Disney World's Hall of Presidents: The Near Misses and Archival Stories

Epcot Festival of the Arts and Mary Poppins Returns

• 🎨 The Epcot International Festival of the Arts is entering its final week for 2019, featuring the Disney on Broadway concert series with performers like Ashley Brown and Josh Strickland.
• 🎬 Revenue from Disney's Studio Entertainment in Q1 2019 was lower than the previous year, partly due to the box office performance of "Mary Poppins Returns," "The Nutcracker and the Four Realms," and "Ralph Breaks the Internet."
• 💰 "Mary Poppins Returns" is nearing profitability, with worldwide box office sales close to its production cost, though not reaching the billion-dollar mark executives hoped for.

The "Disney's America" Project and Hall of Presidents

• 🇺🇸 The "Disney's America" theme park project, planned for Virginia, aimed to capitalize on tourism near Washington D.C. and would have relocated the Hall of Presidents animatronics.
• 🏛️ In the 1990s, Imagineers considered replacing the Hall of Presidents at Walt Disney World with a motion-based simulator attraction, potentially narrated by Bruce Willis, featuring scenic American landmarks.
• 🚫 "Disney's America" was ultimately canceled in 1994 due to opposition from local residents, leading to the abandonment of plans to replace the Hall of Presidents.
• 🗣️ Following the cancellation, the Hall of Presidents show was revamped to include a speaking role for the current U.S. President.

Dave Smith and the Disney Archives

• 📚 The passing of Dave Smith, founder of the Walt Disney Archives, is noted, highlighting his crucial role in preserving Disney's history.
• 🗑️ Smith's dedication was evident in his efforts to find and save historical Disney artifacts, even from trash bins, such as animation cels from "The Aristocats."
• 🔍 He meticulously cataloged Disney's past, developing a system that allowed researchers access to valuable historical information, despite his demanding nature.
• 🌟 Smith believed an archive's purpose is to save important items that will matter to fans in the future, not necessarily everything.
• 🏛️ The Disney Archives, now managed by Becky Klein, faces challenges due to the company's massive growth, with Pixar, Lucasfilm, and Marvel also maintaining their own archives.
• ⏳ There's a concern that a significant portion of Disney's history, particularly the period between Walt Disney's death and the arrival of Michael Eisner and Frank Wells, might be falling through the cracks.
• 🚢 Smith's work on the "Disney A to Z Encyclopedia" is recognized as a vital resource for Disney history enthusiasts.