having the attraction closed for a month or perhaps less. We’d caution against expecting this.
A shorter closure assumes that there’s a sense of urgency to reopen Hall of Presidents ASAP. That probably is not be the case. Not because of any biases or as ‘protest,’ but out of cheapness. Hall of Presidents isn’t a marketable draw for most people of any political persuasions, and Walt Disney World has a long and rich history of dragging its feet on refurbishments to save operating expenses.
Walt Disney World might opt to draw out its closure until crowds increase around the time of Disney Starlight Night Parade, or sometime after. Point being, don’t assume that just because this could have a quicker turnaround time that it actually will. Whenever Hall of Presidents does reopen, it’ll probably be fairly uneventful.
That’s really all you need to know if you’re planning a 2025 Walt Disney World vacation and want to know about the Hall of Presidents closure. What follows is more thorough commentary, about the potential longer-term future of a new concept for the Hall of Presidents.
One of Walt Disney’s passion projects was Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. This debuted at the 1964 New York World’s Fair and still exists to this day at Disneyland. The Hall of Presidents built upon the show’s legacy–expanding it to all presidents–when it opened in 1971 at Magic Kingdom.
Walt Disney had no direct involvement in its creation, but his fingerprints and legacy are all over it. In 1956, Walt Disney announced plans for a Liberty Street at Disneyland to be located behind the east side of Main Street. Included in this unbuilt expansion would’ve been a hall of presidential figures as mannequins.
A lot has changed since then, and the actual Hall of Presidents attraction has evolved considerably in its 50+ years. The Hall of Presidents adopted its current structure in 1993 when President Clinton was added. He became the first sitting president with a speaking role in Hall of Presidents. With the benefit of hindsight, I think just about everyone would agree that this was a colossal mistake.
Regardless, the point is that Hall of Presidents is an iconic attraction with a rich history that ties to both the opening of Walt Disney World back in 1971 and the company’s founder. It’s historic, significant, and deserves a space in Magic Kingdom. It’s also nice counter-programming; one of the rare attractions with a longer runtime than its wait time. A perfect opportunity to get off your feet and take a breather for a bit. Closing it would also be a mistake.
Nevertheless, we do not expect Hall of Presidents to exist in its current form two decades from now. One possibility is that Liberty Square will either be redeveloped into something else, or absorbed into Frontierland and Fantasyland. Another is that Hall of Presidents will be reimagined to take on a different tone.
It’s highly unlikely this will happen in 2025. If the format were to change, Walt Disney World likely would’ve stated as much in its announcement. While the announcement is light on details, it’s exactly what you’d expect of a routine refurbishment–and there’s every reason to believe that’s what this will be.
At this point, Hall of Presidents is likely safe until 2029.
Waiting until then gives Disney time to make the announcement in early 2028 ahead of a (hopefully!) less polarizing election. It avoids the inevitable general public controversy that would accompany a reimagining announced after one of the candidates wins–controversies that will accompany every single election for the foreseeable future if Disney delays the announcement until after Election Day.
Postponing such a redo also gives Disney time to solve its Liberty Square dilemma. A bit beyond the scope of this post, but I suspect Disney is treading lightly with how it approaches this land, fearful of accusations that the company has become ‘distinctly unpatriotic’ given the removal of the Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island, and Libety Square Riverboat. Of course, there’s a different commonality among these things, but again, optics also matter to Disney.
So what could Walt Disney World do to reimagine the Hall of Presidents down the road?
One possibility is that Disney will go in a completely different direction, with an intellectual property infused overhaul to the Hall of Presidents. During the last election cycle, there were credible rumors that Imagineering might make Hall of Presidents less partisan and polarizing. Ambitious ideas were tossed around, including injecting the Muppets or making the attraction appealing to younger audiences.
When previously discussing possibilities in October, we mentioned the Muppets. As we indicated then, rumors were swirling about a Hall of Presidents takeover by the Muppets. We had not heard anything about that, but had heard of other competing pitches and potential projects involving the Muppets–only one of which (if any) would be greenlit.
Well, now you know which concept won out: Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets.
While I cannot say so with complete confidence, I’m pretty sure that announcement closes the door on the Hall of Presidents takeover by the Muppets. Sadly, this is not a Toy Story scenario, where Disney is fine slapping the same IP all over the place. The Muppets are lucky to have one attraction at Walt Disney World.
With that said, it’s also my understanding that Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets is viewed as an interim overlay with a shelf life of a decade or less. So depending upon how far down the road the Hall of Presidents reimagining gets kicked and the Muppets’ popularity (both within Imagineering and among the park-going public) in the late 2030s, we might be having this conversation two election cycles from now.
There are also other concepts for Hall of Presidents down the road. The one of these that would be best-received among WDW diehards is the “Walt Disney – A Magical Life” stage show that’s debuting in 2025 for Disneyland’s 70th Anniversary. If that’s popular (and why wouldn’t it be?) in California, it could be brought to Magic Kingdom to run in tandem with Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.
In my view, this would be the ideal solution. Although it would require a significant upfront investment, it would have far fewer Audio Animatronics, so Walt Disney World would like the lower operating and maintenance expense. It would also be uncontroversial, as Walt Disney and Abraham Lincoln are among the two most popular Americans of all-time. Finally, it’d be a fantastic legacy attraction.
While there’s a lot of time between now and 2029 or the mid-2030s, and plenty of good ideas could be born between now and then, replacing Hall of Presidents with Walt Disney – A Magical Life and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln strikes me as the perfect compromise that respects the legacy of this space, the company’s founder, and our great nation’s history. If replacing attractions were a democratic process, I’d vote for this option. Well, assuming “maintain the status quo and keep Hall of Presidents intact” weren’t running for reelection.
Ultimately, the Hall of Presidents should unify Americans around our nation’s founding, the formation of our Constitution, and our hard-fought struggles along the way. The attraction is about the office of the presidency, and not the current occupant of that office.
Hall of Presidents showcases how the United States has risen to solve common challenges and collective problems through the lens of the presidency. Anyone paying attention would know it’s not about individuals, and it should be an antidote to political tensions.
What it should be and what it is are, sadly, two different things. It’s understandable that many people want escapism out of Walt Disney World, and Hall of Presidents is a non-starter for them irrespective of their political persuasions. Beyond that, there has been a chorus of (apolitical) complaints for decades that Hall of Presidents is overly long, boring, and dry.
My take, as always, is that not everything needs to be for everyone. Trying to cater to every guest with every attraction is a fool’s errand that makes everything bland. There are plenty of rides and shows we almost never do because they’re not for us. It’s perfectly fine that Hall of Presidents is not for everyone. So long as it keeps the air-conditioning, it’s going to appeal to many Walt Disney World visitors.
However, it’s also clear that in this hyper-partisan era, many people simply cannot separate the office from its current occupant. This is nothing new–it has been true for each the last five presidents–and is unlikely to change. How we feel about Hall of Presidents or think guests should view the attraction is academic. It’s good for online discourse, but meaningless in the real world and has zero impact on attraction preferences or how guests actually behave. If the attractions I thought guests should enjoy are the ones they actually did, well, the original EPCOT Center would still be intact!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Expectations for the 2025 Hall of Presidents refurbishment? Think it’ll be routine, and a fairly quick and painless process of ‘restoring’ the 2021 Hall of Presidents (plus Biden)? Intrigued by the possibility of the Hall of Presidents being reimagined in 2029 or beyond? Do you agree or disagree with our thoughts and commentary? Keep the comments civil and non-partisan; avoid insults or endorsements of political candidates, or perpetuating pointless culture wars. Respectfully arguing about the attraction is totally fine, but don’t debate politics, attack people or troll for controversy. We will be heavy-handed in deleting any comments that cross the line, irrespective of viewpoint.
