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88-850: The Gallery is currently located inside the Disneyland Opera House, the lobby of The Disneyland Story Presenting Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln , where it has been since the summer of 2013. However, from 1987–2007, the Gallery was in New Orleans Square above the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction and the Bank of Main Street building from 2009–2013. In the early 1960s, as the development of what would become New Orleans Square

176-535: A 21st century update. It reopened on July 17, 2001, with a new subtitle: "The Journey to Gettysburg." This was the most extensive reimagining of the attraction in its history—with the original show completely jettisoned. Rather than approaching the Lincoln show as the culmination of a tribute to Walt Disney and his creativity, the Imagineers reimagined Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln as an immersive experience around

264-864: A collection sold there that included backpack, eyewear case and toiletry kit. Items from Disney's private label were of higher quality. Baumann's limited edition minaudieres—-crystal covered purses shaped in the heads of Mickey and Minnie Mouse generated the most conversation. At $ 1,600, these jewelry boxes have been purchased by cereal heiress Mercedes Kellogg Bass, Michael Eisner's wife, Jane, diet guru Jenny Craig and others. By 2006, another location opened in Downtown Disney , Orlando. 33°48′36″N 117°55′07″W  /  33.8101°N 117.9185°W  / 33.8101; -117.9185 Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln 33°48′37″N 117°55′06″W  /  33.8103°N 117.9184°W  / 33.8103; -117.9184 Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln

352-509: A larger private apartment built at Disneyland, and would be made available to randomly selected guests of the park. The space underwent a whirlwind remodeling, with Disney Imagineers closely following the original design drawings from Dorothea Redmond. Located above the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, the Disneyland Dream Suite included a living room, open-air patio, two bedrooms and two bathrooms. “Our plan has been to use

440-578: A lifelong fascination with Abraham Lincoln. One Lincoln's Birthday when he was a boy in Kansas City, Missouri , Disney dressed up as Lincoln in a makeshift costume and recited the Gettysburg Address to all the classes in his elementary school. In 1957, as Disneyland became more successful, Walt Disney proposed an expansion of the park's Main Street, U.S.A. that celebrated America's colonial era. Called Liberty Street, it would have been

528-507: A merchandise location on the park's map. The Cast Members who worked the location were from the park's Merchandise division, but were specially trained to run the Gallery as a museum. Cast Members were also encouraged to give guests free tours of the Gallery during slower periods—informing guests of the facility's history as well as the current exhibition. The Disney Gallery in New Orleans Square closed on August 7, 2007. The space

616-606: A modern-day den, the Informal Sitting Room was a place for Walt and his guests to sit and relax before and after dinner. It is likely that the television would have gone in this room. There was also going to be a wet bar (used as a cash register area for the Gallery), where Walt could have mixed fancy drinks and served appetizers for his guests. Cast Members like to point out the Sub-Zero miniature refrigerator, as it

704-409: A new costume. In addition to the new figure, the theater show itself was updated and augmented. The Walt Disney Story film was eliminated—portions were now used in the new pre-show film in the attraction's lobby. The slideshow half of the theater show was extended to include a new sequence: an adaptation of the "Two Brothers" segment of The American Adventure at EPCOT. The original world's fair speech

792-572: A new video display playing a montage of excerpts from the 2001 documentary, Walt: The Man Behind the Myth . The new video also provided narrative connection to the Lincoln show by ending the montage with a clip from the Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color episode, "Disneyland Goes to the World's Fair." As guests entered the real lobby area, they were given a binaural headset. The rear lobby area

880-471: A portrait. Once seated inside the theater, the lights dimmed and guests were given a sensory storytelling experience with the binaural sound system and eventually a screen with still photos. Disneyland Dream Suite The Disneyland Dream Suite was a 2,200-square-foot (200 m ) luxury apartment located in the New Orleans Square area of Disneyland Park at the Disneyland Resort . It

968-621: A representation of Colonial Boston on the eve of the American Revolution (which coincided with Disney's film adaptation of Johnny Tremain ). One of the centerpiece attractions would have been "The Hall of the Presidents of the United States"—a stage show featuring an immersive film presentation and lifelike figures of every U.S. president . The Liberty Street concept was eventually abandoned, but work continued on

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1056-662: A series of displays. Also in the post show was a historical reference library, featuring a collection of books and research materials on Illinois and Lincoln. Visitors then made their way out of the building to the special exhibits garden area, which included a replica of the Lincoln-Berry General Store in New Salem, Illinois , as well as a tourist information desk. The first Disneyland version of Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln opened on July 18, 1965, as part of the10th anniversary celebration ("Tencennial") of

1144-414: A side balcony on the far side of the room was used as a VIP seating area for Fantasmic! This balcony was off-limits to guests at all times, and was only reserved for special guests of The Walt Disney Company . This room would have been The Royal Suite's Formal Dining Room. Originally rectangular in shape, it would have accommodated a large dining room table that could have probably seated 15 - 20 guests. On

1232-788: A significant amount of public outcry saved the attraction. The Los Angeles Times quoted Disneyland spokesperson Paul Goldman: "If you’d asked a few days ago I’d have said that being a 25-year-old attraction, its popularity has passed. But there seems to be a lot of sentiment for Lincoln." Incidentally, Muppet*Vision 3D eventually found a home on the west coast as an opening day attraction at Disney California Adventure Park in February 2001. The attraction remains open in Florida, but closed in California in 2014. The Walt Disney Story Featuring Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln closed in early 2001 for

1320-418: A specific picture and have that picture custom printed for them. The system has been popular with longtime guests and offers a less-expensive alternative to lithographs , giclees , and other expensive pieces. The prints come in different sizes, with prices ranging from $ 15 – $ 50. Framing for these and other pieces is also available. This room was originally known as the Informal Sitting Room. Often compared to

1408-622: A sunrise effect. Lincoln then sat back down and the sunrise created an abstract image of the American flag in the sky background. A choral rendition of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" accompanied the finale using a unique surround sound effect to simulate a choir procession gradually filling the auditorium. After the show, visitors moved into the Illinois Exhibit Hall, showcasing the state's modern amenities and industry in

1496-524: Is a stage show featuring an Audio-Animatronic representation of U.S. president Abraham Lincoln . Originally created by Walt Disney for the State of Illinois pavilion at the 1964 New York World's Fair , the show opened at Disneyland Park in 1965. Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln has undergone several changes with advances in Audio-Animatronics technology and has been on a few hiatuses over

1584-642: Is not clearly known, though it is presumed the room was going to be used as a guest room or a room for Walt's grandchildren to play in. The room to the right of the Front Room was known as the Collector's Room. The retail operation of the Gallery was located here. The merchandise changed with the exhibition, but some mainstays of the Gallery have been miniature, matted, vintage attraction posters and books about Disney art and Disney history. The Art-on-Demand kiosks were also located here, allowing guests to choose

1672-481: Is the only area in the entire gallery where Walt Disney actually stood. Traveling through the Collector's Room, guests would find the Back Hallway. This area was originally used to display collector's lithographs and other framed artwork. Sample Art-on-Demand pieces also hung in this area. In the later days of the Gallery this area was used as another exhibit room displaying artwork for viewing. The Back Hallway

1760-597: Is the same one installed in 1966, and it still works. The Collector's Room was the only way to access the Gallery's expansive balcony. Guests could sit up in the Balcony and people watch as long as they want. In the evening, the Gallery Balcony was used as a hard-ticket seating area for the Fantasmic! river show. The seats included an all-you-can-eat dessert buffet with unlimited soft drinks and coffee. The price

1848-515: The 1964 New York World's Fair and retitled the concept "One Nation Under God." However, every corporation he and his team pitched the show to turned them down—either for financial or content reasons (companies thought the show didn't convey their own message). Disney thought the team needed a tangible example of the potential of the show and asked his Imagineers to work on a mock-up figure of one president. They concentrated their efforts on Disney's favorite: Abraham Lincoln. The Lincoln figure's face

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1936-484: The American Civil War , utilizing binaural audio headphones. The update was made so the Lincoln show would be more engaging and relevant to modern audiences. The attraction also received a new score from composer Joel McNeely . The entrance lobby still retained the displays about Walt Disney's life from previous lobby incarnations, with many refreshed. The True-Life Adventure alcove was reconfigured with

2024-660: The Lincoln Tomb in Springfield (complete with "shiny nose"). Once inside the pavilion, guests entered the Lincoln exhibit, featuring Lincoln-related artifacts and documents from public and private collections all over the world. Every known photograph of Lincoln was also on display. The centerpiece was the Edward Everett copy of the Gettysburg Address, handwritten by Lincoln, which is owned by

2112-549: The Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. The queue for Pirates would get so long at times that it would swell out to the Rivers of America and block the walkway into New Orleans Square and Bear Country . Baxter designed a themed footbridge to keep traffic flowing with the Pirates queue going underneath. He then set his sights on the old Royal Suite, just above the queue. Baxter designed a pair of ornamental staircases that would hug

2200-612: The Walt Disney Presents attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort . Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln closed on January 1, 1973 to make room for a new attraction devoted entirely to Walt Disney. The Walt Disney Story opened on April 8, 1973. A similar version of this attraction also appeared at the Magic Kingdom at from April 15, 1973, until October 5, 1992. It

2288-575: The "Fifth Freedom Mural," the piece was created by Imagineering artist Eddie Martinez and celebrated America's "fifth freedom" of free enterprise (the others being President Franklin Roosevelt 's "four freedoms" : freedom of worship, freedom of speech, freedom from want, freedom from fear). Famous examples of enterprising Americans were depicted in the mural, including Robert Goddard , the Wright brothers , Pearl Buck , Henry Ford , and Walt Disney. In

2376-414: The "Hall of Presidents" concept for many years (a similar area using many of the concepts from Liberty Street would eventually open as Liberty Square at Magic Kingdom Park in 1971). Disney asked director James Algar to work on the show concept and story. Algar would eventually become the show's lead director and producer. Originally conceived as wax figures, Disney now became more ambitious and wanted

2464-415: The 100th anniversary of Lincoln delivering his Gettysburg Address, Illinois legislators, along with Moses and Disney, announced that they would make the figure the focus of their pavilion. With funding secured, work on the figure was fast-tracked and James Algar led the team developing the show. Other Imagineers involved included Bob Gurr , Roger Broggie , Sam McKim, and Marc Davis . Actor Royal Dano

2552-539: The 1984 refurbishment, Walt Disney Imagineering consulted with scientists from the Center for Biomedical Design at the University of Utah . Those scientists were pioneering advanced artificial limbs and the Imagineers collaborated with them on new technology for Audio-Animatronic figures, creating more lifelike movement. A new Lincoln figure was the first to receive the technological upgrade, which included new skin and

2640-553: The Disney apartment. INA renamed the apartment 21 Royal Street , after the apartment's numerical address. It served as a hospitality suite for INA employees and clients during their day at the park. INA moved out of the suite in 1974 and Disneyland International (DLI) moved in. DLI is the arm of Walt Disney Productions (now The Walt Disney Company) that helped plan Tokyo Disneyland with the Oriental Land Company , and

2728-605: The Disneyland version opened—marking the first time a Disney attraction performed simultaneously in two different locations. The state of Illinois did not continue the attraction's sponsorship over to Disneyland. The Lincoln Savings and Loan Association agreed to sponsor the attraction beginning in 1966. Like the Illinois pavilion, the pre-show in the Opera House was devoted entirely to Lincoln. Guests were greeted at

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2816-470: The Firehouse Apartment, etc.). The project was christened The Royal Suite, inspired by its location off New Orleans Square's Royal Street. After Walt Disney died on December 15, 1966, many projects at Walt Disney Productions were put on hold or abandoned. At the request of his brother Roy, who felt the family would not enjoy The Royal Suite with Walt gone, the project was quietly set aside. It

2904-455: The Lincoln mock-up, and the Imagineers got the figure to stand and extend its hand to Moses. Astonished at the possibilities, Moses told Disney that he had to have the presidents show at the fair. Despite knowing that the figure was years from completion, Disney told Moses it would be ready—but only with Lincoln. Moses brokered a deal with Disney and the state of Illinois, who came into the fair late, to host Lincoln figure. On November 19, 1963,

2992-629: The Market House on Main Street. The Gallery was moved into a portion of the lobby for The Disneyland Story Presenting Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, where its exhibits rotated periodically to coincide with company promotions or highlighting attraction anniversaries. The Disney Gallery closed, along with the rest of The Disneyland Story Presenting Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, on April 16, 2024. At D23—The Ultimate Disney Fan Event in August of 2024, Disney Experiences chairman Josh D'Amaro announced that

3080-630: The Walt Disney Gallery for Disney Store in December 1994. In late May 1995, the store held a meet and discussion with Beauty and the Beast musical costume designer Ann Hould-Ward and offering some of her work, limited edition lithographs, original watercolor sketches, line drawing and works-in-progress collages, plus film's animation. The main product lines are Disney animation art, collectibles, fashions and home accessories. This location

3168-561: The Walt Disney Gallery. The prototype store was designed by Disney Imagineering . The 3,100-square-foot store used a museum shop method for its products organized into four sections, The Animation Gallery, The Contemporary Gallery, Vintage Disney and The Gallery Shop. Doug Murphy was hired by Disney Store as manager of new business development in September 1991 promoted to head business development in April 1993 then appointed vice president of

3256-434: The apartment layout and design. To furnish and decorate the area, Walt left his wife Lilly and Walt Disney Studio set decorator Emile Kuri to collaborate, as they had on other projects ( Club 33 , the firehouse apartment, etc.). The project was christened The Royal Suite , after the main street in New Orleans Square (Royal Street). The entrance to The Royal Suite was inside of a small courtyard (The Royal Courtyard) off of

3344-600: The attraction will be replaced with Walt Disney—A Magical Life, which will open in 2025, in time for the park's 70th anniversary celebration. The centerpiece of the new attraction will be a stage show featuring an Audio-Animatronic version of Walt Disney himself. After a year regularly presenting the Walt Disney show, that show will rotate with Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln throughout each operating day. The fate of The Disney Gallery exhibit space remains unknown. The Disney Gallery comprised several rooms and antechambers, as it

3432-508: The audience even believed that the Lincoln figure was an actor. The attraction closed at the end of the fair's first season on October 18, 1964, and reopened for the second and final season from April 21, 1965, to October 17, 1965. At the end of the fair, the State of Illinois pavilion was completely demolished, along with most of the world's fair buildings. The 35,000-square-foot curvilinear pavilion (designed by architectural firm SOM )

3520-425: The countered with an idea for an art gallery open to park guests. The Imagineers had always wanted a place to display their artwork for the theme parks, which went largely unseen by the public. The Disney Gallery opened on July 11, 1987, and featured an exhibit called "The Art of Disneyland 1955–1987." The Gallery was unique in all of Disneyland because it was the only location that was listed as both an attraction and

3608-452: The decades. Until recently, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln was an element of the Disneyland attraction The Disneyland Story Presenting Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln , which opened in December 2009. The show (and attraction as a whole) is currently closed to make way for Walt Disney—A Magical Life , in which Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln will play in rotation with an Audio-Animatronic presentation about Walt Disney himself. Walt Disney had

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3696-470: The eaves of the roof, surrounding the patio. This was a system that Walt was experimenting with to provide air conditioning outdoors. The ducts in the eaves would provide an invisible barrier, while the ducts located underneath the eaves would actually regulate the temperature. It was never hooked up and never used. To left of the patio, cut off from the rest of the Gallery was the Green Room, named for

3784-423: The entrance lobby by a 16-foot-long limestone model of the U.S. Capitol , created by sculptor George Lloyd in 1935. Walt Disney purchased the model from Lloyd in 1955 for display at Disneyland. The second portion of the pre-show was a new short film called "The Lincoln Story," which was presented on a 28-foot-long screen. Using many of the elements from the world's fair pre-show film, this new film eliminated all

3872-572: The exhibit space that once housed the display of Walt Disney's two studio offices was absorbed into the new Gallery. The former office display spaces would now be exhibit rooms. The bank's vault remained and was utilized as a display for more valuable merchandise. In June of 2013, The Disney Gallery closed and became the new home of the Disneyana Shop, which itself had closed to make way for the Disneyland Starbucks location at

3960-400: The family could not really enjoy The Royal Suite with Walt gone. The Suite was fairly close to completion at the time of Walt's death, including plumbing. The Insurance Company of North America (INA), a sponsor inside the park, took over the New Orleans Square space after the Disney apartment was abandoned. They finished the space and retained Emile Kuri to decorate, approximating the look of

4048-454: The far side of the room was an outline for a doorway that would have led to the Club 33 kitchen. The Royal Suite had no real kitchen, so it was necessary for the Club's chefs to provide all the meals. The Patio was the "hub" of the Gallery, with almost every room attached to it. The Patio contained tables and chairs, where guests could bring up food and have a meal away from the bustling crowds of

4136-473: The footbridge and create a unique frame for the building exterior. Baxter had thought that a beautiful place like Walt Disney's suite was going to waste not being seen by park guests. Baxter asked recently elected Walt Disney Company president and COO Frank Wells what the plans were for the Royal Suite space. Wells said that Club 33 was vying for the space in order to add more membership slots. Baxter

4224-443: The idea. Others were openly hostile—mocking the project as the "winkin', blinkin' Lincoln." Making things worse was the failed press preview of the show on April 20, 1964. The Lincoln figure refused to cooperate despite the continuous efforts of the Imagineers and Disney cancelled the preview show himself. Despite the setbacks, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln opened on April 22, 1964 with the State of Illinois pavilion. After watching

4312-411: The left of the front room was the vestibule. This miniature hallway contained two rooms that were off-limits to guests. Upon entering the vestibule, the door on the right led to the print room, which was the nerve center for the gallery's Art-on-Demand system. When the gallery opened this room was an administrative office, used for training and other purposes. The room on the left led to a small office that

4400-467: The life of Walt Disney. Using a panoramic screen with film clips and vintage photographs, the film was narrated by Disney himself via archival audio from many sources. While The Walt Disney Story was a fine tribute to the man who founded Disneyland, the show received a great deal of public criticism . At the time, Orange County, California (which is where Disneyland is located) was a heavily Republican -leaning county, and local residents were upset with

4488-543: The lobby display were re-creations of Disney's offices at the Walt Disney Studio in Burbank, California. The contents of the office display (down to the furniture and the drapes) were all authentic—catalogued and collected by Dave Smith of the then relatively new Walt Disney Archives . Instead of an Audio-Animatronic presentation, guests were treated to a 28-minute film presentation in the main theater about

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4576-546: The main show. After a brief film presentation about the origins of the United States and Lincoln's connection to the country's legacy, the screen disappeared and the curtains opened to reveal the Audio-Animatronic figure of Abraham Lincoln sitting in a chair, flanked by the flags of the United States and Illinois. The figure then stood up and gave an address comprised of excerpts from speeches Lincoln gave before and during his presidency. Lincoln's speech touched upon

4664-567: The most distinctive characteristics of the Dream Suite was the private balcony, which overlooked the Rivers of America . From here guests had an unobstructed view of the nighttime spectacular Fantasmic! In addition to that night’s lodging in the Disneyland Dream Suite, each selected 2008 Disney Dreams Giveaway winner of the Disneyland Dream Suite would also be celebrated as the honorary grand marshal in that day’s Disneyland parade. The Suite

4752-483: The nature of liberty, how the love of liberty sustains the United States, and the duty Americans have to preserve the spirit of liberty for themselves and subsequent generations. The show concluded with the curtains at the back of the stage opening to reveal the rotunda of the United States Capitol building and a star-filled sky. Toward the end of Lincoln's speech, the night sky gradually turned into

4840-456: The park, in the Opera House on Main Street, U.S.A . When it opened, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln required an "E" coupon for adult admission (guests had to pay for each attraction at the time). It was eventually downgraded to a "D" coupon. However, a free child's ticket was included with every child ticket book. The original attraction in New York was still operating for three months after

4928-400: The pre-show changed very little from The Walt Disney Story. Most of the displays were still about Walt Disney—including the studio office reproductions. In 1984, the rear lobby area was dedicated entirely to Lincoln with vintage Lincoln photographs and displays. The George Lloyd sculpture of the U.S. Capitol returned to the pre-show lobby in 1985. A new pre-show film, narrated by Pete Renaday ,

5016-402: The president figures to move and talk. But technical limitations of the time made it impossible without a huge amount of funding for research and development. Disney, Algar, and the rest of the team prepared an extensive presentation to entice corporate sponsors to back the project. In 1961, Walt Disney saw potential in having the "Hall of Presidents" as a centerpiece attraction in a pavilion at

5104-462: The references to Illinois. The show in the main theater was a duplicate of the world's fair presentation, even in a theater with the same capacity as the New York version. Lincoln, however, was a more advanced Audio-Animatronic figure than the one performing in New York—with 48 different body movements and 17 head movements and facial cues. The original New York figure is currently on display in

5192-424: The removal of the Lincoln show (Lincoln was a Republican). The attraction closed on February 12, 1975 (Lincoln's birthday) and reopened on June 12, 1975, as The Walt Disney Story Featuring Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. Gulf continued to sponsor the new attraction. The attraction underwent a significant refurbishment in 1984, which impacted both the pre-show and theater show. When the attraction reopened in 1975,

5280-432: The renderings that Walt worked on with Dorothea Redmond and to replicate those as exactly as we can,” said Walt Disney Imagineering Art Director Kim Irvine. “Her illustrations were very specific, with a color and style for each room. “But to make it special for the guests, we want it to be more than just a beautiful suite. We want it to be filled with things that might have inspired Walt as he dreamed of Disneyland." One of

5368-541: The rest of the Park. Originally conceived by Lillian Disney, the Patio was a place where Lilly could be outdoors, but away from the Park guests. Lilly also purchased the bronze fountain head sculpture, as well as other antiques located throughout the Gallery. Since she was a lover of plants, Lilly had planters installed wherever possible. Walt also had a hand in the design of the Patio. There are air conditioning ducts located on

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5456-461: The right of the Back Hallway was known as the Blue Room. The name came from the color of the wall when the Gallery first opened. This was the largest exhibit area until early 2007, when the room was divided in half. One half was given to Club 33 as storage space which was then turned into Club 33's kitchen. The half that remained as the Gallery was a more intimate space. When the Blue Room was whole,

5544-510: The room. As the Royal Suite, this room was known as the Formal Sitting Room. This is where Walt's guests would have spent most of their time, both before and after a meal. The guest entrance from the staircase was originally just another window when the building was first constructed. The balcony with the Pirates of the Caribbean marquee on the front was originally a false balcony and had to be reinforced to accommodate people. To

5632-561: The room. The Master Bedroom also had a bathroom with a marble sink top, a shower alcove, and a toilet; there was no tub. The bathroom space was used as a merchandise stockroom and remained locked at all times. The first Walt Disney Gallery was opened outside of the park next to the Disney Store , Main Place Santa Ana mall in California on November 4, 1994 and was operated by Disney Store , under Doug Murphy, vice president of

5720-628: The same reason as the Blue Room. This room changed little since the Gallery opened and was the largest display area in the Gallery The room was tucked away from the rest of the Gallery because it was going to be used as the Master Bedroom. Lilly enjoyed her privacy and wanted the bedroom to be essentially off-limits to their guests. A large bay window was located next to the bedroom door (later covered by another display wall) so that Lilly could look out onto her garden patio, even when inside

5808-538: The show, the press' perception turned completely around, with many praising the show as an outstanding tribute to Lincoln. A reporter from the New York Herald Tribune said, "'Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln' was an instant success. What was re-created was a man, real to all outward appearances." The show was a hit with fairgoers as well. 2.5 million visitors watched the show in the first season alone. Because of its lifelike movements, some members of

5896-428: The state of Illinois. The manuscript was in its own special alcove and under the guard of Illinois State Troopers . A film presentation played before the theater doors opened to the main show. Presented on a panoramic screen, the film was a brief introduction to Illinois, a short biography of Lincoln's life, and an explanation of Lincoln's connection to the state. Guests then entered the 500-seat Lincoln Theater for

5984-405: The street. The suite would take up a sizable portion of the second-floor space of the New Orleans Square buildings, sharing with Club 33. Walt Disney died on December 15, 1966. As a consequence, many projects at Walt Disney Productions were either put on hold or abandoned. The Royal Suite was abandoned at the request of Disney's surviving brother and business partner, Roy O. Disney . He felt that

6072-483: The suite was being used as executive offices as well as planning spaces. There was even a large scale model of the park placed in one of the rooms so the OLC executives could physically see the layout of their new park. DLI moved out of the suite in the mid-1980s when they outgrew the space, and it was left with an uncertain future. At the same time, Imagineer Tony Baxter was put on a project to improve guest traffic around

6160-560: The summer of 1990, Disneyland employees were informed that The Walt Disney Story Featuring Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln would be closing that August. Rumors circulated that the Lincoln show would be replaced by a west coast edition of the Muppet*Vision 3D attraction, which was opening at the Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park (now Disney's Hollywood Studios ) the following May. As with the closure in 1973,

6248-520: Was a free attraction for everyone, courtesy of the show's new sponsor, the Gulf Oil Company . The Opera House lobby became an exhibit space entirely dedicated to the life and career of Walt Disney. Display cabinets exhibits many of Disney's awards and commendations. An alcove housed a presentation about Disney's connection to animals and nature through his True-Life Adventure film series, hosted by an Audio-Animatronic owl. The centerpiece of

6336-476: Was also produced to better connect the Walt Disney and Lincoln portions of the attraction. Initially, guests in the Opera House theater watched an edited version of The Walt Disney Story film, culminating in the Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln stage show. While the figure still used the voice of Royal Dano, the speech included several passages of Dano's Lincoln recording for The Hall of Presidents. During

6424-404: Was converted into an additional dining space for Club 33 members, operating under the name 21 Royal. In 2017, 21 Royal was opened up to the public as a fine dining experience priced at $ 15,000 for a maximum of 12 guests. The Gallery opened at its current location on Main Street U.S.A. on October 2, 2009 in the space previously occupied by the Bank of Main Street. The bank building was opened up and

6512-542: Was covered in 252,000 red/brown bricks made in Danville, Illinois . The exterior walls had two quotes from Lincoln in metallic lettering, along with a large portrait of the president and a relief sculpt of the state itself. Standing outside the entrance was a new statue of a young Lincoln on horseback created by Anna Hyatt Huntington , along with the a copy of the Gutzon Borglum bust of Lincoln on display at

6600-465: Was created as part of the "Year of a Million Dreams" promotion that ran from October 1, 2006, through December 31, 2008, and closed in 2016. In the early 1960s as construction of New Orleans Square was proceeding, Walt Disney decided he needed a bigger entertaining facility for various VIPs that came to the park. He already had an apartment above the Fire Station on Main Street, U.S.A., but it

6688-503: Was created by Disney animator turned sculptor Blaine Gibson using a copy of a life mask of Lincoln made by Leonard Volk in Chicago in 1860. By the summer of 1961, the figure had been developed enough to stand from a sitting position. In April 1962, Robert Moses , president of the 1964 New York World's Fair Corporation, visited the Walt Disney Studio to see how Disney's two (at the time) fair projects were coming along. Moses saw

6776-428: Was designed to be living quarters for the Disney family. Each room contained its own set of artwork and usually revolved around a certain theme that pertained to the overall exhibit. The first room guests walked into was known as the Front Room. This was the introductory room to the exhibit and set the stage for what lay ahead. Artwork in this room was usually more broad, getting more specific as guests progressed through

6864-544: Was fairly close to completion at the time of Disney's death, including infrastructure and plumbing. From July 11, 1987, to August 7, 2007, the space housed the Disney Gallery . On October 1, 2007 the Walt Disney Company announced that the recently closed Disney Gallery would be remodeled and turned into the Disneyland Dream Suite. The remodeled suite would be the realization of Walt's dream to have

6952-475: Was hired personally by Walt Disney to voice Lincoln. Disney had seen Dano in an episode of the anthology TV series Omnibus playing Lincoln and noted the actor's resemblance to the 16th president. Voiceover veteran Paul Frees provided narration and other incidental voices. Disney composer Norman "Buddy" Baker created the show's score. In the lead-up to the show's opening, members of the press, as well as Lincoln scholars and historians, were trepidatious about

7040-591: Was originally the Grand Entrance to the Disney apartment. The door at the rear is connected to the ground floor by a nondescript flight of stairs located in a small courtyard (the Royal Courtyard is currently occupied by an extension of the Pieces of Eight shop). The marker that denotes the address of the apartment still stands. The staircase and back door is considered off-limits to guests. The room to

7128-441: Was reinstated, but it was edited to remove two paragraphs. "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" was switched out for a new underscore that included "Golden Dream"—another import from The American Adventure. And instead of a sunset creating an abstract American flag, the sky formed an abstract bald eagle . In 1976, a 53-foot-long mural was commissioned by Gulf Oil and installed in the exit lobby of Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. Called

7216-481: Was still exclusively about Lincoln, with displays, photographs. But the pre-show film was now the setup for the show's revised story. Civil War photographer Matthew Brady (voiced by Lane Davies ) became the narrator and (through Civil War era photographs) set the stage for the historic scenario guests would imagine themselves in. Brady then assigned guests the role of a fictional Union private, John Cunningham, and told them to step into Brady's studio (the theater) for

7304-488: Was stocked with high-priced animation art, dinnerware, flatware, Lladró figures, fashion, laser discs and research books. The feature artists included Amadio-Smith Raku, Bob Kliss and Paul Butler . The store was later closed. Fashion items included marcasite cuff links and necklaces by Judith Jack, Kathrine Baumann designed pave minaudière and purse accessories, sterling silver by Judy Kuo and Bill Schiffer and Gérald Genta designed watches. Also, Nicole Miller designed

7392-553: Was too small to host elaborate events. Disney decided to place the suite in New Orleans Square, set back from the hustle and bustle of the park. Disney brought in set designer Dorothea Redmond, famous for creating the sets in Gone with the Wind , to help him with the apartment layout. To furnish and decorate the area, he left his wife Lilly and Walt Disney Studio set decorator Emile Kuri to collaborate as they had on other projects ( Club 33 ,

7480-599: Was turned into the Disneyland Dream Suite —a two-bedroom, two-bath guest suite. During the "Year of a Million Dreams," guests were chosen at random to spend the night in the Dream Suite. Imagineers used the original 1960s Royal Suite designs and concepts created by Dorothea Redmond and set decorator Emile Kuri as inspiration. Walt Disney Imagineering art director Kim Irvine said that the suite would "be filled with things that might have inspired Walt as he dreamed of Disneyland." The Dream Suite closed in 2014, and

7568-522: Was underway, Walt Disney wanted to incorporate a larger entertaining facility into the plans for various VIPs who came to Disneyland. He already had an apartment above the fire station on Main Street, U.S.A. , but it was too small to host extensive events. Disney also had a private dining room inside the Red Wagon Inn (now Plaza Inn), but even that was not private enough. Disney brought in set designer and Imagineer Dorothea Redmond to help him with

7656-440: Was used by the management of the gallery. The two rooms were originally designed for two very distinct purposes. The manager office was intended to be a men's smoking lounge. Walt Disney was a smoker for most of his life (and actually died from causes related to lung cancer) and planned on having a separate, ventilated room where he and his friends could light up without making anyone else uncomfortable. The print room's intended use

7744-406: Was very steep and usually coincides with the price of Park admission. The Balcony holds very distinctive evidence that the Disney brothers were going to share The Royal Suite. Within the wrought iron of the Balcony's barrier are the initials "WD" and "RD", for "Walt Disney" and "Roy Disney". The initials are so expertly crafted that they do not stand out from the rest of the ironwork. The balcony

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