Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln returns to Disneyland's Opera House

Main Street Opera House    ©McNaughten Media

Greg Nutt

With the announcement by Disney today that Captain EO, the 1986 collaboration between George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola and Michael Jackson, will make a return to Disneyland for a limited run, many have over looked the return of a true Walt Disney classic attraction, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.

Originally created for the 1964/65 New York World’s Fair by Walt Disney and his creative team of Imagineers for the State of Illinois, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln found a home at Disneyland’s Opera House on Main Street U.S.A. in the summer of 1965.

Lincoln took a brief hiatus from 1973 to 1975 while a show featuring the Walt Disney Story replaced Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. In part due to public outcry, Lincoln returned to the Opera House on June 12, 1975 with a new show name, The Walt Disney Story: Featuring Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.

Great Moments had an uninterrupted run with the occasional upgrade for the next 30 years until Mr. Lincoln was given a break to feature Disneyland: The First 50 Magical Years in 2005.

Rumors persisted that Lincoln might make a return, but when and where was still a big question. Some speculated Mr. Lincoln would return to Disney’s California Adventure at the newly planed Cathay Theater planned for the new expansion of that park. There were even rumors of a “lite” version of the Magic Kingdom’s Hall of Presidents at Walt Disney World which would include President Obama.

Today Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln returned to Disneyland’s Opera House to eager guests who filled the theater all day. The new attraction is called The Disneyland Story: Featuring Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln and shares part of its lobby with the new Disney Gallery and features artwork and models from Disneyland’s past.

The preshow room has been beautifully crafted and brings back elements of the previous show including the scale model of the United States Capital building. The preshow also includes artwork from the Lincoln show and models personifying American ideals, known as the “Spirits of America”, which are featured at Epcot’s American Adventure at Walt Disney World and is the theme of the post show as you exit the Lincoln Theater.

Disney Imagineers have re-mastered the original voice recordings of Royal Dano who was personally selected by Walt Disney for the World’s Fair attraction. According to Disney Imagineer Josh Shipley, they decided to leave in the lips smacks from the original recordings that were removed in the 1960’s version of the show which now ads that extra depth of realism to the show. Dano’s recordings were replaced in 2001 with Warren Burton’s voice. The narrator Paul Frees was also replaced at the same time with Corey Burton taking over the reigns as narrator. The narrator is once again the recording of Paul Frees.

The new Mr. Lincoln audio-animatronic (AA) is fantastic!  They have captured what is easily believable, the mannerisms of the 16th President.  Unlike any before him, the Lincoln AA has facial movements never before seen in an AA. I was told if you’re a lip reader, you could read Mr. Lincoln’s lips. Lincoln blinks, moves his brow, curls and tightens his lips and his cheeks move while he speaks and “breaths”. The realism is uncanny and breathtaking. I suggest you see at least one show in the first few rows to take it all in.

The theater itself has also received many upgrades to its sound system and added digital projectors.

The show ends with the song Golden Dreams and the exit corridors features photographs of Americans that exhibit the American ideals and spirit this country is known for. Most of the photographs are also featured in Epcot’s American Adventure film montage that closes its show.

Disney Cast Members ask that there be no photography or video taping during the show to protect the dignity of the performance. Therefore the slide show and accompanying photographs only reflect areas where photography is permitted. You can watch an official SNEAK PREVIEW of Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln by clicking HERE.

Disney fans owe a great deal of gratitude to Walt Disney Imagineering Senior President of Creative Development Tony Baxter for overseeing the return of one of Walt Disney’s classic attractions.