Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln,” Returns

[Carol]

Updated ‘Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln’ Will Return to Disneyland Later This Year

Disney Gallery Will Find a New Home
In the Current ‘Bank of Main Street’

Hiatus for ‘Disneyland: The First 50 Magical Years’ Begins March 16 as Main Street Opera House Prepares For ‘Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln’ Homecoming

ANAHEIM, Calif. (February 25, 2009) – A longtime favorite of Disneyland guests will return as “The Disneyland Story, featuring Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln,” an enhanced version of the show which appeared, in various forms, in the Main Street Opera House at Disneyland park from 1966 through 2004 . The attraction will reopen later this year in celebration of the 200th anniversary year of Abraham Lincoln’s birth.

The current Opera House presentation, “Disneyland: The First 50 Magical Years,” will go on hiatus beginning Monday, March 16, in preparation for the new “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” show. When the updated “Disneyland Story, featuring Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” opens later this year, “Disneyland: The First 50 Magical Years” will be presented as part of the “Disneyland Story” display of art, models and mementoes in the Opera House lobby.

Also planned for fall 2009 is a prominent new home on Main Street, U.S.A., for The Disney Gallery. Formerly located above Pirates of the Caribbean in New Orleans Square, The Disney Gallery houses treasured Disney artwork and collectibles representing creative efforts from throughout The Walt Disney Company. A frequently changing exhibit area often includes never-before-displayed art. The Disney Gallery’s new home will be in the Bank of Main Street building, located next door to the Main Street Opera House and currently serving as the headquarters for Disneyland Resort Annual Passport processing. The Bank will continue to operate as an Annual Passport center until mid-summer 2009. After that, Annual Passport processing will move to the Plaza Pavilion, near the entrance to Adventureland.

The original “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” was created by Walt Disney and his Imagineers for the State of Illinois Pavilion at the 1964 New York World’s Fair and featured the world’s first fully animated human Audio-Animatronics figure, built by Walt Disney Imagineering. The show, made its Disneyland debut in the Main Street Opera House on July 18, 1965.

[Maleficent's Dad]

Carol,
Any word on when the Lincoln show will open? Meaning, will it be open during the summer months?

Thanks!

[NotaGeek]

How AWESOME is this?!? I can't wait to see the reworked Mr. Lincoln ... and to hear all the people that hate the changes ...

[tinkwest]

I'm happy with the proposed changes. I'm glad they are keeping the 50 years stuff in the lobby. And I'm glad Mr. Lincoln is coming back.

[Melanie]

I'm happy with the proposed changes. I'm glad they are keeping the 50 years stuff in the lobby. And I'm glad Mr. Lincoln is coming back.

[DisneyLandMomma]

In all my years of going to DL, I've never seen Mr. Lincoln so I'm excited for his return.

[meldan98]

I can't wait for the return of Mr. Lincoln and the Gallery!!! The Gallery will never be the same, but at least it's back in some form.

[LibertyTreeGal]

I so remember this! It thrilled me when i was a little girl and now my kids and I listen to it in the car on my Disneyland CDs.

I am so happy that it is returning!

[2Epcot]

It will be great to see Lincoln return. I can't even remember when I saw it last, it's been so long.

[NYdaily]

This sounds great! I do really enjoy that Steve Martin movie. But I pretty much have it memorized now, so it will be good to go back to Lincoln.

[Tinkerbellaella]

We have really missed the Lincoln. Darn darn darn...we need to find the time and the funds to make a trip to DLR.

[MegaDisney]

Cool!

[Mufasa]

A couple of notes from the panel presentation on the return of Great Moments held today at D23-

The show will return to using the Paul Frees narration. They've gone back to the original recordings for both the World's Fair and early Disneyland recordings and also discovered some "new" recordings (turns out that Walt actually had a concept for a holiday overlay of Great Moments- to occur on major holidays like July 4th, Memorial Day, Flag Day, etc and it is this additional dialog that was discovered and will be used in the show).

It is from some of this material that they also recovered Lincoln's complete Gettysburg Address as used now in the Hall of Presidents at WDW.

Lincoln's voice will also go back to recordings of Royal Dano.

Visuals have been updated in high definition and the audio has been remixed in surround sound (no more use of the binaural/headphones)

The Two brothers sequence returns along with the show ending with the Battle Hymn of the Republic.

The Lobby will have both the Disneyland story in the front, and the rear of the theater will be the Lincoln pre-show (the Capitol building model will return)

But perhaps the most striking thing about the new show is the new audio-animatronic figure to debut with this show. Often when Great Moments is revamped, Imagineering uses it as an opportunity to debut the next generation AA figure and the new Lincoln will take things to another level.

[tinkwest]

Thanks Mufasa. I was not a fan of the headphones. Glad to hear that the Two Brothers sequence is returning. I was kind of hoping, however, that the entire lobby would continue to be devoted to the Disneyland story.

[Tinkerbellaella]

I liked that when he was getting a haircut the sound in the headphones made it feel real. When he blew to brush off the hair it gave me goosebumps. The fly buzzing from one ear to the other. I hope they capture all of that without the headphones.

[Melanie]

Great details! I can't wait to experience this. I liked the headphones (reminded me of something similar from MGM YEARS ago - what am I thinking of?), but the new show sounds so great, I don't mind.

[Mufasa]

I was kind of hoping, however, that the entire lobby would continue to be devoted to the Disneyland story.

The opening day model of Disneyland created for the 50th anniversary will be relocated along with some new exhibits to be added to the Disneyland story which also can now take advantage of the lobby being linked to the Disney Gallery being built into the former Bank of Main Street.

The Lincoln pre-show area will feature a fireplace and a painting with Lincoln hanging above it that will gradually change during the pre-show.

[tinkwest]

The opening day model of Disneyland created for the 50th anniversary will be relocated along with some new exhibits to be added to the Disneyland story which also can now take advantage of the lobby being linked to the Disney Gallery being built into the former Bank of Main Street. ...

That model was mainly what I would have missed from the back part of the room so I'm glad to hear that it will remain, relocated. New exhibits will be a good thing too.

[NotaGeek]

I just got a Tweet from Disneyparks ... work continues on Mr. Lincoln and it should be opening very soon! You can see a cool video HERE. I can't believe Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln premiered over 44 years ago!

Mr Lincoln opened to international acclaim at the 1964 New York World’s Fair, and the ribbon cutting ceremony pictured below marked the official opening of the Main Street Opera House.

[Marla]

I will be there next week. I can't wait to see this again, with the improvements.
Also, NotAgeek in the photo you provided..where can I get a pair of the white sunglasses...priceless.
And, Mufasa, again we have missed a chance to meet. I also attended D23.