The American Adventure Pavilion

Awesome animatronic show. Perfect for a hot Fl day and beginning the shows with VOL cannot be beat. I love the story line, the music, the reverence it demands. If you want to see how this really works and to be amazing at the engineering required for this show, look it up in Martin’s Vids on YouTube. He does amazing walkthroughs and this attraction is truly fascinating. Can’t miss this if you time the shows right. Awesome.

The only good thing about this show are the animatronics and the music: everything else was a traumatic experience in the whitewashing misogynistic history of America... Which actually fits in really well with the portrayal of America. Co-hosted by animatronic Mark Twain and Ben Franklin (who weren't alive in the same time periods and referenced time periods in the future), the show was absolutely anachronistic and outdated. Events were historically inaccurate and I left the theatre feeling sick by how misrepresented America was... I can't even. Will say that the theatre is gorgeous, the host was a hoot and a half, and once again, can't believe how the animatronics were so well curated and their movements were lifelike. But the fact that some people unironically enjoy this show is wild.

Yes it is kitschy, and yes American history as presented is somewhat 'whitewashed'; however, I've always enjoyed this show. We get a glimpse of how far we've come as Americans and all the hardships that we as a nation have endured. Disney at least tries to present a balanced view by depicting women working in the factories during WWII (e.g. Rosie the Riveter) and the Nez Perce Chief Joseph. My favorite part is having Ben Franklin and Mark Twain as our hosts for the show as few people embody the Spirit of America as these two historic figures.

I would like to complain to the female employee responsible for stamping at Kidcot in the American Pavilion at about 7:00 pm on September 22nd. When we went to get stamped, she was drawing the card in her hand (not from other tourists, there are no tourists before), so I said hello to her first. She didn't speak or raise her head, still drawing her card with an expressionless face. I thought she might be busy, so I stood by and waited for her. Next my friend came over to say hello to her and waited for her with me. She remained expressionless and did not raise her head, as if we were the air. Afterwards, she stamped and signed us, but she had a look of disdain the whole time. This makes us very uncomfortable. First, as an employee of the American Pavilion, she should know that her behavior and attitude represent tourists' impressions of the United States. We are traveling from Canada, and the staff from Canada, Japan, France and many other countries are very warm and friendly. Secondly, there were no other tourists before us and she wasn't busy at the time. Finally, this is Disney, not a family convenience store. I seriously doubt whether the employee met Disney’s requirements for employees. All in all, the experience at the American Pavilion was the worst of my entire four-day trip to Disney!