Magic Behind the Music: Magic Kingdom – Liberty Square – The Muppets Present Great Moments in American History

Disney Music 6

Walt Disney believed that guests at his theme parks and viewers of his television shows should not only be entertained and have fun, but they should also learn a thing or two in the process. To be fair, this may not be exactly what he had in mind, but it works! In Magic Kingdom’s Liberty Square, from windows overlooking the area nearby to the Hall of Presidents, you’ll find The Muppets Present Great Moments in American History! The show debuted on October 2, 2016 and, since then, features a retelling of one of two great moments in History… but only the American parts. A Disney cast member, under the name James “J.J.” Jefferson, acts as the town crier (announcer of important news) to introduce the show which is largely hosted and orchestrated by Sam Eagle, the most patriotic of the Muppets cast. Well, Sam tries to host and orchestrate it and Kermit the Frog steps in to help, but Miss Piggy, Gonzo, and Fozzie Bear do tend to make it a less than fluid performance in very comedic fashion.

This addition is one of the latest to include the Muppets at the Disney Parks in recent years. The Muppets were originally created by Jim Henson in the 1950’s. Their growing popularity led to a TV show which aired on ABC (a Disney-owned channel) and eventually a full-length movie. In the 80’s, Henson entered into acquisition negotiations with Disney (then under CEO, Michael Eisner). Acquisition was cancelled after Henson’s death in 1990, but Disney did co-produce various Muppet productions with Henson’s company during the 90’s and began to put Muppet-themed attractions in the Disney Parks, starting with Muppet*Vision 3D. It wasn’t until 2004 that Disney fully acquired the Muppets to their entertainment industry.

This track of the Muppets presenting a great moment in American History is about the ride of Paul Revere and was very recently added to the D-COT Jukebox on April 3, 2019. It’s fun to listen to Sam’s seriousness get overtaken by the kind of Muppet foolishness we know and love while also learning a little bit of history. Being only a few months on the site, this sketch only has a play count of 249 with 3 on the week. Two members have added it to their Favorites and Supporters have added it to 6 Custom Playlists. Still, it is well-liked by those who have heard and rated it. It gets a 4.8/5 average rating with 15 votes. If you ever find yourself to be the crier of your town, listening to these sketches is a great way to cheer up!  Happy Independence Day!

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By RocketEAR99
RocketEAR99 is one of our contributors that specializes in Disney music in the series we call "Magic Behind the Music". You will find some fun and exciting information about the music you can listen to in the jukebox.

6 Comments

  1. :heart: :sam: :animal:
    this show is cute and entertaining. the only bad part? NO SHADE! holy cow that part of the park can get hot to stand around and wait in! but it is worth it!

  2. I’ve never seen the Paul Revere one, nor listened to this track. I’ve only seen Declaration (which is also under the Jukebox…with the same name. Maybe @steve should look into that…). The Declaration one is so good though!!!! :heart: :heart: :heart: :sam:

    • It’s not quite the same name. One has a “…” in the title. The other doesn’t ;)

      • Forgive me for my arrogance. I was unaware of this detail.

        • LOL I only noticed it because it was my job to notice it so I could write this article :D

  3. I missed this show on my last trip! Hope to see it this time! :sam:

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