Americana and Patriotism at Walt Disney World

Since its opening in 1971, Walt Disney World has always taken pride in showing patriotic spirit as well as plenty of Americana. With the anniversary of September 11 close to our minds, let's look at where this spirit stems from, and just where it can best be found.

Walt Disney and Patriotism

As a 16 year old in 1917, young Walt Disney became very interested in the conflict going on in Europe. Older brother Roy had joined the Navy but young Walt was not old enough to enlist. Walt had his mother sign his passport and then he changed his age. He then joined a Red Cross ambulance unit that was heading over to Europe. Soon he was overseas in France with the Red Cross ambulance corps as a driver serving his country. It was at this time that his strong patriotic sense of duty was born.

In December 1941, Time magazine had plans to put Dumbo on the cover of its magazine. Pearl Harbor changed its plans. During World War II the Walt Disney Studios worked with the United States government to produce both training films and propaganda films to help the war effort.

It was Walt Disney's patriotic spirit that drove most of these efforts.

His memories of Marceline, Missouri, old-time America, the turn-of-the-century lifestyle, and his involvement in the war efforts fueled the designs for the patriotic spirit to all his theme parks and -- above all -- to the signature trademark recognized by all guests: Main Street, USA.

Main Street USA

Main Street USA represents small-town America as Walt Disney remembers it from his boyhood growing up in Marceline, Missouri. This area of the Magic Kingdom represents American life at the turn of the century. Officially, Main Street USA represents the America of 1890 to 1910.The objective was to re-create old-time America including the feeling at the turn of the century when new ideas were coming into play. Thus you have the marriage of old-time architecture and horse-drawn characters with the introduction of horseless characters and electricity. Main Street USA represents the transitioning of the old with the new.

The Magic Kingdom's Main Street USA.

It is at the heart of the Magic Kingdom's America that a little-known ceremony takes place at the Town Square. During dusk the Magic Kingdom conducts Flag Retreat. During this ceremony the flag flying high above Town Square is brought down while the National Anthem is played. The flag is removed, folded in the traditional military manner, and is ceremoniously marched off. The next time you are in the Magic Kingdom check at City Hall for the scheduled time for Flag Retreat.

Liberty Square

If you want a taste of America's past, be sure to visit Liberty Square.

The Magic Kingdom's Liberty Square re-creates the feel of the days of the American Revolution. Liberty Square offers several different types of architecture for that time including Dutch Amsterdam, Federal, and Georgian style. The concentration is on America's past.

The replica of the Liberty Bell standing in front of the Liberty Tree is the showcase centerpiece of Liberty Square. The Liberty Tree has 13 lanterns hanging from its limbs, representing the original 13 colonies. The Liberty Tree commemorates the communal meeting place of the Sons of Liberty who in 1865 protested the imposition of the Stamp Act.

Liberty Square (Photo by Karl Buiter)

During the 1970s, the Magic Kingdom conducted a daily ceremony called "Sons and Daughters of Liberty." A boy and girl would be chosen to take part of this ceremony held in front of the Liberty Bell.

In this ceremony, a small fife-and-drum unit marched out in front of the Liberty Bell and a cast member, dressed in revolutionary attire, read a proclamation that declared these two guests newly named members of the Sons and Daughters of Liberty. The two children would be an active part of the ceremony, as they would march with the unit in front of the Liberty Bell. I haven't seen this ceremony performed in a long time. My guess is that the decision to drop this ceremony comes from the notion that there is an international flavor to the guest population and that you wouldn't select children from Brazil to participate. Still I'd reinstate it.

Colonial Hall, which houses the Hall of Presidents, incorporates architecture designs used in Boston and Philadelphia when the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States were being forged. The date on the building, 1787, is the year in which the Constitution was ratified.

In keeping with the patriotic theme the Liberty Tree Tavern is patterned after 18th Century colonial inns.

The taste of Americana is also found with the Rivers of America, and the paddleboat best remembered as the main transportation along the Mississippi River and of course, Tom Sawyer's Island.

Liberty Belle underway on the Rivers of America (Photo by Ian Parkinson).

Parades

During the 1970s, Walt Disney World had parades celebrating the U.S. bicentennial. The "America on Parade" parade treated guests throughout the parade to floats that celebrated the 200th birthday of America. Each float contained a Disney character dressed in patriotic garb.

Patriotic music filled the streets of the Magic Kingdom during the parade. One particular float has been recycled through the years and was last used in the Electrical Light Parade. The float is that of the American eagle with the words "To Honor America" emblazoned across the float.

To Honor America...

Over the years the parades have taken on a more general theme but if you look closely you will find that many of Walt Disney World's parades still contain a taste of Americana.

Epcot and the American Adventure Pavilion

In the original design for the World Showcase in Epcot did not include positioning the United States pavilion among the other countries. Imagineers felt that placing it among the other countries would appear arrogant, so instead the plan was to place the pavilion on stilted structures between Future World and World Showcase.

Thus the pavilion would serve as a transitional pavilion and a gateway to World Showcase. But another discussion surfaced regarding not only placement but also design. Would separating the pavilion from the other country pavilions make it seem aloof? Also, was the design in line with the other ideas of traditional architectures for the other pavilions?

Imagineers decided to use the American Pavilion as the centerpiece and host pavilion for World Showcase. They also decided to change the architectural design from contemporary to traditional, dropping the original design of the building based on the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C. in favor of more traditional Georgian architecture. The pavilion was built in the form of a Georgian mansion, built with 110,000 handmade Georgia clay bricks.

The Voices of Liberty entertain guests with patriotic and spiritual songs in the best a cappella tradition at the great rotunda on the first floor, while the American Adventure attraction tells the story of the spirit of America through two famous Americans, Mark Twain and Benjamin Franklin. The attraction's signature song and film," Golden Dream" depicts great moments in American history. "Golden Dream" continues to evolve. Over the years revisions to the film have kept it's flavor of keeping track with American history both the past and contemporary.

Ben Franklin visits Thomas Jefferson as he pens the Declaration of Independence.

When I last checked, the American Adventure Theater could still claim itself as having the largest contiguous screen in the world. Fronting the screen are the Spirits of America which are statues representing all those who have helped shape America.

The Spirits of America in the American Adventure Theater.

During the 100 year celebration a small troupe of patriotic garbed cast members march out in front of the pavilion and perform a ceremony that honors United States service personnel around the world.

Americana Extra

There are several other examples of Americana throughout Walt Disney World beyond the heavy-duty doses you find in the Magic Kingdom and in World Showcase. They are in many forms and depict certain era in American history.

MGM takes you back to the 1940s America when Hollywood was king; Fort Wilderness is a taste of the pioneering age. The original designs for such resorts as Port Orleans French Quarter and Port Orleans Riverside, Wilderness Lodge, Boardwalk, and even the Grand Floridian offer guests with their preferred American flavor.

Walt's Thoughts

The Disney theme parks were paying homage to America's past well before the current wave of patriotism. It all started with Walt Disney himself who saw the importance of remembering what has brought us to where we are today.

Let's reflect on this past year by heeding Walt Disney, who spoke the following words at the Metropolitan Opera house in New York City in 1941, as America tumbled into World War II:

"Tomorrow will be better. For as long as America keeps alive the ideas of freedom and a better life, all men will want to be free and share our way of life. I thank God and America for the right to live and raise my family under the flag of tolerance, democracy and freedom."

Walt Disney... "He was an original. Not just an American original, but an original. Period."

Next Time

Next time we discuss two subjects that first-time visitors should not overlook when visiting Walt Disney World: theme park etiquette and theme park safety.

Class dismissed.

CREDIT:

Photos on this page by Brian Bennett unless otherwise noted

Here's a list of the trip reports that Mike has written that are part of MousePlanet's archives!

Michael Scopa -- August 1999 -- Walt Disney World (CSR)

Michael J. Scopa -- July 1997 -- Walt Disney World (WL/CBR)

Mike Scopa -- July 1994 -- Walt Disney World (WL / CBR)

Also, don't miss Lani Teshima's column, "The Trip Planner" for more travel planning information!

Brian Bennett, author of MousePlanet's WDW Trip Planning Guide (and publisher of the Disney Trip Report Archive), writes:

The first Disney trip report that I ever read was a report by Mike Scopa that I downloaded from the America Online travel library in late 1994. The report was a detailed description of the Scopa family's trip to WDW in the summer of that year.

As soon as I was done reading it, I was hooked.

I picked my own brain and documented my own trips and the things I'd learned from my own experiences. Then, in 1995 I actually wrote a report as the trip unfolded. I took a laptop with me and spent some time in the evenings documenting what had happened that day. (I've repeated that process for my own reports ever since.)

In July 1996, I started my Disney trip planning Web site. Besides including my own reports, I asked for permission from the authors of several other reports and added them to the offering. Since then, the number of reports has expanded greatly. In 1997, I added an information summary for each report to make it easier to sort through the reports that are available.

I still 'blame' Mike for hooking me on this Disney habit.

Thanks Mike!

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