Credit: DisneyWhen Disneyland closed “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” last summer, the expectation was that guests wouldn’t see it again until after Disneyland’s 70th Anniversary ended in the summer of 2026. Disney has plans for “Walt Disney: A Magical Life” to take over that space for the 70th Anniversary, showcasing the company’s new Walt animatronic.
For a while, that plan seemed to be working. The new Walt Disney show was working fine, and guests got to see Walt in person, albeit in animatronic form, for the first time in some of their lives. And Disney expected that Abraham Lincoln would stay on the shelf until he was due to return in constant rotation with Walt’s show.
Well, things change, and Disney had to adapt. In October, Abraham Lincoln replaced Walt Disney for a few shows, but that was only expected to be temporary, as there was trouble with the Walt animatronic. But this week, Lincoln was back again.
On Wednesday and Thursday this week, “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” returned to the Disneyland Opera House and was the only show playing on those two days. The show was essentially the same as the one that left in the summer of 2024, but there were some lighting changes, and a new wall was added behind the animatronic to accommodate the moving set.
On both Wednesday and Thursday, “Walt Disney: A Magical Life” was listed as having no operating times on Disneyland’s website, and cast members reported that the show was down due to a technical issue unrelated to the Walt animatronic. However, by Friday, Abraham Lincoln was back on the shelf, and Walt Disney returned to the Opera House full-time.
For now, it appears that Disneyland will only revive Abraham Lincoln when Walt Disney is unavailable, so guests should be prepared to receive either show when they arrive at the park. Or guests can just wait until the summer and see them both playing together at Disneyland.
Which show do you prefer? “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln or “Walt Disney: A Magical Life”? Let us know in the comments.